Cypress Corners Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Page 8

  On her way out of the lab she stopped in the reception area. “Is Dr. Robbins in?” she asked Becky. “I didn’t see him.”

  The girl shook her head. “He had a meeting with the developers. I think it’s about the new construction.”

  With Rick too, then. He’d keep on both the developers and the Institute to see to Chapman’s interests. Good. It served as a reminder of what he was here for. That wasn’t for her.

  “I left some notes in his inbox,” Harmony said. “Tell him I stopped by?”

  Becky nodded and Harmony left. The developers were probably leaning on Dr. Robbins. No doubt with Chapman Financial’s encouragement. She’d just have to redouble her efforts and find more of the scrub buckwheat, that’s all. That would solve everyone’s problems and Rick could get back to work. Back to Boston. She tamped down the ache that thought gave her. It was sex. Just sex. He didn’t want her love any more than Adam had. She wouldn’t give it. No. She wouldn’t feel that pain again.

  On her way past the coffee shop she spied Lettie waving from her usual spot. She waved in answer, parked the scooter and walked toward the railing in front of her table.

  “Hi, Lettie.”

  Lettie opened her mouth to speak then let out a low whistle. Her eyes sparkled. “Harmony, what have you been up to? Girl, you look like you—”

  Harmony’s gasp cut her off mid-sentence, thank goodness. “Lettie, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Lettie laughed gaily and threw up her hands. “I say it’s about time.”

  Harmony’s cheeks flamed as she looked around at the crowded tables. No one seemed to be paying them much attention at the moment, but if Lettie didn’t cut it out…

  She came closer to Lettie’s table. “I’m a woman, Lettie. I’m single.” She leaned in to whisper. “I can handle a fling if I choose to.”

  “A fling? Ha.” Lettie pulled back, her eyes narrowed as if she suddenly noticed something. “Oh, it’s like that.”

  Harmony’s heart tripped. “Like what?”

  “I’ve seen you with that handsome Chapman fella. Wouldn’t mind handling him myself.”

  “Lettie!”

  “Go on.” Lettie waved a hand. “I won’t tease you. Are you and he an item, then?”

  Were they? “Not in the least.”

  Lettie reached out to place her hand over hers. All teasing was absent from her gaze. “Careful, girl. Where the body leads the heart sometimes follows.”

  “Oh, now you sound like my mother.” She pulled her hand away, closing it in a fist to keep from trembling. “All cryptic warnings and clouded advice.”

  Lettie grinned. “Your mother is a smart cookie, Harmony. Maybe you should listen to her.”

  “What, about crossroads?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Oh, she said that Rick is at a crossroads. That I’m at one, too.”

  “I don’t know anything about any crossroads, dear. But if she senses something. And I sense something…” She ended with a shrug.

  “Oh, don’t be silly.” Harmony returned to her scooter and waved at Lettie. “See you soon.”

  Lettie just watched her, her eyes as piercing as her mother’s ever could be. Harmony turned away and headed back to her camp.

  Lettie was wrong. Her heart wouldn’t follow her body anywhere. Rick was just a diversion. Was he using their attraction to distract as well? To get her to lower her guard where her work was concerned?

  “Focus, Harmony,” she chided herself. “Don’t be a fool again.”

  ***

  Poring over her notes that night, she knew she’d found more soil able to support the buckwheat. Excitement running through her, she reviewed the PH levels and density once again. The root patterns and leaf matter indicated the plant had grown in several places over the past few years. If this were true, and she had no reason to doubt the findings, she’d have proof that the plant wasn’t endangered. That would do more than allow the recreation café’s construction. It could change the plant’s status.

  She’d ride out first thing in the morning and take more photos. Compile a report. Do what she was paid to do. If the Endangered Plant Advisory Council saw this, she could make a difference and secure her job at Cypress Corners. Earn that money she put into an account for Ariel and Max every two weeks since starting this job.

  Riding out past the golf course the next morning, she spotted a familiar figure. Standing out on the green, Rick leaned on his putter as he waited for one of the other players to putt. It was too late to turn around and escape. Not once he saw her, darn it. He raised his hand and she quickly waved. She wouldn’t stop. Why engage him in small talk in front of the developers? Concentrate, Harmony. Don’t think about how yummy he looked in those shorts. How long and lean his body looked in his relaxation. Get past the course and onto the other side of the property.

  Her heart began to beat normally as she rounded The Clubhouse. Just past the Welcome Center she turned down the sandy path that wrapped around the lake. Of course she thought about that dinner with Rick, when she’d seen flashes of the charming, seductive man inside the corporate smoothness. She swiped at the beads of sweat on her upper lip. Seductive, all right. What they’d shared on her dock would stick in her memory for a long time to come.

  Under the shade of a cypress, she popped the top of her water bottle and drank. It was November. She shouldn’t be this hot. Or this tingly. Well, that had nothing to do with the weather. Just that man leaning gracefully on his golf club as she’d driven past. Just a wave of that hand that had moved over her body with skilled determination.

  “Oh, boy,” she muttered.

  She switched the scooter on again and rode around to a spot she hadn’t yet checked. She’d avoided this side of the property until now, and it was lucky Dr. Robbins hadn’t been in the last time she stopped by the Institute. She had no excuse for neglecting it. It wasn’t far from the residential area where Tammy had put Rick. Separated by a copse of trees and protected from foot traffic, the area was still a little too close for her comfort. She couldn’t tell the director she didn’t want to risk seeing her… ? What was Rick, anyway? Her boyfriend? Ha, she didn’t think so. Her lover? Did one time—okay, two times—make a man her lover?

  Stopping the scooter not far from the edge of the rough road, she pulled off her helmet. Blowing a damp curl out of her face, she set the helmet on the handlebar and took her supplies out of the trunk. Digital camera, notebook, sample bags, a small spade.

  “All right, then.” She walked through the brush, her eyes scanning for the scraggly plant. “Where are you?”

  This was good. Concentrate on finding the buckwheat and not on Rick. No more thinking about Rick, darn it. Find the darn plant. Let the developers get on with the café. Let Chapman get its money. Let Rick get back to Boston.

  “Ow!” She slapped at her ankle. Fire ants! Son-of-a… “Watch where you’re walking, Harmony. You’re not some city girl who can’t recognize the little buggers.”

  Fire ants. Of course they made her think of Rick again. Of that first day she’d met him at the work site.

  Then she saw it. The plant she sought. The scrub buckwheat that was endangered and, all right, a little ugly. Taking out the camera, she snapped photos of it, and the others she soon found dotting the field.

  She lowered the camera, a grin on her face. “Oh, you beautiful thing! Wait till Dr. Robbins sees these pictures.”

  She took sample leaves near the bottom of the plants, careful not to disturb the young sprouts, and stowed them in the scooter’s trunk. Scribbling in her notebook, she recorded the findings. She hopped back on the scooter and followed the road further. More weeds appeared as she rode by. Wow. It grew all over the place!

  Rick wasn’t on her mind as she rounded the turn at the golf course on her way back to the Institute. Her parents’ debts were. Dr. Robbins’ faith in her was. She’d earned her pay today, and hopefully managed to get a plant off the endangered list.

 
“Score!” she shouted.

  Still smiling, she parked in front of the Institute and ran right into Rick. All thought seemed to fall out of her head as she gazed up at him. So much for keeping her focus.

  “Harmony.” He ran his eyes over her as she pulled off her helmet.

  She wouldn’t fix her hair. Let it curl all over the stinkin’ place. “Hi, Rick.”

  It was so strange to stand here on the brick walk, calmly talking to him when last time they were together they’d been naked.

  “What are you up to?” he asked.

  She walked around to the trunk. “Research.”

  He stared at her, one corner of his mouth lifting. “You’re excited about something. Tell me you found something.”

  She couldn’t help it. She let out a sound like a laugh and a sigh. “I did. I found the plant. The weed, you called it.”

  “Harmony, that was—”

  She held up one hand. “It’s all right. I know it’s not the prettiest thing out here.”

  His gray eyes ran over her again. “No.”

  She felt that familiar dip in her belly. Focus. “It’s growing all over the place, Rick. Down near the path around the lake.”

  “Your lake?”

  She ignored how cozy that sounded. “No. The main lake, not far from the second residential area.”

  He threw back his head and let out a whoop. “Hot damn! Harmony, this is great news.”

  She shook her head. “Not yet. I have to get this information to Dr. Robbins and he’ll interpret it.”

  “But they can build, right? Tell me they can build.”

  His questions sobered her. Chapman Financial and its interests. That was his focus. Okay, then. “If the plant isn’t endangered, I don’t see why not.”

  “Wait. Your discovery can help the plant, too.”

  “That’s what I do, Rick.” She closed the trunk lid with a loud click. “I care about the plants. I don’t worry about construction or investors.”

  He reached for her but she took a step back. “I… I know your work is important to the developers.”

  “The developers,” she repeated. “Yeah, I’m only thinking of the developers.”

  “Look. I didn’t mean anything by it. I have interests here, too.”

  She brushed back her hair and nodded. “I know you do. I know where your interests lie. In your wallet.”

  He fisted his hands, something like pain flickering in his eyes for a moment. “That’s not true.” He looked her over, his gaze holding masculine appreciation now. “And I seem to recall your interests lying somewhere south of that gifted scientific brain of yours.”

  She flushed hot and looked down at her boots. “Some interests are better left denied.”

  He snorted. “That’s not the message you sent the other night.”

  No. She’d been a fool to let her body dictate her actions. Today her actions were clear and focused on her work for the Institute.

  Cramming her notes and stuff into a canvas bag, she stepped past him. “I have work to do.”

  He reached out and stopped her. He was so close she could smell that scent that was uniquely Rick. She looked at his face and read the hunger there. Then he kissed her, right there on the walk in the middle of the Village Center. After a brief hesitation of shock, she kissed him back. Their tongues touched and she felt her knees go as soft as the sand at the bottom of her lake.

  He brought his mouth to the side of her neck. “Sweet and hot,” he rasped. “Just like you.”

  She pulled back and looked up at him. “That wasn’t fair,” she whispered.

  “‘Fair’ is negotiable.” His voice was low, rough. Then he seemed to collect himself as he shrugged. “Everything is negotiable.”

  Just like that, a chill washed over her. She darted a look around, relieved to see that no one was staring at them. Thank goodness they were nowhere near the coffee shop. Lettie would never let her live this mistake down.

  She straightened and fixed a glare at him. “And everything is a business deal to you.”

  With that, she went into the Institute. Thank goodness the walk was a short one. If she’d had to spend another minute in his sight she wouldn’t have been able to keep her trembling hands from his view. His kiss!

  Oh, she was a fool. There was no denying it now.

  Chapter 10

  A week and a half had passed since her encounter with Rick in front of the Institute, and Harmony managed to avoid his company for that stretch of time. She wouldn’t dare find herself close to him again, not alone. Apparently she had as little control around him as she’d had around Adam. Renewed focus on her job, on her debt to her parents, was all she’d let drive her now.

  After a quick tour of an untamed portion of the property, she arrived back at her camp to find a note tacked to the door of her cabin. She recognized the handwriting and a thrill of excitement struck her. It was from Dr. Robbins. She’d compiled and delivered her report on the scrub buckwheat to the Institute several days earlier, and knew the Advisory Council had met last night. She’d hardly slept, and for once in the past ten days it had nothing to do with Rick. Everything rode on the Council’s decision. In her estimation anyway. She wiped her palms on her shorts and plucked the note from the door.

  She tore it open and read the contents. Twice. Oh. She closed her eyes. Oh! The plant had been downgraded to threatened. She let out a whoop.

  “Eriogonum longifolium, var. gnaphali folium.” She did a little twisty dance and waved the paper in the air. “Oh, you beautiful weed!”

  She hurried into the cabin to change out of her dusty clothes. She had to get to the village. She had to see the documents for herself. She glanced at the note again and looked at her watch. Dr. Robbins wanted her to meet him at the Welcome Center in half an hour. She suddenly stood still.

  “Rick.” She’d have to tell Rick. Maybe Dr. Robbins would do it. He had to call the developers anyway, right? “Chicken lips,” she chided herself.

  She dressed and brushed her hair. Wearing her most capable outfit, khakis and a blouse that was more-or-less wrinkle-free, she got on her scooter and drove to the Welcome Center.

  Lettie waved as she neared the coffee shop and she returned the gesture. “No time to stop today, Lettie!”

  Lettie’s brows raised but she nodded. “You best fill me in later, girl!”

  Harmony grinned and nodded as she glided past. She parked the scooter and stepped into the cool lobby of the Welcome Center. She saw Dr. Robbins right away, standing in front of the wall mural showing the development, past, present and future. The smile on his face made her grin in response.

  “Harmony!” He turned to the two men beside him. “Mr. Forbes. Mr. Gottleib. This is Harmony Brooks.”

  Their presence brought her up short for a moment. She’d seen their photos in the Cypress literature, but had never been introduced. She managed to shake their hands. They were the top developers, the ones responsible for the whole project. She was surprised to find them dressed more like golf pros today than the heavy-hitters she knew they were. Old money and new, Forbes and Gottleib had put everything into Cypress Corners. She tamped down her unease and smiled.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said.

  Mr. Forbes, a fifty-something man with a neat moustache and salt-and-pepper hair, smiled. “You’re the girl who saved the buckwheat. Our heroine.”

  She shrugged. “Not so heroic, really. The plant was there, you know. I only found it.”

  “Nonsense, Harmony,” Dr. Robbins said. “She’s my go-to woman at the Institute. We couldn’t get along without her.”

  She hid her surprise. Did they really think of her that way? She couldn’t help but feel proud at the simple words.

  “The investors will be pleased,” Mr. Gottleib said. He ran a hand over his short flat top and smiled at Harmony. “Now we know who to call if there’s another threat.”

  She weighed his words. A threat? To the development or to the environm
ent? She wouldn’t worry about that now. Not when Dr. Robbins was beaming at her.

  “I’m glad I could help,” she said. “I admit I was surprised I found so much of it growing on the property.”

  “I wasn’t.” the male voice stilled her. Rick.

  She took a breath and turned, keeping her smile in place. “Hello.”

  “Rick,” Mr. Forbes said. “How did Boston take the news?”

  “Chapman is calling its investors as we speak,” Rick said. “Now they’ll easily find more money to put into Cypress Corners.”

  Mr. Gottleib laughed lightly. “Always happy to hear that.” He winked at Harmony. “Hard to find good golfing partners, too.”

  So he wanted Rick to visit in the future, Harmony assumed the man meant. She kept her face impassive. No one could guess her connection to Rick. Fleeting though it would prove to be.

  Tammy slid up beside Rick, placing her hand on his arm and leaning close. She flashed a smile at the developers. “I can tell our prospective residents that we’re on track, can’t I Mr. Gottleib?”

  Gottleib studied Tammy’s cleavage for a full minute before nodding. “Sure thing.”

  Tammy turned to Harmony. “You’re the one who found the plant. We’re impressed.”

  It was clear Tammy wasn’t. The feeling was mutual. “Thank you.” She nodded her head. “Mr. Gottleib. Mr. Forbes. Thank you again.” She faced her mentor. “I’ll catch up with you at the Institute, Dr. Robbins?”

  “Of course, my dear,” Dr. Robbins answered. “I should be there shortly.”

  She stepped out of the Welcome Center and stood for a moment on the wide porch. She wouldn’t look back. She wouldn’t go back in there and pull Tammy’s acrylic nails away from Rick’s arm. What did it matter? Chapman’s interests were secured. Rick’s work here was finished. It was best if she faced those facts.

  She’d just ignore the twinge deep in her chest. And the secret hope that whispered he’d find another reason to stay.

  ***

  When Harmony had brushed past Rick to make her exit he could smell her soft floral scent. It still lingered, even as Tammy still clung to his arm. He stepped aside to smoothly disengage her grip.