If You Only Knew (Harper Falls Book 3) (6 page)

Drew couldn’t argue. The town library was filled with books
on the subject, all touting his ancestor as either the greatest mind of the
twentieth century or a man nearing sainthood. Of course, all those books had
been written by relatives or people paid to paint a favorable picture.

From the time he could recognize letters as words, those
books were required reading. At first, he took them as gospel. Why wouldn’t he?
His mother would quote passages as though they were scripture. His father never
disputed a single fact. Until he was eight, he thought Russell Harper walked on
water. He attended a private school named after the man. His family and friends
would never speak a word that didn’t adhere to the well-trodden myth. Keeping
the darker side of the Harper legacy tucked away was easy when he was little,
before the rest of the world, and the internet, intervened.

Drew wouldn’t say he had any startling, eye-opening
revelation. It was much more gradual than that. He came to the realization that
Russell Harper was not a God walking amongst us; he was just a man. To be
honest, as the heir to the empire, it was a relief. No one could live up to the
image his mother promoted. His great-grandfather had been a brilliant but
flawed human being.

It was the beginning of his own personal awakening. The
start of him moving away from a Harper-centric universe to where he could see
the possibilities outside of the small, sheltered box of Harper Falls. It was
also the beginning of a rift with his mother that had grown wider with each
passing year.

Drew shook off the creeping thoughts before the melancholia
he was becoming increasingly familiar with settled over him. At ten, he saw his
future as a single, rigid path. There was no left or right, only straight
ahead. Harper all the way.

Now at sixteen, he knew he had choices. When he thought of
getting out, seeing new things, meeting new people, any depression over his
future would lift. Discovering he had the ability to be his own man was like a
fresh breeze after a summer rain.

He took another glance at Tyler Jones. That was what she
was. A refreshing breath of air. Nothing stagnant or cloying about her. If he
had been intrigued before, their meeting on the bridge had amped his interest a
hundred times over. Her face — made up of fascinating angles. Her lips, full
and tempting. Then there were those eyes. They were a wild, exciting mixture of
colors. Stormy and flashing like silver lightning. Then they changed to the
palest violet imaginable. She told a story with those eyes, drawing him in.

“Drew.”

“Hmm?”

“What is wrong with you lately?”

Miranda was used to being the center of attention. Boys fell
over themselves to impress her. She had to admit that part of Drew Harper’s
appeal, besides the obvious good looks and money, was his aloofness. No piece
of ripe fruit falling at her feet, he provided her with a challenge. Letting
him slip through her fingers was not going to happen. It wouldn’t be good for
her ego or her reputation.

“Let’s get out of here and go back to my place. My
parents are out of town until Friday. We’ll be alone.” She purred the
word. It was a sound she had often practiced. As far as she was concerned, she
had perfected the tone and intent. She’d had boys melting since she was
thirteen. With Drew, she might as well had been coming on to a brick wall.

“Drew!”

“What, Miranda?”

His voice had been harsher than he’d intended but, Christ,
the girl could get on his nerves. He regretted it even more when he saw he’d attracted
the attention of several other customers. Including Tyler Jones and her
friends. Their eyes met for only a second, but he felt that same jolt. He would
have sworn she felt it too. Until she turned and whispered something to her
companions that had them all laughing uproariously.

Drew felt his stomach clench. Maybe she wasn’t as different
as he’d thought. Laughing at him, whatever the reason, was not cool. Then, just
as he was about to give her a huge push off her pedestal, she turned her head
towards him, ever so slightly, and winked. No one else saw it. Not her friends,
not Miranda. But he did.

“Ready to go?”

Miranda gave him an exasperated look.
Honestly
.

“
Yes.”
She huffed out the word. “I’ve
been ready for ages.”

“After you.”

Drew pulled out his wallet, tossing enough money on the
table to cover their drinks and a healthy tip.

He paused at Tyler’s table, not focused on her, but on Rose.

“Long time, no see.” Not the most brilliant of
lines, Drew admitted to himself. “How have you been, Rose? We miss you at
the Academy.”

Rose looked over his shoulder at a toe-tapping Miranda and
smiled.

“I’m sure they’re crying in the halls. How are you,
Drew?”

“Good, all’s good.”

“Do you know my friends? Dani, Tyler, this is Drew
Harper.”

“Hi.” Dani gave him a little wave.
She was a
looker,
Drew thought. All that white, blond hair and deep, emerald eyes.
Any guy would be drawn to her.

“Drew.” Tyler said his name with a straight face
but a twinkle in her eyes. Today, they were silvery, sharp, and laughing.

“I think I’ve seen you around.”

His eyes held Tyler’s for just a second longer. He would
have stayed, used the opportunity to be near her. Unfortunately, Miranda had no
desire to exchange chitchat. Not with three girls she considered so far beneath
her lofty social status.

“Drew.”

Had Miranda always had that whiny quality to her voice? Or
was he just starting to really listen? He did know that he was ending whatever
it was they had going on. Today was the last day. Bye-bye, Miranda.

“It was nice seeing you again, Rose. And it was a
pleasure to meet you, Dani. And you, Tyler.”

“We are late.”

For what?
Drew wanted to ask. They didn’t have any
fixed plans, or any plans at all, for that matter.

“Just a second. I have to tie my shoe.”

Drew knelt to retie his perfectly fine laces. He fiddled for
a moment, not looking up, instead enjoying his view of Tyler’s long, tanned
legs. Under his breath, he whispered, “Ode to Billy Joe.” Then stood
and continued out of the restaurant.

He wanted to look back. It took all of his willpower not to.
Had she heard him? Understood what he said?

If he had given in, glanced Tyler’s way, he would have seen
a sight that would have taken his breath away.

“What are you grinning at?” Rose asked, exchanging
puzzled looks with Dani.

Tyler just shrugged and picked up the conversation about
what movie they were going to see next week on their trip to Spokane. She
peeked out at the street, keeping another grin to herself. Drew Harper. Who
would have guessed?

DREW JOLTED AWAKE.

Unsure of where he was or why he was there, it took him a
moment to shake the cobwebs from his brain and focus.

Tyler. Right. He was outside the Jones house and it was — he
looked at his watch — six in the morning. He had fallen asleep sometime after,
maybe three o’clock? That was the last time he remembered.

Drew shivered slightly. He wore a heavy leather coat but
damn, it was six in the morning. And October. It was still dark. That was
something. At least he could get away before the neighborhood started stirring
for the day.

Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he reached to
start the car when his phone signaled a text from Jack.

Where the hell are you?

Drew sighed. What a worrier.

I’m fine,
he typed.
Go back to your bed and your
woman
.

In bed, with woman
.
Jealous?

Hell, yes. What sane straight man wouldn’t be? Warm bed,
loving woman. Not Jack’s, his own. But these days, his bed was not welcoming
and he was miles and a good decade away from the woman he wanted.

Nine o’clock conference call, see you then.

Drew shut off his phone before Jack could respond. He knew
his partner worried. They were also best friends — double whammy in the worry
department.

He pulled the Mustang onto the street and headed towards
H&W headquarters. He wasn’t going home. Any empty house, no matter how new
or luxurious, wasn’t the most welcoming place, especially in his state of mind.
Drew figured he would be better off getting an early start at the office.

Returning to Harper Falls after a ten-year absence had not
been an easy decision. His life was right on track, right where he had imagined
all those years ago. He and Jack took their company to the top, billionaires
before the age of thirty.

They were an interesting pair, he and Jack Winston. College
had been their meeting ground, computer geeks with a similar vision. Jack had
arrived there on a football scholarship. Fast, agile. He was born with the
ability to outrun almost anyone else on the field. Throw the ball in his
vicinity, his sure hands would haul it in. Jack could have gone pro. More than
one sports analyst shook their head in amazement when he chose to follow his
real passion, designing software.

They met in class, clicked immediately, became best friends
and partners. Long hours tinkering with the first program that had to be
perfect. Starts and stops, never enough time or money. A bond had been forged
that could never be broken.

Hitting it big changed nothing. Their first million, the
ones that followed. The billion-dollar mark they had hit in September. They
progressed here together. The arguments were inevitable. Two strong
personalities didn’t get here by rolling over to anybody.

Knocking heads with Jack, if Drew were honest, was part of
the fun. His partner knew when to push and when to pull back. Growing up in a
large, boisterous, family gave Jack the ability to fight without getting nasty
or holding a grudge. The Winstons did everything in a big way. Big family full
of love. The exact opposite of Drew’s childhood.

He pulled his car into the large, climate-controlled garage
he insisted be included in the H&W compound. He considered his cars his
babies. They needed a warm home without harsh lights or fluctuating
temperatures. Most of his collection was in a three-story garage near his home.
Some were over one hundred years old. Those never moved. Others, like the
Mustang, were for driving. He rotated ten or twelve cars between the compound
and home, depending on his mood.

Drew waited for the garage door to close before getting out
of the car. One of Alex’s recruits would give it a wash tomorrow morning. There
were perks to having big, anxious-to-please security guards in training around.
They could always be counted on to buff the boss’ car.

Through the door, he had to pass by the barracks. At any
given time, anywhere from five or six to over a hundred men stayed at the
compound. When he and Jack hit it big, they had discussed dropping the personal
security side of the business. It was more of a pain in the ass than an asset.
Jack thought it was good luck, a way of not forgetting their humble beginnings.
In the end, they had kept a nominal staff catering to an exclusive clientele.
The man they hired to run that end of things had turned out to be a mean drunk,
putting Jack in the emergency room with a stab wound.

The current head of H&W Private Security division was an
ex-Army badass and Jack’s old high school buddy. Instead of cutting back, Alex
expanded the business — and did a damn good job. Business was booming all
around.

At the moment, though, Drew was the only living soul around.
Alex stayed here when he first came to town. Now that he and Dani were engaged,
he had moved into her loft. Security cameras and sensor devices eliminated the
need for a night watchman. They were a high-tech company. If they couldn’t keep
their own compound secure from a distance, they weren’t very good at their
jobs.

Drew used the retinal scan before typing in his personal
corresponding code to disengage the alarm system. His office was east facing,
the bank of windows gave him a view of Crossfire Hill. Most people would have
chosen a westward view. Jack and Alex’s offices both looked over Harper Falls
and the Columbia River. They also had a straight-across look at Harper House.

Drew had spent the first eighteen years of his life living
in that cold mountain of brick and mortar. Looking at it every day was not his
idea of a good time. Which brought him back to his earlier musings. Why move
back to Harper Falls?

Convincing Jack hadn’t been a problem. He was tired of Los Angeles.
A small town boy at heart, he embraced Harper Falls and its little quirks
wholeheartedly. Buy the better part of a mountain? His partner was all in.
Build their homes from the ground up, each only miles apart and minutes from
work. Jack hopped right on board.

Then again, Jack was an easygoing soul. Drew had all the
edges.

Coffee. That was the first order of business. Like
everything else at H&W, the coffee machines were state of the art. Did
spending an arm and a leg on a machine with more bells and whistles than he
would ever use make a better brew than a good old reliable Mr. Coffee? Damn
straight. He didn’t care if he never used the milk steamer or the cream
frother. One perfect cup of espresso, that was what he asked for; this machine
gave it to him.

Christ, his mind was all over the place this morning. Drew
settled down at his desk, putting his feet up and staring sightlessly out the
window.

When it came right down to it, he moved back to Harper Falls
for only one reason. Tyler Jones. Now that he was here? It surprised him how
much he had missed his hometown.

Getting away had been his goal. How many times had he and
Tyler laid in each other’s arms and talked about their dreams? Any place but
here. Together. At seventeen, it had all seemed possible. He had barely turned
eighteen when it all turned into a mess of epic proportions.