Chapter 3
Zane slid onto a stool at the counter at No Man’s Land, wishing the lousy mood the day had left him with would slide away as easily. Mandy planted a root beer in front of him without asking and he sipped at it, thinking he should trek a little farther for a real beer at Baldie’s. But he’d promised Adam he’d meet him here.
Closing his eyes, Zane tried to forget all that had gone wrong that morning and afternoon. But damn, he was tired and his aching back served as a constant reminder. The newest A To Z employee, Holly Dillard, hadn’t memorized all the items on Gambler’s Terror List, and had opened a shipping box that morning. The new personal flotation devices they’d ordered had been packed with bubble wrap. Gleeful, Holly had begun playing with the plastic sheets and the subsequent pop pop pop had sent Gambler streaking from the office. He’d broken through the screen door and escaped into the woods.
Zane had gotten muddy from his ankles to his knees during his pursuit, and was too late to stop his fretful canine from trying to smother his anxiety by rolling around in something very dead and very stinky.
Lifting his arm, he sniffed at his skin. Though he’d showered and changed, he swore he could still smell critter carcass on him. Of course, that had meant a bath for Gambler too which had gotten Zane’s clean set of clothes more wet than damp.
But then that hadn’t mattered, because half an hour later, some teenage hotshot had managed to capsize his single-person kayak a quarter-mile from the dock. Despite his life jacket, the kid had panicked and Zane had been obliged to yank on a wetsuit and swim out with a spare paddle, re-right the vessel, haul the kid into it, and coach the boy in.
Lost: the kid’s dignity and one of their more expensive pieces of equipment.
“Don’t feel like summer’s coming on, does it?”
Zane glanced over at the new arrival. Grandpa Max Tucker, ninety-three years old and still able to hitch himself up on a stool. Following the old man’s gaze, he looked toward the bank of windows overlooking the river. The mountains loomed in the background, the peaks wrapped in a blanket of gray.
“Cloudy all day,” he confirmed. “Not any actual rain, though.”
The old man grunted. “Still the goddamned most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
Grandpa Max, John Westbrook, David Bennett, and Will Coleman had traveled to Washington State after their military service in World War II. They’d heard the land was cheap and they’d needed a place to settle. On a hike into the Blue Mountains, the four had looked out over the parcel of land they were considering settling. At a decisive moment, they’d spotted a bald eagle soaring through the sky. Taking it as a sign, they’d bought the land and named the place Eagle’s Ridge.
“Beautiful…even from your bedroom at Dad’s place?” Zane asked. The old man had been forced into bunking in the small apartment above his son’s garage. In March, during a powerful storm, Max’s own home had been nearly demolished and he’d had to be rescued in a dramatic and frightening fashion by Ryder Westbrook and his cousin Ford. Thank God for them. Zane and Adam had been in Seattle and didn’t know about the danger until it had already passed.
“Nobody likes change,” Max grumbled now.
“Not even when it’s the beginning of the end of a feud that’s lasted way too long?” In the years following the establishment of the town, the Tuckers and the Westbrooks—thanks to Max and John—had entered into a long-running and contentious dispute. If it had not exactly divided the town, it had definitely divided the families. They were now in the first stages of reunification thanks to the romance between Zane’s sister Bailey and John’s grandson Ryder.
Mandy put a cup of coffee by Max’s elbow. He thanked the waitress and then scowled at Zane. “Nobody likes change,” his grandfather repeated.
Zane sighed. Hell, maybe that was why he’d been walking around like the clouds were hanging directly over him all day. The fabric of Eagle’s Ridge and of his family were indeed altering.
Without thinking, his hand went to his front jeans pocket and he touched the edge of the bookmark he’d tucked inside. His foul mood couldn’t be because the image of that pretty librarian continued to haunt him. It couldn’t be because he was carrying around that damn wisp of material like it was a talisman.
He should have left it with her at the library two days ago.
But she’d disappeared and he’d felt stupid hanging around like a hound dog hoping for scraps, so here he was, still mooning. Still carrying that damn piece of pretty point or whatever she called it.
The sound of the diner door opening caught his attention and without turning to check on the identity of the entering patron, he signaled to Mandy for another root beer. It was Adam. Zane didn’t know how he was certain it was his twin who’d just arrived, but he was.
Just as he was certain his brother felt as tired as he.
Adam gave Max and Zane a short greeting as he took a stool.
“Your rafting gig went long,” Zane said. His brother had been on guide duty that day—escorting a book group down the water who’d just read A River Runs Through It.
Adam swallowed down some root beer. “They should have taken fly fishing lessons instead. I might have gone deaf due to the squeals and shrieks.”
“You could have called me—”
“No need.” Adam waved a weary hand. “And Holly did a great job helping me button everything up once we finally made it back.”
“Speaking of Holly, we should discuss looking for additional summer employees. The bookings already reserved make it clear we’ll need them.”
Adam closed his eyes. “Can we not discuss business? I’m about to fall asleep in my root beer foam.”
“We shouldn’t put it off too long,” Zane said mildly. “We don’t want to have to resort to begging Jane’s help with the watercraft.”
That goosed a grin out of his brother. His twin had met the woman in his life when Zane sent her to him…and Adam assumed it was for a guide position—something the interior designer was wholly unsuited for.
“And there’s something else we should discuss.” Zane glanced over at Max, who’d wandered away from the counter to chat with a silver-haired crony in one of the booths. “I think there’s something going on with Dad and Brenda.”
Adam dropped his head. “I’m too tired to talk about this.”
“They’re arguing and I think it’s gone beyond bickering.”
“Maybe it’s none of our business?” his twin asked hopefully.
“Brenda joined an online dating service. Dad said he’s going to join an online dating service.”
Adam’s gaze met his own. “Dad’s never been serious about dating again.”
Yes, which was why Sam’s claim had surprised the hell out of Zane too. His dad had never even entirely removed from his house signs of his former wife. Her old aprons hung in the closet. A bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume continued to sit on the vanity in one of the bathrooms. “He seems pretty serious to me now. What do you think we should do about it?”
“Help him fill out the online form?”
This was from Jane, who’d suddenly appeared behind Adam. She put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “You smell good,” she said.
He turned on his stool, his tired expression brightening as he put his hands on her hips. “You are sunshine on a cloudy day.”
“You stole that from a song.”
“Arrest me. Lock me up in your bedroom and throw away the key.” They shared smiles.
Zane made a disgusted sound. “You two are making me want to puke.”
“Jealous,” Adam said, without taking his gaze off his girl.
Another flurry of activity at the door attracted Zane’s attention. His sister Bailey breezed in, hand-in-hand with Ryder Westbrook. “What are they doing here?”
“Didn’t our sister tell you?” Adam asked.
“I got your text, instructing me to be here.”
“It’s Bailey who wanted me to set that up—she has something to run by us. So we’re all sitting down for a meal together tonight. Dad and Brenda too, if the dinner rush isn’t too bad.”
Premonition pricked the back of Zane’s neck. “Why don’t I think she’s going to give us good news?” he murmured.
But then his sister was at the counter and he stirred himself to stand and belatedly kiss Jane’s cheek, then Bailey’s, following that up with a shake of Ryder’s hand. The guy remained the golden boy of Eagle’s Ridge, though he’d paid his dues in high school detention too, when Zane and Adam had come to know him outside of the Eagle’s Ridge feud.
Now Ryder was likely going to be a permanent part of the family, judging by the goo-goo eyes his sister sent the other man’s way.
Zane stifled yet another sigh. Change.
Grandpa Max returned to his stool and they all milled around generally chatting and catching up. Ryder was in the process of improving and expanding the local airfield. Bailey was taking her many years of chef experience and using them to open a fine-dining establishment in town.
Change, he thought again, scowling.
God, what was wrong with him? All of a sudden, he sounded old. Older than Grandpa. Pretty soon Zane was going to be yelling “Get off my lawn!” at the local kids and then turn into a total curmudgeon.
Who was he to turn his nose up at anybody achieving their dreams or finding that one person who could fill their heart? Why did he find that so irritating?
Unless it was as Adam suggested, a little voice said. Zane was jealous.
Could that be true?
Fine, maybe he was. Maybe a little. Not about the dream part. A To Z was all that for him—a dream job, a dream business. But now he was seeing his future outside of work as the grouchy bachelor uncle that everybody felt sorry for and he didn’t especially like it. At every family potluck or holiday dinner, he’d be the one showing up with the bags of ice.
Instead of thoughtful presents for his nieces and nephews, he’d be so out of touch that he’d present them with gift cards for stores where they didn’t even like to shop.
It would be up to his brother or his sister to remind him to cut his hair and buy new shirts and someday hire his elderly ass an at-home nurse.
Suddenly, the future sounded even drearier and the room he was in now seemed much too small. He vaulted out of his seat and headed for the diner entrance.
“Hey,” Bailey caught his arm. “Where are you going? We’re going to sit down together in just a few minutes.”
“Can you catch me up later?” He was in no mood to be sociable.
“No,” she said, and those prickles tickled his nape again. “I want to tell everyone at once.”
“If it’s about Ryder—”
“It’s about me. And Adam. And you. And Dad. I want you here.”
Hell. He ran his hand over his hair. “Okay, okay.” A little sister was never someone a guy could say no to. “I’ll be right back. I just need some air.”
She let him go. He strode to the door and pushed it wide, taking one long step out. Then he was forced to a halt as he came face-to-face with a female face he couldn’t seem to forget.
His fingertips slid into his pocket, touched the bookmark. “Oh. Well. Hey, Harper.”
“Hey.”
He cleared his throat. “I checked out that mystery novel you told me about. Didn’t see you around, but the other woman took care of it for me.”
“I do hope you enjoy it.” Her smile was very professional.
Still, just looking at her pleased him for some unknown reason. He took a breath of the damp air and noted how the evening chill turned the tip of her nose pink. “Are you coming in for food?” he asked, indicating the diner. Maybe the upcoming meal with his family wouldn’t be so disturbing if he could watch her from across the room eating while reading.
“I was going to get a salad to go.”
“Oh.” He rubbed his jaw, wondering how to convince her to take a seat in No Man’s Land instead. As a matter of fact, a seat right next to his, so she could distract him during the next hour of Tucker togetherness. Maybe then Bailey’s goo-goo eyes and Adam’s You are sunshine on a cloudy day wouldn’t seem so damn annoying.
A couple of women bustled up behind Harper, contemporaries of Brenda’s. “Hey, ladies,” he said, making room for them to pass. It brought him closer to the librarian and he smelled the sweetness of her hair.
One of them paused before passing through the entrance. “Zane, I’ve been thinking about you,” she said.
He turned. “What? Why?”
“Everybody’s aware you need cheering up.”
Oh, no. Oh, hell, no. “I’m perfectly fine—”
“Maureen. Maureen Goodyear. She’s on her third divorce and probably looking for a rebound man. That should do for you since you’re not interested in settling down. I’ll give her a call for you and—”
“No.” Zane’s crap mood was back and he reached out for the person who had made him feel good a moment ago. Taking Harper’s hand in his, he tugged her close to his side. “I’ve found my own woman.”
The librarian stared up at him, her long-lashed, gray eyes round. And showing sudden concern.
Yeah. Those words coming out of his mouth—and especially how easily they tumbled from it—kind of worried him too.
Harper stood, dumbfounded. Had Zane just said I’ve found my own woman?
At this big fib, the woman he’d been speaking with sent her one quick assessing glance, then disappeared into the diner.
“Okay, that happened,” the big man muttered, forking his free hand through his hair. The other still held hers in a firm grip and Harper tried to ignore the warmth traveling up her arm. The tingle running down her spine.
His gaze touched hers, then skittered off. “Uh…sorry?”
“Did you…” Harper swallowed. “Did you just intimate that we…” It seemed impossible to say it plainly.
“I intimated that I don’t need any matchmaking help.”
“By grabbing me and suggesting that I’m your current woman.”
“It just popped out,” Zane said. “Spur of the moment. Slip of the tongue. You don’t know how it’s been, everyone in town doling out the poor, poor, pitiful me treatment just because my sister and now my brother are coupled up.”
“I see.”
He looked her way, his expression turning part-hopeful, part-sheepish. “It’ll only get worse if I go in there and you aren’t by my side.”
“So I should fake being your ‘woman’ just so you can save face?”
“Ouch.” He winced. “It sounds pretty lousy when you put it that way. Really, the fact is, when I stepped out the door a few minutes ago and saw you, I thought how nice it might be to share a meal. Then the other thing happened.”
“The lady trying to fix you up.”
“She means well. They all mean well, I get that, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem like you would normally have a hard time getting your own dates.”
“Right.” Zane squeezed her fingers. “But my temporary dry spell has happened to coincide with the other Tuckers of my generation getting glued to a love interest—and it’s looking to be permanent for them.”
“Dry spell.”
He nodded. “Temporary dry spell.”
“Maybe you’d have better luck with the ladies if you didn’t make it so patently clear to everyone that you’re not interested in settling down.” She didn’t know why she said that or why she continued to talk in a tone with a distinct edge to it. “Or that you’re just a good-time guy who doesn’t want a woman he’s with to get her hopes pinned on a ring.”
He winced again. “You heard Tawny. When she was talking to me in the library.”
“Yes.” Looking down, Harper tried pulling her fingers free of his hold, but he tightened on them instead. She shifted her gaze to his and felt that pull of his searing blue eyes.
“Don’t you think it’s better to be honest?” he asked. “Should I lead someone on who’s looking for a husband when marriage is not on my agenda?”
Harper had to admit it might be better than being engaged to a woman for two years before finally confessing she’s boring and asking for the ring back. “I suppose,” she admitted. “Honesty is always the best policy.”
He smiled.
She felt it deep in her belly.
“So on that note, Harper Grace, how about we go with this simple truth? I’d like you to come inside and share a meal with me and my family.”
The cold of the evening was beginning to penetrate her light coat. She thought of a chilly walk home to her silent condo carrying greens in a recyclable clamshell versus the warmth inside the diner, the golden light that was spilling through the windows, the companionship of the people of her new community. The companionship of this big man with the most compelling eyes she’d ever seen.
Anyone would feel a little yearning, she told herself. It was natural. “Okay.”
He gave her a grin, that one she found blinding.
“But you realize no one will believe anything between us is real, right?” she continued. “They won’t fall for the fake.”
He frowned. “What?”
“Me, you.” She waved a hand between them. “Apples and oranges. Uh, triangles and squares. Leopards and…and dust bunnies. We don’t go together. They’ll see right through the sham.”
His mouth opened and before he could say anything, the diner door swung out and his twin leaned through the opening. “You coming, Zane? We’re pushing tables together and plates are being served.”
“We’re coming,” Zane replied, his gaze glued to Harper’s face. “Harper’s going to join me. Going to join us.”
“Sure,” Adam replied. “But hustle it up.”
“Hear it, honey? Big brother says hustle it up.”
Within minutes, Harper found herself seated in a chair next to Zane’s, the other beside her empty, his family ranged around. Introductions were quick and casual. Mr. Max Tucker, Zane’s grandfather, Bailey Tucker, his sister, and the guy she was “getting glued” to, Ryder Westbrook. The Tucker siblings’ father, Sam, took a seat far from her at the head of the table and a family friend and the manager of the diner, Brenda Morgan, sat at his right. Harper already knew Adam and Jane.
The waitress passed out platters of the dinner special—steamy mounds of spaghetti and meatballs accompanied by green salads and a basket of garlic bread.
They dug in.
Harper picked up her own fork too and they all devoted their attention to the food for several minutes. Then a conversation started up at the other end of the table, one that Zane ignored. Harper couldn’t help but be aware of the silence between the two of them.
And its growing awkwardness.
“This is a very good meal,” she finally ventured, casting him a quick glance.
He seemed to have something on his mind, his brows were drawn together. “Dad’s recipes are legendary.”
“I see—”
“Why would you say that no one would believe anything between us was real?” he demanded, his tone low.
“Um…”
“Leopards and dust bunnies? What the hell is that all about?”
“Well…I…” She made a helpless gesture.
“See?” he said, poking his fork in her direction. “You don’t have an answer because it’s bullshit, what you said. And I don’t like that, a woman running herself down…why? In order to fish for compliments? Do you need that kind of ego-stroking?”
She could only stare at him.
“I sure hope the hell not, because I’ve already had one beautiful, selfish, game-playing chick in my life and I’ve sworn to stay clear of any of the rest.”
She could only continue staring at him.
“The fact is, your face does something to me and your hair is soft and shiny and I bet you have a great body underneath all those flowy clothes you wear. I like how you look and I’m sure I’m not the only man whose eye has been caught in Eagle’s Ridge. So no more dust bunnies talk.”
He nodded as if the topic was closed and turned back to his food. “Now eat your dinner.”
Still frozen, she sat with her fork poised over her plate, her mind an absolute blank. What could she possibly say? Down the table, a man laughed and she glanced over, only to notice that Zane’s twin grinned the exact grin of his brother. Like his eyes were a match for Zane’s too.
A question popped into the vacuum that his astounding comments had left behind in her head. “What was it like growing up as a twin?” she asked, grateful that she’d found a way to change the subject. “Did you ever try to change places? Fool people?”
“It’s sort of hard to answer that first question since I don’t know what it’s like to not grow up as a twin,” Zane said. “He was just…that other part of me. After high school, we served our country in different branches but I always felt his presence even as I missed him like hell.”
Boy, she thought on an inner sigh. Didn’t that sound wonderful, having someone who was another part of you? When she’d become engaged to Geoffrey, that’s what she’d hoped they’d find in marriage.
“But as for changing places?” Zane was saying now. “No. We could never fool people.”
Their hair was different shades, she could see that. “Not even as children, though?”
“Definitely not as children. Adam was a ball of energy—always on the go, but I was a sickly little kid, not well enough to get out much. Asthma. I outgrew it right before high school.”
Her gaze darted back and forth between the two brothers. Asthma. It explained all the reading. “I guess you made up for lost time then,” she said. “Your muscles are amazing.”
And hearing herself, felt heat blossom over her face. She’d put her hands over it if that wouldn’t attract even more attention.
Instead of being embarrassed, Zane only gave her another of his smiles. His thigh pressed against hers and he leaned close to her ear. “Is that what you meant by leopard, honey?”
Goose bumps chased down her hot neck. “I…I…”
“What are you whispering to our new librarian?” Adam suddenly demanded, his voice carrying down the table. “You’re making her blush.”
“Telling her about that time in junior year when lusty Linda King caught us skinny-dipping in the river and then promptly turned around and asked me to the Sadie Hawkins dance instead of you.”
A roll came zinging.
Zane caught it on the fly.
Bailey hooted. “Don’t worry, Harper. Lusty Linda King didn’t last long. Zane’s always had a soft spot for the smart girls like you.”
“That’s because he sweet-talked them into doing his homework,” Adam said.
Taking in the smiling faces of Zane’s sister and brother aimed her way, Harper could only come to one amazing conclusion. Seeing her with their brother at the table, they assumed it was a dating type thing between them. And they didn’t find it unbelievable that Zane would be interested in her.
She sat a little taller in her chair. “Then I better admit that while I’m a certified spelling whiz, I’m absolutely terrible at calculus.”
The others laughed.
“But wait,” Bailey said, sobering. “If she’s going to be seeing Zane, did anybody think to caution her about the dog? Because he’s trouble wrapped in yellow fur.”
“He already knocked Harper over on their first meeting,” Jane said. “It wasn’t pretty.”
Bailey frowned. “You’ve got to get Gambler under control, Zane, he’s not a plus on your score sheet. You can be a bull in a china shop and to add to that owning a pet just like you…”
“Geez, Sis, try to keep the compliments down,” Zane grumbled.
“One more warning, Harper,” Adam said. “Don’t make any bets with my brother. They only lead to destruction—”
“Or detention,” Ryder finished for him.
“And one is going to land him in big trouble someday,” Bailey said, narrowing her eyes at Zane. “Remember I said that.”
“Or maybe not.” Harper stole a glance at Zane’s annoyed expression, then directed her attention to the others at the table. “Consider Dr. Seuss.”
A moment of silence passed.
Then Zane’s mouth twitched, his expression lightening. “Okay, honey, we’ve considered Dr. Seuss. What next?”
“Green Eggs and Ham. The book,” she clarified.
“I didn’t think you were suggesting a new dish for Dad’s diner.” Zane sat back in his chair. “What about Green Eggs and Ham?”
“It was written on a bet. With his publisher,” she said. “The Cat in the Hat uses 236 words. The wager was that he couldn’t write a book with fifty or less.”
“Fifty or less,” Ryder repeated.
Harper knew her smile was triumphant. “And to date, that book has sold over eight million copies.”
Sam Tucker laughed, shaking his head. “I’m going to have to find ours. It’s got to be around the house somewhere.”
Zane half-turned in his chair, and he studied her face, his gaze warm. Her breath caught. “Aren’t you something?” he marveled.
“I-I don’t know what you mean.” His intense regard was causing a flutter in her belly.
“You stuck up for me,” he murmured. “That’s pretty sweet. I was okay with their pestering, it’s what Tuckers do, but nobody’s ever felt the need to come to my defense since I turned fifteen and gained fifty pounds and five inches in half a year.”
At that, he reached out a big hand and brushed her hair behind her ear. Aware that they were the center of attention for the table, she struggled to hide the shiver he caused. But battling it only served to make her feel it more keenly, more widely, so that the secret caress of his fingertip along the curve of her ear felt as if he was tracing other intimate folds and other sensitive stretches of flesh.
“Zane,” she whispered, hoping it sounded like a protest instead of an entreaty.
From several seats away, she saw that Brenda was beaming at her. “I like Harper,” she declared. “I like Harper for Zane.”
Uh-oh. This shared meal wasn’t supposed to signal a true Harper-and-Zane anything. Except her pulse was stuttering and heat was gathering beneath her clothes and nothing could stop Harper’s imagination—not her good sense nor life experience—from wondering just exactly what real with Zane Tucker might be like.