“Why do I get the feeling that’s her version of a loving hug goodbye?” Killian watched Ash head back to her helicopter, his eyebrow raised in appreciation.

“I wouldn’t suggest it,” Lana said. “She’s liable to make mincemeat out of you before you can blink twice. Not that you’ve ever listened to a warning to play it safe in your life.”

“I’m perfectly capable of being circumspect. Where’s your friend Zoey?”

“Point made,” she said.

“We’re not here for that.” Silas sniffed, dismissing Ash and the helicopter as he turned around, taking in the stunning winter scenery. “The Montgomery Group wants to know more about the Moose Springs acquisition.”

“Information I’ve been forwarding regularly. Silas, haven’t you been reading my emails? I’m hurt.”

She wasn’t. Most of the emails he sent, she shoved in a folder to be looked at later. The man had never learned to be brief in his life.

“Your reports are filtered through rose-colored glasses, Cousin.”

Lana didn’t miss a beat. “And you two boys were sent to check up on me. I’m not sure whether to be embarrassed or offended.”

“Offended, knowing you,” Silas shot back.

“Oh, Silas, not offended for me,” Lana said pleasantly. “Offended for you. You wouldn’t know what to do with a town like Moose Springs—or any town really—even if I tried to teach you. Your lack of bedside manner might be appropriate for other markets, but frankly, you have the likability of a garden slug in a salad bowl. No one wants you around. And in an acquisition like the Moose Springs properties, getting along with the business owners is far more important than flexing your muscle.”

Needling him was too easy…and too tempting to resist. Which was why she patted his arm. “What muscle you have, Cousin.”

Oh, if looks could kill.

“Do I need to separate you two?” Killian asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looked in between them in amusement.

Before Silas could respond, Lana shut him down.

“Silas, this isn’t your town. It’s their town. We’re simply trying to bring in something that will both increase the value of our current holdings and put more money in the pockets of the residents. Coming together to find common ground on how to make it work isn’t something that happens over a conference table. You have to spend time with them. Listen to their concerns. Understand how they’re affected.”

Silas ignored her, instead choosing to frown out at the future condominium site just beyond the current resort grounds. He took in the lack of significant progress. “Why aren’t we further along in construction?”

“It’s midwinter in Alaska,” Lana said. “How exactly would you suggest I budget in the removal of this much snow or digging foundations in permafrost?”

A snort was his only reply. Silas’s phone chirped with a self-important beep. He held up an imperious finger, indicating he needed to take the call.

With Silas distracted, Killian leaned in, whispering out of the corner of his mouth, “Hey, is it me or does that look like a—”

“An acre-wide snow penis? Yes.” Lana shot him an amused look.

As they walked toward Lana’s compact SUV, Killian sighed. “Don’t you ever get tired of it all? Every day is the same old thing. Jump when the group says jump. Always pick up when Aunt or Uncle call.”

“Mother and Father for me, but yes, I agree. It’s tiresome.”

Killian leaned back against the vehicle, crossing his arms as they listened to Silas snarl at someone in Italian.

“His accent is atrocious,” Lana shook her head. “You should be on that project, not Silas.”

“I’m not reliable enough.” When Lana open her mouth to defend him, Killian gave a shake of his head

“No, they’re right. I only do what I have to to keep my parents from mortification or the group from firing me. We all know I’m the rotten apple of this family. I’m a good face at functions or a fun night out on the town.”

“You’re not the rotten apple, dearest. You’re slightly mealy at worst.” Hugging him around the waist, Lana shook her head. “You’re cutting yourself short, Killian.”

“Maybe I should learn to play polo…”

Lana leaned into him companionably. “Please don’t. I have enough trouble telling you and polo Killian apart. Can you imagine if you both were the same boring suck-up?”

There. She managed to pull a real grin from him, the kind that reminded her of when they were kids. The real smiles from her favorite cousin—not that she’d ever tell him he was her favorite—were few and far between. Killian was an adrenaline junkie, and he ran with a crowd that indulged him in his constant need to push the line between excitement and stupidity. But Lana had never gotten the feeling that Killian was ever truly happy.

“But seriously, how’s Zoey? I’ve been thinking about her.”

He also had the worst crush on Zoey, not that Lana had ever encouraged him. She also couldn’t ask him to leave Zoey alone. That would have painted a big heart-shaped target on Zoey’s forehead. Killian loved a challenge.

“Zoey is fine. She’ll be very happy to see you.” Lana frowned at Silas’s back. “I’ll bring her around when he’s not here.”

Killian sighed. “He’s been glued to the phone since we took off. I think it makes him feel important.”

“He’s important enough to cause me problems,” Lana said under her breath as Silas ended his call.

Silas turned to them. “The reception here is terrible. Why in the world are you so fixated on this place?” He looked at the stunning vistas around the resort as if they were nothing, visibly unimpressed.

“Moose Springs has a lot to offer,” Lana said. “When my condos are done, investors will have the opportunity to experience a small-town lifestyle with all the comforts and amenities of the world-class resort connected to the estate.”

“A resort widely overstretching its resources versus income. How can a place this popular fail to turn a profit?”

Lana frowned at the resort. “Bad management, mostly. The Shaws are great people, but they’re ready to retire. They’ve left too much up to Jackson, who isn’t as business savvy as his parents. Each year, the town votes to increase the taxes the resort has to pay to stay in business.”

“Don’t they realize they’re cannibalizing themselves?” Killian asked. “The town’s income is based on tourism.”

“The locals are actively trying to drive out the resort and the people who visit. So far, they’ve been unsuccessful, but small things are undercutting the profit margins of the place. Unfortunately, they’re spearheaded by a man who is a little too smart for his own good. Graham Barnett’s the one who keeps pushing the city council to increase the taxes.”

Killian’s handsome face soured. “I can’t stand that guy. I have no idea what Zoey sees in him.”

“Probably all the muscles,” Lana said. “You don’t like him because he’s the only one who’s ever beaten you in a tussle.”

“He took me by surprise. I’d like to see anyone fight well after getting sucker punched.”

“If you two are done gossiping, we have properties to visit.” Silas clicked through a series of emails on his phone, finding a document and opening it. “Travis sent me the list of our acquired holdings. I’d like to see them all.”

Since Lana was trying stupidly hard to fit in with this town, the absolute worst idea in the world was to take Silas to the bulk of the commercial buildings in Moose Springs and let him unleash his power trip on the unsuspecting locals. They would hate him and hate her even more for subjecting them to him.

“I don’t think—” she started to say.

“Never stopped you before, Cousin.” Silas smirked at her, then climbed into the passenger seat of her SUV without invitation.

She almost took him to the Tourist Trap then and there. If anyone deserved Graham’s sense of humor, it was Silas. However, that would mean dragging Killian along too, and Killian might not have wanted to be in Moose Springs in this capacity…but he would stay until the job was done.

Maybe she would be lucky and everyone would be closed. It was a Harold sighting day after all.

Sighing, Lana put her car in reverse, making a three-point turn in the snow.

“Okay, the first property we should go to is the police station. The building is small, and they rent it from us at a discounted rate—”

* * *

If anyone asked, Rick had a favorite car in town.

Some of his friends didn’t love that particular car, but Rick always felt his heartbeat start to pick up whenever the sky-blue compact SUV drove past.

Up until that summer, Lana’s choice of vehicle had changed depending on if she was going to be in town for a few days or a few months. A car, a truck, a town car from the resort. One summer, she even went everywhere on a sleek black motorcycle, although she made everyone a little nervous when she took her corners too fast.

But the day they’d learned she’d invested in the town, Lana had bought a modest-sized, sky-blue Mercedes SUV. Now, every time he saw sky blue, Rick thought of brown eyes that danced. Of slender fingers and a breezy laugh.

The last couple of days had been confusing but exhilarating. Rick’s hopes weren’t up—he knew better than that. It was just…well…it was nice getting to talk to her. It was why he’d hurried to the resort that morning when Hannah had called. She was why he hadn’t minded the extra task.

Thinking about Lana caused Rick’s heart to do a skipping thing, making the simple act of breathing a little harder than it should be. Like a band squeezing across his chest and his stomach at the same time.

When the Mercedes SUV pulled up in front of his business instead of continuing down the street, Rick’s heart progressed to hammering in his chest. She could be headed to another of the unmarked shops on the row, but Rick hoped not.