Redemption Bay (Haven Point Book 2) (Contemporary Romance) (7 page)

The impulse came out of the blue, shocking him to the core, and he curled his fingers into his palm to keep from acting on it.

“Hi, Ben. I hope you’re enjoying breakfast. I wasn’t sure you would come.”

“I get the impression people don’t say no very often to the Haven Point mayor.”

Her mouth twisted into a wry expression. “You’d be surprised. Most people have absolutely no problem saying no to me.”

“That’s fairly shocking. I can’t believe I’m the only one in town who considers you a force of nature.”

She laughed a little but it still relaxed the tension in her features. “Not a force of nature. Mostly a pain in the butt. I have a...bad habit of putting high expectations on people. Some have even called them unrealistic.”

Who? Her family? He had been a teenager when McKenzie came to town and could clearly remember hearing gossip around town about the big-eyed, exotic-looking daughter who had suddenly shown up and moved in with the local attorney and his family.

It had set tongues wagging all around town. McKenzie had obviously been the product of an affair, as she was a few years younger than the Shaws’ only other living child, Devin.

What had life been like for her in that household? Adele Shaw had always struck him as a nice woman but she wasn’t a saint, by any stretch of the imagination. It couldn’t have been easy for her to have her husband’s love child suddenly thrust upon her.

He didn’t have the local monopoly on shitty childhoods, he suddenly realized.

“When you have unrealistic expectations of people, you’re setting yourself up for a firestorm of disappointment,” he said. “That’s a tough way to go through life.”

She shrugged. “I may be naive, but I like to put my faith in people, even if it’s overly optimistic. In my experience, if you demand much of people, they usually want to rise to meet those expectations.”

Or they fight back and do their damnedest to shatter them, he thought, but didn’t say.

“I overheard you talking boats with Mick Sargent.”

“
He
was talking about boats. I was mostly listening.”

Her smile was like the sun sliding over the peaks of the Redemptions after a miserable night. “That’s usually all you can do once Mick settles in for a chat. He’s a character. Eighty-three years old and still going strong.”

“He seemed old when I was a kid. I remember seeing him work a sander and wondering if he was going to keel over any minute.”

“Isn’t perspective a funny thing? When I was a girl, thirty seemed absolutely ancient. Now that I’m staring it right in the face, I feel like I’m still a baby.”

“You
are
still a baby. You’re probably the youngest mayor in the history of Haven Point, aren’t you? Though apparently not by choice.”

“Not really. I never sought this position and didn’t want it.”

“Why did you accept the nomination? Nobody can force you to run for office in this country, unless there’s some bizarre Haven Point compulsory service bylaw I don’t know about.”

She sighed. “You’re absolutely right. I could have said no.”

“But you didn’t.”

She gave a shrug that seemed both eloquent and simple. “This is my town and I love it here. People here embraced me when I was a strange kid who showed up out of nowhere. They have supported my business and opened their hearts to me in friendship. Haven Point isn’t perfect. We have our problems, like any other town—the economy being at the top of the list—but in general, this is a warm, caring place.”

She looked around the room. “I love this community—and if I can make it a better place to live for my neighbors and friends, I have an obligation to step up and do my part.”

He studied her, wondering if her earnestness could possibly be genuine. Yeah, he might be a cynic, but it seemed a little too good to be true. No one could possibly have this rosy a view of her hometown.

“And how’s that working out for you so far?”

He regretted the caustic words immediately, especially when her lovely dark eyes clouded and her mouth tightened.

“Great. And as a delightful perk of my job, I get to entertain all the visiting ass—” She caught herself at the last second before she could complete that particular sentiment and quickly amended the thought. “Er,
awesome
dignitaries.”

He deserved the original pejorative, he acknowledged. Finding himself the center of attention left him feeling awkward and uncomfortable and he was taking his unease out on McKenzie. Though she had misled him about the meeting, he still didn’t have the right to be a jerk to her.

“A difficult task, no doubt.”

“Sometimes. Last month, we had a delegation from the state clean water board. I got to enjoy four hours of stories about inorganics and metals, nitrates and nitrites. I now know more about water treatment procedures than I ever dreamed.”

She held up a finger suddenly. “That reminds me. I meant to mention to you that’s another big plus about Haven Point, by the way. We have a very plentiful supply of exceptionally clean drinking water. In fact, I’ve got an extra copy of their report that might be useful to you and Aidan. Follow me and you can take it with you.”

Without waiting for an answer, she turned around and headed down the hallway. Since he didn’t seem to have too many options unless he wanted to stand here by himself and deal with more of those sidelong glances, he followed her.

CHAPTER SIX

Y
ES
,
THAT
’
S
RIGHT
,
PEOPLE
. Your stately, dignified mayor of Haven Point had almost called Ben Kilpatrick an A-hole.

On the way to her office, McKenzie wanted to stop in the hallway and bang her head against the wall a few dozen times but she forced herself to keep walking.

The man brought out the absolute worst in her. Okay, he had been a jerk but she was supposed to at least
try
to be nice to him. She was trying to convince the man to bring a major tech facility to her community that would be a total game changer and yet she couldn’t refrain from calling him names, deserved or not.

For heaven’s sake, what
was
it about him that brought out the worst in her and turned her into a second-grader in pigtails, sticking her tongue out at the cutest boy in school?

Forty-eight hours earlier, she had lectured all her friends to do whatever was necessary to be nice to the man during the short time he would be in town. Why couldn’t she take a little of her own advice?

She unlocked her office and led the way inside. It wasn’t the most extravagant office in the world—on the small side, utilitarian, with a basic oak desk and matching credenza and a couple of visitor chairs that had probably been ugly and uncomfortable even back in the eighties, when they had obviously been purchased.

If she had to guess, she would imagine about ten of her offices would probably fit into his private office space at Caine Tech, but she still experienced a burst of pride when she saw her nameplate on the desk.

She might not have ever aspired to the job but she could still appreciate that Mayor McKenzie Shaw had a lovely ring to it.

“You’re welcome to sit down.” She gestured to the uncomfortable guest chairs while she headed behind her desk. Somehow she wasn’t surprised when he remained standing.

She began to sift through the papers stacked neatly on the desk. “Where is it? Let me see. I know it’s here somewhere. Sorry things are a little disorganized, with the festival this week and all.”

She moved aside a report from the police chief asking for an increase in his budget and another from the public works director informing her the sewer line on a third of the city streets needed to be replaced, then she finally found what she was seeking at the bottom of the pile.

“Here you go. The latest from the state water agency. This is an extra copy. You can take this one or I can also shoot you a digital version if you’d rather have that. It clearly states that Haven Point has a plentiful supply of remarkably clean water.”

“Thanks.”

He took the report but her insides sank when he barely looked at it.

Haven Point was fighting a losing battle. He had told her that. She was suddenly convinced it would take nothing short of a miracle to convince Ben Kilpatrick that the hometown he had walked away from without a second glance was worthy of another chance.

So what? McKenzie was a big believer in miracles. Her sister was proof that they really could happen. When she was only a teenager, Devin had defied doctors who had offered the family little but pessimism about her survival chances after her cancer diagnosis—and now her sister was a physician herself and had been cancer free for more than a decade.

In her experience, most miracles came to people who worked hard to make them happen. Why not in this situation? Once Ben spent a little more time in Haven Point and came to know the people who lived here, surely he would be able to embrace the possibilities.

She drew in a breath and waded into the fray. “You must be aware this is a really big week for us around here.”

“Lake Haven Days. That’s got to be a big tourist draw.”

“Yes. In the last few years, Shelter Springs has tried to copy it by coming up with their own Lake Festival, but the original Lake Haven Days is still a much bigger draw.”

“Naturally.”

She shrugged. “We have history and tradition, not to mention the wooden boat festival and an amazing parade. This year, it so happens that Lake Haven Days coincides with the July Fourth weekend so we’ve also got the fireworks on Saturday night to cap off everything. It’s going to be a great week.”

“Busy for you, I’m sure.”

“Yes. And one of my responsibilities as mayor is to escort visiting dignitaries.”

“Or assholes. Depending on circumstances.”

Once more, she had to be grateful she didn’t blush. “Often, they’re both. But that’s not the point.”

He watched with an expectant look and she was suddenly aware butterflies danced through her insides, as if she were asking him on a date or something. Stupid. She most definitely was not.

“We’ve got several exciting events planned, as you can imagine.”

“A full day, I’m sure.”

“Yes. And I have been asked to escort you as one of our guests of honor to some of the main Lake Haven Days events, particularly the parade, the barbecue and the fireworks on Saturday.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Asked by whom?”

“You name it. The town council. My friends. The Chamber of Commerce. I believe a few strangers on the street might have mentioned it.”

It was only a slight exaggeration. Three people had suggested it to her when she went shopping for milk the evening before. “Apparently no one wants you to miss Lake Days and all the fun associated with it.”

“Why does anybody care what I do while I’m in town? I’m just a random tourist, as far as most people are concerned. Isn’t that right, Mayor?”

She bristled at any implication that she had been indiscreet.

“I haven’t given anyone specifics about Caine Tech and the new facility, I swear, not even my town council. But, Ben, come on. Be realistic. When you show up out of the blue after all these years—when you didn’t even bother to come back for your father’s funeral—you have to expect that people are going to be a little suspicious. The moment you drove over the city line, rumors started flying like baseballs in April. I’ve heard the most outlandish things—apparently you and Aidan are planning everything from a huge new ski resort to an amusement park to a nudist colony up at Snow Angel Cove.”

“I’m 99.9 percent sure the nudist colony is a big no.”

“So there’s still a chance?”

He gave an unexpected laugh, low and throaty, that slid down her spine like a caress.

“Not in this lifetime, anyway. From what I’ve heard, Eliza is too busy transforming Snow Angel Cove into a home for Aidan and Maddie.”

“She’s done a beautiful job. You’ve been up there, haven’t you, to see what she and Aidan have done to the place?”

His smile slipped away and shadows returned to the depths of his Paul Newman blue eyes. “No reason to.”

She bristled. “Tell me you can’t possibly have something against Eliza or Maddie. If you do, I might start to think you really are, erm, a dignitary.”

His mouth quirked but the shadows remained in his eyes. “I am many things—an, erm, dignitary among them, at times—but not in this particular case. I love Eliza and Maddie both. They’ve been wonderful for Aidan. Together, they’ve helped him slow down a little and enjoy his life more.”

“Good. I’m glad you agree—otherwise I might have to hurt you.”

She simply adored the lovely and sweet Eliza Hayward, who would be marrying Aidan in a quiet ceremony at the end of the summer, and Eliza’s adorable but fragile little girl, Madelyn, had stolen hearts all over town the moment they both came to Haven Point.

“So why haven’t you been to visit them up at the house since you came back to town? It seems like it would be the polite thing to do, since you and Aidan are BFFs and Eliza is the woman he’s going to marry. I hope it’s not something ridiculous about not wanting to see anybody else live in your childhood home—because that would just be wrong and I would have to tell you to get over yourself already.”

She heard the echo of her words but couldn’t believe they were coming out of her mouth. Nice. She was supposed to be nice. For crying out loud. Couldn’t she manage that for ten little minutes?

Fortunately, Aidan seemed more amused than offended. His mouth twisted a little into an almost-smile.

“You can be sure I would have been up to visit them within the first few days, except they’re not home right now. They’ve been spending a few weeks at Aidan’s place on the coast. Last I heard, Maddie couldn’t wait to ride horses on the beach.”

“She does like horses.”

It was an understatement. Eliza’s daughter was notoriously horse-mad. A month ago, McKenzie had gone riding with them at the ranch and Maddie had been over the moon the whole time to ride her favorite horse, Cinnamon.

“I had an email from Aidan last night that said they’re going to try to make it back to town for Lake Haven Days this weekend. He’s not sure they’ll be able to.”

“Oh, I hope so. If they do, they’ll have a wonderful time. So will you.”

“Will I?”

She tried not to squirm under that intense gaze. “Yes. Consider this your official invitation to be one of the mayoral guests of honor for the parade, the boat festival and the barbecue. It’s a great chance to mingle with the people of Haven Point. How else can you make a truly informed decision about the new Caine Tech facility?”

“How else, indeed?” he murmured in a voice as dry as the dust on the fake plants above her credenza.

She was certain he would shut her down immediately but after a long, considering moment, he nodded.

“Sure. Since my trip here coincides with Lake Haven Days, I suppose I should make a point not to miss all the fun.”

Shock tied her tongue for several seconds but she finally managed to pull herself together. “Great. That’s great. Most of the fun is Saturday. The parade, the boat races and so forth. I’ll make sure you have a seat in the VIP section on Main and Lake Streets and we can go from there.”

“Okay. I’ll be there.”

She told herself the little burst of anticipation was only because she would have that many more chances to convince him Haven Point and Caine Tech were a perfect match.

Somehow she didn’t quite believe it.

* * *

B
EN
HAD
EXPECTED
to feel many emotions upon his return to Haven Point. This unaccustomed feeling of contentment would never have been among them.

He stood on the back lawn of the vacation rental watching a trio of Canada geese, wings outstretched, come in for a landing on water that glowed orange and red in reflection of the dying sun.

Sunsets and sunrises on Lake Haven were nothing less than glorious. Each morning as the sun peeked above the Redemptions, the day seemed like a gift and each night the dazzling sunset was like a benediction.

He had seen more beautiful sunsets, certainly. In Bali a few months ago, he had had an almost spiritual experience watching the sun sink behind the Tanah Lot temple with the ocean as a stunning backdrop. A year ago, he had been in Venice, watching light and color dance across the unearthly beauty of the canals.

But something about this moment—the panting, adoring dog beside him, the quiet lap of the water against the shore, the mountain breeze that played soft, low music on the dragonfly wind chimes hanging off the edge of the house—struck him as close to perfect.

He drew in a breath crisply scented with pine and sage—a scent that resonated deeply, striking old memory chords inside him.

His father. The rocky beach at Snow Angel Cove. A fishing rod and a can full of worms and a pure, perfect summer evening like this one.

He pushed away the memory, relegating it to the jumbled corner of his mind with all the other debris he preferred not to examine too closely.

Hondo planted his haunches in the dirt and gave what sounded like a canine sigh, as if to say
Get on with it, already
.

“Sorry.” Ben picked up the tennis ball the dog had dropped at his feet a few minutes earlier. “I’m still with you. Let’s do this.”

He tossed the ball, which went a little farther than he intended, through the shrubs toward McKenzie’s house.

Undeterred by silly things like boundaries, Hondo went after it. He was probably hoping to find his friend, the pretty cinnamon standard poodle, but she was inside and had been there since McKenzie left with her kayak an hour earlier.

Not that Ben was a crazy stalker or anything, but he happened to be in the kitchen at the window when he saw her return with the dog earlier and then head down to the little shed near the water to pull out her kayak. When they lived thirty feet apart, it was a little hard to miss her comings and goings.

Hondo brought the ball back and Ben made a point of throwing it for a while in the opposite direction from McKenzie’s house.

He had to stop thinking about her. All day long, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head. This sudden attraction seemed to have blossomed out of nowhere and he wasn’t sure what to do about it.

What was it about her that fascinated him? She was lovely, certainly, all big dark eyes and long eyelashes and high cheekbones. He had seen plenty of beautiful women, just as he had seen other beautiful sunsets, but something about McKenzie tugged and pulled at him.

It was only this place that had him behaving in ways that were completely untypical, like aching for a soft, small-town mayor who expected things from him he could never deliver.

If he were smart, he would go inside and spend the rest of the evening with paperwork. Something kept him out here, waiting for her.

The lake was filled with recreational watercraft of all descriptions, from pontoon boats to Jet Skis to old fishing boats. That didn’t stop him, several moments later, from picking out a single kayak as it moved swiftly toward his Delphine.

She reached the shore and climbed out, then started to pull the kayak the last few feet to dry land. She wore a pair of cargo shorts over a bright red one-piece swimsuit and an unfastened life jacket, which exposed plenty of luscious skin.

A wise man who found himself fighting an attraction he knew would end badly should probably wave politely and head inside his house.