The Lure of Love (13 page)

He nodded.
“Yeah. I did some research on it when I went to New Zealand once. I’ve heard it
called the Rim of Fire, as in Pacific Rim and I’ve also heard it called the Ring
of Fire. I think both are acceptable, but most of the talk is about the big
splashy volcanoes, not these amazing small places. His eyes took on a distant
look. “It would make a great documentary.” Her eyes widened in alarm and he
held up a hand. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t film this place, it’s too private.”

She settled
back down. “I’ve never been south of the equator. What am I saying? I’ve never
even been to Hawaii.”

He looked at
her speculatively. “Where would you like to go?”

“Oh, wow.
I’ve never given it serious thought; it’s always been more of a dream.” She
tilted her head back, looked up into the trees. “I’ve heard of the Cook
Islands. I think that might be nice. Either that or Tonga, although I might
just be in love with the name.”

“I’ll take
you to the Cooks some day. One of the islands is called Aitutaki. Have you ever
snorkeled?”

She shook her
head. “Not really.”

“I’ll teach
you. I’ll take you to Aitutaki and we’ll snorkel every day.” A shaft of
sunlight slanted down through the trees, turning her eyes a brilliant shade of
green.

“Okay,” she
said softly. “I’d like that.”

For a long
time he just looked at her. This trusting woman who didn’t ask anything of
anyone had re-kindled his desire to live, to enjoy life. He was ready to begin
again, and he wanted her by his side, wanted to make her dreams come true. He
opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

“I’ve made up
my mind,” she said tentatively. “I’ve given Brooke’s idea a lot of thought and
I can’t see anything wrong with it. I’m going to tell her to go ahead. And I’ve
decided to sell the land to the north of the resort, so I can contribute
something.” She watched his reaction as she spoke. “I’ll feel better if I do
that; things always end up costing more than you estimate. I’ve certainly
learned that over the years. The money from the sale of the property will give
us more of a cushion.”

He nodded. “I
think that’s a good decision. To go ahead with the development, I mean. As to
selling the land, you have to do what feels right.”

“It feels
right.” She stood up. “We’d better get out of here. It’s pretty hot.”

They climbed
out and she stood on the edge of the pond. “Do you want to have a swim in the
lake? We could walk down in our bathing suits.”

He hesitated.
“I’m supposed to do the machete thing.”

“You can.
I’ll carry your clothes.”

A few minutes
later they were on the shore of the lake. “That’s harder work than I realized.”
Craig cleaned off the machete and grabbed the leather sheath. “I’ll have to
come back soon so we can keep the trail clear.”

Her head came
up and she looked at him sharply to see if he was sending her a message, but
his back was to her as he placed the machete back in her bag. How could she
have forgotten that he would be leaving in a few days? All that talk about
going to the Cook Islands was probably just that…talk. She ran across the
narrow beach and immersed herself in the cold lake water.

Craig followed.
“That feels good,” he said. “But it’s almost a pity to cool down.”

You can
say that again
, she thought to herself. “Move over there,” she said,
pointing to where the stream spilled into the lake. “It’s quite warm still.”

Craig did as she
suggested and a smile of delight transformed his face. “The best of both
worlds,” he said, then made his way to the shore and grabbed his towel. She
watched him. He was tall, lean and lightly muscled. He was everything she’d
ever wanted in a man. Why did he have to live on the other side of the country?

She came out
of the water and he slung his own towel around his neck then reached for hers,
holding it until she walked up to him.

“Thank you
for today” he said, draping her towel around her shoulders. “You were right, I enjoyed
the flight.” He gazed into her eyes and pulled her closer. “I enjoyed
everything.”

“Me, too” she
said softly.

Her towel
fell on the sand as he took her in his arms.

She should
tell him to stop. Remind him that he’d be leaving to go back to Toronto in a
few days. But she couldn’t. She wanted him to kiss her again. She raised her
face and the desire in his eyes left her breathless.

His mouth
covered hers and she closed her eyes, drowning in sensation. His hands slid up
into her hair, and it came free, spilling down her back.

“You have the
most amazing hair,” he said, running his fingers through the silky strands.

She closed
her eyes, trusting him completely.

“And
beautiful eyes.” He kissed her eyes, his lips feather-light against her skin.
And then he switched his attention back to her mouth, probing between her lips
with his tongue, igniting fire in her veins that raced through her body.

A squirrel
chattered in a nearby tree, startling them both. Craig pulled back and looked
around, as though he’d forgotten where he was. And then he focused on her and
his eyes softened. “Are you sure you have to fly some people out this
afternoon?” An Osprey flew overhead and he looked up. “We could stay here and
commune with nature.” His smile turned seductive. “And each other.”

She pretended
to be shocked at his suggestion. “Why Mr. Hansen. Whatever are you suggesting?”
She knew perfectly well what he was suggesting and it was taking all of her
will power not to give in. She had been attracted to Craig from the first moment
she saw him and knew instinctively that making love with him would be something
she would remember forever. But that was the problem…she didn’t want just the
memory.

“You’re
right” he said, touching her briefly on the cheek. He sucked in a couple of
ragged breaths, trying to calm himself. “It’s just that…” his voice trailed
off.

Jamie wanted
to scream. This all felt so wrong, and yet she knew it was right. Craig had
said he wanted to get to know her and that was fine, but she wanted more. She
wanted more than the memory of lovemaking. She wanted him; she wanted the
happily ever after.

“I’d better
go get that cushion,” she said, her voice shaky. She checked her watch. If they
took off now, they’d be back at the Lodge with half an hour to spare. After
years of experience, she knew that the customers would be there waiting at
least a quarter of an hour early.

“I’ll get
it.” Craig was already walking down the shoreline. The cushion was bobbing in
the reeds about a hundred yards away. She watched him walk away and wondered if
she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life.

Jamie pointed
out a few landmarks on the way back, but they were mostly silent. They pulled
up at the dock with half an hour to spare and the customers were already there,
eager for their next fishing experience.

Craig took
off his headset, hung it on the hook and turned to her as the propeller slowed.
“I didn’t handle that very well,” he said, angling his head back to indicate
where they’d come from. “I’d like to see you later, if that’s okay.”

She wanted to
tell him to stay away, to just go home, but she couldn’t. She looked at him and
her insides melted. “I’d like that,” she said. She tapped her watch,
calculating when she’d be back. “I should be back around two thirty, two
forty-five, and I don’t have any commitments after that.”

“It’s a
date.” He pointed to the dock. “I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

Matt pulled
into the disused driveway that marked the northern boundary of Jamie’s
property. He got out and breathed in the sweet air. There was something about
the air up here in the heat of summer. It was redolent of fir and pine. Closer
to the water, aspens huddled together in random clumps, their leaves rustling
in the slight wind. Shards of light reflected off the lake, a perfect
background for what Matt envisioned.

He grabbed
the old metal gate, but it was padlocked. It would be easy enough to get over
the three-wire fence but that wasn’t necessary. The land sloped gently toward
the water here in much the same way as it did on the Lodge property.

He spotted
something to the right of the driveway and went over to look. “Here, look at
this” he called to Billy. “Someone has done a survey.” He looked back at the
triangular marker. “It looks to have been done in the past ten years or so.”

Billy came
over to look.

“See those
letters on the sign? IP? That means iron pipe. When they survey, they hammer an
iron pipe into the ground. This wooden triangular post just marks the location
of the pipe.”

Billy raised
his eyebrows. “I didn’t know that.” He clapped Matt on the back. “You’re a good
guy to have around.”

Matt made a
wry face. “I hope so.” He looked back toward the water. “How far do you reckon
it is to the water?”

Billy
squinted into the sunshine. “I don’t know. Quarter of a mile, maybe less?”

Matt nodded.
“That’s about what I think, too. You know, this land could be divided into some
estate-sized lots.” He shook his head slowly. “With each one having water
frontage, they’d be sold faster than you could put them on the market.”

“I know one
that wouldn’t go on the market.”

Matt frowned.
“What do you mean?”

“Me. I’d buy one
like that.” Billy snapped his fingers.

Matt looked
at the man who had become his friend. “You and Brooke?”

Billy
grinned. “I’m trying to convince her that I’m serious, and I think I’m starting
to get through.”

Matt stuck
out his hand. “I hope it works out for you. You’re a lucky man.”

“Don’t I know
it!” Billy turned back to face the water. “Individual lots, right? None of this
common land stuff.”

Matt turned
thoughtful. “That’s what I’d propose. I suppose adjacent lots could share a
driveway up to a certain point. It would make snow clearance a lot easier in
the winter.” He gave his head a shake. “But that’s all down the road somewhere.
I just wanted to get a feel of the land in case Jamie asks me for my opinion.”

Billy’s gaze
roamed over the landscape. “I don’t think she can afford to hold onto this land
forever.”

“That’s the
impression I got as well.” Matt took one last look and then headed back to his
vehicle. “Want to grab some lunch in town? I’m buying.”

* * *

Craig was on
the dock at two fifteen, waiting for Jamie to return. Howie glanced his way
every once in a while, keeping an eye on him, but so far hadn’t said anything.
Craig paced back and forth, planning what he would say. He’d really blown it
earlier, coming on to her like that. But she’d looked so beautiful, and felt so
good in his arms. And yes, he admitted it, he’d been alone for too long, except
for that one foolish encounter earlier in the year.

Jamie was
different. He’d known it from the first moment she stepped out of that old
Jeep, can of bear spray in her hand. He smiled at the memory. Everything about
her was real, and it was time he put things right and told her how he felt
about her.

He heard the
Beaver before he saw it. He knew she’d land into the wind and when she came
into sight, he marveled at the way she leveled out over the water, holding it
until she was at the precise spot where they’d touched down earlier. And then
she set it down like a butterfly. Okay, a noisy butterfly that churned up the
water, but it was still a sweet landing. He tried to restrain himself from waving,
and then changed his mind. Today he didn’t care how he looked. He raised a hand
and was about to wave when he heard his name being called behind him.

He swung
around and spotted her walking down the lawn toward him. What was she doing
here? He strode angrily back up the dock and met her before she reached the shore.

“Darling!”
she trilled, red hair flashing in the sunshine. “I’ve come to surprise you.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “Happy to see me?”

* * *

Jamie spotted
him as soon as she turned toward shore. He was leaning on the low gate that held
customers back until the propeller had stopped. He smiled at her, raised a hand
and her heart did a little happy dance in her chest.

Then he
turned away, spotted someone on the shore and ran toward her. It was a tall,
slender woman dressed in city clothes, red hair twisted up in some sort of
elegant swirl on top of her head.

Jamie stared
through the windshield. The woman threw her arms around Craig’s neck. Her
laughter floated on the summer breeze, cutting into Jamie’s heart like a knife.

Jamie didn’t
remember tying up the Beaver and dashing across to the other dock. “I’m taking
the runabout,” she called to Howie. She jumped in and pulled away from the
dock, forcing herself not to accelerate until she was well outside of the
buoys.

Tears blurred
her vision as she headed south. She tried to ban the image from her mind, but
kept on seeing the woman in Craig’s arms. Whoever she was, she was close enough
to him that she knew where to find him. It was almost too much to take in, but Jamie
knew what she’d seen, and it had broken her already fragile heart.

She was
travelling at top speed and throttled back, looking around to get her bearings.
She was headed for the solitude of her island and she’d almost passed it
without realizing how far she’d come. She slowed, went around behind the island
and stepped out, wishing she could turn back time to the days when Craig Hansen
was only a name on a piece of film. But that wasn’t possible. She climbed up
onto her rock, brought her knees up to her chin and held on, trying to hold
herself together.

* * *

Craig removed
his former publicist’s arms from around his neck. “Donna, what are you doing
here?”