At Bluebonnet Lake (Texas Crossroads Book #1): A Novel by Amanda Cabot

have more than its share of that beauty.
    “This is one of the prettiest lakes I’ve seen.” Kate’s first impression had been that it was a lake like any other, but as she and Sally had walked along its shore, she’d realized that Bluebonnet Lake was—to use her grandmother’s term—special. The rolling hills that seemed to extend to the very edge of the water and the small island in the center made it look as if it were something from a fairy tale.
    “The problem is, the brochure said power boats and jet skis aren’t allowed on the lake. That doesn’t leave much to do.”
    “Except enjoy the peace and quiet,” Sally countered.
    “That’s all well and good.” Kate wouldn’t deny the appeal of peace and quiet in small doses. “Who’ll pay for that?”
    Sally shrugged. “You’re the advertising maven. You figure it out.”



7
    K ate was still pondering her grandmother’s challenge when she arrived at the tennis court. Though Rainbow’s End needed much more than a new ad campaign, it couldn’t hurt to—
    All thoughts of slogans and jingles fled from her brain at the sight of Greg striding toward the court. Surely his claim of lacking the sports gene was bogus. With legs as muscular as his arms, Greg was the picture of a Wimbledon champion. He’d even dressed for the role. Kate had changed into shorts, a tank top, and her cross trainers—nothing special about them—while Greg was wearing what appeared to be new tennis whites. Furthermore, he carried two obviously new racquets. She was definitely outclassed.
    “I’m impressed,” Kate said when she saw the logo on the racquets. “I wouldn’t have expected Rainbow’s End to have such good equipment.” Though she was only a casual player, she knew enough about the sport to know that these racquets were competition quality. It was odd that so much else had been neglected here, yet the resort had top-notch tennis racquets. But perhaps it wasn’t so strange. Angela looked like a womanwho enjoyed sports. Maybe she played tennis and wanted good equipment.
    “Does Angela—”
    Before Kate could finish her question, a man called out a greeting to Greg, then ambled over to the court.
    “I’m Tim Sinclair,” he said, extending his hand for a shake, “and you must be one of our new guests.”
    Tim Sinclair was not what Kate had expected. When she’d met Angela, she had formed a mental image of her husband. Tim, Kate had thought, would be taller than average with an athletic build. She was wrong on both counts. Tim was no taller than his wife, which put him on the short side of average, and though Kate wouldn’t call him stocky, he was square. His face, his body, even his hands were square.
    “Kate Sherwood,” she said, noticing that Tim had a firm shake and that he looked her in the eye.
    “Welcome to Rainbow’s End. I hope you enjoy your stay.” He eyed the racquets but said nothing.
    When he’d left, Kate turned to Greg. “Where did you get them?”
    Greg shrugged, the movement tightening his polo shirt and accenting his shoulders.
    “You bought them, didn’t you?”
    He shrugged again. “Guilty as charged. The ones I found in the shed were practically antiques. They had wooden frames and needed to be restrung. It seemed like a better idea to buy new ones. Besides, Ryan Wheeler was glad for the business.”
    “You found them in Dupree?”
    He nodded. “Dupree might be a small town, but it has some top-of-the-line merchandise. Surprising, isn’t it?”
    What was surprising was that a man who was unemployed would spend so much money. The clothing couldn’t have been cheap, and the racquets certainly were not. Surely he should beconserving money, since he didn’t appear to be actively looking for a new position. Greg Vange was an enigma.
    Kate took a deep breath, trying to slow her heartbeat. It was silly the way it accelerated when she was around this man. She hadn’t felt this way around Pete or Lou, the two men she’d dated