Brambleberry Shores: The Daddy Makeover / His Second-Chance Family. RaeAnne Thayne

Чтение книги онлайн.

       Chapter 4

      This was the reason he wanted The Sea Urchin so desperately.

      Eben leaned his elbows on the deck railing off the back of their beach house watching dawn spread out across the Pacific the next morning, fingers of pink and lavender and orange slicing through the wisps of fog left from the rains of the night before.

      The air smelled of the sea, salty and sharp; gulls wheeled and dived looking for breakfast.

      He was the only human in sight—a rare occurrence for him. He wasn’t used to solitude and quiet, not with chattering Chloe around all the time. He wasn’t completely sure he liked it—but he knew that if he could package this kind of morning for all his properties, Spencer Hotels would never have a vacancy again.

      Normal people—people very much unlike uptight Californian businessmen—would eat this whole relaxation thing up. The Sea Urchin would be busy year-round, with people booking their suites months, even years, in advance.

      He sipped his coffee and tried to force the tension from his shoulders. Another few days of this and he would be a certifiable beach bum, ready to chuck the stress of life in San Francisco for a quiet stretch of shoreline and a good cup of coffee.

      Or maybe not.

      He had never been one to sit still for long, not with so much to do. He’d been up since four taking a conference call with Tokyo in preparation for a series of meetings there next week and in two hours he would have to drive the ninety minutes to Portland to meet with his attorneys.

      Despite the calm and beauty of the morning, his mind raced with his lengthy to-do list.

      In the distance he saw a jogger running up the beach toward town and envy poked him. He would give his coffee and a whole lot more to be the one running along the hard-packed sand close to the surf, working off these restless edges.

      Others found calm and peace in the soothing sound of the sea. For Eben, a good, hard run usually did the trick. But with Chloe asleep inside, that was impossible. He couldn’t leave her alone in a strange place, even if he left a note and took his cell phone so she could reach him.

      The jogger drew closer and recognition clicked in at exactly the same moment he heard a bark of greeting. A moment later, Sage Benedetto’s big gangly red dog loped into view.

      The dog barked again, changed directions and headed straight toward him. After an odd hesitation, the big dog’s owner waved briefly and followed her animal.

      Though he knew it was foolish, anticipation curled through him like those tendrils of fog on the water.

      She was still some distance away when the dog nuzzled his head under Eben’s hand, looking for attention. He had never had a pet and wasn’t very used to animals, but he scratched the dog’s chin and was rewarded by the dog nudging his hand for more.

      When Sage approached, he saw she was wearing bike shorts and a hooded sweatshirt with an emblem that read Portland Saturday Market across the front.

      She looked soft and sensual in the early morning light, like some kind of lush fertility goddess. Her exotic features were flushed and her hair was in a wild ponytail.

      She looked as if she had just climbed out of bed after making love all night long.

      His insides burned with sudden hunger but he hid his reaction behind a casual smile. “Great morning for a run.”

      She raised an eyebrow. “You think?”

      “I was just now pondering how much I’d love to be out there doing the same thing if only Chloe weren’t asleep inside.”

      She gave a sudden delighted smile that made him feel as if the sun had just climbed directly above his beach house. Before he could catch his breath, she grabbed the coffee mug straight СКАЧАТЬ