Smoky Mountain Home. Lynnette Kent

say goodbye and abandon her to her fate.

      The chocolate cake was delicious, so Darcy took a second helping while the headmistress was giving her welcome speech. If they had meals like this three times a day, plus decent teachers, maybe Hawkridge wouldn’t be so bad. Darcy could face almost anything, with good books and good food.

      Well, except for her mother.

      “You have fifteen minutes to get the last of your belongings into your rooms and say goodbye downstairs,” the headmistress, Ms. Thomas, said. “The student floors are now open to students and staff only. Parents, we’ll be starting our program here at Hawkridge at 2:00 p.m. and you’ll be on your way home. Have a safe trip!”

      Everybody stood and started to leave the big dining hall. Eve’s mother turned to Jonah.

      “Let me give you my card,” she said, with the smile that reminded Darcy of a hungry panther. “I represent some very nice properties in Lower Manhattan, Chelsea, Tribeca—you might find yourself looking for a new place to live, now that Daisy is in school here.”

      Jonah took the card between two fingers. “Darcy,” he corrected. “I will be relocating, as a matter of fact. To this area,” he continued, when Nina started to say something. “While I’m involved with projects around the southeast. But—” He gave her his smooth, won’t-happen grin. “I’ll call if I need something.”

      Judging by Nina’s smile, she expected a call tonight. “Please do.” Then she turned to Eve. “Come on, darling. Kiss Mummy goodbye.”

      Darcy saw Jonah roll his eyes as he turned away. He put a hand on her shoulder as they walked into the big entry hall and out onto the front steps. His palm felt warm, heavy in a nice way. That was just one of the good things about being with Jonah—he didn’t mind holding hands, even giving hugs. Her mother, Darcy had learned early, didn’t touch. Not little girls, anyway.

      Standing a couple of steps down so they were pretty much eye to eye, Jonah looked at her. “I thought I’d get to help you unpack,” he said, frowning. “Are you going to be able to handle it by yourself?”

      Darcy blinked hard. “I guess so.” She should be used to goodbyes, used to being alone. She’d survived most of the summer by herself, once her mother had left for Europe, until Jonah had found out and rescued her. The last few weeks with him had been a lot more fun.

      So letting him go was hard. When she lived in her mother’s house, at least she knew all the servants’ names. Here, she knew nobody, except for Eve. Some comfort.

      “Darcy?” Jonah tapped her lightly on the chin with his fist. “I’m going to be around, you know—I’ve got a meeting about the stable tomorrow morning. I’ll bet we can run into each other every time I’m out here, if we work it right.”

      He looked worried, and she didn’t want him to worry. “Sure,” she said, working up a smile. “I’ll look for you between classes tomorrow.”

      “Great. I—”

      “Hey, Darcy, there you are!”

      She turned around to see Ms. Blakely standing in the doorway.

      “You’d better hurry,” she said, beckoning for Darcy to join her. “You definitely don’t want to be the last one to sit down—that means you have to stand up first to introduce yourself to the school.”

      Looking back at Jonah, Darcy found him grinning. “Go on.” He nodded. “I’ll see you soon.”

      Should she give him a hug? With a teacher watching? Did he care? Darcy wasn’t sure.

      Then he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Be safe,” he whispered.

      Darcy nodded. “Bye.” She ran up the steps and past Ms. Blakely, who pointed her toward the dining hall. A few girls were still coming down the big circular staircase, so she hustled ahead of them and managed to grab a chair in time. She wasn’t going to be the last to sit or the first to say her name.

      No way was she starting out at a new school as a geek!

      JONAH watched Darcy disappear, then looked back at Ruth Ann Blakely, standing above him on the steps. The rain had stopped during lunch and she’d taken off her olive-green raincoat, revealing jeans and a long-sleeved blue T-shirt. Though less snug than her breeches, those jeans left him in no doubt about the feminine curves underneath. Without makeup, and with her hair pulled back in the apparently habitual ponytail, she should have been, well, ordinary. Few women, in Jonah’s experience, appeared at their best without cosmetic assistance of one kind or another.

      But the trainer’s face looked fresh and natural, as if she’d washed it in the morning’s rain. Her pink cheeks evidently owed their color to fresh air and plenty of exercise. She had to be strong, judging by the way she’d carried Darcy’s suitcases as if they weighed nothing at all. He couldn’t be sure about her eye color, which might be hazel or green, but that zestful spark was unmistakable. There was an air of energy about Ms. Blakely, a vibrancy he’d rarely encountered.

      “You can leave now,” she told him. “You’re free.”

      She also had to be one of the rudest women he’d ever met. “I’d planned to help Darcy unpack,” he said, keeping his tone level. “Is that possible?”

      “Nope.” She shook her head, and the ponytail bounced. “Darcy will manage just fine. It’s her stuff, after all. I’ve got to ask—how did you get all of that in your tiny little Porsche? Did you tie the suitcases on top?”

      “I drive a truck when necessary,” Jonah told her, feeling his patience start to shred.

      “You mean an SUV, right? One of the big, gas-guzzling fancy models with leather seats and Surround Sound and individual heating vents?”

      “No. I mean a six-year old diesel pickup with a dented right rear side panel where I hit a fence post.” He stopped to think a second. “It does have leather seats.”

      Arms crossed over her chest, she nodded. “Of course.”

      “So could I stay around and take the suitcases away when Darcy’s finished with them?” He hated leaving her alone in this place where she knew no one.

      Ms. Blakely descended to stand beside him. “Each floor of the dormitory has a box room where the girls store their luggage. Darcy will put all her bags—and whatever’s in them that doesn’t fit into her room—there.” She gripped his upper arm with one strong hand and gazed into his face. “Really, you can leave. We’ll take care of her.”

      Hazel. Ruth Ann Blakely’s irises were a mosaic of green and gold flecks, Jonah realized, framed by thick brown lashes. He read empathy in those jade-and-topaz eyes, maybe even compassion. He was surprisingly tempted to accept her understanding, to trust the reassurance she offered.

      Fortunately, he came to his senses in the next moment. “Thanks. I’m sure you will.” Pulling out of her grasp, he ran down the remaining steps and only then stopped to look back. “By the way, we have a meeting tomorrow morning at nine. I’d appreciate your timely arrival. My schedule is rather tight. Since your input is vital to the project, I’d like to get started as early as possible.”

      He walked away without waiting for her to respond.

      And he pretended not to hear when she said, “Oh, yes, sir, of course, sir, Mr. Architectural Pain in the Rear! Sir!”

      Chapter Three

      Ruth Ann entered the Hawkridge Manor library at twenty minutes after eight the next morning. She settled herself at the far end of the table from the easel set up for Jonah Granger’s use and set about finishing her cinnamon roll and coffee while she waited.

      At eight forty-five, Granger strode into the room. Without glancing in Ruth Ann’s direction, he extracted his work from a carrying case and placed the sheets on the easel. Flipping through them, he changed the order a couple of times.

      Ruth