The Tycoon's Perfect Match (8 page)

They stayed for a while longer.

Brian checked his watch. “Two in the morning. I think it's time to go home.”

They said their goodbyes to everyone on their way out, and were soon driving back to Sherwood Lodge.

“What a night,” Brian said.

“It was a great night.” She leaned back on the seat. “Makes me feel like I did something to help the community.”

“Why do you say that? I know Sherwood contributes a lot to various organizations, and now you're donating to the fund-raiser.”

“But that's different. Tonight, I did something…personally.”

“But aren't you on several charitable boards?”

“How do you know that?”

“I get your annual report. I'm a stockholder.”

“You are?” she asked, definitely surprised.

“It was my high school graduation present. I told my dad that I wanted stock in Sherwood Enterprises.”

“That's so cool.” She covered her mouth with both hands to hide another yawn.

“You're nodding off. Move closer. I don't want you to bang your head against the window.”

“I'm fine.”

But to his surprise, she did move closer, and he put his arm around her.

It felt so right being with Mari. And when she rested her head on his shoulder, he could smell the fresh scents of the evening on her hair.

They'd just worked together like two halves of a whole, and he'd really felt a connection to her. It seemed as if there wasn't anything Mari couldn't do.

Except make a decision about their relationship.

He could hear her steady, gentle breathing and felt very protective of her. If there were a way to wrap Mari in a bubble so no harm would ever come to her, or no one would ever hurt her again, he'd do it.

But who would protect Mari from him?

F
or the next few days, Mari couldn't get her mind off of Brian Hawkins.

When she was forming clay on her wheel, she thought of him. Whenever she went on her walks along the shoreline, she rehashed their conversations. And when she tried to read a book, she couldn't concentrate because she wondered what he was doing.

For a change of scenery, she decided to return to Clancy's and get a few odds and ends.

It was a great day—hot and sunny. The scent of pine and cedar hung in the air, and she took a
deep breath as she maneuvered the twists and turns of Route 28.

She pulled into a parking spot, stopped to pet a beagle puppy that struggled to reach her from a leash, and exchanged greetings with people she passed.

Inside Clancy's, she checked her list and headed for the paint area to buy some solvent for her paintbrushes—and almost knocked Brian over as she turned the aisle with her cart.

Judging by the surprise on his face, he hadn't expected to see her, either. She remembered how he looked by the light of the moon, how he felt and tasted.

Shaking off the memory, she met his gaze. If she wasn't mistaken, he was studying her, too.

As usual, he was dressed in a suit, but for a change there was no tie. “What is this, casual Friday at the office?” she joked, hoping a little humor would alleviate the tension that hung between them.

“Today's Thursday.” He grinned, holding six boxes of business envelopes. “What are you doing here? You were going stir-crazy all alone on the lake, right?”

She wasn't going to admit that he'd guessed correctly, so she just smiled. “I needed some solvent. And coffee.”

“We can't go on meeting like this—at Clancy's, of all places.” He smiled. “I was just going to grab some lunch. Would you like to join me?”

She wondered if she should, then decided that she couldn't resist his friendly invitation. “I'd love to.”

They both cashed out, and she put her purchases on the floor of her van. By the time she walked to his car, he had the top down on his slick black Mustang. She was glad about that. It was the perfect day for riding in a convertible.

They didn't have far to go. He soon pulled into Aunt Betty's Pancake House.

Inside, the restaurant was a huge, barn-shaped place full of birch canoes, old pictures and rusted farm implements hanging from the weathered wood walls. A sign that pictured a moose eating a big salad at a picnic table read, Please sit anywhere.

“I have to show this to you,” he said, pointing to an old photo on the wall by a pair of antlers. “It's a picture of Ezra Hawkins, my great-great-grandfather. He founded Hawk's Lake in 1865. This is a picture of his old smithy. It was on the same site as Hawkins's Garage.”

She was a little surprised that he wanted to show her his connection to the village, his family's history. Leaning closer, she studied the picture.

“He looks so…distinguished. I can see the family resemblance in this picture.”

His hand slipped possessively around her waist as she straightened. She should have stepped away, but it felt so natural, so good.

“It must be amazing being a direct descendant of the founder of this town. This is your history! All this is here because of your ancestors, and your family.”

He thought for a moment. “I guess when you put it that way…”

She'd love to find a way to connect him to his own hometown. At least he was thinking now. Maybe what she'd been saying was sinking in. That was a start.

“I just wish that someday you'd realize how much you've done for the village and how much you are appreciated.”

“But, Mari—”

“You've also tried to preserve the history of Hawk's Lake. Sherwood Lodge is a perfect example. You even kept the original color scheme.” She wanted to take his hand, but she was afraid he'd read it the wrong way.

“I own several historical properties. I believe in preservation.”

His blue eyes sparkled at her praise, and she knew he was pleased.

As they walked through the restaurant, every waitress greeted Brian and motioned for him to sit in their area. He picked a spot by the window that overlooked a little waterfall and what must be a trout stream. Fishermen dressed in waders were casting in the water and on the bank of the stream.

Children frolicked in a fenced-in playground to the left as their mothers watched from a bench.

One little boy was crying as his mother comforted him. She rubbed his back with one hand and reached into her purse with her other hand. She wiped off the boy's knee with a tissue that she'd wet with her water bottle, and gently taped on a plastic bandage.

She dabbed at his eyes with another tissue, and soon he was smiling and showing off his new bandage to his playmates.

Mari's chest constricted. She wanted to make her own children smile, to comfort them when they were hurt, to hold their little bodies close to her and shower hugs and kisses on them throughout the day and night.

She wanted to help them with their homework and watch them grow into happy adults with their own families.

Would she ever get that chance?

Reluctantly, Mari pulled herself out of her daydream and brought herself back to the restaurant.

This certainly wasn't one of the fanciest restaurants she'd ever been in, but it definitely had an interesting view.

“I'd love to live here,” she blurted without thinking.

Brian leaned back in his chair. “Wow. That was quite the announcement. We didn't even order yet. But you aren't telling me anything that you haven't said before.”

She glanced out the window. “Look outside, Brian. Tell me what you see.”

He followed her line of vision. “I see guys fishing. Kids at the playground. Just the usual spring activities, after everyone thaws out after winter.”

She'd give anything to be one of those mothers watching her children playing on the playground. Hawk's Lake would be a perfect place to raise a family.

One of the men was reeling in a fish as the others watched. She could just picture Brian standing on the riverbank, patiently showing their children how to fish.

Their children?
Her face heated. Okay, she had to admit that, lately, he'd been on her mind, too—but this was carrying her dreams a bit too far.

She might want to sleep with him, but another engagement? Marriage? She'd been burned too many times to even add that to her ever-growing list of things to think about.

“What do
you
see, Mari?” he asked.

“I see families together, taking time out to enjoy life. Fresh air. Nature.”

“Okay.” He shrugged.

“You just don't get it, Brian,” she snapped, trying to get her emotions under control. “For example, Aunt Betty offers pancakes, but she also serves everything else you can think of. And look at these prices. They're so low, it's unbelievable.”

“They'll raise the prices in the summer, when the tourists hit. You can be sure of that. And Aunt Betty is really an ex-sailor by the name of Melvin Ray. Those fishermen on the river there are probably avoiding their wives, and those ladies on the bench at the playground are gossiping and avoiding their husbands.”

Her blood began to boil. “Just stop. Why do you have to be so cynical?”

“You're romanticizing Hawk's Lake. I'm just pointing out what's wrong with it.”

“Well, don't do that anymore. Okay?”

“If that's what you want.”

The waitress came and Mari was glad for the interruption. She just couldn't understand Brian's thinking. He had the best of everything right here.

Obviously, the two of them didn't want the same things.

Her throat tightened, and she didn't think that she could swallow the chicken-salad sandwich that she'd planned on ordering.

Glancing at the menu again, she ordered chicken soup instead. Brian got a burger with the works and some fries. The waitress didn't seem in a hurry to leave their table, and kept smiling at Brian, checking several times as to how he wanted his burger cooked. She was obviously attracted to him.

Who wouldn't be?

Mari remembered being fascinated with him, too, as they rowed on the lake under the stars and worked together at the scene of the accident. However, right now at Aunt Betty's Pancake House, she wished she could get Brian to see Hawk's Lake through her eyes.

But why was that so important to her?

“What attracts you to cities?” she asked, coming at it from another direction. “Granted, cities are fabulous, but they're tough places to raise a family.”

He shrugged. “I had the best time when I was living in New York with three other guys. We worked
long hours—days, nights, weekends—and somehow we still partied and had a great time. When the boss needed us at any time of the day or night, we were there. And the money was incredible.”

“So was your rent, I'm sure. I'll bet you had to live four in an apartment to make the monthly rent. And I'll bet it was a dump, and on the top floor, without an elevator. But you were young and just out of college, so you didn't care. And just how long do you think you could've kept up that pace?”

“Who knows?” He shrugged. “But it was the best time of my life.”

“Why isn't
now
the best time of your life?”

“Time flies, Mari. And I have a lot of unfinished plans.”

Lunch came and it was just as well. Their discussion was getting too heated.

They discussed lighter topics after their food was served, and even lingered over pie and coffee. Mari couldn't remember the last time she'd had a long, leisurely lunch. Usually, she had Julie order her something from the basement cafeteria or from a local deli and had it delivered to her office. More often than not, she skipped the meal altogether.

This was a much nicer way to spend her lunchtime, even if they had to agree to disagree.

 

“I have a meeting at four at the village hall, but if you'd like, there's still time to sit on one of the benches by the river for a while and watch the guys fish,” Brian said.

“Great idea.”

He shed his jacket and tossed it in the backseat of his car. Then they walked to the side of the building.

It was a beautiful day, and he planned on enjoying every second with Mari that he could.

“So you have a meeting to go to?” Mari faked a big shudder. “I hate to even
say
the word
meeting.
It's been great not even thinking of having to attend…those things.”

“But this is a fun meeting. We are going to be scheduling the village events for next year and discussing some new ideas.”

“What kind of events?”

“The usual ones—the Snow Festival, the Fourth of July fireworks and parade, the craft weekend, the sidewalk art show—things like that.” He smiled, thinking of the full calendar.

“I'd like to attend every one of them. And you're smiling, Brian. You love doing things like that.”

“I guess I do. It's great to see the village full of
families enjoying themselves. And some of them are fund-raisers for good causes. I've got a couple of great ideas for a couple of new things to try.” He felt his blood pumping, excited.

He was starting to sound like Mari about Hawk's Lake.

“Tell me about your ideas.”

“An old-fashioned barn dance for Halloween, with games for the kids and their families. And I've been trying to get a big bass fishing tournament here. I got word today that it's a go. That'll bring in a big crowd, and it will benefit everyone. The residents will make money, and the contestants will take back a ton of memories.”

“Those are great ideas.” Mari put a hand on his arm, and the heat hit him immediately. “I wish you could hear the enthusiasm in your voice. You just love doing things like this—organizing activities and working to bring in tourists and spectators. And that's great for Hawk's Lake.”

“And you're not doing what you like at Sherwood, right?”

“We're not talking about me. We're talking about you.” She nudged his shoulder with hers. “In spite of how you bash this place, it's your own personal playground.”

“I just pitch in. Do what I can. Project the expenses and profits. Whatever.”

“Don't be so modest, Brian. I'll bet you do a lot more than you'll admit.” She put her hand on his chest, and he thought he was going to melt. “And you do it from your heart.”

He was speechless. If Mari was right, it would mean that he was trying to escape a place that he really loved. It would also mean that he'd been dreaming of another job—another life—when he already had everything he'd been working for.