Four Weeks (15 page)

"Close?"

"Well, yes."

Trent shifted his gaze to the window. “No, we weren't close."

"You don't do business like your dad either."

"No. I don't.” Looking back to Mr. Robbins, Trent said, “I need to know why my dad bought that stable."

"Wish I could tell you, but like I said, I never ask why.” He chuckled. “I only ask how much."

Trent shook his head and smiled weakly at the realtor's joke. He stood to leave, but the other man stopped him.

"Don't suppose it matters now, that I tell you, seein’ as your father has passed away, but your dad ... he's actually owned Hawk's for a long time. Recently, right before ... he passed away, he came to me and asked me to figure out how much it was worth."

Long seconds ticked past as Trent sorted out what the other man said. “He owned it for a long time ... and he was just putting it on the market?"

Mr. Robbins shrugged. “We can only
assume
he was going to sell it. He might've had another reason for wanting to know its value. A lot of men, get older, and start putting their affairs in order, if you know what I mean."

Trent stumbled back. “You think he knew he was going to die?"

Mr. Robbins shot to his feet. “No. Absolutely not. He was driven, he had plans, and he did not act like a man getting ready to die. Only..."

"What?"

"Only like a man trying to get something settled.” Mr. Robbins spread his hands wide. “That's all I can tell you. I hope it helped..."

More questions, no answers. Trent nodded, “Thanks for telling me."

"Sure thing. We'll keep in touch?"

"Yes, yes, of course,” Trent mumbled over his shoulder as he left the office.

LOUISE WAVED OFF A newlywed couple and returned to the rental office. Gail was just coming in and Louise nodded toward the other woman's empty hands. “You passed out the rest of those flyers already?"

Her new employee smiled and shrugged. “It was easy. I did what you suggested and went to the businesses along Huron Street. A couple of the T-shirt shops agreed to put flyers in the customer's bags."

Good news was exactly what Louise needed after her lunch with Trent. If business picked up, that would keep her hands busy and her mind occupied. And maybe, just maybe, Trent wouldn't close down Hawk's.

"Thanks, Gail. Have you seen Pete? I haven't seen him since I got back from lunch."

The girl pressed her lips together. “Nope, I guess I haven't seen him since then either.” She waved her hands in the air. “Maybe he had an appointment or something."

Louise worked to keep a frown off her face. “It seems like he would have mentioned something like that."

"I'll tell him you're looking for him if I see him.” Gail went outside to help a family who'd just come into the yard.

Louise didn't need Pete for anything. It just seemed strange that he'd leave the stable attended when he knew they'd be busy all day. Obviously she needed to make up an employee work schedule.

Maybe he'd left a note on her desk. She hopped off the stool and went to her office.

She jogged to the end of the aisle but Pete's whistling stopped her from going into the office. Outside, the wiry old man was helping Trent unload some hay bales from a delivery wagon.

She sighed and went back to the office. Talking to Pete about a schedule in front of Trent would only give him more reason to doubt her abilities. Besides, she didn't want to do anything anywhere near Trent. Keeping away from him was the only answer to not strangling him.

Or kissing him.

She wasn't hiding. Really. She did need to look over her projected expense summary. That ought to keep her occupied for at least an hour. Avoiding Trent was going to be extremely difficult if he insisted on hanging around the stable.

She sank into her stiff chair and reached for the keyboard. After the screen came to life she stared hard at the columns. The numbers looked boring, just the thing to numb her brain and keep her thoughts off Trent.

TRENT TOSSED THE bale onto the stack in the feed room then paused. Pete stood beside him, also checking over the damage. In the daylight it didn't look so bad. There were dark smudges of soot and a burned pile of straw, but the thick wooden walls had only been damaged on the surface. It was almost as if he'd imagined the heat and horrible clouds of smoke.

Pete kicked at the burned hay. “So it was bad last night, huh?"

Despite how things looked now, he'd never forget the panic coursing through him when he saw Louise, almost unconscious and hardly breathing, lying in the hayloft.

Trent simply nodded.

"Fire chief come by yet?"

The workman was plying him for information, so he figured he might as well do the same. “You haven't been here?"

Pete glanced over Trent's shoulder. “No. I had to go out for awhile."

Trent winked, thinking he might catch the old man off guard. “Date with a pretty girl?"

Presumably to study the room some more, the old man turned his back. “No, I had an appointment in town."

"I haven't been around here either. I went to lunch at Soldier's. Ever eat there?"

"Nope, don't get around much,” he replied over his shoulder.

"It's right by the fort.” Trent pressed the old man. “Which was really packed today ... being the first big day of the season and all."

Pete kept his back turned. “You don't say."

"Ever been to the fort? The history is fascinating. I read about the place, but I lost track of how many times it changed hands between the British and the Americans."

The old man took his time answering. “I'm not one for history and stuff.” He spun around with a forced smile. “I got to get back to work, boss."

Trent waved him off. “Sure, Pete. Thanks."

He dipped his chin. “I'll send the chief your way if I see him,” he said as he hobbled off.

The old man was lying, which meant he was hiding something. Sucking in a steadying breath, Trent left the burned-out feed room to find Gail. He had a good idea that she would have another story to tell—one that didn't match up to Pete's or include a trip to the fort that afternoon.

As he hurried to the rental office a renewed sense of fear for Louise's safety burned through him. She had no idea her two employees were scheming together. After that fiasco at lunch, he couldn't tell her what he thought—that Pete and Gail were up to no good. She'd probably think he'd made it up just to get rid of her.

He was getting closer to uncovering whatever truth lie hidden in the stable, whatever the old building had to tell him about his father. But he was also putting Louise at risk.

Since she was too stubborn to leave, and he couldn't bear firing her, he had to stay as close to her as possible, watching and protecting her. He wouldn't get any closer than he had to. Only close enough to keep her safe.

LOUISE HELD UP the expense reports and beamed. Those and the hefty pile of bank deposit slips sitting on the edge of her desk were testimony to all her hard work. She'd been at Hawk's for two weeks and already things were turning around. She was even considering hiring another person to help her with the rental desk. Gail was excellent, but she couldn't handle the crowds that mobbed the desk in the afternoons.

If business kept going the way it was, Trent would have no argument against staying open and keeping her on to manage the stable after her trial period was over. She'd not only proven her abilities as a manager, she'd proven Hawk's was worth keeping.

She took pride in the accomplishment and knew that her business success should fulfill her, but for some reason that escaped her, it didn't. Why did happiness still elude her? She'd assumed that when she'd finally found a job where she could really make a difference her whole life would change. Yet restlessness clung to her. Complete happiness remained out of reach.

In all the jobs she'd had, she'd been waiting for the opportunity to prove that she knew how to make a business succeed. At Hawk's she'd found what she'd been searching for, but the sense of fulfillment and the excitement she'd expected was missing.

It didn't make sense. Instead of being happy with work and concentrating on business, she kept thinking about Trent. Each morning when she walked to Hawk's, and each evening when she left, she looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of him; he'd all but disappeared. Occasionally she'd find a work-related note left on the office desk or a message at Sally's, but other than that it was as though he didn't exist.

As much as she didn't want to accept it, she missed him. If he came by to ask how things were going she'd have an excuse to talk with him. Wouldn't he be encouraged when he saw how well his business was doing?

They hadn't talked since that awful lunch at Soldier's—the same day the fire chief came by and told her that the fire had been caused by bad wiring

Whatever she'd thought had happened between them the night of the fire meant nothing to Trent.

She should be glad. She hadn't wanted a summer fling, or worse, a romance with her boss. So why did she miss him so much? Why did she continue to waste time thinking about him? It was foolish. She barely knew him.

She sighed and got up from her desk. Maybe she was just lonely. She headed out of the office to check on things out front. Maybe she needed to make an effort to go out a couple times a week. Gail had some friends on the island and they'd asked her to come to dinner a few times.

Next time she got an invitation, she'd say yes. Going out with some carefree college girls had to be a lot better than sitting on Sally's front porch staring at the beauty of the island and wondering why, when she had everything she wanted, she felt so forlorn and depressed.

She needed to work harder during the day and get out and have a good time at night. Everything would be just fine. Better than fine. It'd be perfect.

TRENT WATCHED THE other diners laugh and enjoy the restaurant luncheon, but his own roast beef sandwich sat untouched on his plate. The food served at his hotel was excellent, but eating held no appeal. He'd been keeping a close eye on Louise, so he knew about the long hard hours she'd been putting in. Business at the stable had picked up and although he hadn't seen the books yet, it was a safe bet that Hawk's was doing better than it had in a long time. As the owner of the business, he owed her a word of thanks and congratulations. That meant talking—in person.

Surely he could keep things professional with her long enough to accomplish that. A quick meal at a decent place to show his appreciation ought to do the trick. But not The Majestic. Stirring up unwanted memories would be counter productive. He should be able to have a business conversation somewhere else with her. After all, they hadn't talked in two weeks. His attraction to her surely had cooled since then.

The lingering memory of her anger and rejection was still with him and he didn't want to be left sitting at an empty table again. He tossed down his napkin and went to the bar. After he got the attention of the college kid behind it, he attempted a smile. “Have a phone I can use?"

The bartender glanced his way, then grabbed a cordless phone and laid it on the counter.

"It's local,” Trent offered.

The bartender looked like he hadn't had much sleep lately. “Just leave it there when you're done,” he mumbled then wandered off.

Trent dialed the number to Hawk's. Louise's cheerful voice greeted him and his chest tightened. Keeping his emotions in check was going to be a lot harder than he thought. But not impossible.

A long stretch of silence followed his greeting.

"What can I do for you, Trent?” she asked, her friendly tone faltering.

"You've done a lot for me."

She paused. “I'm not sure what you mean."

He smiled at the bristle in her voice. She hadn't forgotten their kisses either. At least he wasn't suffering alone.

"I'm talking about Hawk's, Louise. You're doing a great job."

"Thank you."

He chuckled at her reluctance to talk to him. The irony that her attitude made him stupidly glad that their connection was still there wasn't wasted on him. “Be at the stable tonight around six. I'll come by, we'll talk about how Hawk's is doing.” Wanting to avoid giving her false hope, he added. “You can show me the records and what you've got planned for the next two weeks."

Silence hummed across the line. He grimaced, realizing she still thought she had a shot of convincing him not to sell the stable.

"You'll be ready?"

"Yes, Mr. Parker. I'll be ready."

In spite of himself he grinned at the firm tone in her voice. He knew how to break through that icy exterior ... if he wanted to do so.

"See you at six.” He hung up. He could keep his emotions in check and enjoy being with her at the same time. Everything would be fine as long as he didn't touch her.

TRENT STOPPED AT THE gate to Hawk's. Louise had turned things around so quickly selling the stable in two weeks seemed a shame, because he was sort of beginning to like the place, but he had no reason to keep it. Mr. Robbins assured him that both deals were coming along well, so if Zigler's backed out he could still sell to Klinger.

Maybe dealing with his father's sudden death had made him shook him up, but he was getting his head together now. The fire was an accident, his suspicions of Gail and Pete unfounded, and Louise hated his guts. Hanging around the island and wasting his time trying to discover something about a man who never cared about him was pointless. He needed to get back to his life. He'd waited to long to accept the truth—the ramshackle place in front of him didn't hold anything for him. He never learned anything about his father while the man was alive and it was stupid for him to think he could learn anything after his death.

Tonight, he'd tell Louise he was leaving.

Trent spotted Gail waving in the last riders for the night. That meant Gail and Pete would soon be leaving for the day and he and Louise would be alone. Leaving the bright evening sunshine behind him, Trent ducked inside the barn.