Maureen Child - The Jarrods - Temptation

“From what everyone says, I’m not looking forward to meeting him.”

“Blake’s all right,” Christian told her, not wanting her to be anxious over the last Jarrod hurdle she had to face. “He’s not really happy with the situation, but he knows none of this is your fault.”

She blew out a breath. “What do you think, Christian? You’re the objective observer in all this. Do you think this is going to work out?”

“You being here, you mean?” When she nodded, he walked closer to her. “Yes, I do. You’re already making a place for yourself here. Your sister likes you. Your brothers will come around.”

Erica shook her head and her light brown hair lifted from her shoulders, then fell back again in soft waves. Christian curled his hands into fists to keep from reaching for it. To keep from threading his fingers through that mass and turning her head toward his—

“Why are you on my side in this?” Erica asked. “Melissa says you’ve known the family since you were a kid. And you were Don’s personal attorney. I’d think that would make you more prejudiced in their favor rather than mine.”

He backed up a step, leaned against the corner of his desk and said, “Don Jarrod was a hard man to know. He helped me when I was a teenager. Offered me a job here when I got out of law school. But,” he added, “that said, I don’t owe him or his memory my soul. Just the best job I can do. My allegiances are my own.”

She tipped her head to one side and looked up at him. “And you’ve decided to be my ally.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“Shouldn’t I?”

He shrugged, though it cost him. He wanted her to trust him, but couldn’t say that he trusted himself around her. He wanted more than friendship or an alliance with her. But if he took more, he’d risk everything he’d already built.

“Let’s just say that whatever I owe the Jarrods, I owe myself more. So I’m on your side because I’ve had a hand in throwing your life off kilter.”

“So you feel responsible? You don’t have to,” she told him. “Like I said earlier, I can take care of myself.”

“I’ve noticed,” he said, then forced a smile. “Let’s get out of here. How about a tour of the grounds?”

“I’d like that,” she said and took the arm he offered before walking with him out of the office and the hotel.

They walked for what felt like miles.

Erica was overwhelmed with everything. She was on sensory overload. Jarrod Ridge had to be the most beautiful place she’d ever been and it was staggering to realize that she was a part of the legacy that had built it.

The resort was like a small town in and of itself. Narrow walkways, cement pathways bordered by vibrant flower beds, wound past tiny bungalows and lavish cabins. Christian had stopped by his own home to give her a quick tour and Erica had loved everything about it. From the honey-colored log walls to the braided rugs on the polished wood floors to the overstuffed, brown leather furniture.

He had a river stone fireplace big enough to stand up in and the huge windows in his kitchen overlooked the forest and the mountain beyond. She could imagine stepping out onto the back porch, sitting in one of the rocking chairs there and sipping a morning cup of coffee as she watched the world wake up.

Seeing his home had given her more insights into Christian the man and she relished them. He was neat, but not to the point of craziness. He had actual pots and pans in his kitchen, which meant he at least tried to cook occasionally rather than subsisting on room service or takeout. He had framed family photos hanging on his wall and seeing him as a younger man with one arm thrown across his mother’s shoulders told her that he was someone to whom family meant a lot. All good things. And all of those things combined made him even more intriguing to Erica.

When they left his house, Erica was more captivated by him than she had been before. She took his arm as he led her on through the resort. He pointed out the cabins where Gavin and Melissa lived. He’d shown her the gift shops, the jewelers, the on-site bakery and the ice cream parlor. He’d taken her past the pools—both the indoor and outdoor, not to mention the pool built just for kids.

Guests in swimsuits, tennis gear and even riding outfits streamed over the property in a never-ending flood of humanity. Children raced each other across manicured lawns and a couple of elderly guests sat on a padded iron bench beneath a gorgeous cluster of aspen trees.

The sun was out, the sky was blue and she honestly felt as though she’d stepped into an alternate world. Everything was almost too perfect.

Including the man at her side. He wasn’t wearing a suit and tie, just black jeans, a white, long-sleeved shirt open at the throat and a pair of black boots that looked as though they had seen a lot of wear. He looked handsome in a well-cut suit, but Erica thought he looked even more so in casual clothes. It was then a person realized that his personal power wasn’t shaped by any outward appearance—not his clothing, his car or his job—but by his own innate strength.

And that, Erica thought, was about the sexiest thing in the world.

She loved how people knew him. Smiled, waved, stopped to speak to him as they walked. He introduced her to managers and housemaids, all with respect and deference. He treated everyone the same and she found that sexy as hell, too. She’d been raised by a man who believed in the perception of status. Walter would never have introduced a friend of his to a maid—but Christian was a different sort of man. The kind she’d been looking for before her life turned upside down.

Now, she had to wonder if part of her attraction for him wasn’t because he was the only familiar face around her. But no, even as she considered that, she put it aside. There was much more to what she was feeling for Christian Hanford.

“So what do you think?”

She looked up at him and loved how the wind had ruffled his short dark hair onto his forehead. She just managed to catch herself from reaching up and pushing it back. “Um,” she said, gathering up her scattered thoughts, “I hate to keep using the word amazing….”

He grinned, and her breath locked in her lungs. Seriously, when the man flashed an unguarded smile, he was a danger to any woman with eyes.

He pointed off in the distance. “The stables are down there, alongside a paddock, and there are riding trails through the woods. Tennis courts are over there and the golf course is back at the opposite end of the resort.”

She laughed to herself. “It’s like a little city all in itself.”

“Exactly how Don saw it, too,” Christian said. “We’ve even got a small clinic on site. Joel Remy runs it. He’s got a nurse who helps out and they can take care of any minor situations the guests might have. Of course, anything more serious is treated at the hospital in Aspen.”

“Our own medical staff. Wow.” She turned from him and stared out at the surrounding cabins and lodges.

“That’s the first time you’ve said ‘our’ about this place,” he commented. “Starting to feel more connected?”

She looked back at him. “I guess I am. It’s a little nerve-racking, but I’m excited about it, too, you know?”

“I do,” he said, then looked around as she had, as if he were seeing it for the first time through her eyes. Finally, he turned his gaze back on her. “You’ll make your place here, Erica.”

“Yeah,” she said, giving him a smile that lit up her eyes. “I will.”

He nodded as if he sensed her commitment, and said, “A long time ago, I decided to make this my place. To carve out my own slice of Jarrod Ridge.”