Cypress Corners Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Read online

  He straightened in response. “Wait, you’re riding back in the dark?”

  “Yes.” Her voice sounded a little shaky. “I have a light,” she added, flicking on a small headlight. “I do it all the time.” She started the quiet motor and put on her helmet. “Um, good night,” she said.

  Her eyes were on him, big and dark, and he longed to finish that kiss. “Yeah,” he said. “Good night.”

  As she rode off he stood there in the starlight for a long moment. Cypress Corners was a contradiction. For that matter, so was Harmony Brooks.

  He shook his head. What was the matter with him? She was just a diversion. A means to an end. He thought again about that almost-kiss.

  A means to an end? Then why did tonight feel like a beginning?

  Chapter 4

  Four days later Harmony stared up at the draped ceiling above her bed, trying to think about anything but Rick Chapman as she began what would probably be another sleepless night. Sleepless save for the dreams involving the man in question. Darn Rick Chapman of Chapman Financial.

  He was sharp and focused, despite his easy laughter and boyish smile. He’d looked so much younger that night, less driven than she’d ever seen him. The Florida climate will do that, wilt people’s attitude along with their clothes. But she wouldn’t think he was anything else but what he seemed: a smooth-talking corporate guy with one thing on his mind. That darn recreation café.

  She recalled that flush of heat when she’d touched his hand at the restaurant. When he’d leaned close and stared into her eyes out under that blanket of stars. When he brushed that gorgeous mouth against hers. Well, maybe he had more than one thing on his mind.

  A cool breeze danced over her skin, let in through open flaps set high on the gable ends of her tent-cabin. She closed her eyes and focused for one delicious minute on what it would be like to be kissed by Rick Chapman, to be held by his strong arms, touched all over by those big hands. She shivered and she knew it had nothing to do with the chill night air. She felt hot and cold and like her skin was a bit too tight. Oh, he was dangerous.

  Sure, he’d been charming a few nights ago. There was no denying that, even days later. But she couldn’t forget that first encounter, when he’d said he’d speak with the Institute and get her fired. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down. She needed this job. Her parents needed her to look after them. She had to stay focused. She had to keep Rick out of her mind.

  She’d managed to keep herself busy out at her camp, putting off a ride to the Institute for fear of running into Rick. Coward. But there was only so much to occupy her out at her lake. She’d sunned and read and paddled her canoe. She’d gone over her photos and notes on the buckwheat before hiking through the far end of Cypress Corners. Even as vast as the property was, she couldn’t think of a thing to keep her busy out here tomorrow.

  She turned onto her side and shut her eyes. Out, darn you! Oh, how would she get him out of her mind and out of her bed, if only in her dreams? After a few more minutes of trying to fall asleep, she threw off the sheets and sat up.

  “That’s that.” She snapped on the light on the table beside the bed.

  The thick rag rug her mother had made for her was soft and springy beneath her bare feet as she crossed to her dressing area. She pulled on her boots, grabbed her flashlight and went out to the lake. The sounds soothed her, loud here on the narrow dock that jutted out over the smooth water. She sat, drawing her knees to her chest as she stared out over the water. Slowly she waved the beam of light over the water’s surface, seeing telltale signs of others as unable to sleep as she. Water spiders and frogs winked back at her, their eyes yellow and green as the light touched them. Then she saw them, red eyes that could only belong to an alligator. She set the light on the dock beside her. No swimming tonight, then. She was too tired anyway.

  She closed her eyes, but even the breathing exercises her mother had taught her couldn’t calm her tonight. She was a wreck. Over some guy who wouldn’t look twice at her if she wasn’t standing right in the way of his investors. But when he’d almost kissed her? Her skin heated again at the memory.

  With a grunt of frustration, she stood and stalked back into her cabin. She picked up her notes she’d taken on the wild buckwheat and settled on her bed again. Leaf size, color gradient, stem width… At last her precise notes doused any lingering want or confusion and she settled down for a few hours’ sleep.

  ***

  Rick pressed upward, his muscles trembling from the exertion. Sweat trickled into his eyes but he sucked in another breath and held his position. Blood pounded in his ears and his legs flexed. One… two… three… With a whoosh of breath, he slowly lowered his arms. The stacked weights behind his head groaned as he released the bar. He arched his back against the bench, easing the tug between his shoulder blades. An hour in the weight room of the fitness center and at last his body was beginning to forget about Harmony.

  For the past four days he’d thought of little else but the pretty plant girl. He’d golfed and swam and jogged over every damn trail this place had and he still couldn’t get her out of his mind. The director of the Institute finally deemed him worthy of another meet but Rick still hadn’t learned anything of value. The fate of the scrubby plant was still under advisement and Chapman was spinning its wheels. More than once over these past four days his father had found it necessary to check up on him. It was obvious Bill was scrutinizing his every move. Terrific.

  He sat up and grabbed the towel draped over the weight bench and rubbed it over his face. God, if it weren’t for the promise he’d made his mother he’d blow off this job and do what he wanted to. He choked on a laugh.

  What the hell was that, anyway? It had been so long since he even thought about his own dreams and aspirations, he didn’t even know what they were anymore.

  Bill officially left the family when Rick was twelve, but it had been years earlier that the man separated himself from his family. Rick was the oldest, with Jake following behind by three years. The youngest and only girl, Cassie, was barely six years old when Bill left. Rick threw down the towel. At least Bill’s support payments had visited regularly.

  From the moment his parents’ divorce was final his mother had tried to make up for Bill’s absence. Her insistence that Rick had to prove himself to Bill still echoed in his mind.

  Maybe he’d done enough to prove himself. Top grades in high school, excellence at track, entrance into exclusive Boston College—none of it had brought anything but more money from his father. Rick hadn’t thought about it at the time he was in school, but taking business courses and accounting should’ve been the first sign that he’d never break free of Bill Chapman. The job offer as field man wasn’t the end as Rick saw it, either. He wanted the top position at Chapman. But more than that. He wanted his father to finally admit his firstborn was worth more than the money he made the company.

  He stood and crossed to the leg press machine. He sat and moved the pin to just beyond his last weight limit. Why let his arms and chest have all the fun, right? Closing his eyes, he pressed and released over and over until his thighs screamed for mercy. With a soft grunt he let the weights settle. His whole body reverberated with a low no-pain-no-gain thrumming, and his mind finally focused on something other than his attraction to Harmony Brooks and his toadying to Bill Chapman.

  For the last thirty minutes or so, at least.

  ***

  Harmony returned to the Institute. Another lovely day, another solitary ride to the Village Center. Another quick conversation with Lettie. Thank goodness the woman didn’t know about her dinner with Rick the other night. She wouldn’t want to guess the open speculation Lettie would indulge in, in full hearing of anyone sitting in the crowded square.

  When she walked into the lobby she smiled at Becky.

  “Good morning, Becky,” she said.

  “Hi, Miss Brooks. The director’s expecting you.”

  This surprised her. “He is?”


  Becky nodded. “He couldn’t reach you out at your camp so he’s been hoping you’d stop by.”

  She felt a stab of guilt. She didn’t think anyone would notice she’d put off the drive to the Institute for fear she’d run into Rick. Lettie had chided her for keeping to her camp like a hermit, but then she always teased her about her solitude. But the director took note of it, too? There was nothing else to keep her from the Institute so here she was. She was late, apparently.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  Before she could knock on his door, Dr. Robbins called out to her. “Come in, Harmony.”

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Robbins,” she said. “I wasn’t aware you needed me here.”

  He waved a hand. “Please don’t worry, my dear. I just wanted to give you an update on our progress regarding the scrub buckwheat.”

  She nodded and quickly sat down across from him. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ve been in contact with the FDACS, and they’re asking us to do more research.”

  The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, through its Division of Forestry, oversaw the recovery of endangered and threatened plant species in Florida. Between committees and subcommittees, she knew the request could involve plenty of work for her. Good. She was more than up to the challenge, and more than ready for the diversion.

  “What do they need?” she asked.

  “Well, the Endangered Plant Advisory Council meets within the month, Harmony. They want to rule on the plant at that meeting. So I need you to search all over the property for evidence of the scrub buckwheat.”

  “Certainly,” she said. “How would you like me to start?”

  “Take a camera with you, and some sampling equipment. We need you to find out if the plant grows elsewhere on property.”

  She stilled. Chapman had to be behind this. Rick, specifically.

  “So Chapman can build on their chosen spot, I take it?” she asked.

  The director’s lips thinned for a moment. “Yes. We work with the developers, my dear. They have to satisfy their investors or Cypress Corners would be forced to take environmental shortcuts. That’s the last thing we want.”

  She nodded. Too many communities in Florida did little to preserve the wildlife their residents claim to value. Maybe Chapman Financial made it possible to take a more cautious approach, but with their constant scrutiny and interference their involvement was hard to take at times.

  She looked up to find Dr. Robbins watching her. She shifted in her seat and nodded for him to continue.

  “Look for seeds or seedlings or anything else that can indicate the plant’s growing,” he said. “Maybe we can get it off the endangered list.”

  A thrill went through her. This would be even better than finding the plant in the first place! Chapman could have their precious café if she could find the plant thriving here at Cypress.

  She came to her feet. “I’ll get right on it, Dr. Robbins.”

  He stood as well. “Good. See Becky for an updated map of the development. We don’t want to miss one corner.”

  She nodded. This was what she needed. A worthy diversion from Rick Chapman and a worthy cause for her talents. Humming to herself, she went out to the lobby.

  As she rode her scooter past the fitness center Rick stepped right into her path. She skidded to a stop and braced her feet on the brick walk. He pulled back, his eyes wide.

  “Whoa!” He grinned. “Hello, Harmony.”

  She shut off the scooter and removed her helmet. “Sorry about that. I… My mind was…”

  He took the towel off his shoulders and wiped his face. “I was just working out. Killer facilities.”

  She nodded, her eyes running over his body. He was sweaty and mussed and… Wow.

  “Umm,” she began. “Yes, I’ve heard they’re quite good.”

  “You don’t work out here?” It was his turn to run his gaze over her and she held herself still. “You’re doing something right.”

  “I canoe,” she rushed out. “I hike.”

  Rick nodded, a lock of damp hair curving over his forehead. He waved a hand over his chest. “Sorry about this. I was headed over to the swim center and thought I’d just hit the showers there.”

  His shoulders were wide, his strong arms shown to nice effect in his red sleeveless T-shirt. His silky black shorts draped low on his narrow hips and she couldn’t look away from the sliver of pale flesh below his navel. What was wrong with her?

  “You look fine,” she choked out.

  He studied her face for a moment and she prayed her cheeks didn’t look as red as they felt.

  “Hey, wanna do dinner again?” he asked. That boyish grin teased his mouth again. “Only this time I get to pick the place.”

  She opened her mouth to accept, darn her lack of control. She took a breath. “No, I…”

  “We can hit the beach, maybe?”

  An hour in the car there and back? No stinkin’ way. She’d never be able to sit that close to him for that long. He’d know she was attracted to him before the first mile-marker.

  “Thank you, but no,” she said.

  He waited, for some excuse obviously, but she couldn’t think of anything.

  The sparkle went out of his silvery eyes and he lost his smile. He straightened his body and she could feel him pulling away. Good. She had to stay focused. He certainly didn’t have tender feelings to be hurt by her refusal to eat with him, for goodness sake.

  “All right,” he said. He showed a smooth smile much different from his previous grin. “I guess I’ll see you around, then.”

  She nodded and watched him walk toward the swim center across the square. He rolled those broad shoulders and swung those strong legs and she should have felt nothing but relief that she’d effectively ended any association between the two of them. They were at odds, weren’t they? On opposite sides of the issue? She had to keep her work for the Institute first in her mind and he had to press Chapman Financial’s intentions. Sort of. He wasn’t asking to bulldoze the buckwheat. Not really. He was seeing to his company’s interests. She was seeing to the Institute’s. If those interests were opposed there was nothing she could do about it.

  For a fleeting moment she thought about what it would be like to throw caution to the wind, to take a moment to feel something other than duty and obligation. To the Institute and to her parents. To share a nice dinner with Rick, maybe a real kiss afterwards.

  No. She had to stay focused.

  She jammed her helmet back on and started the scooter. As she rode, her mind ran in circles.

  Her life was fulfilling, despite anything Lettie said. She was doing work she loved. She was slowly repaying her parents. She was putting aside any foolish hopes and dreams that died when Adam broke her heart.

  Rick Chapman had no place in her life or in her heart. He wasn’t looking for anything more than idle occupation while the issue of the worksite was resolved. Let him find it with Tammy at the Welcome Center. She was more his type, Harmony was sure. Polished and perfect, cool and citified.

  And if the thought of the two of them together made her almost miss the turn-off to her camp? That was surely a coincidence.

  Chapter 5

  Rick was at the fitness center again. Over the past week he’d tried to put Harmony out of his mind. No luck.

  Work didn’t do it. He was cooling his heels for the time being, dancing to the tune the Cypress Institute played for now. Cooling his heels and waiting for his father’s daily call. Bill wouldn’t be happy to hear that he had nothing to report today, either.

  Play didn’t do it. Swimming and golf only filled his time, not his mind. The fitness center was packed with guys, but a few women worked the machines in front of him. There was a nice view of the lush green trees and shrubs outside the wide windows. The women on the bikes and stair-steppers in front of those windows weren’t bad, either. Tanned and smooth, fit and healthy. In spite of himself he pictured Harmony’s form again. She hiked and b
iked and canoed, she’d said. Her body was better than the pampered women in front of him. Lush and natural and… real. What the hell was wrong with him?

  She was just a pretty girl with plants on her mind. She was just different from the women in Boston, that was all. He’d asked her to dinner again, a reasonable request which surprised him as it flew out of his mouth. She’d turned him down without hesitation. Just drove away on that funny little scooter of hers. Bouncing gently along as she hurried the hell away from him. He let the weights fall and grabbed up his towel.

  A glance toward the mirrored wall showed him a mess. His hair was wet and stuck to his forehead in curls. Stubble darkened his cheeks. God, it was the same way he’d looked when he ran into Harmony last week. Big surprise she’d turned him down.

  In Boston he never let himself be seen without being clean and pressed and perfect. Bill ran a tight ship, a fact he shared with anyone who’d listen. His son had to project the corporate image at all times. He wasn’t the golden boy today. No, today he looked tired and sweaty and frustrated. He was all that.

  November loomed and there was still nothing on the site location’s status. The Institute was dragging its feet on picking an alternative site, as well. He felt like his skin was too tight. He itched to get out of Cypress Corners for a while. To drive out to the coast and sit by the ocean. To ignore the damn stars above his head as he sat on his too-cozy front porch. Special street lights, Harmony had said. Yeah, right. Special girl, but he didn’t want to think about her under those stars. He could almost taste that near-kiss they’d shared.

  He ended his workout session after about an hour. A steam, then. Maybe that would bake Harmony out of his mind. He left the weight room and turned down the corridor leading to the private steam rooms. He’d seen them before, each one a little larger than a shower stall with a built-in bench and a place to rest his bottle of water. He dug out his fitness center pass and ran it through the conveniently-located drink machine opposite the row of opaque steam room doors. The bottles held flavored water, infused with different plant extracts. He chose one with lavender—to help you relax, the label said—and turned to find a vacant room. One door swung open and a rosy and steamy Tammy stepped out wreathed in moist air.