Page 48 of Island Rescuer

She waved it off. Twisting back to look at him directly. “Your job is important. I’m not trying to pick a fight. I’m mad enough at myself for a dozen people. If I’d made the connection earlier, the staff wouldn’t be scrambling to salvage vacations and events for our guests.”

“Walker’s actions are not your fault,” Knox insisted.

“My head knows that,” she said. “The rest of me will catch up eventually.”

Selfishly, her heart was only too happy to focus on Knox. To dwell in the highlights of recent days with him. Her dream man sitting right there beside her.

And still so far from being hers.

* * *

Knox felt absolutely helpless.

Harper resisted his attempts to comfort her. It was understandable, but he hated it. He didn’t have any good answers for her. He could only sit and wait for the research team to come through and find the guy tormenting her.

Jenna was working furiously to get a location on Walker. Having a name helped, but she had already warned him that the contact information was out of date.

The guy had to be close. Close enough to see Harper suffering, otherwise what was the point?

He just couldn’t let the bastard get close enough to hurt her again.

He was grateful Bruce insisted that Harper not reach out to any of the displaced guests right away. She’d already asked him once if they could go over to the Inn to speak with Trina about ways she might make it up to the guests.

He promised her a visit later this evening. Naturally, Harper immediately reached out to Trina to get on her schedule.

Platitudes were not something Harper relied on.

He understood her restlessness, but she needed time to process what had happened. In essence, her home was gone. He knew it went deeper than that for her. The resort was a home of its own, one she gladly shared with the public. From her brother, to Bruce, to his own observations, it was clear how proud she was to be the Ellington who managed that particular property.

It wasn’t the original Ellington hotel in the portfolio, but it was the one where the family gathered most often. It was the first place she’d introduced her best friends, where the two women had become her chosen sisters.

In short, the resort was a core part of her identity.

He envied that bond, the deep connection between her and the place and people who built the solid foundation of her life.

Harper’s approach to life and business aligned with the integrity and values his grandparents had embodied when he was growing up. The same values and integrity his own parents had tossed aside in favor of profit.

There was a reason Knox avoided his family businesses. Trying to follow his father’s footsteps in real estate and development was a minefield waiting to explode into catastrophe. At one point he’d even considered changing his name. Something that would have been necessary to separate himself from his father’s shady tactics if he’d gone into the same business.

Thank goodness he’d discovered he was better suited to this kind of hands-on work. He much preferred offering protection and security in exchange for new sights, challenges, adventures, and a steady paycheck.

Any entrepreneurial endeavors could wait until he was done as a protector. Wasn’t as if his trust fund was going anywhere. Again, he could thank his grandparents for their foresight on that or his dad would’ve drained it dry years ago.

Hands in his pockets, he stood in the courtyard behind the kitchen and watched Harper. Promising to stay within sight of the house, she’d gone down to the fire pit, her back to him as she stared out over the water.

He wanted her to feel safe but not smothered. A delicate balancing act, and one he was getting better at. He could give her this bit of space, without putting her at risk.

There were things he needed to think about as well.

He had sent Jenna a text filling her in on his deeper concerns about Landon Walker. Hearing the man was in real estate and that he’d wanted access to Harper’s money, led Knox to the uncomfortable possibility that Walker might be involved in a deal with his parents.

He rarely spoke with his mom or dad, but he kept tabs on them and any chatter around their real estate investments. He considered it a self-preserving hobby. If they were going to drag the Moore name down into the gutter, he wanted a fair amount of warning.

He was doing another search for any intersection between Walker and his parents when a call came through. “Hey, Jenna,” he answered. “Got news?”

“A couple of juicy tidbits on Walker, actually.”

Knox perked up. “Tell me you found a video of him holding a flamethrower outside of the resort.”

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