The Lure of Love (3 page)

“He’s really
rather sweet. Seemed almost shy.”

“Billy? Shy?”
Jamie fingered the card. “Maybe it’s a new technique.”

“Well, he
seemed happy to be here. I saw you talking to Craig Hansen.” She watched her
boss carefully. “What did you think of him?”

Jamie felt a blush creeping up into her face. “He seems
nice enough. Not sure if he’ll want to go up in the Beaver, though.” Her
stomach rumbled audibly. “But I’ll see if I can change his mind. I’m having
dinner with him tonight.”

Brooke’s eyes
widened fractionally. “Good. You need to eat.”

“He’s kind of
good looking, don’t you think?” Her gaze went to the verandah, where he was
still sitting. “In a rumpled, outdoorsy way, I mean.”

Brooke fought
to keep a straight face. Jamie never noticed men, and the lodge attracted its
share of good looking specimens. “He has nice eyes, but there’s something about
him. He seems sad.”

“You
noticed.” Jamie tore her gaze away from the verandah. “But he has a killer
smile, when he chooses to use it.” She had to stop thinking like this. She
couldn’t afford to let her personal feelings get tangled up with business.

“What are you
going to wear for dinner?” Brooke looked her boss up and down. “My things won’t
fit you thanks to my height, but I can help you accessorize.”

“I hadn’t
even thought.” Jamie tried to recall what she had that would be suitable. “Can
I get away with a plain scoop-necked top and a long skirt?”

Brooke rolled
her eyes. “What time are you getting ready?”

“About a
quarter to six. We’re eating at six.”

“That’s when
the families eat! What are you thinking? He’s from the city, Jamie. He’s
probably used to eating around eight…maybe later.”

Jamie tossed her head. “Too late now. Besides, I’m hungry.”

“Fair enough,
but I’ll see you in your room around a quarter to.”

* * *

Brooke appeared
at Jamie’s door with an armful of accessories. Between them they decided on a
delicate fringed wrap which they tied around Jamie’s slender hips. Folded on an
angle, the point hung down, lending a gypsy feel to the outfit. Brooke placed a
delicate brass filigree necklace around her neck and stood back to admire.

“Okay, one
more thing,” she said and pulled Jamie’s long sun-streaked hair back on one
side with a large comb. “There.” She turned her around to face the full-length
mirror. “Have a look at yourself.”

Jamie
scarcely recognized the woman in the mirror. “I look good,” she said simply.
“How did you do it?”

Brooke
laughed. “My mother used to tell me I was born to accessorize. I’ve always had
a knack for it.”

“With your
taste, you should open a store.”

Brooke stood
back to admire her creation. “Speaking of stores, I’d like to talk to you about
opening a store in the Lodge. I have a few ideas, but now isn’t the time.”

Jamie studied
her office manager for a moment. Behind the beautiful face and figure was a
sharp mind. She’d only been with the lodge since the May long weekend and had
proven herself many times. “Okay,” she said thoughtfully. “Let’s get together
in the next day or two.”

“I’ll remind
you.” Brooke herded her out the door. “Have fun tonight.”

Jamie was glad
she’d taken extra care with her outfit when she saw the look on Craig’s face.
He’d somehow managed to snag the best table in the dining room and stood up
when she entered. He waved away the server and seated her expertly, pushing the
chair firmly against the back of her legs, the way she liked it.

“You’ve done
that a few times before,” she said, smiling at him. He’d changed into a crisp
white shirt and navy slacks.

“I worked as
a waiter in Banff for three summers while I was putting myself through
college.”

She glanced
around at the dining room, which was already filling up. “I can’t begin to
imagine the numbers they must serve in those big hotels every night.” She gave
a little shudder. “Leeza and I were talking this morning about how the students
are surprised when they’re expected to work.”

“Leeza?”

“Sorry. Leeza
is our chef. She doesn’t look like the average chef, but she’s excellent.”

“I’d like to
meet her.” He looked up as their server appeared, then turned his attention
back to Jamie. “Are you going to have a drink?”

“I think so.”
She smiled at the server. “Hello, André. I think I’ll have a glass of red wine.
You choose something for me, please.”

The server
turned to Craig. “And for you, Sir?”

“I’d like a
Scotch, please. Chivas, if you have it.”

“Yes Sir, we
do. I’ll be right back.”

He’d been
reading the menu when she arrived but he set it aside and sat back casually. Contrasted
against the white of his shirt, his tan looked even darker than before. Blue
eyes studied her and an amused smile played around his lips.

“I saw you
this morning,” he said finally.

“You did?”
She looked around, not understanding what he meant.

“On the road.
You stopped to rescue that fellow who was about to be mauled by a grizzly.”

She nodded.
“The car behind him. That was you.”

“That was
me.” He looked up as their drinks were delivered. “Thank you, André.” He held
up his glass and clinked it against hers. “He’s staying here, you know. I saw
him this afternoon.”

“Then I’m
doubly glad I interfered.” The words were out before she could stop them. She
clapped a hand over her mouth, unaware that he was also laughing. “I’m sorry.
That didn’t sound very gracious.”

“It was
perfect.” He was still smiling. “He really should have known better.”

“No kidding,”
she murmured. She picked up a menu, then glanced over at him. “Brooke told me
that six o’clock was ridiculously early for dinner. She said you probably eat
around eight, but I was so hungry I wasn’t thinking straight. I hope you’ll
forgive me.” She knew exactly what was on the menu, but she was nervous. And
she really
was
hungry.

“I’m just
happy that you agreed to join me. The time doesn’t matter. What’s good?”

“It’s all
good but I usually have a steak and salad.” She lifted her wine glass. “One is
my limit, so I make it last through dinner.”

“Then that’s
what I’ll have, too, but no wine.” He looked at his glass of Scotch. “This and
the beer I had this afternoon are more than I’ve had in a long time.” He stared
into the amber liquid. “I went a bit overboard on the drinking a couple of
years ago. Thankfully it didn’t last long, but as they say it wasn’t pretty.”

“It happens.
We see a lot of odd behaviour here. People act differently when they’re away
from home. I’ve never understood why, but they do.” She gave her head a quick
shake. “Why are we having this depressing conversation?”

“My fault, I
guess.” He looked out over the lake and his gaze finally came to rest on the
Beaver. “Do you mind if I ask you why you learned to fly? Was it something you
always wanted to do?”

Jamie had
been told that she came alive when she talked about flying and tonight was no
exception; she found herself eager to share the reasons with the man who sat
across from her.

“I was always
pestering my Dad to go up with him when I was smaller. He promised to let me
get my license as soon as I was old enough.” He was watching her quietly and
she decided to get the hard part over with. “Mom and Dad were killed in an
accident when they were holidaying in Asia.” It was a relief to have that out
of the way. “I’d already been taking flying lessons for six months by then and I
got my license the next year. I’ve been flying ever since.”

“I’m no
expert, but the way you handled that plane today…” he shook his head. “You
look pretty good to me. Ah, here are our steaks.”

For some
reason his compliment pleased her. She knew she was a good pilot, but coming
from someone who might be afraid to fly, it meant a lot.

As they ate,
the conversation turned to talk of fishing. He inquired about fly fishermen in
the area and she assured him that there were a few locals who were regarded as
experts. She hadn’t contacted any of them in case he preferred to make his own
arrangements, but she was fairly sure that they’d be delighted to be in any
film made by the famous Craig Hansen.

The server
removed their plates and inquired if they would like dessert.

“No thanks,
André.” Jamie deferred to Craig. “How about you?”

He patted his
stomach. “No thanks.” A family got up from the adjoining table and she noticed
the way his eyes kept returning to the young boy. “But what I would like is
coffee down by the lake. I noticed the chairs down by the water when I arrived
and I think the weather is co-operating. That storm that was threatening
earlier seems to have passed us by.” He turned to her. “Will you join me?”

“Sounds
great.” She started to rise and he hurried around to pull out her chair. “I
wasn’t sure about those chairs when I bought them this spring, but they’ve been
popular.” The brightly coloured plastic Adirondack chairs added splashes of
colour to the grounds and were easy to keep clean. “We used to have the
traditional white wooden ones, but it got so we were spending too much time
sanding and repainting them every year.” She shrugged. “It’s all labour, and
it’s getting expensive.”

Goldie raised
her head when they appeared on the verandah and her tail thumped against the
floor.

“Okay, you
can come.” Jamie shot a quick glance at Craig. “You don’t mind, do you? You’re
not allergic, or anything?”

The dog had
inserted herself between Jamie and Craig and he touched the top of the dog’s
head. “No, I like dogs. This one seems devoted to you.”

They
sauntered toward the water’s edge. “She just appeared here one day, about a
year and a half ago. She was in bad shape; skin and bones mostly. She either
got lost, or some campers put her out to fend for herself.” She looked
affectionately at the dog. “We were going to call her Lucky, but that seemed
too corny. So thanks to her breed she became Goldie and she’s been here ever
since.”

“Do people
actually do that?” He looked shocked. “Leave their dogs?”

“It happens
more often than you’d think. Especially with cats.” They arrived at a grouping
of pink and green chairs. “Don’t get me started.”

Craig brushed
a few leaves from the seat of one of the chairs and made sure she was settled
before he sat down. Andre arrived a few moments later, carrying a tray with
coffee and some biscotti.

Craig’s chair
was angled away from the Beaver but he turned now and took a long look at it.
“I’d like to go up with you but I’m still not sure. This may not sound very
manly, but I’m terrified of flying in small aircraft.”

“You must
have flown out here from Toronto, so I’m assuming it’s just small aircraft that
bother you?”

He pushed the
hair away from his forehead. A scar about four inches long started just beside
his temple and disappeared into his hair. “I got this in a crash two years
ago.” He sat silently for a moment, then lifted his coffee cup and looked at
her over the rim. “My wife and son were killed and the pilot was seriously
injured.” His hand trembled a bit as he set his cup down. “We spun into some
trees. I was sitting up front beside the pilot and somehow I was thrown out.
Crushed a few ribs but that was nothing compared to the others.”

There was
nothing she could say that would help; she knew that from personal experience.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

He gave her a
smile that was full of pain. “Vicky and I were making one last effort for our
son. Jody loved anything to do with boats, with fishing. We were taking him on
the ultimate camping trip in northern Ontario.” He bit off a chunk of biscotti
then looked at it as though wondering where it came from. “It was the ultimate
trip, all right.”

Jamie had
never considered that he might be married. But then, she’d never thought she’d
be attracted to him, either. “What do you mean ‘making one last effort’? Was
your son sick?”

“Huh? No,
nothing like that. Vicky had told me a month or so previously that she wanted a
divorce. It was all over but the paper work, but we wanted to make some
memories for Jody.” His eyes glittered with unshed tears. “It was the biggest
mistake of my life.”

Jamie dunked
a biscotti and waited while it melted in her mouth. “So, the drinking,” she
said finally.

He looked at
her, dry-eyed now, and nodded. “So, the drinking.”

“Is it as bad
as they say? Survivor’s guilt?”

He nodded.
“Worse. After I sobered up, I threw myself into work, thinking it would help me
to forget. I had two films to be edited plus a book that was overdue at the
publisher’s. This past year I even went out on a couple of dates. Vicky’s
family was shocked, of course. They didn’t know we’d been planning to divorce.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “What a mess.”

They sat
quietly for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

A loon
warbled in the distance and he raised his head. “That’s a lovely sound, isn’t
it? Too bad everyone who makes a film even remotely connected with nature
thinks it’s necessary to put a loon’s call on the sound track.” He came forward
in his chair and smiled. “Want to hear something outrageous? A few years ago a
friend of mine bought a computerized golf game that simulates golf courses
around the world. He was showing me how it works and had chosen a course on
Maui. There was actually the sound of a loon in the background. On Maui!”

Jamie
laughed. “You’re making this up!”

He held up a
hand. “I kid you not!” He hunched forward, elbows resting on the arms of the
chair. “Thank you for listening, Jamie. You’re very relaxing to be with.”

She frowned.
“I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not.”