chapter 7
LARS GLANCED AT the woman walking along next to him, seeing her in a different light—and it wasn’t just because they were outside in the sun.
It was strange, definitely unexpected. That one simple exchange with Delphi about his mom had changed things. Delphi got it in a way no one outside of his family did. It was private and personal and pretty much no one else’s damn business. He wasn’t quite sure why he had gone into it with her.
Her look was slightly probing. “You okay?”
They’d already passed the airstrip/bed-and-breakfast and kept walking. Despite the people out and about, it was as if he and Delphi were separated apart from everyone else.
“Of course. I’m fine.” It was unnerving how well she seemed to read him.
She looked unconvinced but lightened things, nonetheless, with a sly smile. “You’ve just gotten quiet. That seems an unnatural state of being for you.”
Mark it down. Miss Aloof was teasing him. However, he still couldn’t quite shake the heaviness that descended on him every time his mother had one of her “episodes.”
What the hell? She’d understood his mother faking illness—he might as well lay it all out on the table.
“I just hate when she pulls that crap,” he said, shaking his head. “It just... I don’t know....” He petered off, not even sure of what he was trying to say. Liam and Jack had always shrugged their mother’s ways off more easily than Lars had. He tried, but it stuck to him like stink on shit.
Although Delphi hesitated a moment before she spoke, her step didn’t falter and she kept pace with him. “Maybe it’s because she’s being manipulative. Being on the receiving end of manipulation generally makes people angry. Then you feel guilty for being angry because obviously there’s something inside of her that can’t just enjoy and allow others to enjoy?”
Lars considered it. That was it exactly. “Yep. That about nails it. So, all of us just steer clear. Why do you think Liam came to Alaska?”
They reached the end of the sidewalk, then turned to cross the road.
“Oh,” Delphi said. “Your brother didn’t come here to start a wilderness survival camp?”
“Nope. He was just angry and didn’t know what to do with himself when he got a medical discharge. He needed somewhere to go and sort himself out, so he came here.”
“And now you’re here...temporarily,” she said.
They waited until a four-wheeler and a pickup passed and then crossed the street.
“Yep.” He opened the airstrip/bed-and-breakfast door and waited on Delphi to enter before him. “Just like you, only I’m even more short-term.”
As they mounted the stairs to their rooms, a teasing smile hovered about her lips and glinted in her eyes. “I suspect truer words were never spoken.”
The conversation had moved to a different realm, which was fine with him.
“I can confirm that for you.” They stopped outside her door and Lars stepped in closer. “So, there, we have something in common.” She smelled like sunshine and fresh air. “We’re both short-term. Maybe you don’t trust me—which isn’t personal because you don’t trust anyone—but you don’t have to trust me. I’m not making any promises. I don’t want anything beyond the chance to enjoy your company for the next five days. And I’m not offering anything outside of the next five days.”
She leaned against the wall, looking up at him, the expression in her eyes indiscernible in the dim light. “What if I’m not interested in the next five days?”
He wanted to kiss her lips, mingle her breath with his, bury his face in her neck, and he would gladly, easily take her in the hallway against the wall. However, now was not the time.
Nonetheless, he shrugged. “Then you’re not interested. I have my leave, which won’t be quite as good as it could be, and then I go back on active duty.”
“And what if I want more than the next five days?”
She was definitely playing devil’s advocate.
“Delphi, my job, my life, depends on my ability to assess a situation, the risk and the most likely outcome. It’s highly unlikely you’ll want more than the next five days—not because we won’t hit it off, but I don’t think either of us are in that headspace.”
There was a slow, sultry quality to her smile. This woman certainly set his charge. “I think you’ve said that once or twice before,” she said.
“Readily admitted. I like to be straight up. I’m attracted to the kind of woman who isn’t looking to fall in love. You strike me that way. The last thing I want is to break anyone’s heart.”
“If I say no? What happens then? Some men don’t take no very well.”
He thought they’d just covered that. Apparently somewhere along the line, and he’d guess recently, someone hadn’t taken her refusal in stride. “Then I’ll be disappointed, but that’s that. I’m attracted to you, but I’m not desperate. If you say no...well, then you’ve said no.” He took a step backward and leaned against the wall, as well, giving her more room. “I’m not some whack job like the chick who tried to take Tansy out so she could have Liam.”
“What?!”
He forgot she’d only just arrived and wouldn’t know about the incident last year. “Some military historian followed Liam here and said she wanted to write his story. Little did he guess that she was obsessed with him. He and Tansy flew out to check on the land for the survival camp. Mallory stalked them and tried to kill Tansy.”
Delphi looked both horrified and fascinated. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
Lars shook his head. “I wouldn’t kid something like that. He’d turned her down and she decided it was Tansy’s fault. In her mind the best way to get Liam was to eliminate the competition.”
“Oh, my—”
“I know.”
“What happened?”
“Liam disabled her.”
“How?”
“He had no idea who the shooter was. He only knew someone was trying to hurt Tansy. Liam neutralized the threat with a shot to the shoulder.”
“Wow.” Delphi tilted her head to one side, the wheels obviously turning. “Depending on how and where it hit, she might’ve needed rods and joint replacement.”
Lars simply stared at Delphi for a moment then laughed. Desire and amusement made an interesting combination.
“What’s so funny about that?”
“Mallory was damn lucky Liam wanted answers. He’s a sharpshooter. He could’ve easily killed her if he’d wanted to. And all you can talk about are rods and artificial joints.”
She shrugged. “Hey. I see things in medical terms. So shoot me. Wait, that’s the wrong thing to say to you guys, isn’t it?”
Lars laughed, appreciating her quirky humor.
“You’re safe enough—even if you say no.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and studied him for a moment. “Have you ever actually been turned down?”
Was that sarcasm or was she really curious? Hell if he knew, but it prompted a chuckle. “Of course. I’d like to show you something.”
She mockingly widened her eyes. “Now, that is moving a little fast...”
He laughed again. Yep, he’d definitely like to show her that. “I wanted to show you Mirror Lake. It’s a thermal lake, so it never freezes over, and it’s an eagle haven. All in all, it’s a pretty cool place. I was thinking a late evening outing and a swim.”
“I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”
He grinned. “Me neither.”
“You are a bad influence.”
“I gave you fair warning. Moral corruption is contagious.”
“You may be right.”
He grinned. “I’m always right.” They both knew it was bullshit but it was fun. “Nine o’clock?”
She hesitated so long he thought she might just turn him down yet. Finally, she spoke. “Nine works.”
“Should I knock on your door?”
“I can meet you on the sidewalk.”
“Sure. If that’s what you want.”
He’d won that skirmish and gained ground.
* * *
DELPHI FLOPPED BACK on the quilt-covered bed in her room and stared at the tongue-in-groove ceiling. Obviously the wedding and the fun at the reception had gotten to her because she’d agreed to go out with Lars Reinhardt. He’d made it seem so natural. And once she’d agreed, she’d realized just how much she’d wanted to say yes.
What had happened to finding him brash and annoying? Well, he was fairly brash, but really not so annoying once you got used to him. She’d had such a great time at the reception. She’d never, ever danced like that—whirling and twirling and then being held close. And then there’d been the flirting and the simmering sexuality between them.
Delphi had been so alternately angry and numb following the incident with DeWitt that she hadn’t experienced the least ounce of sexual desire since. Lars had changed that. She definitely wasn’t numb anymore. And, she realized with a start, she wasn’t nearly as angry as she had been. The touch of his palm against hers, the feathering of his breath against her neck as they danced and again when they talked in the hallway, the sheer masculinity of his size and his very maleness...
The entire afternoon had been heady and romantic with an undeniable sexuality.
He was, however, a virtual stranger and she’d agreed to go to some lake with him.
She called Skye on her cell and cut straight to the chase after the perfunctory greetings. “So, I lost my mind and agreed to go to Mirror Lake with Lars Reinhardt this evening. Do you know anything about him?”
She sensed Skye’s hesitation on the other end of the phone. “I only know he’s Bull’s nephew. Liam is a great guy but I don’t know much about him. Any other man here I could vouch for or warn you off, but Lars is an unknown quantity.”
Worrying her lip between her teeth, Delphi rolled to her side. “I don’t want to start off here on the same sour note I left in Atlanta.”
“I don’t see how that could possibly happen. In fact, maybe a few dates with Lars will erase some of the lingering...ick—” Delphi smiled at the use of the word from the highly educated, fairly formal Skye “—of the whole DeWitt debacle,” Skye reasoned. “I understand your reasons for wanting to keep the whole thing quiet, but he deserves to be reported to the board for his actions.”
Her reasons boiled down to one thing: it would be further hell to go through. At the most DeWitt would get a slap on the wrist. He’d still come out on top while she remained unemployed. “Yep. But that falls into the gap between an ideal world and the real world.”
“I know. So perhaps escaping into an ideal world with a good-looking, well-built man for a little while is a good thing. Are you attracted to him?”
A shiver ran through Delphi at the memory of his nearness. “Is the sky blue today?” She laughed at herself. “Yesterday I wasn’t so sure I liked him, but he’s sort of growing on me.”
Skye laughed. “That has a familiar ring.” She had expressed a similar sentiment in regards to Dalton. “I say go and enjoy. Even if Lars is a dud, Mirror Lake is pretty amazing.”
“Okay. I’ll go and proceed with caution. Extreme caution. By the way, is there any place in town where I can find a bathing suit?”
“Good Riddance isn’t exactly brimming with fashion stores.” Delphi had always appreciated Skye’s dry sense of humor. “You’d have to order something like that.” Skye hesitated. “I have two if you want to try them on. They’ve been washed and I haven’t worn them since last year.”
There was no way she was going swimming without a suit. “You’re sure?”
“Positive. Dalton is running by Donna’s place later to pick up a tool. He’ll drop them off, if that’s okay with you.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Skye.”
“It’s my job,” her friend deadpanned on the other end of the phone.
“Ha. Seriously, thanks for asking me to come and thanks for lending me a bathing suit. I haven’t felt this good in a long time. Today was fun.”
“I’m glad you like it here. Have fun tonight.”
“That’s the plan.”
Full-steam ahead...for five days. And while Delphi no longer trusted her own judgment, Skye couldn’t be wrong.
* * *
LARS SHIFTED IN HIS SEAT, impatient for dinner to be over. Thank God Merrilee and Bull were here, too, and he wasn’t stuck with only his mother. They were all sitting at the kitchen table in Bull and Merrilee’s kitchen above the hardware store. Merrilee’s spaghetti with a salad and bread was incredible.
Despite Merrilee’s best attempts, Dr. Jane Reinhardt had commandeered the conversation from the get-go. Actually, there was no conversation involved—it was strictly a one-woman monologue. As usual, his mom was playing to a captive audience.
“So, I very quickly told the dean that I wouldn’t be a part of...”
Blah, blah and blah...who gave a righteous crap? He didn’t. It was the same shit, just a different day. Lars’s mind drifted to later on tonight—to moonlight, warm water and the cool blonde who had felt anything but cool in his arms as they’d danced away the afternoon.
“Lars would you care to join us?” his mother said with her famous quelling glance, her tone sharp. Both warning signs were ones he knew all too well, having learned them at an early age. Tread carefully, or Mom would explode and it wouldn’t be pretty.
Damn, she got under his skin. “Present.”
“I beg to differ,” she said. “I see you so seldom, you’d think you could actually be here instead of Lars Land.”
Damn if she couldn’t reduce him in a few seconds to being eight years old again. From the time he was a kid and had ever let his mind wander while she was prattling on, she’d disdainfully referred to his daydreaming as Lars Land. Damn, he hated that term.
So he, Liam and Jack went out of their way to avoid her because nobody ever knew what was going to set her off. And whenever Dirk spent time with them, he seriously walked around on his tiptoes. Lars could detonate bombs all day, every day. He could set off Delphi. But he’d go out of his way to avoid setting off his mother. Even now, dead-ass silence reigned at the table. You could’ve heard a flea fart.
Enough. He was thirty-two years old. He had a successful career. He’d had too many years of walking on eggshells around her.
So Lars called his mother out.
“Okay, Mom, you’ve got my undivided attention. You’ve got everyone’s undivided attention, which is what is always required.” He nudged his plate away and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Please, continue.”
“Sarcasm is totally uncalled for, son. But, as I was saying, I took my curriculum change to the dean—”
“When are you leaving?” Lars interrupted his mother with the question, even though he knew the answer. If she was going to treat him as if he was eight, then dammit, he’d act like it.
She graced him with a scathing look. “Tomorrow morning, which of course you know, which is why we planned this dinner tonight so we’d have an opportunity to spend some time together before I left.”
Lars nodded. It probably wouldn’t change a thing but he was going to say what he wanted to say and the consequences be damned. He was fed up holding his tongue. “You know, Mom, last night you talked about your gardening, your trip to Spain, the book you’ve decided to work on and how you’ve had to set the new member of your teaching staff straight.”
She appeared somewhat mollified. “Okay. I suppose you do pay attention.”
He continued, even though he knew she wasn’t going to like what he had to say. “Not once did you ask Liam or Tansy about their work.” And he knew she hadn’t—Liam and Tansy had mentioned it. “Did you ask Merrilee and Bull about their businesses? Did you tell them you were happy for them?” He shook his head. “I’ve been here more than twenty-four hours and not once have you brought up my job or even my life, for that matter. Maybe you’re saving it all for the eleventh hour, but it’s getting a little late in the day for you to pretend you actually give a damn about anyone except for yourself.”
His mother rose to her feet. “I don’t have to listen to this.” She grasped the edge of the table, swaying.
“What? Are you going to pass out again? Make sure you don’t fall into the meat sauce.” His mother sat back down forcefully and Lars turned to Merrilee. “Which is exceptional, by the way.”
“Thank you.” Merrilee remained totally together. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe.”
His mother, however, did not. “How dare you speak to me that way?” Her voice quivered with indignation. Tears sparkled in her eyes. “I don’t believe in prying into my children’s lives or the lives of others, for that matter, which is why I’ve not subjected anyone to an inquisition.”
Bullshit. She didn’t ask because she didn’t care about anybody but herself. “Mom, asking someone how they are, how they’ve been, doesn’t come close to being an inquisition.”
Her eyes glittered with heavier tears, which might have been manufactured or genuine or a bit of both. “I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.” She rose to her feet again. “If you’ll excuse me, my flight is rather early in the morning. I think I’ll get back to my room.”
Merrilee pushed back and stood, as well. “I’ll walk with you, if you don’t mind. I could use the exercise and that way Bull and Lars can attend to the dishes.”
For a second Lars almost felt sorry for his mom. For a fleeting instant she looked lost and hurt, but then it passed. “It’s not necessary, but if you want the exercise, by all means.”
Lars stood. “Mom, I apologize for being rude.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
He ran his hand over his head. Lars knew what she wanted him to say, but he couldn’t apologize for telling the truth. “I love you. Get a good night’s rest and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Only if it’s not too much trouble for you to see me before I leave.” When he was a kid her sarcasm had always cut deep. “Perhaps you can drop off a script so I know the right thing to say.”
Okay, so he didn’t feel quite so bad anymore.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” Merrilee said.
“We’ve got the dishes covered,” Bull said, beginning to stack the plates.
Merrilee pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Thanks, love.”
“Night, Janie-Girl,” Bull said to his sister.
“Good night.”
For a long minute, only the clink of dishes and silverware filled the silence in the room after the door closed behind the women. Bull, never a big talker, was apparently waiting to hear what Lars had to say. Bull ran dishwater in the sink.
“Was I too harsh with her?” Lars finally said. He’d never spoken to his mother that way. He gathered the glasses.
Bull shrugged as he carried the plates over to the counter. “You might have been a little hard, but you didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”
For the first time in his life, Lars paused and thought of his mother as a whole person and not just his mother. “Was she like this when she was a girl?”
“Janie’s always had to be the center of attention, just like she’s always at odds with someone.” Lars couldn’t recall a time when his mom wasn’t fighting with someone in the family or in her professional circle. “She doesn’t want to know what’s going on in your life as much as she wants to tell you what you should do.” Bull began to run water in the sink as Lars brought over the pasta bowls. “It’s gotten worse as she’s gotten older. Maybe she needed to hear that tonight. It doesn’t really matter—it’s said. I doubt it’ll do any good, but it won’t do any harm either. What’s harmful is keeping all that bottled up inside you.”
Lars hadn’t realized his misery had been all bottled up inside until his earlier conversation with Delphi. It was as if she’d recognized something he was too close to see in himself. “Well, I guess it’s not now.”
Bull plunged his hands into the soapy water. Lars positioned himself to rinse and dry. That was one thing his mom had in common with her brothers. None of them believed in dishwashers. Bull called it “quality time.”
“If it makes you feel better, say it. But don’t expect your mom to change. It’s pretty unlikely at this stage of the game.”
Lars hadn’t thought it through. He’d simply had enough and blown his cool. “You’re right. It just felt like it was time to call her out. She may not change, but I don’t have to play her game anymore. Mom is incredibly manipulative.”
Bull nodded. “Yep.” He scrubbed at a pot. “Of course, not all women are like your mom.”
Had the comment come from anyone other than Bull, Lars would’ve offered a sarcastic rejoinder. As it was, he simply said, “I know.”
“Good. I’m going out on a limb here. If you feel rejected by Janie...well, it’s not you—it’s her.”
Lars’s knee-jerk reaction was to deny he felt rejected by his mother. Only he realized he couldn’t, as he finally pegged the nameless feeling he’d always had. He’d considered her difficult and alternately demanding and remote, but it took Bull’s labeling it as rejection for it to hit home.
All these years... It was as if he’d finally found the buried trip wire he’d been searching for with dread all this time.
“You know, you’re right.” He felt damn good. “Can I take you up on that offer to use your truck while I’m here? I’ve got a date tonight.”
“Delphi? Mirror Lake?”
“Yeah and yeah.” Lars was a little disconcerted. “How’d you know it was Delphi and Mirror Lake?” He rinsed the pots and pans and placed them in the dish drainer.
Bull grinned. “I remember how much you liked it when you were here before. And Delphi—well, that was easy enough to figure out. You two seemed to be having a good time at the reception.”
“She’s different.”
“Different is good.”
“Yeah, I think so, too.”
“Merrilee is one of a kind.” Funny, Delphi struck him that way, as well. “When you find a good one, you hold on to her.”
As he’d told his brother, he planned to do just that. At least until it was time to rotate out.