With a route decided upon, Juliette returned the map to the safety of her pocket and set off. A slight breeze blew the few pieces of hair not under her hat in her eyes, and she brushed them aside. Today, like every day this week, the lake remained empty, a large portion of it still covered by ice. Exactly how thick the ice was, she didn’t know, and she didn’t care to determine by stepping on it and finding herself submerged in icy water. Despite the lack of activity now, Holly assured her Avon Lake was a favorite of ice fishermen and skaters in January and February, and a hub of boating activity started around Memorial Day weekend, more or less around the time she’d be getting ready to leave. However, Juliette didn’t know where she’d go. She always had her place in Manhattan, but depending on what other changes she decided to make, it might not be the most optimal location. And if she chose to accept her mom’s offer to work at the Helping Hands Foundation, she’d have to move closer to Rhode Island. A relocation to Providence or Newport would allow her to be closer to much of her family, especially her sister, who she’d learned this week was pregnant. At the same time, though, if she returned to New York, she’d be closer to her brother and his family.
“First you need to figure out what you want to do.”
Wednesday afternoon, Pierre, her agent, had called wanting to know when she’d be back in the city and whether or not she wanted to be part of the Jolie fall fashion show again. She’d been part of every one of its shows since the former pop singer turned designer launched her label. Unlike some of the bigger ones in New York and Paris, the label’s shows had a whole different kind of energy while at the same time being far less stressful. Regardless, she wasn’t sure she wanted to participate in this new fall launch, especially considering she didn’t care for the latest style Jolie had adopted. Needless to say, when she told Pierre she’d get back to him, he hadn’t been happy.
Honestly, she didn’t care if he was happy or not.
Spotting cottage number twenty up ahead, she headed for the large gap separating the building from its neighbor. Just as the map indicated, the entrance to the path was a short distance from the house. Unlike while walking along the lake, here trees closed in around her. At the moment, their limbs remained bare, but leaves would create a canopy of shade in another two months or so. She looked forward to seeing it.
The phone in her pocket rang, the sound unusually loud in the silence. Pulling it out, she checked the caller ID. Rather than the name of a family member or friend, there was only a phone number—one she didn’t know, although she recognized the 212 area code. The only people in New York she’d take a call from were in her contact list. Whoever was calling now could leave her a message, and depending on who it was, she’d call them back later.
One minute she was walking with her finger about to press the decline icon, and the next she was flailing her arms like a bird trying to take off. Pain shot through her knee when it made contact with a rock. Instinctively, she put her hands out to help break her fall, dropping her phone and the glove she’d removed in the process.
“Ugh.” Slowly, she moved into a sitting position as she waited for the pain in her knee and the stinging in her palm to subside. No doubt, when she looked later, she’d find a nice bruise on her knee. “That’s what I get for not paying attention.”
She’d been talking to herself an awful lot the past day or two. She guessed it was a side effect of spending so much time alone, something she wasn’t at all used to.
Snap. A jingling sound followed the first noise. Until now, the only sounds around her other than her ringing cell phone had been the occasional rustle of dead leaves caused by a chipmunk or a squirrel scurrying across the ground. Neither animal was heavy enough to snap twigs, and unless they’d started wearing jewelry, they couldn’t be the cause of the jingling either.
The cause of the new sounds came into view as she retrieved her phone and glove. She’d met Clifford yesterday. The dog had been with Candace and her daughter when she saw them while out walking. The man jogging with Clifford, she’d never met, but thanks to Holly’s description and the fact the property belonged to the Wrights, she assumed the guy headed her way was Aaron. And she understood why her friend had had a thing for him while in high school. He looked about the same height as her brother, who was an inch over six feet. A black long-sleeved base layer shirt hugged his broad shoulders and emphasized his flat abdomen. A black beanie covered his head, but his short and sexy beard told her his hair was dark like his sister’s. Even from a distance, his arresting good looks captured her full attention, and with no trouble, she could see him starring alongside Anderson Brady or her sister’s husband in a summer blockbuster.
Slowly, she came to her feet and watched the muscles rippling under his shirt as he approached her. She didn’t know if the man was single or not, but if he was, the women in Avon must be blind.
He could be a total creep. She’d met plenty of gorgeous men who turned out to be the biggest jerks in the world.
Clifford reached her first and stopped, but his owner wasn’t far behind.
Green. The dog’s owner possessed the most beautiful green eyes. She rarely associated the word beautiful with a man, but she didn’t know how else to describe his eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice deep and oh so sensual, sending a ripple of awareness through her, and she forgot about the throbbing in her knee.
Chapter 4
Whenever possible, Aaron preferred to run outside rather than on the treadmill in his basement. While he occasionally ran the streets in town, especially during the peak months when every cottage was rented out, as a former cross-country runner in high school and college, he preferred to use the trails through the woods. When he and Clifford set out this morning, he hadn’t expected them to come across anything but a few squirrels and maybe a bird or two. Never in a million years had he thought he’d find the campground’s only occupant on her knees in the middle of the woods. But when he’d come around the corner, there she’d been, and now she stood a few feet away scratching Clifford behind the ears. Not surprisingly, the dog was basking in the attention. If he loved anything more than food, it was a good scratch behind the ears or a belly rub.
Juliette gave Clifford one final scratch before pulling her glove back on. Why it was off in the first place, he didn’t know. “I’m fine.”
He gave her a quick once-over before settling his eyes on her face. Damn, he’d been wrong. The various magazines hadn't photoshopped her photos before using them on their covers. Her face was simply as perfect as it appeared in those photos. And her eyes, well he’d assumed the color had been digitally enhanced because he’d never met anyone with eyes so blue they bordered on sapphire. Clearly, though, photo manipulation had nothing to do with their color.
“I tripped. It’s what I get for not paying attention. I’m Juliette, by the way. Are you Candace’s brother, Aaron?”
At the sound of his name, his manners returned, and he realized he hadn’t introduced himself. “Sorry. Yes.” He extended his gloved hand, half expecting Juliette not to take it. People with money could be weird. “Are you sure you’re okay?” The last thing his mother needed was Juliette suing her because she injured herself while on the property.