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Heat flushed her chest and up her neck. “Oh. I...well. I didn’t expect you to say that.”
“Your nature photographs are some of the best I’ve seen. The one of the mama grizzly and her cubs? I love it.”
Since it was one of her favorites, too, she smiled, more relaxed now. Talking about her work was much easier than anything overly personal. “I’m pretty proud of that one,” she admitted.
“I don’t know why you do weddings and stuff, not when you have such a talent for nature photography.”
She shrugged. “Weddings are fun, too, you know. There’s so much happiness and hope. Besides, weddings and other occasions are my bread and butter. Those bookings keep me in the black so I can indulge in the other stuff. Rent in this town isn’t cheap.” At least there was happiness and hope for other people. Harper just wasn’t sure it was in the cards for her.
He nodded. “There. You’re more relaxed. I’m not going to bite, you know.”
She let out a breath, prepared to laugh a bit, until he added, “Unless you want me to.”
The breath whooshed out of her lungs and her feet stopped moving. “Uh. Drew, I...”
“I like you, Harper. A lot.”
“You barely know me.”
“I’d like to fix that.”
Oh God Oh God Oh God.
She decided to be honest. “I’m not good at these types of situations. I don’t know what to say and I don’t know how to play the game.” Besides, being the loser hurt. A lot. And she was under no illusions who’d come out the victor in this match.
He tightened his fingers over hers. “Then I’ll be clear.” His magnetic gaze held hers. “I’m attracted to you, and I think you’re attracted to me, and I’d like to know if you’d like to do something about it.”
The answer in her head was yes, and it was so disconcerting that she stepped out of his arms as her heart started a strange gallop behind her ribs. Of course her real answer would be no. For one thing, hooking up at a wedding for a fling was not her style. And for another, she’d just offered to be a surrogate for his brother and her best friend. Talk about complicating a situation...
“I think you got the wrong idea,” she said coolly. “I like you, Drew, but I’m not interested in hooking up.”
He watched her for a long moment. Then his eyes warmed and he gave a little nod. “Then, I’m sorry,” he said quietly, “for misreading the signals. And for making you uncomfortable.”
But she was uncomfortable, and not really because of him. After all, she was attracted, and she’d enjoyed dancing with him and even the bit of verbal sparring they’d indulged in now and again. But it couldn’t go any further, and he accepted that, so why was everything feeling so off balance now?
“Friends?” he asked, lifting a questioning eyebrow.
“Of course.” She smiled and let out a breath. “It would be nice to be friends, especially if your brother is married to my bestie.”
“Agreed.” He held out his hand and she shook it, but when his fingers folded over hers, those darned tingles started all over again. It sucked that her body wasn’t agreeing with her brain right now.
She pulled her hand away and stepped back. Drew led her to the edge of the dance floor again, grabbed her another glass of champagne and talked to her for a few minutes about her photographs as if nothing had ever happened. Then Dan called him over, he excused himself and, with a small touch on her arm, left her alone.
Alone was what she was used to. And when she wasn’t alone she had Adele, and her assistant, Juny, and phone calls with her mom and dad, who were currently living in Caicos, while her dad flew charter planes between islands. She had a good life.
But tonight, being held in Drew’s arms...it had been a little taste of heaven. And one she was already regretting passing up.
CHAPTER TWO (#u1056d76e-3b0b-50e2-ba74-71b9caf28572)
May
HARPER HELD HER breath as she sat on the closed toilet in the tiny bathroom at her photography studio. Juny hadn’t yet arrived for the day, and everything was still and quiet. Harper had wanted the few minutes of privacy to do the pregnancy test. Now she felt like she might throw up, and it had nothing to do with any potential morning sickness. It was nerves, plain and simple. A lot was riding on these three minutes of pee on a stick.
Two minutes had already passed. One more to go before she could look at the stick and know if she’d be giving her best friend, Adele, good news or bad news.
She desperately wanted it to be good. And yet the idea terrified her, too. Being a surrogate for Adele and her new husband, Dan, was something she’d really wanted to do. Adele had had cancer at a young age and couldn’t have children of her own. It had taken eight long years for her and Dan to reconnect and commit to each other, even though they knew they might never have the family they both yearned for. Harper had a completely healthy uterus and no relationship to speak of. There was no reason why she couldn’t carry a baby for the woman who’d made such a big difference in her world. The woman who’d made her finally feel as if she had a home and some roots to put down.
But now, with the seconds ticking away, Harper was afraid. Carrying a baby was a big thing. She’d attended medical appointments with Dan and Adele, had combed through research, had sat with her feet in stirrups. There had been little that was glamorous or sentimental about the whole procedure, but it hadn’t been frightening.
Until now.
Today, if the plus sign showed up on the stick, there was no going back. She either was or she wasn’t. And if she was...she’d be carrying a little human in her body for the next eight and a half months. Her mouth was dry as she tried to swallow. Thank God Adele wasn’t here now, waiting. Harper wasn’t sure she could have taken the pressure of Adele’s heart being on the line while they waited. Better to know now, get her wits about her and decide what to say. The doctor had said this was a long shot, and probably Adele and Dan’s only chance at using Adele’s eggs. Either way, there would be big news for her friends. Either a second chance or the end of this particular road, and moving on to plan B.
She checked her phone. The seconds ticked down from ten...
But she didn’t wait. She reached for the stick and stared at the result.
It was a plus sign.
She was carrying her best friend’s baby—the most precious cargo in the world.
July
Summer sun beat down on Drew Brimicombe’s head. It had been cool up the mountain, where he’d spent most of the afternoon in an alpine meadow overlooking a turquoise lake. No matter where he traveled, there was something about the Canadian Rockies that beckoned to him and made him feel at home. He’d been here half a dozen times over the past five years, mostly skiing, but now it was different. His brother, Dan, was here, and he was looking forward to some bro time.
And checking out real estate. That was his true reason for the impromptu trip—a tip from a contact about a real estate opportunity. He was always looking at expansion, and this might be his chance to open an Aspen Outfitter store north of the border. He couldn’t think of a better opportunity than in the heart of the Rockies. And when one store opened, he was sure others would follow, making his brand North America-wide.
The townsite of Banff was hotter than he’d expected, though, considering how it was nestled smack in the middle of the mountains. He had on his sunglasses but not the standard ball cap he usually wore, and he could feel the heat soak into his scalp. Today had been a light hike, so he’d worn jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of lovingly broken-in boots. Water, a small digital camera, and some trail mix had been in his day pack, but he’d stayed to the marked trail and not ventured into backcountry. Not today. He’d just arrived and had chosen the easy hike to blow off the dust and claustrophobia of travel. Now he’d stop in at Dan and Adele’s and let them know he’d arrived before heading to his hotel.
The house was tucked into a little side street, with a simple sign boasting Hawthorne Weddings out front. Adele’s business was planning weddings, and one of her clients had been a good friend of Dan’s, causing them to meet again after she’d broken his heart years earlier. No one had been more shocked than Drew when Dan had announced they were getting married, but Drew had come to the wedding and it had been clear to see that they still adored each other. Enough that Dan had uprooted his life as CFO of his company and moved here to be with her. Drew shook his head as he climbed the steps to the second floor of the house where Adele and Dan lived. He couldn’t imagine doing anything like that. Settling down wasn’t even on his radar, let alone leaving everything he’d worked for behind. He’d watched his dad give up dreams and aspirations for marriage and family, and he’d seen the unhappiness in his eyes.
Not that Drew didn’t like Adele. He did. And Dan could make his own choices and he seemed to be happy. It just wasn’t for Drew. He liked his freedom far too much.
His knock was answered by Adele, whose face lit up when she saw him. “Drew! What on earth are you doing here?”
He grinned. “Surprise trip. Are you surprised?”
“Very.” But she smiled back at him. “Dan’s going to flip. He was just talking about you last night. Come on in where it’s air conditioned and I’ll get you something to drink.”
He stepped inside and heard another female voice. “Who is it, Del?”
He remembered that voice, sweet and musical. Harper. The maid of honour at the wedding. He’d turned on the charm a little, but she’d made it clear that she wasn’t the type for a casual fling so he’d behaved himself.
“A surprise guest,” Adele answered as Drew took off his boots. He went into the living room area in his sock feet and saw Harper seated in a plush chair, legs folded beneath her yoga-style, her hair pulled up in a pert ponytail. It highlighted her face and the light smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Beautiful, he thought, but with a definite girl-next-door vibe. He much preferred her natural looks to a lot of makeup and just the right clothes. And shoes. Why women put so much emphasis on shoes, he could never figure out.
“Harper,” he said warmly, stepping forward and holding out his hand. “Good to see you again.”
She looked surprised at the handshake but put her hand into his anyway. “You, too.” She blinked and met his eyes. “They didn’t know you were coming?”
He laughed, then pulled his hand away from her soft, cool fingers. “I didn’t even know I was coming. I decided yesterday to take some time off and visit, but I didn’t want to call unless it didn’t work out on short notice.” He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to say about a possible land deal. For now it was a bit hush-hush. Besides, he didn’t want it to seem like he was bragging—that wasn’t his style. So he left it and merely shrugged.
“Oh.”
He got the sense she didn’t quite approve of his spur-of-the-moment plans, so he added, “I booked a room at the Cascade. No need for Adele and Dan to be inconvenienced by my impulses.”
“The Cascade, in high season? How’d you manage to get a room?” Her eyebrows shot up.
He laughed. “I lucked out. There was a cancellation.”
Her face relaxed a bit and Adele came back from the kitchen with a couple of beers and a glass of lemonade, which she gave to Harper.
“You don’t like beer?” he asked, taking the bottle from Adele and twisting off the cap. “Nothing like it on a scorcher of a day like today.”
Her gaze flicked to Adele and then back. “Um, I don’t really drink,” she answered, then hid behind her glass as she sipped. “Besides, lemonade is perfect.”
He took a seat and chatted to Adele for a few minutes, catching up, but in the back of his brain he remembered the wedding and the fact that Harper had indulged in more than one glass of champagne.
Something felt off.
“So what brings you to Banff? It can’t only be a visit with Dan.”
He smiled at his new sister-in-law, thinking of a way to divert the conversation. “To see you, too, you know. You’re a package deal now. How are the newlyweds?”
Adele’s smile was huge, and her gaze flicked to Harper for a moment before shifting back to him. “Oh, we’re wonderful. Dan likes his new job a lot, and I’m...” Her smile was radiant. “Well, I’m blissfully happy.”
“I’m glad.”
“You didn’t answer my question, though. What else brings you here?”
He considered for a moment and decided to be honest but downplay his interest. “I’m thinking about opening a store up here, and doing a little recon.”
“And you can spend some time with your brother at the same time,” Harper added softly.
He met her gaze, felt the jolt right to his toes. She was so pretty. So...artless. At the wedding weekend he’d learned she was a photographer. He remembered seeing her photos and realizing they were as simple and stunning as she was.
“Family’s important,” he said simply. “I haven’t seen mine as much as I might have wanted to over the past few years.”
“Dan says you two have always been close.”
Harper had been smiling at him, but he dragged his gaze away to look at Adele again. “I’m the baby of the family, but I was the first to leave the Brimicombe family fold. I’d like to be around more, you know?” And look for opportunities. He was always keeping his eyes open. Being sharp was what kept him at the top of his game.
He turned his gaze to Harper. “What about you, Harper? Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Their wedding banter hadn’t covered much in the way of personal subjects.
She smiled a little and shook her head. “An only child, I’m afraid. My parents live in Caicos.”
“Caicos? Wow. What’s in Caicos?”
She grinned. “An air charter service. My dad’s a pilot.”
“It’s a beautiful island.”
“You’ve been?”
He nodded. He’d traveled extensively and didn’t have any plans of stopping. Stay in one place too long and he got itchy feet. Luckily, Aspen Outfitters had done well and he could indulge his wanderlust.
Adele’s cell rang and she excused herself, leaving Drew and Harper alone. He looked over at her and wondered what was different. Granted, at the wedding she’d been dressed in lovely clothes with her hair and makeup done to perfection, understated but incredibly lovely. Now she was in shorts and a T-shirt with her hair in a simple reddish-brown tail. It was more than what she was wearing, though. There was something about her that drew him in and her skin glowed like she was lit from the inside. And it wasn’t the summer heat. The air-conditioning made sure of that.
“You look good,” he said, then realized how awful that must sound. “I mean, well.”
She laughed a little. “Thanks. I think. I’ve been busy, but trying to take a little time off for me. It’s wedding season, though. I’m booked every weekend from now until Thanksgiving.”
“No summer vacations for you then, huh.”
“Not really. Weddings really take up an entire weekend, with the rehearsal on the Friday and sometimes a family event on the day following the ceremony. And sometimes couples want engagement pictures, or have an engagement party, bridal shower...”
“They hire photographers for that?”
She waggled her delicate brows a little. “If there’s money? Oh, yeah.”
“Do you only do weddings?”
She unfolded her legs. “No. I mean, I do things like special occasions, engagement parties, graduations, anniversaries, that sort of thing. I even had a few gigs as prom photographer for a few different schools.”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “It doesn’t leave a lot of time for your nature stuff, does it?”
She shook her head, the tips of her ponytail touching her shoulders. “Not as much as I’d like. I try to get out of the studio a few times a week and take landscapes and candids.”
“Like your mama and cubs photo.”
She smiled then, a genuine, happy smile that lit up her eyes. “You remember that piece.”
“Of course I do. How you got such clarity with the sun coming up and the little bit of mist on the grass... I don’t know how you did it.”
She took a sip of her lemonade, then nodded. “The scenery here is so beautiful, and I like experimenting with different filters and lenses. I sell some of my prints, but it’s not enough to make a living and pay the rent on the studio. Weddings help me keep the lights on. But that means I don’t have as much time as I’d like to explore the other stuff.”
Her eyes lit up when she talked about her work. He could relate. There was nothing he enjoyed more than setting up a new store from the ground up. “But as you said, weddings are on weekends. Surely you have time during the week? More than a day or two?”
She laughed, a sound as light as sunbeams. “You mean when I’m not looking after the business side of things, and editing photos? You wouldn’t believe how long editing takes.”
“I never thought of that.”
She smiled. “I try to get out as much as I can, but lately I...”
Her words trailed off and her eyes widened, as if she’d been caught saying something she shouldn’t.
“Lately what?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Oh, it’s nothing. So you’re looking at opening a new store. That sounds exciting.”
