Jeremy certainly had a way about him, Will thought with a smile. The kid’s great attitude was contagious. “No problem, buddy, you can drive with me.”
As for Harper, he’d make sure she drove with him again, too. Only next time, he’d take her so far and so fast, and make it so good, that she wouldn’t dream of asking him to slow down.
CHAPTER FOUR
It wasn’t just a house. It was a whole compound. The private road leading to Will’s home was a twisting half-mile up into the hills, past rolling fields of grass, scrub, trees, and other natural vegetation. Harper followed his car into the circular drive surrounding a rock fountain.
The house was like something out of a Frank Lloyd Wright photo book, with a wide, sweeping pathway of slowly rising brick steps surrounded by meticulously shaped flowering shrubs and artful rock formations. What she could see of the massive house was on two levels, one set farther back than the other, almost as if they were completely separate. A continuous line of windows flowed across the front, turning fluidly at the corners. Perched on a hill, there was an expansive valley view out the back. From the angle of the house to the drive, she could see an infinity pool, water pouring over its edge like a waterfall. Below that was a putting green.
Sticking behind Will, she steered her car into another drive, around a rock garden adorned with cacti and succulents, and headed up an incline. The garage he’d spoken of was actually two buildings, one opposite the other. She counted eight doors in each as she tailgated Will into the interior concrete pad between the two structures. One door slid up silently, and he pulled the Challenger inside.
She climbed out of the modest sedan she’d purchased several years ago based solely on its excellent safety record, and her heels clicked on the concrete as she headed to the open garage door. Lights came on inside, revealing several expensive cars whose value she could only guess. Probably a million dollars in gleaming metal, at the very least.
Will swept out a hand. “Welcome to my playground.”
Jeremy was already racing down the row of cars. “It’s down there.” Will pointed. Then her brother was gone, shooting toward the silver Aston Martin he’d been drooling over for ages.
“I see he likes speed,” Will mused, “in more ways than one.”
“After the accident,” she said softly, “he had to learn to talk and walk again. So now he feels he has to keep moving so his joints don’t rust up like the Tin Man.” Those were Jeremy’s words, ones that always made her smile.
Will turned his gaze from Jeremy to her. “What happened?”
Harper swallowed, feeling herself choke up. It had all been a long time ago, yet the kindness in Will’s eyes touched her. “A car accident when he was seven. A speeding teenager in his daddy’s sports car.” A teenager from a family that had nowhere near as much money as Will. “Jeremy was on his bike.”
“I’m sorry, Harper.” He looked upset on their behalf. And more than a little angry, too. “I can’t imagine how difficult that was.”
“He was in a coma for several weeks and suffered brain damage. In many ways, it’s like he never grew older than seven.” Jeremy would perpetually be a child. But he was alive. And she was more than grateful for that. “He’s a happy guy, though. And he’s doing well. I love him just the way he is.”
“He’s a good kid. Your parents obviously did a great job helping him through.”
“They did,” she agreed, still watching Jeremy skip around the Aston Martin, examining every detail. She’d already told Will this much of their story, so she might as well finish it for him, even though sometimes it felt like there was nothing else to her but this tale of one crash after another. “Our parents died a few years ago in a plane crash. So he’s all mine now.”
Will had come closer to her while she spoke. She was average height, but he was so tall, so strong, that he made her feel petite. “That must have been really hard on you.”
He was right, it had been horrible. But she’d concentrated on Jeremy, on doing everything she could for him and, eventually, the ache had become a little less each day. “I miss my parents a lot. My mother was always so good at giving advice, and my father was always so calm about things.” She would have given anything for them to be here.
Will reached for her hand and squeezed it as he said, “They would both be very proud of how you’ve done, Harper.”
His touch seared her. She was suddenly aware of every breath she took, the slight bump in her heart rate, and the heat of his body. He was so completely there as he used their connection to steer her toward Jeremy, keeping their pace a leisurely stroll down the line of cars.