Read Online Lavender Beach by Vickie McKeehan - Free Book Online Page B

in his hands and crushed his mouth over hers, she felt like a goner. This was no get-to-know-you kiss but a whirl of heat that spread like an uncontrolled fire through tangled, neglected vines. He tasted as sweet as creamy liqueur, packing as much of a kick as hot Jamaican rum.
    Eastlyn gave back as good as she got until he suddenly let her go.
    “There, I had to get that out of my system. I’ve been wanting to do that since you walked into my shop.”
    Amused, she gripped his shirt and laid another one on him. They ate at each other’s mouths for several long seconds. Just as suddenly as he had, she broke the kiss and let him go, patted his chest. “Right back atcha.”
     

     
    Cooper’s hacienda had the style of Pueblo revival mixed with Spanish eclectic. Painted in a subtle ginger color, the festive bungalow stood out from the other architecture on the block. It was the only one with a low adobe wall surrounding the yard and a set of wooden double doors at the gated center point.
    Eastlyn pushed open the latch and went through the gateway that opened up to a stone-tiled courtyard. Plants in bright containers filled the sunny open space. She went up steps that led to a narrow veranda, a castle-like turret forming the entryway.
    Cooper had left the front door open in invitation.
    “This is amazing,” Eastlyn noted as she got her first look inside the atrium.
    Cooper had made the best use of brick and stone and Creamsicle-colored tile. The indoor garden setting popped with tall windmill palms, dracaenas, and aromatic bay laurel. Towering schefflera adorned the rounded hallway.
    The sound of trickling water had her head turning toward a small fountain on one wall. Underneath sat rows of clay containers filled with pink and orange camellias. Several more colorful ceramic planters decorated the entryway.
    “Come on back,” he yelled from the kitchen.
    “Now I know where most of The Plant Habitat inventory ended up,” she said and followed the sound of his voice to the other half circle at the rear of the house that formed the kitchen.
    He stood at the counter marinating two big steaks for the grill. Behind him, she took in the backyard.
    Through open double doors, the terrace was home to a forest of lush foliage. Sturdy yucca thrived with an abundance of gold and red kangaroo paws. Pots of pink foxtail and fountain grass adorned the flagstone patio. Chairs formed a circle in front of a cozy fire pit. A teak table with an umbrella provided a place for outdoor dining. He’d set up a telescope and aimed it eastward toward the low retaining wall that helped cordon off the garden piazza from the next property line.
    She threw him a look. “So you snoop on your neighbors. Shame on you, Cooper Richmond.”
    He chuckled. “How else do I get to know that family of sandpipers nesting twenty-five feet from the Trotters’ fence line? See. There on the ground tucked under the dune buckwheat.”
    She peered over the rock wall.
    He studied her shapely form draped over the barrier before taking her by the arm and directing her to stand in front of the telescope. “See mama bird and her four speckled eggs about ready to add to the family.”
    Through the lens, she focused in on the sight and grinned. She leaned back into him before spinning away. “The train man and the nature lover. Now I see why you call this place the hacienda. Love the Spanish influence in the archways and the tile. And just look at all these plants…”
    He gripped her hand and pulled her back inside to the kitchen. “Never underestimate the benefits of knowing the owner of a landscape nursery. Between Drea and Shelby, they just kept bringing over some of Landon’s hybrid experiments and adding all kinds of color to the mix. I’m sure they wanted to make sure the renter had a nice place to hang his hat.”
    “It works. So this is a lease?”
    “Was. Logan Donnelly started out renting it to me.”
    “Because you weren’t convinced you intended to