A Risk Worth Taking Read online

  “Adam!” Jake vaulted off the deck and strode across the grass to shake his brother-in-law’s hand. “We thought you’d never make it after your flight was delayed.”

  “Well, there was this real helpful ground attendant…” His voice was warm and deep, with the same slow Texan drawl as his sister’s.

  “Around Adam there always is,” said Sass resignedly. “What was her name?”

  Her brother just smiled. “She found a spare seat on a different airline and voilà.” He turned to Jake. “Tell me I’m not too late to give Sass away. I’d hate to miss the opportunity of a lifetime.” He looped an arm around his sister and squeezed. “No one else would be rash enough to take her on.”

  Sass whacked him with her bouquet. “I might have known that even at my wedding you’d find a way to upstage me.” She tucked a hand into his arm. “Come on, you’ve arrived just in time.”

  Amid laughter and the buzz of comments, someone got the music going again and the Texan siblings waited for Jake to return to the deck before they walked arm in arm through the crowd as it parted for them. The brother passed so close to Cressa she could have put out her hand and touched him, but his attention was on his sister as he beamed down at her. Sass’s blond hair and classical looks made her brother’s dark features even more dramatic. They mounted the steps of the deck and Cressa noted he was almost as tall as her cousin. Adam bent his head and kissed Sass’s cheek, before placing her hand in Jake’s. Then he stepped aside and the ceremony began.

  Despite thinking she was completely over her own wedding-that-never-was, and despite her rationalization of the whole marriage scene, Cressa began to feel slightly sick as the ceremony progressed. Marriage-a-phobia? She couldn’t flee and disgrace herself a second time. Think about something else.

  She focused on Sass’s brother. Adam. Nice name. Very Genesis. His thick black hair fell straight to his collar, and even though she could see only part of his face, his hawkish nose and knife-blade cheekbones were striking.

  He’d handled his bike like a pro. She should know, having nearly hurtled off her own bike when going too fast down that treacherous driveway full of ruts and stones. How long was he staying in New Zealand?

  She was dimly aware of soft Texan vows entwining with the more staccato Kiwi ones, so she deliberately turned her thoughts to the bike. She guessed it was a 600. She’d always wanted to try something that big. She looked back at Adam. Would he let her take it for a ride? After all, they were family now. She screwed up her face as she tried to determine the relationship. He was the brother of her cousin-in-law, which would perhaps make them cousins-in-law once removed. Twice, if you took in national differences.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife.”

  The words rang out, snapping her back to the proceedings. As Jake gathered the new Mrs. Finlayson in his arms to kiss her, another audible sigh went up from the crowd. Cressa glanced at her parents and saw they were staring goofily into each other’s eyes, as if remembering their own wedding day, and she was surprised to find her formidable mother quite tearful. Cressa was less surprised by her sisters.

  “That was so beautiful,” said Juliet, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

  “I know,” sniffed Des, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. “Why do weddings always make one cry?”

  “Because they mark the end of freedom, that’s why,” Cressa said darkly.

  Portia gave a watery chuckle, but Katherine rolled her eyes. “Oh, Cressa!” She turned to the others. “Come on, let’s go congratulate the bride.”

  Her family abandoned her and started pushing through the crowd surrounding the newly married couple, but Cressa slipped away and drifted over to the bike. It was a KTM 640 Motard, a lovely beast, and she ran a hand tenderly over the seat.

  “In Texas we shoot horse rustlers.” The deep, slow voice made her spin around. “You got designs on my bike?”

  He was even more gorgeous close up, his face all swooping planes and dark hollows. He looked tired—which wasn’t surprising, since he’d just stepped off a trans Pacific flight, then ridden three hours north—but he was still alert.

  “I do,” she admitted. “I was wondering if you’d let me take it for a spin.”

  His interest sharpened. “You ride bikes?”

  “I’ve got a GPX250.”

  “Yeah?” He nodded approvingly. “That’s a tidy little bike.”

  She snorted. “Little? She’d give your monster a run for its money on the roads around here.”

  They were mostly unfinished, and Cressa had first learned how to ride a motorbike on the twisting, backcountry roads.

  Adam surveyed her. “Is that a challenge?”

  She stuck her fists on hips and eyeballed him. “Damn straight it is,” she said. “My bike’s back at the motel, but if you’re here tomorrow…”

  She watched a smile slowly spread across his face. “Do you always pick on bikes twice your size?” he asked.

  “Well, you know what they say.” She put on a leer and waggled her brows. “It’s not the size that counts…”

  He laughed and stuck out his hand. “I’m Adam Walker. Pleased to meet you.”

  She took his hand. It was large and warm. “Hi, Adam. Actually, we’re family now.” His eyebrows rose. “I’m Jake’s cousin Cressida, but everyone calls me Cressa.”

  ADAM FOUND IT HARD not to stare into her wide, gray-green eyes. She had the most direct gaze he’d ever seen in a woman, and her thick, dark hair fell to her ass. Her nose, long, strong and slightly hooked, dominated her face, lending her an imperious air. Right now she was blatantly checking him out.

  “Cressida? As in Troilus and Cressida?”

  “That’s the one.”

  He frowned. “Strange play. I can’t recall much of it apart from the dragging of the corpse at the end. I enjoyed that bit. Except, that wasn’t Troilus, was it?”

  She did a double take. “It was Hector, but I’m impressed. You’ve actually seen the play? It’s not one of Shakespeare’s better known ones.”

  “Way back when. I was only about fourteen then. Wasn’t she kind of a bad apple?”

  “That’s me.”

  There was something almost wolfish in her grin, and he found himself grinning back. Then he became aware he was still holding on to her hand. She hadn’t been in a hurry to claim it back, either. With some regret, Adam let it go. He was in New Zealand only to give his sister away and keep an eye on their mom while Sass was honeymooning. There was no room for flirting. All his time and energy during the next month had to be for studying.

  He leaned against the bike as she asked, “How come you went to see the play at that age? Were you studying it at school?”

  A gust of wind lifted her hair like a dark cloud around her. The impatient way she tucked it behind her ear suggested she had no idea how sexy it looked.

  “My mom’s an English teacher. She dragged me to every Shakespeare performance within a hundred miles of where we lived.”

  “Tell me about it! My dad’s an actor. My little sister’s first words were—” she put on a baby’s lisp “—’Ith thith a dagger I thee before me?’”

  He laughed and she joined in. Not that her performance had been that funny, but a weird energy fizzed between them and laughter was a way to express it or release it. Or something. Hell, must be jet lag heightening his senses and jumbling his thoughts this way.

  “So where did the bike come from?”

  “A rental. I picked it up at the airport once I found out no plane or bus would get me here in time.”

  She was only about five foot four, but she gave the impression of being taller. She had a nice body—compact, curvy and toned.

  “Hey, Adam!” Hearing his name shouted, he glanced away to find his brother-in-law gesticulating from the beach. Adam waved, then turned back to her. “Sorry, Cressa, gotta go. Time for photos. It was real nice meeting you.”

  She raised a hand in farewell. “See you later, cuzzie bro.�
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  He’d begun to leave, but he stopped and looked back over his shoulder. “‘Cuzzie bro’?”

  She smiled. “It’s a term we use in New Zealand for a loose family connection. You’re one of us now.”

  As he walked away, Adam didn’t know whether that warmed or alarmed him.

  CHAPTER TWO

  OVER THE NEXT HOUR, Sass and Jake introduced Adam to all their guests and he became quite giddy, repeating the same conversations again and again. Yeah, a great flight. Yeah, a little jet-lagged. No, finding the place had been easy—the bike had a GPS. Yeah, the New Zealand roads were pretty different from the long straight Texas roads, but he’d had a great ride up. The country sure was pretty. He’d be here a month. No, he didn’t see himself getting bored stuck out in Aroha Bay—what a beautiful spot.

  The Kiwis were all very friendly, but he couldn’t find Cressa, and tiredness was kicking in fast. He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep on the flight, squeezed into economy, with his legs folded up around his ears. The continual glasses of champagne now being pressed into his hand weren’t helping, either, as the reality of what he’d committed himself to began to sink in. Galahad instincts had kept him buoyed on the flight over, but here, standing on the beach at the end of a dead-end road, he was beginning to realize it would be just him and Mom for four weeks. For nine years everyone in the Walker family had led their own, very dissimilar lives. What the hell would living under the same roof again be like?

  Even worse, what if Mom wanted to “talk”? Such an awful lot had gone unsaid over the years that, in his opinion, would be best left unsaid. The past was a place he didn’t like to visit, even as a tourist. Unfortunately, one of the big drawbacks with women was they usually insisted on talking things out. Mom used to cope by using denial and drink, but now that she was sober….

  The one quality all the Walkers had perfected over the years, however, was the art of making everything seem fine, so Adam put his doubts aside as he laughed and chatted and took photos and gave his mom and sis hugs, and everyone smiled to meet such a happy family.

  At one point, Sass pulled him behind a big tree where no one could see them.

  “Oh, Adam, I can’t tell you what this means to me.”

  He was alarmed to notice tears well. “Hey, don’t cry about it. I’m happy to hang out here and make sure Mom is okay. How’s she doing?”

  Sass smiled. “She’s been great these past couple of months. Staying with us in New Zealand has helped. All her old routines are broken, and as you can tell—” she motioned toward the waters of the bay, which were turning silver-blue in the late-afternoon sun “—there aren’t any stores around to buy alcohol.”

  “Great. Well, I’ll hold fort for the next month. I know you’ll be away for five weeks, but I gotta be back by then. Mom’ll just have to go it alone for a few days.”

  Sass hugged him. “She’ll be fine. I’m so sorry I twisted your arm into flying over, but when the cottage came up in Australia—”

  “Yeah, I know. Right on the most perfect surf beach where the boys can learn to surf bigger waves. You’ve already explained several times. Although why the hell you’re taking Jake’s bad boys with you—but hey, it’s your honeymoon.”

  She laughed. “What can I say? Surfers are crazy and I simply couldn’t disappoint them all.”

  “No worries. I’m here now. It’ll be fine.”

  He sounded confident, but Sass, damn it, was on to him in a flash. “What is it?” she asked.

  “Nothing. Jeez, Sass, nothing. Well, nothing major. I just sorta wonder what Mom and I will find to talk about, that’s all.”

  Sass gazed at him for a second. Her voice was gentle as she said, “It’s different now that she’s sober. She’s the mom I remember from when I was a little girl. You were probably too young to recall.”

  “Yeah?” Adam considered this. At least, he tried to. Jet lag and champagne were not conducive to thinking much at all. “Well, good.” Sass was eyeing him thoughtfully, which worried him. “Look, we’ll be just fine. I wasn’t thinking straight for a minute. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Okay,” she said in that tone he knew meant she was already sorting out solutions. He’d been on the receiving end of her solutions too often in the past.

  “I mean it, Sass. Leave it.”

  She gave him that smile he recognized all too well. Talk on. I’m not listening. But before he could make a stronger protest, Sass squeezed his arm. “I’d better get back to my guests.”

  As they stepped around the tree and Sass disappeared to socialize, luck shone down on him. There was Cressa, standing in a group of people, her back to him. Even though no one else had yet noticed him, something made Cressa turn slowly around, and their eyes met.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hi.” She had the most amazing smile. “Come over and meet my family.”

  She made a space for him beside her and he could smell her perfume. Light, pretty and a bit spicy.

  “This is my mum, Deirdre.” She gestured to a tall, dignified woman in a cream suit.

  “Nice to meet you, Deirdre.”

  She smiled, but her eyes x-rayed him in a single glance. “Adam. I hadn’t realized you two had already met.”

  “Yeah, over by my bike.”

  “Ah, of course.”

  Again that laser stare. Adam fought the urge to check if his fly was undone.

  “And this is George, my dad,” Cressa said.

  Her dad was tall, with strong features, and Adam figured he must have Maori ancestry. That would explain Cressa’s sensational hair.

  “An actor, I believe,” said Adam.

  George feigned astonishment. “You’ve heard of me in Houston?” He placed a hand across his heart and bowed his head. “I’m honored.”

  “Oh, Dad, stop kidding around. And these are my sisters, Juliet, Katherine, Portia and Desdemona.”

  Adam blinked. They were as overwhelming in looks as in names. Juliet, Portia and Desdemona were all fair like their mother. He tried to sort them out. Juliet, sleek bob. Desdemona, long curls. Portia, pixie cut. Katherine and Cressa were dark like their father, but Katherine’s hair was short and curly. Their eyes and skin tones were also different. The only thing they all shared was the same strong nose. Adam found it rather cute, but he bet they hated it.

  He must have appeared stunned, because George laughed. “The Curtis women en masse are glorious but overwhelming, I know. Stupidly, we forgot to bring a camera today, and I’d love a shot of all my daughters together, especially looking so beautiful.” He pointed to the camera in Adam’s hand. “Would you take one of us all?”

  “Gladly,” Adam said, and raised the camera. “Smile.”

  Cries of “Cheese” and “Whiskey” arose from the sisters as they squeezed together, and Cressa laughed, her face full of affection as she regarded her siblings.

  “Hang on,” said Adam. “I’ll shoot a few more to make sure.” He fiddled with the zoom, clicked a couple more times. “Perfect.”

  “What about you?” Cressa asked Adam. “Do you come from a big family?”

  “Nope. Just one sister, one brother, one mother.”

  Had he just sounded wistful? Man, he must be jet-lagged.

  “Lucky you,” sighed Desdemona. “More time in the bathroom.”

  “As if you needed it, Des. You always used to hog it,” said Juliet.

  “And what do you do, Adam?” Deirdre asked.

  He felt as if he was just about to fail an exam. “This and that. Mostly I’m involved in construction.”

  “Oh.”

  Amazing how much one small word could convey.

  “You’re like Cressa,” Des interjected. “She doesn’t stay in any job for long, either. She’s a flibbertigibbet.”

  “I’m not,” said Cressa. “I’m versatile.”

  That set her sisters off.

  “Very versatile,” Juliet agreed. “Last month you were a youth hostel manager down in Hokitika.”


  “And before that you were working in a ski shop in Queenstown,” said Portia.

  “Don’t forget the bar in Wellington and the stint as a tourist guide in Rotorua,” Des added.

  George chuckled and said to Adam, “To think she very nearly qualified as an accountant, and look at her now.”

  She looked pretty good to him. Deirdre, however, didn’t seem nearly so amused, especially when Cressa turned to Adam and commented, “They just don’t understand that people like us don’t enjoy being trapped in the same old, same old, do we? We thrive on change, aye?”

  It wasn’t quite like that for Adam, but this was so not the time to put her right, especially since, with her mother watching, she was seeking support. “Sure. So what are you doing now?”

  “I’m a stuntwoman. Dad got me a job on a TV pilot, The Valkyries. It’s got motorbike chases and broadsword battles between characters in leather gear. All quite mad but loads of fun.”

  “No kidding. I used to do motorcycle stunts, too.” The words just slipped out.

  Cressa’s incredible eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Yeah, but years ago,” he said, playing down the experience, “and mainly as a touring show. Very different.”

  This caused another clamor as all the sisters began asking questions and Deirdre’s smile became more and more taut. To his relief, he caught sight of his mother chatting to another group of people across the lawn, and he held up a hand with an apologetic smile.

  “Sorry, but I’ve barely spoken to my mom, and need to say hi to her properly. Nice meeting you all.”

  BY THE TIME EVENING FELL and the dancing started, Adam was feeling seriously spaced out. He found he had to concentrate to catch what people were saying. Kiwis spoke so damn fast that keeping up was difficult. His body was craving sleep and he was too befuddled now to calculate what time it was back in Texas. Yesterday morning or some such. How great, therefore, when Cressa appeared at his elbow. It was colder now and she was wearing a bright red jacket. Bold with strong lines, it suited her.

  “Will you dance with me?”