Bachelor CEO

“I’ll meet you at the party,” she called to Walter, who yelled in agreement and shuffled off the porch. She tracked his movements from her window as he picked his way across the side yard. She’d been watching out for him for years. She was going to miss him. He called her his surrogate granddaughter, since none of his children had been interested in a business career.

While she loved working with Walter, the job at McDaniel Manufacturing was her chance to get out from under his shadow and truly be her own person. She’d fought hard to reach this place in her life. For a second she blinked back tears, wishing her parents could see her now. She was so close to making all of her dreams come true.

And she wouldn’t let anything ruin it.

Not even her attraction to Chase McDaniel.

Chapter Three

By six-thirty the party was in full swing. People milled everywhere, enjoying the warm weather, delicious appetizers and good company. Leroy held a place of honor, and since everyone wanted to speak with him, he was constantly surrounded.

Chase lifted the cup of beer to his lips, took a swallow and feigned interest in stories his lake neighbors were telling about their trip to Australia. But his concentration was shot. All he could think about was Miranda Craig.

She stood out of the sun on the opposite side of the tent. Walter Peters had taken her under his wing and was introducing her to everyone.

Chase lifted his beer and took another sip. The brew had grown warm, as he’d been holding the same cup for at least an hour. “That sounds great,” he said at an appropriate juncture in the conversation, then added, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go check on how my grandfather is doing.”

“Of course,” Mrs. Schulz gushed. “We’ll see more of you this summer, I’m sure.”

“You will,” he confirmed. The same crowd was always at the country club restaurant on weekends, and he suspected he’d hear each of the Australia stories several times before the summer was out.

He wove his way through the crowd, stopping briefly to make certain his grandfather was okay. Chandy was sitting beside him. She nodded to Chase that everything was fine, and he moved on.

“Walter, I heard you were here,” Chase said, reaching his target. “I’m sorry I missed you earlier.”

“Chase!” The older man gave him a hug and a pat on the back. “Good to see you. Boy, you’re rock solid. Must be all that exercise.” Walter turned to Miranda. “Chase competes in triathlons.”

“Only one or two a year, and only if I have time,” he said smoothly, liking how her eyes widened. He stretched his hand forward. “Chase McDaniel.”

“Miranda Craig,” she said, the flicker in her eyes reflecting uncertainty.

“It’s nice to meet you. I take it you worked for Walter,” he said, as if they’d never met. He figured pretending they were strangers would allow her to salvage some pride. A woman as fierce as Miranda likely wouldn’t want people to know she needed to be rescued. Twice.

“She did. Best employee I ever had. If I wasn’t retiring I wouldn’t let McDaniel steal her,” Walter insisted proudly.

“Of course not,” Chase agreed, with a smile that probably didn’t quite hide the turmoil he felt. He liked Walter. He liked Miranda, as well, but in a totally different way. He brushed aside the uneasy feeling that something wasn’t quite right. “Have you had a tour of Lone Pine?” he asked her.

“She arrived a little bit late and wanted to freshen up,” Walter confided, and Chase saw Miranda squirm. “So she missed the tour Chandy gave everyone earlier.”

“She has to see the lodge,” Chase said.

“Really, it’s okay,” Miranda protested.

“Oh no, it’s a gem,” Walter declared. “Finest place around. Christine and I love to come up here. We spend a week every August.”

“I’d be happy to take her on a tour now,” Chase offered.

“That’s a great idea. Thanks, Chase. It would be a shame to come all this way and not see it,” Walter told Miranda.

“Really, I—” she began.

“Hey, Walter!” The trio glanced over to see Leroy waving. “Come here a minute.”

“Perfect timing,” he said. “I’ll catch up with you later. Go tour. Have fun. You’ll love the place.” Walter headed over to Leroy’s circle.

“If I find out you arranged this, I’m likely to do you bodily harm,” Miranda said quietly, so that only Chase could hear.

He chuckled. “I’d warn you against that. I might enjoy it too much. Come, let me show you around.” He reached out and took her elbow. “Follow me.”

“Seems like I’m doing that a lot,” she murmured as they eased through the crowd and out from under the tent.

“Ah, but I get you where you need to be, don’t I?” Chase’s grin turned wicked. “Let me show you the lodge while it’s empty. As Walter said, if you’ve come this far, you must see the place.”

She hesitated, then nodded in agreement.

Chase led her across the yard, up the steps and inside.

“THIS IS BEAUTIFUL,” Miranda breathed as they stepped into the great room. “I love it.”

She’d seen pictures of fancy homes in upscale magazines. But they’d always looked cold and sterile. This was far less pretentious. It had a rustic, aged feel, like a timeless classic from a bygone era where life had been simpler.

The place was designed to be lived in. The hardwood floors showed wear from years of use. This was a family home, not an ostentatious attempt at showing off how much money the McDaniel family had. The room was friendly and inviting.

“So what do you think?” he asked.

She walked to the nine-foot-high, floor-to-ceiling windows at the front, and gazed out across the water. She’d grown up in an apartment building where large families were crammed into small units, and the next building was only a sidewalk width away. This room, with a ceiling that soared from nine to twenty-five feet high, was massive.

“It’s lovely,” she said.

He seemed pleased by her compliment. “Not too outdated?” he pressed.

She shook her head. “How can you even ask that? I think it’s perfect.” She gestured at the mission chairs placed strategically for the best lake view. “I could sit there for hours.”

“I often do. When I was younger I remember my parents loving these chairs. I’d wake up, run downstairs and find them sitting here.”

“It must be nice to have memories like that.”

They stood near each other and watched a small sailboat cross the water. The lake wasn’t deep enough to handle cabin cruisers and it wasn’t long enough to attract huge Scarab-type boats. Because of that Lone Pine Lake catered to the pontoon boat and smaller runabout crowd, making it perfect for families. Below, a few of the older kids played on the paddleboats and a few kayaked. A canoe waited, overturned on the bank. The place screamed home.

“You’re very lucky to have grown up here,” she told him, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat.

Chase arched an eyebrow. “Even though there’s no swimming pool in the backyard?”

She frowned. “Why would you need one when you have a lake?”

He shrugged. “An ex-girlfriend thought we should have a pool. Needless to say, she never visited. Seemed she wouldn’t swim in anything that has fish poop.”

Miranda made a disgusted face. “That’s silly. I love going to the beach, and there are great ones as close as Lake Michigan.”