Page 50 of Two Hearts' Ploy

He gave her a short tour around the huge perimeter of Crystal Rock Lake, pointing out the music camp along with the Inn and several other resorts scattered along the lakefront.

It was a Friday, so there were a lot of boats out on the lake. Jeff even recognized Sam, who was skiing with a bunch of friends in one of the calmer channels near the bay.

Honking his horn, Sam did a double take when he saw Jeff with Wren. Noticing the crazy looking grin on Sam’s face once Jeff waved, Jeff had a feeling that Sam had his binoculars out as they headed away.

After spending over an hour touring Crystal Rock Lake along with two of the others that were connected, Jeff headed back under the bridge leading to Stone Lake, idling into the boathouse shortly after.

“Hopefully, you like grilled chicken,” he said as they headed up the pathway.

“I do,” she replied, “Although, I’ll admit, I haven’t had it for years.”

“What do you regularly eat?” he asked curiously.

She grimaced. “You wouldn’t want to know. Everything’s pretty boring and meant to maintain my weight. That’s why it’s nice to be working out again and getting some dancing in while I’m at it.”

Emily Richardson had invited Wren to work at the music camp with her favorite choreographer since it was out of session until fall.

“I’ll be able to start using your weight room tomorrow without having to lighten up too much when it comes to my regular workout. I’ve been having a little cramping in my calves since I started working with the choreographer.” She grimaced. “But Mia Erickson is brilliant – her dance sequences are so unique. Her husband Noah is going to be one of my backup musicians for the video. And no, Mia and I aren’t related, she said, since I’m sure you already know that her maiden name is Matthews. She told me that the first thing she did when she heard that she would be working with me was to check out her family tree.”

They laughed.

It really was a magical night, Jeff decided. There was no doubt in his mind that tonight they’d be making love. He supposed he should have been nervous, but for some reason, he wasn’t. She had a calming way about her, and he instinctively knew that whatever they had together would never be a mistake, no matter what the future might bring.

Chapter Thirty

Wearing sunglasses, with his shirt off and his longish dark-blond hair whipping in the wind, he was the sexiest man alive, Wren had decided when he’d taken her for a tour in his cruiser.

That was the best thing about wearing shades – she’d been able to just laze back in the cruiser and admire how graceful he was when he moved, kind of like a panther, even with the way he so easily managed his prosthetic as if it was his missing limb. It must have taken some serious skills – not to mention determination – to return to active duty after being injured. Wren was sure it had to have involved a lot more than just getting back into shape, and it was truly-mind blowing to think about what he must have gone through to be reinstated.

Wren was surprised to realize how much her heart was aching at the thought of everything he’d been through. And instinctively she was sure – here was a man she could always depend on. She’d known very few she could.

Now, they were finishing the dinner that Jeff had cooked on the grill. The barbecued chicken had been as delicious as the bacon wrapped filets he’d cooked the previous week. She would cook dinner next, she decided. Although she didn’t cook often, she was actually pretty good at it herself.

“How do you feel about ravioli? I love Italian, although most everything I cook isn’t on my diet.” She definitely wouldn’t mention the celebrity chef she’d dated for a few months who was still a close friend.

He laughed. “I love ravioli. That’s something that’s not on too many menus around here, except for the Inn of course.

“We’ll go grocery shopping tomorrow after working at the studio,” she said. “It’s weird, but even though we’re getting a ton of work done, I feel like I’m on vacation.”

“Maybe because I am,” he admitted. “Studio work doesn’t feel like work to me. It’s more of a hobby.”

She snorted. “One you could make a living at if you wanted.”

He appeared thoughtful. “I don’t think I’d enjoy it as much.”

“I can understand that.” She nodded, pursing her lips as she looked out at the sunset. “How about we go swimming again and make it an early night?”

He smiled widely. “It’s a little early for skinny-dipping.”

“We can keep on our suits this time around. Besides, I wouldn’t want to put on too much of a show for the surveillance cameras.” She winked as she stood, carrying her empty plate as she headed inside. “Let’s clean up the kitchen and get the dishes put away first.”

Another twenty minutes later, Wren was making a shallow dive from the end of the pier, with Jeff not far behind her.

“That sunset sure is beautiful,” she said, as the sun slowly descended in the horizon, setting the lake afire.

“It was always what I thought of when I was far away from home,” he admitted, as they kept up a leisurely pace doing laps from the pier back and forth through deeper water.

Another twenty minutes later, the sun was just a bright light in the distance as stars began twinkling about them in the sky.

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