His Tempest (7 page)

“Greg and I'll do it later on this evening. Leila thinks you need fattening up. Said your grandmother would be scandalized.”

“Oh? And what do you think?”

He didn't need an excuse to let his eyes roam over her. “I told her you're perfect the way you are.”

Heat infused Noelle's face.

“She sent coffee, with coffee cake and a whole plastic container of clam chowder. You made quite an impression on her. She liked your grandparents. She likes you, too. Thinks you're just the woman to get me to settle down. What do you think?”

“I think it was kind of her to send food and I can't wait to dig into the chowder. I have to thank her.”

“Coward.” They both knew she was evading the reference to his settling down, but he let the subject ride for now. “She has an ulterior motive. She wants to enroll her grandchildren in the camp.”

“We have room. How many grandchildren?”

“Three that are the right age.”

“I'll make sure there's room for them.”

“Carp is outside looking over the buildings,” he said.

“You sobered him up?”

“I caught him on a good day. After he gets one of the cabins in decent shape you might want to let him stay there out of the way of temptation until he finishes.”

“I don't have a problem with that.”

“Where's Greg?”

“He ran to town to get a new DVD. He was tired of being cooped up in the house.”

“Wish I could stay, but you might want to go down to the campsite in an hour or two, after Carp has a chance to go through the buildings. And don't lift any furniture. I'll help Greg.”

“I'm not helpless, you know.”

“Yeah, well, we'll save that back for other things.”

Noelle blushed again. She knew he was teasing her, but she couldn't help wondering what the real thing would be like.

An hour later Noelle grabbed her coat and knit hat, and hurried to the car to drive the short distance to the camp, where she found Carp in the kitchen.

The radio had predicted snow by morning. Already, thick clouds covered the sky, giving the camp an even more dilapidated look.

There were three huge buildings. The girls' and the boys' dorms were on either side of the dining and entertainment hall, which was closer to the lake. A few smaller cabins, mainly for the workers, were farther away. Noelle went to the girls' dorm first, but the door was locked. The cafeteria was also locked. She went to the last building, the boys' dorm, and found that door unlocked.

“Hello?”

“Back here,” a voice called out.

Noelle followed the voice and ended up in the bathroom. The dorms were on two levels with several rooms on each floor. Each room slept eight. There was a communal bath on each floor with six shower stalls and eight commodes.

A man of about forty came out of the shower area.

“I'm Noelle Greenwood,” she said, extending her hand.

The man held his hands up. “I'm too grimy. Benjamin Gaines, but everyone calls me Carp.”

“Pleased to meet you. So, how does it look?”

“Better than I expected. A few boards need to be replaced in the dining hall and part of the roof. Something must have fallen on it.”

While Noelle fought a shiver from the cold temperature, beads of sweat had gathered on Carp's forehead. A strong forehead with lines of concentration. The planes of his face appeared as harsh as if he'd lived a hundred years.

“Most of the work will be minor. It's going to need a lot of landscaping, though. You're going to need to hire someone full-time from spring until late summer to handle it anyway. I know someone who won't charge you a fortune. He's retired, but he works with kids who need summer jobs. Don't worry about your kids because he keeps a strict eye on them.”

“All right.”

“I used to come here during the summers when I was a kid. My parents couldn't afford to pay the full price, but your grandparents gave my folks a discount. They even gave me the camp clothes so no one ever knew I couldn't afford to be here. I'm just grateful I'm getting a chance to pay them back. I'll do a good job for you and I'm not going to charge you an arm and a leg. I won't fix things that don't need fixing just to make more money. I'm going to save anywhere I can.”

“Thanks, Carp. I really appreciate it.”

They moved from the bathroom to one of the bedrooms. The room was an empty shell.

“I hope I don't have to buy all new beds,” she said.

“I found some in a shed. You'll probably need new mattresses. But you can probably buy them in bulk.”

Noelle glanced out the window. She had a good view of the camp. It resembled a ghost town. Deserted. The bare trees and rolling mountains behind it made it seem isolated. She looked past the broken windows and weather-roughened buildings and imagined smiling children horseback-riding, swimming in the lake, swinging on old tires, sitting at computers while she taught them something new and exciting.

“Your grandparents had the gift of love and excelled at making people believe they were special,” Carp said. “Deep in my gut I know you'll make this place as successful as they did.”

“I hope so,” she said. She had been apprehensive when Colin had first suggested Carp, but now she was glad he'd chosen him. The man had a history here. He'd liked her grandparents. This had been a special place for him. He'd help her return this place to its former glory.

“Hey, George, could you take a look at Ranger's leg? Looks a little swollen.” Colin had grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen and was eating it on his way back to the barn when he spotted George gazing out the window. If somebody didn't intervene, he'd be there for hours.

“The trainer can handle it,” George said.

“I know, but he could use a second opinion.”

It was true. The trainer could handle it, but Colin wanted to get George more involved in something. He spent most of his time moping around. And that wasn't like him at all. Instead of getting back into the swing of things, it seemed the older man was sinking deeper into depression.

“Nah. You go ahead.”

“What're you doing?” Colin asked.

George shook his head.

“Did you go over the payroll?”

“Not yet.”

“Can you take care of that for me?” Colin asked. “I'm running a little behind.”

George shrugged. “Yeah, sure. I'll get to it.”

“So, what do you think of Noelle?” Colin came to stand beside George while he munched on his sandwich.

“Hmm?”

“Noelle. What did you think of her?”

“Reminds me of her grandmother. Seems nice. Good to have the camp opened again. Mackenzie used to work there, you know. Part-time some summers when he was in college. I never understood it. He had enough work to do around here. But he liked teaching the kids. Especially Noelle. I remembered when he taught her to ride. She was afraid of the horses at first. She wasn't accustomed to being around them in California. Mackenzie thought since her family was from here, she should know. He was really patient. They would ride for hours. For some reason, he was taken by that girl.” George shook his head. “Don't know why he took such a liking to her. And she followed him around like a little puppy.” George sighed. “Her grandparents were my very good friends, as close as your grandfather. Seems like everybody's dying off. I just wish Mackenzie'd had children. He was good with them. Wonder why they never…” George sighed again. “I'll work on the paperwork later.”

“Okay, George. Why don't you have some lunch?” The older man had lost so much weight in the last few months, he was melting away. “George?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you given thought to maybe attending a grief-support group or seeing someone who could, you know, help you get through this?”

He continued to gaze out the window. “Will it bring Mackenzie back?”

“No, but—”

“Then I'm not wasting my time.”

“It could make the pain more bearable.”

He offered a sad smile. “Nothing can do that, son. All my friends are gone. And now my son. It's just…” He walked off.

Colin didn't realize Leila had witnessed the exchange until he heard her sniffle. She wiped the tears from her eyes with her apron.

“Lord, that poor man has suffered so,” she said.

“I don't know what to do, Ms. Leila. I wish I could do something, anything.”

“Nothing you can do, child. Time will heal.”

“It's like he's given up on life. I have to help him find a reason to go on. And the farm isn't enough any longer.”

“Lord, child, we work our fingers to the bone to make things better for our children.”

“Even though Dr. Mackenzie didn't work at the farm.”

“In a sense he did. As a vet, he loved to care for animals. If he'd had children, one of them might have taken after George.” She dabbed at her eyes and sighed. “Well, it's too late for that now. He was right about that gal. Dr. Mackenzie doted on her. Of all the children at the camp, she was the one he spent most of his time with. Used to let her stay in his office when she was a little one, talk to her about the animals. He was so patient with her. As patient as he was with his animals.” She blew her nose in the tissue. “Lord knows, he was something with those animals. And they knew he was special. It was like he reserved all his patience for them. Did you give her the food?”

“Yes, I did, and she sends her thanks.”

“She always liked clam chowder, even when she was a little thing. And that brother of hers is at an age that he'll eat enough for four people.”

Colin chuckled.

“I can't stay wasting my day with you,” she said, turning toward the kitchen. “I've got a million things to do.”

“Keep an eye on the old man, will you?” Colin headed to the door.

“I always do,” Leila said as he went out the back door. Colin followed her out. It felt like snow. He tugged his gloves on and pulled his collar up as he headed to the truck.

“Do you know what this room is missing?” Noelle asked.

“Curtains?” Greg offered.

“No. An island. Like the one in Mom's kitchen, but smaller.”

“Speaking of Mom, she called while you were inspecting the camp, just to see how we were. I made sure to tell her we got a week's worth of work done in one day.”

“I'm sure she believed you.”

“She believes everything I say, just like you're Dad's angel.”

“You keep believing that.” He was partially right, though.

“Umm. This is the best clam chowder I've ever tasted,” Greg said.

“All food is delicious to you.”

“Hey, you're working me half to death, and with a pauper's wages.”

“You're eating your wages.”

Greg shook his head and spooned up more soup. “Is Colin coming over tonight?”

“I doubt it. But I think I'll ride Maggie Girl tomorrow if he lets me. She must miss me by now. Be nice for her to see a familiar face.”

“Until now, I would never believe you were going to do it.”

“Open the camp?”

He nodded and patted her shoulder. “I'm happy for you. And you've even got me interested in my cave now. I'll be back over spring break to check it out.”

I
n the next few days, Noelle got most of her boxes unpacked. Greg installed all the curtain rods and she hung most of the curtains she'd brought with her, and drove out to purchase some new ones.

The kitchen island stayed on her mind, so when Carp came to give her the estimate for repairs on the campground, she asked him if he could install one. “I need a space for a dishwasher, too,” she told him.

Carp thought a minute, then said, “I have an island that someone had me build then decided against it. The woman couldn't make up her mind about what she wanted.” He walked to the right of the sink and opened the cabinet doors. “I can build a space here for the dishwasher.” He glanced around the kitchen. “One thing's for sure. You've got plenty of storage here with all the cabinets. But I know how women are. There's never enough storage.”

The cabinets in the kitchen covered three walls. Her grandmother had kept them in good condition and, she realized thankfully, the renters over the years had also. There were a couple of worn spots, but for the most part they were pretty, with scalloped edges on the section above the windows.

“I could install the island where the table is now. There's even a ledge and you can put a couple of chairs underneath if you want to eat there. You can place your pots and pans in it or I could build you a ceiling rack to hang them on.”

“Oh, I've always wanted that. Could you really?”

“Sure. Ceiling's high enough. I'll get on it right away. I'll include it in the price of the island.” He took a tape measure out and recorded the length and depth of the kitchen on a pad from his pocket. Then he tested the ceiling for a beam where he could nail things.

“I've got nothing to do the rest of the day if you want to come over to my place to see the island,” he told her. He jotted the directions then he left.

Noelle didn't hold much hope that the island would be very good since he'd said the woman had turned it down, but Carp seemed rather proud of it and the estimate was reasonable.

“Well, I guess we better take a look,” she said to Greg later.

“You don't sound too optimistic.”

“I'm not, but what will it hurt? Carp looked as if he hadn't taken a drink in a while. Maybe this job is giving him a new lease on life.”

Carp lived twenty minutes away, in a stone ranch house with a detached two-car garage.

“It's right in here,” he said, opening the garage door onto a complete workshop. Carp went to the corner where something was covered with a huge cloth. Gingerly, he peeled the cloth off.

“Oh, my gosh. This is beautiful,” Noelle said when she saw the island. The stained wood shone, as did the granite top. She walked around it, looking for flaws, but there were none. She opened the doors. There were movable shelves, making retrieving items easy.

Carp cleared his throat. “Since she's already paid for the materials, I won't charge what I would normally charge.”

“Sold. Thank you.” The woman must have been crazy.

“If it's okay with you, I'll deliver it this afternoon and build the rack for your pots. I've got everything I need right here.”

Noelle couldn't wait. The camp and the house—and her future—were beginning to take shape.

Around five Colin called.

“What's that banging noise?” he asked.

Noelle went to the office and closed the door. Since the kitchen was across the hall, it only cut the noise a little. “Carp and a helper are installing ceiling hangers and an island in the kitchen. It's gorgeous. Wait until you see it.”

“I'd rather see you.”

“You always know the right thing to say, don't you?”

“I want to take you and your brother to dinner.”

“I owe you, George and Leila dinner.”

“Wait until you get settled in. Tonight is on me. Isn't your brother leaving soon?”

“In two days. I'm going to miss him. This week has gone by so quickly.”

“I'll make sure you don't miss him when he's gone,” Colin assured her.

“Is that a promise?”

Colin held Noelle's hand as they walked toward the restaurant. They'd chosen a cozy little place off Main Street. Noelle was something else. Any other woman would want him to take her to a five-star restaurant with all the fixings. Yet she'd chosen a comfortable place known to serve delicious food.

His relationship with Noelle felt new, different from anything he'd ever experienced. Although they'd known each other a very short time, it seemed they'd known each other for months. Usually he would have had her in bed by now, but she was special and he wanted to do this differently. He felt comfortable with her, as if, for once, he could be himself.

He felt pretty good right now. A few of their horses were coming in the money. Maybe not win, place or show at every race, but they were holding their own. And some of Diamond Spirit's offspring were winning. Things were finally looking up, he thought as he opened the door for Noelle.

They hadn't been there more than ten minutes after sitting down and ordering when a woman squealed, grabbed Colin and kissed him right on the mouth.

Noelle couldn't believe it. “I haven't seen you since before Christmas,” the woman said, unwilling to let him go. “When are you coming by?”

Colin stood. “Hi, Simone. Meet Noelle and Gregory. They're new in town.”

The woman barely threw them a glance before she questioned Colin again.

“I've been out of town,” he replied. “And you know how busy it gets at the farm.” He tried to untangle himself diplomatically, but the woman wasn't willing to relinquish her hold just yet, reminding Noelle of just whom she was dealing with. He probably had a woman around every corner.

“How's your father?” he asked.

“Doing well. I saw your brother the other week. He said he was coming out to visit soon. I've got a place out here now so I'll be closer to my parents. So when am I going to see you?”

“Brought a new mare. Keeping me pretty busy right now.”

Only when the server brought their food did she leave. “Nice seeing you again,” he said.

“Don't be a stranger, sugar. I enjoyed myself at the track with you the other day. We're going to have to do it again soon.” She made sure to give him a hug before she left, leaving an imprint of her lipstick on his cheek.

Colin laughed and sat down, looking in every direction except directly at Noelle. “At least the service is quick,” he said, rubbing his hands together.

“Old friend?” Noelle asked through gritted teeth.

“She's a reporter and she's doing an article on the farm for her paper. We've known each other since we were children,” he said. “River Oaks needs all the publicity it can get.”

“Hmm.”

“So, Greg, maybe you'll have time to tour the area when you visit again,” Colin said. “I don't think you got to see much of the town this trip.”

“No, but I'm coming back over spring break to check out my cave.”

“Cave?”

“Yeah. My grandparents left me a cave with commercial possibilities. It's boarded up, but I think I'll take a look.”

“Pretty neat. There are quite a few in the area.”

“Yeah.”

Noelle sighed inwardly. Colin was everything she wanted in a guy, except she wished he were more the one-woman kind of man. With his history, she knew she wasn't going to be able to hold on to him. She didn't want to be knocking into old girlfriends every time she turned around.

Maybe she was building herself up for a fall. The smidgen of fear that was never far away roiled in her stomach. She was falling for him much too fast. And for the first time, she saw him as the rake that he was. Perhaps they should just be friends. They were next-door neighbors after all.

Even as the thought emerged, she knew it was already too late. She burned as hot for him as a match on a log doused with gasoline.

And now he sat all innocent, as if that woman's intrusion meant nothing. As far as Noelle knew, the woman was still waiting on the sidelines for him to renew their relationship. Maybe he left all his women like that. And maybe she was being paranoid. For the first time, Noelle felt weak, self-conscious. She'd never felt that way before and she hated the fact that she was questioning her own self-esteem.

She didn't want to come off as one of those suspicious women who was afraid to trust her man out of her sight, but she was running up against Colin's reputation. She glanced at him. The first thing she saw was the imprint of that woman's lips on his cheek. He'd left it there like a talisman.

“I'd like for you and Greg to spend tomorrow afternoon at my place,” Colin told her, interrupting her thoughts. “Bring a swimsuit. There's an indoor pool and whirlpool. They built it so Granddad could exercise after he got arthritis. And we'll get to show Greg a little about a thoroughbred farm before he leaves.”

“I'd like that,” Greg said.

Noelle didn't respond.

Colin had never expected to run into one of his old dates. Simone was always a little too willing to please, a little too friendly. He glanced at Noelle. She was concentrating on eating. He wanted to gather her hand in his, but he was good at reading women and he wouldn't put it past her to stab him with her knife if he touched her. He started gathering his reasoning skills, because he knew that once he dropped them off and Greg disappeared, he was going before the firing squad.

“Maybe you should wipe the lipstick off,” Noelle said.

“Oh.” Laughing, he took the napkin and swiped at his lips and cheek. “Simone was always a little too friendly.”

“I'm sure.”

He had a lot of explaining to do, Colin thought. He hadn't given the kiss a second thought, but he knew Noelle had. Then he began to get ticked off. He hadn't lived the life of an angel, but he'd changed since meeting Noelle. Of course, what reason did she have to trust that? Maybe just because she
should
trust him.

“Okay, let's have it,” Colin said when they were alone back at the house. “Simone is just a friend. Yes, we've dated, but it's over.”

“If she's just a friend, what gives her the right to gather you up like a scarf?”

“I can't read women's minds.”

“Humph. You know—”

“Look, you're the first woman I've felt something special for in years. I'm not about to screw around with someone when I have you.”

“So what was this bit about the race track?”

“She's a reporter. I had to show her around. It's strictly business. She came one day and was hanging with one of my workers. She wanted to know about racing. Said she was doing an article on the farm and Diamond Spirit.”

“That kiss wasn't strictly business.”

“I know. And I didn't like that any more than you did. She can be a bit overwhelming.”

“I bet.”

“Come on, don't be like that. I dated her for a month. That's as far as it got. She was no more serious than I was. But I have to do what I can to promote the farm.”

“And how far will you take it?”

“I do have integrity,” he said, now angry. “I won't sell myself for it. What kind of man do you think I am?”

“I don't know. Quite frankly, you have a reputation and that leaves me a little uncertain about where we stand.”

He tried to cut the irritation from his voice. “Look, you don't need to worry. I like you a lot. I'm not messing around on you. I won't screw this up.”

“I'm counting on you being honest with me, Colin.”

“I am. Come on. It's late. And I want you to enjoy the day with me tomorrow. I want to show you what I do.”

She was annoyed and wasn't ready to forgive so easily. “You could have invited me earlier.”

“I thought you needed to work on your place while Greg was here to help you, and you know that.”

She had to concede he was correct there. But his connection with that other woman still bugged the heck out of her. Yet, what he said made sense. He ran a business. The woman was a reporter. He needed the publicity. And she knew George wasn't in any frame of mind to do it. It was his job.

“Okay,” she conceded, “come on in and relax.”

“I think I'll go so I can get up extra early and spend some time with you.”

He moved closer and gathered her into his arms. “I need a little something to keep me going until I see you tomorrow.”

She pursed her lips. “And what would that be?”

He pulled her tighter against him. “I can show you better than I can tell you.” And then he kissed the tip of her ear tenderly, coaxingly, and moved his lips down her cheek. He nibbled her lips, not quite kissing her fully until anticipation almost had her melting into a puddle. Lord, this man could make her forget her own name, forget everything except him. When it seemed he'd never kiss her, his lips covered hers and his tongue swiped the seam of her lips, and then he was kissing her fully.