Читать книгу Fool's Gold Collection Part 2 - Susan Mallery, Susan Mallery - Страница 15

DAKOTA OPENED HER FRONT DOOR to find Finn standing on her porch. It was a little after seven in the evening. She and Finn had managed to catch the four-thirty flight out of Las Vegas, which meant she hadn’t even been home an hour.

“I know, I know,” he said, shuffling his feet. “You have stuff to do. I shouldn’t bother you.”

“Yet here you are,” she said with a smile. “It’s okay. I didn’t have any hot plans.”

She wasn’t sorry to see him. As for hot plans, he certainly qualified.

He stepped inside and handed her a bottle of wine. “I come bearing gifts, if that counts.”

“It does.”

“I’m spending so much time at the wine store, the guy there wants to know if he and I are planning to run off together.”

She laughed. “You know he was kidding, right?”

“I hoped he was. People don’t joke like that in South Salmon.”

“Then people in South Salmon need to work on their sense of humor.” She led the way into the kitchen and set the wine on the counter. “Is wine enough or do you want something to eat, as well?”

“You don’t have to feed me,” he told her.

“That wasn’t the question.” She walked to the refrigerator and pulled it open. There were salad fixings, some yogurt and a few raw almonds in a bowl. Not exactly man food.

She turned to him. “I’m going to have to take back my offer of food. I don’t have anything you’d like. Want to order a pizza?”

He’d already opened the drawer where she kept the corkscrew. “Pizza sounds good. I’ll even let you put something healthy on your half.”

“You’ll let me? How magnanimous.”

He shrugged. “I’m just that kind of guy.”

“Lucky me.”

She ordered pizza, then they took their wine into the living room and sat down. She ignored the fact that she liked having Finn in her house. That was a road without a happy ending. Instead, she focused on why he’d shown up.

“There wasn’t a date,” she said. “So Stephen and Aurelia are in danger of being voted off. It doesn’t make you happy?”

“Yes, as long as he goes back to college.”

“You can’t follow him around for the rest of his life. At some point you have to let him be an adult.”

“When he acts like an adult, I’ll treat him like one. Until then, he’s just a kid.”

Dakota leaned back in her chair and studied him over her glass. He still wasn’t getting it. How his brothers acted had everything to do with how they had been raised and nothing to do with his presence in town. Whether he stayed or left, the twins’ actions would be the same. But how to get him to believe that?

“Except for them going back to college without you dragging them, is there a win in this?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess there has to be. What if they never go back to college? I need to know they’re okay and that no one is taking advantage of them.” He picked up his glass. “Something I don’t want to think about. Let’s change the subject. Are you sorry we left Las Vegas early?”

“I won’t cry myself to sleep tonight, if that’s what you’re asking. But it would have been fun to stay. There’s plenty to do. I heard there was great shopping at the hotel.”

“You like shopping?”

She laughed. “I am a girl. It’s practically genetic. You, on the other hand, buy the same shirt over and over again. And your socks come in a package of ten or twelve.”

“It’s easier that way,” he said. “And what do you have against my shirts?” He glanced down at the light blue cotton shirt he wore. “I’m not wearing plaid. You should appreciate that.”

“Oh, I do. I don’t have anything against your shirt. I think you look nice.”

“You’re just saying that.” He sighed dramatically. “Now you’ve hurt my feelings. I don’t think I can talk about this anymore. It’s just so hard when a man tries to look special and no one notices.”

She put down her wine glass so she wouldn’t spill it. Even as she tried not to laugh, she found herself chuckling. The teasing side of Finn was very appealing.

“Do you want me to say you’re pretty?” she asked.

“If you mean it,” he said primly. “Otherwise you’re just messing with my feelings.”

She stood and walked around the coffee table. After taking his wine and setting it down, she tugged him to his feet. She held both his hands in hers and stared into his eyes.

“I really, really like your shirt.”

“I bet you say that to all the guys.”

“No. Only to you.”

She expected him to keep up with the game. Instead he drew her close and lowered his mouth to hers.

There was nothing playful about the kiss. He claimed her with an intensity that took her breath away. There was hunger in his touch, a need that echoed her own sudden, powerful passion. She wrapped her arms around him and gave herself over to the pleasure of feeling his body against hers.

He was strong and solid and powerful, she thought hazily. Everything she needed from a man. When he tightened his hold, she parted her lips and welcomed him inside.

Want filled her. Her breasts swelled in anticipation of his touch. Her belly throbbed in an ancient rhythm that made her want to squirm to get closer. When he started backing her toward the sofa, she went willingly.

Her legs had barely bumped against the cushions when she heard something in the background. An insistent knocking.

“The pizza guy,” she mumbled against Finn’s mouth.

“Let him get his own girl.”

She laughed. “I have to pay him.”

Finn straightened. “I’ll get it.”

He released her and walked toward the front door.

When his back was turned, she hurried out of the living room and down the short hall to her bedroom. Seconds later, she was barefoot, and the small lamp by her bed was on. Finn appeared in the doorway.

“Is this your way of telling me you’re not all that hungry?” he asked.

She tilted her head. “I am. Just not for pizza.”

His slow, sexy smile made her toes curl.

“You’re my kind of girl,” he told her as he crossed to her.

“I’ll bet you say that to all the women.”

“Only you,” he whispered, right before he kissed her.

“CHARLIE IS BLOND to the bone,” Montana said. “He’s the sweetest guy, but I worry he’s not bright enough to get into the program.”

“When will you know for sure?” Dakota asked.

“Max will have a pretty good idea when Charlie is about six months old. Until then, I’ll teach him the basics and we’ll see how that goes.” Montana rolled onto her side and rubbed Charlie’s belly. “But you love everybody, don’t you, big guy?”

The big guy in question was a three-month-old yellow Lab puppy. Charlie had feet the size of softballs. He was not going to be petite by anyone’s definition.

“What happens to him if he doesn’t make it into the program?” Nevada asked.

“He’s given up for adoption. Max’s dogs are bred to be family friendly, so there’s always a waiting list. Charlie will find a good home. I’d just hate to see him go. He would have been the first dog I trained from birth. Well, six weeks. They can’t do much when their eyes are still closed.”

The three sisters lay stretched out on blankets in Montana’s backyard. It was a warm Saturday afternoon. Un-seasonable for this time of year and they were going to be back in the fifties tomorrow. Two other dogs played in the yard. An apricot-colored toy poodle named Cece and a labradoodle named Buddy sniffed in the grass and chased butterflies.

“I don’t get the poodle,” Nevada said. “Isn’t she kind of small?”

“Cece is very well trained,” Montana told her. “She works with really sick kids. Because she’s so small, she can sit on their beds. A lot of times the kids aren’t even strong enough to pet her. She sits close or curls up next to them. Having her there makes them feel better. Being a poodle, she doesn’t shed like other dogs. She gets bathed before going to the hospital and carried in so she doesn’t pick up germs on her feet. That means she can go into some of the special wards.”

Dakota sat up. “Is that what you do with your day? Take dogs to visit sick children?”

“Sometimes. There are dogs that visit nursing homes. I take them there. And I spend part of the day training. The older dogs don’t need much instruction, but the younger ones get regular reinforcement. The puppies take a lot of time. And I’m working on the reading program.”

When Montana had said she was going to start working with therapy dogs, Dakota hadn’t realized how much was involved. “You’re very dedicated to your work.”

Montana rolled onto her back, supporting herself on her elbows. “I think I’ve found what I’m supposed to be doing. You two have known for a long time, which is great for you but left me feeling inadequate. I’ll never get rich doing this, but that’s okay. I love the dogs, I love working with people. When you’re lonely, having someone love you is really important. Even if that someone is just a dog.”

Nevada sat up. “Now I feel like a slacker. All I do is design things.”

“Houses,” Montana said. “Everyone needs somewhere to live.”

“I don’t design houses. I work on remodels or I tweak existing designs.”

Dakota looked at her sister. Nevada had always wanted to be an engineer. Was she regretting that decision now? “Don’t you like working for Ethan?”

“I don’t dislike it. It’s just…” Nevada drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. “Do you know I’ve never applied for a job? Sure, I had part-time jobs in high school and college, but I mean a real job. Once I chose engineering, everyone assumed I’d go to work for Ethan. I graduated and showed up at his office the next day. I didn’t have to prove myself.”

“Just because it was nepotistic, doesn’t mean you aren’t doing a good job,” Dakota told her. “Ethan wouldn’t keep you around if he didn’t want you working there.”

Nevada shook her head. “You really think Mom would let him fire me?”

Montana pulled Charlie onto her lap. “She has a point. Ethan can’t fire her.”

“Do you want him to?” Dakota asked.

“No. I work hard for him. I know he’s happy with my work, but that’s not the point. I went to work in the family business. I never thought about doing anything else. I just want to know if I’m in the right place. Doing the right thing.”

“Is this a triplet curse?” Montana asked. “For so long I didn’t know what I was doing. Now I’m finally happy and you’re confused?”

“There’s no curse,” Dakota told her.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Nevada admitted. “The thing is, I don’t want to leave Fool’s Gold. I like it here. It’s my home. But it’s not like there are a lot of other opportunities. I’m not comfortable working for another contracting firm. I don’t want to be in competition with Ethan.”

“So what’s the solution?” Dakota asked.

Nevada straightened her legs and picked at a blade of grass. “Have either of you heard about Janack Construction?”

Dakota frowned. “The name is familiar. Wasn’t there a guy in school named Tucker Janack? He was friends with Ethan and Josh. They went to a cycling camp together, way back when. I can’t recall all the details.”

“I remember,” Montana said. “Tucker’s father is super rich. Didn’t he send a helicopter to pick up Tucker?”

“Yes and yes,” Nevada said. “They’re one of the largest construction companies in the country. Apparently, Tucker’s father liked what he saw when he visited here all those years ago. He bought a couple hundred acres north of town.”

“How could he do that?” Dakota asked. “Isn’t that Indian land? They can’t buy that.”

“Tucker’s father is one sixteenth Máa-zib. That’s all you need to be. Apparently Tucker’s mom is also part Máa-zib.”

Dakota wondered how her sister knew so much about the Janack family. “Did you meet them sometime we don’t know about?”

“The parents? No, I’ve never met them.”

“What are they going to build there?” Montana asked. “Isn’t two hundred acres a lot of land?”

“I’ve heard it’s going to be an exclusive resort,” Nevada said. “Big hotel, spa, casino and a couple of golf courses. There’s some serious money going into the project. They’re going to hire a lot of people.”

“So you’d go work for them?” Dakota asked.

“I haven’t decided. I might apply and see what happens. At least then I could say I’ve been on a job interview.”

Dakota wondered if there was more going on than Nevada wanted to tell them. Was she not getting along with Ethan? Or was the situation exactly what she said—a need to prove herself?

“I haven’t heard anyone talking about this project,” Montana said. “I guess if they’re on Indian land, they don’t need City Council approval. But you’d think they’d at least talk to the mayor.”

“Maybe they have and Marsha simply hasn’t mentioned it to anyone,” Dakota said. “There’s plenty going on right now, what with the reality show and all the men still pouring into town.”

“When are you going to decide what to do?” Montana asked.

“Not for a while,” Nevada admitted. “They’re still in the design stage. That could take months or even a year. Once I know they’re actually moving forward with work, I’ll think about what I want to do.” She shifted on the blanket. “Please don’t say anything to Ethan. It’s not that I don’t like working with him. I just need to know that I could work somewhere else, too.”

“I’m not going to say anything,” Montana said. “I’ve been flaky for years. I totally understand the need to figure out what you want to do.”

“I won’t say anything, either,” Dakota promised. “If you need someone to listen, if you just want to bounce ideas off me, I’m always available.”

“I know that,” Nevada told her. “Thanks.”

“Has it occurred to any of you that none of us have been on a date in months?” Montana asked. “Maybe there is something to this stupid man shortage.”

“I’m dating,” Dakota said.

“No. You’re having sex with Finn. That’s not dating.”

“Did I know this?” Nevada asked. “When did you start sleeping with Finn?”

Dakota briefly explained her recent encounters with the twins’ brother. “It’s not serious,” she said. “When he figures out that his brothers are more than capable of taking care of themselves, he’ll go back to South Salmon. This isn’t a long-term relationship. And technically, as Montana said, it’s not really dating.”

“Point taken,” Nevada said with a grin. “So the question is, do you want a date or do you want to have sex?”

“Can’t I have both?” Montana asked. “Do I have to pick?”

“Find the right guy and you can have both,” Nevada told her.

“Is that what you want?” Dakota asked.

Nevada laughed. “I’ll take the sex, at least for now. Love is too complicated.”

“Sometimes sex is complicated, too,” Montana reminded her.

Nevada shook her head. “I’m willing to take my chances.” She looked at Dakota. “What about you? Is sex enough?”

There were things they didn’t know, Dakota thought. How she couldn’t have children and how knowing that had changed everything. She would tell them eventually, just not today. Not when they were having fun, enjoying such a beautiful day.

So she smiled at her sisters and said, “Is sex with Finn enough? Absolutely.”

FINN WAITED with Sasha in the lobby of the Gold Rush Ski Lodge and Resort. The place was nice enough, he thought. If one was into attractive tourist hotels. He would rather be home.

Once Geoff found out what carting everyone to San Diego would cost, especially for the beachfront hotel he preferred, he’d decided to keep Sasha and Lani in town.

The pool area of the Lodge had been transformed into a tacky tropical paradise, with fake palm trees, twinkle lights and tiki torches. Unfortunately, the weather was anything but tropical. While it didn’t phase Finn, everyone else was running around wearing thick coats and shivering.

“What if I gave you ten thousand dollars?” he asked his brother. “To go home and finish college. Would you do it?”

Sasha grinned at him. “The show is paying twenty, bro.”

“Fine. Thirty. Go back to school and you’ll have a check that day.” His business was successful, and he didn’t have a lot of expenses. The house where he and his brothers had grown up was paid for.

“What did Stephen say when you offered it to him?” Sasha asked.

“To shove it up my ass.”

Sasha’s grin broadened. “He read my mind.”

“I figured,” Finn said glumly. “But I had to ask. What’s the plan for today?”

“It’s all going down tonight. We were going to have a city tour, but since we’re pretending we’re not in Fool’s Gold, I don’t see that happening.”

Finn glanced around at the fake greenery. “This is a crazy business.”

“I like it.”

He thought about pointing out that Sasha’s love of fame was tied to their parents’ death, but he and his brother had had that conversation a dozen times before. He suspected Sasha had to go through the process himself and learn the truth the hard way.

That was the part Finn objected to. Not the learning, but the inevitable pain that would follow. If only he could be sure that his brothers were ready to be on their own, that he’d done all he could to keep them safe. Then he could walk away. But how to know?

“You should chill,” Sasha told him. “You’re wound too tight. Relax.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Hawaii girl.”

His brother laughed. “I like Hawaii girl. She’s fun.”

Finn was sure Sasha liked Lani well enough but suspected their relationship was far more a means to an end than anything romantic. Sasha’s idea of a steady relationship was a date that lasted two hours. On the other hand, Stephen had always preferred long-term relationships. Despite being identical twins, the brothers were fairly different.

“You should do something fun,” Sasha told him. “Think of this as a vacation.”

“Except it’s not. I’ll ‘chill’ or ‘relax’ or whatever you want when you and Stephen get back to Alaska and finish college.”

Sasha sighed. “Sorry. No can do. I wish you could let it go.”

Before Finn could say anything, one of the production assistants called for Sasha to get ready for a lighting check. His brother waved at him and followed the girl toward the hotel.

Finn checked his watch. He had a group of tourists to take on a flight in a couple of hours. They would be the second ones this week. The previous group had been a family, including a thirteen-year-old boy who’d been fascinated by the idea of flying a plane. Finn had talked to him about taking lessons.

“You’re looking serious about something.”

He glanced up and saw Dakota walking toward him. She carried a clipboard in her hands and stopped in front of him.

“For once, not the usual,” he told her.

“Your brothers?”

“Work stuff.”

“Everything okay back in South Salmon?”

“As far as I know.”

She stood there, as if waiting for him to explain more.

“I was thinking about the tour I have later and the one I had a few days ago,” he said slowly. “There was this kid. He was really into flying. Sometimes I think about opening a flight school, focusing on kids.” He shrugged. “Who knows if it would work.”

“Don’t you have to be a certain age to get your pilot’s license?”

“You can solo at sixteen, but training could start before that. Teaching a kid to fly gives him, or her, the ability to sense possibilities. You need math skills to do some of the calculations. There would have to be a way for them to raise money to pay for the lessons, or grants or something.” He shook his head. “It’s just something I play around with.”

She tilted her head. “You should talk to Raoul. My boss. His whole thing is helping kids. His camp focused on bringing inner-city kids here to the mountains to get them out of their environment. He might have some ideas about how to get started.”

“I will. Thanks.” It beat worrying about the twins.

She gave him the contact information. “I’ll let him know to expect your call.”

He wondered if what he’d thought about doing was possible. There weren’t a lot of inner-city kids in South Salmon. Of course, his cargo business was there.

But the thought of doing something a little different excited him. Cargo was paying the bills, but taking tours around was a lot more interesting. And doing something useful with kids appealed to him, as well. While he worried about his brothers, there was also a sense of satisfaction, of knowing he’d been the one to shape them into grown-ups. Of course, he had no idea yet if he’d done a decent job.

Dakota glanced around at the decorated pool area. “San Diego would have been a lot warmer. It’s eighty there. I could have lain by the pool, ordered little drinks with umbrellas.” She sighed.

“I thought you loved Fool’s Gold,” he teased.

“I do, but I love it more when it’s warmer. It’s spring. There should be plenty of heat.” She shivered in her coat. “I had to dig out warmer clothes.”

“It seems fine to me.”

“You’re from Alaska. Your opinion doesn’t count.”

He chuckled. “Come on. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”

“At Starbucks? A mocha latte would really help me feel better.”

He took the hand that wasn’t holding the clipboard. “You can even have whipped cream on it, if you want.”

She leaned against him. “My hero.”