Chapter Twenty One

Tucker forced himself to slow to a walk as he moved at a brisk pace across the back yard, bound for the beach.

He’d heard the crunch of tires on the gravel, had seen Elise emerge from the car he had loaned her for her trip, and had watched as she’d turned away from the house and headed right down to the beach, her back to Timberline, her face picking up the last rays of sunshine of the day.

Elise Blake was back home at Timberline, and he couldn’t wait to talk to her.

He jumped the berm onto the sand, a smile splitting his face in two as she glanced over her shoulder with a smile, seeing him. “Annaliese Blake, returned to the fold at last,” he said dramatically, with a small bow, making her giggle.

“Hello, sir,” she said formally, bowing in return – and in jest.

Without thought, he propelled himself forward, pulling her into a tight hug, then releasing her, not seeing the red flush of her cheeks at his touch. “How was your trip?”

“Wonderful,” she said simply, her eyes shining. “I saw lots of beautiful things, got to visit a friend from college and bought so many fun things for Betsy and I to work on for her next few homework assignments. It was great to recharge a bit – but I’m glad to be back, too. I missed this beach so much.”

“We’re glad you’re back,” Tucker enthused.

“And how are you? Did Betsy run you ragged?” Elise asked, as the two of them slowly turned as one and began walking north up the beach, a discreet distance separating them.

“Almost,” Tucker laughed. “I’d forgotten how much energy one little girl can have. My sister was the same way when she was a little girl. Used to drive me nuts.”

Elise smiled at the image of a mini-Tucker and a mini-Betsy playing together, running through the woods of the Keweenaw, splashing in Lake Superior. “I always wished I’d had a brother or sister near my age to play with and run around with. It must have been wonderful.”

“Wonderful – until puberty hit. Then all bets are off,” Tucker grinned. “Consider yourself lucky to have escaped that.”

Elise didn’t say anything, knowing her childhood was anything but lucky, but appreciating his sentiment. “Is there anything I need to take care of right away? I can make dinner if you like – I stopped at Pat’s Foods on the way here…”

Tucker waved a hand. “There’s no rush – relax, settle in. I’m sure we can figure out a dinner plan. I’m back to work tomorrow, but I’m mostly going to be working from home for the next couple of days. I fly out on Wednesday for South Carolina for a couple of days about a potential merger, and then I should be back Friday or Saturday at the latest. So, you’ll just have to worry about yourself and Betsy when it comes to meals and all that.”

“Your business seems to be booming,” Elise observed, “what with all your travel and business deals. You’ve never really told me much about the genesis of the business, or what your future plans are.”

“It’s boring, that’s why,” Tucker said with a self deprecating laugh.

“Not to me,” Elise said softly. “If it involves you, it’s interesting, I’m sure of it.”

Tucker blinked, trying to interpret the meaning of that and forcing himself not to read too much into it. “Well, in that case…”

He launched in a bullet-point version of how the company began, as well as his current plans for expansion and a possible merger with several other large scale logging operations, thus helping to control the ever rising costs of union workers, sophisticated machinery and an environmental lobby that doesn’t always look kindly on trees being cut down, no matter how much reclamation his company does.

Elise listened, rapt, both by his ambition and tenacity, as well as just by the soothing timbre of his voice, the cadence of his speaking when he got excited, or when he truly believed something.

She could listen to that voice forever, she mused.

She inquired after Roger, the man injured in the fall in Munising, and was relieved to hear Tucker talk about his successful surgery, and that he was already discharged to rehab and making great progress.

After exhausting the topic of anything business related, they turned around and began walking back down the beach toward Timberline, fingers swinging just inches apart, but not touching.

It was exquisite torture.

They talked of the latest local news, Betsy’s current predilection for eating peanut butter out of the jar, and Tucker’s interest in trading in one of the cars for a truck… inconsequential things, but things that people who shared a life discussed with each other.

They paused at the foot of the berm, both preparing to go up to the house with a last long look at the deepening sky and crashing waves.

Tucker took a step closer to Elise, his eyes on hers as he reached up a hand and tenderly tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

He wanted to kiss her so, so badly.

And he had a funny feeling she wanted that too.

Elise’s eyes glittered with an emotion he couldn’t read in the setting sun, and his mouth quirked into a smile, then a frown as she abruptly took a step back.

“I… I should see to Betsy,” Elise stammered. “Sir.”

“But…”

“I should go!” Elise called over her shoulder, scrambling up the berm and scuttling across the yard.

Well, that was… unexpected.

Had he gotten the signs wrong?

Was his feeling about the two of them simply one sided?

And dammit, she was calling him sir again.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Tucker walked slowly across the yard, stopping in his tracks when he heard a wail to his right. He looked at the sauna, the guesthouse and beyond, then hunched his shoulders dejectedly and walked on.

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