21 Marine Salute: 21 Always a Marine Tales (129 page)

“Undoubtedly, but you’re home now.” She started climbing again, lifting her skirt with one hand. “I meant what I said downstairs—I am very happy to welcome you home this year. Your mother speaks of you often.”

“She’ll be annoyed with me.” The effort to make casual conversation came out rough and jagged. “I got an earlier flight and thought I could avoid anything too elaborate when I arrived.”

“Ahh.” She hesitated and her teeth clenched together in a smile-grimace.

“It’s okay.” He held a hand up, palm out. “I know my parents. They’ve planned something special—especially since I haven’t been home for so long. They can still have it all happen, and I get some time to be here before it starts.”

“I could talk to them, if you like.” It was a kind—if tempting—offer.

“Thank you, but the last place you need to put yourself is between my parents and me.” The sentence came out far tougher than he’d intended. Exhaling a hard breath, he concentrated on sanding down his attitude. “And by that, I mean I haven’t been the poster child for good son. They’re entitled to react in a way that makes them happy.”

They’d arrived at his door and he found the silence almost as unnerving as the house itself. He’d picked out this room years ago because it was farthest from the others, nestled off a quiet hall that had a storage closet and attic access.

“Rowan, please ignore me. I apparently haven’t been around real people in a while.”

“Oh?” Her too-innocent eyes glittered under the glow from the single lamp illuminating the hall. “And what mythical people have you been spending time with?”

A rusty laugh worked its way loose. “I deserved that.”

“You did, but only a very little.” She twisted the knob and opened the door, before sweeping out of his way. “Take a shower, unpack—make yourself comfortable. The kitchen is fully stocked and we’re eating buffet-style every night except for the Yule feast. So come down whenever you like.”

She turned and walked away, and he frowned. He didn’t actually want her to go. “Rowan?”

Pausing, she swung around to look back. “Yes?”

He grasped for the first thing he could think of. “How many are here?”

“Only about a half dozen or so. The boys came out with Aaron and Melissa.” That’s right, Aaron was married. Odd how he’d forgotten that. As if she’d read his mind, she added, “Jensen is his nephew.”

“I would have thought more were here.”

“Some of us came out early to ready the house and stock food. But it’s only Wednesday, and a lot can’t get out of work before Friday. So everyone will be here by Saturday.”

Setting his bag down inside the room, he leaned against the doorframe. “You didn’t have to work?”

“The perk of accumulating vacation time that will vanish magically at the turn of the physical year. I had to use it or lose it. Why don’t you get settled and come down. I can go change and then give you the dollar tour, help you acclimate to any changes we’ve made.”

The correct answer was no, but he didn’t say that. He didn’t say that at all. “Sounds good.” Straightening, he stopped when she took a step forward.

“You remember the rules of skyclad, yes?”

“Yes,” he nodded, wondering where she was going with her question. “Unless they’ve changed.”

“No, but you seemed a bit uncomfortable with Aaron, and we may very well encounter other braver souls on our tour. At least three of the couples love to indulge in the hot tub, though we’ve had to occasionally scold them about taking it too far when the kids are here.”

He didn’t need her to define that for him. “I’m fine if you want to get naked.” Biting back an oath, he didn’t miss the faint pink flush to her face. But her peal of merry laughter eased the pain of swallowing his foot. “Eventually, I will be fit for human company.”

“If you’re not—you can still go for the tour with me. Now, go shower, relax, and change. You’re
safe
here.” At her emphasis on safe, a knot in the back of his shoulder loosened. She flicked her hand at him, and he inclined his head to the order, but he stayed to watch her walk away, practically floating down the hall with a graceful and thoroughly feminine sway of her hips.

In more than a decade, he couldn’t remember the last time anything or anyone had surprised him. But Rowan Harper—she’d done it without any type of effort. Intrigued by the prospect of her, he headed into his room and stripped on his way to the shower, barely noticing the furnishings or anything else about the room. He had a singular goal in mind and a very direct path he intended to utilize to achieve it.

Shower. Change. Find Rowan
.

Rowan couldn’t imagine what Kaiden had been through in the last few years, but the emotion in his voice had been so raw, so powerful, her heart ached. A dozen unasked questions had danced on the tip of her tongue, but beyond the desire to learn more about him came the inexplicable urge to hug him until she could wring away all the sadness coating him like some kind of sticky cobweb.

You just met the man
…. From the stunned bemusement on his face when the tweens questioned him, to the careful way he avoided looking at Aaron directly, to the rock-hard standoffishness in his manner as she walked him to his room. A miasma of
leave me alone
knotted around a deeper, more visceral,
help me
. The heady tangle of emotions disconcerted her and led to the impulsive offer to show him around.

Getting her respiration under control with a breathing exercise steadied her erratic pulse. Glancing over the railing to the first floor, she heard music drifting out of the sitting room—a modern rock beat, which suggested Aaron had taken it back over. Tim and Lynette passed through the foyer below, their arms wrapped around each other as they conversed quietly. Parker and Spence were their children, and she’d have to mention the behavioral issue later—or perhaps not. If the boys did their tasks, then the discipline had been served and no sense in stirring up any trouble.

Diverting to her room, she changed to a pair of leggings, an oversized sweatshirt, and a pair of sneakers. She’d rather be comfortable while they hiked, considering the temperatures plummeted at sunset. Rising, she caught sight of her reflection and grabbed a brush to tame her wild curls back into a ponytail, then ducked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and add a touch of lip gloss.

Why am I fussing?
The best part of hosting summer and winter retreats at the lake was the absence of all the corporate-world trappings. She could let her hair be wild, skip the need for cosmetics, and be herself. Making a face, she refused to add anything more than the gloss to her appearance and went out to find a book. She’d read in the small sitting room that faced the top of the stairs while waiting for him.

Presuming he doesn’t change his mind and still wants to go for his tour
. Ignoring the naysaying voice, she curled up in an armchair and flipped through the books sitting on the side table. They had an open library policy. Anyone could leave a book, and anyone could take a book. Picking one at random, she turned it over to read the back, but barely read the first sentence when she heard the soft creak of a floorboard. She glanced up to find Kaiden, freshly showered. The clean bite of soap and man made for a powerful scent.

“Feel better?” She put the book back and rose.

“Yes.” He scratched at his chin; he’d taken the time to shave. Like her, he’d dressed for warmth as well as comfort, though his sweatshirt read USMC while hers declared that she did believe in fairies. “It’s dark out there.”

“I’m not afraid of the dark,” she assured him and, following a quiet impulse whispering through her, held out her hand. To her surprise, he took it. “Before we go down, do you want to be social or would you like to just walk?” Because, while they only had a few Circle members present, all would want to say hello and invite him to chat.

“Walk.” He didn’t pause to consider the answer, and she’d more or less expected the response.

“Follow me.” She gave him a squeeze and led the way. Instead of releasing her, however, he tightened his grip a fraction and easily kept up with the pace she set.

Instead of going down the main stairs, she led him down another hall and past her room to the side stairs leading out behind the laundry room and back door. Their breath fogged in the chilly night air. A yellow porch light cast a golden circle on the deck, a spot popular in summer but safely empty that evening.

Pitching her voice low, she pointed at the two paths faintly visible in the ambient light. “The one on the right goes on down to the lake. We have a fairly nice beach and it’s a lot of fun in the summer. Some of our polar bears will likely do a race down there one night to plunge into the lake. I don’t recommend it. The other takes us into the woods. We’ve done a lot of work over the last few years, keeping the trails cleaned. It’s good work for the kids and keeps them out of trouble.”
Like he doesn’t already know all this, Rowan? He probably knows the area better than you do
.

Kaiden looked upward and didn’t respond. She tried to imagine how it seemed to him. The scents of pine, wood smoke, and water lingered in the chilly air.

“This is my favorite time of year,” she said after he’d been still a long while. “It’s cold and crisp and everything seems to be paused—waiting—and you know it will turn and then eventually everything will pick up speed and the temperatures will soar and the bugs will be buzzing, but not right now.”

“No, it’s quiet.”

But she couldn’t tell if that he liked the quiet or not. “Do you have a preference?” She asked when he still didn’t add anything more to his statement.

“Wherever.” He turned toward her and the weight of his gaze warmed her even if she couldn’t make out his eyes.

“Hmmm…lake.” Maybe the ebb and flow of the water would help relax the stiffness from his posture and ease the tension in his jaw. He nodded agreeably and she led the way down the path. She knew it well, but that didn’t stop her from catching a foot on an exposed tree root or her stumble. Kaiden locked his arm around her like a brace, lifting her up and over the root.

“Careful.” Brusque, he kept a firm grip on her until she patted him lightly.

“I’m fine, thank you for the save. The trail slopes and the tree roots make for great natural steps.” But erosion from heavy fall rains had undercut some of those roots and made for a treacherous walk in the dark.
I knew that—why didn’t I remember it?
Probably because she was too preoccupied with the blond man walking at her side.

“You need a flashlight.” But his curt tone faded to something softer.

“Hmm, flashlights spoil the beauty that’s waiting for you.”

“A twisted ankle spoils it a lot more.” But he didn’t press the argument, instead, reclaimed her hand and took the lead. Fortunately, he slowed his steps, even though he still managed to be two paces ahead of her. She didn’t trip over another root—Kaiden didn’t allow it.

They came out of the woods onto the crushed shell and sand beach, the dark water lapping lazily at the shore and the sky stretching off to eternity. A million stars spread across the cloudless sky and the Milky Way was close enough to touch.

It was, in every way, Rowan’s favorite part of the Lake House retreat. The magic of the universe painted across the canvas of the night sky in endless wonder. It was an experience that never failed to take her breath away. Next to her, Kaiden went completely still, yet his grip tightened.

Chancing a look at him, she wanted to ask him what he felt when he stared up at the sky, but the taut expression and tight jaw warned her off. Threading her fingers with his, she risked leaning her head on his upper arm. The muscle in his bicep flexed at the contact, but he didn’t pull away.

Little by little, he relaxed and some of the tension in the rock-hard muscle pillowing her eased. A long, harsh breath spilled out of him in a sigh. “I forgot about this.”

“No,” she whispered, certain of the truth in his reaction. “You forgot about how it makes you feel.”

After a long pause, he said, “You’re right.” Shifting his stance, he let go long enough to sling his arm around her shoulder and tug her to his chest, until he held her in a loose, one-armed hug. His attention, however, remained riveted on the sky.

Rowan had no idea how long they stood there, Kaiden provided a very warm windbreak. He rubbed his cheek against her hair once and then let her go. “It’s cold and it’s late. I should walk you back to the house.”

Accepting the suggestion, she pivoted to face him with a smile. “Hot chocolate?” When he said nothing, she led the way to the path and skipped a couple of steps. The darkness hugged Kaiden Nelson, held him far too tightly in its grip, and he needed some lightness, some simple pleasures—and what could be simpler than hot chocolate on a cold night? “If you’re very good, I’ll throw in some marshmallows.”

He turned. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because I can.” That he could even ask that question told her more than he probably wanted to share. “And because chocolate is the food of the gods….”

Kaiden dropped his chin, but skepticism shimmered in the air like heat rising off pavement.

“Come on, Marine.” She beckoned him with a curl of her fingers. “Let me introduce you to nirvana.” She’d never met a man who seemed to need it more.

Shaking his head once, he caught her hand and let her pull him back up the path—but, a couple of steps later, he took lead, then lifted her up and set her over the exposed tree root when they reached it. The swift act left her breathless.

But he was silent all the way back to the house, and quieter still in the kitchen. He never stopped watching her while she put together the hot chocolate and added marshmallows for him. The weight of his regard pressed in on her, but Rowan didn’t shy away from his directness. Setting the mug of cocoa in front of him, she tapped the side of the mug.

“Drink all of it and you’ll have sweet dreams.” Yes, her mother used to tell her that when she was little—and as ridiculous as it seemed, she thought he needed to hear something similar.