Jake's Biggest Risk (Those Hollister Boys) (5 page)

“Very amusing. But I have an iron stomach after the way I’ve lived. Besides, I don’t cook.”

“There’s also a stove, microwave and toaster oven—reheating doesn’t require any culinary ability.”

“Neither does ordering another pizza. Got two on Sunday and figured they’d last awhile. So don’t throw those away.” He gestured to the boxes on the table and countertop.

“Well, I guess it’s a break from PB&Js.”

“PB&Js?”

“Peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. Seriously, how much time
have
you spent in the U.S. if you don’t know that?” Hannah swept dried crusts of bread and wadded-up paper towels into her sack of trash.

“Almost none,” Jake admitted. “I’m normally on assignment fifty weeks out of the year. And usually in remote areas. I have a small work studio in Costa Rica, but I’m hardly ever there, either.”

Lord
. Hannah couldn’t imagine living like that, with no real home, just a suitcase, or whatever passed for a suitcase in his line of work. She glanced out the window at Mahala Lake, the water so blue it almost hurt her eyes. Except for the years she’d been at college, it was a sight she’d seen every day of her life, yet she never tired of it.

“Traveling can be fun, but I’m mostly a homebody,” she said, raising her chin and practically daring him to say something
else
that was rude. Jake had made his opinion about staying in one place quite well-known.

“Yeah, I figured that out. The domestic stuff is okay if that’s what you like, but home, marriage, kids—those things
end
my kind of career.”

Hannah stared. “That isn’t the first time you’ve mentioned something along those lines, and it’s starting to sound like a warning. I don’t need to be told to keep my distance. My ex-husband was a thrill seeker and I have no intention of making that mistake again. If I get married again, it’s going to be to someone stable and caring who can put me and my son first. It certainly won’t be to a man with one foot out the door and a habit of risking his neck.”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Jake protested. “It’s on my mind, that’s all. I talked to my former photography assistant this morning. We won’t be working together any longer because he’s getting married, and all he could talk about was the house they’re buying and his great new job. He may be better off on his own, but he already
had
a great job.
With me
.”

“You fired him because he’s getting married? Is being single a rule in the photography business?”

Jake sank down on one of the chairs, rubbing his left leg. “I didn’t fire him, but most spouses don’t appreciate being left alone for months at a time, and Toby’s fiancée is no exception. Vera must have given him an ultimatum after the accident and he caved under the pressure.”

Hannah began putting cups in the top rack of the dishwasher, thinking about the mixed emotions on Jake’s face when he’d mentioned Toby’s enthusiasm for his new job...emotions too complicated to fathom. One thing was quite clear, however—Jake Hollister didn’t understand people who wanted a home.

“Maybe your assistant didn’t ‘cave.’ Maybe he made a choice,” she offered finally.

Jake shook his head. “Toby liked the travel. He complains about stuff, but that’s just his way—he’s the one who suggested going to the Gobi Desert three years ago. For Pete’s sake, it’s not as if he was cheating on Vera, and they talked on the satellite phone almost every day.”

“A phone call is hardly the same as having someone with you. And if Toby loved the travel that much, he didn’t have to quit.”

“But he
is
quitting.”

She rolled her eyes at Jake’s sulky, little-boy tone.

“Well, your feelings about domesticity are hardly a secret,” she informed him. “Whenever a reporter or an interviewer asks about marriage, you declare you’re a confirmed bachelor.”

“You’ve read about me?”

“Don’t read anything into it. The rental agent for Huckleberry Lodge was excited about the idea of a celebrity living in the area. Lillian gave me copies of various articles and talked about you incessantly.”

“I’m not a celebrity.”

“You’re the closest thing to it in Mahalaton Lake.”

Hannah put detergent in the dishwasher and started it, uncomfortably aware of Jake watching her.

“Don’t you have work to do?” she asked finally.

“Nothing important. I’m on a forced hiatus except for the fluff book I’m doing on the Cascades.”

“Excuse me?” She turned and raised her eyebrows.
“Fluff?”

“The Cascade Range has been done by half the nature photographers on the planet. It’s boring.”

Hannah’s temper began to simmer again. This was her
home
he was insulting.

“The Cascade Mountains are among the most beautiful places in the world,” she said crisply. “We have active volcanoes, varied animal life, gorgeous wildflowers...it’s a scenic wonderland.”

“But it’s also commonplace.” Jake made a dismissive gesture. “Nothing can compare to the sight of a polar bear in its natural habitat or the power of an Amur leopard climbing up a rock face with its prey.”

“Oh? Have you ever heard the cry of a loon across the water? It’s haunting. And how about the way dogwood blossoms seem to hang in midair, glowing in the low light of a forest? A place doesn’t have to be remote to be breathtaking.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s nice.”

Hannah could tell he wasn’t convinced, but she hadn’t expected to get through to him—he’d made up his mind and that was that. She took the bag of trash out to the cans behind the garage and headed back to find Jake sitting at the farmhouse table with a laptop computer in front of him.

Pressing her lips together, she continued putting the kitchen to rights. Removing the trash was a big improvement. It was even possible that the mess was more the result of him feeling lousy than of his truly being a slob; she’d find out over the next few months as his condition improved.

“By the way, where’s your son?” Jake asked after a few minutes.

“With my parents. They went down to Portland for the day and I didn’t think you wanted him here.”

* * *

S
HE
’
D
SENT
D
ANNY
to spend the day with her parents?

A twinge of guilt went through Jake. He wasn’t a kid person, but he usually got along okay with them. It was just that first day he’d instantly envisioned having Danny underfoot all the time and hadn’t wanted to encourage that. On the other hand, he hadn’t expected to be so bored.

“You can bring him next time,” he offered, surprising himself. “I don’t mind.”

“Can I get that in writing?” Hannah asked drily.

He grinned. Hannah Nolan wasn’t what he’d expected as a landlady, but that was a good thing. He didn’t need a comfortable motherly type, fussing over him and treating him like an invalid. Hannah would be more likely to kick him in the ass than fuss.

“Whatever you like. I’ll have my lawyer contact your lawyer, and we’ll do it right. If I had to guess, that guy who visited last week is a member of the bar. Conservative suit, no sense of humor, luxury car...what else could he be?”

She pressed her lips together and began wiping the sandstone countertops. Jake hadn’t intended to let the place get so messy, but it was easy to let things go when just getting from one side of the house to the other was a pain.
Literally
. Yet even as the thought formed, he grimaced. He didn’t like excuses; they stank worse than week-old fish.

“So is the guy you’re dating the sensitive, vulnerable man you’re looking for?” he asked.

“Brendan is a friend. And not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t say I was looking for sensitive
or
vulnerable.”

“My mistake.”

Hannah tidied the sunroom before returning to the living room. He followed, to her obvious displeasure.

“I thought you were doing something on your computer.”

“I’ve never had a housekeeper before. I should see how you do things.”

She returned another stack of books to the bookcases by the fireplace. “I’m not your housekeeper. Our agreement specifies light cleaning twice a week, not to exceed two hours. You reminded me about the ‘light’ part when you arrived.”

“Sure. But don’t you think it’s mostly a question of semantics?”

“You don’t want to know what I think,” Hannah muttered.

Jake tried not to smile. It wasn’t nice of him to ruffle her feathers, but they were awfully fun to ruffle. He’d already stuck his foot into his mouth to the point she’d probably boot him out if she could get away with it. At least his lease gave him some protection.

Taking a dust mop from a closet, Hannah ran it over the hardwood floor and then dusted the flat surfaces. A citrus scent filled the air and he sniffed.

“What’s that?”

“Lemon oil. It’s good for the wood, but if you don’t like it, I’ll try to find something else.”

“It’s fine. Beats the smell of seal fat.”

“Seal fat?” Hannah shuddered. “Where is
that
used on floors?”

“I’m not sure about floors, but the Inupiat have uses for it, including burning it in lamps. The village where I stayed this spring is quite traditional, and still consumes seal and caribou meat as its major food sources.”

“I’m afraid seal is too exotic for me.”

“It is for most people.” He wrinkled his nose. “And to be honest, I prefer caribou. But seal isn’t bad, and I could name several other more unappetizing dishes I’ve eaten. I won’t go into the details.”

The corner of Hannah’s mouth twitched.

“On the other hand,” he said reflectively, “when you’re in an amazing place like Nepal or the Amazon basin, who cares what you’re eating?”

“Actually, a lot of people do.”

“They don’t know what they’re missing.”

“You obviously don’t know what you’re missing about the Cascade Mountain Range, either,” she returned promptly.

So that was still bothering her. Diplomacy wasn’t one of his strengths, but he was usually more tactful.

Hannah set to work again, stripping the bed and putting on fresh sheets. The bathroom and guest powder room were scrubbed with a ruthless efficiency, and Jake could tell that her primary goal was to get out of Huckleberry Lodge as quickly as possible. After dusting and straightening the library, she finished by mopping the kitchen and bundling up the linens.

“That’s all. I’ll do these over at my place.”

“Is there any way I could interest you in doing my personal laundry, as well?”

She smiled sweetly. “I’m afraid not. You have a top-of-the-line washing machine and dryer in the laundry room for that—I realize it probably doesn’t measure up to pounding clothes on rocks and rinsing them in a cold river, but it will have to do. I’ll see you on Friday.”

As the door closed behind her, Jake began to laugh.

* * *

H
ANNAH
DUMPED
J
AKE
Hollister’s sheets and towels on the floor of her laundry room and gave them a kick.
Jackass
. He’d baited her, but that wasn’t the problem. It was his attitude about the Cascades she found truly infuriating.

If he acted that way in other parts of the world, he’d probably start a war one day. Actually, she was surprised he hadn’t started one already.

Hadn’t anyone ever told him he shouldn’t insult someone’s home? It was akin to telling somebody their baby was ugly, or that they were an idiot for choosing to live in a certain place.

She loved Mahalaton Lake and having her parents a few miles away. It was great to know people on the street and be a part of their lives. She felt connected here. As a teenager she’d thought about leaving, but not any longer. Yet apparently Jake Hollister was always thinking about the next place he was going.

Hannah loaded the towels into the washer. It was a good thing she was getting so much for renting the lodge. When Lillian had told her what Jake had offered, it had seemed absurdly high, but it made more sense now. With his appalling manners, greasing the wheels with money was probably the only way he could survive.

At least she wouldn’t have to send Danny to her parents the next time she cleaned. It had hurt seeing the crushed expression on his face when he’d learned he wouldn’t be “helping” in the big house. In the way children could instantly form a liking for someone, he had decided Jake Hollister was a kindred spirit. Even Jake’s rudeness hadn’t changed how he felt.

Hannah put detergent in the washing machine and started it. Her parents would soon be back with Danny and she wanted to fix them a meal.

Determinedly putting obnoxious photographers out of her mind, she began chopping vegetables.

Two hours later the scent of garlic and other spices filled the air and she was in better sprits. The front door opened and she heard Danny call, “Hi, Mommy!”

“Hi. Did you have a good time?”

“The best! We went to the zoo and saw the polar bears, just like the ones Mr. Hollister takes pictures of.”

Her dad kissed her forehead. “Smells wonderful, sweetheart.”

“It’s Thai chicken. You and I will have to spice it up with chili garlic sauce since I made it mild for the wimps.”

“I heard that,” her mom called from the other room.

Hannah grinned.

“How was Mr. Hollister?” her father asked.

Her grin faded. “Fine, as far as I could tell. But he’s a slob. No wonder he wanted someone to clean house. What a mess—jam dripping onto the kitchen floor, things thrown about, Great-Aunt Elkie’s books all over the living room.”

Hannah’s mother hurried in, frowning. “Has he done any damage to the lodge or furnishings?”

“Not as far as I could tell. Honestly, though, I think the only things he’s eaten since getting here are Luigi’s pizza and peanut butter. Cold pizza, most of the time.”

“Pizza is yummy,” Danny said.

“I know, darling. But once a week is enough. That way it stays a treat. And we like it nice and hot, not cold and stale.”

“Uh-huh. Poor Mr. Hollister.”

Hannah nearly choked.

She did
not
feel sorry for Jake Hollister. He seemed to delight in annoying her and she’d be lucky to get through a month without him finding out how loudly she could shriek.