Читать книгу For Jessie's Sake - Kate Welsh - Страница 9

Chapter Three

Abby peeked around the kitchen door into Cliff Walk’s dining room. Her ace chef, Genevieve Richards, had prepared the meals each guest had requested the night before and now everyone sat happily eating. Everyone but Colin and his adorable child. Abby had been so knocked off her stride last night that she’d forgotten to ask them to choose from the selections on the breakfast menu. Consequently Genevieve hadn’t even known they’d checked in.

“All set, Abby,” Genevieve said from right next to her.

Abby jumped a mile, nearly upsetting the tray in her chef’s hand.

“Oh, God, Genevieve,” she gasped. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

Genevieve looked down at her generous waistline and chuckled. “I’m too heavy on my feet to sneak anywhere and you know it.”

“Then what were you doing right there next to me?” Abby demanded.

She was immensely fond of her chubby cook who always joked about her weight and her unrepentant love of food. So when Genevieve looked at her as if she’d lost her mind, Abby wasn’t about to argue the point since she was nearly sure she had.

“I was on my way into the dining room to serve the last of the meals. You were in my way,” Genevieve explained patiently.

Abby felt a blush color her cheeks. “Sorry. I was preoccupied.”

“You sure are interested in that hunk out there. Why aren’t you in there chatting with him and your other guests the way you usually do?”

“Interested? Me? Don’t be silly. I loathe the man.” She refused to comment on her neglect of the guests. The way Genevieve was staring at her, Abby already felt like a bug under a microscope, so she didn’t intend to give her friend more ammunition.

“Any woman who’d loathe a man who looks like that and treats his kid like she’s the center of his universe needs to have her head examined. I think all this catering to strangers is rotting your brain, girl. Now move out of my way. I have better things to do than stand around watching you hide from life.”

“I do not hide from life,” Abby objected. “I have a very full life and a busy one. And what could you possibly have to do with everyone’s meal ready?”

“I have dinner to arrange. All your current guests have elected to upgrade and have dinner here this evening. I’m going Italian tonight. I want to get started on the fresh pasta.”

Abby scowled. “Wait a minute. All? Even Colin and his daughter?”

“Yup. Even them. I think you’d better get used to him being around.” Genevieve grinned.

Abby did just the opposite. “I thought he’d be leaving today. He knows I don’t want him here and he didn’t really want to stay here, either.”

“Since when do you discourage a paying customer from staying? And why wouldn’t he want to stay here? It’s the nicest B and B in the area.” Her focus sharpened more. “Why do I get the feeling there’s a history here?”

“Colin McCarthy is poison. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Genevieve was one of the newer residents of the area. The only McCarthy family member she’d ever met was Erin. Colin’s youngest sister had stayed at Cliff Walk when she’d revisited the area on her way home from college that spring. Abby prayed Genevieve didn’t ask any more questions. Her anger at Colin was too personal and too deep to talk about. She never had and she never would.

She put her hand on the door and glanced at Genevieve. “The little girl’s scrambled eggs are getting cold,” she grumbled pointedly and pushed through the door. The cook had no choice but to follow since Abby stood holding the door open for her.

Abby should have been ready to face Colin. But then she heard his rich baritone voice telling Jessie her breakfast had arrived. Abby’s legs started to quake as memories washed over her—that voice teasing her sweetly, whispering sexual praises in her ear one minute and rejecting her the next.

She turned away. “Enjoy your eggs, sweetheart,” she managed to say, as Genevieve placed the plate in front of Jessie. Then, trying to stay as far away from Colin as possible, Abby walked across the room to stand closer to the door of her office. “Has everyone made plans for the day?” she asked, and nearly sighed in relief when an elderly guest, Mr. Kane, nodded.

“We hoped to go into town,” he said. “Is the road clear yet?”

Abby shook her head. “I called the state police a short while ago. The rock slide should be cleared by around three this afternoon but not before. You can still go into town, though.” She gave them alternate directions that would take them into New Jersey and to the town across the river from Hopetown. “The bridge there is open and you’ll cross back into Pennsylvania right in the heart of Hopetown. Silly as it sounds, it’s actually faster, though nowhere near as quaint or scenic. You may enjoy exploring their shops, too.”

She stepped into her office then, pleased that she’d managed to keep her eyes off Colin. She picked up a pile of the brochures she’d put together with a map showing the alternate route into Hopetown and the written directions.

Unfortunately, Colin was speaking when she stepped back into the dining room and her eyes zinged right to him as if they had no will of their own. He glanced her way at the exact moment her gaze landed on him. He stopped mid-sentence for a long beat and they stared at each other. There was something turbulent in his eyes, then he blinked and looked away, finishing his comment to Mr. Kane.

Abby gave the elderly gentleman the stack of brochures to pass along the table to anyone who wanted one. She was thankful Mr. Kane was seated the farthest from Colin and so gave her all the excuse she needed to stay far away from her newest customer. Jessie was engrossed in her breakfast, but Colin looked up and their gazes locked once more—and held longer than they should have.

“You look pretty today, Miss Abby. Just like a princess,” Jessie said, looking up from her eggs.

Abby dragged her attention off Colin, grateful for Jessie’s comment. But it also surprised Abby, upon further examination, since all her clothes were essentially the same boring style. Her trendy oldest sister, Caroline, said Abby’s long, flowing skirts and Victorian-style blouses were matronly. Caroline or anyone else could call them what they wanted but, however they looked, Abby felt safe in them. She could hide in the soft layers. She did not feel at all like a princess. She was supposed to be an ice queen so she’d never be tempted to risk her heart again.

“Yep, all she needs is a tiara,” Colin quipped silkily. There were chuckles, and speculation suddenly twinkled in the eyes of most of the other guests. Abby refused to take Colin’s remark as flirting the way they apparently had. It was more likely a taunt about her privileged upbringing.

Besides no one flirted with her. And that was the way she wanted it.

And even if for some perverse reason he had been flirting, it was Colin McCarthy—so it meant nothing. Nothing at all.

Abby forced herself to smile pleasantly. She wasn’t going to let him ruin her calm existence or cause speculation and gossip about her.

“Thank you, Jessie. If you’ll all excuse me, I have some housekeeping chores to take care of,” Abby said. Then she turned to move toward her office again, holding her head high, retreating in as dignified a manner as she could manage.

Colin’s mind reeled. She was going off to what? Make beds and dust? What had happened to the rich daddy’s girl he’d once known?

He shook his head. He shouldn’t care.

Colin looked back down at his half-eaten breakfast, too agitated to finish. All through his meal, helplessly unable to look away, he’d watched Abby as she’d chatted with her other guests. The conclusion he’d reached was that though he didn’t want to be, he was still as attracted to Abby Hopewell as he’d been years ago. And that made him feel unsettled, uncomfortable and just plain stupid.

He gave up on breakfast and hustled Jessie out to the pickup. Once he had them both belted in, he pulled the bottle of antacids out of the glove box and ate a handful, damning Abby for causing the familiar pain in his belly to blossom once again.

Then he looked back up at the Victorian he hadn’t yet seen in the light of day. It was perfect.

Every period detail was right on the money. Even the porch furniture was a trip back in time.

All of which meant Abby was probably the only woman he’d ever met who would understand his love for restoration and his obsession with historical accuracy.

At that moment Jessie squealed and bounced up and down in her seat. “Look at all the plants, Daddy. And what’s those bunch of houses over there?”

“I noticed them last night, but I don’t think they’re houses. One of the people at breakfast said something about visiting the Hopewell’s winery. And those plants are grape vines.”

“There sure are lots of them and that wine-ry is real pretty. Not as special as Abby’s Castle but it’s pretty.”

“It’s call Cliff Walk, kitten, not Abby’s Castle,” Colin told his starry-eyed daughter.

“I still think it’s her castle. She even lives in the tower just like Rapunzel. Maybe that’s her town over there, Daddy,” Jessie speculated, her mind hopping subjects again.

Colin looked back at the B and B and noticed Abby staring out a window at them—her expression frozen in sadness. “I want to find out what it’s all about,” he said, his mind occupied with questions other than Jessie’s.

“They look a little like our old house but different, too,” Jessie went on, sounding as confused as he felt.

He mentally shook himself. Their home had had Spanish influences, like so many others in Southern California. This was subtly different. In the light of day he saw it was definitely Tuscan.

“Actually I think this is Italian. It looks like a village I visited in Italy when I was in the army. That’s where Mrs. Hopewell is from.”

Jessie’s smooth brow puckered with deep thought. “There’s so many new peoples here. Who Mrs. Hopewell is, Daddy?”

Colin smiled. “That would be Abby’s mom. Let’s go exploring before we head over to the house.” Maybe he’d get some questions answered from the queen mother.

“Am I still gonna have to stay in the living room and on the porch when we get to Torthúil?”

“It’s no different than usual when I start on a house. Till I get the place inspected, and find out for sure where you’re safe, you stay put in the rooms I’ve checked out.”

“But we don’t have the trailer no more. You said this time—”

“I was wrong, partner. Daddies can make mistakes.” And wasn’t that an understatement, considering who owned the house where they were staying and the mess the one he owned was in. “It’s been years since I was here,” he continued as they drew closer to the little Hopewell village that made him feel as if they’d stepped right into the pages of a tour book on Tuscany. “I guess I remembered Torthúil the way it was when I left.”

She gave him a long-suffering sigh. “Then let’s go ’sploring. It’s better than not doin’ nothin’ at Torthúil. Why Gram didn’t fix the roof when it got old?”

“No one’s lived in it for years. A small farm like Gram’s in Florida doesn’t make enough money to survive down there and fix up a house she doesn’t live in up here. Nobody who saw the house told me we needed a new roof or I’d have gotten it fixed. I wish they had but—”

“Look at that big doggie!” Jessie shrieked in his ear. “Isn’t he won’erful?”

Big? He was massive. The Hopewells had a dog? A big dog? Things certainly had changed. “You sure it’s a dog, kitten? Looks more like a horse to me.”

Jessie giggled, strained to sit taller the closer he drove so she could still see the leaping canine monster. Colin parked in the crushed-granite parking lot labeled Visitor Parking, then unbuckled Jessie from her booster seat behind him. He swung her in front of him where she usually took the opportunity to grab the wheel to pretend driving. Today the dog took all her attention, leaping around like a goat as he chased a ball thrown by a tall blond boy who looked about nine or ten.

Colin decided that no matter how affectionate the dog seemed, he wasn’t putting Jessie down to get trampled. But he needn’t have worried about the animal jumping on her or knocking her down. Instead he galloped over and all but fell at Colin’s feet, presenting his belly for scratching. The boy followed and obliged his pet.

“Can I pet him?” Jessie gazed at Colin with pleading eyes. At that moment he silently promised to get her the puppy she’d been asking for since she turned three.

“Sure you can pet him,” the blond boy said. “You could probably use him for a pillow. I do all the time.”

Carefully and slowly, Colin eased Jessie to the ground. All the big dog did was let his tongue loll out of his mouth and pant harder as Jessie none too gently moved her hand over his belly. Then he put his head back and moaned in ecstacy.

Jessie giggled. “He’s funny.”

“My dad calls him a character,” the boy said. “My uncle Nic bought him for me the day they brought my new baby cousin home to Hopewell Manor from the hospital.”

“Actually, if you remember, Uncle Nic bought him for your cousin,” a woman said from behind them. “Lucky for you Thunder’s a little too big for a premature newborn.”

“I never thought I’d see the day dogs were allowed at Hopewell Manor,” Colin remarked absently, waiting for Juliana Hopewell to recognize him.

She walked out the door of the nearby building and cocked her head, her eyes narrowed as if in thought. He was ready for another hard-as-emerald stare when she realized who he was, but instead her green eyes lit with delight. “Colin McCarthy? My Lord, but you remind me of Tracy. And actually Thunder only visits the manor. This is Jamie. He’s Caroline’s son. They live in a house they built toward the back of the winery property.

“The baby Thunder was originally bought for is Sammie’s. Nikki was just barely five pounds the day she came home. Her father was rushing his fences a bit and overjoyed at finally getting her home.” She chuckled. “So, besides having a lovely little girl of your own, how are you, Colin? And what are you doing back here after so many years?”

Apparently James Hopewell hadn’t shared with his wife what had happened between Colin and Abby. Well, he wouldn’t be rude to Juliana when she obviously hadn’t had anything to do with what her husband had done. Besides, from what he’d heard, she’d been on the receiving end of Hopewell’s cruelty herself.

“I came back to live at Torthúil, but the house is in much worse shape than I’d thought it would be. Jessie and I are staying at Cliff Walk until I can renovate it. We arrived in the middle of the storm last night. It was pretty dark so I didn’t get to see everything you’ve done here.” He made a sweeping gesture toward what he could now see was indeed a replica of a Tuscan town square surrounded by four buildings. They were laid out like four sides of a pentagon, leaving the square and the fifth side open to a view of the vines that terraced down the hillside toward the cliffs.

“The girls and I started all this after their father died. This building is the headquarters of Hopewell Winery.” She pointed left. “That one is the winery itself. It houses the gift shop, tasting room and some of the machinery. We had the wine cellars blasted into the rock and they’re below us. And this building and the one at the far end of the court is Bella Villa. It’s a banquet facility. There are three halls between the two buildings and our offices.”

“I hadn’t heard about any of this. I was also surprised to find Abby at Cliff Walk last night.”

“Oh,” she said, sounding somewhat distressed. “I’d better make sure she’s all right. You know, Tracy’s death devastated her, even though they’d drifted apart that last summer. Seeing you probably brought it all up for her again. I imagine coming home for the first time since then did the same for you. That was terribly mean of your commander not to let you come home for your own sister’s funeral.” She reached out and took his hand. “I am so sorry for your losses. I know you and Tracy were close. And we heard about your father’s death when Erin stayed here in May.”

She frowned. “Was Abby very upset when she saw you again?”

“I suppose she was,” Colin said carefully, his mind whirling once again. Abby and Tracy hadn’t been close that summer? They’d practically been sisters for years. What could have happened between them? He wished now that he hadn’t told his parents he never wanted to hear Abby’s name again. And he wished they hadn’t listened.

“She did take your sister’s death so hard. After that, and my divorce from her father, Abby was never really the same.” Juliana looked over toward Cliff Walk, then blinked, seeming to realize that perhaps she’d said too much. She cleared her throat as if to punctuate a change in subject. “So, how about the two-dollar tour? If we’re going to be neighbors again, you should know what’s going on up here on the plateau.”

Juliana Hopewell had no idea how much Colin wanted to figure out exactly what was going on. And what had gone on in his absence. “I think I’ll take you up on that.

“Jessie,” he called, noticing the boy and his dog had led his daughter farther away than he was comfortable with. They were going toward the middle of the plateau, where all the Hopewell enterprises sat, and he remembered the cliffs that led down from there. He and his buddies had even climbed them in their daredevil teens. And Jessie tended to be more of a daredevil than he’d ever been at her age. No way did he want her finding out about those rocky cliffs.

When she arrived back at his side, Colin took her hand. “Mrs. Hopewell said she’d take us to see all the buildings.”

Jessie frowned up at him. “Can’t I stay and play with the doggie?”

“Jamie, you come, too,” Juliana called to her grandson. “Thunder can be along for part of the tour,” Juliana told the boy. Then she turned back to Colin and explained, “I’m designated sitter for the next two hours. Oh, by the way, if you’re planning on a dog, I’d like to recommend the shelter in Hopetown.”

“An animal shelter? Isn’t that a little out of character for Hopetown? Last I remember, the good citizens would rather drown a mutt than house it till it was adopted.”

Juliana Hopewell arched on elegant eyebrow. She was a beautiful woman even as she must be nearing her fifties. “Maybe the Hopetown of ten years ago, but a lot has changed around here in the last several years. You’ll see.” She turned away, gestured to the grapevines growing in terraced rows and started what he imagined was a routine tour. “We started with fifty-three thousand young plants cloned from the finest European stock. The family buried each plant in winter for…”

Colin, both children and the dog followed her inside the winery. And within minutes, Jessie was as enthralled as he was with the big kettles and presses and stack after stack of barrels in the cellar. He was pleasantly surprised by the few sips of the wines he tried. Hopewell produced a top-shelf product. He enjoyed the tour especially because James Hopewell was probably spinning in his grave. His ex-wife and daughters had lent his prestigious family name to several establishments he’d have considered beneath him.

Juliana was CEO of all three family-owned businesses. Caroline Hopewell Westerly was CFO of the winery and Bella Villa. Samantha was in charge of the farming and the winery operations, which really would have frosted her father. And Abby was entirely in charge of Cliff Walk and was also PR director for all the Hopewell enterprises.

After the tour, Colin spent the rest of the day at Torthùil, tearing out the destroyed plaster ceilings and walls and cataloguing the changes he planned to make. He did everything with an eye toward preserving the hundred-and-fifty-year tradition of the classic colonial farmhouse built by Liam McCarthy, an ancestor back in the 1860s for whom his father had been named.

But hard labor couldn’t keep questions about Abby from his mind. He remembered the adventurous, happy girl he’d fished out of the river who’d become fast friends with his sister. She’d been impulsive and mischievous, yet generous and good-hearted. Then he’d come home for Christmas six months after joining the army to find a new Abby. She was still the coltish teen he’d left behind, but she was quieter and more reserved than he’d remembered. Then he’d gone home for Tracy’s graduation and found Abby had turned into a siren who’d all but forced him to dance with her at the graduation party his parents had thrown for both girls. It was later that night that his barriers had fallen and he’d let her pull him in with her sensual innocence, trapping his mind and heart.

And then there was now. She was uptight, prissy and cold. But, that said, there was also a bit of the old Abby in the way she treated Jessie. It was probably just her good business sense, he told himself. As long as she catered to Jessie, the other guests would approve, preserving their good image of Cliff Walk and its proprietor.

He’d gone looking for answers and had only come up with more questions about the past—and more problems with the present. What had happened between Abby and Tracy? And if she and Abby had no longer been friends, then that meant Abby had had no part in his sister’s death.

Colin didn’t know where today’s glimpse into those months between his departure and Tracy’s death left him, but one thing was clear.

He needed answers.

And once he had them, Colin wasn’t sure he’d like them.

Not one little bit.