CHAPTER TWO
Cam arrived at the lodge at ten minutes before nine. At least Scarlet Lindquist couldn’t accuse him of being late.
That was probably the only thing she wouldn’t accuse him of.
He winced when he thought of their conversation the previous evening. He shouldn’t have come right out and asked the question that had been worrying him ever since Ethan had announced his engagement. It had been rude and insulting. But he knew better than most the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy. He’d been relieved when Scarlet denied it.
He hoped she was right.
He parked his truck away from the construction chaos surrounding the lodge. Drew’s car was nowhere to be seen. Good. He’d come a few minutes early on purpose, hoping to apologize to Scarlet for his rudeness. Though he was sorry for the way he’d acted toward her, it didn’t change his wariness about his brother’s upcoming wedding. Someone as rich as Ethan had to be very careful.
He made his way to the large white canvas tent that had been set up a short distance from the lodge on what had formerly been the parking lot. The sides of the tent had been rolled up to allow a breeze to blow through. Even at nine a.m. it was already hot.
Scarlet was inside the tent, fighting to untangle what looked like miles of mini-lights. For a moment, he studied her unobserved. She had the fair, creamy skin of a redhead, with a smattering of freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. She wore a blue tank top and denim shorts that left acres of creamy thigh exposed.
He’d always been a sucker for a woman with great legs.
Cam struggled to focus on her face instead. She looked up when he cleared his throat, her expression wary.
“Hi. Thanks for coming. We’ve got a lot to get done.”
“No problem.” He shuffled uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “Listen, I want to apologize for what I said last night. I insulted you and your sister, and I’m sorry.”
She silently continued to untangle the lights, her eyes on her task. When she finally lifted her gaze to his, her mouth was unsmiling and her chin lifted at a defiant angle. “Are you planning to cause trouble for my sister? Because if you are—”
“No.” He held his hands up in surrender. “Hell, no. The last thing I want to do is interfere. I’m simply concerned. Ethan was engaged once before, and it was a disaster. The woman faked a pregnancy so he’d marry her and she could get her hands on his money.”
Scarlet’s eyebrows rose. “That’s pretty intense. I didn’t know.” She set aside the lights. “I’m sorry he had a bad time, but Harper’s not looking to use him. She loves him. She’s a good person.”
He nodded, accepting her words with a grain of salt. Of course Scarlet would defend her sister. Still, he hoped she was right.
“And you’re wrong about why Harper went back to Ethan. You think it was because he handed over ownership of the lodge to her, free and clear.”
“Wasn’t that what happened?” When Harper broke up with him, his brother had papers drawn up, giving her everything. As far as Cam was concerned, it was the stupidest thing he’d ever done.
“Harper wouldn’t sign those papers. She didn’t want Ethan to think the money was more important to her than he was. She drew up her own papers. Ethan now owns fifty percent of the lodge.”
That was a surprise. Ethan hadn’t shared this information with him. He hadn’t shared the information about giving Harper complete ownership either, but Lydia had filled him in. As Ethan’s financial advisor, she’d been concerned.
This new information, if true, put Harper’s relationship with his brother in a different light.
Drew walked into the tent, giving Scarlet a friendly smile. “Good morning. I see the decorating crew’s all here. I hope I’m not late.”
“No, at all. We’re just getting started.”
Cam noticed that the greeting Scarlet gave his nephew was much warmer than the one she’d given him. The smile she bestowed on Drew made his jaw clench. Trying to keep the edge out of his voice, he asked, “What would you like us to do?”
She lifted another string of white mini-lights. “My plan is to string these lights between the main supporting poles and some of the side supports and then cover the lights with tulle.”
“With what?” Drew asked.
Scarlet grinned. “With tulle. It’s a gauzy, see-through fabric. Trust me, it’ll look really pretty and make this tent look better than the canvas hut it is right now.”
She showed them where she wanted the lights strung. With the help of some staple guns and a couple of ladders borrowed from the construction crew, they got the job done.
“Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself,” Drew said, looking up at the ceiling of the tent. He swatted at a mosquito on his arm.
Scarlet handed him a can of mosquito repellant. “Are you kidding? It looks great! But don’t rest on your laurels yet. I have a few more things for you to do.”
“Like what?” he asked, spraying his arms with repellent.
“I’ve got a couple of wooden arbors. I want to string lights through one and place it at the entrance to the tent.”
“But the whole tent is open,” Drew argued. “How are people supposed to know where the entrance is?”
Scarlet grinned. “Because we’ll show them.”
“Where does the other arbor go?” Cam asked.
“On the hill overlooking the lake where the ceremony is going to take place.”
Cam and Drew strung the lights through the latticework of the arbor and set it in the spot Scarlet directed them to. She put the finishing touches on it by covering the lights with tulle. Cam could see her vision coming together, truly transforming the utilitarian tent into something beautiful.
After attaching the mini-lights to extension cords that were plugged into a generator next to the lodge, he and Drew tested the lights. When they were satisfied everything worked properly, they went back into the tent to find Scarlet. She was standing in front of the second arbor, a bundle of tulle in her hands.
“What’s next, boss?” Drew asked.
“We’re almost done,” she said with a smile. “I just have to figure out what to do with this second arbor. Harper wants things to be kept simple at the ceremony. She thinks the lake and trees are enough decoration.”
Drew lifted a piece of material and let it drop. “Why not decorate the arbor the same way you did the other one, with this tulle stuff?”
“I could, I suppose.” She gave Drew a patient smile. “But I’d like something different, something to set it apart and make it a little more special.”
“Do you have any more decorating material?” Cam asked.
She turned cool eyes to him. “Yes, I’ve got a box of ribbon. Over there.”
She pointed to a cardboard box sitting on the ground on the other side of the tent, and Cam went to retrieve it. There were several rolls of ribbon, some silver and some in a dark emerald green, the same color as Tessa’s flower girl dress. Harper had purchased the dress at a bridal shop in Brainerd, and a local seamstress had hemmed it and made a few alterations so it fit his daughter perfectly.
“How ’bout we wind some of these ribbons through the arbor. It’ll match your dresses.”
“How did you know our dresses were this color?”
“I assumed they were the same color as Tessa’s. Am I wrong?”
“No, they’re the same color.” She said the words reluctantly, as if unwilling to concede even this small point to him. “I was going to use the ribbon to tie green and silver balloons from the three support poles. I don’t have enough for the arbor as well.”
“What if we only make a balloon and ribbon display on the center pole? That way we’d have enough.”
Her brow wrinkled. “I suppose that could work. What do you have in mind?”
Cam lifted some of the silver ribbon from the box. It was about three inches wide and had metal wire embedded on the edges of the fabric that allowed it to be manipulated and folded anyway he chose. He wove silver ribbon through the latticework in one direction, then the green in the opposite, creating a checkerboard affect. He stepped back to check it out. Not bad on short notice.
Scarlet walked around the arbor, examining it with a critical eye. “It looks good. I like it.” She sounded surprised.
“Well, you know, Uncle Cam is an artist,” Drew said with a grin.
She turned to look at him, lifting an eyebrow as if she expected an explanation. Cam shrugged. “I do some drawing.”
“Come on, Uncle Cam. Don’t be so modest.” Drew turned to Scarlet. “He’s an amazing artist. Get him to show you some of his drawings sometime. And he makes furniture.”
“A man of many talents.” There was a slight mocking tone in her voice. Cam inwardly sighed. He couldn’t blame her. He hadn’t given her much reason to praise him. Or like him.
“So, will this do for the second arbor, or would you like to try something else?” he asked.
“No, this is perfect. Thank you. All we have to do now is set it up on the hill.”
He and Drew carried the arbor a short distance to a small, flat-topped hill overlooking the lake. Cam smiled as he set it down. It was a beautiful spot for a wedding ceremony.
He hoped the marriage wasn’t as short as the wedding ceremony was supposed to be.
“Where do you want this?”
Scarlet walked to a spot near the edge of the hill. “Right here. That way it’s behind Ethan and Harper and will frame the view of the lake.”
He could see it. Scarlet had a good eye.
They secured the arbor with pegs. “Do we need anything else up here?”
Scarlet shook her head. “Only the flowers, but I won’t be picking those up until this afternoon. The ceremony won’t be more than fifteen minutes, so everyone will have to stand. I’m afraid if we bring chairs, they’ll sink into the ground.”
“What’s left to do?”
“The last thing is blowing up the balloons and tying them to the center support.”
“I was thinking,” Cam began. “You have lots of balloons. We can use what’s left of the ribbon on the center support and then make smaller displays with just balloons on the other two support poles. It would look more balanced that way.”
Scarlet cocked her head slightly as she examined him. “You really are an artist, aren’t you?”
“Told you,” Drew said with a grin.
Cam looked away, embarrassed by her words. He rarely talked about his artwork and almost never showed it to anyone outside of his family. His voice sounded gruff as he spoke to his nephew. “Come on, kid. You’re so full of hot air you should be able to blow up a few balloons.”
The delivery truck with the rented tables and chairs arrived as they finished hanging the last of the balloons. He and Drew helped unload and place the tables and chairs around the perimeter of the tent. Scarlet had also rented a portable wooden dance floor that they set up in the middle of tent, between the first two support poles.
“I think that’s it, gentlemen,” Scarlet said when they’d finished putting together the dance floor. “Thank you for all your help. I couldn’t have done this on my own.”
“You’re welcome,” Drew said. He slapped Cam on the back. “I’m ready for lunch. How about you, Scarlet? You want to join us? I hear Miller’s has a really good lunch buffet.”
“Thanks, Drew, but I can’t. I still have a lot of things to do before the ceremony at five o’clock.”
“How about you, Uncle Cam? You ready for lunch?”
Cam hesitated. He didn’t want any bad feelings to linger between him and Scarlet, not on Ethan’s wedding day. It suddenly felt very important that she forgive him for his stupid remarks last night. “You said you had to pick up flowers?”
“Yeah, in Brainerd.” She checked her watch. “I should probably leave soon.”
“Why don’t I pick up the flowers while you have lunch with Drew? I’ll bring them back here and we’ll help you with them. That way you won’t be so rushed for time.”
Her blue eyes regarded him with a mixture of surprise and curiosity, which was better than the hostility he’d seen in them earlier. “That would be very…helpful. Thank you.”
“That’s me. Mr. Helpful.”
When she laughed, something twisted inside his chest, as if a muscle he hadn’t used in a very long time unexpectedly jerked back to life.
Damn.
There was no doubt she was a beautiful, desirable woman. And that was the reason he couldn’t let himself feel anything for her, or even like her. He’d made the mistake of falling hard for another beautiful woman, and she’d ripped his heart in two. But she’d also given him Tessa, and he’d spent the last five years walking a tightrope between heartache and joy.
A very uncomfortable place to be.
Cam frowned at his reflection in the mirror, at the crooked, bulky knot he’d made in his tie. How the hell did other guys wear one of these damn nooses around their necks every day? “Can’t I wear a t-shirt?”
“To my wedding? I don’t think so.” Ethan spun him around, untangled the tie and flipped up the collar of Cam’s shirt. “When was the last time you wore a tie?”
He knew the date exactly. “Seven years ago.”
Ethan’s eyes met his. “Dad’s funeral.”
Cam nodded curtly. The last thing he wanted to think about, the last thing he wanted Ethan to think about on his wedding day, was their father. But the old man cast a long shadow, even from the grave.
Ethan skillfully looped the silk tie into a perfect knot, then gave it a tug, nearly strangling him. Cam stuck his finger between his neck and the collar of his shirt. “Geez, give me a break here.”
“Fine.” Ethan loosened the tie enough to ease the strangling sensation. “Have I ever told you what a big baby you are?”
“Have I ever told you you’re a pain in the ass?”
“Many times.”
A knock sounded on Cam’s bedroom door before Drew stepped inside. “Are you two ladies ready? Mom says it’s time to go.”
Cam slipped on his suit jacket. “Don’t be a smartass, Drew. Just because you’re dressed up all pretty doesn’t mean I can’t kick your ass.”
“In your dreams, old man.”
Spoken with the confidence of a twenty-one-year old. Cam had been there once, a long time ago, as brash and cocky as his nephew. But these days, he sometimes felt as ancient as Drew believed he was.
“Give us a minute, will you?”
“Okay, but make it quick. Mom’s starting to get antsy.”
“We’ll be right there.”
Drew nodded and shut the door as he left.
Ethan frowned. “Is there a problem?”
“I need to ask you, are you sure?”
“About marrying Harper? Absolutely. More sure than I’ve ever been about anything in my life.”
He’d answered with no hesitation. His face was calm and his voice steady. He looked…happy.
“Is it true that you and Harper have divided up the ownership of the lodge fifty/fifty?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“A little birdie told me.” A long-legged, redheaded flamingo. “Is it true?”
“Actually, I own fifty percent of the lodge and Harper and her sisters share the other fifty percent. It was Harper’s idea. Why are you asking about this now?”
“It doesn’t matter. Not if you’re sure.”
“I am. I love Harper. I’ve never met anyone like her. She doesn’t care about the money. She loves me for me. Do you know how rare that it?”
“Yeah, I do.”
He’d once believed Laura loved him that way, but he’d been wrong. Very wrong. He prayed Harper Lindquist cared as much for Ethan as he did for her, and that she wouldn’t abuse his love. “I want you to be happy.”
“I will be. I already am.”
Cam breathed a sigh of relief and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Then, let’s go get you married.”
As soon as they opened the door, Tessa launched herself at him, hugging him around the knees. “Daddy! We’ll be late for the wedding! Auntie Lydia says!”
Cam hoisted her into his arms. She smelled like a sweet combination of baby shampoo and roses. Lydia and his teenage niece Carrie had curled Tessa’s long, dark hair into shining ringlets that bounced when she moved. She clutched her wicker basket with both hands as if afraid to lose some of the precious rose petals inside. The poufy, emerald green flower girl dress was silky in his hands and made Tessa look like a tiny princess. His little princess.
Cam kissed her cheek, his heart overflowing with love for his child. “Don’t worry, pumpkin. They can’t start without the flower girl.”
“Or the groom,” Ethan said.
“Yeah, he’s kind of important to this endeavor,” his brother-in-law Graham added with a grin.
“Come on, boys.” Lydia slapped Cam on the butt. “You can crack jokes later. Right now, we have a wedding to get to.”
Lydia hustled them into the waiting limousine and they made the ten-minute trip to the lodge. Guests had started to arrive and were milling around the wedding tent they’d decorated that morning. Since the lodge was a construction zone, the tent had been the only solution. Cam wondered why Harper hadn’t opted for a fancier wedding at a posh hotel in the city or a destination wedding somewhere in the Caribbean. His brother would have given her anything she asked for.
Maybe Ethan was right about the money not being important to her. He hoped so.
“Harper said the bridesmaids would be waiting in the tent,” Ethan said. “You can take Tessa there.”
He walked Tessa to the tent while the rest of the family made their way to the hill overlooking the lake where the ceremony was to take place. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, perfect for an outdoor wedding. The temperature was cooler in the shade of the trees surrounding the tent, the air scented with pine. As soon as he entered the tent his gaze locked with Scarlet’s. His breath caught in his throat. If he’d thought her attractive before, in shorts and a tank top, she was magnificent now in emerald silk. The color brought out the vivid red of her hair.
Holding Tessa’s hand, he approached her. Harper’s youngest sister Maggie was there, as well. Where Scarlet had blue eyes and red hair, Maggie had dark brown hair and eyes.
“Ethan said I was to bring Tessa here so she can walk to the ceremony with you.”
Scarlet nodded. “Yes, of course—”
“Daddy, I want to go with you!” Tessa clung to his leg.
He put a hand on her head and tried to sooth. At five, she was very wary of people she didn’t know. Her mother’s constant stream of boyfriends probably didn’t help, he thought bitterly. “It’s okay, pumpkin.”
Before he could say anything more, Scarlet stooped so she was at eye level with Tessa. “Of course, you can go with your daddy now if you want to. But maybe it would be fun to walk with my sister Maggie and me. My name is Scarlet. Remember, we met last night at the rehearsal dinner?”
“Yes, I remember.” Tessa let go of his pant leg.
“My sister Harper is going to marry your Uncle Ethan.”
Tessa responded with an enthusiastic nod. “And I get to be flower girl.”
“I know. It’s exciting, isn’t it?”
Tessa nodded again.
“If you come with me and Maggie to the ceremony, you can toss your rose petals on the ground as we walk up the aisle.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. If you get nervous, you can hold my hand if you want to. We’ll all walk together to the same place where your daddy and Uncle Ethan will be. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Scarlet extended her hand. “Let’s shake on it.”
Without hesitation, Tessa put her hand in Scarlet’s. And just like that, she erased his daughter’s fears.
He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or worried.
Scarlet rose to her full height, still holding Tessa’s hand. When she looked at him, the smiling face she’d presented to his daughter was gone. “Harper should be here any minute, then we’ll be joining you. It won’t be long.”
Cam forgot to breathe. Scarlet’s skin was flawless and pale, the freckles he’d noticed earlier making her even more attractive. He had the insane desire to run his finger over her cheek and discover for himself if it felt as soft as it looked.
“Harper is here,” Maggie said, breaking the spell.
Cam blinked and looked over Scarlet’s shoulder. Harper had entered the tent through the back with Reese Hanson and his wife, who leaned heavily on a cane. He didn’t know that Reese, the general contractor on the lodge renovation, and Harper were so close.
“Abby was our mother’s best friend,” Scarlet said, reading his thoughts.
“Right. Ethan mentioned that.”
Ethan had also told him that Harper’s parents had died in a boating accident when she and her sisters were very young. Maybe that’s why Scarlet connected with Tessa so easily. She would know what it was like to be a child and feel alone and scared.
He forced himself to look away. “I should go. Bye, Tessa. I’ll see you in a couple of minutes.”
“Bye, Daddy,” she said happily, still holding Scarlet’s hand.
With one last glance at the two of them, he left the tent and made his way to the spot where the ceremony was to take place. Maybe he’d misjudged both Harper and her sister.