Since Regan was the only family member living in the area, it had become her responsibility to sort out any problems that Celia had. She had always been close to her grandmother, so it was never a burden. But Celia Macintosh could be stubborn and she was determined to make her own decisions, however cockeyed they might be.
This was definitely a strange turn of events, Regan mused. And if shed invited a stranger into her life, then it was dangerous, as well. As Regan hurried back to her car, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket. But once again, there was no answer at the lodge.
This was her fault! She hadnt been to see Ceci in three weeks, leaving her vulnerable to someone who might take advantage. If her family found out, there would be hell to pay. If Ceci had already signed some of the land away, Regan would have to get the lawyers involved, and that meant a call to her father.
The sun was already down as she navigated the curves on Shore Drive. Soon the first snowflakes would fall, and in another month, winter would be looming. When the weather changed and the holidays were past, Regan and Ceci headed south to her grandmothers condo in Scottsdale.
Ceci enjoyed the warm weather and her Arizona friends, and Regan had weddings booked beginning on New Years Eve and nearly every weekend through the end of April. On the first of May, they packed up the car and headed back to the lake.
Regan watched for the red reflectors on the trees, and when she saw them she knew the lodge was just ahead. The entrance was marked by two stone pillars, and as she steered her Subaru wagon onto the narrow asphalt drive, her headlights created eerie shadows on the surrounding trees. Ahead, the lodge was lit up from top to bottom, a habit that her grandmother had adopted her first night alone in the house.
The adjustment had been hard on Ceci. Her grandmother had been only seventy-five years old when her husband had died. Shed expected to have more time with the man shed called her husband since age nineteen. But life didnt always work out as people dreamed, as Regan had learned all too well.
She pulled the car to a stop and turned off the ignition. Grabbing her bag, she hopped out and jogged up to the front door. Regan had her own key to the lodge, but she usually announced her arrival by ringing the bell.
Nana? she called as she walked inside. Nana, its Regan.
A few seconds later, Ceci walked in from the rear of the house. Her appearance was shocking, causing Regan to gasp out loud. Since her husbands death, her grandmother had gradually lost her flair for fashion, dressing in simple clothes in somber colors, pulling her ash-blond hair back into a tidy knot. But tonight she was wearing a flowing caftan in neon pink and tangerine orange. Her hair was styled in soft curls around her face and Regan was stunned at how young she looked.
Nana, she whispered. Youre...stunning.
Ceci smiled, then twirled around. This old thing? I havent worn it in years.
You did your hair.
Is the style all right? I know its not fashionable to tease ones hair anymore, but I couldnt help myself.
You look lovely. Regan hesitated for a split second before she asked the obvious question. Why had Ceci gone to so much trouble? Regan drew in a slow breath. Whats the occasion? she asked.
I met a lovely young man at the hardware store a few weeks ago, Ceci said. Hes working on a very important project. Changing the way we think about housing. He has some papers for me to sign, so Ive invited him for dinner tonight. Since youre here, you can join us. Why dont you go tidy up while I get things ready? It wouldnt hurt for you to fix your hair and put on a little lipstick.
Is this the man you want to lease Maple Point to?
Walt Murphy should mind his own business. And so should you. If I choose to lease or sell Maple Point, then thats my decisionnot yours.
Do you even know who this guy is, Nana? He could be a con man, a swindler, one of those creeps that preys on elderly women with money. A wolf in sheeps clothing!
I havent lost my all my senses, Ceci said. I checked with our family attorney and Mr. Quinn seems to be exactly who he says he is. I never would have invited him to stay with me if I thought he was some sort of...neer-do-well.
You invited him to stay here? Regan asked.
I offered to rent him the guest cottage. I could use the extra money.
Nana, theres no reason for you to have to take in boarders. You have plenty of money. And if youre lonely you can always call me. Ill come and spend the night.
I know, dear, she said. But youre busy with your own life. And I need something to do with mine. Something to look forward to.
And thats serving dinner to some stranger?
Hes not a stranger, Ceci said. Hes a lovely man and Im sure youll agree when you meet him.
Which I plan to do right now, Regan said. When will he get here?
Oh, hes here already. Hes upstairs, Ceci said. I thought it would be nice if we dressed for dinner. Your grandfather and I used to do that and it always made dinner seem so much more special. He didnt have a dinner jacket, but I found an old one of your grandfathers and he said hed make do.
Regan groaned inwardly. It was clear her grandmother was already infatuated with this man. Dinner jackets and intimate meals for two? Someone needed to put a stop to this before Ceci got hurt, and it seemed like Regan was the only one capable of doing it. Im just going to go upstairs and introduce myself to him, she said.
Hell be down in a few seconds. Surely you can wait.
No, Regan said. I dont think this can wait. With that, she turned on her heel and started for the stairs.
When she glanced back at her grandmother, she saw a worried expression on her soft features. If this man was hoping to take advantage of her grandmother, Regan would find out. There were so many unscrupulous people in the world, people capable of ruining another persons life, people capable of stealing a persons identity. She would never allow that to happen to her grandmother. No matter how handsome or charming the man was.
Regan climbed the log stairs to the second floor and one by one searched the six bedrooms. She found his things scattered on the bed in the last room and she stepped inside to take a look.
The sound of running water filtered through the bathroom door and she listened to it with one ear, realizing that her time to do some snooping would be limited. Regan picked up his wallet and began to rifle through it. She found his drivers license and pulled it out to examine the photo. The breath froze in her throat.
Oh, my God, she murmured. Its him.
Though her grandmother had said he was handsome, shed assumed he would be a little older. The mans drivers license revealed him to be only twenty-seven years old, and in the picture he possessed a masculine beauty that any woman would be grateful to have in her bed.
She found herself staring at the photograph, trying to gauge the intent of the person behind the pale blue eyes. There was nothing she could tell from the license, however; nothing could be revealed beyond the fact that his parents had made a genetically perfect male.
He had nearly five hundred dollars in his wallet, along with a stack of credit cards. From the rest of the contents, she discovered he had a reliable dry cleaner, a favorite coffee shop and tickets for a Blizzards hockey game against New York in early December.
He had nearly five hundred dollars in his wallet, along with a stack of credit cards. From the rest of the contents, she discovered he had a reliable dry cleaner, a favorite coffee shop and tickets for a Blizzards hockey game against New York in early December.
Regan returned the wallet to where shed found it and picked up his phone. But to her dismay, hed turned it off. She pushed the power button and waited for the screen to light up. Certainly shed be able to learn more from his old texts and his photo library...
* * *
JAMIE GRABBED A towel from the pile beside the shower and wrapped it around his waist. He probably shouldnt have taken the time for a shower, considering Celia was waiting with dinner downstairs, but hed spent most of the day in the car, and the marble shower seemed like the perfect place to work out the kinks in his neck and spine.
He opened the bathroom door and stopped short when he found a woman sitting on the end of the bed, holding his phone. She glanced his way and he realized that he knew her. Its you, he murmured, recognizing the woman from the road that morning.
She stared at him with suspicious eyes. And its you. Would you like to tell me what youre doing here, in my grandmothers house?
I think the more important question is what are you doing with my phone?
She jumped up and dropped his phone on the bed as if it were made of fire. Her gaze slowly drifted from his damp hair to his naked chest and finally to the towel that hung low on his hips.
He chuckled softly. I didnt expect to see you again.
She turned toward the door, obviously torn between her desire to escape and her curiosity about the stranger standing half-naked in front of her. At the last moment, she decided to stay.
Regan, she finally said. Im Regan Macintosh. Im Celias granddaughter. My father is Celias middle son. She held out her hand, then realized his right hand was holding up his towel.
Its a pleasure to meet you, Regan, he said. He made sure the towel was knotted and shook her hand. Im James Quinn, but everyone calls me Jamie.
She glanced down at where their fingers had become entwined, her brow furrowing as if she was confused how theyd gotten that way.
She forced a smile and Jamie waited for her to explain herself. Then, suddenly, she straightened her spine and looked him directly in the eyes.
I think weve had enough of this, she said, waving her hand in the direction of his bare chest. Im sure you find it quite useful to wander about half-naked. Im sure it makes all the ladies a little breathless and dizzy. But to me it all seems a bit desperate.
Desperate? Jamie chuckled softly. How so?
Men like you need to use their best assets to their advantage, she explained. Its quite apparent that you have an incredibly hot body. But Im sure that my grandmother will be immune to such a blatant ploy.
A blatant ploy? he murmured. What exactly do you think Im doing here?
I assume youre here to hustle my grandmother out of her life savings. Isnt that what men like you use your bodies to do?
A laugh burst from Jamies throat as he realized the conclusion shed jumped to. You think Im a gigolo?
I suppose you prefer the term con artist? She cursed softly. I can assure you, if you appear downstairs in just that towel, you may give her a heart attack.
Jamie shook his head, then walked to the end of the bed to pick through the clothes hed brought along. He grabbed a pair of boxers and stepped into them, sliding them up to his waist beneath the towel. Then he pulled the towel off and draped it around his neck. Im here because I needed a place to stay and I didnt want to go to a motel. Your grandmother kindly offered to rent me her guest house and I accepted. Then she invited me to dinner. Nothing more, nothing less.
Right. Dont forget about the land youre trying to swindle. You probably think that shes an easy mark, living all alone out here, with no one to watch after her. But Im watching out for her, Regan said. And youre not going to get a finger on one single dollar of her money or one single acre of her land. Do I make myself clear?
Jamie strolled to the closet and grabbed one of the shirts he found there. Yanking it over his arms, he cursed softly. The only thing thats clear is that you are certifiably crazy.
I am not! she cried.
If you werent crazy, you would politely excuse yourself, and let me get dressed on my own.
Regan opened her mouth to utter a quick reply, but her answer died on her tongue. Were not done with this. Not by a long mile.
I look forward to discussing this further at a mutually convenient time, Jamie said.
There will be plenty of those, she said, since I plan to check up on you for as long as youre here.
Fine! he said.
Fine! she shot back. Ill see you downstairs.
Jamie watched her storm out of the room, his gaze taking in a delicious view of her backside. This was an interesting development, he mused. In truth, he was glad to have Regan around. If any of the other family members objected, Regan could provide proof that he was dealing fairly with Celia and that he had no intentions of cheating her out of anything.
Though Regan was dead wrong about his intentions, she was right about one thing. Her grandmother did seem to be excited at the prospect of company. And maybe he did use that to his advantage to get a perfect room in a perfect house on a perfect piece of property. But it was an innocent friendship, and he was expert enough at short-term relationships to make sure no one got hurt.
He finished buttoning the shirt, which luckily fit fairly well, then walked over to the mirror and raked his fingers through his still-damp hair.
Now his interest in Regan Macintosh, on the other hand... He couldnt say his intentions would remain innocent where she was concerned.
He picked up the dinner jacket Celia had given him and shrugged into it, then headed downstairs, preparing himself for a lively evening with two beautiful women.
When he entered the kitchen, Celia turned and clapped her hands. Dont you look debonair, she said, her eyes bright. She reached up and adjusted the collar of his shirt. I guessed right that youd be about the same size as Kenneth.
Regan cleared her throat and Celia glanced over her shoulder at her granddaughter. Didnt you two introduce yourselves? she asked, glancing between him and Regan.
Jamie smiled and shrugged, and he watched Regan bristle at the thought of repeating what had happened upstairs.
I know who he is, Nana. You told me his name.
But there are common courtesies that we observe in this house. Regan, darling, this is Mr. James Quinn. Hed like us to call him Jamie. Jamie, this is my favorite granddaughter, Regan Macintosh.
Jamie reached out and took her fingertips into the palm of his hand. He ignored the rush of heat that raced through his body. It was a natural reaction, he mused. It had been a while since he had been with a woman, and Regan had just seen him half-naked. He drew her hand to his lips and placed a kiss just below her wrist. Its a pleasure to meet you, he murmured.
She watched him intently, her expression one of barely concealed indifference. God, she was a challenge. He felt like a schoolboy, teasing the prettiest girl in class just to get a rise from her.