Passions in the North Country (Siren Publishing Classic) (9 page)

“Devon looks handsome this morning,” Miriam suddenly said, a glint in her eyes. “Don’t you think?”

“He’s all right,” Jenny surrendered, “but not the type I find attractive. I prefer men who speak instead of grunt.”

Miriam laughed. “If you got to know him, you would love him,” she unexpectedly said.

Jenny was taken aback. “I would never love him,” she insisted, “and I highly doubt I would ever get to know him. He lives in a shell and he won’t let people in.”

“He’s a nice man, Jenny.”

“I believe he could be, but I’ve never seen it, that’s all. I’d need proof.”

“Maybe you’ll marry him someday and raise a family.”

“Maybe I’ll win the lottery and open a casino on the moon—that’s a more likely scenario than what you just described, Miriam. Really, I don’t find him attractive at all. He just doesn’t appeal to me.”

“Why? Because of his personality or because you honestly do not find him handsome?”

“Not my type,” Jenny said, wanting to end the conversation.

Miriam took the cue and changed the subject, mentioning how quickly and efficiently the young men were working. She also noted that Devon was helping out and getting along very well with Danny, actually in an unexpectedly positive way. This arrangement, Miriam said, was a stroke of genius on Jenny’s part.

It was obvious that the elderly woman looked at Jenny with admiration bordering on praise. It was as if Jenny was their salvation, an angel sent from on high to rescue them in the moment of dire need. She would resurrect the hotel, bring back the guests, the reputation, the promise, the heritage.

“I’ll do my best with the hotel,” Jenny said, understanding perfectly well that Miriam had created lofty, if not unreachable, standards for her.

When Jenny looked out the window, she saw Devon working with the painters. Then she was drawn back into her conversation with Miriam, but she continually found herself scanning the grounds for him. Many times she studied his movements, the way he interacted with others, even the way he smiled and laughed. Yes, smiled and laughed. To her he had always been a bear, a man without humor or personality, but to others he was helpful, even pleasant.

Wonder of wonders.

Suddenly he walked into the hotel and into the back room of the office. Jenny looked up at him, pretending to hardly notice, but her heart fluttered. His presence was a powerful force in her life—why and how, she did not know, but he lit her pilot light for whatever reason.

He walked to the refrigerator and got a glass of ice
cold lemonade out of the refrigerator. He ignored Jenny and she tried to ignore him, but she could not. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him. It struck her how he didn’t bother to take off his bulky work gloves and how he seemed unconcerned when some lemonade spilled on his shirt. As it got wet, the thin material clung to his virile form, exposing the bulky, thick muscles of his upper body and strong chest. Jenny couldn’t help thinking that had he been born in a different time, he might have been a barbarian traveling in search of booty and battle.

What a rough, uncultured man, she thought, fascinated by him.
I could never live with a man like him.

But she couldn’t stop watching him either. She had seen workmen before, yet none of them looked like Devon. The dark
green coveralls he wore enhanced his emerald-green eyes, and his white T-shirt matched the brilliant whiteness of his perfect teeth. He took another drink, and when he tilted his head back, Jenny noticed the thick muscles of his neck and the incredible muscular definition where his chest and shoulders meet. He was all man, so essentially, incredibly male. He had such a presence that when he was in the room, there was no way of not noticing him. And when he went outside and back to work, the room seemed strangely empty. It was almost as if the colorful world had suddenly been turned to black and white.

“So, what do you think?” Miriam said loudly, gazing at Jenny as if there might be something wrong.

“Excuse me?”

“Are you feeling well? Your face looks flushed.”

“I’m fine,” Jenny said, snapping out of her reverie.

“I was just asking you about the hotel.”

“Oh,” Jenny said. “I think the hotel is very nice.”

“No, I mean the promotional ideas. We’ve got some rooms ready now and soon we’ll have all of them. Like I said, I don’t know the first thing about attracting guests. Devon isn’t all that great a businessman either.”

“What do you mean?” Jenny asked, inexplicably feeling pleased at descriptions of his weakness in an area that was her strength.

“Well, he’s a rare talent at fixing things and repairing the hotel, but I wouldn’t exactly call him the best salesman in the world. He’s friendly to a degree, but not in the way the owner of a hotel should be. It’s as though he’s not in tune with that part of it. If he had any vision at all, he could have filled the hotel a long time ago by holding a convention for local women interested in meeting him.”

Jenny forced a laugh but actually felt a tinge of jealousy, though she would never have admitted to anyone else or even to herself that she was the slightest bit interested.

“Devon,” Miriam continued, “would rather spend his time alone than with other people. That concerns me. The other owners, even the ones who let the place fall apart, genuinely enjoyed people. That’s the only thing that saved them. I’m afraid that if people believe Devon is a sullen, moody affair, no one at all will come to the hotel.”

“I know what you mean,” Jenny agreed. “But why did he bother buying a hotel in the first place? With his temperament, he would have been better off breeding rattlesnakes. He would have made a wonderful role model for them.”

“Oh, come now,” Miriam objected, “I really think you’re being too harsh on the man.”

“With that man, no one could be too harsh.”

Miriam shrugged off Jenny’s comments. “I think he wants to earn a living with the hotel and he’s willing to work very hard, it’s just that some people are not naturally outgoing.”

“You’re always sticking up for him. You really like him, don’t you?”

“I do,” Miriam said sincerely and with genuine affection. “That man has character.” She paused, then decided to continue. “When Devon first came, the west wing of the hotel was in terrible shape. Renovating was out of the question. It made much better business sense to tear it down, and that’s what the bank advised him to do. A few days before the demolition was scheduled, I mentioned to him that the west wing was where my husband and I spent our honeymoon. The next day, without so much as a word, he changed plans and began restoring the west wing.”

Jenny’s expression softened.

“If that isn’t character, I don’t know what is.”

Jenny noticed Devon carrying lumber across the yard. “I guess he’s not one hundred percent bad.”

“He has made a world of difference here, but even with all his work, the business has to be promoted somehow.”

“The restoration of the hotel has some legs. I noticed Henry reading the local newspaper yesterday and I’m sure you could get some coverage with them.”

“I don’t think Devon has any money for advertising.”

“You don’t need to advertise. A small paper like that is always searching for interesting local stories. You could have them do a story on how the owner is restoring the building and maintaining the town’s heritage.”

“I never thought of that.”

“There must be a local historical society,” Jenny said. “They love to get involved in projects like this, and I’m sure you could enlist their support.”

“There is a historical society,” Miriam noted. “I’ve got a friend who has been in it for years. Maybe you could talk to her.”

Jenny had planned on not getting “too involved” with the hotel, doing just enough to justify her free room while not exposing herself any more than absolutely necessary, but she found herself being drawn into the world of the Riverview Hotel.

“Will you talk to her?” Miriam asked again.

“I’d love to,” Jenny responded with feigned enthusiasm.

“Good! I can set up a meeting right now.”

Oh, God, Jenny thought, what have I gotten myself into?

Miriam put on her jacket. “She only lives a couple blocks away, so I’ll walk over and arrange a time.”

Jenny tried to think of an excuse for not continuing with the scheme, but she couldn’t come up with anything. She would have to follow through with the idea, probably suffering abuse from Devon for doing so, then, once she had made a small contribution, she would shrink back into her hiding place and remain as nondescript as possible. As a girl she used to watch reruns of David Jansen trying to stay one step ahead of capture in
The Fugitive
. Never did she envision herself running for her own life, however. But that was her world now, so she might as well make the best of it. A tweak here, rub there, and the business would again become successful. Then, like the fugitive, she would move on to a new location and new challenges. Or maybe, just maybe, she had found her home.

“Could you be a dear and cover for me?” Miriam asked. “Someone has to be here just in case we have visitors, although I really don’t anticipate any. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure, Miriam, take your time. I’ve got nowhere to go.”

Jenny looked out the window and saw Miriam speaking briefly to Devon. He nodded, glanced briefly in Jenny’s direction, then went back to work. What unpleasant thoughts swirled in his mind? Was he cursing the female who had intruded on his life, or was he secretly hoping she might be able to help? Jenny was thinking about this when he glanced her way again and their eyes met. His expression was cold, unyielding. He disliked her. That was obvious. She could feel anger and resentment emanating from him. But why? What had she done?

Jenny was reflecting on this when a car pulled into the parking lot. A senior couple got out and approached Devon. He glanced at them, then continued loading his wheelbarrow as if they didn’t exist.

“Could you tell us where to find the manager?” the man politely asked.

“Um, she’s not here,” Devon mumbled.

The couple looked him up and down. It was obvious they wanted a room in a respectable hotel, but here they were being greeted by a dirty, sweaty workman with a wheelbarrow full of shingles and rotten boards. The couple was not impressed and Jenny could tell they were thinking of making a quick exit. She hurried out the door with a plate full of Miriam’s brownies.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting!” she apologized to the couple, a brilliant smile lighting up her beautiful face. “We’re so glad you’ve come to visit us at the Riverview Hotel.”

The couple smiled in a friendly, relaxed manner. It was obvious they were greatly impressed.

“Excuse the state of disrepair,” Jenny apologized, “but Mr. North, our craftsman extraordinaire, is in the process of restoring this historic hotel to its original grandeur. I’d love to show you one of our rooms.”

“We’d love to see it,” said the woman, greatly taken by the pretty young woman.

“And would you like to sample the brownies Miriam made?” Jenny asked with a sparkle in her eyes. “They’re devilishly good.”

The man looked at his wife, nodded, then each accepted one.

“Oh, they are good,” the man said, nodding with enthusiasm.

His wife slightly covered her mouth. “Delicious,” she said.

Jenny looked as happy as a bird. “I am so, so glad you came to join us at the Riverview Hotel. It’s always nice to make new friends.”

Devon rolled his eyes, staying out of the way as the woman worked her magic.

“Come with me,” Jenny said, leading them toward the office. “I’m sure you’re looking to get settled in.” She talked to them as if they were lifelong friends. “The restaurant is open and please let me recommend the seafood.” She looked back at them and laughed warmly. Suddenly she noticed Devon looking at her. Their eyes locked for a few seconds and she saw something she wasn’t sure of, but something that interested her. As crazy as it seemed, Devon looked like he was afraid of her. Why and how, she had no idea, but she could see trepidation, even fear, in his eyes. Jenny turned back to the couple. “I’m going to give you the best room we have,” she said quietly, almost as if she was doing something extremely special for them.

“Oh, that would be nice,” the woman said.

After the couple was settled, they went off sightseeing and Miriam returned. Jenny told her about the guests and how pleased they were, so pleased in fact that they were planning on staying for two days, maybe even three. Miriam profusely thanked her and then said the lady from the historical society had always loved the hotel and was thrilled at the idea of working with Jenny.

“I’m having second thoughts about this, Miriam,” she said.

“What do you mean, dear?”

“About the hotel. I really don’t think Mr. North wants my input and it would be no pleasure working somewhere you’re not wanted.” She knitted her brows. “He’s dead set against me for some reason. Frosty as hell. I don’t know what his problem is, but it’s no fun to deal with.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Miriam dismissed. “He’s just used to being independent. He’s a man, Jenny,” she added as if that comment was supposed to explain everything. “A man, Jenny. You know men—they think they’re big and strong and can handle anything. It’s hard for them to admit that sometimes they need women. It’s a shock to their system, dear.”

“But—” Jenny began, then quickly stopped when Devon walked into the hotel.

“Mr. North,” Miriam said nonchalantly, “Jenny has some wonderful ideas for promoting the hotel. Is it all right with you if she helps out?”

Jenny felt like crawling into a hole.

“Help out or take over?” Devon snapped.

Jenny angrily turned to him. “What is your problem, buster!”

Miriam literally jerked back.

“I didn’t ask you for help,” he snapped, walking to the refrigerator and taking another drink of lemonade, though it was obvious he was barely thinking and was acting more out of agitation than thirst. “I don’t need your help.”