Jake's Biggest Risk (Those Hollister Boys) (9 page)

In the living room, he found Hannah putting away books, looking annoyed. Jake sat on the couch, realizing he shouldn’t take so many volumes from the shelves without putting them back. It was just such a luxury having real books instead of his eReader. Ebooks were great for traveling light, but he enjoyed turning real pages and the feel of a book in his hands.

“I’m impressed with how much material you have on the region,” he said, trying to distract her.

“My great-aunt and uncle loved to read—most of these belonged to them.
So they’re special to me
. And when Andy told me you’d be photographing the Cascades, I brought some of mine over, too.”

He hadn’t realized the books had sentimental value. There wasn’t much room for sentimentality for someone who lived out of a backpack most of the time.

“That was considerate of you,” he said politely.

She didn’t look appeased. “Yeah, and then you called it a ‘fluff’ project.”

Jake sighed. He
should
have been more tactful. “Judging by some of the tribal masks and other art around here, it looks as if your great-aunt and uncle also loved to travel.”

Hannah nodded, her face softening. “They went to all sorts of places. Great-Aunt Elkie was so crazy about Japan they went back three times. I love reading her travel journals.”

“You didn’t get the travel bug from them?”

She blinked. “I wouldn’t say that. They took me with them on several trips, and I especially remember the museums in Italy and all the Roman ruins. I hope to take Danny there one day.”

“I suppose that’s a start.”

The smartphone in Jake’s pocket rang, and he dug it out, expecting it to be Matt announcing he was a new father. Instead it was his eldest brother.

“Hey, Jake, how are you doing?” Aaron said when he answered.

“Fine. How about you?”

As Aaron chatted about his wife and kids, Jake watched Hannah continue putting books back into the shelves, apparently sorting them into a particular order.

“By the way, Skylar and I hope to visit you in August,” Aaron said, catching Jake’s full attention. “And I know Matt and Layne want to come, as well. Their baby will be here by then and it’s a great chance for us all to see each other.”

Jake froze. He couldn’t imagine having
one
brother’s family at the lodge, much less two. “Uh, I’m not sure how my landlady would feel about me having overnight visitors.”

Hannah turned from the bookcase and began waving a hand for his attention, but he ignored her.

“We wouldn’t stay with you,” Aaron assured. “Between Lucy and a newborn, you’d never get any rest. I’ve reserved a house in town for the entire month, in case it works out.”

“I guess. Uh, sure. I’ll be working on my book, of course.”

“We won’t interfere. We’ll talk more when the time gets closer and figure out a good week. I’m just glad you’re doing better. It scared us when you were hurt.”

“Thanks.” While Jake wasn’t sure how to handle the idea of two brothers and their wives and children descending on him, it was nice that they were concerned.

Hannah cleared her throat.
Loudly
.

“I’ll let you go,” Aaron said. “But let me know if you need anything.”

“Sure.” Jake disconnected and looked at Hannah, who was staring at him in apparent disbelief.
“What?”

“Your landlady is standing right here. What do you mean, you don’t know how I feel about overnight visitors? Your lease says no wild parties, there’s nothing saying you can’t have visitors. The only person I wouldn’t be crazy about having here is your father, not with his reputation.”

“It isn’t that simple. That was my eldest brother. Aaron and another brother and their families want to come in August.”

“There are five bedrooms and three bathrooms upstairs, but you don’t want them staying here?”

“I’m not used to this family stuff. I don’t see Josie all that often, much less Matt and Aaron or the others. It’s nice they worry about what happened to me, but I’m okay now.”

“You’re still recovering. If you were my brother, I’d want to see you for myself.”

Grim amusement shot through Jake. If Hannah was his sister he wouldn’t be uncomfortable at the sight of her in trim shorts and a T-shirt that showed off every curve. He’d had an image of schoolteachers as prim women in sensible clothes, but she’d shot that idea to hell in a hurry.

“The Hollisters aren’t like other families,” he reminded her.

“Fine. Just don’t blame your lack of hospitality on your landlady.” She grabbed an empty pizza box and carried it toward the kitchen.

“I don’t understand. What’s the big deal?” he called after her.

Hannah turned. “I was an only child and don’t have many relatives. That’s one of the reasons I hope to get married again and have more kids, so Danny won’t be alone. But you’re lucky enough to
have
a big family, and don’t seem to care.”

Jake rarely spoke about his family except in response to interviewers’ questions, but he’d discovered that few people understood how complicated it was to be a Hollister.

“Hannah, I basically grew up as an only child, too,” he explained patiently. “I didn’t meet most of my half brothers and half sisters until I was an adult. There’s no reason for us to be close.”

“They’re still family.... Oh, just forget it.”

Jake watched her disappear through the kitchen door and frowned thoughtfully. Maybe he’d felt lonely growing up, but it had taught him to be self-reliant. And he
was
getting better acquainted with his siblings. Of course, while he’d made it to Aaron’s wedding, he’d missed Matt’s because he’d been photographing the rare Amur leopard in eastern Russia. Matt and Layne hadn’t said they minded, but he also hadn’t asked them how they felt.

* * *

H
ANNAH
CRAMMED
TWO
pizza boxes from Luigi’s into a garbage bag. Danny hurriedly took it out to the trash, no doubt anxious to finish up so he could hear more about Jake’s exploits.

Tidying the kitchen took a while. Normally she would have methodically worked from one side of the lodge to the other, but she preferred to stay away from Jake whenever possible.

Several of the plastic containers she used for leftovers were in the sink and she sighed. She was trying to ignore Jake’s effect on her...and the flow of food from Silver Cottage to Huckleberry Lodge. It was probably her own fault for mentioning Jake’s poor diet in front of Danny, and in friendlier circumstances, she might have brought food to him, as well. Mahalaton Lake was the kind of town where people looked after each other.

Squaring her shoulders, Hannah marched through the living room to the master bedroom,
also
trying to ignore the way Danny was now sitting wide-eyed on the floor, listening to another one of Jake’s stories. She understood why Jake was socially challenged given his upbringing, but after what she’d said earlier, surely he’d censor anything too frightening for a child.

The doors to the private deck were open, and Hannah stepped out to check the hot tub. Several towels were lying there and she picked them up, glad to see they weren’t the nice ones from the bathroom. She kept a supply for the hot tub in a cupboard by the French doors.

She’d have to remind Jake to keep the doors and easy-access windows closed to discourage any curious critters from coming in and making a mess.

“Hannah, there’s something I wanted to ask you about,” Jake said when she headed back through the living room with her laundry basket.

“Yes?”

“I’m not crazy about towns big enough to have a traffic light, so I’d like to hire you to do my grocery shopping—I’ll pay you fifty bucks plus the cost of the groceries, and you can do it when you’re going for yourself.”

“It’s okay, isn’t it, Mommy?” Danny asked. He was now lying on the floor, his legs up on the couch cushions.

“We’ll talk about it.”

“You
always
say that.”

She gave Jake a cool look, wishing he hadn’t asked in front of Danny. Of course, that might have been deliberate, knowing it would be harder to say no if her son wanted her to say yes.

Darn him anyway.

Things weren’t working out the way Lillian had thought. As far as Hannah could tell, Jake hadn’t left the lodge except for short walks. He was a slob, so it wasn’t exactly
light
housekeeping, and he kept wanting more services from her, like doing his personal laundry and grocery shopping. She’d refused to do the laundry, but shopping wouldn’t be so bad. And she could put the fifty dollars into a travel fund—she really
did
want to take Danny to Italy one day.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “I usually shop once a week.”

“That works for me. I have a list for the next time you go. I’ll tell my business manager to increase the amount he sends every month and give you a check to cover things in the meantime.”

He already had a list?

Obviously he’d assumed she’d agree, but the reminder of the monthly rent and cleaning fees kept her from saying anything. Jake was paying a huge amount to live at Huckleberry Lodge, and the extra fees for housekeeping, already paid a month in advance, were generous, as well. Nobody in Mahalaton Lake would pay her that much for changing beds and sweeping floors.

Of course, nobody would tell her son the type of stories that Jake was telling, either.

That was the worst part. Danny was fascinated by their tenant’s tales of danger and adventure. And he’d even asked whether his dad was out there doing the same kinds of exciting things. But Hannah didn’t want Danny to develop Steven’s wanderlust, because beneath his charm, her ex-husband was a fundamentally unhappy person. And his adventures were largely at the expense of other people.

It would break her heart to see Danny like that—never content, always searching for something he could never find. Maybe she was just as overprotective as Jake had accused her of being, but he’d never been in her shoes.

CHAPTER SEVEN

L
ATE
F
RIDAY
AFTERNOON
Jake was sitting in the sunroom as usual and caught the scent of chicken, garlic and lemon wafting from Silver Cottage. It reminded him that Danny had said Brendan Townsend was coming over for dinner.

Swell
.

The boring lawyer was getting a homemade dinner. And Jake knew it would be delicious from all the samples Danny had brought him of Hannah’s cooking. For all of her prickly nature, she was great in the kitchen and seemed to favor cuisines from around the world. The flavorful leftovers were a welcome break from Italian food and peanut butter.

A particularly strong whiff of garlic came through the windows and Jake’s stomach rumbled. He’d have to order something new off Luigi’s regular menu.

A silver Lexus pulled in and parked as Jake was looking at the menu. The lawyer got out, the usual bouquet of flowers in hand. Danny opened the door and let him in, a sulky expression on his face.

Poor kid. He didn’t like his mother’s suitor, though he was also unhappy about missing another Friday-night pizza; he’d complained about it earlier that day. Jake fingered his smartphone...he needed to get food for himself, and ordering a pizza for the boy wouldn’t be a big deal.

He dialed Luigi’s, asking for an order of tortellini a’Luigi and a medium cheese pizza. Barbi walked in twenty-five minutes later wearing a skimpy halter top and close-fitting pants that ended just below her knees. It was disheartening to realize the sexy outfit did less for him than seeing Hannah in the more modest clothes she’d worn while cleaning the lodge. Being attracted to his schoolteacher landlady was the last thing he’d expected during his recuperation.

“Hiya, Jake.”

“Hi, Barbi.” He handed her money for the food and tip. “The pizza is for Silver Cottage. Will you take it over for me?”

“Yeah, but why are you getting pizza for Hannah and Danny when Brendan is here?”

“Danny was upset about missing pizza two Fridays in a row, so I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

“Gotcha.”

Barbi left with the box and walked up the steps to Silver Cottage.
Interesting
. There was an extra swing to her hips, and Jake didn’t think it was for his benefit. She knocked and the door opened. It was Danny again, but Barbi said she had a delivery and Hannah appeared a split second ahead of Brendan.

“What is he doing, sending you a pizza?” Brendan demanded, his voice bellowing across the space between the buildings.

“It’s a cheese pizza, so I’m sure it’s for Danny,” Hannah said after checking the label on the box. She looked toward the sunroom, though with the afternoon sun shining on the windows, Jake knew she probably couldn’t see him.

Brendan tried to hand the pizza back to Barbi, but she shook her head.

“Sorry, I can’t do that. It’s ordered and paid for,” she declared politely. From her profile, Jake could tell she was smiling, most likely to annoy Brendan. The two seemed to clash over everything from the best toppings on a three-topping pizza to his conservative views. Plainly, some heat was hiding behind all that antagonism.

“This isn’t funny, Barbi,” Brendan insisted.

“I’m just doing my job.”

Jake chuckled at her innocent tone. He didn’t have to be an expert in human relations to see something
was
going on beneath the surface.

“Eat it yourself,” Brendan insisted.

“I can’t do that.”
Barbi said indignantly. “Besides, it’s Danny’s pizza, not mine. Jake wanted him to have it since he didn’t get any last Friday.”

“Yum,”
Danny cried. “It’s okay, isn’t it Mommy? Jake sent me a present.”

“I...guess. Thanks, Barbi.”

“No problem.”

Barbi turned and winked in Jake’s direction as she descended the stairs, yet Jake was starting to feel odd about the whole thing. He’d wanted Danny to have the pizza, but maybe he was interfering in Hannah’s life by sending Barbi over there.

Or maybe he was envious of Brendan, which seemed even worse.

* * *

B
RENDAN
TRIED
NOT
to let the pizza or the encounter with Barbi spoil his evening. The meal Hannah had cooked was delicious, and if Danny was used to getting pizza on Friday nights, then maybe it was best that his routine hadn’t been disrupted again. The Hollister fellow simply delighted in being an irritant and had used Barbi to further his plan.

It was curious, though. Barbi had really seemed shocked when he’d suggested she keep the pizza for herself.

“Shall we take a walk down by the lake before dessert?” Hannah asked after the meal. “The trail goes along the shore and back into the trees part of the way.”

She seemed restless, and though Brendan was more accustomed to working out on his treadmill than hiking a woodland trail, he nodded. “Sure.”

“Come on, Danny,” she called. “It’s time for a walk.”

Danny seemed to take it as a normal part of his day and they headed south, toward town. It was a pleasant evening and Brendan was glad to see Hannah relax as she stopped and pointed out various plants and birds to her son, seeing if he remembered what they were called.

“
Mooommy,
you asked about trillium
last
time,” Danny said.

“Did I?”

“Uh-huh. Do you know what this is, Brendan?”

Brendan was startled by the youngster’s question. While he appreciated the clean air and beauty of the small mountain town, he wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about the vegetation. “I’m sorry, I don’t.”

“It’s a huckleberry bush. That’s what our lodge is named after. Mommy makes huckleberry jam and pancakes and stuff.”

“That sounds good.”

“It’s
super fantabulous.
”

Hannah looked at the nearby bushes. “I think we’re going to have a generous crop,” she said. “Last year it was hard to get enough.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever eaten wild berries.”

Her smile became strained again. “I pick wild fruit both in the mountains and over on the coast—things like blackberry, salal, Oregon grape...even salmonberries. We eat some, but I also use them in my classroom to teach about the environment.”

“Oh.”

“You aren’t familiar with any of those except blackberries, are you?”

“Not really,” he confessed. He’d grown up in a big city, so the idea of going outside and collecting food was foreign to him.

Hannah was watching Danny, who’d wandered farther along the trail and was playing with Badger. “I love these mountains. I love the
feel
of them,” she murmured, almost as if to herself. “But I’ve never seen photographs that capture the way I see them. Jake Hollister is a brilliant photographer. He might be able to do it, but he thinks the project is beneath him.”

Brendan fought a flash of jealousy, which was ridiculous. Hannah was
annoyed
with Jake Hollister, not expressing true admiration of his talent. Yet before he could say anything, she turned to him with a smile.

“Forget I said that. People are so excited to have a celebrity living in Mahalaton Lake, I’d hate for them to be disappointed.”

“Of course. I’m just sorry you have to put up with his poor attitude.”

“At least Danny likes him.”

Brendan glanced at Hannah’s son and wished he knew how to connect with a child. It shouldn’t be this hard—after all, he used to be a kid himself. But that was a long time ago. And while he and Maria had talked about having a family in theory, they’d agreed to focus on their careers before making that kind of commitment.

Now it was too late, and he’d chucked his high-powered career to experience life at a slower pace. While there was usually enough legal work in Mahalaton Lake to keep him busy for a regular forty-hour week, he wasn’t sure what to do with the rest of his time.

Barbi’s comments about his not having friends popped into his head. Brendan hated to admit it, but she was right. Maybe he should call David Walther and see if he wanted to get together occasionally. David’s wife was gone as well, and Maria would have liked seeing Brendan becoming friends with her father. If she
had
communicated with him in his dreams, concern for her father might have been the reason. Not that he believed in that sort of thing, but it was a nice thought.

“Er...I was wondering if you and Danny would like to do something tomorrow or the next day,” he said. “We could go for a drive, or do anything you like.”

“I’d love to, but I’m working on the ice cream social all weekend.”

Brendan did his best to look understanding. He’d hoped that once the school year was out, he’d be able to see Hannah more often, but if she wasn’t busy with Danny and her fund-raisers, she was doing some sort of project with Barbi.

“Danny,” Hannah called. “Let’s go back to the house for dessert.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

The trail was damp, and Brendan tried not to think about what it was doing to his good leather shoes. He’d learned a little more about Hannah on the walk, and that was worth muddy feet. Besides, he knew a great shoe-repair place in Seattle.

Seattle?

He halted in midstep, his brain chewing over something Barbi had said earlier. She’d made a flip remark about his suits, making it sound as if he had one foot in the city and the other on the Mahalaton Lake town limits. It wouldn’t help his law practice if the local people didn’t consider him one of them. Lately he
had
begun wearing more casual outfits at appropriate times, but Barbi obviously didn’t think they were any better than his suits.

Brendan pushed the thought aside. Barbi Paulson was hardly an arbiter of good taste.

“Is something wrong?” Hannah asked, turning around.

“No. I was...um, wondering what makes the ground so springy,” he hedged.

“Years of fallen hemlock needles. We’re in a stand of old-growth western hemlock. The more open areas on either side were cleared by fires from lightning strikes.”

Brendan felt surprisingly mellow as they returned, yet his pleasant mood fled when he saw Jake Hollister heading toward them.

“Thanks for the pizza, Jake,” Danny called.

“You’re welcome.”

“Fancy running into you here,” Hollister drawled when they got closer.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “It’s hardly a surprise when we both live a few hundred yards away.” She pointed to the camera hanging from a strap around his neck. “I see you’re planning to take some pictures.”

He shrugged. “I’m looking for the dogwood you mentioned. You made it sound interesting.”

“It’s late in the season for dogwood. You won’t find any at this elevation.”

“Do you know where some might still be blooming?”

“Maybe. I’ll mark likely places on a map and put it under your door. Oh, by the way, when I was cleaning the master bedroom today I found the doors open to the private deck. You need to be careful, or animals will get in and make a mess.”

“I’ll keep it in mind. Enjoy the rest of your walk.”

Brendan was tempted to add a stronger warning, but doubted his interference would be appreciated. One of the things he admired about Hannah was her independence, though it didn’t mean he wouldn’t like to take care of her now and then.

* * *

J
AKE
WATCHED
H
ANNAH
and her son and lawyer boyfriend disappear around a clump of silvery aspen. Then, dragging his thoughts away from the subtle swing of his landlady’s hips, he took a few photos of the lake and forest, only to delete them. They were lousy, but he assured himself that it didn’t mean anything—he’d taken his share of bad pictures over the years. Every photographer did.

A little inspiration would help, but inspiration was in short supply at the moment.

Still, a thought kept bouncing around in his brain about how to make his book work. Hannah’s passionate love for the Cascades might be an angle he could exploit. She had the summer off from teaching, so maybe he could hire her to show him her favorite places and see what happened. It was an arrangement that would benefit them both—she could probably use the money, and he needed to prove he hadn’t lost his edge.

Jake switched off the camera and walked the short distance back to Huckleberry Lodge. Brendan Townsend’s Lexus was still outside the house, along with a familiar-looking SUV. He made a face. The lodge might be several miles out of town, but Hannah had her share of visitors, nonetheless.

“Mr. Hollister?” called someone from Silver Cottage’s deck.

He looked up and saw an attractive brunette waving at him. “Yes?”

“I wanted to speak to—”

“Mama, I want
up,
” a childish voice interrupted.

“Not right now, darling.” The woman looked back at Jake as the youngster jumped impatiently. “Maybe I should come down there.” She emerged from Hannah’s house a minute later. “Hi, I’m Gwen Westfield. My husband is the head of emergency services in Mahalaton Lake.”

“Hello.” Jake nodded warily and shook her hand.

“I’m working on a fund-raising booth for the Christmas in August street fair,” she said. “I wondered if you’d consider taking portraits to help the town raise money for a new fire truck. We’d get photographic paper, and I have a printer and laptop, so you could print and sign the photos right there. All you’d have to do is bring your camera, and you could choose the times you wanted to work.”

He stared.

Street fair?
Portraits?
He rarely took pictures with people
in
them, much less portraits. It might have been all right to do something like that for charity if he hadn’t gotten hurt, but he’d just look desperate now. And if word got out that he was doing that kind of work, he could kiss any kind of adventure-based project goodbye. Nobody would ever take him seriously again—as much as he’d like to ignore the critics, he
did
care about his artistic reputation.

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible,” he said. “But I’d be happy to make a donation toward the truck.”

She looked resigned. “Hannah didn’t think you’d be interested, but I had to ask.”