Page 26 of Luke

"We were young. We had some living to do."

"Are you going to get back together now?"

He didn't know why he hesitated. Of course they weren't getting back together. "No, I just came up to see the resort because my father died, and he left it to me."

"How did he die?"

"He got sick."

"So you got to say good-bye."

"Actually, I didn't." He picked up a pebble from the ground and spun it into the river. "I didn't get to say good-bye to either one of my parents."

"Your mom died, too?" she asked.

"When I was seven. She was also in a car crash. The kid who hit her had just gotten his license. It was a freak accident. She was in the hospital for a few days, but she never woke up, so we never said good-bye."

Kaitlyn's eyes widened. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she was forcing herself not to.

"Liz told me your parents died in a crash."

She jumped off the log, her feet landing in a few inches of water, but she didn't care; she was too intent on getting away from him.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"It doesn't matter. They're dead. Talking about it isn't going to change that," she said with a defiant glint in her eyes.

"I know that's true. But…" He hesitated, not sure why he was going down this path with a girl he didn't even know. But there was something about her, something vulnerable, that bothered him. He didn't know how much trouble she would have gotten into with the boys and the alcohol if he hadn't come along, but he knew she was way too young for either one, and not just young but also fragile.

"But what?" she asked, giving him an angry glare that told him if he had something to say, he better say it fast.

"My dad would never talk about my mom after she died, and it made me feel like I couldn't talk about her. Sometimes I wanted to."

"Well, I don't want to. I've told everyone that. I just want to forget everyone and everything, because it's all gone." With that proclamation, she tossed her head and ran down the path toward the lodge.

He followed more slowly, wondering whether he should tell Liz what Kaitlyn had been up to. For her own safety, he knew he should, but he also knew that conversation would only drag him deeper into Liz's personal life.

Oh, hell, what did he have to lose? He'd already loved and lost her. He wasn't going back for round two, so he might as well try to help her deal with Kaitlyn.

The campfire was in full swing when he arrived. Kaitlyn squeezed in between two older women on the other side of the circle from Lizzie. She gave him a daring look, which made him smile. In some ways, she reminded him a little of his younger self. He was in no hurry to get her in trouble. In fact, he thought he'd let her sweat it out a bit.

His gaze moved to Lizzie. She was sitting next to a very pregnant woman. She gave him a wave and he walked over to join her. He was a little surprised at the welcome in her eyes, but he couldn't forget that he held her future in his hands, so it would be stupid to take any warm smile at face value.

"I'm glad you came," she said as he joined them. "This is Shari Jordan, our amazing chef—Luke Brannigan."

"Nice to meet you," he said, shaking Shari's hand. "And I definitely agree that your food is amazing. I had a great lunch earlier today."

"Thank you," Shari replied. "I wish my husband were here. He's a big fan of your films, but he had to run into town for something. Hopefully, you two will have a chance to meet up tomorrow."

"That would be great."

Shari got to her feet. "Why don't you take my place, Luke? I'm going to lie down. I don't think I need to hear Tom's story about Last Chance Rock again," she added with a laugh.

"Good-night," Lizzie said, then patted the empty bench next to her. "Have a seat, Luke. Tom is about to tell his favorite story."

"All right." His stomach was rumbling, but he decided he'd wait until the campfire dispersed before looking for food.

"I didn't think you were going to make it," Lizzie said.

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