LITMIR.BIZ

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to be breathtaking.”

      “Yeah, I’m sure it’s nice.”

      Hannah could tell he wasn’t convinced, but she hadn’t expected to get through to him—he’d made up his mind and that was that. She took the bag of trash out to the cans behind the garage and headed back to find Jake sitting at the farmhouse table with a laptop computer in front of him.

      Pressing her lips together, she continued putting the kitchen to rights. Removing the trash was a big improvement. It was even possible that the mess was more the result of him feeling lousy than of his truly being a slob; she’d find out over the next few months as his condition improved.

      “By the way, where’s your son?” Jake asked after a few minutes.

      “With my parents. They went down to Portland for the day and I didn’t think you wanted him here.”

      * * *

      SHE’D SENT DANNY to spend the day with her parents?

      A twinge of guilt went through Jake. He wasn’t a kid person, but he usually got along okay with them. It was just that first day he’d instantly envisioned having Danny underfoot all the time and hadn’t wanted to encourage that. On the other hand, he hadn’t expected to be so bored.

      “You can bring him next time,” he offered, surprising himself. “I don’t mind.”

      “Can I get that in writing?” Hannah asked drily.

      He grinned. Hannah Nolan wasn’t what he’d expected as a landlady, but that was a good thing. He didn’t need a comfortable motherly type, fussing over him and treating him like an invalid. Hannah would be more likely to kick him in the ass than fuss.

      “Whatever you like. I’ll have my lawyer contact your lawyer, and we’ll do it right. If I had to guess, that guy who visited last week is a member of the bar. Conservative suit, no sense of humor, luxury car...what else could he be?”

      She pressed her lips together and began wiping the sandstone countertops. Jake hadn’t intended to let the place get so messy, but it was easy to let things go when just getting from one side of the house to the other was a pain. Literally. Yet even as the thought formed, he grimaced. He didn’t like excuses; they stank worse than week-old fish.

      “So is the guy you’re dating the sensitive, vulnerable man you’re looking for?” he asked.

      “Brendan is a friend. And not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t say I was looking for sensitive or vulnerable.”

      “My mistake.”

      Hannah tidied the sunroom before returning to the living room. He followed, to her obvious displeasure.

      “I thought you were doing something on your computer.”

      “I’ve never had a housekeeper before. I should see how you do things.”

      She returned another stack of books to the bookcases by the fireplace. “I’m not your housekeeper. Our agreement specifies light cleaning twice a week, not to exceed two hours. You reminded me about the ‘light’ part when you arrived.”

      “Sure. But don’t you think it’s mostly a question of semantics?”

      “You don’t want to know what I think,” Hannah muttered.

      Jake tried not to smile. It wasn’t nice of him to ruffle her feathers, but they were awfully fun to ruffle. He’d already stuck his foot into his mouth to the point she’d probably boot him out if she could get away with it. At least his lease gave him some protection.

      Taking a dust mop from a closet, Hannah ran it over the hardwood floor and then dusted the flat surfaces. A citrus scent filled the air and he sniffed.

      “What’s that?”

      “Lemon oil. It’s good for the wood, but if you don’t like it, I’ll try to find something else.”

      “It’s fine. Beats the smell of seal fat.”

      “Seal fat?” Hannah shuddered. “Where is that used on floors?”

      “I’m not sure about floors, but the Inupiat have uses for it, including burning it in lamps. The village where I stayed this spring is quite traditional, and still consumes seal and caribou meat as its major food sources.”

      “I’m afraid seal is too exotic for me.”

      “It is for most people.” He wrinkled his nose. “And to be honest, I prefer caribou. But seal isn’t bad, and I could name several other more unappetizing dishes I’ve eaten. I won’t go into the details.”

      The corner of Hannah’s mouth twitched.

      “On the other hand,” he said reflectively, “when you’re in an amazing place like Nepal or the Amazon basin, who cares what you’re eating?”

      “Actually, a lot of people do.”

      “They don’t know what they’re missing.”

      “You obviously don’t know what you’re missing about the Cascade Mountain Range, either,” she returned promptly.

      So that was still bothering her. Diplomacy wasn’t one of his strengths, but he was usually more tactful.

      Hannah set to work again, stripping the bed and putting on fresh sheets. The bathroom and guest powder room were scrubbed with a ruthless efficiency, and Jake could tell that her primary goal was to get out of Huckleberry Lodge as quickly as possible. After dusting and straightening the library, she finished by mopping the kitchen and bundling up the linens.

      “That’s all. I’ll do these over at my place.”

      “Is there any way I could interest you in doing my personal laundry, as well?”

      She smiled sweetly. “I’m afraid not. You have a top-of-the-line washing machine and dryer in the laundry room for that—I realize it probably doesn’t measure up to pounding clothes on rocks and rinsing them in a cold river, but it will have to do. I’ll see you on Friday.”

      As the door closed behind her, Jake began to laugh.

      * * *

      HANNAH DUMPED JAKE Hollister’s sheets and towels on the floor of her laundry room and gave them a kick. Jackass. He’d baited her, but that wasn’t the problem. It was his attitude about the Cascades she found truly infuriating.

      If he acted that way in other parts of the world, he’d probably start a war one day. Actually, she was surprised he hadn’t started one already.

      Hadn’t anyone ever told him he shouldn’t insult someone’s home? It was akin to telling somebody their baby was ugly, or that they were an idiot for choosing to live in a certain place.

      She loved Mahalaton Lake and having her parents a few miles away. It was great to know people on the street and be a part of their lives. She felt connected here. As a teenager she’d thought about leaving, but not any longer. Yet apparently Jake Hollister was always thinking about the next place he was going.

      Hannah loaded the towels into the washer. It was a good thing she was getting so much for renting the lodge. When Lillian had told her what Jake had offered, it had seemed absurdly high, but it made more sense now. With his appalling manners, greasing the wheels with money was probably the only way he could survive.

      At least she wouldn’t have to send Danny to her parents the next time she cleaned. It had hurt seeing the crushed expression on his face when he’d learned he wouldn’t be “helping” in the big house. In the way children could instantly form a liking for someone, he had decided Jake Hollister was a kindred spirit. Even Jake’s rudeness hadn’t changed how he felt.

      Hannah put detergent in the washing machine and started it. Her parents would soon be back with Danny and she wanted to fix them a meal.

      Determinedly putting obnoxious photographers

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