His Tempest (6 page)

“How sad. George has another sister, doesn't he?”

Colin nodded. “She's a nice lady. She visits sometimes. Spends a few days. She's trying to get him to visit her, but he doesn't like to be away from the farm.” In frustration, he leaned forward and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I wish I could help him. Mackenzie meant the world to him. I know he's been dealt a low blow. And it's going to take some time to get over it. But I feel so…incapable.”

Noelle heard the agony in his voice and wished she could ease it. She rubbed his back.

“I think you being there helps. It's going to take time for him to recover,” she said and felt sad because she couldn't reveal who she was, not after someone had already tried to cheat George.

Colin nodded and stood. “I have to go. I'll try to make it by to help Greg with the furniture tomorrow evening. It might be after dark before I get here.”

“That's fine, thanks.” Noelle wanted to tell him they could handle it alone, but some of the furniture was pretty heavy, especially the sofa and armoire.

She walked him to the door where he captured her in his arms and kissed her. He held her as if he was reluctant to let her go.

When he finally did, cold air brushed over Noelle. She quickly closed the door behind him and shivered. Rubbing her arms, she went upstairs where she changed into sweats and got into bed. Sleep proved elusive. She couldn't stop thinking of George Avery. What a fix. To have the one person who truly loved you gone. And the ones left were circling like vultures for what they could get.

Suddenly Noelle felt sad for the kindly man. She understood why Colin was fond of him. A man of quiet dignity, George was the perfect cultured Southern host. He'd gently put William in his place without breaking stride and had then changed the conversation. He got his point across without indignation and without raising his voice.

Her grandfather was hurting. Noelle hated to see anyone in pain. Would it help if he knew he had a granddaughter? How would her father feel if she became involved with him? Mackenzie was dead so he wasn't a threat to Franklin. She and her father had never talked about it, although he knew she was here to see her grandfather. He accepted it and didn't seem to be intimidated by it. Or at least he pretended he wasn't. Noelle closed her eyes briefly. She loved her father. Couldn't ask for a better one. And she didn't understand her need to know the man who'd donated sperm for her.

Noelle sighed. She couldn't reveal her identity. Colin would think she came to Virginia for the same reason William visited the older man or for the reason that woman had pretended Mackenzie fathered her child—for what they could get. Colin had a great deal of influence over George. He'd think she, too, was there for monetary reasons.

No, she couldn't reveal her identity. But maybe she could become more involved with George. Maybe she could volunteer to take him to grief-counseling sessions or something. Then maybe Colin would see her intentions were genuine.

Why did it matter so much? she asked herself.

Because Colin mattered.

Noelle sighed. She was finally getting sleepy, but she was saddened.

Never in a million years would she have thought she and Colin would date. Not the womanizer. But he seemed to have changed.

Could a man really change that much?

“N
oelle.” Colin's deep husky tone was a gentle balm early the next morning. He sounded as if he'd been up for hours. Noelle moaned and rolled over. She snuggled up tightly beneath the covers.

“How can you be so energized this early in the morning?” she asked, the phone tucked close against her ear.

“I'm sipping my second cup of coffee and I'm watching the the mountains against the moonlight,” he said. The timbre of his voice decreased. “It's the best I can do since I don't have you in my arms.”

Noelle had been filled with contentment until his statement hit her. He threw her immediately into a sensual haze, wondering what kind of lover he'd be. He was definitely a morning person who'd wake her slowly with his kisses. Her skin felt hot beneath the blankets and she peeled one of them back.

They talked for nearly five minutes while his words stroked her slowly and sweetly. Finally they said goodbye and she hung up the phone.

Noelle wasn't a morning person. Usually she made it up at seven, not five-thirty, but she had a lot to do. The first order of business was a fresh pot of coffee for energy. She dressed, woke Gregory up and went downstairs. They should have at least brought in a table and chairs, she thought as she took meager supplies out of the fridge—just bacon, eggs and a loaf of bread. She needed to make a trip to town to purchase food.

By the time she cooked breakfast and carried it upstairs to the sitting area, Greg had dressed. He came out of the bathroom looking sleepy. She handed him coffee. “A cup of joe should get you moving.”

“I need to get back to school so I can get some rest,” he said.

“You're still young and strapping. You can handle it.”

After breakfast they painted downstairs. By noon, they had finished the living room and dining room. Then they changed clothes and went into town for groceries, stopping first for lunch at Salamanders. After they selected items from the display cases, they took a seat in the dining area.

“Dad called last night,” Noelle said. “He forgot about the time change. You were fast asleep.”

“Yeah. I was asleep before my head hit the bed. I woke up in my clothes this morning. Wow!” he said looking behind her. “If only she was a little younger.”

Noelle followed his interested gaze until it lit on a woman at a table behind them. She looked familiar, but Noelle couldn't place her. She had a pretty round face with a dark-brown complexion and dimpled cheeks. She took off her hat and ran her hand across her short black, naturally curly hair. Noelle frowned. She remembered those dimples, but couldn't place them. Not wanting to be caught staring, she faced her brother.

“I think we'll paint the kitchen and the bathroom tonight and leave the downstairs bedroom for tomorrow morning,” Noelle said.

“What are you going to do with the bedroom? Make it into a family room?”

“No. I don't need a formal living room, so that room will be the family room and entertainment area. I'm turning the downstairs bedroom into an office.”

Greg groaned. “Which means I'm back to sleeping on the couch when we all visit.”

“The office is large enough for a sleep sofa. So you'll have someplace to sleep.”

“I hope you get cable. The reception is terrible here.”

“You're full of complaints, aren't you? I'll have satellite when you return, just to please you.”

“Noelle?” a voice called out. “Are you Noelle Greenwood?”

Noelle focused on the woman Greg had commented on earlier.

“Yes, I am.”

“Oh, my gosh. I'm Casey. Cassandra Reed.”

“I can't believe it. I thought you looked familiar. I haven't seen you since…”

“Summer camp. How I enjoyed those summers.”

“So did I. This is my brother, Gregory.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” he said.

“Same here. I saw your grandparents a lot just before they died.”

“Actually,” Noelle said, “I'm opening the summer camp again. I've moved into my grandparents' house and I'll be getting the camp in shape over the next few months.”

“Aren't you lucky! I'm sharing a three-bedroom house with two other women. Real estate here is expensive. I'm saving up for a place of my own. So when are you opening the camp?”

“This summer,” Noelle said. “It will focus on computer and investment skills.”

“Wow! You need to start advertising. I have nephews and nieces my sisters want to get rid of for a few weeks.”

Noelle laughed. “I hope our parents didn't feel that way about us.”

“I'm teasing. I dote on them. But my sisters and brothers attended that camp, too. It was such a good experience that I'm sure they would want their children to have it, as well.”

“I should have brochures ready by the middle of next month,” Noelle assured her.

“In the meantime, I'll let them know. We have to get together soon.” She dug in her purse and gave Noelle a card. “My address and phone numbers.”

“Here's my cell number. They haven't hooked up the landline yet.” Noelle tore a piece of paper from a pad in her purse.

“I have to get back to work,” Casey said. “My boss is nice, but he's strict about lunch hours. Nice meeting you, Gregory.”

“Same here.” He watched her until she went out the door.

“Sit down and finish your food, brother.”

“She's a babe. And the way those jeans fit her…But I guess she's as old as you.”

“She's a year or two younger,” Noelle said.

“Oh. I'm just a couple of years younger than you.”

“You're a kid in comparison.”

“I think I like older women.”

Noelle rolled her eyes heavenward. “Give me a break,” she said, just before she saw Colin strolling toward her.

“Hi. Thought I saw your car out there.” He bent and kissed her. His lips were cold.

“What're you doing in town?”

“On my way from the training track,” he said, pulling out the chair beside her and sitting down. They were so close his arm brushed hers, sending sparks of awareness through her. “Was that Casey I saw leaving?” He took a sip of her hot chocolate.

“Yes. We went to camp together.” Suddenly the food churned in Noelle's stomach and she lost her appetite. Had Colin and Casey dated?

She had no time to ponder that because Colin asked, “So what did y'all get done this morning?”

“Just the living and dining rooms. We'll get to the kitchen this afternoon.”

“Coming right along,” he said.

She nodded. “I need to start looking for someone to make repairs on the campground. I haven't had the time to go there yet.”

“George recommended Carp. But I have to tell you up front that he's been having some problems since his wife left him. Hasn't been too reliable. But he needs someone to give him a chance. He'll work cheaper than the regular construction firms if you'll give him a chance to prove himself. If you're afraid of taking a chance, he'll recommend someone else.”

“Does he do good work?”

“Great work. A regular contractor would cost you a fortune, but the work won't be any better. He's done a lot of work for us at the farm.”

“I'll try him.”

“Good. I'll bring him by tomorrow. Unfortunately, I have to go now.” He stood, then leaned down to kiss her.

Noelle felt her body heat up, burning to ashes whatever anxiety she'd had. She watched him until he left the building.

“Earth to Noelle.” Greg shook his head. “I never thought my never-take-a-man-seriously sister would fall for a guy so fast.”

Noelle just sighed.

“I'm going to pick out something for dinner. There's nothing to eat at your house,” he added.

“We're going to stop by the grocery store next and I'm cooking dinner tonight. You deserve one of my home-cooked meals.”

The paint was barely dry by the time Colin came over and helped Gregory move in the kitchen and living-room furniture.

True to her word, Noelle prepared dinner and Colin stayed to eat with them. Afterward, Gregory escaped upstairs to watch a DVD on the television in Noelle's room. Colin made a fire in the living-room fireplace, and sat in front of it on the rug.

“Sorry I'm so grungy, but I didn't have time to change before I left,” he said.

“I'm not Miss Pristine, either.”

She looked good to him, Colin noted as he watched her backside when she leaned over to put cups of hot chocolate on the coffee table. She sat beside him and he pulled her close.

“My father said there was some good furniture stored in the basement. I have to look down there to see if I can use anything. I'm hoping they have a desk.”

“You might fix up that space one day to add to your living area.”

“I doubt it. I don't need more room. Plus it's so dark and it needs rewiring. And the views from up here are breathtaking in every direction.”

“I think I like that most about the farm.” He was really thinking that
she
was breathtaking.

He should go home and get some sleep, but he couldn't force himself to leave. He just couldn't wrap his mind around how she'd thrown him for a loop or the fact that he wanted to spend every spare second with her. As much as he loved the thoroughbred business, she gave him added incentive to work even harder so he would be able to offer her something. Never had he considered the big
M
word before, but now all he could think of was having Noelle for himself. Of how he wanted to pay off the farm's debts and save something for their future. Every morning her face was the first one he wanted to see. And the last thing he wanted was for her to leave after summer camp to work someplace else for the rest of the year. He wanted her near him. God, he wanted her in his home.

But he couldn't make any promises yet. He'd wait and see how his life played out. First he'd have to get his father off his back about selling the farm. With that threat over his head, he couldn't begin to think about marriage. It hadn't mattered before. But now everything, his whole life, had changed in a couple of weeks.

The next afternoon Colin took some time off from the farm to hunt down Carp. He drove into the yard with the carpenter, who was one of the best in the area, that is, if you could get him sober enough to get the work done. He still did odd jobs at the farm, but someone always had to keep a close eye on him to make sure he didn't sneak a drink. They couldn't allow drunks around the horses.

Carp's father was a carpenter and he'd started working with his father when he was young. The older men would tease him about being a little carpenter and called him Carp. The nickname stuck and nobody called him by his real name, Benjamin.

“Can't believe Epps's granddaughter is back,” Carp said. “Thought the daughter would eventually sell that place.” He shook his head. “That good land going to waste. What a shame.”

“At least it's going to be put to good use now,” Colin said, dodging a pothole.

“Been so long, place couldn't be in any kind of shape. Don't keep up a building, it goes to seed.”

“Except Epps built sturdy buildings. I think it held up pretty well.”

Carp grunted.

“I'm counting on you getting those buildings in shape. It's January. You have until June. I could repair them in that length of time.”

“Why is it so important to you?”

Colin darted a glance at the older man. “You dipping in my business, Carp?”

Carp grinned. “Yeah.”

Colin chuckled. “You just make sure she doesn't decide to move back to Memphis to that computer job. I want her right here.”

“Just drop me off at the campsite. I'll look things over while you find her. You can take your time. It'll take a while to go through everything.”

Colin drove the rutted road to the campsite. As soon as Carp got out he headed for Noelle's place. The yard needed serious work; the plants her grandparents had put in had grown wild over the years. Dormant now, they'd need trimming come spring.

Colin stopped beside the rental truck and loped up the stairs to knock on the door. Noelle opened it wearing a bandana, old jeans and an oversize sweatshirt. Even with paint splatters as her only makeup, and with all her curves hidden, desire still hit him hard. He had it bad.

Colin pulled her into his arms and kissed her until he got his fill.

“Hi,” he said when he came up for air.

“Hi, yourself,” she said, laughing.

“I think I taste paint.”

“You taste like coffee. Yum. Come on in out of the cold,” she said. His arm was still around her waist. “We've painted the last room, thank God. And I took a quick trip to the basement. There's a nice desk down there and a couple of chairs and a dining-room table I want to bring up here.”