Chapter 14

Micki chewed on her lower lip, her brow furrowed in concern as she watched Patrick make his way down the path to his cabin. She"d been so hopeful that this little adventure would help draw Patrick out of the emotional turmoil she sensed simmering beneath the surface. But now, she couldn"t shake the uneasy feeling that her well-intentioned plan had backfired.

Something was off about him. He was polite, but there was an aloofness to him. Had four-wheeling been a bad idea? It had seemed like such a good idea at the time – a chance for Patrick to do something physical that would take him out of his head. Plus, four-wheeling was fun.

But as Patrick disappeared into his cabin, Micki couldn"t help but second-guess herself. What if the activity had only served to push Patrick further into his shell? His city-bred sensibilities were so at odds with the carefree country lifestyle she adored. Perhaps the experience had simply been another painful reminder of how little he belonged here.

"Did Patrick seem off today?" she asked.

Mitch shrugged. "He clearly never four-wheeled before?—"

Logan let out a laugh. "That"s putting it mildly. I don"t think he had an ounce of fun out there."

Micki"s doubt about her suggesting the outing grew.

"He liked fishing. I taught him," Tate said around a mouthful of cookie.

Ruffling Tate"s hair affectionately, Logan said, "He said he enjoyed his time with you."

Micki blew out a breath. "I just hope he"s not feeling too...out of place. This is supposed to be his chance to get away from it all, you know?" Her gaze drifted back towards Patrick"s cabin. "I just want him to be able to relax and find a little peace."

"Since when is it your job to make sure visitors have a good visit?" Logan lifted a brow. "What"s so special about him?"

Micki swallowed and turned to the tray of cookies not wanting Logan to see that her time with Patrick was more than just as a host. "He"s a guest. I"m not sure you"ve noticed, but we"re lacking in guests."

"Hey. What"s that supposed to mean?" Logan took offense. "I do what I can."

"That"s enough," Micki"s mother chimed in. "Who wants more iced tea?"

"I wouldn"t mind another glass of lemonade." Sydney held up her cup and Micki got the feeling she was intervening before a family squabble started. "I"d get it, but I don"t want to wake this little guy." Sydney nodded to Brian, sleeping on her lap.

"I"m getting a beer. Want one Mitch?" Logan opened the sliding door.

"Sure." Mitch followed him inside.

"Can I go play?" Tate asked Lori. "Grown up talk is boring."

"Yes, just stay out of Dr. Andres" hair." Lori handed the lemonade to Micki to fill Sydney"s glass.

"Can I go say hi?"

"No. Leave the man be, Tate."

Tate groaned but stayed along the beach instead of going to Patrick"s cabin.

Micki filled Sydney"s glass with lemonade and handed it back to her.

"Sit with me." Sydney nodded to the chair next to her.

Micki wanted to check on Patrick but sat.

"You know, I thought Patrick was off too. Not that I haven"t seen him like that, but it"s been a while."

"Was it the four-wheeling?" Micki hoped maybe Logan said something and it was his fault that Patrick changed and not hers.

"I don"t know. That last time I saw him like that…actually it was worse was after Julia—well, you know about that. It really upended his world that he hadn"t noticed how sick she was. He feels he failed her and questions his skills as a doctor. It"s sad because he"s a wonderful man. A true friend."

Micki was happy that Patrick had Sydney in his court. "I thought he was making progress, but now I"m not so sure. Maybe I pushed him too hard with the four-wheeling."

"You"d think he"d be settled in considering the amount of time you spend with him," her mother quipped as she organized the cookies on the tray.

Sydney"s eyebrows rose slightly at Lori"s comment, and Micki felt a twinge of unease. "I"m just trying to make sure he feels welcome, that"s all. This is his vacation, after all."

The sliding door opened, and Mitch and Logan returned, each holding a cold beer.

"What did we miss?" Mitch asked with a grin.

"Oh, nothing much." Sydney shot Micki a pointed look. "Just admiring how welcoming Micki has been to Patrick. Helping him get it footing."

Micki"s cheeks grew warm. She wasn"t sure how public Patrick wanted their ...whatever it was. "I"m just doing my job. Making sure everyone enjoys their stay." She rose from her chair, ready to move on.

Mitch chuckled at his wife. "You"re not playing match maker, are you? You"ll have your work cut out for you. The guy"s got enough emotional baggage to fill a U-Haul."

"He would have been happy to match with me," Sydney quipped.

"Ouch." Mitch sat in the chair Micki vacated. "But you choose me because of my charm and personality."

"I choose you because I love you."

"Gag," Logan laughed.

"Jealous?" Mitch tossed back to him.

"Not even a little. Been there, done that. Didn"t turn out for me."

The words hung in the air as if everyone remembered Logan"s bad marriage and his wife"s demise.

"Patrick"s been great with Tate." Micki hoped changing the subject would move it away from Logan"s failed marriage and her attraction to Patrick. "It"s helped Tate a lot, having that one-on-one time. And I think it"s been good for Patrick too."

Sydney nodded. "That doesn"t surprise me. Patrick"s always had a way with kids. He was the one who could always get Julia to open up when no one else could." A wistful expression crossed her face. "He used to talk about having a family of his own someday. Settling down. But after what happened with Julia..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

Micki felt a pang of sympathy. "I can"t imagine how hard that must have been for him."

"It shook him to his core." Sydney sighed. "He"s been so guarded ever since, so hesitant to let anyone in. I"m just glad he"s finally starting to come out of his shell a bit here."

"It"s not Tate"s job to fix him," Logan said.

Micki made a face at him. "Don"t be jealous of the time?—"

"I"m not jealous. I"m just saying maybe spending time with Tate isn"t right."

Micki knew this was about counseling. Before she could respond, Mitch picked up Brian from Sydney"s lap and held out his hand to help her stand. "It"s time for us to shove off."

They made their goodbyes and Micki helped her mother clear the cookies and pitchers of iced tea and lemonade, while her brother got the burgers ready for the grill.

Back on the deck, her father appeared from whatever he"d been up to and was starting the grill. Logan and her mother appeared, and for a moment, Micki was reminded how it was like when she was a girl. Her family was close and loving like now, but also healthy and financially strong as the resort was always full during the summer and did good business in hunting season as well as the winter. It was a good life. A happy life with the simple pleasures of family, the laughter and warmth and love.

She supposed it wasn"t surprising to learn Patrick once wanted that. What was sad was that Sydney made it sound like he"d given up on it. Micki remembered his comment about true love might exist for others, but not him.

Deciding she couldn"t wait anymore, she made her way to Patrick"s cabin. She took a breath, steeling herself as she knocked on the door.

"Patrick—"

The words died on her lips as he opened the door clad only in a towel. Her gaze involuntarily roamed over the toned lines of his chest before snapping back up to his face. She had to get the images of him rising over her, rocking her to pleasure out of her head. But it was hard. He had a great body. Did his greeting her like this mean his mood had changed? She hoped so.

"Oh!" A coy smile tugged at her lips. "Looks like I caught you at a bad time."

Patrick"s brow furrowed, and his expression remained guarded. "Michaela. Let me get dressed."

Her hopes of a happy Patrick dropped. Undeterred, Micki followed him in, shutting the door.

He grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom.

"You don"t have anything I haven"t seen." She waggled her brows.

"I"ll be a minute." He shut himself in the bathroom, dousing her playful mood.

Clearing her throat, Micki sat at the small table. "I, um, I just wanted to check on you. You seemed a little...off after the four-wheeling earlier."

He said nothing from inside the bathroom. When the door opened, he emerged in slacks and shirt. His jaw was tight. "I"m fine."

Micki"s brow furrowed with concern. She stood, moving toward him. "You don"t seem fine. What"s bothering you? Did something happen today?" She reached out to touch his arm.

Patrick jerked his arm away as if scalded. "I don"t need your pity, Michaela."

She flinched at his harsh tone. She held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Whoa. I"m not pitying you, I"m just?—"

"You"re just trying to integrate me into this...this world that I don"t belong in," Patrick interrupted. "Well, I"m not interested in being your latest project, okay? I came here to get myself together, not to be your boy toy or whatever the hell is going on here."

Micki"s lips parted, but no words came. She watched, stunned, as Patrick"s eyes bore down on her with resentment. She couldn"t decide if she was more angry or hurt at his insinuations.

"I need to focus on my life. I can"t afford any more...distractions." He waved his hand at her like she was a gnat he needed to flick away.

Micki"s expected his typical reserved demeanor, not this angry dismissal. "Distractions?" she repeated, her voice small. "Is that really how you see me?"

"I didn"t mean?—"

"No, I think you made it pretty clear." Micki crossed her arms defensively, as if that could protect her from the hurt Patrick was hurling at her. "I was just trying to make sure you were comfortable and enjoying your stay."

He leaned in. "It"s more than that and you know it, unless you sleep with all your guests."

Shock reverberated through her. "Is this the real you?" Had she been wrong about him this whole time? Did Sydney know this side of him?

His jaw ticked. "What do you want from me? Do you see me as someone who can save you from your financial woes, is that why?—"

She wanted to slap him. Instead, she held up her hand to stop him. "Don"t say another word, Dr. Andres. You"ve already called me a whore. Don"t add gold digger to the list."

Patrick"s expression softened slightly, a hint of regret flashing across his features. "Look, this isn"t easy for me, okay? I"ve got a lot of...stuff I"m trying to work through, and I can"t afford any...complications."

Micki arched a brow. "Complications? Wow. Here I thought we were having a good time. Enjoying each other's company."

"I won"t deny that it was nice?—"

"Nice. God. Are you trying to hurt me, or does it come naturally to you?"

He let out an explicative. "No, I don"t want to hurt you. But I can"t do this anymore."

"Turns out, I can"t either." She shook her head, blinking back the sting of tears. "I get it. I"ll leave you alone to...work on your stuff." She turned to leave, slipping out the door, closing it behind her.

Once outside, Micki leaned against the cabin, the weight of Patrick"s words crashing down on her. Sure, she knew they weren"t a forever after sort of couple, but she"d been certain they"d been friends at least. Okay, so maybe her feelings had dipped into something beyond that. More than a fling.

Micki swiped at the tears that threatened to spill over. She"d put herself out there, made herself vulnerable, and Patrick had stomped all over her heart. A part of her wanted to march right back in there and give him a piece of her mind. But another, more rational part, knew that would only make things worse.

The truth was, it was her fault for letting herself feel more than they"d agreed to. His harsh rejection, hurtful as it was, turned out to be a good thing to stop her from falling for the jerk.

With a resigned sigh, Micki pushed off the cabin and made her way back to the main house. As she got father away from him, she was nearly grateful to him for putting an end to things, although he could have been gentler about it. Her father was ailing, and the resort was struggling. She needed to stay focused on keeping it afloat, not indulging in…distractions.

She was nothing if not a good host. Despite his treatment of her, she"d ensure Patrick"s stay was comfortable and uneventful. But that would be all.