The Tycoon's Perfect Match Read online

  Well, three strikes and she was out.

  What was wrong with her judgment where men were concerned? She was supposed to take the CEO position, but she was the worst judge of character in the world.

  One thing she knew for sure. Brian Hawkins could easily distract her from all of her plans. He reminded her of her past—and she needed to think about her future.

  She needed to keep her distance from men in general, and Brian Hawkins in particular—a lot of distance. She might be willing to take chances with her career, but she refused to gamble with her heart.

  Chapter Two

  Brian glanced again at his rearview mirror. If Mari followed him any more closely, she’d be in his trunk. Maybe she didn’t quite remember the way after all.

  When he first saw her standing in his real-estate office, he couldn’t believe how stunning she looked. Her khaki shorts showed off her long, perfect legs. A bright lime T-shirt brought out the green of her eyes and the shimmering gold highlights of her shoulder-length blond hair. Both garments clung in all the right places.

  Skinny Marigold Sherwood had sure filled out over the years.

  Brian didn’t know why that surprised him. He, of all people, knew that time didn’t stand still. He often felt like time was running out, and he was only thirty. There were so many things he still wanted to do.

  Mari had accomplished what he’d always dreamed of—she was next in line to run a Fortune 500 company.

  Mari. Her face had always glowed and her eyes were always bright with joy. But now the glow had dimmed and the brightness was almost extinguished.

  What had happened to her?

  He knew that she was taking an extended vacation from her family’s company, but Julie, her administrative assistant, wouldn’t say much more than that.

  He couldn’t imagine ever needing a vacation from such an exciting job. The design, manufacture and distribution of fine china and crystal, silverware, and whatever else Sherwood Enterprises was acquiring or licensing, would be a limitless challenge. It’d be exciting making decisions and taking risks worth millions of dollars.

  To be the CEO of Sherwood Enterprises, like Marigold was poised to be, was definitely the job of his dreams.

  He knew all this because he’d been following Sherwood Enterprises since he’d first met Tom Sherwood, Mari’s father. He was a dynamic person, larger than life, and Brian had loved listening to him talk about his company. Mr. Sherwood would relate something he’d been working on and ask Brian’s opinion. Brian remembered how he’d listen intently, and when he gave Mr. Sherwood his feedback, the man would sometimes say, “That’s a wonderful idea, young man. You’ve got a real head for business.”

  Brian would float on air whenever he heard those words.

  When Brian’s father had brought up the subject of a high school graduation party, Brian asked him for the money instead. Then he’d bought stock in Sherwood Enterprises and two other companies, expanding his portfolio considerably thoughout the years.

  And he thoroughly studied every annual report. Mr. Sherwood’s letter to the stockholders never failed to mention Mari. Reading between the lines, Brian gleaned that she’d started low on the ladder and moved up in the company on merit alone, in spite of her heritage. Good for her.

  His dream had always been to prove to himself and everyone else that he could successfully manage a major company. However, his recent conversation with Mari painfully reminded him that he’d fallen way short of his goal.

  She’d succeeded and he’d failed.

  He turned onto the dirt road that meandered behind the big Victorian-style cottages that graced the south shore of Hawk’s Lake. Sherwood Lodge was the grandest of all the Victorians.

  He’d had Sherwood Lodge rented, but when he received the call from Julie, he and Mrs. Newley jumped through hoops to relocate the renters to other properties. He could have just told Julie that it was impossible, but even after twelve years without a word from Mari, he sensed the importance of the request.

  He pulled into the parking area by the boathouse. Before he could blink, Mari was already out of her van and running to the front of the camp that faced the lake.

  He followed her slowly, giving her some time. He heard her laughter and then she let out a happy whoop. When he finally caught up, she was looking at the cottage with a big grin on her face.

  That was the Marigold he remembered.

  The cottage had several rooflines with bright red shingles. He’d kept it painted in its original colors—pale blue, with white gingerbread fretwork. The white shutters sported cutouts of sailboats.

  He especially liked the stairs, with their blue sandstone caps and the native pink granite walkways that circled the cottage and linked the front and back entrances.

  “It’s so great to be home,” she said, then saw him standing there. She lowered her eyes as if embarrassed, then looked up at him. “I mean, it’s great to see the old place again. You’ve kept it up nicely, Brian. Thank you.”

  Home?

  That was an interesting slip. She hadn’t been to Hawk’s Lake in over a decade.

  “My pleasure.” It was worth all the restoration work and the tedious process of relocating several weeks of renters, just to see the happy expression on Mari’s face again.

  “I’m glad you kept it the same colors.”

  Was he mistaken, or were tears shimmering in her eyes? “Mari, are you okay?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Just a little sentimental, I guess.”

  He cocked his head, looking her up and down. “You could have vacationed anywhere in the world, but you came back here. Why?”

  She didn’t answer, but the smile left her face.

  “I’m sorry.” He could have kicked himself for making her lose her smile. “It’s none of my business. Let me unload your luggage for you.”

  “Oh, no,” she said. “I’ll do it later. But I could use your help in unloading my wheel and my kiln.”

  “Your what?”

  “My pottery wheel and firing kiln. The kiln is a portable one, not the huge kind. But I don’t want to unload them right now. Maybe in a couple of days.” She was smiling again. “I plan on throwing some pots while I’m here.”

  “Sorry, it’s against my rental rules,” he said, trying to keep a straight face. He pulled out a form from the folder he was holding. “Here it is, Brian’s rental rule number twelve—no throwing pots or dishes. Just after rule number eleven—no nude parties on the beach. Although I’m willing to waive that rule if you insist.”

  She laughed, and the happy sound echoed across the quiet lake, as it often had when they were kids.

  He liked seeing her happy, but then his pleasure turned to concern. “You know, Mari, I don’t like your being up here alone.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Really. I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet. And I have my cell phone.”

  He shook his head. “You won’t be able to get a signal. It’s impossible in these mountains, but I had the regular service turned on for you.”

  “Thanks. I suppose I should give Julie the number here.”

  The tone of her voice suggested that giving her assistant the phone number was the last thing she wanted to do.

  Mari rubbed the base of her left ring finger with her thumb, as if adjusting a ring that wasn’t there.

  What was that about?

  He knew she’d never married. For some reason, Mrs. Newley had whispered that tidbit of information to him. Maybe she’d just broken up with someone, and that was why she was hiding at Hawk’s Lake.

  “If you need a fax machine, I can bring you one,” he said.

  “Uh…no.” She ran a palm over her forehead as if she were erasing a headache. “I didn’t bring a laptop, and I don’t want a fax machine.”

  “Well, if Julie needs to send you anything important, she could always send it to my office or e-mail it to me. I’ll bring it to you.”

  “Thanks, Brian, but that�
��s not necessary. Just call me and I’ll stop by and pick it up.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “Besides, I don’t want to put you out.”

  “Not a problem. I’ve done it for my renters in the past.”

  Mari nodded. “Let me walk you back to your car.”

  He felt like he was being rushed away, and that struck him as unusual. They hadn’t seen each other in years. Didn’t she want to catch up?

  “It’s good to see you again, Brian.”

  She looked up at him with her grass-green eyes, and a shot of warmth coursed through him.

  “I was just thinking the same about you. It’s been a long time, but you haven’t changed much.”

  “I was only sixteen when you saw me last. I must have changed!”

  “Okay. You’re right. You’re taller now, and your braces are gone.” He looked her up and down. “And…a few other things have changed.” Like the curves that brought an unfamiliar ache into his belly.

  He remembered the day he’d realized that his pal had turned into a woman.

  Suddenly, she really filled out a two-piece bathing suit, and she smelled of jasmine instead of bubble gum. She wore glittery lip gloss that he couldn’t take his eyes off of. And he found himself wanting to lie next to her on the dock instead of playing basketball with the guys.

  It wasn’t as if he minded the new Mari. Not at all—he liked her. Maybe too much.

  Shaking the memory away, Brian fished in his pocket and handed her the key. “Here you are.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “Do you want me to sign the papers now?”

  The tone of her voice signaled to him that she didn’t want to sign a thing at the moment. Good. It would give him an excuse to return. He liked to make sure that his renters were comfortable. Particularly old friends who were beautiful and alone in the off-season.

  But right now, he sensed that she needed to go into the cottage by herself.

  “Look, I’ll wait here in case you have any questions or in case you notice a problem. We’ll take care of the paperwork some other time. Not much has changed. I just did some updating—the wiring, the plumbing—nothing you’d probably notice. Go ahead. Check it out, and—”

  Before he could finish, she turned and walked briskly toward the house. Turning back, she threw a smile at him over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

  He couldn’t remember the last time he was that excited about anything. He loved his family, and it was great living in close proximity to them, but Mari’s visit reminded him that he needed something more to make himself complete.

  Seeing her and catching her up on the years that had passed reminded him of the time he’d spent living and working in New York City.

  He’d attended New York University to get his MBA. While at NYU, he’d hung out at jazz clubs, noodle bars and the sidewalk cafes. In the summer, he worked at one of the bars where he knew the Wall Street crowd hung out. As part of his degree requirement, he did an internship at Banach, Grant and Wesley, a high-profile brokerage, at the recommendation of one of his professors.

  He loved the fast pace at BG&W, and they loved him enough to hire him after he graduated and promote him three times.

  Finally he was a player, and he was living his dream.

  Five years after graduating, he received a call from his frantic sister that he was needed at home. Melanie explained that their father had had an accident at the garage, which resulted in a broken leg and wrist. The hospital was releasing him, and she couldn’t take care of her father’s needs, with a newborn and a husband who was always on the road. Their brother, Jack, was racing professionally and due to sponsor commitments, couldn’t get away for a while.

  He’d calmed Melanie down, put in for two weeks’ vacation, packed up and returned to tiny, dull Hawk’s Lake, where the biggest excitement was going to the Pine Cone Restaurant on a Saturday night for their pizza-and-wings buffet and listening to Big Rex and the Polka Dots play.

  He kept trying to get out of town, back to the fast-paced life he’d built for himself. But something always came up to keep him in Hawk’s Lake.

  What could he do?

  Jack was living his life as fast as he drove. Melanie needed help taking care of their dad, who was cranky because he was bored and all but totally incapacitated.

  Brian couldn’t just walk away. They needed him. Besides, before his mother died he’d promised her that he’d take care of the family. He made that promise, thinking that she wouldn’t suffer any longer if she knew that everyone would be okay.

  Finally after several years, everything and everyone was stable. Everyone had something that made them happy.

  Except him.

  When had he become complacent? Where had his ambitions gone?

  Maybe now was the time to rekindle his dreams.

  Chapter Three

  Sherwood Lodge was as beautiful as Mari remembered. The wide mahogany floors gleamed in the late-afternoon sun, and she could see the deep, blue, spring-fed lake through the arched, beveled windows.

  There was natural, beaded fir on the cathedral ceiling, accented by arched cherry trusses. This style carried through in the six bedrooms throughout the house: one on the first floor, four on the second floor and one on the third. Each bedroom either had its own screened porch or an arched, open porch.

  The nearest neighbors were five hundred yards away in each direction. She’d have more than enough privacy.

  Mari ran up the stairs to the turret, which had been her favorite room growing up. On rainy days, she played dolls and pretended that she was a princess in a castle, waiting for her Prince Charming—who looked remarkably like Brian Hawkins. Or she’d read a book, or write in her diary. Many times, she’d sit on the window seat and watch for someone to come over and ask her to play.

  Every summer, her parents came to Sherwood Lodge for a month. Her mother and father still talked about work, and were constantly on the phone to the office, but the three of them would still find time to picnic outside and swim together. When she was younger they’d hold her hand and go for walks.

  But after the month was over, her parents would return to Boston, and Grandma Rose would come and stay with her for the rest of the summer at Sherwood Lodge.

  But things changed during the week of her sixteenth birthday when her father announced that they wouldn’t be coming back to Hawk’s Lake anymore. He’d said that he was selling Sherwood Lodge to the Hawkins family.

  Mari’s world came crashing down, and she’d been inconsolable. She’d barely left the turret room, and wrote endlessly in her tearstained diary. She’d constantly asked her parents why they had to sell, even begged them not to, but they held steadfast to their decision.

  She remembered her father’s words. “We don’t really need Sherwood Lodge, Marigold. We just don’t have the time to spend here. It’s a simple business decision. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices.”

  A business decision? Her cottage wasn’t a business. It was home. She wasn’t alone at the lodge all the time, like she was in Boston. She was part of a family. She had parents who paid attention to her for once. Well, anyway, way more than usual.

  The truth was, they’d rather work than be with her.

  Because it hurt too much over the years, Mari hadn’t responded to any of Melanie Hawkins’s attempts to keep in touch. She and Jack hadn’t really been that close, so she really didn’t expect him to contact her.

  But Brian was another story. He’d been her pal, then her first crush. Brian was the first boy she’d kissed. And her young heart had shattered into a million pieces when he never even said goodbye.

  As time passed, the more strange it seemed to reestablish contact with any of the Hawkins kids—especially Brian—so she’d never bothered.

  Looking down, she saw Brian leaning against his sporty convertible, waiting for her. He was still so handsome that she almost forgot to breathe when she looked at him.

  She remembered how they used to hang out by the lak
e and dive off the dock. Even now, she could imagine Brian stretched out on the small piers, his sculpted body all wet and glistening in the sun….

  What was she doing? This sabbatical was supposed to be about her, not a one-time crush. Touching her bare ring finger, she encouraged herself to remember that.

  It wasn’t about Jason Fox, either. He’d loved her—or so he said—but had only used her to get a vice president position at Sherwood. She’d given him the job, all right, then suddenly he started keeping his distance. She’d just been a tool to obtain what he wanted. How foolish she’d been to think a man would want her for herself.

  She had to stick to her decision to stay away from men. Including sexy Brian Hawkins.

  It was nice of him to be concerned about her staying alone, but she wasn’t worried. Even though she was away from the main village and would be alone at the lake for another month or so, Hawk’s Lake seemed like a place where people still didn’t lock their doors.

  But she’d still lock up. And not just her door—her heart was off-limits, too.

  She couldn’t wait to make pottery again, couldn’t wait to feel the wet clay under her hands as it spun on her wheel. She wanted to take long walks in the fresh air, and watch the sun set on the lake every evening and rise every morning. And she’d enjoy biking to the village when the spirit moved her. Above all, she wanted to find herself again.

  Brian would just be a distraction—one she couldn’t afford.

  Mari walked toward Brian with a happy grin, looking much more cheerful than when he’d first seen her at his real-estate office.

  “Is Sherwood Lodge how you remembered it?” he asked.

  “Everything is even better than I remembered it.”

  “Good.”

  She snapped her fingers. “The porch off the kitchen is a perfect place to put my wheel. I can put my kiln in the boathouse. Is there 220 power in there?”

  Brian crossed his arms. “Yes.”

  “Don’t worry,” Mari added quickly. “I brought heavy plastic and a rug with a rubber backing. I won’t harm a plank on the porch. And I won’t burn down the boathouse.”