Chapter 1

ONE

Diana Devlin didn’t often trade her heels for hiking boots, but as she got her first glimpse of the valley through the trees ahead, she knew today’s hike would be worth the effort. The breeze kissed her cheeks, cool and refreshing on this June afternoon, lightly scented with pine and earth. She couldn’t hear anything but the occasional chirp of a bird and the whisper of the wind through the trees, and it was oddly exhilarating.

A world away from her twenty-second-floor office in Boston. There were perks to scouting acquisitions in scenic locales, allowing Diana a rare chance to leave the city behind and indulge in a few hours of nature. She was currently thirty minutes into a three-mile hike to the summit of Crescent Peak to see the famous waterfall that the town of Crescent Falls, Vermont, was named after. There were several easier hikes to the base of the falls, but Diana wanted to see the view from the top.

Right now, her view consisted mostly of trees, although they were a nice change from the high-rise buildings she usually looked out at. She twisted the cap off her water bottle and took a sip. So far, the hike hadn’t been as challenging as the concierge at her hotel had led her to expect. The man had been so concerned when she told him which trail she’d picked, all but insisting she choose an easier hike, but Diana wouldn’t be deterred.

Although she’d recently celebrated her fortieth birthday, she was in excellent shape. She ran most evenings after work and visited the gym several times a week. She’d done a lot of hiking as a girl when she visited her family’s vacation home in Western Massachusetts, enough to know she enjoyed pushing herself on more difficult trails, especially if they promised a stunning vista as a reward. The challenge exhilarated her.

And she’d come prepared. Her backpack contained plenty of water and snacks, Band-Aids for potential blisters or scrapes, and her phone so she could snap photos of the scenery. The trail offered a quick peek at the valley before beginning a steeper climb. It crisscrossed up the side of a hill in a series of switchbacks to make the incline more manageable.

Diana began the climb enthusiastically, pleased that the boots she’d purchased this morning were holding up well and not causing any pain. By the time she’d completed the first two switchbacks, her thighs were burning. At the third, she had to pause to catch her breath. Phew . Okay, the elevation on this climb was no joke.

She had broken out in a sweat by the time the trail leveled off on a narrow ridge overlooking the valley she’d glimpsed earlier. She lifted a hand to swat at the bugs circling her head. They didn’t seem to bite, but they were extremely annoying. A wooden sign marker indicated that the Crescent Peak Summit Trail branched off to the left, the Blossom Trail continuing on the right. Diana veered left, following the red diamond trail markers that had been her guide since she left the parking lot.

A rock beside the trail had been painted so that its surface looked like a bright pink flower. Diana would have thought she’d dislike the idea of someone painting a flower on a rock, but this was surprisingly pretty and added a welcome splash of color along the trail. She pulled out her phone and snapped a photo.

She paused at the flower rock for another drink of water and to catch her breath, but the gnats became unbearable every time she stopped, buzzing around her head. The concierge at the hotel hadn’t warned her to bring bug spray. Sucking in a deep breath, she forged on. The trail was steeper in this section, rising steadily up the side of the mountain. She crossed a stream by balancing on a series of stepping stones before heading up another steep incline.

“For fuck’s sake,” Diana huffed as she grabbed a nearby tree to keep her balance. At the top of the hill, the trail crossed a rocky outcrop that was equal parts beautiful and intimidating. Thank goodness she had on new boots designed for this.

Diana pressed a palm against the nearest rock and stuck her left boot into a crevice to gain purchase. She scrambled over several rocks, straining and sweating and swearing, before she reached the top, and… “Oh, wow.”

The view here was even more magnificent, and she was probably only halfway to the summit. She sat, dangling her feet over the side of a rock as she ate a protein bar and had another drink of water, doing her best to ignore the gnats. This trail was intense. She understood now why the concierge had tried to discourage her from attempting it, but he had underestimated her. Most people did.

She’d take a selfie in front of the distinctive tower at the top so she could show him when she got back to the hotel. According to the pamphlet she’d read this morning, a woman named Elizabeth Abington had commissioned the tower to be built in the early 1800s to remind her of the castles of her native England. Now, a crumbling stone tower stood at the summit of one of the tallest peaks in central Vermont, delighting tourists.

Diana couldn’t wait to see it. She held in a groan as she stood. Her legs were going to be sore tomorrow, but it would be worth the pain. This was a much more exhilarating workout than the machines at the gym.

Today, she’d conquer the mountain, and tomorrow, she’d lay the groundwork for her next corporate purchase. The inn she hoped to acquire would be a valuable addition to the Devlin Hotels portfolio, one more stepping stone on her path to CEO.

Diana carefully made her way along the edge of the rock before plunging back into the trees. She’d encountered a few other hikers near the base of the trail, but hadn’t passed another person in at least thirty minutes. It was oddly peaceful. Living and working in the city, she so rarely found herself alone, except when she was at home.

The path continued to run along the ridgeline, and Diana followed, pausing periodically to sip her water. She finished her first bottle faster than she’d anticipated. Now she was halfway through her water, but not yet halfway through her hike. She’d have to be more sparing with her water consumption from here on out.

She kept walking, annoyed to realize she was still out of breath from that last incline. Her thighs and calves burned, and she had a stitch in her side. This climb was taking more out of her than she’d expected .

“The view from the top will be worth it,” she murmured to herself.

There was an odd cry from overhead. An eagle, perhaps? It sounded like something she’d heard on TV. She looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand as she watched a large bird glide by, far above the treetops. Well, that was cool.

Still looking up at the eagle, she tripped over an uneven spot on the trail and pitched forward, catching herself against a tree trunk. The water bottle slipped from her fingers and dropped to the ground, rolling away from her.

“Shit.” She lunged, dropping to her hands and knees, but the bottle was picking up speed now. It rolled down the steep side of the ridgeline she’d been walking along before dropping off into the valley below. Just like that, it was gone, leaving Diana with no water.

Her shoulders slumped. Stubbornly, she turned her gaze toward the way forward. Diana never gave up. When the going got tough, she outmaneuvered her opponent and kept going. But continuing a strenuous hike without water? Well, she might be stubborn, but she wasn’t stupid.

With a sigh, she looked around for a trail marker to orient herself, but all she saw was trees. Trees in every direction. She’d been walking along this ridgeline, but as she looked behind herself, she saw several others like it. Which one had she come from? When was the last time she’d seen a trail marker? Because now that she was really paying attention, the area around her didn’t contain a visible trail.

For the first time since she’d set out, she felt a frisson of fear. These woods were vast…and desolate. A person could really get lost out here. Squaring her shoulders, she turned around and began to backtrack in her best guess of where she’d come from .

It didn’t take long to realize she’d gotten it wrong. She’d traversed the ridgeline, but it seemed like she was on the wrong side of the hill she’d been climbing. Nothing looked familiar. She unzipped her backpack and pulled out her cell phone, but there was no service. Of course not. She was miles from civilization, so far out she hadn’t seen another human in at least an hour.

Diana had officially fucked up, and that wasn’t something she admitted easily. She was tired and thirsty, surrounded by a cloud of obnoxious bugs, and she had no freaking idea where she was. That pang of fear swept through her again, causing her heart rate to tick up. Automatically, she reached for the sensory key chain dangling from the side of her backpack, rubbing her thumb over the textured strip she kept there to help calm her anxiety.

She recalled that she’d watched a survival show once where the advice was given that if you were ever lost in the woods to stay put and wait for rescue, but no one knew she was out here. Okay, the hotel concierge knew, but he might have gone home for the day already. It wasn’t his job to make sure she made it back to the hotel safely. It could be days before the hotel realized she was missing.

No, staying put wasn’t an option. Surely if she walked around this general area, she’d find the trail, or at least a trail. Any trail would do at this point, as long as it led her back to civilization. Diana started walking, slow and steady, searching every tree for a marker and every stretch of the forest for anything man-made.

Thirty minutes later, she was truly beginning to panic. Her throat was parched, and her skin felt flushed. She was so thirsty she was considering a drink from the next mountain stream she stumbled across. Surely it would be better to risk whatever was in the water than to become too dehydrated to hike out of here.

She’d decided to keep moving downhill, hoping that once she reached the bottom of the hill, she’d encounter a path or road. Plus, walking down was easier and gave her some reassurance that she wasn’t going in circles.

A flash of color through the trees caught her eye, something bright orange that didn’t seem to belong out here in the middle of the forest. Diana shielded her eyes. It was a person! A woman wearing an orange top, just on the other side of the hill.

Her knees shook with relief, before she looked down and saw the perilously steep and rocky hillside she’d have to traverse to get to her. Could she make it down without breaking her neck? Only one way to find out. As adrenaline surged through her system, Diana began her descent.

Purple asters had always been her favorite. Emily dabbed her brush against the canvas, capturing the vivid hue of the flowers before her with their thin, delicate petals. It was unusual to see an aster in full bloom this early in the year—usually, they didn’t peak until August or even September—but this one had flowered early, and she couldn’t resist painting it.

Emily had already completed the mountains that made up the backdrop for today’s painting. Now she just had to finish a few final details on the purple asters that were the star of this canvas. She smiled. Flowers made her happy. Painting made her happy. And painting flowers made her happiest of all.

She was fortunate to earn a steady income from her artwork. It wasn’t enough to live on—not yet—but hopefully she’d reach that milestone soon. In the meantime, she didn’t mind working part-time behind the front desk at her grandmothers’ inn to help pay the bills.

Emily swapped her brush for a painter’s knife, sharpening the edge of each purple petal while she added texture to the canvas. Her hand was as steady as a surgeon’s as she slid the knife through acrylic paint.

“Excuse me!” a woman’s voice called from behind her.

Emily’s hand jumped, and she smoothed down the paint she’d disturbed before turning to see who was there. She was far enough from the public trail that she hadn’t expected to encounter any hikers. “Yes?”

A woman emerged from the trees, dressed in capri-length black athletic pants and a matching tank top. She strode toward Emily with such authority that Emily almost wondered if she’d accidentally wandered onto someone’s private property and was about to be told off for it. But no, she was definitely in the state park, and on second glance, the woman’s flushed and sweaty face indicated she might be the one in trouble.

“I hope you can help me,” she said, seeming to confirm Emily’s theory.

Emily gave her an encouraging smile. “Sure.”

“I seem to have lost the trail,” the woman said, embarrassment flickering over her features. “And I’m out of water, so I’d really appreciate it if you could point me toward the parking area on East Mountain Road.”

“Which trail were you on?” Emily asked as she placed her knife on the palette next to her canvas. She reached into her bag and pulled out an unopened bottle of water, which she offered to the woman.

“Oh my God, you’re a lifesaver.” The woman practically sagged with relief as she accepted the bottle. Despite her authoritative stride when she’d walked out of the woods, Emily noticed subtle signs of strain: the way she couldn’t seem to catch her breath, the sweat glistening on her skin, and that ruddy flush on her cheeks and chest, marring her otherwise pale complexion. She twisted the cap from the bottle and took several greedy gulps. “I was on the Crescent Peak Summit Trail.”

Emily gaped. “That’s an expert-level trail.”

“I am an expert,” the woman said, a hint of exasperation in her tone.

“Oh.” Emily gave a skeptical look at the woman’s obviously brand-new boots and gear.

“Well, maybe I haven’t hiked in a while, but I’m a quick study and in excellent shape, so it shouldn’t have been a problem for me.”

Emily tried to hide her amusement at the woman’s cocky overconfidence. “It’s not just a matter of physical fitness. That trail is extremely technical, and Vermont’s topography can’t be underestimated. It gets steep on this mountain. I’ve been hiking here my whole life, and I still haven’t made it to the summit.”

She felt a tug of something like jealousy at the way this woman had stormed out here today with the utter confidence that she’d be able to conquer it on her first try, without any experience. What Emily wouldn’t give for a little of that swagger…

“Well, I…” The woman paused and took another hearty drink from the water Emily had given her. “Apparently, I misjudged.” Her gaze drifted to the easel behind Emily. “And I’m interrupting your day. If you could point me in the direction of the trail?”

“You’re nowhere near it.” And Emily could see the way the woman’s legs trembled with fatigue, despite her bluster. “I’ll walk you out. It’s a much shorter hike from here to where I parked, and then I’ll drive you to your car.”

“Oh, but…you don’t even know me.” She looked genuinely bewildered by Emily’s offer. Must be from the city . Emily couldn’t imagine living anywhere so unfriendly.

She extended a hand. “Emily Janssen.”

“Diana Devlin.” She took Emily’s hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Nice to meet you, Diana. There, now we know each other.”

“You’re sure you don’t mind?” There was still something hesitant in her demeanor.

Emily had the feeling Diana didn’t often need to be rescued. “Not at all. Just give me a minute to pack up.”

“You can finish first, if you like. I’m not in a hurry.” Diana’s gaze traveled over Emily’s canvas. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Emily’s cheeks warmed at the compliment. “I was just putting on the finishing touches when you walked up.”

“Then you should definitely finish. Don’t let me interrupt you any more than I already have.”

“Okay, if you’re sure. It’ll only take me a few minutes.”

Diana waved a hand as if to say “take your time” before retreating to sit on a nearby rock. She turned to stare out at the valley before them, and Emily was distracted by the way the sun glinted off her shoulder-length hair. Emily had first thought it was golden blonde, but the sun brought out various shades of red gleaming in its depths.

Emily didn’t often paint people. Flowers and landscapes were her forte. She could never get the faces quite right when she tried a portrait, but she was struck by the desire to paint Diana the way she looked right now, with the sun shining in her hair. She’d use a dab of vermilion red, some butter yellow, maybe a bit of cadmium orange too.

She’s beautiful.

The thought struck Emily out of the blue, along with the realization that she was staring. She turned to her canvas and spent a few minutes defining the petals on her purple aster—still thinking about Diana’s golden hair. It would go perfectly with the fall foliage in a few months. Emily added a little more paint to define the tree line in the background, and then her painting was finished.

“I didn’t know you could paint with a knife,” Diana commented as Emily began to pack up her supplies.

“It adds texture and helps make more vibrant colors, because you don’t have to dilute the paint. I like to use a palette knife when I’m painting flowers. It adds another dimension to the painting.” She turned the canvas toward Diana.

“I’ve never seen it done that way before,” Diana said. “I love the texture and color. Do you sell your work?”

Emily nodded. “I have pieces on consignment in a few local businesses, and I have a website, where I sell most of my stuff. A lot of people prefer to buy prints since they’re cheaper than an original canvas. I sell a lot of accessories like stickers and bookmarks and mugs too.”

“Fascinating.” Diana’s gaze flicked from Emily to her canvas and back again. “I never would have thought of putting something like that on a mug.”

Emily shrugged. “I sell a lot of mugs.”

“I’d love to check out your store. Do you have a card?”

Emily reached into the pocket of her bag and pulled out a business card. This had to be the weirdest place she’d ever made a sale…on the side of a mountain and at least a half a mile from the nearest trail. “No pressure to buy just be cause I saved you from wandering around lost out here.” She offered Diana a crooked smile as she handed her the card.

Diana’s eyes danced with amusement. “It’s hard to pressure me to do something I don’t want to do.”

Emily didn’t doubt that for a moment, and her heart was beating a little faster under the intensity of Diana’s gaze. Was Diana checking her out? Emily had never had the best gaydar. Growing up in a small town probably had something to do with that. She rarely got to meet a stranger and stare into her eyes, wondering if Diana’s heart was starting to race too.

Flustered, Emily turned away. She packed up the last of her supplies and attached the canvas to her backpack with the straps she’d installed for this purpose, so the paint wouldn’t smudge on the hike down.

“You painted the flower on that rock I noticed on my way up the trail, didn’t you?” Diana said suddenly.

“Yep. The park service commissioned me to paint several rocks along the public trails as a natural art installation.”

Diana nodded, rising to her feet. She seemed a lot more composed now than she had been when they first met, no longer flushed or out of breath, and now that Emily had started to pay attention, she couldn’t help noticing Diana’s lean, athletic frame. She’d said she was in good shape, and she hadn’t been exaggerating.

“Are you here on vacation?” Emily asked as she began to lead the way down the mountain toward where she’d parked.

“Work.” Diana fell into step beside her. “I’m up from Boston, but my business meeting isn’t until tomorrow, so I decided to see some of the local scenery. Guess I got a bit overly ambitious.”

“Guessing it’s not the first time.” Emily couldn’t resist the jab, grinning at Diana.

Diana’s chin went up. “I’m afraid I’ve given you an inaccurate first impression. I’m usually successful at even my most ambitious ventures.”

There was that confidence again. This was a woman who believed she could do anything she set her mind to, and Emily couldn’t deny she found it irrationally sexy. “So what kind of business brings you to my little corner of the world?”

“I’m the vice president of independent purchasing for Devlin Hotels.”

“Devlin Hotels,” Emily repeated as the penny dropped. “Diana Devlin. Holy shit, you’re…oh, you’re a Devlin. Your family owns this huge hotel chain, and wow, I’m rambling.”

“Yes, my family owns a hotel chain.” Diana’s tone seemed to say that she had no doubt she would have been just as successful even if she had a different last name, but she was proud of her family’s legacy regardless. “I’m in charge of purchasing boutique hotels and inns around the country to bring under the corporate umbrella.”

“So you’re here to buy a hotel?”

Diana nodded.

Emily wasn’t sure she liked the idea of any of the local hotels being bought by a corporate chain. Part of what made Crescent Falls and its neighboring towns so special was the uniqueness of the local businesses. Tourists came here to have a one-of-a-kind experience, not to stay at a Devlin Hotel.

But that was beside the point, because the true heart and soul of Crescent Falls—for Emily at least—was her grandmothers’ beloved Inn at Crescent Falls, and it wasn’t for sale. So, whatever hotel Diana was here to buy wasn’t really Emily’s concern. Diana was probably a lot wealthier and more successful than Emily had realized, though.

“You live in town?” Diana asked.

“On the outskirts,” Emily told her. “I like the mountain views, if you hadn’t noticed.”

Diana smiled, her features softening. “I noticed. So why haven’t you made it to the summit yet? It can’t be that hard, can it?”

Emily dropped her gaze to the path ahead. “It’s not. I mean, it’s hard, don’t get me wrong, but most of my friends have made it to the top. I belong to a group of local outdoor enthusiasts, and they do a group hike to the summit every fall, but I just…I don’t know. Something always gets in the way for me.”

“Hmm.” Diana gave her an inquisitive look, no doubt wondering what exactly Emily meant by that, but she wasn’t about to get into anything that personal with a woman who was essentially a stranger.

“Maybe this fall,” Emily mused. Meeting Diana today had reminded her how important it was to push herself. She’d been coasting the last few years, watching her friends get promotions and start families and move forward with their lives while her own life stagnated.

She wanted to make it to the top of the mountain. She wanted to grow her business so she could support herself fully with her artwork. And she’d like to find that special someone too. Maybe this was her wake-up call, a sign from the universe that it was time to go after her dreams.

“So what else does your adventure group do?” Diana asked.

“Lots of hiking. Vermont is full of trails and landmarks to explore. Waterfalls, covered bridges, you name it. In the wintertime, we do a lot of skiing and snowshoeing. And…” She paused, deciding to test the waters. “We’re a queer group, so we have a big outing every year to Burlington Pride.”

Diana had no visible reaction to this, much to Emily’s chagrin. “Sounds like fun.”

“You must not get to do much outdoor adventuring, living in Boston.”

“No, but I travel fairly often, and sometimes I get to do some exploring then…like today.”

Emily wanted to check in and make sure Diana was holding up okay. She’d been under such strain when Emily first met her. Clearly, Diana had bitten off more than she could chew with her hike today, and while she seemed okay now, some people didn’t know their own limits and would push themselves to the point of collapse before admitting they needed a break. She suspected Diana would bristle if Emily inquired, though, so she didn’t.

Instead, she kept her pace a little slower than she would have otherwise. She also took extra time to point out some of her favorite flowers and trees as they passed, partly because she loved sharing beautiful things and also to give Diana a chance to catch her breath without bringing attention to it.

Fifteen minutes later, they came out at the spot where Emily had parked, and she knew she didn’t imagine Diana’s sigh of relief.

“That seemed much easier coming down than it was going up,” Diana said.

“Because it was. I brought you down an entirely different way.”

“How far are we from my car?”

“About a ten-minute drive,” Emily told her.

“I really appreciate this,” Diana said quietly, the earnestness of her tone betraying just how scared she’d been before she found Emily.

“No problem at all.” Emily was glad she kept her car clean, because apparently she cared what Diana thought of her. She stowed their gear in the trunk and then gestured for Diana to open the passenger door.

Emily slid into the driver’s seat and started the car. A loud moan came through the speakers, and Emily blushed when she remembered she’d been relistening to one of her favorite audiobooks during the drive over, a steamy sapphic romance. Diana’s eyebrows lifted.

“Skye’s hands slid over Lucy’s skin, warm fingers cupping her breasts in a firm hold,” the female narrator intoned in a breathless voice.

Emily twisted the volume down to zero, but not before it was more than obvious what she’d been listening to. “Um…sorry about that.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” Diana said as she fastened her seat belt. “I enjoy audiobooks too. Not sure I’d have chosen that exact spot to leave the car, though.” She turned, giving Emily a slightly wicked grin.

“Oh, I…well, it’s a reread, so I know what happens next, but yeah…it’s a good scene.” Emily was rambling again. She shut up and started driving, guiding her car over the twisting mountain road to the main parking lot where Diana had set out from. She wasn’t at all surprised when Diana guided her toward a shiny silver Lexus. “Nice car.”

“It’s a rental. I don’t need one, living in the city. Usually, I fly when I’m scouting new properties, but Vermont’s so close, it was easier to just rent a car and drive up.”

“Ah.” Emily was a little disappointed that it was time to say goodbye .

Diana held her gaze for a moment, nothing but the soft hum of the engine filling the car. “I’m staying at the Beaumont Hotel. Perhaps you’d like to meet me at the bar later so I could buy you a drink? My way of thanking you for saving me on the mountain today.”

Emily felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach, because yes , she very much wanted to have a drink with Diana tonight. Of course she was staying at the fanciest hotel around, and if she wanted to buy it, the Beaumont actually seemed like a good fit for the Devlin brand. “Yeah, I’d like that.”