Tara Randel - His Honour, Her Family

She sent him a pleasant smile. “What would you like to know?”

He nodded toward the door. “From the help-wanted sign out front advertising for a tour guide, and the fact that you offer outdoor vacations, I’m guessing you’re shorthanded. So what would the job entail?”

“First, yes, we’re shorthanded. My mother normally handles the office, but she was injured, so I’m filling in temporarily.” She stuck out her hand. “Grace Harper.”

Strong fingers enveloped hers. “Deke Matthews.”

“Well, Mr. Matthews, I need someone who can hike, fish, canoe, kayak and zip-line, to start with.” She handed him a brochure. “Our packages are listed here. I also need you to be able to manage a group of people and have first-aid knowledge.”

He scanned the glossy paper in his hands. “Isn’t it rather late to be hiring a guide with the summer season so close? It’s already the end of May.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, she wanted to scream, “Yes.” Instead, she answered, “I’m afraid my mother’s accident set us behind and our only other guide has been out of touch.”

“I suppose you’ll want someone to start right away?”

“That would be ideal.”

He folded the brochure and met her gaze with his serious expression. “Then I’d like to apply.”

“That would be fine, but I’d like to ask you a few questions first. Get an idea if you’re a good match for the job.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you have any experience in specific outdoor activities?”

“I was a senior counselor at summer camp when I was a teenager.”

She swallowed in disappointment. “Anything more recent?”

“I’ve been hiking the Appalachian Trail for the past two weeks.”

Okay, that was pretty hard-core outdoorsy stuff.

“Any experience leading tour groups?”

“No, but I like the outdoors. I think this will be a good fit for me.”

She didn’t need an employee who thought he was a good fit, she needed someone who knew what he was doing. And who would keep her from traipsing through the woods or venturing out on the lake. She was an attorney, for Pete’s sake. Not a tour guide. Not anymore.

“Boating experience?”

“I can row.”

“CPR?”

“Card-carrying.”

She was about to roll her eyes at his direct answers when she saw the very tiniest twinkle of humor in his dark eyes.

“Did I pass?”

Honestly, he was the only person to have inquired about the job since she posted the listing, so yeah, he passed. As long as his references checked out.

“If I think of any other qualifications,” he said, “I’ll add it to the work experience portion of the application.”

“Right. The application. I’m sure I have one around here somewhere.” Embarrassed by the fact that she had no idea where Mama kept the forms, she crossed the office area on her side of the counter that separated the open room, hoping it looked like she knew exactly what she was searching for. Odds were Mama hadn’t touched the system Grace had put into place before leaving for her law career, so she moved to the filing cabinet and rifled through the folders, finding the correct form. Whispering a quiet thank-you under her breath, she removed the paper and carried it to the patiently waiting gentleman.

His eyes, a startling blue-gray she realized now, captured hers and for a moment she froze. Until one arched brow rose in a silent question.

“Yes?”

“Do you have a pen?”

“A—a pen,” she stammered, annoyed at herself for losing her composure. Good grief. Yes, he was good-looking, but certainly not enough to crumble her iron control. She scurried back to the desk and snatched the one she’d been using. “Here you go.”

A slight tug curved his lips as he took the pen.

Smoothing her pale pink, lightweight jacket, she asked, “Are you new to the area?”

“I’m going to be in Golden for a while.”

Vague. But then again he didn’t seem very chatty.

As her aspiring hire studied the form, Grace stretched her neck. She needed to get busy. The sooner she had Mama’s life back on track, the sooner she could return to hers. “There are some outdoor tables on the sidewalk in front of Sit a Spell Coffee Shop if you’d care to fill out the application there. It’s a lovely day and the air is always so fresh here in the mountains.”

He glanced around the room. On his side of the counter, two ancient chairs were angled in the corner, a scratched table between them with outdoor magazines scattered on top. Oh, no, was that a cobweb on the ceiling? As he shifted, the wood floor creaked. She gazed at the walls, realizing for the first time that they needed fresh paint. Did the place look as run-down to him as it did to her?

She momentarily closed her eyes, picturing the office in its heyday. Clients coming and going, tour guides checking in, her parents managing the business together. There had been lots of good moments: doing homework after school with Faith right here at Mama’s desk, Nathan underfoot as he played with his toy trucks. The times they piled into the bed of Daddy’s pickup when he went out to the warehouse to check on a canoe or piece of camping equipment. Or her favorite, hiking trips up a trail in the north Georgia mountains on a sunny Sunday afternoon, just the five of them. It seemed like a dream now. Life had been fairly normal, until fate stepped in and her father couldn’t resist an opportunity that landed him in jail.

Her lids flew open when he cleared his throat.

“I’ll fill it out here at the counter.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it.”

Turning on a very spiky heel, she faced the desk. The sight of the paperwork nearly had her groaning out loud. If her mother, Wanda Sue Harper, hadn’t sprained her ankle after a fall, Grace would be in her downtown Atlanta office, planning court strategies and writing briefs. One frantic call and she’d put her life on hold for four weeks. Scrambling to line up family leave was tricky, but since she’d been with the firm for nearly a year, she was able to cover her open cases and come home.

It was like she’d never left.

She concentrated on the task at hand, but she was also a bit distracted by the lingering woodsy scent of the stranger. As she peeked at his broad shoulders, tanned skin and muscular frame, she decided he looked physically suited for the job. More than capable in a non-suit-and-tie sort of way. When he looked over and caught her gaze, she dropped her head to focus on the piles of paper in front of her.

Why was she even noticing anyway? Maybe because he’d come to a job interview wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and worn jeans. Jeans. To a job interview! Despite his clothing choice, she found him extremely attractive. Odd, because she didn’t go for the rugged type and never dated men who didn’t dress with a bit of polish. Show her a man in a well-tailored suit and she was a goner. Better yet, put her in a professional office setting and she was one happy camper.

This time she did groan, eliciting another brief glance from the man before he returned his attention to answering questions and supplying data. Okay, back to his being athletic. He seemed competent for the demands of the job, but the other requirements? She’d have to wait and see. She took a sip from her diet cola and then gathered up the vacation request forms she’d printed out when she’d arrived at the office. As soon as Mr. Matthews left, she’d read them over, along with returning calls and checking the website, as well as touching base with her uncle Roy, who oversaw the rental cabins. It was only ten in the morning and already she saw no end to her to-do list.

As she reached out to grab hold of the overdue bill folder she’d compiled, the front door flew open. She glanced up to find her worst nightmare perched on the threshold.