Emilie Rose - The Jarrods - Inheritance

Blake went back inside. He didn’t hear her following. Counting to ten, he waited but he could see her still standing there chatting. At that moment something occurred to him. Wasn’t it strange that she’d been jumpy with him last night, yet she seemed perfectly at ease with Mr. Sleazy down there? And what about last night with the doc? She hadn’t seemed nervous around the guy.

So what did that tell him? That she was flirting with men she considered safe? Which meant she must feel nothing for them, he mused. Nothing at all. The thought filled him with relief.

As for what she was feeling for him … there was definitely something between them. Yeah, she knew they’d be explosive together in bed.

And that begged the question. Just how far was she prepared to go to fight her desire for him? More importantly right now, did she have any idea what she was inviting by leading those other two men on?

Making a decision, Blake pulled on his jacket and boots, grabbed his car keys and strode back out into the chilly air. “I need to go check on something,” he said, going down the stairs, “and I want you to come with me, Samantha.” He bared his teeth at the other man in the semblance of a smile. “Sorry, buddy, but I need my assistant.”

“Blake—” she began.

“This is important.” He cupped her elbow and began leading her toward the side of the lodge to the garage where he kept his black Cadillac SUV.

She glanced over her shoulder and called out to the other man. “I’ll talk to you when I get back, Ralph.”

Blake gave a snort as he clicked the remote to open the garage door.

“What was that for?” Samantha hissed, hurrying to keep up.

“I hope you’re not thinking of dating Ralph . The guy’s old enough to be your father. Hell, he’s even got a name to match.”

She hid her satisfaction. “Perhaps I’m attracted to older men?”

He sent her a knowing look. “Then you’d better not dress like you did last night. He doesn’t look like his old ticker could handle a woman, let alone a sexy one like yourself.”

Her own “ticker” jumped around inside her chest and she tried not to blush. She loved hearing that Blake thought her sexy, though she wasn’t sure why he was looking so confident all of a sudden. Still, this time she wasn’t going to run away from him if he made a move on her. No repeat of last night, she told herself firmly.

They entered the garage, but it was only after she slid onto the passenger seat of the SUV and was putting on her seat belt did she remember something. “Didn’t you say this vehicle had an oil leak?”

Blake smirked at her. “Here’s the thing. I took another look earlier and it wasn’t leaking after all. The problem must have been with someone else’s car.”

“Now there’s a surprise.”

“It was to me, too,” he drawled, starting the engine.

No wonder he looked pleased with himself, she decided. He’d orchestrated the “poor me” routine last night over the oil leak, and now he’d put a stop to her going out with Ralph. Not that Ralph was her type, though he seemed very nice, but he was a man and one she could flirt with for Blake’s benefit.

Once the vehicle had warmed up, she took off her gloves as he reversed out of the garage.

“Where are we going?” she asked, when he started along the narrow road lined with thick trees, and it became clear they were heading for the main entrance to the resort.

“You’ll see.”

For a second she dared hope this might be about spending some time alone together away from everyone else. “Is this really about work?”

“What else?”

Disappointment wound its way through her. They were clearly still employer and employee. Had last night merely been an aberration on his part because of the late night and close proximity? Was this once again about Blake trying to stop her from leaving her job, rather than him actually wanting her?

Back to square one.

Soon Blake was driving past the two stone pillars with the brass Jarrod Ridge Resort sign, and turning the SUV onto the main road but in the other direction of town. At this time on a Sunday morning there wasn’t much traffic and further along he took another turn onto a side road. She wondered where they were going as they drove through stunning natural scenery filled with golden fall colors that would soon disappear under winter-white, but it was no use asking him again. Blake only did what he wanted to do and he would tell her only what he wanted her to know.

Remembering Gavin had visited Pine Lodge this morning, she suspected then where they were going. Farther along, Blake pulled over onto a slot of land that looked out over the Roaring Fork River weaving its way through a lush green picturesque valley between towering snow-dabbled peaks. The Jarrod Ridge resort was nestled like a crown jewel amongst it all.

He stopped the vehicle and cut the engine.

He didn’t speak at first, just stared straight ahead, so she had to ask the obvious. “Why did you bring me here?”

He nodded his dark head at the majestic mountain panorama before them. “I wanted to show you where the new private bungalow will be built.”

“I see.” Her suspicions were correct, but the way he spoke made her heart sink. It was as if he had acknowledged she was leaving now. Like he was showing it to her—while he still could.

“Let’s take a closer look.” He started to get out of the car then glanced back at her, his gaze going to the woolen hat on her head. “Put your gloves on first. There’s no wind but it’s chilly.”

A couple of seconds later they were standing in front of the black SUV, looking at the breathtaking alpine backdrop in front of them.

He pointed to a wooded area near the bottom of the mountain to the right of the resort. “See that over there? That’s our silver mine where we used to play as kids. One of my ancestors started up the mine but it’s been out of use for over a hundred years.”

“How interesting,” she said, meaning it.

“The bungalow will be farther up the mountain but not too close. We don’t want to destroy the historical significance of the mine.”

She’d briefly seen the documents Gavin had given Blake, and heard them discussing it at times, but Gavin was the one running with this project. He was keeping it very much between himself and Blake at this stage, though she knew they were keeping the rest of the Jarrods up to date.

“See that rocky outcropping?” Blake continued. “That’s close to where we’ll build the bungalow. It’s going to be super luxurious with top-of-the-line security. There’ll be iris-recognition scanners plus the usual cameras and motion detectors. Personal safety will be a must, as will our guests’ privacy.”

She could picture it in her mind. “I’m really impressed. It’ll be great.”

He nodded. “It’s just what Jarrod Ridge needs to stand out above the rest,” he said, a proud look about him as he appraised his family’s empire.

An odd tenderness filled her as she glanced up at his familiar profile. There was something so attractive about a man confident with himself. An aura that pulled a woman close and made her want to get under it, to become a part of the man no one else knew.

All at once he turned toward her, his gaze fixing in on her. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked quietly.

Caught!

She cleared her throat. “I was thinking how much you enjoy a challenge. You’re suited to these mountains.”

He looked pleased. Then, “You could be a part of all this, too, you know.”

Her heart stumbled. Had he brought her here for another reason? “Wh-what do you mean?”

“You love it here. You won’t be happy anywhere else.” He paused. “Think carefully before you walk away from your job, Samantha.”