The Lure of Love (9 page)

He turned and
bowed to Leeza and Jamie. “We even bought a bunch of plastic chairs for
spectators. Oh yes, and a cooler and half a dozen twenty-four-packs of water.”
He gave the gasoline can a shake. “We’ve almost finished knocking down the
weeds. A couple more passes around the outside and it’s done.”

Leeza looked
out the window. “Where’s Matt?”

Billy waved a
hand. “Oh, he’s out in the field putting chalk on the baselines.” His gaze
rested on Leeza for a moment. “He’s a cool guy.”

Leeza nodded.
“The kids must be excited. Matt said you were playing catch with them last
night.”

“No kidding,
but they haven’t left us alone since we started. We had to ask them to give us some
space or we’d never get it done.” He grinned. “I think they’re drawing up their
teams already. This is going to be fun.”

His
enthusiasm was catching. “What time is the game?” Brooke was already planning
the rest of her day. The three of them had been talking for over an hour and
she knew there’d be e-mails to answer, reservations to book.

“No special
time.” His voice softened. “But I hope to see you there.” He looked at Jamie
“Can you let me into the maintenance shed? Matt will be waiting.”

They walked
down the front steps. Brooke watched them go and when they passed the window,
Billy looked up and smiled.

“Earth to
Brooke.” Leeza gave her a knowing smile. “You guys really connected, didn’t
you?”

Brooke leaned
closer to the window as Billy disappeared around the corner. “Yeah, I guess we
did. That’s amazing what he and Matt did.” She grinned at the chef. “Let’s walk
over together after dinner, okay?”

Leeza nodded.
“Just try to keep me away.”

“I thought
the last diners would never leave.” Leeza checked her watch as she hurried down
the stairs with Brooke. “It’s already after nine; thanks for waiting.” Brooke
had never seen her so nervous.

“Good thing
it stays light so late. They must be having fun; I can hear them from here.”
They walked a little faster.

The makeshift
ball diamond was crowded with spectators and players when they arrived a few
minutes later. All of the plastic chairs were occupied and a dozen or so people
had brought their own folding chairs.

As they arrived
a roar of approval went up; a young boy had managed to hit a line drive between
first and second, and was called safe at first. Brooke looked around for Billy
and spotted him huddled with his ‘team’ on the far side of the field. She
didn’t see Matt at first, then recognized him behind the umpire’s mask. She
turned to Leeza, but she’d already spotted him and was moving closer.

“You made
it!” Jamie and Craig called her over. “Sorry we didn’t save you a seat, but we
got overwhelmed.” Craig was standing beside a smiling Jamie, a camera slung
around his neck. Dust hung suspended over the field, caught in the slanting
rays of the setting sun. The scene looked like something out of an old movie;
she made a mental note to ask him if she could use one of his photos on the
Lodge’s website.

She bent over
so Jamie could hear her above the cheers. “Who’s coaching the other team?” She
looked across the field. “I see Billy over there.”

Jamie pointed
to an older man with a red face. “He and his family are staying in the
campground. He’s having the time of his life. Billy and Matt seem to be
enjoying themselves as well. I wish we’d thought of this years ago.”

Brooke
shrugged. “Never mind, they’re enjoying it now. I think I’ll go over and cheer
for Billy’s team.” She walked behind the backstop made of hay bales and heard
Billy consoling one of his players.

“It doesn’t
matter that you struck out,” she heard him say. “We’re here to have fun.” He
placed a hand on the young boy’s shoulder. “You are having fun, aren’t you?”

The boy
nodded.

“Well that’s
all that counts!” He lowered his voice. “Do you have any idea how many times I
struck out?” He gave a little shudder. “Don’t even ask.”

The boy
laughed and went back to his teammates.

Billy turned,
saw her watching him and for a long, heart-stopping moment everything else
faded into the background as they looked at each other.

“There you
are” he said finally, taking a step toward her. “I was afraid you weren’t
coming.” He reached for her hand. “I missed you today, Brooke.” He looked back
as his team called him. “Will I see you later? On the dock?”

She nodded.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then went back to his coaching duties.

* * *

Matt lifted
his mask and scanned the crowd. Where was she? Dinner service should be over by
now.

He’d been
thinking of her ever since he left the lodge this morning. He’d asked Billy
about her but the ball player had given him an odd look. It was better this
way. He couldn’t allow himself to be attracted to her. Life was too complicated
just now.

And then he
saw her and his good intentions flew out the window. She was watching him with
those dark eyes and holding out a water bottle. He walked over, accepted it
from her and took a drink without saying a word.

“Thanks,” he
said finally. “I needed that.” He took another drink. “We have to stop meeting
like this, you know.” He gestured with the water bottle. “You taking care of
me.”

“Then don’t
be so needy.” The edge of her mouth twitched, but she managed to keep a straight
face.

“Hey, Ump!
Are you going to call this game or not?” Billy walked up to the two of them, a
grin on his face.

Matt didn’t
turn. “I’ll be right there.” He stared into her eyes. “Will you be around
later?”

She nodded.

“How will I
find you?”

She thought
for a moment. “Have you got your cell phone with you?”

He nodded.

She held out
a hand. “Give it to me.”

He did as she
directed. She quickly entered her number.

He finished
the water and handed her the bottle in exchange for his cell. His eyes were
dark and unreadable. “Thanks. See you later.”

* * *

The ball game
continued until it was too dark to see properly. Neither team minded; they
hadn’t been keeping score.

“This is the
way it should be,” said Billy as he and Matt gathered up the equipment. “Playing
ball purely for the joy of it on a summer night.”

Matt nodded.
“That was the most fun I’ve had for a long time.” He looked down at the cooler,
now full of empty water bottles. “We’ll have to wash this out before we use it
again. I hope we can recycle these bottles.”

“Sure can. We
have a recycling bin around back.” Jamie tossed the last bottle in. She looked
from Billy to Matt. “There’s a hose back there too, where you can wash out the
cooler. But this garbage bin is pure genius.” She closed the lid. “I never
would have thought of it.” As part of their spending spree, Billy and Matt had
bought a large garbage bin on wheels to store and transport the equipment.

She gave each
of them a quick hug. “Thank you. Both of you.”

Matt wiped a
hand on his slacks and extended it. “We haven’t formally met. I’m Matt Weber.”
He gave her a sheepish grin and then turned to Craig. “Nice to meet you, too.
I’ve seen your work.”

Craig nodded
and gestured to the garbage bin. “Do you guys need help with that?”

Matt shook
his head. “No, we’re fine.”

“Okay, then.”
He slipped his arm around Jamie’s waist. “We’re off.”

* * *

Craig and
Jamie sauntered along, each lost in thought.

“Penny for
them” she said finally, looking up at him.

He smiled,
but it was a crooked smile. “I was thinking how much Jody would have liked tonight.
Billy’s right, there’s nothing like playing baseball on a summer evening.” He
took a few more steps then stopped, swinging her around so that she faced him.
“I think about him a lot, Jamie. I hope you don’t mind if I talk about him.”

She pulled
back, surprised. “Of course I don’t mind.” She paused for a moment. “Actually,
I’d mind if you
didn’t
talk about him. That wouldn’t be healthy.”

They
continued walking. “What would you like to do?” he asked. “I’m not the least
bit tired.”

“Would you
like a cup of tea or something?” She gestured toward the cottages behind the
lodge. “My porch is screened, and we could sit out. There’s something I’d like
to talk over with you.”

He shot her a
curious look. “I’d enjoy a cup of tea.” They changed direction and walked
toward her cottage. It was a small building in the panabode style that was
popular in the 50s and 60s. Tucked under the fir trees, it looked like it would
be at home in a fairy tale.

Craig entered
her living room and gave a low whistle of approval. “Now this is cozy,” he
said, gravitating toward the north wall. A fireplace dominated the wall, faced
in sandstone that reached the ceiling. He ran his hand reverently over the
stone and called to her through the opening to the kitchen.

“Are these
what I think they are?”

Jamie popped
her head around the corner. “Yes. Aren’t they gorgeous? I went to summer camp
one year up near Telkwa. On one of our outings we went to the fossil beds. They
were wide open in those days.” She came closer.

“I remember I
was nervous, because we had to walk on a big log over a stream. But once we got
across, they were there for the taking. Layers of what I later learned was
sandstone. They looked like pages from a book. The adults must have brought picks
or rock hammers, because when a slab was thick, we’d give it a tap on the edge
and it would fall open, usually revealing a fossil. They were incredibly
fragile, but I brought those specimens home while Dad was finishing off the
fireplace and he set them in place.” Craig was admiring a winged insect and she
touched it with her fingertips. “That one’s my favourite. I found all of these;
there were lots of insects.” She gave her head a quick shake. “If we didn’t
like what we found, or if the fossil was too close to the edge of the chunk of
sandstone, we dropped them onto the pile and they broke.” She paused in front
of a small fern-like leaf. “When I think of it now, I realize what a waste that
was, but we didn’t really know any better.”

“How old are
they?” he asked.

“I was afraid
you were going to ask me that. I can’t give it to you in years, but they’re
from the Cretaceous period, and that came after the Jurassic era.”

He nodded to
himself. “So they’re old.” He moved aside to the bookcases flanking the
fireplace and she went back into the kitchen. “It’s not hard to tell where your
interests lie.” He pulled out a biography of Grant McConachie. “This guy was
something, wasn’t he?”

Jamie
recognized the book about the famous bush pilot turned CEO. “He’s my hero. When
people play that game of ‘who would you like to have dinner with?’ I always say
Grant McConachie.” She came out of the kitchen carrying the teapot and cups on
a tray. “Maybe you’d rather sit in here with your tea.”

He placed the
book back on the shelf. “I wouldn’t mind. It’s such a welcoming room. Nothing
like that condo I’m living in now. It’s easy to keep clean but that’s about all
I can say about those cold, stark lines.” He lowered himself onto one of the
large overstuffed chairs that faced the fireplace.

She poured
tea and handed him a mug. “Sorry I don’t have any cookies.” She shrugged. “I
don’t keep that kind of thing in the house.” She settled into the chair facing
him

He picked up
the mug and cradled it in his hands. “What did you want to talk about?”

She pulled up
her legs and tucked them underneath her. “I got propositioned today.”

He was about
to take a sip but froze at her words. “I beg your pardon?”

She grinned.
“Just seeing if you were paying attention.” A small frown creased her brow.
“Brooke came to me today with the most amazing proposition.”

“Brooke.
That’s the woman who runs the office?”

She nodded.
“Yes. And she runs it well. She wants to open a spa in connection with the
lodge, and she’s willing to pay for the construction of the buildings. She’s
put a lot of thought into it. She’s even been to see the planning department,
for goodness sake.”

Craig watched
her carefully. “So what do you think?”

“Offhand, I
can’t see any reason why we shouldn’t do it. I thought I’d ask you for your
opinion. You’ve been around more than I have.”

His gaze
drifted to the fireplace, but his thoughts were elsewhere. “How much land would
it take, and where would you put it?”

Jamie
repeated everything Brooke had said. “And I love her idea of separate buildings
connected by walkways.”

“I can see it
working. I imagine the biggest stumbling block could be the legalities. If you
sit down and hammer out what each of you want from this venture, and be honest
about it, then it sounds like a winner.”

“What do you
mean, be honest about it?”

He sipped his
tea before replying. “I’ve seen it happen with friends. They let their egos get
in the way when it comes to decisions. What they should do is sit down and
rationally discuss what’s best for the business, but like I said their egos get
in the way and things get mired down.”

Jamie thought
for a moment. “I don’t think that would happen. Brooke even wants to make sure
Leeza gets a share. What’s the term? ‘Give her a vested interest’?”

He nodded his
head slowly. “I don’t know Brooke, but I think it’s a genius idea. I can even
see women from the campground coming over for spa treatments, or whatever you
call them.” He pulled up short. “How many rooms do you have?”

“Sixteen in
the main lodge, and thirty-two in the two outbuildings.”

He tilted his
head, as though hearing a far-off voice. “I wonder if that’s enough. I can see
you needing another building within a few years.”