Page 38 of Homecoming Heartbreaker

They were temporary colleagues, temporary friends having a temporary fling. End of story.

Mack placed his hand on her back, steering her down the road toward a rambling stone structure. The barn, standing to the side of the road, was empty, its roof still intact. It was part of the history of the farm and an interesting feature and while it was pretty, it wasn’t useful.

“I’ve tried to talk to Jameson about knocking it down but he won’t hear of it,” Molly told Mack.

Mack walked down the overgrown driveway and stepped up to the front door, warped by the weather. “He promised Tip he’d never pull it down because it was built before the main house.”

Tip O’Sullivan’s parents, professional socialites, built the house a century ago. They added one wing to accommodate their incessant stream of guests and within a few years converted the estate into a hotel and resort. Tip added on another wing and Jameson built the pretty lakeside cottages to accommodate more guests.

Yet, in all that time, this stone barn stood untouched on a rise overlooking the lake.

Molly watched as Mack put his shoulder to the door and pushed. The door opened with a loud complaint and Mack stood back and gestured her to precede him.

“After you,” Mack said.

Molly heard the tremble in his voice and swallowed her huge grin. “No, please, after you,” she insisted.

Mack glared at her. “Hah, funny. Get in there and do your thing.”

It was a long-held agreement between them that Mack would deal with all critters they found on their adventures—from frogs to snakes to bugs—but she was the person in charge of exterminating spiders.

Mack loathed spiders and it seemed nothing had changed. Before he would step into the barn, she’d have to do a recce and tell him, exactly, how many spiders she could see and where they were. Mack, tall and broad and tough as hell, was deathly scared of arachnids.

“Wuss,” Molly said, brushing past him. Stepping into the empty structure, she placed her hands on her hips, looking at the stone walls, the exposed timbers of the roof and the way the sunlight streamed through the windows on the side of the building looking out to the lake. It was a stunning spot and Molly thought it would be lovely if it was converted into a private, self-catering villa.

But the conversion would cost a bomb, or two, and the business didn’t have the credit or cash flow to support that sort of expansion. And, since they had too many rooms open too often, she couldn’t justify any expensive renovations.

“Spiders, Mol,” Mack reminded her, still standing just outside the door.

Molly did a cursory look around, didn’t see any spiders and gestured for him to come in. Mack did his own quick sweep and he gradually relaxed.

Coming to stand next to her, he whistled as he took in the huge space and the lovely light. “Wow, it’s amazing.”

Molly trailed her hand down a stone wall, wondering who built this place so long ago. “Isn’t it? I was just thinking that it would be awesome as a private villa. With clever renovations it could sleep six or eight.” She gestured through the broken windowpane to the clear lake. Two guests were idly rowing across the lake, their faces tipped to the sun.

Molly caught the quick shake of his head and sighed. “I know. Until we fill up every room every night, I can’t think about converting anything.”

“It would be a really good idea...if we had the guests,” Mack replied.

Molly darted a look at him. “Can I run something by you?”

“You know you can.”

“I’m standing by all the ideas in my proposal because they are necessary.”

Mack gestured for her to carry on talking.

“But I’m thinking that we should make Moonlight Ridge even more exclusive, more difficult to get into. I think we should hike the prices, reduce the numbers and turn it into a boutique hotel, a place people should be fighting, and definitely waiting, to get into.”

Her desire to run an exquisite, exclusive place, providing her guests with the best of the best, burned in her soul. This was the way to go, she was certain of it. But would Mack agree?

Mack thought for a moment. “I think it’s a great idea, I do. But we still need to get people here, a reason why they’d choose Moonlight Ridge over a hundred others,” Mack pointed out.

“If only Travis would come back and open a world-class restaurant here. That would bring the guests in. I’ve heard that his Traverser restaurants are booked up for months and months in advance,” Molly said.

“Yep, they are. Travis is a fabulous chef and he’s making a name for himself in the haute cuisine world.”

Molly heard the pride in his voice and hid her smile. The brothers’ relationship might be strained but it wasn’t completely broken. She was glad for Mack; family was important and she hoped that Mack, Grey and Travis found their way back to one another. Back in the day, they’d been a tight-as-hell team.

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