he was held to a high standard of fitness as a smoke jumper.
Not a man to underestimate.
"I'm not distracted, Nick," she said, as much for herself as for him. "You can afford to buy half of Black Falls, so you can afford another night at the lodge."
"Fair enough." His eyes, even darker in the afternoon shadows, lingered on her for a few seconds longer than she found comfortable. "I'll go if you agree to have dinner with me at the lodge. You can come early. Really early."
"That's blackmail. You'll go even if I don't have dinner with you."
He reached for his jacket on the couch. "Get some rest, clean up and meet me there. If you don't show up," he said, heading for the front door, "I'll come find you."
"We're not talking about anything serious over dinner."
"Sounds good."
She sighed. "Has anyone ever told you that you're completely relentless?"
He winked at her. "All the time."
Only after he'd left did Rose acknowledge that she wouldn't be spending the evening alone, wrapped up in an afghan, watching Jane Austen DVDs. She'd meant to keep her distance from Nick, but he'd just let himself into her house, lit a fire in her woodstove and invited her to dinner.
And she'd caved, completely.
Nick Martini was a mission-oriented man. He liked to get what he wanted. In this case, he wanted her not to be up on her hill by herself for any length of time. She didn't know if he were concerned for her safety or her emotional state after this morning's tragedy, or if he just wanted to pry information out of her.
Maybe all of the above.
"No wonder he's rich," she muttered to Ranger. "Who wouldn't cave?"
Ranger stretched, yawned and went back to sleep. Rose plopped down on the couch, still warm from Nick, and admitted to herself that she'd also, at least to a degree, let him win this round.
The truth was she didn't want to be alone right now.
She glanced at the open door to her bedroom and couldn't remember if she'd shut it before she'd left for the Whittaker place in the predawn dark. She wondered if Nick had checked her closets and cellar for intruders. Had he gone through her small office in back? Had he looked for information about her and Derek?
About him?
She got up again and headed into her bedroom to shower and change, glad, at least, that she wasn't the type to keep a diary.
Five
N ick tried to get up to his room without running into a Cameron or pink-cheeked guests enjoying a getaway in the mountains, but he didn't succeed on either score. An older couple holding hands passed him in the parking lot, and A.J. intercepted him in the lobby and steered him to a booth in the lodge's cozy wood-paneled bar.
Nick ordered whiskey. A.J. stuck with water and leaned back against the dark wood, in no way relaxed.
So, Nick, thought, it was going to be that kind of chat.
His whiskey arrived. He took a sip, eyeing the man across from him. He figured A.J. was as kick-ass in his own way as Special Forces soldier Elijah or smoke jumper Sean.
"First time in Vermont?" A.J. asked.
"It is."
"You could have come last week when Sean was out here."
He could have, Nick thought, but he hadn't made up his mind yet about venturing East. More to the point, he'd known he wouldn't want Sean with him when he saw Rose.
Bad enough to have to deal with big brother A.J. "I had business to take care of."
A.J. waited a moment, then said, "What made you decide to come now?"
A state homicide detective and a state arson investigator had asked Nick the same question. "The timing was right," he said, repeating what he'd told the detectives. "I figured now that things had settled down out here--"
"They haven't settled down."
Nick drank more of his whiskey, really wishing he hadn't run into A.J. "No, they haven't." He set his glass down. "Sean and Hannah returned with company."
"Beth Harper, Scott Thorne, Beth's brother, Zack," A.J. said, as if to point out to Nick that he knew what was going on. "I heard Scott left early."
"He and Zack Harper both
Not a man to underestimate.
"I'm not distracted, Nick," she said, as much for herself as for him. "You can afford to buy half of Black Falls, so you can afford another night at the lodge."
"Fair enough." His eyes, even darker in the afternoon shadows, lingered on her for a few seconds longer than she found comfortable. "I'll go if you agree to have dinner with me at the lodge. You can come early. Really early."
"That's blackmail. You'll go even if I don't have dinner with you."
He reached for his jacket on the couch. "Get some rest, clean up and meet me there. If you don't show up," he said, heading for the front door, "I'll come find you."
"We're not talking about anything serious over dinner."
"Sounds good."
She sighed. "Has anyone ever told you that you're completely relentless?"
He winked at her. "All the time."
Only after he'd left did Rose acknowledge that she wouldn't be spending the evening alone, wrapped up in an afghan, watching Jane Austen DVDs. She'd meant to keep her distance from Nick, but he'd just let himself into her house, lit a fire in her woodstove and invited her to dinner.
And she'd caved, completely.
Nick Martini was a mission-oriented man. He liked to get what he wanted. In this case, he wanted her not to be up on her hill by herself for any length of time. She didn't know if he were concerned for her safety or her emotional state after this morning's tragedy, or if he just wanted to pry information out of her.
Maybe all of the above.
"No wonder he's rich," she muttered to Ranger. "Who wouldn't cave?"
Ranger stretched, yawned and went back to sleep. Rose plopped down on the couch, still warm from Nick, and admitted to herself that she'd also, at least to a degree, let him win this round.
The truth was she didn't want to be alone right now.
She glanced at the open door to her bedroom and couldn't remember if she'd shut it before she'd left for the Whittaker place in the predawn dark. She wondered if Nick had checked her closets and cellar for intruders. Had he gone through her small office in back? Had he looked for information about her and Derek?
About him?
She got up again and headed into her bedroom to shower and change, glad, at least, that she wasn't the type to keep a diary.
Five
N ick tried to get up to his room without running into a Cameron or pink-cheeked guests enjoying a getaway in the mountains, but he didn't succeed on either score. An older couple holding hands passed him in the parking lot, and A.J. intercepted him in the lobby and steered him to a booth in the lodge's cozy wood-paneled bar.
Nick ordered whiskey. A.J. stuck with water and leaned back against the dark wood, in no way relaxed.
So, Nick, thought, it was going to be that kind of chat.
His whiskey arrived. He took a sip, eyeing the man across from him. He figured A.J. was as kick-ass in his own way as Special Forces soldier Elijah or smoke jumper Sean.
"First time in Vermont?" A.J. asked.
"It is."
"You could have come last week when Sean was out here."
He could have, Nick thought, but he hadn't made up his mind yet about venturing East. More to the point, he'd known he wouldn't want Sean with him when he saw Rose.
Bad enough to have to deal with big brother A.J. "I had business to take care of."
A.J. waited a moment, then said, "What made you decide to come now?"
A state homicide detective and a state arson investigator had asked Nick the same question. "The timing was right," he said, repeating what he'd told the detectives. "I figured now that things had settled down out here--"
"They haven't settled down."
Nick drank more of his whiskey, really wishing he hadn't run into A.J. "No, they haven't." He set his glass down. "Sean and Hannah returned with company."
"Beth Harper, Scott Thorne, Beth's brother, Zack," A.J. said, as if to point out to Nick that he knew what was going on. "I heard Scott left early."
"He and Zack Harper both
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