Garden of Dreams (11 page)

Jackie gave her a quick, shy smile. “JD said he'd teach me. Thanks for showing me the path. See you later.”

He hurried off to make certain she wouldn't embarrass him by showing up in front of his new friends. Nina chuckled and shook her head. Some things never changed.

She had a rough time imagining a man with muscles like JD's as a computer whiz. Computer programming required intense concentration and immense amounts of patience. JD might manipulate a keyboard, but she simply couldn't see her motorcycle-riding guest in the role of programmer.

She hurried back to straighten up the greenhouse and a few of the garden beds before Mr. Herrington arrived. She didn't have much, but she was particularly proud of the way the pale pink shrub roses cascaded over the rock wall to mix with the pots of salmon geraniums in the driveway below. The combination had been accidental but effective. By next year the creeping sweet William would fill in the bare spaces around the roses and throw more color over the dreary wall. She wished she could have taken landscaping in college, but there had been no point.

Once she'd neatened the outside as much as possible, Nina washed her hands and retreated to her desk to organize a file of the plans she'd made so far. She didn't have aerial photographs as JD suggested, but she had a surveyor's drawing of the land and a number of photographs to indicate the possibilities. She'd even taken some pictures last winter showing how a wildlife exhibit would work during the off-season.

By the time an old Jeep pulled up the drive, her teeth were chattering with nervousness. She was about to make a total fool of herself trying to convince this important man that a botanical garden would succeed in this outpost of nowhere.

She cast a panicky glance at the closed door of the front bedroom. Maybe she should wake JD. Obviously, he could fast-talk. anyone into anything.

But she couldn't rely on him. In another month or less, JD would be gone. Straightening her shoulders and clamping down on her jittery stomach, Nina walked out on the front porch to greet her guest.

Albert Herrington wasn't exactly what she expected. For one thing, he was too young. She had expected a venerable professor with wrinkles of wisdom. Or at least a respectable middle-aged balding Englishman. The lanky, sun-blond man loping across her lawn couldn't be much older than she.

“Miss Toon?” He held out his hand before he even reached the porch. “So happy to meet you. Where is Mr. Smythe? Am I too early?”

Smythe? The lying, conniving... Nina smiled brittlely. “Mr. Smith operates on his own time. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Herrington.” She took his hand without shattering into little pieces. Oddly enough, her disappointment in the man's looks made it easier to relax. How could one be nervous around an overgrown puppy?

“It's quite an exciting idea he has for this area. You're to be commended for your willingness to donate so much land, Miss Toon. A botanical garden showcasing the wonders of Western Kentucky's wilderness areas, brilliant idea. I do hope Mr. Smythe appreciates the immensity of the project.”

Translation: the enormous funding required, Nina thought wryly as she stepped down from the porch. She smiled politely and indicated the walkway to the side of the house and garden. “I'm sure he does. I see it as a community effort, Mr. Herrington. It will have a major effect on surrounding areas, so we must involve everyone in the lakes area to obtain the support a project like this requires.”

He beamed at her. “Quite so, Miss Toon. I understand and empathize with your sentiments. It wouldn't do to alienate the locals, would it?” He glanced back toward the road. “Shouldn't we wait for Mr. Smythe?”

“We might wait the entire day. Let me show you the way the land lies. If Mr. Smith comes, he'll find us easily enough.” With any luck, Mr. Smith would sleep until midnight.

Sometimes, she had no luck at all. Just as Nina thought they'd neatly made their escape onto the wooded portion of the path, JD sauntered out the back door and raised a hand, flagging them down. To Nina's surprise, he'd actually donned a blue chambray shirt and almost-respectable khaki trousers. He'd also slicked his hair back and removed his rakish bandage, and he wore his horn-rimmed glasses. He looked more English than the Englishman, except for the bronzed coloring. Even the walking stick enhanced the image.

Nina fought back a scowl as she introduced the two men. The friendly puppy waxed enthusiastic while JD shoved a hand in his pocket and grunted unobligingly. So much for the fast-talker. She could kick him.

Nina led the way, pointing out the views of the lake, the slope begging for terracing, the woodland descending into wetlands and back to meadow. To her, the possibilities loomed as wide as the horizon, and she wanted Albert Herrington to see it. To her approval, he bubbled over with more ideas than she'd dared develop in years.

“The wetlands are unique in an inland area like this,” Albert proclaimed as they strolled toward the house. They'd reached a first-name basis, no thanks to JD's taciturnity. “The water fowl alone will draw tourists in the spring and fall. Your idea for wildlife feeding stations in the winter is commendable, but I'll have to do some consulting on the matter. Gardens and wildlife are not always compatible, and this place may be a trifle hazardous to reach when the weather turns.”

“Not if the state four-lanes the main road as they've proposed,” JD interrupted unexpectedly. “I calculate we can build an entrance not two miles from the highway. Heavy snow might cause a problem, but I understand that's unusual here. The whole point of this venture is to provide year-round income for the area.”

Nina raised her eyebrows in surprise at how quickly he had grasped not only her intent, but the hazards of carrying it out.

“It will be a pleasure working with a man of your vision, JD.” Albert stopped at the drive to shake JD's hand. “And you, Nina.” He smiled at her from his lofty height. “I shall be delighted to work with as lovely a lady as yourself anytime. You are not at all as I envisioned. Perhaps we could have lunch together after I've made a few preliminary sketches?”

JD continued scowling, and Nina threw him a nervous glance. No mention of money had passed anyone's lips. She couldn't afford even preliminary sketches. Uneasily, she replied, “You do realize the funding isn't under way yet? This will have to be a long-term project.”

“Of course, Nina,” Albert responded cheerfully. “JD's company can only lay the foundation. The rest will come with time and effort. I'm honored you chose me to help with the foundation.”

After several more optimistic remarks on the subject, Albert departed, leaving Nina standing uncomfortably close to her guest.

“What on earth did you tell that poor man?” she demanded. “JD's company?” she mocked. “Do you have any idea how much sketches on a project this size could cost?”

He glared down at her. “I thought he'd be a paunchy old man, one of those English gardener types with funny-looking hats and leather patches on their jackets.”

Nina stared up at him. “Are you out of your mind? What do his looks have to do with anything?”

“Never mind.” JD shoved his hands in his pockets and retreated into some interior world of his own. “We discussed the sketches. My contacts can afford it. The next step is finding more financial support. I have to get back to work.”

He wandered back toward the house, leaving Nina staring after him. Why in the name of all that was holy did she see loneliness behind those dark eyes of his? A man like JD Smith didn't have time for loneliness.

And how could she come to such a conclusion when she didn't even know what kind of man JD Smith actually was?

JD returned to the house and maturely refrained from slamming the door of his room as he headed back to his computer.

He'd thought the foppish voice on the other end of the telephone line belonged to an old man, a bumbling professorial type. He'd meant to delight his hostess with his offering and keep her happy puttering in the garden while he finished this dratted program. He hadn't meant to provide her with a classic movie star from a Brit cinema, one who would gush all over her and make her eyes light with anticipation.

He should have known better. The Marshall luck with women wouldn't succumb just because he'd stepped out of the fast lane into this pastoral setting. Idiot idea thinking a pixie shepherdess might have more discerning tastes or understanding attitudes than California blondes or European sophisticates or any of the other assorted females he'd encountered over the years. He wouldn't even get into the ones his father and grandfather and uncles had won and lost.

Wincing as he brushed at his hair and hit the wound on his head, JD returned to his senses. He was behaving like a jackass. He could develop a whole new Monster House around his behavior today. He barely knew Nina, and he wanted to throw a protective shield around her and keep her to himself. Damned Marshall Neanderthal genes.

He needed to keep his nose to the computer, where it was safe. His foot would certainly appreciate it if nothing else. Propping the throbbing appendage on an open dresser drawer, JD returned to the tedious task of adding the final touches on the banking program. The explosion of creativity that had started this project had dwindled to monotonous fine-tuning, but he didn't want the program in anyone's hands but his own. He might be handicapped when it came to figuring out women, but he understood the greedy part of human nature only too well.

A persistent knock intruded just as JD succeeded in immersing himself in his work. He frowned and hoped it would go away as he typed in a set of instructions. The knocking became more insistent, accompanied by a feminine call of his name. Just the sound of her voice decimated his concentration.

“What?” he demanded irritably, scraping the chair back and swinging his foot down. To his surprise, the room was almost dark. He switched on a lamp and tried to rise, but his leg had fallen asleep. Groaning, he massaged the pins and needles.

“Did you tell Jackie when to come home? It's getting dark, and I'm not certain how safe it is out on the lake on a Saturday night.”

Jackie. Oh, shit. Rubbing his bleary eyes, JD staggered to his feet and opened the door.

Nina stood there in a rumpled pair of camping shorts and a loose T-shirt smeared with dirt. The worry in those fine green eyes held his attention more than his fascination with the size of the breasts behind her loose shirt.

“I didn't give him a time. I just figured he'd show up when he got hungry.” The angry flash of her eyes warned he made a lousy excuse for a father—or brother, as she thought him.

“You'd better drive down to the cove and see if you can find him. I'll take a lantern down the path just in case he got lost. A lot of beer drinking goes on at that dock. I wouldn't want him falling in with the wrong crowd.”

She turned around and marched away, leaving JD feeling like a fool. Of course there was beer drinking at the dock, especially on a Saturday night, even in a dry county. He knew that. Why hadn't he considered it before he let Jackie go?

Because he didn't know a damn thing about being a father. He certainly had no example to follow. That didn't mean he should raise Jackie the way he'd been raised. He didn't want Jackie growing up feeling as if he could go to hell and back with no one watching.

He grabbed his motorcycle keys and limped for the door. When he saw Nina reappear with a lantern, he took it from her and set it aside. “It'll be dark soon. Stay here and I'll call you if I have trouble finding him.”

She picked up the lantern again and headed for the door. “Don't be ridiculous. I've lived here all my life and nothing's ever happened to me. I'll just go down the back way and make certain he hasn't lost the path. The worst I might encounter is an amorous skunk.”

He grinned at that, imagining the stern schoolteacher glare the skunk would encounter. But he knew the other kind of skunks lurking in the night. “If you want to be useful, call for a pizza delivery. I'm starving. I'll pay.”

She let him set the lantern aside without argument. He might not know a great deal about women, but he didn't think this one was so easily dissuaded. He glared down at her deceptively innocent eyes. “I'll find him, all right?”

She shrugged. “You're the boss. I'll go call Mama Rosa's.”

JD didn't like the way she said that, but he didn't have the inclination to stand there and argue. He slammed out of the house, failing the manly in-charge image when he limped and nearly tripped down the damned stairs.

Nina watched him from the screen door. Whatever else JD Smith might or might not be, he was a concerned brother with a feudal attitude toward women. She rather liked his foolish attempt to protect her from the shadows of night.

She placed the call to Rosa and told her she would collect the pizza later. Delivery service had not yet reached Madrid.

Then she lit her lantern and went in search of Jackie.

She found him at the same time JD did. The thick saplings along the shoreline concealed any noises from the dock, but the violent gagging behind the sassafras shrubs led them both to their quarry.