Reaching For Risks Read online

  Darby’s eyes flicked between the two men. “Rayce?” Quinn felt his teeth grind together. Was she interested in the carpenter? Not that he cared. But he had to force his jaw to relax.

  Sawyer answered his sister. “Mrs. Hammond got more confused than normal this morning. She hit the gas instead of the brake and rammed that old Pontiac of hers straight into the light pole outside of CharterGear. Ripped a hole right through the building.”

  This time, Darby’s eyes met his. Full of worry. “No one got hurt?” Her gaze flicked over him as if to reassure herself. Nice.

  “The damage is all upstairs and no one was up there. But my apartment has seen better days. The antlers at the top of the light post took a strip off my stove and hacked up the floor before poking through the wall and landing on my bed. Total mess.”

  The back door opened behind him and he saw Darby’s eyes smile at the new arrival. Rayce. Damn it.

  “Figured if I met you here, I might snag some of Darby’s baking before we check out the mess you’ve got.”

  Darby’s cheeks flushed with pink and she laughed. “Sure thing, Rayce, come on in.”

  The carpenter, like all the LaChance men, was tall, strong and a lady killer. His pretty-much-identical twin, Jaz, had been an underwear model of all damn things. Quinn watched Darby closely for her reaction. Too friendly? Too happy to have him drop by?

  Rayce moved in beside her, slung an arm over her shoulder and kissed her cheek, causing more pink. Double damn.

  Through sheer willpower, Quinn gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay exactly where he stood rather than drag Rayce out of the B&B and to his shop. Were the two of them together, already?

  They could be and it wasn’t any of his business. She’d made it clear that she wasn’t looking at Quinn in any way. Time for him to move on. Find someone. Get laid.

  Even the thought of getting laid had Quinn imaging Darby naked, flushed and panting beneath him. He tried to change the picture. Tried to replace her with the woman who’d been in his shop three times over the past week, flaunting her impressive body and sending come-and-get-me signals. He couldn’t picture her face or remember her name.

  He needed to try harder. Move on.

  Except he’d been fantasizing about Darby for years, ever since his family had bought that summer home after he’d finished high school. Long legs in tiny shorts. Hair bouncing with every step. Eyes that made a man want to promise anything.

  Everything.

  “Quinn?”

  With an effort, Quinn shook off his thoughts and forced his attention back to the people sharing the room with him.

  “You think it would work?” Rayce asked.

  He had no idea what his friend was asking so instead of answering, he shrugged.

  Rayce took his hand off Darby’s shoulder to grab another cookie. “It would help me out. You’re able to handle all that painting and minor repair stuff. Obviously, I’d be around for anything you don’t feel comfortable handling but the priority has to be closing in that hole in your wall and making sure the structural integrity hasn’t been compromised.”

  True. Quinn nodded in agreement. “Sounds good.”

  Rayce pointed the half-eaten cookie at him. “And no more wishy-washy bullshit about the renovations. You’ll have to make a decision whether you want to make the whole space storage or if you want to keep a small apartment. I’ve already made a few switches with other clients so I should be able to start in the morning. You think you can decide by then?”

  Morning. Good a time as any to make the decision. Buy a home? Keep an apartment? Sell? Move?

  Sawyer nodded. “It’s not like you to have such a hard time choosing, Quinn. It’s not that difficult.”

  Shouldn’t be but settling in Bloo Moose permanently came with a lot of baggage. Baggage he wasn’t sure he wanted to live with.

  “What’s the weather forecast?”

  Rayce smiled down at Myla. “Perfect. No rain for the next couple of days so we should be able to enclose the space without too much difficulty. If Quinn can step off the fence he’s been walking on.”

  “Fine. I’ll let you know in the morning.” After he and Rayce looked over the space, he’d have to pack up what he needed and find a place to stay. He didn’t relish spending a week or two in the motel but LaChance Lodge was always booked months in advance and no way was he bunking in with the newly engaged couple. Nothing worse than being a third wheel.

  “Do you need any help moving your stuff over here?”

  What? What had he missed while he’d been picturing Darby flushed with passion on his bed? Quinn’s gaze moved to her, to find her staring at him like she’d been shot. Classic deer in the headlights look.

  Holy shit.

  They’d arranged for him to stay in the B&B.

  With Darby.

  Alone.

  Which might be awesome if she didn’t look like she needed to throw up.

  Clamshells & Sea Breezes

  Darby made sure she was up early. Even the cats were still sleeping. Lucky things. She’d hardly slept, terrified the man might show up before she’d showered or while she was still wearing her frog jammies.

  How had she been snowballed into letting Quinn stay with her for her Reno Break? Quinn hadn’t even been the one doing the snowballing. If she wasn’t crazy—and that wasn’t a given—he’d been as surprised as she’d been by the whole thing. Sawyer had set it up. Her brother hated her being alone at the B&B. Every year during her Reno Break, he always tried to get her to have a friend stay with her or rent out at least one room. He dropped by daily and generally drove her nuts.

  Three years older, he’d always been overprotective but when their parents had been killed when she was seventeen, he’d gone into overdrive. Add in his SEAL training and he worried when she went to the store.

  If he’d found out what had happened all those years ago, he’d have quit the military and probably landed himself in jail. Still might. He sure wouldn’t have forced her into accepting Quinn Charters as a house guest.

  Darby tried to push away the memories but with Quinn arriving on her doorstep at any time, it was impossible. Normally, her Reno List consumed her. She looked forward to this time all year long and for those two weeks nothing else mattered. She painted, fixed, replaced and polished her home, keeping it fresh and fun. It consumed her every year. Now, it didn’t come close to distracting her.

  Not with Quinn occupying half her brain and her Risk List controlling the other.

  It had to be a coincidence that her brain linked the two together because the second last man on earth she should be interested in was the younger Charters brother.

  Only his brother would be worse.

  A shudder ran through her entire body. For the most part, she could ignore the similarities between the two men. They weren’t close to identical. While both had physical appeal, Quinn’s athletic body was taller and stronger, his face sharper, with a firmer jawline and more penetrating eyes. Good looking to the point where women drooled.

  And none of that was good news.

  Her tummy quivered every time Quinn was in the room. Living in such close proximity for two weeks was going to be a disaster. She was alive so of course she was attracted to him but she shouldn’t be.

  Couldn’t be. Not when even the thought of his brother made her shudder with both fear and revulsion.

  How deep did the similarities between the siblings run?

  Taking a deep breath, Darby closed her eyes and forced herself to think of painting the walls in the front room. Soothing, repetitive.

  Quinn was Sawyer’s best man and her brother trusted very few people. Surely he’d know if his friend had violent tendencies. She’d trust his judgment about Quinn.

  Her own instincts weren’t trustworthy. Quinn had never done anything questionable, had never given a hint that he was an undercover creep.

  At least she wouldn’t be accidentally tempting the man with her appearance.

&n
bsp; Darby took her laptop down to the kitchen with her to feed the cats who were finally rousing. Quinn shouldn’t be there for a bit and she’d need coffee to tackle her Risk List. Lots of coffee.

  Deciding that clothes might be easier to figure out than makeup, she pulled up a search while the machine gurgled. One hundred and ninety-five billion results. Billion.

  Her fingers wanted to slam shut the laptop and return to her paint samples but she forced herself to click on the first link. Models covered the page, looking so much better than she did, she wanted to hurl the thing across the room. Perfect hair, perfect makeup, perfect bodies.

  No matter what she did, what she bought, Darby didn’t have a hope of looking like them. She should toss the list and stick to her renos. At least she had a clue about what worked there.

  No, that was her inner coward talking. She needed to make a change. Pulling her eyes away from the models, she surveyed the choices. Blouses. Sweaters. Pants. Dresses. Skirts. Activewear. Summer wear. Trends. Lingerie.

  This would be so much easier if she could input her measurements and hair color and they could spit out outfits to choose from.

  A knock sounded on the outer door, making her jump. A glance at the clock showed Quinn was exactly on time. Darby wiped her hands on her jeans as she walked over to open the door.

  Quinn filled the doorframe, carrying a duffel over one shoulder and a gym bag in his hand. The spring sun had already started highlighting his hair, his muscles strained his t-shirt and his worn jeans hugged his legs.

  At least one of them knew how to project sexy.

  “You need to install a peephole on this door. You’ve got one on the front.”

  “Hello to you, too.”

  Quinn rolled his eyes and stepped forward, forcing Darby to back up and let him in.

  “Seriously, Darby, add it to your infamous Reno List. After what that lunatic tried to do to your brother and Myla, I’d think you’d be more careful.”

  The last thing she needed was another alpha male in her life. “The door was locked.”

  Another eye roll. “Only until I knocked. You didn’t even ask who it was.”

  Darby smiled sweetly. “If you don’t like the security, you’re free to find another place to stay.” That would be great. She could focus on both her lists in peace. Oops. Her lists. Where had she left her notebook?

  A peek over her shoulder showed it on the island, next to the laptop. Open. To which list? She’d been checking her Risk List last. Hoping to appear casual, she hurried over and flipped it closed.

  Quinn followed and eyed the open laptop. “Hm. I like that one.” She looked up to find him pointing at the model wearing a sexy black lingerie set. Probably had most women melting right into his arms when he grinned like that. Not her. She was immune to Charters’ charm. Absolutely, positively immune.

  When she peeked again, Quinn’s eyes were skimming over her body. Imagining her in the lingerie? Her belly shivered in response to the look before a bolt of panic shuddered right through. Was Quinn like Philip?

  No. He couldn’t be. Sawyer couldn’t be that wrong.

  Except he’d been wrong about the crazy woman who’d tried to kill him and Myla.

  She’d almost lost her brother. The thought terrified her. Sawyer was her only true tie to the rest of the human race. Sure, she interacted with all the guests at the B&B but not as a real person. Not as a friend. Would anyone other than Sawyer even miss her if she was gone? She’d let all her friendships lapse.

  Pathetic. Why had it taken the Nosy Trinity to wake her up?

  If Quinn wasn’t a Charters, she’d try out her Risk List on him. But she couldn’t risk finding out the hard way that he was too much like his brother.

  Even if he wasn’t a Charters, he was way, way, way out of her league. Charming. Gorgeous. Confident.

  Which would make him a safe target for practice if she had the nerve.

  “Hey Darby, you fall asleep standing up?”

  His words had Darby jerking backward then slamming closed the laptop. She’d forgotten he was standing right beside her. Yet more proof—as if she needed it—that her people skills were seriously lacking.

  Instead of answering, Darby moved to the coffee maker. “Want a cup?” There. That sounded relaxed. Normal.

  She poured his coffee into a large mug sporting a cartoon moose then handed it to him. Conversation. She should make conversation. That was normal. And unpathetic.

  Nothing came to mind.

  Quinn leaned back against the counter and sipped, apparently having no trouble relaxing.

  “How’d you know I like it black?”

  Darby shrugged, not even sure herself. It was just one of those things she knew. When Quinn was in the area, she was on edge, hyperaware. She noticed a lot. Not that she’d say any of that out loud.

  More awkward silence. Darby twisted her hands together. Small talk was normally one of her strengths. If you focused on the other person, small talk was easy. Ask questions. Get them talking about their favorite subjects. Her guests were generally couples or groups. Other than Sawyer she rarely spoke to men one-on-one.

  And this man was Quinn.

  “Relax, Darby. I’m not here to be entertained. I’m here because Rayce is working on my place instead of yours. Why don’t you show me which room you want me in and I’ll get set up.”

  What room she wanted him in? How about all of them? She gulped hard but he didn’t seem to notice her reaction as he kept talking.

  “Then we can go over your list together.”

  Her list? “My list?”

  Quinn’s chuckle made her skin tingle. “Darby, you make a Reno List every year. That notebook is legendary in home repair circles.”

  Her Reno List, not the Risk List. Relief made her giggle and Quinn’s smile widened, making her want to move closer at the same time that she wanted to run as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

  She was officially nuts.

  “I figured I’d start with painting the main rooms out front. You really don’t have to help me out, you know. Sawyer has a panic attack every year when I don’t have guests. He forced you into staying here but you don’t have to do any of the work.”

  Quinn grinned one of those heart-softening grins. It didn’t have any effect on hers. None at all. Nope, not even a smidge.

  Liar.

  “A deal’s a deal. I stole Rayce away from you, you get me in return. I know you’re getting the raw end of the deal but I’ll do my best to do justice to the tool belt he lent me. I think you’ll find I’m a pretty handy guy. You might even be impressed.”

  The smug smile of Quinn’s sent memories crashing to the forefront of her brain. Philip’s face as he leaned over her. A shudder ran through her and Darby took a step away. Then another.

  He was Quinn, not Philip. He was being friendly, not threatening.

  But, she couldn’t stop her heart pounding. Couldn’t stop the panic. Darby knew she walked too quickly but she couldn’t slow her steps as she headed out of the kitchen and to the front stairs. “I’ve put you in the front room.” The room farthest away from the stairs leading to her space on the third floor. “It’s the largest room and it doesn’t need any work done to it so you won’t have to worry about moving halfway through your stay.

  “Okay.” His voice carried a question and Darby knew she had to control her reactions. Not only would he think she was nuts but he’d have questions. Questions she couldn’t answer.

  Quinn smiled that sexy smile with everyone. Charmed everyone. Flirted with all the women, even the Nosy Trinity and Mrs. Hammond who’d created the hole in his wall. She’d bet no one reacted to his innocent flirting by turning tail and running through the house.

  Next time, she’d flirt back. Check off an item on her list.

  Except she hadn’t researched flirting yet.

  She’d probably scare him into living on the streets rather than staying in the B&B.

  Better to start off with
lipstick and move up to the flirting thing.

  In a year or two.

  QUINN followed Darby through the B&B wondering again why he made Darby so nervous. She’d practically bolted from the kitchen. The woman was more than a mystery.

  He studied her as he followed her swaying hips up the stairs. Under those baggy clothes, he’d bet she still owned a killer body but she covered it up by wearing her brother’s t-shirts. One of his first memories of Darby was her water skiing out on the lake during some summer party. The bikini had shown off a toned and curvy body that made him—and every straight male in the vicinity—want to peel it off her.

  Strangely, the over-sized SEAL t-shirt made him want to do the same thing. Find out what she was hiding. And why.

  At the top of the stairs, Darby turned to the front of the house without checking to ensure he was following. Her rigid shoulders telegraphed her continued tension. She’d break into pieces if he couldn’t get her to relax. Was it him or something deeper? Unless she’d caught onto his teenage fantasies, he couldn’t think of a single thing he’d done to stress her out.

  He liked women and they liked him right back. Except for Darby. Maybe. Over the years, he’s spotted flashes of interest in her eyes. Even though she’d taken great pains to hide them, his gut told him she was interested, even if she didn’t want to be.

  He could work with that. In fact, he had the next two weeks to spend exclusively discovering just how Darby felt.

  At the very end of the hall, Darby opened a door then walked through the room to open the window as well. He followed her in to find a large room painted about the same color as his jeans, a king-sized bed and dark wood furniture. “I’m going to guess the old biddies had other rooms.”

  That surprised a laugh out of her and when she turned her eyes twinkled at him. “Definitely. This one isn’t to their tastes.”

  “Not froufrou enough?”

  “You got it. They get three of the smaller, frillier rooms.”

  The thought made Quinn shudder and she laughed again.

  “You should do that more often.”

  He knew as soon as he opened his mouth that he should have kept it closed. Her posture stiffened and her face flushed. She turned and pointed out the other doors in the room. “You’ve got a closet here and the bathroom’s through there. Towels are out. If you need anything, let me know.”