Spellbound Falls (20 page)

“Where has he been all those years, Caleb? What did Sam do in the military?”

“I can’t rightly answer that. I think he was special ops or
CIA or something before he got busted up.” Caleb held up his hand when she tried to say something. “I do know he’s been out of the country most of that time. He stopped to see me about thirty years ago and said he’d give his right arm to move home to Maine. But then he just suddenly disappeared again a couple of weeks later.”

She touched his arm. “I can’t take the chance he might go crazy all of a sudden, Caleb. What if he has a flashback or something?”

“No, it’s not like that. Sam’s not shell-shocked or unstable. I think he’s just tired more than anything. And he’s still healing from whatever caused that limp.” Caleb glanced past her shoulder, his face suddenly smoothing in relief. “And your other employee seemed to size him up quickly enough and decide he was okay. Didn’t you see the look that passed between them?”

“I saw it.”

“It appeared to me as if they sort of… recognized each other. You know, like that band-of-brothers thing military men share? Please, couldn’t you just give Sam a chance? For me?”

“Is there a problem?” Mac asked—which explained Caleb’s look of relief.

“Livy’s just worried about my dropping Sam off here without her knowing anything about him. Especially because she didn’t get to do a background check on him. But I’ve given her my word he’s okay, which she’ll see for herself if she gives him a chance.”

“Would you excuse us a minute, Caleb?” Mac said with a slight bow, taking hold of her elbow and leading her away.

She pulled free but continued walking until they were several paces away and then turned. “I am quite capable of making my own decisions regarding Inglenook.”

He folded his arms over his chest. “I am well aware of that. I’m just wondering if you took the time to consult your gut on this particular decision.”

“Excuse me?”

“Did you not say that your gut told you there was something not right about your previous employee—even though you must have done a background check on him?”

Dammit; Mark was
still
haunting her.

“Which makes me curious, Olivia, as to what you felt when you shook Sam’s hand.”

She scowled, her eyes trained on his folded arms because she couldn’t lift her gaze to his. “I didn’t feel anything,” she muttered.

“Excuse me? What was that?” he asked, bending to see her eyes. “Did you say you felt
nothing
?”

She thrust out her chin. “What did you feel when
you
shook his hand?”

“I felt a guarded and very tired soul with a deeply wounded heart.”

“You read all that in a three-second handshake?”

“Sam is not a threat to Inglenook, Olivia,” he said quietly. “Believe me, if he were you would have at least felt
something
when he took your hand in his. No matter how skilled a person may be at hiding his true nature, inherent evil cannot be masked. Your guests will be completely safe with Sam. You, however, may not.”

“What do you mean?”

“You might not have felt anything when you shook his hand, but I certainly did.” He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I believe your new employee was rather eager to meet you, but he was equally determined to guard his emotions.” He canted his head. “You didn’t find it strange that he called you Olivia even though Caleb had introduced you as Livy?”

Was he for real? Mac couldn’t possibly be jealous. Could he?

Good Lord, Sam was old enough to be her father!

“So do I let him stay or not?” she growled.

Up went a brow. “I don’t believe that’s my decision to make.” He unfolded his arms and stepped closer, making Olivia have to tilt her head back in order to continue glaring
at him. Only the look she saw in his eyes made her stop breathing.

“Are you planning to return my jacket anytime soon?” he asked quietly. “Or are you hoping I’ll make the decision for you and simply come… take it?”

“I… um, I . . .”

He placed a finger over her lips. “I, too, can see the tigress lurking behind those beautiful cinnamon eyes, Olivia. Do you not think it’s past time she slipped her leash?”

“I
think
,” she said, stepping away from his touch, “that it’s time we put that truckload of hay in the loft.” She walked over to Caleb. “I’ll give Sam two weeks. But if I don’t feel comfortable having him around by the time my first guests arrive, you’re driving up here and taking him back.”

“Fair enough,” Caleb said, his smile instant. He fell into step beside her, heading toward the trailers. “I promise, you won’t regret it.”

Finding her new employee in the barn filling water buckets, Olivia gave the giant nose a pat when the horse it belonged to stuck its head out to nuzzle her shoulder. “Sam, could you saddle up two of your most docile horses and another one for yourself? I need to go meet my daughter’s bus at the turnoff, and I thought I’d surprise her with a horseback ride. And if you don’t mind, I’d like for you to come with me.”

“Sure, boss,” he said, twisting the hose nozzle to shut off the water.

Olivia stepped out of reach of the persistent horse with a soft laugh. “If you want us to start off on the right foot, then let’s drop the
boss
title, okay?
Livy
will do.”

“Would you mind if I call you
Olivia
?” Sam asked, smiling hesitantly. “It’s just that I used to know an Olivia, and have always been partial to the name.”

“I’ll answer to most anything but
boss
. And you’ll find some child-sized saddles in the tack room, so could you put one on your smallest, gentlest horse for my daughter? Sophie’s eight and fancies herself a horsewoman.” She shook her head. “I know Caleb won’t bring me ponies because he claims horses are really safer, but I prefer that Sophie doesn’t have so far to fall.”

They headed toward the tack room, and Olivia slowed
her pace in deference to Sam’s limp, which appeared to be more stiff than actually painful.

“Caleb’s right,” he said. “Ponies are often smarter than the kids riding them. And because adults don’t handle them as much, the little beasts can turn into brats.”

“Makes sense, I guess. And put my saddle on your
next
gentlest horse,” she said when he stepped into the tack room. “Preferably one that can’t muster the energy to do more than plod along.”

His bottomless gray eyes crinkled half closed with his grin. “I believe you and Molly will make a good fit. She’s about as fast as molasses running uphill in the winter. I’ll have the horses out front in ten minutes,” he said, disappearing into the tack room.

Olivia turned to stare down the aisle at the dozen various-sized heads sticking out of their stalls, and sighed. She really didn’t know how much of a draw having horses at Inglenook actually was, but she couldn’t bring herself to cancel the program—much to Eileen’s dismay—because summer camp just wasn’t
camp
without horses. And she felt it was important for parents to see their children controlling the large animals all by themselves, especially the overprotective parents who hovered like helicopters trying to keep their babies safe and sheltered and little forever.

Olivia snorted. Maybe she should sign up as a guest at her own camp and learn how to stop hovering over Sophie before the girl reached puberty and flat-out rebelled. She walked down the aisle, having to exit the barn through the opposite end because Mac and Caleb and his crew were filling the loft with enough hay to last through June, when Caleb would return with this year’s crop. She ducked down to crawl between the rails of the paddock fence, only to hear Henry call to her when she straightened.

“I just saw Mr. Sam saddling one of the horses, and he told me you’re going to ride down to meet Sophie’s school bus,” he said, climbing up on the rail to look her level in the eyes. “Can I go with you? I know how to ride. I’ve been riding since before I could walk.”

“That would be up to your father.”

His face fell and he hopped down off the fence. “Then I guess I’ll have to wait for another time. I forgot I’m supposed to be keeping all the men supplied with ice from the kitchen and fresh drinking water.” He started back toward the door. “Maybe I can go for a ride tomorrow, after the men leave.”

Olivia stared after him, wondering if it wasn’t time she addressed Henry’s little habit of not questioning his father’s dictates, because… well, because it simply wasn’t right for a child to be
that
obedient.

“Henry, wait,” she said, stepping up onto the bottom rail. She waved him back over to the fence. “When your mama told you to do something, did you always do it without protest? Or if you wanted to do something and she said no, did you always accept what she said as her final answer?”

“I tried to do whatever she asked me to,” he said, giving her a confused look. “Especially if Uncle Reginald was around, because he didn’t like it if I complained when Mama wouldn’t let me do something. He often gave me a smack, saying I was at least half Penhope, and that whining was vulgar and unbecoming of my station.”

Lord, she’d like to have five minutes alone with Uncle Reginald. “Are you afraid of your father, Henry?” she asked softly.

“You mean am I afraid he’ll smack me?”

Olivia nodded.

Henry shook his head and even gave her a cocky grin. “I’m only scared of his cooking.” He turned serious. “Dad wouldn’t ever hurt me, Miss Olivia. In fact, he’s going to make sure no one ever hurts me again, and he’s promised to protect me until I’m old enough to fight my own battles.”

She ruffled his hair. “That’s a powerfully good promise.” She canted her head. “So how come I’ve never seen you protesting something he’s told you to do?”

He frowned up at her. “Because he’s my
father
.”

“And does your father do everything
his
father tells him to?” she asked, remembering Henry’s fantastical tale about
how they were trying to find a wife before Grampy found one for them.

The boy’s frown deepened. “Well, no.” But then his eyes suddenly widened. “Are you saying I’m
not
supposed to do everything my dad tells me to do?”

Knowing she was wading into murky waters, Olivia picked her words carefully. “No, I’m only saying that maybe it would be okay to
question
his orders once in a while. Like right now. I realize unloading a truckload of hay is hard work and the men need cold fresh water to keep them going, so it’s definitely an important job your father’s given you. But
you
need to understand that there’s nothing wrong with asking if you could go meet Sophie’s bus with Sam and me.”

“But who’s going to bring them water if I leave?”

“They’re grown men, and there are at least three water spigots in the barn. There’s no reason they can’t drink out of a hose when they get thirsty.”

“Am I paying extra for you to teach my son to question my authority?”

Olivia snapped her gaze up to the loft door only to tumble off the fence in shock, still gaping at the half-naked man even as she landed on the ground.

“Dad, you scared Miss Olivia!” Henry cried, ducking through the fence to get to her. “You surprised her.”

“Not as much as she just surprised me,” he said quietly—the growl in his voice contradicting the laughter in his eyes. He rubbed a big broad hand over his big, broad, sweat-glistening chest, and arched a brow. “Well,
Miss Olivia
? Is my hearing faulty or were you just encouraging my son to shirk his duty in favor of going riding?”

God, he was gorgeous. And damn if he didn’t look even bigger half naked than he did fully clothed. Hell, the guy wouldn’t have any trouble moving a few paltry mountains that got in his way.