Noah smothered a savage expletive under his breath as he forced a smile. “I’m sorry. I think I can find the guesthouse without your assistance.” At that point he did not care if she felt he was being facetious. All he wanted to do was get away from Viviana before he said something he would come to regret.

He walked out of the house, got into his car and drove around to the guesthouses. As he unloaded the trunk of luggage and electronic equipment, Noah thought about Viviana’s attitude toward him during their first encounter. At that time, he hadn’t known what had made her unapproachable, but now he knew it had something to do with a man—a man who’d used her and nearly ruined her financially. What she would soon learn, however, was that he did not take advantage of women.

He’d sown his wild oats, and now at thirty-three, he was looking forward to finding that special woman with whom to settle down. Some of his friends teased him, saying he was still too young to talk about marrying and having kids, but few knew that Noah had tired of the nonstop, never-ending parties where he woke feeling worse than when he’d gone to sleep, that he’d dated too many girls. However, he had always been very discriminating when sleeping with a woman. He really had to like and date a woman to make love with her. And when he looked back at his continual party days, he was proud to admit he hadn’t used women.

He swiped the key card, and the door opened. The lingering distinctive smell of lemon wafted to his nostrils. Noah discovered the structure contained two bedrooms, and there was a loft with a king-size bed overlooking the living/dining area. The kitchen and bath were updated, and the furniture contemporary and functional. A desk, worktable and chair were set up in a corner under a window which was the perfect spot for him to conduct business.

Noah picked up a brochure on the desk advertising the amenities the bed-and-breakfast offered. There was a buffet breakfast for guests from seven to ten. Check out was at 11:00 a.m., and early check-in was at 2:00 p.m. Cordials and sweet breads were served in the parlor at 8:00 p.m., and all rooms were wired with free cable and Wi-Fi.

He decided to unpack, shower and change his clothes, then drive over to see his cousin. Perhaps Giles could give him a better read on the enigmatic, beautiful woman with whom he had found himself enthralled.

Chapter Two

Noah stood in the middle of the kitchen, smiling when he saw Giles kiss his wife’s forehead. His cousin had changed since becoming a husband and father. And now that Mya had recently announced she was pregnant with their second child, Giles had begun complaining about traveling and leaving her and Lily behind.

“Noah and I are going to sit out on the porch for a while. I promise not to take too long.”

Mya smiled at her husband, her hazel eyes softening. “Take your time. I know you and Noah have a lot to talk about. I’ll probably be asleep when you come up.”

Noah wanted to tell Mya it wasn’t business he wanted to discuss with her husband, but Viviana. “I promise not to keep him too long.”

He sat on a rocker facing Giles and stared out at the darkening sky. The air in the mountains was cool and crisp. “I can see why you live here. Everything is so quiet and peaceful.”

Giles’s teeth shone brightly in his face, darkened by the hot Bahamian sun. “Am I hearing you right, little coz? The last time you were here, you complained that it was too quiet, that you could hear crickets in the daytime.”

“You’re right about that,” Noah agreed. “There’s something about living in the mountains that makes you think and feel differently. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to move here.”

“Does that difference have anything to do with a beautiful young woman with long black hair?”

Noah looked directly at his cousin. “What are you talking about?”

“Not what but who, Noah. You think everyone didn’t notice you gawking at Viviana Remington like a lovesick puppy the first time you met her?”

“That’s because she is beautiful.”

“I’m not saying she isn’t, Noah. I try not to listen to gossip, but I overheard Mya talking about Viviana breaking up with her boyfriend. I don’t know and don’t want to know what happened between them, but right about now she wants nothing to do with men.”

Noah shifted on the cushioned rocker. “He stole her identity.”

Giles sat straight. “Damn! No wonder she doesn’t trust men.” He paused. “But she wouldn’t have to worry about that with you because you don’t need her money. By the way, did you know that you offered to pay her and her brother a lot more than that land is worth?”

He knew Giles was privy to the payout because every Wainwright was given a monthly report of every purchase and sale. “You noticed that?”

“Yeah, I did, but I decided to defend the expenditure because otherwise your daddy would’ve raised holy hell. The older Uncle Teddy gets the more he tries to pinch pennies.”

Noah smiled. “Thanks for covering my ass.” He’d driven up to New York for the monthly board meeting, and when the subject of the purchase of land in West Virginia had been brought up, it was Giles and not Noah who had defended the decision to buy the parcels.

“I did it in the name of love. Now, what are you going to do with Viviana? Should I assume she’s not falling for your so-called million-dollar charm?”

“I’m not trying to charm her, Giles. I know when a woman doesn’t want anything to do with me. But on the other hand, I’ve spent the past three months thinking about her. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get her out of my head.”

“Have you been seeing someone else in the meantime?”

“No. And I don’t want to.”

“The only thing I’m going to say is not to put any pressure on her. It’s best that you become friends before you think about sleeping with the woman.”

“That’s not even a thought at this time.”

“Good. Then take it slow, coz. How long do you plan to hang out here?”

Noah lifted his shoulders. “I don’t know. Tomorrow I’m going to the town hall to register my name for the zoning-board meeting to submit my proposal. Then I have to wait for a hearing.”

“What else do you have on your calendar?”

Noah shook his head. “Nothing but time. After the DC project I decided to take a break. I’ve been going nonstop for more than a year, and it’s time I get off the real-estate roller coaster.”

Giles exhaled an audible breath. “I hear you. I’m definitely going to slow down once Mya has this baby. It’s time your brother Rhett dips his toe in this crazy business.”

“Rhett is too much like Jordan. They love the law.”

“If not Rhett, then Chanel. She’s graduated college with a degree in business and finance. It’s time we have a woman sitting at the table.”

“She would be the first one,” Noah confirmed.

“If you agree with me, then when we have the next board meeting I’m going to bring it up,” Giles said.

“It will probably bring holy hell down on you from some of the other family members, but don’t worry because I’ll have your back.”

Giles smiled. “That’s all I need because you’re the only one who has been able to go a couple of rounds with your father and our grandfather and come out winning most of the time.”

“That’s only because I refuse to be intimidated. My father just got hard once he took over the company, but it’s Grandpa who is the pit bull. That old gangster still has a gun in his desk drawer.”

“That’s because he is a gangster down to the marrow in his bones,” Giles joked.

Noah laughed. He’d heard rumors that his grandfather had been a teenage bagman for criminals who controlled the illegal numbers on the Lower East Side. He sobered. “I’m going to take your advice about taking it slow with Viviana. I’ll give her all of the time she needs to come to the realization that I don’t want to take advantage of her.”

“The only other thing I’m going to say is not to hurt her emotionally or you’ll have to answer to her brother. The man is an ex–Army Ranger, and those Special Forces dudes are crazy.”

“I don’t plan to hurt her, Giles.”

“I’m not saying you would, but just keep it in mind if things don’t work out.”

Noah stood up and stretched his arms over his head. He was tired from the long drive from New York to West Virginia, and right now all he craved was a bed. “I’m leaving. Kiss Mya and Lily for me.”

Giles got up. “I will.”

“Do you have any plans to fly down to the Bahamas?”

“No. I told my father I’m taking a break until Mya completes her first trimester.”

Noah patted his older cousin’s back. “Good for you. Thanks for dinner and the talk.”

Giles hugged his cousin. “Anytime, coz.”

Noah folded his tall frame into the low-slung Porsche and fastened the seat belt. Tapping a button, he brought the powerful engine roaring to life, and he executed a perfect U-turn and headed back in the opposite direction.

There was only one car in the section designated for guest parking when he drove past the main house, and he wondered if Viviana had enough guests to sustain the bed-and-breakfast. He parked his car behind the guesthouse and walked around to open the front door. He lingered long enough to brush his teeth before climbing into bed. An audible sigh echoed in the bedroom decorated in monochromatic hues of blues when he pulled a lightweight blanket over his nude body. Within minutes he fell asleep, and for the first time in a very long time, he wasn’t disturbed by erotic dreams of making love to a faceless woman he knew was Viviana.

* * *

Viviana had just finished inspecting the dishes the cook had set over warmers on the buffet server when Noah walked into the dining room. She smiled, and she wasn’t disappointed when he returned it with a friendly one. After he’d left, she’d chided herself for her waspish tone when he had done nothing to deserve it. Viviana knew if she did not stop believing every man was like her con-man ex, then she would never be able to move on with her life. Thankfully, Leland had paid the delinquent property taxes, and with the land sale, she was able to repair and update the property and put some money away for the proverbial rainy day. Now she was ready to reclaim the life she had before her last failed relationship.

Her admiring gaze took in Noah’s crisp light blue shirt he had paired with slim-fitting jeans and Doc Martens. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

He stared at her under lowered lids. “Like a newborn in his mama’s arms.”

“Good.” She pointed to the buffet table. “Breakfast is ready. Let me know if you want an omelet, and I’ll have the cook make one for you.”

Noah glanced around the dining room with a table set for six. “How many guests are you expecting?”

“Only two. A couple checked in late last night, and they’ll probably be down later.”

“Did you eat?”

Viviana shook her head. “I had a cup of coffee. I’ll eat later.”

“Will it bother you if I ask you to eat with me? I hate eating alone.”

She wondered if he was extending an olive branch when it should’ve been her apologizing for her sharp tongue. “Of course I’ll eat with you.” She pointed to a round table in the corner with place settings for two. “We can eat over there.”

Noah rested a hand at the small of her back. “Why don’t you go and sit down. Tell me what you want.”

“Oh, you’re going to serve me?”

He smiled. “Of course. We Wainwright men may not be able to cook well, but we do know how to serve a woman.”

Viviana wanted to remind Noah that she wasn’t his woman or even a Wainwright woman but decided to play along. It was better than trading barbs with him. She executed a graceful curtsy. “I’m sorry I barked at you yesterday, and I want to—”

Noah placed a finger over her parted lips, cutting off her apology. His mouth was a hairbreadth from hers. “No apologies. It’s in the past, and I don’t believe in reliving the past,” he said, winking at her. His eyebrows lifted questioningly. “Agree?”

Viviana was too stunned to speak and nodded instead. Noah hadn’t kissed her, but that did not stop her heart from beating faster than normal. Did he not know he was much too virile for her to ignore? All he had to do was stare at her, and she felt things she did not want to feel. The scars from her last relationship were still healing, and she did not want to reopen them.

“What do you want?”

“Bring me whatever you’re going to eat.”

“What if I bring enough for us to share?” he asked.

Viviana smiled. “Okay.”

The cook always prepared enough for the registered guests and staff, eliminating the need for storing leftovers or throwing food away—something she loathed because there were people in The Falls that depended on the church’s outreach pantry to supply them with staples they needed to feed their families.

She watched Noah fill several plates and balance them along his arm as he returned to the table, and she wondered if he had been a waiter but quickly dashed the idea because of what she’d gleaned about the Wainwrights. She knew Noah and Giles did not have to wait tables to earn extra pocket money like a lot of young men she knew. Fortunately for her, she and Leland were exempt; they weren’t as wealthy as their ancestors, the Johnson County Wolfes, but they had still grown up in relative comfort.

“It looks as if you’ve had a lot of practice waiting tables,” she teased when he set down four dishes with scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon, sausage patties and sliced melon.

Noah winked at her again. “I’m auditioning for a job in your dining room.”

Her smile grew wider, bringing his gaze to linger on her lips. “I haven’t advertised for a waiter.”

Noah tugged on the single braid falling down her back. “If you decide to advertise, then I’m willing to take the position. I’m going back to get some juice and coffee.”

Viviana held his arm. “Sit down and eat. I’ll get the beverages. What do you want?”

“Cranberry juice and black coffee.”

She got up and walked over to the beverage table and filled a glass with chilled juice and a mug with coffee. Noah stood up when she returned to the table and pulled out the chair to seat her. Viviana did not have too many memories of her parents together when she was a young girl, but the one that had lingered was when her father would pull out a chair to seat her mother. It was a habit he had repeated with her whenever they were together.

She smiled at him over her shoulder. “Thank you.”

It was several seconds before he returned the smile and nodded.

* * *

Noah spread a cloth napkin over his lap and then picked up a forkful of fluffy scrambled eggs. They were delicious. “The cook gets an A.”

“I’ll let him know.”

He took a sip of the hot coffee. “The dishes you and your sister-in-law made when I first came here were exceptional. Where did you learn to cook like that?”

“My aunt is a professional chef and taught me and my brother. Lee’s an excellent cook, but once he graduates culinary school he’s going to be exceptional.”

“What about your mother? Is she a good cook?”

She stared at her plate. “My mother died when I was seven. Talking about my parents is a long story that I really don’t want to get into right now.”

Reaching across the table, Noah held her left hand. “I’m sorry, Viviana. You don’t ever have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Her head popped up. “One of these days, maybe I’ll feel comfortable enough with you to tell you the whole sordid story about my family.”

His hand tightened on her fingers. “I’m willing to bet my family’s secrets are just as sordid or even more so than yours.”

Her eyes grew wider. “They couldn’t be.”

Noah leaned over the table. “Do yours include affairs, secret babies and gangsters?”

Viviana’s jaw dropped. “Well...no.”

He released her fingers and sat back in his chair. “The only thing I’m going to say is if you have enough money, you can bury your secrets for a while, but then somehow they come to the surface and you’ll have to own it.” Noah stared over her head. “How many guests are you averaging a week?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Probably around four. I know it’s not much, but I’m counting on more once hunting season begins.”

“And how long is that?”

“Two weeks in November. I don’t expect to be at full capacity until the spring and summer during tourist season. This is my first time operating a B and B, so next year I’m thinking of closing down from late November to early April.”

“Did you operate the boardinghouse year-round?” Noah hoped talking to Viviana about her business instead of herself would allow her to relax enough to feel completely at ease with him.

“Yes. I had regular boarders who paid by the month, and I served them two meals a day—breakfast and dinner. The problem was I had to be available around the clock every day of the year, and that was exhausting even with regular staff.”

Noah nodded. “I believe a bed-and-breakfast is less taxing. Once your elusive writer moves out, you should consider renting that guesthouse to a tenant who would be responsible for their own meals and laundry.”

“Now you sound like Angela. She wanted me to advertise the guesthouses as rentals, which would bring in steady income.”

“You have ten bedroom suites in this house, five in each wing you’ve designated for business and the other five for personal use. And if you’re going to wait for the spring to fill the business suites, then you can’t expect much of a profit margin.”

“I’ve factored that into my budget projection. That’s why none of my employees are full-timers.”

“What about your cook?”

“He comes in at six and leaves at nine. I take over the kitchen duties and serve guests until ten, and then I clean up the kitchen.”

“That’s a lot of work.”

“I know, but it has to be done, and I’m not too proud to roll up my sleeves and work. Once Lee comes back, it will get easier because he’ll take over the kitchen.”

“When is he expected back?”

“Not until he and Angela graduate college.”

Noah blinked slowly. “And that is?”

“Almost four years from now.”

Noah went completely still. He’d thought Viviana was going to say one or two but not four years. “When you had the boardinghouse, did you run it by yourself?”

“Not initially. My aunt cooked while my uncle took care of the repairs and the grounds. I helped out with laundry and cleaning the rooms. But after Aunt Babs and my uncle relocated to Arizona, I was responsible for running the boardinghouse because Lee was in the army. He only came back when I told him that the county had placed a lien on the property for back taxes.”

“He was back, and now he’s gone.”

Viviana narrowed her eyes, again reminding him of a cat ready to strike. “Please don’t talk about my brother, Noah. Precisely because I have a knack of attracting the wrong men, my brother had to give up a military career to come back and save our home.”

“Why are you blaming yourself for a decision he made? He could’ve taken a leave and then reenlisted before the year was up. I happen to know that much about the military.”

“That’s what he’d originally planned, but Angela wouldn’t have married him because she was a military widow and she did not want to go through that again. She hadn’t delivered her twins when her first husband was killed.”

Noah slumped in the chair and ran a hand over his face. “Oh, I’m so sorry I said what I said to you about your brother.”

“Don’t beat up on yourself. You didn’t know. I think we should reserve judgment of each other because there is so much I don’t know about you and you don’t know about me, Noah.”

“You’re right,” he said in agreement.

“Anytime you want to know something about me and my family, all you have to do is ask,” he said, smiling.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll spill my guts to a tabloid reporter?”

“No. A tabloid tried that before and my grandfather shut them down.”

Her mouth formed a perfect O. “My bad.”

Throwing back his head, Noah laughed. “And you don’t have to worry about me repeating your family gossip,” he said once he stopped laughing.

“It doesn’t matter because everyone in The Falls knows about the Wolfes and their offspring. There was a time when the Wolfes were like the Bernie Madoffs of Johnson County. They screwed over everyone who came into contact with them.” She touched her napkin to the corners of her mouth. “That’s something I’ll tell you about at another time.”

Noah glanced at his watch. “I’m going to leave now to go over to the town hall to file my application.” He rose to stand. “I know you only serve breakfast, but will I see you for dinner?”

“Are you cooking?” Viviana teased.

“I can bring back takeout.”

She stood up. “Forget takeout. I’ll cook.”

Noah stacked the dishes and flatware, carried them to the kitchen and set them in a deep stainless-steel sink filled with soapy water. He’d wanted to tell Viviana that she needed to hire a night manager but knew she probably would resent his interference or believe he thought that because she was a woman she wasn’t capable of running her own business. He returned to the guesthouse to get the paperwork he needed to present to the Wickham Falls Zoning Board, which he hoped would go over and approve his prospectus.

As his conversation with a Wickham Falls city clerk ended, Noah felt as if he was in an alternate universe. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The clerk had examined his documents and then told him he couldn’t build residential homes on the property because it had been zoned for commercial use when the Remingtons were approved to convert their personal residence into a boardinghouse. The only way he could erect homes was if Viviana filed to convert her property from commercial to residential, and then he would have to refile for a resident permit. Noah knew he had to disclose the details of his conversation with the clerk to Viviana.

* * *

Viviana sat at the desk in her office scrolling through a list of vendors she had to pay when she glanced up to find Noah standing in the doorway. She waved to him. “Come in.”

“Only if you’re not busy.”

“I can do this later.” She came around the desk and sat on a tapestry-covered love seat. She patted the cushion beside her. “Come and sit down.”

Noah closed the door, sat down and took her hand in his and told her about his visit to the town hall. “You’ve got to be kidding.” A cold shiver had swept over her as if she had been dumped in an ice bath. She did not want to believe that Noah had purchased land on which he couldn’t build because it wasn’t zoned for residential structures.

He gave her a direct stare. “I wish I was. I was under the assumption that your property is zoned for residential, and if you wanted to operate a business then you would only have to file for a permit and not rezone it for commercial use.”

Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “That statute has been on the books for years and is based on the size of the owner’s property. Anyone holding more than five acres is required to rezone if they wish to operate a business.” She exhaled an audible breath. “I can’t pay you back because I’ve used most of the money to make repairs, and I can’t ask Lee for more money because now he has a family to support.”

Leaning closer, Noah pressed his thumb to her cheek where a single tear had slipped down her face. “I don’t want the money. Perhaps you can file for a waiver.”

Her eyelids fluttered. “The zoning board doesn’t issue waivers.”

Viviana shook her head. “What alternative do we have, Noah?”

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