Chapter Seven
B ayleigh spent the day working on the pool house. She’d repurposed a small building that sat underneath a stand of trees, enough distance from the barns and arena so that it was peaceful and quiet. She’d had the inside clad in cedar boards and refinished the concrete flooring with a textured surface that was nubbly enough to prevent slipping and created the impression of weathered stone. On one side were several small rooms, including change rooms and showers, a dry sauna, and one for massage therapy. An above-ground swim spa gave clients and therapists the option of water-based training exercises.
But the star of the show was a large top-quality jetted saltwater hot tub, flush mounted in the floor, framed by the main window.
If you’re going to do something, she’d told herself as she transferred the last payment to the plumber, do it right.
It hadn’t been christened yet but she hoped to get to that shortly. Lucas might welcome the opportunity to try it out when he returned, especially if the visit hadn’t gone well. That spontaneous dinner invitation bothered her. Was it really because he needed a buffer zone between him and his siblings? Or did he want to spend more time with her?
Lucas’s family was complicated, no argument there. Sawyer had explained to her that Running River was owned by Weldon Scott, father of Diana O’Sullivan. Diana was the younger half sister to the triplets. Diana’s mother, Weldon’s wife, was the woman Brade and Leila believed had given birth to them prior to her marriage.
Of course he needed a buffer zone.
She coiled up the hose and replaced it on the hook, then tested the temperature of the water. In an hour or two it would be perfect. They’d had some trouble with the wiring but Sawyer assured her it was all up to code and functional now. Earlier in the day, she’d mixed in the necessary additives so it would be ready for use by the evening. Then, she’d lugged the potted palms and dracaenas she’d purchased to place in front of the windows. A few pieces of sturdy, water-resistant furniture invited users to relax in or out of the water, before or after their massage. She glanced at her watch. Maybe she’d try it out herself, tonight, after supper.
If Lucas returned before then, of course, she’d offer him the pool, instead.
Her stomach quivered at the thought of him stretched out in the swirling water.
She swept up the spilled soil, wiped the windows, then stood back and admired the effect. Gorgeous. Serene. Inviting. The gentle bubbling of the water and the subtle scent of cedar gave the room an otherworldly sense indulgence. This would be a favorite with her clients.
“Wow, Mom,” Ted said, standing in the doorway. “This looks amazing. Also, what’s for supper? I’m starved.”
She laughed, grateful to have her inappropriate thoughts kneecapped by the presence of her son. What did they call it? Cockblocking? Was there a different term if it applied to a woman? And it was imaginary?
Ted would die if he knew what she was thinking.
“Thanks, honey. There’s beef stew in the Crock-Pot. I’m just about to come in and get myself cleaned up for supper.”
“Is it okay if I eat now? We’re going mountain biking and I don’t want to waste daylight.”
As they walked back to the house, he told her about the club he and his friends had joined and she assured him that she didn’t mind eating alone. She was glad he’d made friends since moving here. Ted had always been gregarious, more like Jeremy that way than her.
Alone. She’d be alone on the ranch tonight.
Just her and Lucas.
“I need to get used to it,” she said. “It won’t be long before you fly the nest, leaving me to my pathetic, lonely, middle-aged life.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. But you need to get a life, you know.”
“I know. And I will. I am. Any update on when you’ll flutter on out of here? I want to turn your bedroom into a sex dungeon.”
“Oh, gross, Mother,” Ted said, wincing.
She put her arm around his waist, relishing the sensation of her beloved son’s bony frame beneath her skin. It wouldn’t be long before she’d be wishing he’d come home to visit. She didn’t want to dwell on this, though it was safer than her other train of thought.
“You started it.”
He pounded down a bowl of stew while she showered and changed into clean clothes. By the time she came out, he was thundering down the hallway to meet his buddy, who was honking the horn in the driveway.
“Make good choices,” she called after him.
“You too,” he yelled back.
And then he was gone.
She took her bowl of stew, a hunk of sourdough bread and a glass of wine out to the patio where she and Lucas had sat the previous evening. She had an excellent view of the driveway from here.
*
Lucas roared down the highway to Belle Vista, desperate to get away from the intensity of the conversation he’d just had. He hadn’t intended to share those details with these strangers.
No, not strangers.
His long-lost brother and sister. Welcoming family members of his, willing to support him.
It took some getting used to.
He hadn’t expected to like them. But he couldn’t deny a primal familiarity about them. Brade had a way of moving his arm over the saddle horn, a small gesture, but he recognized his own hand movement in it. They all had the same line between their eyebrows. When Leila flicked her head to move a piece of hair from her eyes, he knew it was the same movement he did with his own head.
They were his siblings. His full, blood siblings. They were the result of their mother releasing three eggs at once, which were all fertilized at the same time, resulting in her giving birth to three babies on the same day, or near enough. Whatever had happened during the pregnancy, and after their birth, was a mystery. None of them had information from either their adoptive families or their agencies. It was all cloaked in secrecy. They hadn’t yet made contact with their birth mother, though Leila insisted that she was close. She’d get there. She knew who it was; she just had to convince the woman to talk to them.
To have them share their efforts in finding this woman made sense. It was a journey he could join them on, if he chose. But to have them come onside like they did, about the incident. The accident. To be automatically supportive, encouraging, even up in arms against the injustice...
He hadn’t expected that.
The sun was going down by the time he reached Belle Vista, painting the sky a brilliant orangey purple shot through with the last of the blue sky. Stunning.
He saw the patio where he’d had wine with Bayleigh last night. Just last night? It felt as if a month had gone by. He was exhausted. His hip was killing him again, though it was a different pain, fatigue, rather than contracture.
The patio was empty and he bit back a rush of disappointment.
He’d only had such small contact with the woman, yet he wished he could talk to her about everything that had transpired today. He had a feeling she would understand. Or at least, that she’d be a good listener.
Oh well. He exhaled as he brought the Tacoma to his designated parking spot near the cabin and eased himself from the driver’s seat. He’d have a shower and fall into bed. He wished he’d thought to buy a six-pack for himself. Tomorrow.
But when he got out of the truck, he noticed lights in the small building farthest from the house. It was a pretty little shed. He headed toward it, telling himself that he needed to walk off the tightness from driving.
As he drew near, he saw a large window at the front of the building, completely shrouded in steam. Did she have a pool? A hot tub?
Everything inside him ached to let his muscles relax in a pool of hot water.
He stepped closer, wondering if it was too late to stop at the house and ask permission to use the facility. A window on the side wasn’t quite as steamed up, so he peered in to confirm his suspicions.
He froze, shocked at the sight of Bayleigh, stretched out on the surface of the water. She was floating, her head back, her hair spread out around her, her limbs starfished. Her eyes were closed and she wore an expression of... bliss.
Her body was amazing.
As he watched, she drew one arm across the water, pulling a stream over her slender torso, then pushing away again, lazily. The movement was so sensual, so luxurious, that suddenly, the ache he felt in his hip was nothing compared to the ache in his groin. He imagined sliding into all that welcoming heat, feeling her strength surround him, letting himself be free, safe, be... loved.
Whoa.
He jerked back from the window and stumbled backward.
Where had that come from?
He didn’t even know Bayleigh Sutherland. This was purely an accumulation of stress talking. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman, too. There was that.
His foot caught on a rock and he barely caught his balance. Quickly, he turned and started walking back down the path to his cabin. But he’d only gotten a few steps when he heard the door to the spa open.
“Lucas? Is that you?”
He stopped but didn’t turn around. “Sorry, didn’t meant to intrude.”
“You’re not intruding,” she said. She sounded alarmed. “I thought you’d be later. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” He hazarded a look at her. She was dripping wet, holding a towel against her chest, but bare-legged and stunning. “We took a rain check on the dinner.”
She sighed. “You’re crabby again. That means you probably had a rough day. Why don’t you join me?”
Her easy invitation caught him off guard. If she had any idea of the thoughts already running through his head, she’d never ask him in.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he said quietly.
“Why not? Don’t you think it’ll feel good?”
“I think it’ll feel amazing.”
“Don’t you think it’ll help you sleep?”
He smiled. “I know it’ll help me sleep.”
“Then,” she said with an answering smile, “what are you waiting for?”
He hesitated, then met her eyes. “Don’t you think your son will be uncomfortable with his mother having a hot tub with a paying guest?”
She raised her eyebrows, moved the towel away from her body and cocked a hip. The image nearly made him fall to his knees.
“My son,” she said, “is out with friends tonight. I spent all day getting this ready. I knew you needed it. Turns out, I needed it too. I’d be happy to share it with you, Lucas.”
Her eyes were clear, her words simple. Was she inviting him for sex? Or just a hot tub? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t care. He needed her. In whatever capacity she was offering, he needed her.
No sane man would question it.
Then he remembered.
“I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”
She shrugged. “I’ve got a selection of spares.” She tipped her head. “Go commando if you like. I don’t care.”
“Is that right?” he said.
He was already walking toward the bathhouse before he realized his feet had started to move.
*
Was she out of her mind? What insane sex-crazed pixie-crone had taken control of her mouth?
Go commando if you like?
What must he think of her?
Bayleigh cringed inwardly as she walked back into the pool house. She tossed her cover-up onto the nearest chair, slid back into the warm water, and dashed a handful over her face to reset her equilibrium.
It didn’t work.
Lucas nodded toward the change room. “Spares in there?”
“Yes.”
He came out slick and dripping from the shower, the navy board shorts hanging low on his hips. His abs were ripped, his chest muscles well-defined and lightly dusted with hair. The loose shorts hid whatever atrophy he had in his left hip. The right side of him was cut like a Greek god.
She closed her eyes and let her head fall back into the water, hoping she looked casual, and not like a selkie spying a human male for the first time, ready to shed her sealskin pelt and join him in carnal bliss.
“Nice.” Lucas stepped down into the water, sending a wave rippling over to Bayleigh.
The controls were set into the tile surround, so that users didn’t have to get up to turn them on.
“You want jets?” Bayleigh asked.
“Yeah,” Lucas said. “The harder the better.”
Seriously?
She hit the button, grateful for the increased sound that tempered the awkward silence between them. The movement of the water also provided a bit of visual shelter from the distracting view of him, sitting across from her, separated only by thin clinging fabric.
He angled himself so that his bad hip was directly over a jet. He winced, closed his eyes, and took a deep inhalation.
“Bad?” Bayleigh asked.
He shook his head slightly. “Nothing like yesterday. It always hurts before it gets better.”
She nodded. “That’s pain for you.”
He opened his eyes. “You speak from experience?”
“I’m a counselor. Everyone has pain.” She hesitated. “But yes, I’ve had my share, I suppose. Losing a spouse is a different kind of pain, but the healing process has parallels.”
“I’m sorry,” Lucas said. “How long ago?”
She sighed. “Two years and nine months.”
An eternity, and yet some days, like it happened yesterday.
“I’m so sorry,” he said again. “I assumed you were divorced. I thought, ‘What kind of man lets a woman like Bayleigh Sutherland get away?’ Now I have to adjust my opinion.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, hoping to keep the conversation from spiraling into awkwardness, as it often did when she talked about Jeremy. “We were actually separated when he passed away, briefly. I like to think we would have overcome our challenges and stayed married, but I know better than most how life can throw stuff at you that makes it impossible for even the most committed relationships to survive.”
It was odd, talking to him like this, like they knew each other, when they didn’t.
But she hadn’t talked to anyone about Jeremy for some time, not since she’d moved to Grand, actually. People knew she was a widow, but none of her new acquaintances had known him, known them as a couple. That had been part of the appeal, the idea of starting over, leaving the grief behind, opening a new chapter in a new location.
It had worked. But her marriage was an important part of her past. Talking about it, even obliquely, was comforting.
“Have you ever been married?” she asked.
Condensation dripped down the inside of the windows, lending an opaque quality to the light. The sun was nearly down, but the moon was full, rising above the trees and the combination of sunset, moonlight, starshine and the low ambient lighting in the pool room, combined with the surrounding heat melted her bones and, apparently, her inhibitions.
“Married?” He gave a little laugh. “No.”
“That was pretty emphatic. Bad experience? Or do you object to the institution itself?”
“Neither,” he replied. He shifted position so that his elbows rested on the concrete and his legs stretched out behind him.
His back muscles were ropey and slick, shifting beneath his skin so clearly that Bayleigh’s fingers itched to touch them.
“Are you gay?”
She’d bet the ranch he was not, but something in her wanted to poke him, to get him to reveal more of himself to her.
For a moment he was quiet. Then, with a great swish of heated water, he landed in front of her, his arms braced on the underwater bench, on either side of her. His face was mere inches from hers. His dark eyes bored into hers, a line furrowed between his brows.
“Do you think I’m gay, Bayleigh?” His voice was hoarse, urgent.
“No,” she whispered, unable to take her eyes off him. “No, I don’t.”
He leaned closer. “Why are you so interested in my life?”
The hard length of his thighs brushed against her knees, setting her nerves on fire.
“You seem like an interesting man,” she managed to say.
“What, exactly, do you know about me?” he demanded.
“What?” His tone had taken on an aggressive edge and suddenly she wondered if she should have taken Ted’s warning more seriously. She knew very little about this man. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he said, “you’ve been coming on to me from the moment I set foot on your property. Are you really that into me? Or are you hoping to unearth something useful?”
“What?!” She reached upwards hard and fast, breaking out of the cage of his arms, and shifted to the steps of the pool. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
He blinked, then sat in her place. His shoulders slumped and whatever ugly thing had been simmering behind his eyes faded away. He splashed his face, then ran a hand through his hair until it was standing up.
“Sorry,” he muttered, not looking at her.
“Not good enough!” She was breathing hard, unsure if she should look for a weapon or hear him out. Her hands trembled and she didn’t know if it was from fear or fury. “Get out of my pool house. In fact, you can get off my property.”
Tears of fury prickled at the back of her skull, but there was no way in hell she was going to let him see them. She’d thought, more fool her, that the attraction she’d felt had been mutual, but wow had she been wrong.
“Bayleigh,” he started, his voice quiet.
“No.” Her voice was firm, to her relief. “I was being nice. You’re my first guest. I liked you. I don’t know what kind of people you usually deal with, but in my world, hospitality and kindness is normal. I’m normally a good judge of character but I guess you’re the exception that proves the rule, huh?”
“Bayleigh, please,” he said again. He lifted anguished eyes to hers. “Let me talk. I’m out of line, way, way out of line. I apologize. Please let me explain.”
She got out of the pool, grabbed her towel, and wrapped herself up tightly. To think that she’d been ready to get naked with this stranger.
“Talk,” she snapped.
“You know I’m here to meet Brade and Leila,” he started, keeping his voice low and even.
“Right.”
“But you don’t know about... the incident?” He glanced quickly up at her and what she saw in his expression was neither defensive nor offensive. It wasn’t deceit, or bluster, or calculation.
In fact, it looked a lot like shame.
She shook her head, off-balance again. “What incident? What are you talking about?”
He exhaled and all of the tension left his body. “It’s kind of a long story. Do you mind if I get dressed? I’ll explain and then, if you still want me to go, I’ll pack my bags.”
“This better be good.” She grabbed her cover-up and headed for the door. “Meet me on the patio.”