Hannah was hot. A dip in a pool sounded good. She changed into her swimsuit and the cover-up she’d brought, then made her way to the pool deck, where she found Boone swimming freestyle in the lap pool. With steady and powerful arm strokes and controlled kicks, he displayed the form of a competitive swimmer. Bet he’d been on the swim team in high school or college. He had the build for it, with those broad shoulders and long legs. A natural athlete, she supposed. He was undoubtedly candy for the eyes.
“Would you like to order anything from the bar, ma’am? It’s happy hour. Frozen cocktails are half price. I recommend our margaritas and peach Bellinis.”
Tearing her gaze away from Boone, she smiled up at the waiter and considered it. A day like this deserved an umbrella drink, didn’t it? “That sounds good. I’ll have a Bellini, please.”
“Good choice. Ours are excellent. Would you like me to serve you here or at the swim-up bar?”
“The bar is good.” She needed to cool off. Not only was the temperature over one hundred degrees, watching a shirtless Boone McBride cut through the water only made her hotter.
The water felt divine, and once she had her drink, Hannah found a perch where she could keep cool while watching the show.
Boone had revealed a different side of himself today, where Ashleigh was concerned. The gallant gentleman who had interacted with her and his mother and sisters and family and friends had disappeared in a heartbeat. Or more precisely, at the sound of his name. The man had gone cold as ice in an instant.
Now he used exercise to work out his frustrations.
Hannah was glad to see him deal with it that way. Someone else she’d known would have used his fists.
No. She wouldn’t think about Andrew. Just because Boone was wrapped up in a battle with old ghosts didn’t mean she had to follow suit. This was his party. She was simply a bystander, maybe a facilitator if she decided she wanted to mediate between him and his ex-friend. She would not allow herself to be dragged back to a place she’d fought so hard to escape.
Hannah firmly shut that mental door and returned her attention to the Texan swimming laps. He really was delicious to look at, and she couldn’t help but notice the other females around the pool watching him too.
She’d finished half of her drink by the time he ended his swim. With little visible effort, he lifted himself from the pool. Hannah had to smile when she recognized the pattern on his red, white, and blue swim trunks—Texas’s Lone Star flag. When he grabbed a fluffy white towel off a lounge chair and dried first his face, then his broad shoulders, and then his lean torso, Hannah’s mouth went dry as the summer heat. The hollow ache of sexual desire had her shifting uncomfortably. She sucked in a healthy sip of the frozen peach cocktail, hoping to cool off.
Across the pool deck, Boone began scanning the crowd, looking for her, she assumed. She lifted her hand and waved. He saw her and smiled that familiar, cocky cowboy grin.
Good. It looked like the exercise restored Boone’s good mood.
Oblivious to the hungry stares of the women all around the pool, he sauntered toward her. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.”
He sat on the pool deck beside her and dangled his legs into the water. “You ordered a girly drink.”
“Happy hour. Will you join me?”
“Well, hmm.” He eyed her glass as he considered it. “I’d better stick to beer. If I start on the hard stuff now, I might not have the will to quit. I don’t want to be lit the first time I see my son.”
“What kind of beer? I’ll get it for you. I get a kick out of the swim-up bar.” He named a brand, and she handed him her drink, then swam toward the bartender. Returning a few moments later, she traded the plastic pint for her hurricane-shaped glass.
They clinked glasses, and he observed, “It’s not black.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your swimming suit. It’s turquoise. You look great in it, by the way. I’m just surprised it’s not black.”
Hannah glanced down at herself. The suit was a strapless one-piece from her previous life, the one item of clothing she hadn’t replaced with something less colorful. Honestly, she didn’t know why she’d been toting it around in her bag for the past three years. This was the first time since she left New England that she’d had a reason to wear a swimsuit. Undoubtedly, had she gone shopping for one in the last three years, she would have chosen black.
She didn’t want to journey down that mental path, so she deflected and redirected the conversation back to him. “So, Mr. McBride. What next? I don’t think we rushed out of your house this morning to lounge poolside this afternoon.”
“True. I got distracted. I was already on edge. Didn’t expect to get ambushed.” He sipped his beer, then added, “Thanks for coming to the rescue.”
“I’m here to help.” Hannah studied Boone. The exercise hadn’t rid him of the strain around his eyes or the grim set of his mouth. It was a different look for him, and she didn’t like it. “You want to talk about her?”
“Nope. Let’s talk about dinner. I told Sarah Winston this morning that I’d get back to her about where we’d meet for dinner. What sounds good to you—barbecue, Tex-Mex or Italian?”
Hannah started to tell him it was his choice. Still, she had been in that place mentally where the need to make one simple decision tripped the switch into overload, and everything shut down. And as she’d told him, she was here to help. “Barbecue.”
“Excellent. I’ll call Sarah and nail down the arrangements.” He rose and sauntered over to the towel hut, where he spoke to the attendant, who then handed Boone his wallet and phone. While he was occupied with his call, Hannah climbed from the pool and walked over to the lounge chair where she’d left her towel, cover-up, and shoes. After drying herself and dressing, she found his warm stare watching her as he spoke into his phone.
Once again, sexual awareness sizzled through her. Whoa. Guess her libido had decided to reawaken with a roar. Luckily, she didn’t need to worry about the consequences of the state overmuch. Experience had taught her that nothing interfered with romance like a baby. As of tomorrow, Boone McBride wouldn’t have time or energy for anything more than taking care of his new son.
Pretending she hadn’t noticed the heated look he sent her, she looked around for a shady spot to wait for him to finish his call. She’d no sooner sat down than the peace of the summer afternoon was shattered by a trio of squealing girls who burst onto the pool deck carrying inflatable toys, a harried woman on their heels. Hannah shut her eyes as a memory of Zoe and Sophia running toward the lake for the first swim of the season floated through her mind.
Lost in memories, she didn’t note Boone’s approach until he spoke. “You okay? That’s a sad smile you’re wearing.”
“I’m fine. The laughter of little girls takes me back.” Then she shook off the bittersweet memories and asked, “So what’s the game plan?”
“Are you ready to get out of the sun?”
“Yes. Definitely. It’s nice while you’re in the water, but the heat is stifling.”
“In that case, I suggest we head up to the suite. My friend has agreed to meet us at my favorite local barbecue joint at five thirty. It’s a ten-minute drive from here. Does that give you time to get ready?”