Deal Breaker Read online

  “Bad news for all the businesses,” Hailey said. All summer, Lake Geneva swarmed with part-timers and tourists. But as always happened when September arrived, the number of tourists quickly dwindled other than on the weekends. She waited a moment, then said, “I understand you and Mike inherited Widow’s Peak.”

  “Yep. Aunt Violet didn’t have any other relatives.”

  Which had made Hailey feel sorry for the poor woman. She knew what it was like making a go of it on her own—Danny spent most of his time in Chicago now. Violet had been up in years and had become something of a recluse after her husband died nearly twenty years before.

  “Were you planning to move in?” she asked Ray.

  “Into that monstrosity? Not my kind of place. And can you imagine what it would cost to bring it up to twenty-first-century standards?”

  Hailey suspected the place was a mess. No doubt a new owner would tear it down and rebuild—criminal, as far as she was concerned, the house being a piece of Geneva Lake history—but an estate that size on the shoreline would be worth millions.

  She said, “I’m sure renovation would cost you a small fortune.”

  “One I don’t have.”

  “Then…were you considering selling?” she asked hopefully. Her getting the contract on Widow’s Peak could make up for the miserable financial year she’d had. It could save her from going under. She knew Violet had died only less than a month before—not nearly long enough for the people who loved her to mourn her—but she couldn’t stop herself. “If so, I would love to represent the property.”

  “And I would love to sell the old place. With this economy, I could use the money, that’s for sure. But Mike isn’t ready to let go. He’s dragging his feet, wants to go through every one of the twenty-three rooms and every closet and nook and cranny, not to mention the outbuildings, before we put the estate on the market.”

  “Sentimental, huh?”

  “More like he wants to find the treasure.”

  “Treasure?”

  “Legend has it there’s some kind of treasure hidden in the house, and until he finds it, Mike refuses to sell.”

  “What if that’s all it is…legend?”

  “Yeah, no kidding. He’s had half the summer to find it. Well, when he wasn’t working.”

  Hailey knew that Mike Anderson ran a speedboat rental in addition to his water sports and fishing supply store, which would keep him hopping during the busy tourist season.

  “Any way you could encourage your brother to hurry things along?” Hailey asked. “Even if the current residents aren’t interested in buying, they may have friends in Chicago or Milwaukee looking for a summer home. If you want to sell Widow’s Peak before spring, it needs to go on the market as soon as possible, before people close up their lake houses for winter.”

  “I would be interested in seeing the Widow’s Peak estate as soon as possible.”

  Hailey whipped around to see Bryce accompanied by the man who’d loudly expressed his interest. He was as tall as Bryce but less muscular. His dark hair was cut by a slash of silver and his dark eyes were the most arresting feature in his angular face.

  “Hailey, this is my guest, James Croft.” Smiling, Bryce looked Croft in the eye and put an arm around Hailey’s waist. “Not only is Hailey the best real estate agent in the area, but she’s also my fiancée.”

  “You’re getting married?” Croft gave Hailey a closer look.

  “Well, hot damn!” Ray said, chomping down on his burger again.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were engaged?” Croft asked.

  “We just decided to get married recently.” Hailey thought fast to cover for Bryce. “It was a spur of the moment thing—we don’t even have the rings yet.”

  “Rings?”

  “Engagement and wedding,” Bryce said. “We’re getting married this week.”

  Looking from Hailey to Bryce, Ray swallowed his food and said, “Congratulations.” He popped Bryce in the shoulder. “Took you long enough to make an honest woman out of Hailey here.”

  Appearing puzzled, Bryce asked, “Long enough?”

  “Everyone knew how bad she had it for you when you two were teenagers.”

  Hailey felt herself turn all kinds of scarlet. Guests around them were staring at them, seeming surprised. The discomfort increased when Bryce pulled her closer. His smile seemed a little forced.

  “Back to Widow’s Peak,” Croft said. “When can I see it?”

  “Nothing has been settled,” Ray said. “I’m not sure when we’ll put it on the market.”

  “Surely there’s nothing wrong with feeling out the market,” Bryce suggested. “You could give Hailey access to look around the property and come up with a plan for the sale, including a potential price point.”

  “Hmm.” Ray took a slug of his beer. “Maybe that would help convince Mike it’s time to sell. Let me think about it. I’ll get back to you, Hailey.”

  “Yes, of course,” she said.

  “I hear you’re quite a real estate agent,” Croft said. “The reason I was so anxious to meet you.”

  “It’s always nice to be thought well of.”

  “I’ve heard you have a special ability…that you can talk to dead people in the houses you take on.”

  Hailey blinked. Who had been filling Croft with such nonsense? A sense of unease shot through her, but she put it to her weird situation with Bryce.

  “My ability isn’t quite so defined,” she explained. “I can sense whether people who’ve passed on were happy living in the place and why. I’ve used that information to my advantage in the past.”

  “Really? That’s all?” Croft didn’t seem to believe her. “I would love to see you at work for myself.”

  Again the creepy feeling. Not that Hailey would let it stop her from making a sale that would keep her business afloat, and Croft seemed like a sure thing. “Then let’s hope the Andersons decide to sell soon.”

  BY the end of the evening, when the caterers and all the guests including his new fiancée had left, Bryce was confident that he’d won Croft over with the announcement of his engagement. The thought of marrying Hailey gave him pause—he wouldn’t for anything want her to be the next victim of the prophecy—but he reminded himself that he didn’t intend to fall in love with her. She was a warm and charming woman and he’d always gotten along with her, but he would simply view the marriage exactly as he’d described it: as a business deal, nothing more.

  He could ill afford to give away a hundred thousand bucks—nearly everything he had—but if he didn’t manage to sign on Croft, McKenna Development would go bust, so he had to chance it. A hundred thousand was simply a drop in the bucket as to what he needed to make a go of the new project. Or of any project of substance, the type on which the company’s reputation had been built.

  Thinking that it was still possible for the business to go bankrupt and for him to wind up broke, he was thinking that Danny Wright had a lot to account for, first and foremost to the sister who’d saved his butt more than once.

  Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted when Croft said, “This was quite an event you hosted.”

  “Glad you enjoyed it.”

  Even though the sun had set long ago, they were still out on the patio in the dark. The only light came from the stoop in front of the door and from solar lights along the walkways. Bryce was relaxing with a beer. Nursing a Scotch, Croft was once more staring out across the lake.

  “So many interesting people, Bryce. You seem to know everyone who is anyone in this area.”

  “That comes from having a family home here.” Bryce wanted to impress upon Croft that he was family-oriented even if he was still single. “My family lived in this house year round until I was in my early twenties.”

  “What made you move to Chicago?”

  Bryce wasn’t about to go into the real reason, the horror of Mom disappearing off the face of the earth. One rainy evening, she’d left the house without telling anyone an
d had never returned.

  He said, “That was my father’s decision. Dad had a pretty successful renovation business here, but he wanted to start his own development company—bigger projects—and the whole north side of Chicago was being gentrified, so it was ripe for a company like McKenna Development. Grania and I were already in Chicago for most of the year. I was nearly done with my degree in architecture and Grania was studying interior design, so the company was a perfect fit for the three of us. My brothers Liam and Reilly chose different paths.”

  As always when he was in the lake house, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to his mother all those years ago. She’d been considered a missing person, but with no hint of threat or proof of violence, nothing had been done by the authorities. After all, Mom had been an adult. Although leaving one’s family and disappearing wasn’t something anyone approved of, neither was it a crime.

  People disappeared all the time.

  Only Dad had known differently. He’d accepted the fact that the McKenna prophecy had finally caught up to him. Even though he’d spent a fortune on private investigators who’d searched for her for nearly a year, he’d believed his wife was dead. Bryce had believed it, too. He’d seen the love between his parents and had seen how Mom’s disappearance had emotionally destroyed his father.

  From that time on, Bryce knew he would never allow himself to love any woman. He would never put another person—Hailey—in mortal danger.

  As if Croft knew he was thinking of her, he asked, “So is your lovely fiancée going to become part of Mc Kenna Development? Her being a real estate agent seems like a perfect fit for the business.”

  Bryce hadn’t even considered it. “We haven’t thought that far ahead, but it might be a possibility for the future.”

  He wouldn’t need a sales agent until the project was well under way, so he would see whether or not the relationship stuck.

  “Yes, the future. Bryce, I have to admit I had some reservations about you and the new project. I’m aware of your company’s financial problems. But with a good woman at your side, I know you’ll work even harder to make a go of it. Responsibility comes with seeing that a man’s family is provided for in the best way possible. You’ll understand that the day you marry that girl.” Looking back across the lake, Croft added, “And it seems to me that Hailey would be quite an asset to the project…with her ability to connect with the past and all.”

  Surprised that such an astute and practical businessman was so ready to believe in something he couldn’t touch, see, hear, taste or smell, Bryce said, “I know she has strong instincts, but we’re talking about converting manufacturing buildings. No one has ever lived in them before, so I doubt any spirits are lingering in the place.”

  “You never know.”

  What will she hear out at Widow’s Peak? I wonder. I want to be there when it happens…

  Bryce started at Croft’s thoughts that rang out loud and clear to him. So that’s what had taken the man’s attention for the last several hours. He’d caught Croft staring across the lake several times. What was it about Widow’s Peak that had him so interested? The supposed treasure that Mike Anderson had been trying to find for the last several weeks? If so, that was the first whimsy he’d gotten off the man.

  As to whether or not Hailey’s ability was real or if she simply was working off instinct, Bryce couldn’t say. He didn’t believe in ghosts. Then again, other people didn’t believe in prophecies and curses. He knew they could be real. So what was to say that Hailey didn’t communicate with the dead?

  Whatever got the job done—Croft finally signing the contract to back McKenna Development’s new project—was good with him.

  Chapter Three

  After sleeping on the idea of marrying Bryce—rather mostly not sleeping—Hailey knew what she had to do. She showed up at McKenna Ridge first thing the next morning and marched up to the rear door.

  James Croft answered. “Why, Hailey, what a pleasure. I was surprised when you went back to your place last night.”

  Realizing that he’d expected Bryce’s fiancée to spend the night with him, she said, “The cat needed to be fed.” She poked her head into the kitchen. “Is Bryce around?”

  “Of course. He’s in the den checking his email.”

  “Thanks.”

  Hoping she remembered its location correctly, she headed to the right of the kitchen and was relieved when she saw Bryce in the room at the end of the hall. His back to her, he sat at a desk, working on his computer. Dressed in navy shorts and a white polo shirt, he shot a fluttery sensation through her, making her throat tighten.

  She hesitated a moment, then took a big breath and announced herself as she joined him.

  “Good morning.”

  Obviously startled, Bryce whipped around. “Hailey. You surprised me.”

  “As you did me.” Aware that Croft was mere yards away in the kitchen, that he could break in on them at any second, she glanced over her shoulder to make certain he wasn’t there and then, in a low voice, asked, “Can we talk somewhere private?”

  “Sure.” He grabbed the sunglasses he’d thrown on the desk and slipped them on. “Let’s go outside, down to the dock.”

  The den straddled the small patio where he’d found her the night before. He led the way through it, across the wave pool patio where he placed an arm around her back. No doubt he did so in case Croft looked out the window and saw them. Warmth spread from his touch through her cotton sweater, making her go all soft inside, and the walk that snaked down the pathway to the dock made it more difficult for her to take a deep breath. Or perhaps it was simply the potential consequence of what she was about to say. Not for her, but for Danny.

  “Ray called this morning,” Bryce told her. “He said he couldn’t talk Mike into the idea of preparing Widow’s Peak for a sale yet. He said to give it some time.”

  Disappointed, Hailey muttered, “Great.”

  “But when I want something, I don’t give up so easily. So I called Mike myself, convinced him to let you go over to the estate today and at least look around. I told him it wasn’t a commitment, just exploratory.”

  “That was really nice of you.” That Bryce would do something so thoughtful for her lifted her spirits just a little. “Thanks.”

  “Croft is interested. He seemed focused on the place all last night. Kept staring out to the other side of the lake as if he could see it. I want him to at least think I got him a shot at the property.”

  Hailey swallowed her disappointment and forced a smile.

  Bryce stopped at the land end of the dock and indicated the bench parked beneath an old growth red maple tree. It was a perfect little niche, offering privacy while giving them a view of the lake. Relieved to be free of his touch, Hailey scrambled to the far end of the bench and was relieved that Bryce kept some distance between them when he sat.

  “All right, Hailey, what is it?”

  She’d thought long and hard most of the night, and in the end, she’d realized she’d agreed to something crazy, something not fair to Bryce, who’d been in protective mode and perhaps had imbibed one beer too many.

  Fear for her brother haunting her, she had to force out the words. “I want to let you out of our agreement, Bryce.”

  “What?”

  “I realize it was wrong of me to put my troubles on you.”

  “You mean Danny’s troubles.”

  She nodded. Unbelievable that she’d done so. “You’ve always been the type to come to the rescue of someone who needed backup, even when we were kids. I didn’t mean to make you responsible for rescuing my brother.”

  “You didn’t. I offered.”

  “Even so—”

  “What else can you do to get the money, Hailey? A hundred thousand isn’t chump change.”

  That was the sticking point, but she couldn’t make someone else take on that responsibility. “It’s my concern.” She would see about getting that second mortgage on her house first thing
Monday morning.

  “It’s a big concern,” Bryce said.

  “But not yours.”

  “Maybe I’m being selfish.”

  “You? But you’re the one who offered to lend me the money.”

  “Think of my giving you the hundred thousand as my making an investment in my company. I want to close this deal with Croft.”

  Bryce was dead serious, and Hailey grew a bit uncomfortable. She rose from the bench and moved to the rail at the end of the dock, her gaze focused on a flock of geese landing in the water halfway out. Although it was only fair that Bryce got something in return, she’d never thought of him as being so focused on money. She was certain Danny’s gambling debt was a small percentage of what he would make if his business venture went through.

  Turning to face him, leaning her back against the rail, she said, “Bryce, you will get the backing you need without having to marry someone you don’t love.” Though he had said that’s the only way he would marry, she remembered. “You’re a successful developer. That has to be Croft’s deciding point.”

  “Croft is overly conservative. I wasn’t exaggerating.” Bryce left the bench to stand before her. “Last night he went on about how he hadn’t been certain of me, but now that I was settling down, it gave him confidence that I would be responsible if he went in on the project with me.”

  “You’re the most responsible person I know!”

  Bryce grinned. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but trust me, Hailey, I need you right now as much as you need me.”

  If only he meant that in something other than a business way. Not that she could let that bother her given the circumstances. “Does that mean you won’t let me out of the engagement?”

  “It means I want to marry you as soon as possible. I don’t feel obligated to save Danny’s butt, but I know it would hurt you if something happened to him. I respect you and I want the best for you.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Then it’s settled. Unless—”

  “Unless what?”