She peeked over his shoulder at Mari who grinned at her little boy’s stage whisper. “No idea. Tell me.”
“Buzz Wallace. The soccer player.” He nodded his head. “Mom said after dinner I can go and say hello so long as I don’t annoy him too much.”
“Did she now? Let me tell you something, pal. I’m having dinner with those guys and I’ll make sure you get to see them all. How’s that?”
“Really? You promise?”
“Sure do. Now do as your mom says and I’ll see you later.” She stood up. “Adam invited me to meet the guys for a meal. I thought I’d call in for a cuddle first.”
Mari leaned her hip against the counter and the way she looked at her, Dakota knew she could see past the stalling tactic. “Uh huh.”
“Really. It’s true. I should have picked up Noah today and taken him with me but I went as a last minute thing.” She ruffled his hair. “I didn’t realize how much he liked soccer or I would have made more of an effort, so I’ll make sure he meets them all tonight before bed, okay?”
“That’s fine by me if he eats his dinner. I’ll be down later anyway to help in the bar. I gave Sid the night off before I knew we would be having such esteemed company. Gives me a chance to meet them too.”
“Okay, I’d better go. See you later, big guy.” Dakota slipped out and skipped down the carpeted stairs and paused at the entrance to the bar and sucked in a breath. Why was she a bundle of nerves? She’d had dinner with Adam before but this sounded more like a date and it was with other people around. People that meant something to him. She couldn’t work him out.
The door burst open and whacked her in the knee.
“Sorry, didn’t think anyone was there.” A vaguely familiar face stared at her. He held out his hand. “Ryan Jones and I know who you are. My wife is a huge fan of your work. Dakota Moore, right?”
The man the icicles were for. “Ryan, how lovely to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine, believe me. You’re coming in for dinner with us, yes?”
“Yes I am. I was just upstairs saying hello to my nephew. He wants to come down later and say hi to everyone after dinner if that’s alright.”
“Of course it is. We’re here to meet the locals. Excuse me, I was going to call my wife, say good night to the kids before it gets too late. Adam is in there with the boys. I’ll catch you shortly.” He smiled and pulled out his mobile phone as he found a quiet corner of the hotel to make his call.
Dakota pushed her way through the door and looked for Adam.
*
Buzz whistled and Adam looked to where his friend was staring. Dakota stood near the door glancing his way, a little timidly. “Excuse me, Buzz.”
His friend nudged him. “So that’s the lady that’s got you so wound up in knots.”
Wound up was one way to put it. Confused, frustrated and wondering if he could ever have her. “Yeah, you could say that.” He made his way toward Dakota and was thrilled to see the color rise in her cheeks.
“Adam.”
He leaned in and kissed her in greeting, listened to the sudden intake of breath. It seemed that she was as rattled as he was when they met. If she would stay that way until he sorted his life out, he’d be thrilled. “Come and meet the boys.”
He took her arm and steered her over to the bar where Buzz stood chatting with Leon, the midfielder from Ireland who had signed on for two seasons. “Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet Dakota Moore. Dakota, this is Buzz and Leon.”
“Dakota, now there’s a lovely name for a pretty lady.” Leon took her hand, buzzed his lips over it.
Buzz nudged him out of the way. “Give it up man, she’s spoken for. Your Irish charm won’t work this time.” He took Dakota’s hand. “Adam told me all about you. The pleasure is mine. What can I get you to drink?”
“Wine would be great thanks. The house red is very good here.”
“The hotel is very nice too. I hear your sister owns it.” Buzz leaned on the bar and gave the drinks order.
“Yes, she does. She’s a wedding planner and this place is perfect or will be when she finishes renovating.” Dakota took the wine the bartender placed in front of her and sipped. “Cheers.”
“So, what did you think of today?” Adam rested a hand on her shoulder, the heat of his skin seeping through her dress. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“It was great, very exciting to watch too. I must say, you guys have some serious ball skills.” She put down her glass. “I had no idea that you could run a ball like that and when you showed the kids how to juggle that ball with your feet and head, well, almost made me want to give it a go.”
“We sure do know how to duck and weave with style. And those kids today, you know, I think a couple of them could be headed to the big time if they stick with it.” Buzz nodded his head. “I tell you for real, and that’s my honest opinion. What do you think, Adam?”
“I’m impressed too. Mind you, same coach I had. Has to count for something.”
Leon tried again to engage Dakota in conversation. “How do you know this crazy man, Dakota? Don’t tell me you’re a childhood sweetheart he’s kept hidden from us.”
She laughed and Adam felt a small twinge of envy at how relaxed she was around the Irishman. “No. I met Adam when I picked up the keys for my cottage. I’ve only been in Cherry Lake for a little over two months.”
“It sure is a pretty little place. Reminds me of Ireland, the town nestled on the water’s edge like it is.”
Quick as a flash, Buzz piped up. “You step on the wrong toes, you’ll be back in your own country before you know what happened, pretty boy.”
Adam grinned. “You never did tell me how you managed to change your mama’s plans, Buzz. It was a surprise to see you get out of the car with the others.”
“Told her you needed me for the kids. You know my mama, family is everything. She all but packed my bag for me. Told me to pass on her best and when you go back to Seattle you have to give her a call yourself and take the time to go see her.”
“She’s a legend. I’ll make sure I do, promise.”
“I have something you might like to take back for her too, Buzz. A little thank you from me for being so kind to our local kids.”
“Really? Hope it’s some of that special glass that you make. Ryan’s been raving on about it for days. Was going to ask if you had anything available I could take home to make Mama’s day.”
Dakota liked Buzz. A tall fine boned black man with long legs that defied belief. Agile and fast with feet that moved like quicksilver with a will of its own. “Certainly is. I have a package for each of you. Before I go, don’t let me forget to get them out of the car, okay?”
Leon smiled and stepped closer to her, nudging Adam out of the way. “You brought me a gift? Now that’s what I call friendly. Let me get you another drink, lovely lady, and tell you all about where I come from.”
Chapter Seventeen
Dakota looked at the laden shelf of glass angels she’d spent the last three weeks making. Was it going to be enough for the tree? Would her tree look full and perfect once they were all hung? After what Adam had said about needing so many lights, garlands and ornaments per foot, she worried she was going to run short. Because the trees hadn’t been delivered yet, nor had they been allocated.
And neither had her lights arrived.
A feather drifted down from the top shelf and she reached for it, tripped over the corner of the rug and stumbled and fell. She cried out, lifted her hands to cover her face and fell into the wall of glass.
She screamed as it rained down around her, the beautiful hand-made angels now seemingly vicious creatures cutting into her flesh and covering the floor in needle like shards that dug into her knees. A shadow hovered over her and Dakota put up her hand to stop the heavy shelf hitting her head as it fell.
Hands battling the weight above her, Dakota pushed with all her might, forcing herself to stay calm. A yip sounded in her ear and a wet tongue licke
d across her face. “Tiny, be careful.” The last thing she needed was her little poodle shredded by the glass. “Go away!”
Tiny set about barking, scratching at her with tiny claws. Heart pounding, Dakota opened her eyes, blinked and stared at the ceiling above her. Her bedroom ceiling. She tried to calm her thumping heart, slow her breathing. She wasn’t in the workroom. There were no broken angels. She hadn’t been cut to shreds. It’d been a nightmare, something that hadn’t happened in months. Strange that her anxiety was coming back to haunt her now. It’d been ages since she’d had a panic attack that left her with a pounding heart and dry mouth. Her own fault for taking on so much. It was playing on her nerves, making her anxious. Stupid, stupid for thinking she could do it all.
Frustrated she kicked out, flailed under her blankets, thankful it had only been a dream but knowing it was her own fault for working so intensely hard. She never should have taken yesterday and last night off.
Tiny dashed down the bed and pounced on Dakota’s feet. With a chortle of relief, she moved her toes around under the blankets and her dog darted after them, breaking the tension and letting her come back to earth.
Her own fault indeed. For taking on so much that she had to work ridiculous hours, doing double plus the normal workload she would have done in her previous life. All because she had to prove to herself she was normal and her accident hadn’t impacted her life and she was good with uprooting herself and starting over somewhere new. Sure, her body had healed for the most part. The cold weather played havoc on her circulation but that wasn’t enough to derail her. It was the ending of her relationship that had wounded her the most. She was now admitting it to herself and only because of Adam.
Being dumped because she was no longer capable of maintaining the high-end product she was known for had hit her hard. A year on and there were days when her confidence still took a dive and she questioned herself, wondered why anyone would bother with her. The only thing that had made her put that to the back of her mind was Adam and the light she saw in his eyes when he was around. And how crazy of her to fall for someone that made it quite clear he didn’t really want to get involved. The fact that he was attracted to her was enough. For now, anyway.
A wet tongue on her nose made her stop day dreaming. It was time to get up, she’d slept in for the first time in weeks. “Let’s go, little girl.” She threw back the blankets, stepped into slippers and grabbed her robe from the end of the bed. Tiny skipped around her feet as they headed out to the kitchen. A quick glance in her workroom reinforced the dream. Her angels were all stacked up in boxes, each magnificent creation wrapped in tissue to keep it safe until the day she hung them on the tree and revealed her new line to the public.
She opened the back door and let Tiny out before turning on the coffee machine, then walked outside. She was standing in the morning sun in a dry patch of the garden when her phone rang. Dakota ran inside, picked up the phone. “Hello.”
“Dakota, Adam. How are you this morning?”
“I’m well. I can’t believe I slept in for the first time in, like forever.” She watched Tiny get up and wander out of sight. She was probably going down to say good morning to Cory and Woodsie. It seemed to be a regular thing of late and she was done trying to change her mind.
“That’s great. I have news. The trees will be here this afternoon. I thought you might like to be there to help me position them and set up the privacy screens.”
Another chance to spend some time with him. She could stand that. “I’d love to. Meet you there then? I really need to put in some serious hours this morning though.”
“Sure. I said I’d meet Bill at the back of the hotel at about two o’clock.”
“Brilliant. Thanks, Adam.” She hung up and walked outside. “Tiny, where are you?”
*
When Adam drove to the back of the hotel that afternoon, the first thing he saw was Dakota sitting outside in the courtyard with Mari, Noah and Tiny. They had a notebook between them and were deep in conversation.
He ambled over. “Looks serious. I do hope everything’s going to plan?”
“Hey, Adam. Grab a seat.” Mari turned her chair to face him. “We’re marking off everything that’s finalized and going over what’s left to chase up. I think I’m pretty happy so far. Everything’s on track.” She tossed the pen on the table and sighed.
“You really are good, you know. I have to admit I had my doubts when you said you’d take it on.”
Mari laughed. “Oh, boy. You have no idea how hectic the wedding planner’s life is. This is so calm compared to what I put up with in L.A.” She looked around her hotel, waved her hand in the air. “Moving here has dropped the stress levels to an all-time low and I love it.”
“And you, Dakota. Any regrets about moving here and taking on this fundraiser?” Adam watched her eyes light up.
“No, never. I think it’s one of the best ideas I’ve had, to be honest. I like it here, the slower pace of life and the people. It’s all good as far as I’m concerned.”
Adam smiled. “I’m hoping you’ll say the same when you see the trees. Bill assures me they’re lovely specimens. Said he kept the best for us.”
“I’ve followed your lead and ordered some for the hotel too, Adam. I haven’t had a real tree for years and I really can’t wait to get my hands on them. The smell of pine needles is something I’m looking forward to.”
“I hope you say the same thing when you have to clean up the mess.”
“I’m sure I will.” She ruffled her son’s hair. “Noah can’t wait to help me decorate, can you, young man?”
“Yep. We have heaps of decorations Mom brought with us from the city. Real pretty stuff too.” He gave Adam a cheeky smile.
A truck decorated in Christmas tree signs puttered down the road and pulled up beside the entrance. The reversing lights came on and a beep beep heralded it backing into the driveway.
“They’re here!” Noah jumped up and grabbed Mari’s hand. “Let’s go, Mom.”
She held him beside her. “Wait until he stops, Noah.”
Adam walked over to the truck and guided Bill back before holding up his hand. “That’s far enough.”
The door of the truck opened and Bill Smyth jumped down. “Adam. Long time since I’ve seen you.” He held out his hand. “How’s it all going?”
“Great, thanks.” He peered into the back of the truck. “Can’t wait to see what you have for us.”
“When you called and told me what you had planned, I went out and chose the trees then and there. Didn’t want anyone else to come along and claim them. It’ll be good to see the old Grange in use again. Remember going to dances there when I was a young’un.”
“You’re not the only one. My parents are thrilled it’s finally going to be repaired.”
“How is your dad? Heard he had a bit of heart trouble there.” Bill leaned on the back of the truck seeming in no hurry to unload his cargo.
“Much better, thanks. He’ll be at the gala dinner, hopefully. Can we save you a couple of tickets, Bill? They’re selling out fast.” He noticed Dakota walking toward him.
“Sounds like I’d better or the wife will want to know why.” He tipped his hat at Dakota. “Nice to finally meet you at last, Ms. Moore. Hear tell you’re doing some pretty good stuff with your decorations.”
“Please, call me Dakota. Rachel tells me you have the best trees at your farm. I can’t wait to see what you’ve brought us.”
“She’s a good girl, is our Rach. Sent her mom and me a picture of some of your ornaments hanging in the shop when she first got them. I’m hoping she kept me one. Wanted to surprise the wife.”
“That’s very sweet, Mr. Smyth. Let me know if she didn’t and I’ll make sure you get one.”
Bill’s cheeks pinked up and he puffed out his chest. “Well, that’s right kind of you. Let’s get these trees out and see what you think.” He pulled down the tailgate and reached in for the first tree.
&
nbsp; Chapter Eighteen
Once the trees were set up in their stands, Dakota brushed the pine needles off her hands, sighed over the sticky sap and stood back looking at what they’d accomplished.
“Bill, you’re a legend. These trees are beautiful.” The pungent smell of pine filled the small ballroom, making the impending approach of Christmas seem even closer. Excitement built in her chest and she had a hard time keeping the smile off her face. If she closed her eyes she could almost see her tree decorated.
Warm breath fanned over the back of her neck. “Ready to take this on?” Adam rested his chin on her shoulder and she shuddered under his touch. Even though he claimed he didn’t want a relationship, he seemed to be easing into it.
Breathing in and out for calm, she shook her head. “I’m excited but I might have taken on more than I can handle to be honest.” Now the trees were in front of her, the real fear of not having enough decorations loomed.
“I promised to help you string your tree and I will. You have me for two days and then I have to leave, go back to Seattle and take care of things.”
Panic rose in her chest and she turned her head to look at him. “You’re going to get tested?”
“Yes. You’ve given me the confidence to go ahead. I have to sort it out once and for all.”
“I’m proud of you and you know I have my fingers and toes crossed that everything will be fine.” She blinked, emotional tears filling her eyes.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
How could she tell him that she was terrified? Not only about how the test results would go but if they didn’t find anything wrong, did that mean he was going back to his life? Either way her world would change. Again. She couldn’t tell him. It wouldn’t be fair when he was so worried himself. “I’m scared.” She looked at the trees, anything to avoid falling apart in front of him.
He tilted his head until they were facing each other, noses touching. He gripped her by the shoulders. “You can do this, okay? Don’t start doubting yourself now.”
Christmas Glitter (The Moore Sisters of Montana Book 1) Page 12