Redemption Bay (Haven Point Book 2) (Contemporary Romance) (20 page)

A few kisses did
not
lead to happily-ever-after. She was certainly old enough and experienced enough to realize that.

She pressed a hand to the ache in her chest. Rika must have sensed her distress with that sometimes spooky intuition she had. The dog nudged against her side and licked McKenzie’s hand until she placed her fingers on the poodle’s curls.

She was freezing, suddenly, though the temperature outside hadn’t dipped far from the heat of the afternoon. Just now, she wanted nothing but to change into some warm pajamas, wrap a blanket around her and maybe curl up with some Häagen-Dazs she had been saving for a special occasion.

She hurried into her bedroom with that objective in mind. This wasn’t the end of the world, she reminded herself, for Haven Point or for her. Aidan and Eliza still had big plans for the downtown area. They were working on bringing in new retail outlets and restaurants, and the reconstruction of the beautiful inn that had burned down before Christmas would be finished by next summer, better than ever.

As for her, she would make it through this. She had survived heartache before. She had lost the mother she loved and then the father she had grown to love. She had walked away from a job and a boyfriend in Chicago and rebuilt herself here. She had a business she loved and good friends, and the people of this town trusted her as their mayor.

Her life was happy and fulfilled and she refused to let Ben ruin that, as he had ruined so many other things.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“T
HAT
IS
REALLY
ADORABLE
,” Barbara Serrano exclaimed as she looked at the quilt in browns, pinks and lavenders stretched out on a rack in the back room of McKenzie’s store.

“You’re so good at putting colors together. I wish I shared your skill. It must be the florist in you.”

“I’d like to take credit but Louise Pennybaker at the fabric store over in Shelter Springs helped me figure out what would go well together.”

“The poor kids being treated at the emergency room will love it,” Samantha said. “A little bright bit of sunshine in the midst of a scary experience.”

The Helping Hands were gathered for an unusual midweek potluck project, tying small child-sized quilts to be handed out at Lake Haven Hospital. It had been Devin’s idea, an urgent request as activity at the emergency room always increased in the summertime.

“We need all the sunshine we can get. Holy Toledo, this rain! Where did it come from?” Linda Fremont exclaimed.

“Do I have to explain the whole condensation-evaporation-precipitation cycle to you again, Mom?” Samantha asked with an eye roll that usually would have made McKenzie laugh.

She wasn’t finding very many things amusing. A little sunshine, both literal and figurative, would be very welcome right now. The heavy rains forecasters had been predicting for the area had hit with a vengeance shortly after midnight the night of her confrontation with Ben and showed no sign of letting up. Already, Haven Point had surpassed July rainfall records and at least another day or two of rain was expected before the storm passed over.

The world seemed bleak and gray to her right now, and only partly because of the unusual summer storm.

When she awakened to find rain steadily falling outside her window the past two days, she had half expected to find that Ben had returned immediately to California, but she had seen lights on next door and his big SUV was still parked in the driveway. Before she and Rika drove into work—an unusual event for them in summer but a necessity so the dog didn’t track mud from the trail all over the store—she had seen Hondo out in the yard.

The same scenario repeated itself this morning. She woke up, expecting him to be gone, only to see that light and, later, his dog.

Other than that, she hadn’t seen any trace of Ben.

He was still in Haven Point, then. For how long?

She didn’t care, she told herself. Her stupid infatuation with him was completely done.

“These are so beautiful. I would like one for my new grandbaby.” Anita Robles, her assistant at city hall, admired one with little ducks and bunnies marching across it.

“Why don’t we save a few of our favorites to auction at the dinner tonight?” Megan Hamilton suggested. “It looks like we’ve got plenty to cover immediate needs at the ER and this will give us an excuse to meet again in a few weeks so we can make more.”

“That’s a terrific idea,” McKenzie said. She should have thought of that herself, if Ben Kilpatrick hadn’t messed with her brain.

In theory, the service auction was supposed to be exactly that—volunteer work offered for other people to bid on. But many people didn’t feel they had a skill like that so they brought goods instead. Beaded jewelry, hand-dipped chocolates, even gorgeous tooled leather saddles.

“Are you taking a certain Caine Tech executive?” Lindy-Grace asked with a teasing smile. Apparently her boys had been full of information about the trip the four of them took out on Ben’s Delphine. They were completely enamored with him, Lindy-Grace informed her, and wouldn’t stop talking about him. Ben this, Ben that, Ben-and-Kenzie, as if they were one unit.

Lindy-Grace had been teasing her about it since she and her husband came back to town after their quick getaway.

McKenzie could feel her face heat. “Why would I do that?” she asked, keeping her gaze determinedly down at the needle and yarn in her hand.

“Are you kidding?” Linda Fremont exclaimed. “I thought we were all supposed to be trying to show him Haven Point in the best light, weren’t we? That’s what you told us to do.”

“Right,” Megan piped up. “How many towns do you know that have a service auction where people donate their time and talents to help other people?”

“He has to come!” Samantha echoed. “What better way to convince him he won’t find a better place for whatever he and Aidan Caine are doing together?”

How could she tell these dear ladies it would be a complete waste of time, even if Ben came to the auction? He had made up his mind long before he ever came to town. Nothing any of them did would make the slightest difference.

That hurt washed over again, sharp and stinging, like the relentless rain.

Maybe she never should have told them anything, even as vague as she had been about the whole thing. Now everyone would be as disappointed as she was when it never materialized.

“Yes. You have to take him with you tonight,” Barbara Serrano said. “Great food, wonderful conversation and people volunteering of their time and talents. It’s the perfect opportunity.”

McKenzie swallowed. “I’m sure Ben has seen all he needs to of Haven Point and the good people who live here.”

“It can’t hurt to give him another push,” Anita insisted.

“If you don’t invite him to go with you tonight, I will,” Hazel said with a lascivious grin. “That man is
hot
.”

This sent the other women chortling. Even McKenzie managed a tiny smile that quickly slid away. He might be gorgeous but his heart was as cold as the deep waters in the middle of Lake Haven.

She had had plenty of time to think about what he’d said the other night. In some ways, he had valid points. A major airport nearby would be more convenient but Caine Tech had several jets at company disposal and it was only a ninety-minute drive to Boise and the major airport there. She didn’t see it as a deal breaker.

She happened to think the quality of life here made up for some of the area’s shortcomings.

She also couldn’t avoid thinking about the irony. After he closed the boatworks five years earlier and turned his holdings over to an idiot who mismanaged everything, Haven Point had struggled just to survive.

Of course they didn’t have all the cool stuff a more prosperous town like Shelter Springs might offer: the big-box stores, the trail systems, the gleaming new parks. They were lucky to have any stores left, because of Ben. With a major new employer, that would change very quickly.

She sighed and told herself to get over it. Ben had made up his mind. As far as he was concerned, the only logical decision had been reached before he ever came back to town. Now they all had to live with it, unless Aidan and the Caine Tech board of directors overruled him. She would just keep praying for a miracle.

“Isn’t it convenient that Ben is staying next door to you?” Lindy-Grace said with that teasing grin. “All you have to do is walk over and invite him.”

She knew her friends well enough to be certain none of them would rest until she made some sort of response. “If I happen to see him, I’ll mention it,” she said stiffly.

This earned her a surprised look from both Megan and Lindy-Grace, who had heard her say much more positive things about Ben in the past.

Ben might have come a long way to overcoming his reputation as the town villain over the past week in the minds of many people. Once word trickled out that he had once more betrayed his hometown, the tide of public opinion would turn faster than Eppie Brewer’s horrible potato salad.

* * *

S
HE
MANAGED
TO
put the conversation with the Helping Hands out of her head the rest of the afternoon. It helped that she was far too busy at the store to think much about him. She and Lindy-Grace had volunteered to do the table decorations for the dinner that night so they had twenty-five centerpieces to finish and deliver.

Whose crazy idea had it been to throw an impromptu quilt-tying party in the middle of it all? Devin’s, actually. Her sister had claimed it was urgent and the Helping Hands had hurried into gear.

Aware of the time crunch—it was already five-thirty and the spaghetti dinner and auction started at seven—she made a quick trip to the small grocery store on the edge of town for dog food, which she meant to buy a week ago. Poor Rika was down to the very last dregs in her container.

As she moved into the dog food aisle, she spotted a familiar figure perusing the dog treat options with a rather dazed expression on his gorgeous features.

Why couldn’t he look like a troll, darn it? If she had her way, people’s appearances ought to match their personalities.

Despite her frustration and hurt with him, she had to pity him a little as she watched him look dumbfounded at the many choices on the shelves.

From the top shelf, she pulled down the gourmet treats the grocery store owner stocked just for her dog and a few other spoiled canines around the lake.

“Rika likes these,” she offered. “Hondo probably would also.”

He looked down, clearly surprised to see her there. An odd mix of emotions crossed his features. At first she thought he looked happy to see her—which she told herself absolutely should
not
send this shaft of warmth through her—but his initial reaction was quickly replaced by wariness, as if he expected her to start yelling and throwing dog treats and canned dog food off the shelves.

He cleared his throat. “Thanks. Actually, I think that’s the one I’ve been looking for, now that I see the shape of the thingies. Marshall left a supply of food and treats for Hondo but they weren’t in the original packaging. It’s been a struggle to figure out which brands he likes.”

“You’re welcome.” She ought to just grab her dog food and go but as she hadn’t seen him since Monday night, curiosity took over for common sense. As usual.

“I’m surprised you’re still in town,” she commented. “Your work here is done, isn’t it?”

Okay, that sounded a little more bitter than she intended, but it was too late to take back her words.

His mouth tightened a little, obviously picking up on it. “I’m going to dinner with my mother and Doc Warrick tomorrow night. My plan is to take off Saturday morning so I can be back in California for work on Monday.”

The man was dealing with some serious life changes. She had been so angry with him, she had almost forgotten that element in all this.

She wanted to ask him how he was doing with everything but somehow she couldn’t seem to find the words. Why did everything have to be so awkward between them now? She hated it.

She was about to make some excuse and continue on her way when she happened to look at the end of the aisle and saw Barbara Serrano pushing a cart loaded with the Diet Coke she loved. Barbara’s mouth opened a little at the sight of her and Ben together, then she wagged her finger between the two of them and gave McKenzie a significant look.

Right. The service auction. She was supposed to ask him to go with her. McKenzie huffed out a breath. She didn’t
want
to, but Barbara was standing there waiting, blocking the whole darn aisle.

Okay, she would ask him, he would turn her down and she could get on with her night. At least she could tell all the Helping Hands she had tried. Let
them
be mad at Ben, too.

“Do you have plans tonight?” she mumbled.

“Tonight?”

“Yes.”

He gave her a suspicious sort of look, obviously caught off guard by the question. “Hanging out with Hondo and watching the Portland Pioneers play the Rockies. Why do you ask?”

“Oh. Well. That sounds fun. I guess you’re booked.”

“Did you have something else in mind?” he asked slowly.

She sighed. Barbara was obviously eavesdropping. If McKenzie didn’t follow through, she would go back and report to all their mutual friends.

“I can’t see any point to it, for obvious reasons, but my friends thought you might be interested in coming to the annual spaghetti dinner and community service auction we’re having tonight. I’ve been ordered to invite you. I tried to tell them all it was a waste of time, given the circumstances.” She lowered her voice so Barbara couldn’t hear. “Without violating the confidentiality you demanded, I obviously couldn’t say much.”

“Service auction?” He looked both surprised and intrigued.

“I told you about it the other day. This is where everybody donates their skill or talent and we all bid on what we want someone else to do. It’s kind of a big deal around here and all proceeds go to the library foundation.”

“Right. Sure. I’ll go. Sounds fun.”

She stared, totally taken off guard. “Really? You actually want to go?”

“Why not? The truth is, I haven’t enjoyed the Pioneers as much since Smoke Gregory left.”

That distracted her a little from the shock, since she was a huge Smoke fan. “I mourned along with everybody else when he had all that trouble a few years ago. Did you know he’s married to Aidan Caine’s sister? Oh. Of course you would.”

He was Aidan’s best friend. He probably knew all the Caine family members quite well.

“He came into the store at Christmastime,” she told him. “I just about had a heart attack when I saw him walk in. I expect he’ll come back for Eliza and Aidan’s wedding next month.” She paused. “It’s supposed to be a huge bash. I’m doing the flowers and I’m scared to death I’ll mess it up.”

“You won’t.”

He said that with such confidence, she was almost willing to feel a little charitable toward him, especially considering they were apparently going to be spending the evening together. Drat her luck.

“What time should we go?” Ben asked.

She hadn’t really thought ahead to the two of them arriving at the event together. As much time as they spent together over Lake Haven Days, she was afraid people would already think they had a thing going.

Not that they did.

She was about to suggest they travel separately to the community center so things would be less uncomfortable but that seemed rude after she had issued the invitation.

“Um. It starts at seven. How about twenty to?”