by Liz Isaacson
“Oh?” Not being in the family business had never been an option for Rose, so she understood.
“No. He inherited Murphy Real Estate from his father, who inherited it from his father. You know how it goes.”
“I do.” She looked out the window as he crawled down Main Street.
“Burgers?” he asked. “Or pizza.”
“Pizza,” she said. “Look, that says a pizza buffet.” She swung her head toward him. “Is that really true?”
“Yeah, sure,” he said, swinging into Pie Squared, which was fairly new in town. “It’s pretty good too.”
Rose had never eaten so well in her life. But Celia kept the fridge at the lodge stocked so well, and the mom-and-pop joints in town had all been excellent.
Liam held the door for her as they entered, and the scent of cheese and bread and marinara sauce filled the air, making Rose’s stomach grumble.
“So is your brother going to take over the real estate company?” she asked.
“Yeah.” Liam studied the menu, and then ended up ordering the buffet.
“Me too,” Rose said, and they both got drinks too. After filling hers with orange soda, she sat in the booth and waited for him to join her. “You know, being part of the Everett Sisters was never something I chose. I couldn’t not choose it either.”
“I’ll bet not,” he said.
“I loved it though.” She heard the wistful quality of her voice. “But with Charlie, and Vi getting married, I’m not sure we’ll ever make another album.”
“What about making one of your own?”
Rose shook her head. “It’s not the same. Vi did that a couple of years ago, and it was sort of a flop.”
“What? It only sold a few hundred thousand copies instead of a million?” Liam looked at her with sparkling blue eyes, full of sarcasm and teasing.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling. “Something like that.”
He shook his head and smiled. “Everyone has a different definition of success, you know?”
“Oh, I know.”
He got up. “Should we get some food?”
She joined him, piling her plate full of salad and then adding a second plate with pizza. When she finally got back to the table, he grinned at her and said, “Wow, look at you.”
“Right?” She picked up a piece of the baked potato pizza. “I hope this is good.”
“It is.” He indicated that he’d gotten a piece too. “I like the barbecue chicken the best.”
“Clearly.” She took a bite of her pizza, noticing he had three of the barbecue chicken slices on his plate. After she chewed and swallowed, she asked, “So why’d you become a doctor?”
He set down his half-finished piece of pizza and wiped his mouth. “I’ve never had to want for anything. And honestly, I was a little embarrassed. So I wanted to help people. People who didn’t have anything. I’ve always liked math and science and stuff like that, so I went to college in biology, and then onto medical school.”
She nodded along. “And you got to help people.”
His face turned haunted for a few moments, and he seemingly entered memories only he knew about. “Yeah,” he finally said, putting a plastic smile on his face. “I helped people.”
Rose cocked her head. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?” He picked up his food again.
“Did you not like your job? Whenever you talk about it, you just gloss over things. There’s no details.”
He gazed at her evenly, something hot sparking in his eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was more like passion or more like annoyance. Maybe both.
“The details aren’t pretty,” he said.
“Is that why you quit?”
“One of the reasons,” he said, maybe the most honestly he ever had. “It was…difficult to see the circumstances some people live in. Of no choice of their own, but because of tyranny or war or simply not having a government that functions. Very difficult.”
“You go somewhere else when you think of it,” she said quietly.
“Do I?”
“Mm hm.” She took a long drink of her soda while he visited his memories again. “See? You’re doing it right now.”
He blinked and looked down at the pizza he held in his hand. “I guess I do. I hadn’t realized that.”
“Which was the worst country?” she asked.
“We don’t need to talk about it.”
“Why not?” Rose asked. “Your work with Doctors Without Borders was a huge part of your life for a lot of years. You don’t want to talk about it?”
“I really don’t.” His jaw clenched, and Rose decided to drop the subject.
“All right.” She started mixing her salad all together to get the dressing evenly distributed. “What do you want to talk about then?”
“Tell me something about you I don’t know,” he said.
“Oh, I’m a open book.” Rose laughed, because that wasn’t really true. Sure, there was plenty to read online, but only some of it was true. “Been singing and writing songs with my sisters since I was a child. First album hit it big when I was only twelve. Still doing it now, all these years later.”
“How old are you?
“Thirty-five.”
“Did you like the singing and song-writing?”
“Definitely.”
“Ever wanted to do something else?”
Rose paused, because she did have something, but she didn’t want to admit it. She wasn’t even sure she’d admitted it out loud to herself yet.
“Ah, I see it there.” Liam smiled in a calm, gentle way. “Not so easy when it’s you, is it?”
Rose took another bite of salad and shook her head. “I know what it is, but I’m…worried it’ll scare you off.”
“Scare me off?” He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “In case you haven’t noticed, Rose, I like you.”
I like you.
“And I know we’re just getting to know each other, but you—something is different about you.”
“You haven’t dated very many women, have you?” she asked, leaning back into the booth behind her.
“I mean, a few.” He shrugged.
“I’ve been out with eight men in the past nine months,” she said. “Well, ten months now that I’ve been here. Oh wow. Nine men in ten months.” A flush of heat stained her cheeks and she took another big bite of salad so she wouldn’t be able to talk for a minute or two.
“Nine men?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Like me? Like, you’ve been out with them more than once? Held their hand? Or are we talking first dates?”
She held up her finger while she chewed, so glad she’d given herself the extra time. She finally swallowed and said, “Like you. Kissed two of them.”
Liam sat back in his seat too, as if she’d just hit him with something heavy. “Okay.”
“Is that weird?” she asked, but she knew it was. “Honestly, now that I’ve seen my sisters find someone to love, I want it too. So I’ve been actively trying to find someone.”
“So I guess you know pretty early if you like a guy or not.”
“I guess so.”
“And you just paid two grand to go out with me.”
“Yeah, that was called stupidity. I mean, look at us? I could’ve had it for free.” She grinned at him, and he laughed, and it was the most wonderful sound in the world.
They continued eating and chatting about easier things. When he got back to the community center, where she’d left her car, he lingered near her door and said, “Don’t think I didn’t realize that you never told me what you wanted to do if you weren’t a singer.”
“Oh, I know you realized,” she said. “You’re much too smart to let that go.”
“So you’re not going to tell me?” He ran his hand up her arm and back to her fingers. Over and over again. She thought it might be natural to stretch up onto her toes and kiss him, but she wasn’t quite ready for that yet.
/> “Not tonight.” She turned and opened her car door. “Thanks for dinner.”
“Thanks for bidding on me.”
“So I’ll see you on Valentine’s Day?” She looked up at him expectantly.
“Absolutely.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead.
“Good,” she said when he pulled away, the sparks still shooting into her brain. “Because I paid a lot of money for that date.”
He laughed, and she got in her car, and when she was all the way back to the lodge, she whispered, “A mom. I really want to be a mom of a lot of little boys and girls.”
With brilliant, blazing blue eyes like Liam’s.
Chapter Eight
Liam had insisted on driving up to Whiskey Mountain Lodge for his date with Rose. He hadn’t once picked her up at home to take her out, and while he wasn’t purely a traditionalist, he wanted her to know he’d come to her.
But as he squinted through the snow falling rapidly against his windshield, he wondered if they should be going out tonight at all. The roads were already slick and snow-packed, and he hadn’t even made it up to the lodge yet. The thought of coming down had his stomach in knots.
His phone sounded and his car said, “Message from Rose Everett.”
“Read it,” he told the computer, and it said, “Maybe we should cancel for tonight. It’s snowing so hard. Have you left yet?”
“Call Rose Everett,” he told the car next.
After a brief pause, it said, “Calling Rose Everett.”
“Hey,” she said a moment later, her voice anxious even through the stereo system. “I’m fine if we cancel. The wind is howling up here, and there’s so much snow.”
“I know,” he said. “I’m driving in it. I think I’m about halfway there.” He squinted at the approaching road sign. “Two miles,” he said. “I’m two miles away.”
“Oh, so you’re almost here.”
“Don’t sound so happy about it.”
“I’m happy about it,” she said, but she didn’t sound like it. Liam wasn’t sure he was happy about it either. “But I don’t think we’ll be leaving again. Beau said they just have everyone stay at the lodge when it snows like this. Celia’s here, and so is Annie. She came to clean this morning, and decided not to drive back down.”
“Yeah, I think they’re smart. I don’t think we’ll be going down either.”
“So I’ll see if there’s something we can eat here. And we’ll put a movie on in the theater room.”
It didn’t sound terribly romantic—especially with four other people and a baby in the house—but Liam didn’t see any other options. “Sure,” he said brightly. “Sounds fun.”
“You’re such a liar,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll let you go so you can focus on the road. See you soon.”
“Bye,” he said, and the call disconnected. He gripped the steering wheel and flipped the LandRover into four-wheel-drive. He most certainly did not want to drive off the road tonight. Then cops and paramedics would have to come, and they shouldn’t be out in these weather conditions either.
Ten long minutes later, he finally pulled into the parking lot at Whiskey Mountain Lodge. All the windows glowed with light, and it felt like a beacon of hope to him. He pulled all the way under the roof that went over the circle drive and hurried to the door.
He knocked, almost getting blown over by that wind Rose had mentioned.
“Got it!” she called, and a few seconds later, she opened the door. She wore a red dress that hugged every curve and fell to her knee. Her hair cascaded in lovely waves over her shoulders, and she looked ready for a hot Valentine’s Day date—one they wouldn’t be having.
Liam licked his lips and said, “Wow.” He honestly had no other words for the goddess standing in front of him.
“My nails match my lipstick,” she said, which were also both red.
“Amazing.” He stepped into the house, glad when she didn’t give him an inch. He put one arm around her waist and leaned down to inhale the scent of her hair. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Thank you.” she stayed in his arms for another moment, and then said, “I should probably close this door.”
He moved out of the way, and she did close the door, and Liam took in the grandeur and beauty of the lodge. “This place is beautiful. I think I remember hearing it burned down?”
“It did,” Rose said. “A while ago. Apparently Beau’s brother bought it after it was restored, and they’ve been living here and renting rooms since. Though, I think I heard them talking the other day that they’re going to stop renting out the rooms.”
She stepped down one stair into the living area and swept her hand up the steps. “Lots of rooms up there. Beau said you can have any one that Celia, Annie, or I’m not using.”
His eyes followed the steps up and then down a hallway to another doorway. “You’re staying up there?”
“Yes.” She looked at him with curiosity. “So?”
“So are there other rooms somewhere?” he asked. “You’re so tempting, and all I can think about is kissing you.”
Rose’s eyes widened even as a smile touched her mouth. “Is that so?”
“Did I say that out loud?” He chuckled and cleared his throat. “What I meant to say was that sure, I can pick a room up there that no one is using.”
Rose giggled and shook her head. “Come on. Celia made pork chops and fried potatoes for dinner, and we have the kitchen all to ourselves for a little bit.” She started through the living room, which was decorated beautifully with all the high-end textiles. “Oh, and what’s with the cowboy hat?”
He followed her. “What? You don’t like it?”
She turned back when she reached the doorway. “Oh, I like it.” Her blue eyes glittered, and Liam thought it would be very hard not to kiss her that night. “I’ve just never seen you wear one.”
“Well, it seemed like every man at the auction was wearing one, and I felt like maybe I couldn’t be a true resident of Coral Canyon without a cowboy hat. So I bought one.”
Rose shook her head as if he was some silly schoolboy. Maybe he was. “It looks great on you, I’ll give you that.” She moved straight through the doorway and into the kitchen. Liam saw a hall in both directions, and a mudroom to his left, but he went where Rose was.
“Smells great in here.” He wrapped his arms around her from behind her and swayed, glad when she giggled and moved with him.
“Stop it,” she said playfully. “We’re not alone here, you know.”
“Oh, believe me.” He inhaled her hair again, his heart beating a rate it hadn’t in a long, long time. “I know.” He stepped back and moved around the counter from her, thinking it the safest place for him to behave himself.
She pulled two plates out of the oven that were already ready to be served. “Here we go.”
“Who is this Celia?” he asked as his mouth started watering at the sight of the browned pork chops and crispy potatoes. “I feel like I need to get me one of her.”
Rose stepped past him and put their plates on the dining room table. The lights were lower in here, and Liam thought maybe they’d get their romantic meal and date after all. And could he really kiss her later? Why couldn’t he stop thinking about it?
“She’s the chef here at the lodge. Works a few days a week. She’s like a member of the family.” She flashed him a smile and slid into her seat. He took the one at the head of the table, only inches from her, his pulse still rioting like he’d never kissed a woman before.
He couldn’t help thinking that Rose was in a different class of women, and it had been a while since he’d had any romantic feelings for someone. Maybe they were simply making up for lost time.
“So.” She picked up her fork and speared a potato. “Do you go to church, Doctor Murphy?”
He almost choked, and he hadn’t even put any food in his mouth yet. Or touched a utensil. “I’ve been known to darken the doorway of a church from time to time,” he
said, though he’d gone a lot more often than that since returning to Coral Canyon. “You?”
“I’ve been going every week with Beau and Lily, Vi and her boyfriend, Todd.”
“And before you didn’t?” He finally picked up his fork and knife too, intending on going for the pork first.
“I did when I could,” she said. “We toured a lot.”
“I’d like to go to church with you,” he said. “I’ve been going to the one downtown. Pastor Franklin says good things, and they run a few youth programs I’m impressed with.”
“That’s where I’ve been going,” she said, their eyes locking. “Why haven’t I seen you there?”
“Let me guess.” He cut a piece of pork chop and speared it. “You’re one of those people who gets there early and sits in the front.” He grinned at her, not at all surprised at the look on her face that said he’d nailed it.
“Well, Beau and Lily get there early and sit in the front,” she said. “They’re my ride.”
“So I’m not as punctual as you—doctors hardly ever are, by the way—and I just slide into the nearest seat so no one notices me.” He cocked his head. “Though I haven’t seen you either.”
“Probably too many cowboy hats blocking your view,” she said, her eyes flicking back to his hat. He honestly felt a bit strange wearing it, but at the same time, it felt like a return to his childhood.
“I wanted to be a cowboy when I was growing up,” he said. “They didn’t have to wear pressed pants and stuffy shirts with collars that buttoned all the way to their chins.” He laughed and shook his head. “My mother was not very keen on that.”
“And yet, look at you now.” Rose gave him a smoldering look that Liam would’ve bet money said she wanted to kiss him too, and dropped her eyes to her food.
Liam was hungry to know everything about her, but he was also just plain famished. So he ate, and the conversation was light. She finished long before him, because he kept telling stories about the things he used to do around Coral Canyon as a boy.