Hold Me (16 page)

Aidan shook his head. “No, you don’t. You didn’t have any trouble on our hike today. You’ve spent time in the mountains before.”

“The Smoky Mountains. Different from here but just as beautiful.”

“I agree. Why’d you leave?”

“I was told college would be a good idea.”

“One of the advantages of living here,” Aidan told her. “There’s a community college and a four-year college in town. I didn’t have to go anywhere else.”

“Did you want try living somewhere different?”

Aidan’s expression sharpened for a second before relaxing. “At one time I did. When I was growing up, it was understood that my older brother Del would be taking over the family business. I was okay with that and had no idea what I wanted to do. Then my first year of college he took off. Suddenly, I was the one everyone thought would take over. So I stuck around.”

Family expectations, she thought. Only Aidan had followed through with his. She, on the other hand, had disappointed both her parents with her decision.

“Any regrets?” she asked.

He closed his eyes. “No way. I have a good life. Plenty of time outdoors. I fish and hike and go skiing for a living. Then there are afternoons like this, spent with a beautiful woman. What’s not to like?”

She laughed.

He opened his eyes. “What’s so funny?”

“That was a very reflexive compliment. You weren’t even looking at me.”

“I’ve already seen you. I can compliment from memory.”

“While that’s probably true, my guess is you, Aidan Mitchell, are a bit of a player.”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “I’m wounded.”

“Am I wrong?”

“No.”

She grinned. “I didn’t think so. Let me guess. There are plenty of single tourists who want a hot affair with their hunky guide.”

He winced. “It would be better for me if you didn’t call me hunky.”

“But the rest of it?”

“I do okay. How’d you guess?”

“You remind me of guys who toured with my parents. If it was Wichita, there must be a new opportunity.”

“I’m clear on the rules,” he said, sounding only a little defensive. “I’m careful.”

“I’m not judging,” she told him. “I just think it’s interesting.”

“My mom keeps telling me that one day I’m going to fall in love. That it will be hard and fast, and I won’t see it coming.”

“You worried?”

“No way. Like I said, I’m careful.”

She wanted to tell him he couldn’t be careful enough. That if he let his hormones rule his life, he was in for some nasty surprises. But she’d tried telling people that in the past. For the most part they didn’t listen. Or they thought she was incredibly strange. Either way it didn’t go well.

She looked around at the beauty of the afternoon and wished Kipling were here instead of Aidan. Because she wanted to talk to him, she told herself firmly. Wanting to be with Kipling had nothing to do with the isolated location. She just thought spending some quality conversation time with her friend would be nice.

Nothing more.

* * *

K
IPLING
WOULD
HAVE
thought that ordering a cell tower was a big deal, but apparently not. He printed out the confirmation invoice and walked over to the giant to-do list posted on the only wall not covered by maps of the area surrounding Fool’s Gold. With sites determined, all three cell towers had been ordered, and surveying would start by the first part of next week.

Destiny moved next to him. “The tracking equipment shipped,” she said, pointing to another item on the list. “It will be here in the next couple of days. Then we can start serious training.”

She was standing close enough to get his attention. He knew she wasn’t taunting him on purpose. His reaction to her nearness—blood flowing to predictable places, his complete lack of interest in anything but getting her on a nearby desk and then having his way with her—reminded him it was good to be alive. He liked the chase, and in her case, the reward was going to be even sweeter because he planned to show her what she’d been missing.

But that was for later. Today they had a job to do.

“How are the interviews going?” she asked.

Kipling shrugged. “Not great. I haven’t found anyone who’s going to work.”

She looked up at him, her green eyes concerned. “What’s wrong with them?”

“One guy was more interested in how much time off he would get than in finding out about the job. Another had no experience.”

“You don’t have any experience,” she said with a grin.

“Which is why we need someone who knows what they’re doing. The right person is out there. I’ll figure it out.”

He knew the value of patience. While his instinct was to simply go for it and deal with the consequences later, he’d learned the hard way that recklessness came with a price. The mountain had taught him that.

Automatically, he glanced out the window. The northeast view meant he could see the mountains clearly. A perk, he told himself, even as the familiar restlessness filled him. The need was there, like it had been for Destiny. Only this need would never be fulfilled.

He would never again feel the wind burning his skin. He would never hover in the air for seconds in time before slamming back onto packed powder and tearing down the mountain. The trees, the crowd, would never again be nothing but a blur as he defied the odds. He would never again be G-Force.

His back hurt, his knee ached and when he woke up in the morning, it took him a good five minutes to get all the kinks worked out. Which meant he was lucky. Damned lucky. But there were moments when he closed his eyes and imagined it was all still there. In his grasp. Until he remembered otherwise.

“Kipling?”

He looked at Destiny, who was watching him intently. His brain replayed the last bit of their conversation.

“My coach drilled certain skills into me,” he said as if he hadn’t been thinking of anything else. “Don’t push the race. Let it come to you. Then plan on flying.”

“An oddly mixed metaphor, but if it works...”

“It does.” He leaned against his desk. “How are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“New town, new sister, indoor plumbing.”

She put her hands on her hips. Amusement pulled at the corners of her mouth. “Are you mocking my time living off the land?”

“Pretty much.”

“I’ll have you know that I learned a lot, and there is much to be said for a simpler life.”

“And the indoor plumbing?”

She sat on the desk across from his and laughed. “I’ll admit I really, really love it. Hot water, especially. And flush toilets. A brilliant invention.”

“Agreed.” He studied her for a second, letting his gaze linger over the good parts. “I can’t picture you running barefoot through fields, picking wildflowers.”

“Probably because I never did. I wasn’t staying in some idealized TV world. My grandmother lived simply, which meant she had to do most of the work herself. Fruits and vegetables don’t can themselves. And when you’re snowed in for a few weeks at a time, there’s no running to the corner market.”

She smiled as she spoke, as if the memories were good ones. He was glad about that. Given the little he knew about how things had been with her parents, she hadn’t had an easy time of it. Kids needed stability. He hadn’t realized that when he’d been young, but once he’d moved in with his coach and had seen what a normal family was like, he’d finally been able to relax. He suspected Destiny’s Grandma Nell had provided the same escape for her.

“I wish she was still alive,” she admitted. “Not just because I miss her, although I do. Every day. But because of Starr. I think she’s happy, but I’m not sure. We’re connecting more. I’m trying to listen more than I talk, which is actually harder than it sounds.”

“What about the things you have in common? She’s into music, and it’s got to be in your veins.”

Destiny drew her braid over her shoulder, then smoothed her hair before tossing it back. “I’ve been teaching her to play the guitar, and next we’re going to move on to my keyboard. She has talent, which helps. She’s a quick study. But then she wants to talk about the business, and I’m not the right person. I’ve always done my best to avoid it, which she can’t understand.”

“Even singing the way you do? You were never tempted?”

“Not at all. Life on the road is not the fun fest everyone imagines. There’s constant pressure to be visible and at the same time to be productive. Which doesn’t work for me. I need peace and quiet when I write music.”

“You write songs?”

She winced, then flushed. “Pretend I didn’t say that.”

“Not possible. Can you sing one for me?”

“No. They’re private.”

Secrets, he thought, wondering why she was so reticent. He didn’t know the first thing about how one went about writing a song, but he would guess it wasn’t hard for the words to get personal. Wouldn’t a songwriter have to pull from his or her own experience? Or at the very least, observation? That would mean exposing a piece of the writer’s soul. From what he’d learned about Destiny, she liked emotional distance between herself and everyone else. Which could be part of the problem with Starr.

“You write the songs for yourself?” he asked.

“No. I just write them. I don’t have a choice.”

Simple words, but there was something in her tone. Sadness, maybe? Resignation?

Without having a plan, he straightened, grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. She rose slowly and stepped into his embrace. Once she was there, he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.

“Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’ll keep you safe.”

“I don’t need protecting.”

“Sure you do. Everyone does from something.”

“So what scares you?”

“Not being able to take care of the people who matter to me.”

Because of what had happened with his father, stepmother and Shelby, he thought, remembering what it had been like to be trapped in a hospital bed a half-world away from his sister. Mayor Marsha had promised to keep her safe and in return, he’d come here and taken over the HERO program.

“You’re a really good guy,” Destiny told him, her body warm against his. “You sure you don’t want to try my sensible relationship plan?”

A sexless marriage? “Not until you try things my way first.”

She chuckled, then looked up at him. “That is never going to happen.”

“Did you know I competed professionally? Are you sure you want to challenge me?”

She smiled. “I’ll take my chances.”

“Then game on.”

CHAPTER TEN

“M
Y
NAME
IS
Charlie Stryker, and I’m in charge.”

Kipling recognized the woman speaking. She was tall and broad-shouldered, with a lot of upper body strength. She didn’t move like a pregnant woman, probably because she clearly worked out on a regular basis. She was a firefighter, and Kipling figured anyone would feel a lot better when she showed up at the scene of a disaster. Charlie exuded confidence and competency.

She stood with her hands on her hips. Her gaze was steady, as if she didn’t expect trouble, but would handle it if it came along.

“I’m going to divide you into groups. You’ll be assigned specific tasks. Let me be clear, this isn’t a democracy. You volunteered to help, and help you will. Under my terms.”

“You’re hot when you’re bossy,” a male voice called out.

Kipling wondered how long it would take Charlie to flatten the guy, only instead of pummeling him, she flushed.

“Ignore my husband,” she told the group of people standing in front of her.

The combination of bravado and blushing was kind of appealing, Kipling thought, thinking this was the damnedest town with the most interesting people.

Charlie explained how the playground sprucing up would work.

“As I was saying, you’ll be divided into teams. Each team will be assigned to a playground. You’ll have a list of things to do there. Do not deviate from the list. Don’t do more than asked. Don’t use your own supplies. There are reasons for all this, but it would waste time to go into them, so please, people, do what you’re asked, and this will all go smoothly.”

She went on to list rules and instructions. Kipling was only half listening as he glanced around at the people who had volunteered to start work at eight on a Saturday morning. There was more turnout than he would have expected. A lot of the people were obviously couples, with wives leaning against their husbands, all of whom were still drinking coffee.

He saw Destiny and another woman. They were listening to Charlie and looking more than a little worried. Which probably made Charlie very happy.

The blonde was pretty enough, but Kipling was only interested in Destiny. But before he could head over, Shelby walked up to him.

“Hey, big brother,” she said and hugged him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Sometimes fixing things is good.” She smiled. “Charlie has promised me duties fit for my skill level.”

“Which is?”

Shelby grinned. “Basic. Very basic.”

“Listen up, people,” Charlie said, staring directly at him and Shelby. “Those of you who brought tools are in the first group. You’ll be going to a couple of different playgrounds, fixing equipment. The rest of you, line up and I’ll put you into your teams. If you have a preference, let me know. We need people with muscles to remove the old mats. Dirty bark has to be raked up and hauled away. Wood needs sanding, and there’s plenty of painting for all. Let’s move. Daylight’s wasting.”

“Did she used to be in the army?” Shelby asked idly.

“It sounds like it.”

They waited in line. Charlie took one look at him and pointed to her left. “Go with the muscle. It’s macho work and should make you happy.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Charlie waved Shelby toward a group of women. “Raking and painting.”

“Isn’t your process a little sexist?” Shelby asked.

“Yes. Do you see that as a problem?”

Shelby grinned. “Nope. Just asking.”

Kipling went over to join several other men. He greeted Gideon, one of the partners at The Man Cave. Carter, Gideon’s son, was with him.

“Hey, G-Force,” Carter said. “I’m with you guys today.”

Kipling did his best not to react to the nickname. The one he no longer deserved. “I see that. Impressive.” He shook hands with Gideon. “How’s it going?”

“Good. Too early for me, but Felicia said it was important to help.”

Kipling figured that for a man who worked from ten in the evening until the early hours of the morning, this would be a difficult start time.

“Mom’s big on giving back to the community,” Carter said with an easy grin. “She says connecting with the core group is biological. That it’s a need in all primates. She knows stuff.”

“Apparently.” Kipling had only met Felicia a few times, but he would guess she was probably the smartest person any of them had ever interacted with. He wondered how she and Gideon had hooked up in the first place. They seemed so different. Of course there were people who would probably be surprised that of all the single women in town, Destiny was the one to capture his attention.

Attraction was always interesting and sometimes complicated.

Thinking about Destiny made him remember Starr. “You’re at the summer camp, right?” he asked Carter.

The teen nodded. “My second summer. I’ve been a buddy to a bunch of new kids. It’s pretty cool.”

“Do you know Starr Mills?”

“Sure. We hang out some. She’s into music and singing, but we’ve had a few classes together.”

“Good. She’s new, and I know her sister is worried about her fitting in.”

Carter nodded. “Yeah, my mom was worried about that when I moved here. Starr’s doing good.”

“Checking on the kid sister?” Gideon’s expression turned knowing. “Whatever it takes, man.”

Before Kipling could respond, they were called to the trucks that would take them to the various playgrounds. Gideon walked with him.

“You hearing anything about the bar?”

“Hearing what?” Kipling asked.

“Complaints.”

“No. We’re doing well. Business is steady. Why?”

Gideon shrugged. “I hear things. Jo’s Bar is pretty close.”

“Sure, but a different clientele. They target women, and we target men. There are plenty of both in town.”

“It’s not that simple,” Gideon told him. “But I think we’re okay for now.”

“You worry too much.”

Gideon nodded. “I do. Used to be that’s what kept me alive. But I’m sure you’re right. That we’ll be fine.”

“We will. You’ll see.”

* * *

D
ESTINY
FOUND
THAT
a morning spent painting playground equipment was exactly what she needed to clear her mind. She’d invited Starr along, but her sister had opted to sleep in.

The morning was warming up quickly. The sun was out, and only a handful of clouds chased across the blue sky. This was a nice way to spend a Saturday, she thought. Until moving to Fool’s Gold, she’d never gotten involved in a community event like this. Helping out was actually really fun.

Shelby sat on the other side of the support poles they were painting. They were onto their second playground. As they had moved on from the first one, a couple of trucks filled with guys had pulled up to replace the safety mats.

“How long do you think until Charlie shows up to check our work?” Shelby asked with a laugh.

“I’m not sure, but I’m keeping my brush strokes very even.”

“Me, too.” Shelby took a deep breath. “This is nice. I usually spend my Saturday mornings in the bakery. It was relaxing to sleep in until six and then be outside.”

“I think it’s sad that getting up at six is sleeping in for you, and yet I love my morning pastries.”

“Someone has to pay the price,” Shelby told her. “And I’m willing to do it.”

“For that, I thank you.”

“In return, you’ll find me if I get lost in the mountains.”

Destiny nodded, even though she wouldn’t be one of the people doing the searching. As of yet, she hadn’t been given her next assignment, but it was just a matter of time until she heard.

For once, there would be things she would miss when she left. People, as well as the town. She had a routine here she liked. She enjoyed the girlfriend lunches and the festivals. Even her little rental was growing on her.

She’d made friends, she thought, glancing where Madeline was raking on the opposite side of the playground. Madeline, who’d had drinks with the man who had also taken out Shelby.

Destiny dipped her brush in the can of red paint. “How are things going with Miles?” she asked cautiously.

“I’ve seen him a couple of times. He’s a lot of fun.” Shelby looked up and grinned. “Don’t worry. I’m heeding your warning. I won’t get serious.”

“As long as you know he’s not a sensible choice.”

“Sensible is highly overrated. I know that Miles isn’t going to be into anything permanent. I’m open to a fling. Miles and I have talked. He’s going to be faithful while he’s here and when he leaves, we’re done. Normally, I would want more, but there’s something about him. I love it when a man makes me forget myself.”

“Why?”

Shelby laughed. “Because falling for someone should be unpredictable and fun. I work hard every day. I have a steady routine, which is all good, but sometimes I want more. I want to feel the rush of anticipation. I want to be surprised. I love surprises.”

“Only good ones,” Destiny pointed out. “Everyone wants to win the lottery, and no one wants to be in a car accident, yet they’re both surprises.”

“Okay, you’re a great person, but sometimes you’re a little strange.”

“I’ve been told that before.” Destiny rested her brush on the edge of the paint can and stood to stretch her legs. “I’ve seen plenty of emotional drama in my life. I’m looking for calm.”

“You mean boring.”

“I’m a fan of boring. I want to know that tomorrow is going to look a lot like today.” That the person who mattered most would still be there in the morning. How many times had she awakened as a kid to find her parents hadn’t come home? That they’d hopped a flight to New York or Las Vegas. Sometimes they’d remembered to arrange for someone to be around to take care of her. But not always.

She’d been with Grandma Nell over a year before she’d been able to wake up without a knot in her stomach. In her world, surprises were highly overrated.

* * *

T
HE
WORK
CREWS
finished about two in the afternoon. Destiny passed on going to Jo’s for nachos and margaritas. She wanted to get home to see Starr. They were supposed to hang out that afternoon. The plan was to practice the guitar, then make dinner together. Not exactly earthshaking, but Destiny was looking forward to them spending time together.

As she crossed the street in front of their house, her leg muscles protested. All the squatting and crouching had done a number on her thighs. She really needed to be thinking about working out, she thought. Or maybe just making sure she got a long walk in every day.

She opened the front door and stepped into the house.

“It’s me,” she called.

Starr was in the living room, on her cell phone. As Destiny entered the room, her sister turned away. There was something about the set of her shoulders, the way she held her head, that had Destiny freezing in place.

“Uh-huh,” Starr said. “Sure. No problem. Bye.”

She pushed a button on her cell phone and tossed it onto the sofa.

“What’s wrong?” Destiny asked.

“Nothing.”

Starr’s voice was strangled, and she didn’t turn around.

Destiny crossed to her. “Hey, tell me, please.”

Starr slowly faced her. Tears filled her eyes. “My dad called.
Our
dad called. He wanted to wish me a happy birthday.”

Destiny’s whole body tensed as horror swept through her. “It’s your birthday? Oh, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She wanted to slap herself. How could she have not found out it was her sister’s birthday? Talk about thoughtless.

“It’s not,” Starr told her as she wiped away tears. “It’s not my birthday. When I told him, he didn’t think it was a big deal.” More tears fell. “He’s my f-father, and he doesn’t even know when I was born.”

Destiny moved in and reached for her. Starr resisted for about a second, then collapsed against her.

“I’m sorry,” Destiny whispered, knowing the words were stupid and wouldn’t help at all. Not that she could think of anything else to say. “He’s like that sometimes. You know it’s about him, right? Not you?”

“Because he’s the only one who matters?”

“Pretty much.”

Starr began to cry, then. “He’s my dad. Why doesn’t he love me?”

“He does.”

“No. I’ve seen how other dads act. He doesn’t care about me.”

Destiny hung on tight. “Jimmy Don isn’t like other dads. I’m sorry he did that to you.”

She continued to hug Starr until the teen finally straightened and wiped her face.

“Thanks,” Starr told her, her face blotchy and her eyes red. “It sucks, you know.”

“I do.”

“Can we still play guitar together?”

“Sure. Later we’ll make cookies.”