At the very back of the resort, a large lake—created from a quarry—wound in and around the land before fading into the sun-kissed mist, making it impossible to see the full size. Currently, large inflated slides and trampolines floated in and out of the mist, randomly catching the sunshine as they bobbed in the mostly placid water. She could be at peace here and that meant a lot, because for too long now, peace of mind had remained an elusive thing. Knowing her sister was waiting, Phoenix pulled out her phone and took a pic of the beautiful scenery, then texted it to Ridley, typing, Arrived.
Phoenix grinned even as she rolled her eyes. Ridley had the misguided notion that everyone else shared her skewed but adoring perception.
Her heart swelled. Through thick and thin, Ridley was her backup, her support system, and the person she trusted most in the whole world.
Her parents were great too, very attentive and protective, but it was her sister who best understood her. Ridley enjoyed seeing the world, traveling nearly non-stop to posh destinations, had an exquisite flair for the latest fashions, and detested being messy in any way. She knew Ridley was still worried, and that bothered her. This was her chance to get back to being a strong, capable woman. Taking her time, Phoenix strode through the grounds, familiarizing herself on her way to the lake.
She really wanted to explore the woods, and the small, quaint cabins where she would live. More than that, though, she wanted to be at the lake when Cooper Cochran arrived. Unfortunately, just as she rounded a play area filled with swings and slides, she saw the lone figure standing along the sandy shore, a fishing rod in hand.
Good Lord, he was big, and impressively built, too, with wide, hard shoulders and muscular thighs. She hated to admit it, but that could be a problem for her. Pausing to stare, she pressed a hand to her stomach to quell the nervous butterflies taking flight at the sight of him.
The sunrise gilded his messy, sandy brown hair. As he reeled in his line, then cast it out again, muscles flexed beneath a dark pullover with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, showing taut forearms and thick wrists dusted with hair. Worn denim hugged his long legs. Finding information on the resort had been easy. Finding information on Cooper Cochran…not so much. She stood frozen on the spot, trying to convince her feet to move, doing her best to conquer her irrational reservations, but she was suddenly, painfully aware that they were all alone on the shore.
Plenty of people were around, though in their RVs or cabins, so there was no reason to be afraid. Lately though, fear had been a fickle thing, often re-emerging out of nowhere. Her sister would take one look at her and understand. Reflective sunglasses hid his eyes, and yet she felt his scrutiny and a touch of surprise. She knew his gaze was burning over her and it caused her to shift with nervous awareness. She guessed him to be in his mid-thirties, maybe nine or ten years older than her.
No one would call him a classically handsome man. His features were as bold as his body, including a strong jaw, masculine nose and harshly carved cheekbones.
The breeze and fog off the lake might have played with it, leaving it a little wavier than usual. His scrutiny kept her pinned in place with a strange stirring of her senses, unpleasant only in its unfamiliarity.
Phoenix swallowed. It almost seemed that he gave her time to get herself together. Still, his patience, his apparent lack of interest, finally helped her to move forward. He had a deep, mellow voice that should have put her at ease but instead sharpened her awareness of him as a large man. Are you an early bird, Ms. Ripples fanned out across the surface. By the minute, the mist evaporated, giving way to the warmth of the sun.
That was years ago, though. These days she preferred as much distance as she could manage. Golden brown eyes took her by surprise. They were a stark contrast to his heavy brows and the blunt angles of his face. She realized she was staring, that he merely stared back with one brow lifted, and she quickly looked away. Thankfully, she still wore the clip-on sunglasses, giving her a hint of concealment.
She retreated behind idle chitchat. We lost our grounds keeper and housekeeper at the same time. He smiled with some private amusement. Either position is a fulltime job. DMCA and Copyright : The book is not hosted on our servers, to remove the file please contact the source url.
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