I—”
“Ye need to let him breathe,” Ian said with a laugh, pulling her arms away as he sat down on the step beside her. “And look, the poor beast is blushing to have ye coddling him like a baby in front of us. Why don’t you let him practice his new sport?”
Jessie threw herself at Ian. “I was so scared!”
“Hey now, don’t cry,” he crooned, lifting her onto his lap. He brushed his thumb across her cheek and turned so she could watch Toby paddling toward Robbie, who was swimming backward while softly calling to him. “See? The big man just needed a good reason to remember he can swim.” Ian tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. “And you gave him one.”
“But I wouldn’t have.” She dropped her blurry gaze to her hand clutching his arm. “If you hadn’t pushed me, I would have taken him upstairs and kept him from ever going near water again.” She looked up, blinking away her tears. “H-he’s all I’ve got. Toby means everything to me.”
Ian pressed her head to his shoulder. “And you mean everything to him,” he said, his lips brushing her hair. “Which is why he was so determined to do this for you.”
“I am such a coward.”
“Nay, Jessie. You’re the bravest woman I know.”
Suddenly aware that she was sitting on the lap of a nearly naked man—the same one who had kissed her quite thoroughly last night—Jessie felt her cheeks flush with heat. “I have to go save Merissa,” she said, trying to get up.
Ian folded his arms around her with a chuckle. “Are you sure it’s not Duncan who needs saving?” He sobered. “She’s having a hard time letting you go, Jessie, which makes me wonder if Merissa isn’t the one you need to prove your independence to.”
Jessie blew out a sigh. “It’s going to take an act of Congress to get her on the plane Thursday.” She tilted her head back to look at him. “We’ve been like sisters ever since she barged into my hospital room and turned her nurse’s voice on me four years ago.” She looked out at the pool, watching Toby paddling after Alec and Robbie, and sighed again. “I feel like I’m abandoning her.”
“Seeing the two of you together, I’m surprised she’s not moving here with you.”
Jessie wiped the last of her tears off her cheeks. “Merissa is expecting me to come to my senses any day now.” She snorted. “So are my parents and brother-in-law and my old boss. And to be honest, I think I’m more surprised than any of them that I’m actually here.” She gestured at the wall of windows facing Pine Lake. “I still can’t explain it, but from the moment I found that TarStone Mountain brochure four months ago, all I could think about was living in such a magical, powerful place.”
Jessie felt Ian go utterly still—as if he momentarily stopped breathing—before he softly chuckled. “You’ll definitely feel its power the first time a blizzard dumps two feet of snow in your driveway. Can Duncan and I take you and Merissa to dinner tonight? We can dine right here at the hotel,” he quietly added. “I’m afraid it’ll be a quick evening, though, as we’re headed out quite early tomorrow morning and will be gone all week.”
“I gather you’re all spending the week running through the woods with guns?”
He arched a brow. “Are you a vegetarian, Miss Pringle?”
Jessie turned to face the pool to hide her smile. “I’m not opposed to eating the Easter Bunny.”
“How about Bambi?” he whispered, giving her a gentle squeeze. “If I bring you a nice venison roast, would you invite me to your new home for dinner?”
“Only if you do the cooking.”
“Ye don’t cook?” he asked—although Jessie couldn’t tell from his tone if he was surprised or horrified.
She laughed. “I’m afraid if you were so hell-bent on my buying your cousin’s house because you thought I was going to coo—um, Ian,” she said, trying to slide off his lap. But when he only tightened his grip, she nodded
“Ye need to let him breathe,” Ian said with a laugh, pulling her arms away as he sat down on the step beside her. “And look, the poor beast is blushing to have ye coddling him like a baby in front of us. Why don’t you let him practice his new sport?”
Jessie threw herself at Ian. “I was so scared!”
“Hey now, don’t cry,” he crooned, lifting her onto his lap. He brushed his thumb across her cheek and turned so she could watch Toby paddling toward Robbie, who was swimming backward while softly calling to him. “See? The big man just needed a good reason to remember he can swim.” Ian tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. “And you gave him one.”
“But I wouldn’t have.” She dropped her blurry gaze to her hand clutching his arm. “If you hadn’t pushed me, I would have taken him upstairs and kept him from ever going near water again.” She looked up, blinking away her tears. “H-he’s all I’ve got. Toby means everything to me.”
Ian pressed her head to his shoulder. “And you mean everything to him,” he said, his lips brushing her hair. “Which is why he was so determined to do this for you.”
“I am such a coward.”
“Nay, Jessie. You’re the bravest woman I know.”
Suddenly aware that she was sitting on the lap of a nearly naked man—the same one who had kissed her quite thoroughly last night—Jessie felt her cheeks flush with heat. “I have to go save Merissa,” she said, trying to get up.
Ian folded his arms around her with a chuckle. “Are you sure it’s not Duncan who needs saving?” He sobered. “She’s having a hard time letting you go, Jessie, which makes me wonder if Merissa isn’t the one you need to prove your independence to.”
Jessie blew out a sigh. “It’s going to take an act of Congress to get her on the plane Thursday.” She tilted her head back to look at him. “We’ve been like sisters ever since she barged into my hospital room and turned her nurse’s voice on me four years ago.” She looked out at the pool, watching Toby paddling after Alec and Robbie, and sighed again. “I feel like I’m abandoning her.”
“Seeing the two of you together, I’m surprised she’s not moving here with you.”
Jessie wiped the last of her tears off her cheeks. “Merissa is expecting me to come to my senses any day now.” She snorted. “So are my parents and brother-in-law and my old boss. And to be honest, I think I’m more surprised than any of them that I’m actually here.” She gestured at the wall of windows facing Pine Lake. “I still can’t explain it, but from the moment I found that TarStone Mountain brochure four months ago, all I could think about was living in such a magical, powerful place.”
Jessie felt Ian go utterly still—as if he momentarily stopped breathing—before he softly chuckled. “You’ll definitely feel its power the first time a blizzard dumps two feet of snow in your driveway. Can Duncan and I take you and Merissa to dinner tonight? We can dine right here at the hotel,” he quietly added. “I’m afraid it’ll be a quick evening, though, as we’re headed out quite early tomorrow morning and will be gone all week.”
“I gather you’re all spending the week running through the woods with guns?”
He arched a brow. “Are you a vegetarian, Miss Pringle?”
Jessie turned to face the pool to hide her smile. “I’m not opposed to eating the Easter Bunny.”
“How about Bambi?” he whispered, giving her a gentle squeeze. “If I bring you a nice venison roast, would you invite me to your new home for dinner?”
“Only if you do the cooking.”
“Ye don’t cook?” he asked—although Jessie couldn’t tell from his tone if he was surprised or horrified.
She laughed. “I’m afraid if you were so hell-bent on my buying your cousin’s house because you thought I was going to coo—um, Ian,” she said, trying to slide off his lap. But when he only tightened his grip, she nodded
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