sound. Her mistake was turning on the light. To her absolute horror, she saw five or six deer mice crawling in Maverick’s overnight bag. She’d let out a scream that had startled her husband—and probably half the lodge—into sudden wakefulness. Maverick had peanuts in his suitcase and the mice had gone after those, carrying them out one by one in what was practically an assembly line.
The following morning Elise had complained to the man at the registration desk about the unsanitary conditions and the fact that there appeared to be an infestation of mice. He’d informed her that the lodge was prohibited by federal law from killing any of the wildlife in the area—including mice. The only place they were allowed to set traps was in the kitchen.
“Remember how I distracted you?” Maverick asked in a sultry voice.
Leave it to a man to mention sex. Or to hint at it, anyway. She refused to give him the satisfaction of a reply.
“You remember,” he said, his amusement obvious.
“I most certainly do not.” She hugged herself even tighter.
He laughed at her stubborn refusal to admit the passion they’d shared. “How long has it been, Elise?”
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Longer for me than for you, no doubt.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
She turned around to glance at him. “You can’t fool me, Maverick. I was married to you, remember? I know you. You had an extremely healthy sexual appetite.”
“After we split up, you used to let me come to your bed.”
Her face went instantly crimson. “That was a mistake.” The year following their separation and divorce, he’d showed up at the apartment every few nights and talked his way into her bedroom. Then he’d abruptly stopped and Elise knew why. He’d found some other woman who welcomed him. One who was happy to overlook his flaws and take what he offered without questions or recriminations.
“It wasn’t a mistake on my part,” he said.
“Do you mind if we talk about something else?” she asked in a bored voice.
“You used to be such a prude—until I got you between the sheets.” He shook his head. “I guess you still are a prude.”
“Stop it right this minute! Or I swear I’ll … I’ll open this door and jump out of the car.”
“Well, that got a reaction, didn’t it?” He chuckled softly.
“I’m sixty-five years old and I find this discussion embarrassing.”
“I’m not dead yet, and I doubt you are, either,” Maverick said smoothly.
Elise was determined not to answer.
They drove in silence after that and then, for no apparent reason, Maverick started laughing. Despite everything, Elise grinned. Then Maverick reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
The rest of the afternoon was delightful. They drove through Rainier National Park and dined on steak and baked potatoes in the lodge.
The house was dark and quiet when they finally returned. Worn out from an entire day at the zoo, Luke and John were sound asleep. Aurora and David must have been tired, too, because not a sound came from their part of the house.
Maverick escorted Elise to her bedroom door. “Thank you for a wonderful afternoon and evening,” he whispered.
Elise kept her gaze averted. “Dinner was lovely.” Everything about the day had been lovely. “Just … thank you.” About to turn away, she didn’t expect him to kiss her. But he did. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. His lips were warm and moist and his arms slid around her waist, pulling her close. When he ended the kiss and released her, Elise’s knees nearly buckled.
“Good night, Elise,” he whispered, touching her face as if memorizing the feel of her skin.
She mumbled a reply that was completely unintelligible and nearly fell into her room. Her hands shook as she undressed and carefully hung up her clothes.
The tap on her bedroom door came just as she’d finished brushing her teeth.
She closed her eyes, swaying, not sure what to do. She could ignore him and go to bed—or she could open her door. Deciding quickly, she walked to the door.
As she’d expected, Maverick stood in the hallway. His eyes met hers in the light from her room. “Are you going to let me in,” he asked, “or turn me away?”
27
CHAPTER
BETHANNE HAMLIN
“I don’t mind helping you, Mom, but I’ve got a life too,” Annie muttered as Bethanne carried party supplies out to the car. The trunk was nearly full.
Annie followed her with a china tea set for an Alice in Wonderland party. The birthday girl was turning nine and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was one of her favorite books. Bethanne had designed an entire birthday party around that theme, including games, prizes and finger foods. Since her first dinosaur party for Elise’s grandson, she’d come up with dozens of new party ideas.
“What are you going to do once school starts?” Annie asked, unwilling to drop the subject.
That was a good question. Bethanne had come to rely on her children and on Courtney for help with these events. Following football camp, practices had begun a few weeks earlier, and Andrew was busy most days. Annie was busy a lot of the time, too. To date, Courtney had been her most reliable helper. Thankfully her children didn’t expect or want to be paid, and Courtney, too, refused any monetary compensation. Bethanne was grateful for their generosity, and since she was just getting this operation underway, every cent she could, she invested in the business.
“School starts in two weeks,” Annie reminded her.
Bethanne closed the trunk. “I know.” She could’ve done without that reminder. School was looming, and she’d truly be on her own with the business then. She could probably get help with the actual parties, but she’d have to complete the preparations herself. Still, all the work was worth it; giving Andrew a check so he could attend football camp had been the highlight of her summer. Nothing could diminish the sense of pride and accomplishment she’d felt.
“Andrew will be totally engrossed in football, so you won’t be able to rely on him,” Annie went on, oblivious to everything else.
As much as possible Bethanne would book parties around her son’s games. She wanted to attend every one she could.
“And I’m on the swim team again.”
“When did that happen?” Bethanne kept her voice carefully neutral. She’d been disappointed when her daughter dropped out of the swim team, and she was delighted that Annie had rejoined it. Yes, it did seem that the old Annie was back. According to Grant, the harassment against Tiffany had ceased. Painful as this period had been, Annie appeared to be past it.
“I called the coach and he said he’d welcome me back, but I have a lot of time to put in if I’m going to catch up with the other girls.”
This was why Annie had been gone so much recently, Bethanne realized. Her daughter hadn’t informed her about the swim team, and Bethanne didn’t really understand why. Maybe Annie had wanted to wait, make sure it all worked out.
“I think swimming is a good idea,” Bethanne said.
“What are you going to do?” her daughter asked. “When we’re back in school and doing all our extracurricular stuff?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“How many parties have you got booked for September?”
“Annie, please,” Bethanne cried. “I have to leave now if we’re