HE HAD KNOWN she was gone the moment he opened his eyes. The fire had crackled brightly beside him, but the cabin had been silent. He'd dressed, then used his cell phone to call for a car, finding a limo service that operated between Boston and the ski resorts at nearby Stowe.
All the way back home, Rafe had tried not to think about her, but memories of their night together filled his mind. He'd never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Keely. But it wasn't just about passion and release. He needed her in his life to give him balance and perspective. Keely had shown him what happiness was all about.
When he'd arrived at his apartment, his doorman had handed him the keys to his Mercedes, informing him that Keely had delivered his car safely to the parking garage just hours before. Rafe hadn't even bothered to go upstairs. Instead, he'd hopped in his car and driven directly to his office.
Rafe stared at the mess on his desk. He'd come to the office to get his mind off of Keely. But he'd picked up one project after another, then been distracted by lapses into fantasies. He had to admit, even his fantasies weren't as good as the reality of making love to Keely.
He cursed softly. 'Focus, focus.'
Digging through the papers, he picked up a prospectus for an office complex Kencor was planning in Portland, Maine. But as he stared at the columns of figures, he lost his concentration once again. Learning what had really happened to his father had consumed his thoughts before he met Keely. And now he wasn't even sure he cared anymore. His father was dead and nothing he found out was going to bring him back. But Keely was alive, she was part of the present, and he'd let her go.
'What the hell-oh. Hello. What are you doing here?' Rafe looked up from his report to find Sylvie standing at the door.
'Nice catch. That will be five dollars. Half a curse.'
She shook her head. 'It's New Year's Day. Shouldn't you be home watching football and thinking about how you're going to treat me better this year?'
'You know I don't celebrate the holidays.'
'Then what were you doing up at the cabin with a woman on New Year's Eve?' Sylvie asked.
'Are we related? Because we should be, considering the amount of time you spend meddling in my life.'
Sylvie walked into his office and flopped into one of Rafe's wing chairs. 'I came to work because my children were driving me crazy and my husband is wallpapering the bathroom. If I didn't leave, I'd be forced to give him advice and then he'd get mad and we'd end up bickering for the rest of the day.'
'So, is that what marriage is like?'
'Why, are you thinking of giving it a try?'
Rafe laughed. 'Why would you think that?'
'I don't know. You've been acting a little weird lately. I thought maybe you'd met someone.'
'Maybe I have.'
A silence descended around them. Sylvie tapped her foot against his desk, always impatient. 'Well,' she finally said, 'is that it?'
'How did you know you wanted to get married? What was it that sealed the deal? I mean, choosing to spend the rest of your life with one person is a big decision.'
'It wasn't a difficult decision,' Sylvie said. 'I just knew I couldn't imagine my future without him in it. Whenever I thought of events in my life, he was always there in these photos I had in my head. For a while, I forced myself to remove him from the images, but he kept creeping back in. So that was it. Since he was already in the photos, I decided to keep him.'
'It sounds so simple.'
'It is, if you let it be.'
Rafe leaned back in his chair and linked his hands behind his head. 'And what about Tom? Did he feel the same way? Were you in his head photos, too?'
'No. Not at first. It took a little convincing. I think men are more leery about commitment than women. They always believe there's someone better waiting just around the bend. But then, sooner or later, you realize that even if the person around the bend is cuter or smarter or richer, that doesn't make a difference.'
Rafe closed his eyes and tipped his head back. 'It doesn't make a difference,' he murmured.
'What doesn't?'
'Keely.' He paused. 'Her name is Keely Quinn. And I know I'll never find someone like her. Never.'
Sylvie broke into a wide grin. 'Then what's stopping you?'
'Problems. Big problems. Her family.'
'If you love her, you can overcome anything.'
'Didn't I read that on a greeting card somewhere?' Rafe straightened the papers on his desk and then stood up. 'I'm going home. I'm not going to get anything done today. Maybe I'll watch a little football and do some wallpapering.'
Sylvie laughed. 'Seriously, if you need any advice, you can always come to me. Especially when it comes to fine jewelry, chocolates and flowers.'
'I'll remember that.' Rafe paused before he walked out of his office. 'Go home, Sylvie. And count your lucky stars that you have what you have.'
As Rafe rode the elevator down to the parking garage, he thought about his conversation with Sylvie. Besides his mother, she was about the closest thing he had to family. He valued her opinion. But he still couldn't believe that falling in love was simple. In truth, it was the most difficult, confusing, unbalancing thing he'd ever experienced.
'Give it up,' Rafe murmured. 'Walk away before Keely Quinn cuts the legs out from under you and you can't walk at all.'
But he couldn't walk away from his memories, the images that flashed in his head every time he thought about Keely. No matter where he was, no matter what he was doing, she'd be with him. For how long? Months? Years? The rest of his life?
The elevator doors opened and Rafe strolled toward his car in the otherwise empty parking lot. He slipped inside and put the key in the ignition, then turned to back the car out of his parking spot. But as he did, he noticed a pair of gloves sitting on the front passenger seat. He stopped the car, then reached out and picked them up. They were Keely's.
Rafe brought them up to his nose. He could still smell her perfume in the cashmere lining. He closed his eyes and let the scent drift through his head. She probably missed these, especially in this cold weather. Rafe reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, ready to punch in the number for the bed-and-breakfast where she was staying.
But after entering only half the number, he snapped the phone closed. 'Damn it,' he muttered. He was looking for an excuse to see her again. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford a new pair of gloves. For now, he'd let her go. She could solve her problems with her family and stand behind her father.
Rafe flipped open his phone again and punched in a number on speed dial. The owner of one of Kencor's preferred contracting companies picked up after two rings. 'Rafe Kendrick here. I need a favor. I want you to find me an asbestos contractor that can do a small job very quickly. Within the next week. And I want to make some special arrangements for payment. I want them to reduce their rate and I'll pick up the difference. Call me back with a name.'
Rafe closed the phone and smiled. So maybe he could repair a few of the bridges that he had burned. And perhaps, someday, he and Keely could meet in the middle.
CHAPTER NINE
KEELY SAT at the table near the front window of the bakery, her gaze fixed on the three sketches she'd laid out on the table. The bride and her mother had been discussing the merits of each design for nearly a half hour and she was starting to get a bit annoyed.
The last place she wanted to be right now was back in New York. But when she'd returned from Rafe's cabin, there had been a stack of messages waiting for her at the bed-and-breakfast. Her mother had been desperately
