Crash Into You (24 page)

             
And for what?  He was a single man who had bunked in some truly hideous hell-holes in poverty-stricken parts of the world.   Why did he need nearly twenty thousand square feet of living space?   Family history, he supposed.  He liked his family history, and he believed in maintaining it.   Likewise, selling this historic property was just about unthinkable.

             
“Josh said I could come by and look at it again.”

             
“I see.”

             
“Were you busy?  Am I interrupting?”  He smiled, and Mark thought he saw a wink, to indicate he had seen them kissing when he arrived.

             
“We were just about to go work on one of the cabins.”  He knew he was being rude and he chided himself for it.  It wasn’t Bob Hayes’ fault that Josh was entertaining offers for the property that had been in the family since the town’s founding.

             
“Well, ah, do you mind if I take a look around?”

             
“There’s a bear inside,” Mark said. 

             
“A real bear?”

             
Mark and Aimee shared a glance.

             
“Yeah, a real bear.   A Grizzly.   I wouldn’t recommend going inside right now.”

             
Bob Hayes rocked back in his heels and shoved his hands in his pockets.  “Well maybe you don’t mind if I poke around the property, maybe check out the cabins?  I’ve driven all the way from Missoula.”

             
“Mr. Hayes, I think you should know that Josh has gotten ahead of himself.  The property is not really his to sell.”

             
“I see.  Well, my offer has been very generous, I think.”

             
“This isn’t about money.”

             
Bob smiled thinly, obviously thinking that it was
always
about money.    But Mark’s meaning was clear: he wasn’t welcome here.

             
“I see,” Bob said again.   He reached into his pocket and handed Mark a business card.  “I guess I’ll get back on the road.” He looked up at the darkening sky. 

             
Mark shook his hand and watched him walk back to the Range Rover.   They waited until the man had driven out of sight before Aimee looked up at him and said, “That was weird.”

             
Mark exhaled.  “I need to talk to Josh.”

Mark opened the SUV door for her, and she climbed inside, holding May on her lap.

“So what is your brother like?” she asked.

             
“That’s a loaded question,” he replied.  “He’s very ambitious.  We were very competitive growing up, and I guess we’ve both mellowed since then.  But he’s definitely trying to expand my father’s legacy.”

             
“So why is he so eager to sell the property?”

             
“That’s one thing I plan to ask him.  But for him, everything is a financial decision.  Those properties aren’t earning anything right now.”

             
“And you believe they can?”

             
“I think it is a good time to renovate them.   Tourists are starting to discover Spanner, and I sense that there is a customer base for nice resort and cabins.”

             
“Maybe Josh will agree with you.”

             
“Either that or I’ll have to buy out him and my other siblings.”

As they drove down the mountain, Aimee looked happy, despite the bear scare.   “Our visit was only fleeting, but I loved the resort.  You could make Spanner sort of like Aspen.”

              Her ambition pleased him, even though he was amused at the idea of Spanner becoming a pricey, glitzy town of chi-chi shopping and socialites.    Still, he could visualize a sparkly glass-and-timber resort.   Cozy, warm overstuffed cabins around the deep blue Starlight Lake.  Tourists skiing Jubilee Mountain in the winter, and kayaking and water skiing Starlight Lake on hot summer afternoons.

             
That would require a long-term commitment.  It would mean that he was pledging to stay here in Spanner for several years at least.  He had no real desire to run a hotel, no matter how wonderful.  Which meant he would have to seriously think about how to fill his days.   With Pete McKinsey retiring next year, the town would need a good doctor – a vacancy that he could fill quite ably.

Treating patients would be a new experience for him.
  Making them well instead of killing them over and over again would be a good thing, and he realized, something he really wanted to do. Maybe he could atone for his crimes committed in Afghanistan by caring for the people who made their home in the town his ancestors founded.

Watching Aimee get well had inspired his old enjoyment for the practice of medicine.  He made a mental note to meet with McKinsey next week.

He reached over to take Aimee’s hand, lacing his fingers with hers.  Small, feminine hands, they fit perfectly into his.

“What else?” he asked.  

“A heated pool.”

“Tennis courts.”

“A spa.”

“I hadn’t thought of a spa.”

“Oh yeah, you have to have a spa.  After skiing or golfing all day, you need a place to get a first rate massage and beauty services.  And since we’ll have beauty services, we need some place to look fabulous: we need a four-star restaurant.”

“I like that.  What about a yoga studio?” he asked.

Aimee smiled, then looked out at the mountains, lost in her thoughts. 

They drove to the ranch in companionable silence, each thinking about the possibilities.

As they came inside the house, Mark said, “I’ve got to call Josh,” and dropped his keys on the counter. 

             
Aimee grabbed May’s water stainless steel dish and began to fill it at the sink.

             
“Are you okay after meeting the bear?”

             
She looked up at him with a sparkly smile.  “I’m fine.  I’m very impressed that you fought off a bear for me.”   She set the dish on the raised platform where May took her meals. 

             
Mark took her by the shoulders then leaned in to kiss her.   She fell against him, eager for the rapturous voltage.   The seductive contact of his lips set her buzzing; she felt it zing through her whole body. 

So this is what it’s like to
be kissed by someone you want with all your heart.   To be completely turned on.
 

Too soon he gently broke the contact, leaving her wanting.    But she liked it – the echoes of desire that rang through her.   He smiled lazily, as if sharing the feeling with her. 

“Go make your call,” she said.  Her voice was low and husky to her own ears.

She lightheartedly shoved him toward the living room and his office, knowing if he didn’t go now, she was going to do something crazy like ask him to make love to her on the kitchen island.

              When she heard his door shut, she turned back to May.  “How about a late lunch?” she asked the pooch.

             
She gave the pup some kibble and soft food, then washed her hands.

             
In the living room, she stood at the windows, gazing out at the mountains, a vision she would never tire of.    She hadn’t thought of Seth all day, until she saw the Range Rover drive up at the Resort at Starlight Lake.   But now the fear came to her like a telepathic message from the psychopath himself, telling her he was still out there.  Still hunting her.  Still wanting the money she’d taken.

She walked outside w
ith May on her heels.   It was getting colder even down here at the lower altitudes, she noted.  The sky hung like a heavy grey tent and she felt the sharp edge of autumn in the gusts swooping off the mountains.  How much longer could she stay here, she wondered.  If she had to lay low for a while, maybe she could just stay here for a few months, until she was ready to set out to Portland.   It was certainly a beautiful place, she thought, watching May frolic in the tall wildflowers.

“You okay?”   Mark called from the front door.

              Aimee wandered over to him.   “Yeah.  Everything okay with your brother?”

             
“He’s coming over for a meeting tomorrow to discuss this once and for all.”

             
“Oh.  Do you want me to get lost?”

             
“No,” he replied, looking genuinely puzzled at her question.   “Why would I want that?”

             
“He’s your brother.”

             
“So?”

             
“You might have to explain what I’m doing here.”

             
“You’re not some dirty little secret,” he said lightly.  

             
“Well maybe not to your brother, but I wonder if I’ve been a little too free in Spanner.”

             
“I will protect you from Seth,” Mark said.   His taut face turned grim.   “Look, Aimee, I know you don’t want my protection, but if you change your mind, it is here for you.   Totally and completely.   I will not let anyone hurt you.  That is a promise.”

             
She would be strong.  She would be calm. She would not swoon at his words or fall against his chest with feminine gratitude.  For better or worse, she was now an alpha female, responsible for her own welfare, and joyfully, exuberantly independent.

Falling under Mark’s seductive spell would be just as terrible falling under Seth’s toxic spell, and she’d end up living her life for Mark instead of herself.  She couldn’t let that happen again.

She wanted to say something to relieve the tension.   Perhaps, 
I thought you didn’t make promises.
  But she held her tongue because Mark gently palmed her dipped chin, and lifted her face so that her eyes collided with his.   Once she saw the sweetness blazing out in those mica depths, she wavered.   Touched that anyone would feel so dedicated to her well-being, she felt humbled.  That the person was Mark Spanner, she felt awed.  

“Now, let’s get you inside, it looks dismal out here.”

Aimee relaxed a little bit and looked around for May.   She called the puppy over.   May lifted her head and came running.

             
Inside, Mark started a fire to kill the slight creeping chill, and then went into the kitchen to make a late lunch.   Aimee stood against the counters, watching Mark study the contents of the fridge.   “Want anything in particular?” he asked.

             
“Bear steaks,” she replied wryly.

             
Mark laughed.  “How about a salad and baked ziti?”

             
“That sounds divine.”

             
He rolled his eyes.  “You’re easy to please.”

             
As she set the table, she heard a tapping sound and looked up, surprised to see raindrops on the windows.

             
As she was about to say something about it, the sky suddenly cracked open with a blaze of bright lightning and a rumble followed by a loud crack of thunder.

             
“Wow, this is sudden,” Aimee said.

             
“Typical late-summer storm,” Mark said easily.  

             
They ate at the island table and Aimee was happy that the stress that had been in Mark’s eyes before the phone call with his brother was gone now.   She liked that Mark was quick to let go of his anger and stress, that he didn’t nurse it, and use it as an excuse to lash out and hurt her.

             
She helped clear the dishes, realizing that they’d fallen into a comfortable routine.  Mark rinsed the dishes, then handed them to her and she placed them in the dishwasher.  It was nice.  Cozy.   As she scooted to the sink to wash her hands, she bumped Mark with her hip to move him over.  He stayed where he was, playfully not letting her rinse the soap off her hands.   She laughed, “Come on, stingy.”

He turned off the water, grabbed the freshly laundered kitchen towel and wrapped her hands in it.

              “I need a shower,” she said.  “After our bike ride and hunting bears…”

             
“I think I can help with that.”

             
He laced his fingers through hers and led her upstairs.   In his giant bathroom, he turned on the six showerheads.   She hovered near the vanity, watching him undress.  As his boxer briefs came down over his long, muscled legs, she felt her inner muscles flex.    He was erect, the club of his cock empurpled and ready.

             
Something tightened in answer, low and hot in her body.  She ached to grab onto him.  He was so strong and solid, seething with energy.  So hot.