Coming Home (29 page)

“Sounds pretty nice,” Ann said, a note of wistfulness in her throaty voice. “Some of those luxurious resorts I escape to, ostensibly, mind you, to rest, just wear me out. Now I'm not saying I'm ready to give up the high life, but a weekend now and then away from all the hustle and bustle would be welcome.”

Roxanne understood the wistfulness. She'd always had Oak Valley to escape to, but not everyone else did and more than once she'd thought that some of her friends could have done with a week of peace and quiet in the valley. “You know you can come and stay with me anytime,” Roxanne offered warmly. “I'd love to have you come visit.” She laughed. “It'd give the natives no end of excitement.”

“You be careful passing out invitations, honey bun, there's probably a dozen of us that would descend on you like locust. In fact, if I didn't have this assignment this weekend in Greece, I might take you up on it.”

“What assignment is that?”

They talked shop for a few minutes longer and shortly thereafter they hung up. Stepping out onto the rear terrace, Roxanne stared down at the valley. She took a deep breath. For just a second there at the end, she'd been aware of feeling left out, of being passed by, and it troubled her. Then she laughed. Guess she now knew what an old retired fire-horse felt like when the whistle shrieked and the fire engines roared away from the station. But even though she'd suffered that little pang, she was happy with her decision. Less than twenty-four hours back in New York and she'd be clamoring for home.

The dry weather held and the grumblings of drought grew louder, but while there were those who complained about the lack of rain, Roxanne wasn't one of them. Her daffodils were growing taller and taller by the day and a few had tiny buds. She checked them eagerly almost every day, trying to decide if the buds had gotten bigger overnight.

Watching her one sunny Saturday afternoon as she bent over and closely examined the plants, Jeb laughed and shook his head. “Trust me, Princess, they haven't grown since last night.”

Roxanne no longer took offense at the name “Princess”—especially not when it was said in that soft, almost tender tone of his. These days she nearly purred aloud when he called her Princess. She turned a laughing face to him and said, “I know, but it's so much fun to check on them.” She pointed to a clump of the stiff green fronds. “Look, there are more buds—and I'd swear they weren't apparent last night.”

He gravely examined the clump in question. “Well, I don't know about that, but there are certainly more buds than the last time I looked … about two weeks ago.”

Roxanne put her arm through his and she lifted her face to the winter sun. “God! It's a gorgeous day. The sky is so blue, the trees so green. It seems as if everything is so much more intense here than anywhere else I've ever been.”

“Now you wouldn't be prejudiced, would you?” he asked with a smile.

“Nah.”

With the dogs set free and gamboling around their feet, they started on a leisurely hike. It had become a habit of theirs when the weather was good.

Today, as they tramped along what looked like an old skid road when the place had been logged thirty or forty years ago, Jeb asked, “Flow much land did you say you bought?”

“It's a section. A mile square. Six hundred forty acres.” She spun around, a grin on her face and her arms outstretched. “And it's all mine. Mine. Mine.”

“So Madame Land Owner, what are you going to do with it?”

They were climbing a particularly steep section of road. Nature was doing a fine job of obliterating the road. What remained was rutted from years of storm runoff and there were small slides here and there; everywhere they walked, firs and pines some ten feet tall had staked a claim, most growing right down the center, and of course there was the inevitable brush—manzanita, madrone, and buck brush.

Winding her way around one of the smaller firs, her hand lingering on the soft green needles, Roxanne admitted, “I don't know yet.” She made a face. “Obviously running cattle isn't an option, nor is raising horses, except on a very limited scale.” She glanced around at the stunning views. “This is a great piece of recreational land, but it doesn't have much value beyond that. I do have several ideas though, but nothing's set in concrete yet.”

“Care to share?”

She brushed her lips across his cheek. “I always share with you.”

A distinctly carnal curve to his lower lip, he pulled her against him and murmured, “Oh, really. Wanna do some ‘sharing’ right now?”

She chuckled and pushed him away. “None of that. But I will share some ideas I have about this place.”

Hand in hand they traversed the rough ground. “I've been thinking of putting those greenhouses to use.” At his raised brow, she pinched his arm. “And not as you so nastily suggested once to grow marijuana. I'm going to be talking to some of the local florists within the next few weeks and see if I could create a niche market with my own flowers. Try to grow some of the more exotic flowers and shrubs and vines and grasses used in making bouquets. Not a big operation but enough to make a profit and keep me busy. These past months have been nice, but I can't imagine not working at something.”

“You know anything about growing flowers?” His expression was dubious.

Roxanne made a face. “Not commercially, but a green thumb does run in my family and my apartment in New York was like a jungle—I had it stuffed with plants. I even had a window box. I love growing things and there's not too many things I like better than having my hands in rich warm dirt.”

Jeb nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds like a possibility. If you're serious, I could repair some of those old plant benches, make new ones if you need them, and check out the water lines for you.” He wiggled his brows. “I'm real handy with my tools.”

Spying what looked like flat areas of ground off to the side, they whistled for the dogs that had gone on ahead of them and climbed up the steep banks of the road. Following the gentle slope of the land, they eventually reached an area that was relatively flat. Scattered trees and brush made it hard to estimate its size, but after trampling around and pushing through stands of fir and pine, Jeb said, “I'd guess there's about two acres of fairly level ground here. Be a dandy place for a small hunting cabin or a weekend getaway if you needed one.”

Roxanne agreed. “Hmm, yes it would. Lots of privacy. Water and power might be a problem. And access, but it could be done.” She looked around again. “I haven't explored very much of the property yet, but on our walks the dogs and I have run across a couple of areas like this—I was surprised because when you look at the property, it looks like it's just a perpendicular hillside.”

“You may be on the side of a mountain, but on a big piece of land like this, unless it's in a canyon, you're bound to find some areas that are fairly level.” He cocked a brow. “You've got a great house, you're not really planning on building a cabin, too, are you?”

Her conversation with Ann at the back of her mind, Roxanne said slowly, “I might be.” As she studied the area, picturing it without the brush and only the nicest trees left and trimmed up, a charming cabin nestled in the center of the trees, an idea began to take shape. “In fact,” she said, “I might be planning on having three or four built.”

“Why?” he asked, startled.

“Well, for one thing, just think of the fun we'd have making love in all those different cabins …”

Chapter
14

T
he sun was beginning to slip behind the mountain above them and a chill was seeping into the air. Jeb's arm thrown over her shoulder, they slowly made their way back to the house, the dogs, tired out from futile pursuits of anything that moved, ambling at their heels, tongues hanging out.

“You really serious about this?” he asked, after she had explained the idea that had come to her as she looked around the clearing.

Roxanne hesitated. “Maybe. I don't know.” She looked over at him. “I need to do something and while I don't object to volunteer work and plan to do some of that, it's not how I see myself spending the rest of my life. I like to work and I'm lucky that I can choose and pick what I want to do.” She spread her arms indicating the land around them. “I've got this great piece of property that isn't really good for anything but recreation, why not turn what might be thought of as a negative into a positive?” Her face full of excitement, she looked at him. “Think about it, Jeb. I'm not just talking about my celebrity friends needing a place to get away to now and then for some serious R and R. What about a writer on a deadline? Any kind of writer—screen, song, books. Wouldn't this place inspire you?” She grinned. “And the best part—no distractions.”

Jeb rubbed his chin, nodding thoughtfully. “Yeah, I can see for certain people that it might be an option.”

“
Certain
people is right! Over half the people I know from New York would freak out at the sight of a dirt road and just the thought of being away from neon lights and pavement would send them shrieking for their shrink. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about people who really do need some peace and quiet. The kind of jaded celebrities who'd like to spend a week or two in their own little hideaway. Even if I built half a dozen cabins, each person would have over a hundred acres to call their own—and that's if every cabin was filled.” Bubbling over with enthusiasm, she went on, “And remember, we may be remote, but we have our own airport. They could charter a plane from SFO, fly in, be met by me, or whoever, and whisked away before anyone has any idea that they're here.”

“You gonna run this enterprise single-handedly, Princess?”

“Nope. That's the beauty of it. If I were to do it, and if it proved successful, I'd be creating jobs for at least three or four people in the valley.” She frowned. “Honest,
discreet
people. And even better, I can pick and choose my clients. I could close down for the winter if I wanted or limit the business to just certain weeks out of the year. So what do you think?” She glanced in his direction, wondering when his opinion had come to matter so much to her. She'd be crushed, she admitted, if he ridiculed her idea. Her jaw tightened. His disapproval wouldn't stop her, but it might put a very big crimp in their relationship. She'd learned the hard way that some men could be controlling in not so subtle ways—constantly giving negative feedback and putting up roadblocks was one manner of keeping the little woman in her place. Time and again she'd run into men who were threatened by a successful woman and their way of dealing with it was to crack jokes about achievements or belittle the accomplishments. She didn't expect Jeb to just jump for joy with every idea she had, but she wanted him to take it seriously and if he saw problems, real, honest problems, say so. Constructive criticism she could take—provided it
was
constructive. It occurred to her that a great deal suddenly hung on Jeb's answer and reaction. Unaware and unexpectedly, they'd come to a very big fork in the road of their relationship.

Jeb was silent as they walked, turning the idea over in his mind. He had to confess that on the surface it didn't sound bad. It wasn't likely to be as easy as Roxanne seemed to think, but then it was just off the cuff and for a working premise, it seemed pretty damn good to him. There'd be problems along the way, of that he had little doubt, but he was confident that Roxanne would find a way around them. She was stubborn. She was smart. And she had guts.

He grinned at her. “Sounds like a plan to me, Princess. There'll probably be some snags, but overall, I think it could work—and if anybody can make it work—it'll be you.”

Roxanne's heart soared and she let out the breath she hadn't even been conscious of holding. Stepping in front of him, her hands clutched the lapels of his black leather jacket, halting him in mid-stride. Her expression dead serious, she asked, “That's your honest opinion? You're not humoring me? Or petting me on the head?”

He looked insulted. “Since when have I ever humored you? And as for petting you on the head … if I dared, I'd pull back a bloody stump.” He caught her shoulders and shook her slightly. “Come on, Roxanne, think! Why would I not be honest with you? And when have we ever pulled our punches with each other? If I thought it was a stupid idea, I'd say so. I think it's a great idea! At least,” he added cautiously, “on the surface.”

“Really?” she couldn't help asking, her eyes glow, ing. So what if his approval pleased her? Did that make her less a modern woman? She didn't think so.

He smiled crookedly at her and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “Really. Honest. And all that crap. Now can we please go home? In case you haven't noticed the sun's gone down and it's cold and I'm freezing my ass out here.”

When they made the last turn before the house, the dogs suddenly lifted their heads, sniffed the air, and then baying like bloodhounds took off at a dead run. Jeb's voice, a note in it they seldom heard, stopped both dogs in their tracks. Chastened, they hurried back and in spite of raised hackles, and a soft whine from Dawg and an ominous low growl from Boss, kept pace with Jeb and Roxanne.

Jeb and Roxanne both recognized the blue pickup and the wiry man half out of the cab. Milo Scott didn't look happy; in fact, he looked as if he was of a mind to get back inside the truck. The dogs had obviously made an impression.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Jeb demanded, his mouth setting in grim lines. “You hire him to do more work?”

“Hey, don't get mad at me. I don't control Milo, he goes where he wants—invited and
un
invited.”

“Point taken.” Jeb stared at Milo through narrowed eyes. “I wonder how long the little bastard has been here and what he's been poking his nose into.”

Pushing past Jeb, who looked like he might grind Milo between his teeth, Roxanne walked up to the side of the truck and said, “Hi, Milo. What brings you out here?”

Keeping a wary eye on the two dogs, who remained at Jeb's side, Milo said, “Oh, nothing much. Heard in town that you might be doing some new building. Barn. Garage. Was wondering if I could get the specifics and put in a bid on the project?”