by Joan Kilby
“I really need to talk to him but he’s not answering his phone,” Brianna said. “If you see him, please tell him to call me. I’m going to open up the tourist office and do a few things this morning but I’m around all day.”
“I’ll let him know, but I’m in and out all day, too,” Audrey said. “We’re getting a lot of interest in real estate from visitors to the festival.”
“That’s great.” Brianna glanced at her watch. “I’d better let you go. Remember, don’t let him leave without calling me.”
“I won’t,” Audrey promised. “I’m sorry I’m not more help. I’d really like to see the two of you back together.”
“Thanks.” Brianna hugged her. “Me, too.”
Chapter Fifteen
“I’m sorry to disturb you on a Sunday,” Angus said to John Coates as the other man ushered him into his opulent two-story home on the outskirts of Polson. It was a lot of house for one man.
“I thought you’d be on the road by now.” John led Angus to his study, a generously proportioned room with heavy dark furniture. One bookshelf was given over to industry awards, and another to old sporting trophies. “Or are you stopping on your way through? Sit down. Would you like a coffee?”
“No coffee, thanks. I’m not on the road, and I’m not leaving yet.” Instead of sitting, Angus paced the plush maroon carpet then stopped in front of John’s desk. “I’m just going to come out and say this. I’m sorry for the short notice, but while I appreciate your very generous job offer, after thinking hard about it, I can’t accept.”
“We have a verbal contract,” John said, unsmilingly. “I could hold you to that.”
Angus swallowed. “I understand that. I hope you won’t choose that route.”
“Why are you turning it down?”
“I want to stay in Sweetheart.”
“Because of Brianna.”
“Yes.”
“So you’ve gotten back together?” John sighed. “I thought that might happen. Why doesn’t she go with you?”
“We’re not together, exactly,” Angus said. “I asked her to come to Sacramento but she doesn’t want to relocate for various reasons, all of them good.”
“So you’re going to put a crimp in your career to fit into her life,” John concluded. “If she won’t do this for you, you have to ask yourself if she really loves you.”
“Well, sir, I believe she does love me, and that’s the reason she doesn’t want to go.”
“I’m not following.” Coates swiveled back and forth slightly in his chair, impatient and irritated.
“I’ll try to explain.” Angus began pacing again, equally impatient. “Brianna knows me better than anyone with the possible exception of my mother. She knew before I even realized it, that I won’t be happy living anywhere but Sweetheart, regardless of whether we’re together or not. For five years, I put my head down and studied and got my degree, all in the belief that at the end, I’d be going home.”
Home to Brianna. Although he hadn’t let himself depend on it, he’d always counted on her still being there when he returned.
“Then you offered me this amazing job which I’m qualified for on paper, though I don’t have enough experience,” Angus went on. “How could I say no?”
“I agree, how can you say no?”
“I have to, that’s all.” Angus lifted one shoulder. “I don’t even know why you hired me, frankly.”
“You were trained by the best—Gordon Renton, that’s why,” John Coates said. “Oh, I’m sure Gordon will hire you on again, but it will be at a lower level than I’ve offered. Is that really what you want when you could offer Brianna a much better life?”
Hearing the same argument he’d used on himself for years, Angus wavered, but only for a moment. It was a false argument. Brianna wanted him for himself, not for the material things he could give her. She’d said so and, finally, he believed her.
“What I want is to forge my own path,” Angus said, straightening his shoulders. “With all due respect, I think I’ll have more of a chance to do that in a smaller company.”
“So Gordon wins again,” John said, quiet and bitter. He spun his chair to the window that looked onto a manicured lawn.
Angus cocked his head. So his theory was correct? He paced away a step and spun around. “Why did you offer me the job? The real reason.”
John turned his chair back around, his expression giving nothing away. “You received top marks. And as I said, you were trained in the practical aspects of the industry by Gordon, who is one of the best log builders around.”
“Even so, there are likely a dozen other candidates with good marks and as much experience,” Angus persisted. “I think there’s more to this than you’re telling me.”
“Rubbish. What else could there possibly be?” John leaned back, not meeting his gaze.
“You wanted to hire me so Gordon couldn’t. To pay him back for marrying Anita.”
“What do you know about that?” John’s brows drew together in a scowl.
“Only that you and she used to go together. And that you and Gordon were good friends before she broke up with you and started dating him,” Angus said. “Ever since, you’ve held a grudge. You’ve done little things to get his goat, passing it off as a joke but it’s not really, is it?”
John didn’t reply.
Now Angus sat down. “Gordon doesn’t want to be your enemy. I saw you two working on the community hall together. You even joked with him at the awards ceremony. You were friends once. You can be friends again. It would be too bad if the good will you created with Gordon and the town of Sweetheart was all for nothing.”
“He—and she—betrayed me.”
“Are you still in love with Anita?”
“N-no,” John replied. “That was a long time ago. I’ve moved on.”
“Yet you plotted to punish Gordon by separating his daughter from the man she wanted to marry?”
“All I did was offer you a job. You should be grateful. Don’t twist things.”
“So your motivation in offering me a job I’m not really qualified for is what?”
Silence.
Angus surged back to his feet. “I let Brianna slip away from me, thinking I’d make it up to her later. I almost lost her. I might still lose her. She’s understandably cautious, wondering whether I’ll stick around or not.”
“Well, you can take it from me, being the most successful guy out there is no guarantee you’ll get the girl,” John said. “I went after the market more aggressively in the belief that bigger is always better. What good did it do me? Gordon won Anita, in the end, as he always wins everything.”
“I don’t think Gordon deliberately tried to take Anita away from you. Knowing him, I bet he felt badly for your sake.”
John grunted something unintelligible.
“You can be a good guy when you want to,” Angus said, resuming his seat. “You sent workers to the community hall that Gordon’s company was building on your own dime.”
“It was good advertising.”
“Spin it how you want but I’m grateful. The people of Sweetheart are grateful. Gordon and Blake are grateful.”
“I don’t need everyone’s gratitude.” John waved that away.
Angus thought he was pleased, though, even if he wouldn’t admit it. “Do you really want to keep this feud going into another generation? Or would you like to make friends again with two people you once cared about?”
His face creased into a deep frown, John didn’t reply, just stared out the window.
Angus got slowly to his feet. “If you try to force me to make good on our verbal agreement, I won’t fight it. I’ll work hard and do my best because that’s who I am. But I hope you’ll rethink.”
He walked toward the door, feeling like he’d failed but not knowing what else he could have said. Then John let out an explosive sound that made him turn.
“I’m not going to force you to work for me,” John said. “But,
just so you know, it wasn’t all about getting back at Gordon. You have integrity. I admire that. I know that after your father died Gordon and Anita helped you and your mom. He had a good influence on you, and it shows. And don’t ever sell your ability short, because you are qualified for the job I offered you even if you don’t have a lot of experience.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate you saying all of that. Gordon did have an influence on me, but I learned a lot from you, too, about the way you identify a market and go after it.”
John merely nodded but he looked gratified as he rose to show Angus out. “If you want a job in Polson, I’ll find something for you,” he said gruffly. “It won’t be as good as the position in Sacramento, but you’d be able to stay in the area.”
“Thanks, but I have an idea I want to put to Gordon,” Angus said.
“I should have known.” Coates waved him off with a grudging smile. “Go on, get out of here. If you change your mind, the job offer stands.”
*
At the tourist office, Brianna sorted out a couple of minor problems with the festival, met briefly with the Japanese delegation to say goodbye before they left on a road trip to view more cherry orchards in bloom, and got her volunteers organized for the day. By the time she was able to leave it was nearly noon. She headed down to the pier to see if she could find Angus.
The guy in charge of boat rentals told her that Angus had returned his boat a couple of hours earlier and turned in his key.
That didn’t bode well. “Do you know where he was headed?” Brianna asked.
“Sorry, no.” The guy turned to another customer.
Back in her car, Brianna cruised slowly through the few streets of the downtown area that weren’t blocked off, looking for Angus’s truck. As she searched, she thought about what it would mean to move to Sacramento. It wouldn’t be so bad. She could start her own consultancy sooner and in a few years they could move back to Sweetheart. Maybe her dad would be retired by then and Angus could join Blake as a partner. It wasn’t ideal from her point of view but at least they had options.
Unless he’d changed his mind about wanting her to go with him. If he was still interested, wouldn’t he be looking for her?
She came to an intersection and stopped to let a large group of pedestrians slowly make their way across the street. While she waited, she tried Angus’s number again. No answer. She tried her father’s number. Maybe he knew where Angus was.
“Hello?” her mother said, picking up.
“Oh, hi, Mom. I thought I called Dad’s number.”
“You did,” her mother said. “He was gone when I came back from the gym and he’s forgotten to take his phone with him.”
“You haven’t seen Angus, have you?”
“No, sorry.”
Brianna hung up and called her dad’s direct line at Sweetheart Log Homes. It was Sunday but her father sometimes went to the office on the weekend. Trish answered the phone and told her that Gordon had been in briefly and then gone into town to meet someone. Who, she didn’t know.
“How come you’re working on a Sunday?” Brianna asked.
“I’m going on vacation next week so I’m finishing up some last minute accounts,” Trish said. “If I see or hear from your father, I’ll let him know you’re looking for him.”
A gap came in the pedestrian traffic so she inched across the street and continued her search, now looking for both Angus’s truck and her father’s Lincoln Continental. She turned south onto Finley Road, her gaze flipping back and forth, scanning the parked cars on both sides of the street.
What the what! She slammed on the brakes and peered through her side window at Kylie’s Vintage Boutique. The wedding dress was back.
A horn sounded behind her. Waving an apology, she pulled into a parking space and hurried inside the store. Kylie, checking something on her computer at the counter, looked up and smiled. “Hey, there.”
“The dress.” Brianna pointed, unable to formulate a full sentence. “It’s back.”
“It never left,” Kylie said. “I was keeping it on hold for a while.”
“Did someone else want to buy it?”
“I thought so but I wasn’t sure.” Kylie shrugged. “I couldn’t hold it any longer. If you want to buy it, it’s yours.”
Brianna walked over to the window and smoothed a hand over the cool satin. She was no closer to being engaged than she was the first time she’d looked at this dress, but she wanted it more than ever. Not just because it was vintage Dior and fitted her perfectly. It had become a symbol of her and Angus’s love, infinitely longed for, yet achingly out of reach.
Then she remembered what Sarah had said about focusing on the positive. Maybe if she threw all her psychic and emotional energy into creating the possibility of a future with Angus, everything would somehow fall into place.
“I’ll take it.”
“Good for you.” Kylie walked swiftly over to the window and began to remove the dress from the mannequin.
“Oh, hi, Brianna.” Sarah emerged from the fitting room with clothes draped over her arm. “Did you talk to Angus?” Seeing Kylie holding up the wedding dress, she shrieked. “Oh my goodness! You did. Congratulations! Are you two engaged?”
“Shh, no,” Brianna said, glancing around for other shoppers, but they were the only ones in the store. “I haven’t seen him. I’m getting the dress anyway.”
“Do you think that’s wise?” Sarah said, looking from Brianna to Kylie.
“Maybe not,” Brianna said. “But sometimes you have to go with your gut.”
“I agree,” Kylie said. “If it doesn’t work out, you can always bring it—”
“Don’t say it.” Brianna put her hands over her ears, her eyes scrunched shut. Then she opened her eyes again and lowered her hands to find Sarah and Kylie staring at her, amused. Her chin came up. “Sometimes you have to believe.”
“Believe in what?” Sarah asked, laughing. “Magic?”
“No, silly.” Brianna smiled. “The power of love.”
*
“Hello?” Angus pushed open the door to Sweetheart Log Homes. The reception area and the kitchen at the back were lit but individual offices were dark. He’d tried calling ahead but the phone had been busy so he knew someone was there. “Gordon? Trish?”
“Oh, hi, Angus.” Trish came out of the kitchen, carrying a mug of steaming coffee. “Gordon won’t be in until Monday. You might be able to catch him at home.”
“I’m not here for him,” Angus said. “I was hoping I could use a drafting table and access the company property maps of the area.”
“Is this work Gordon’s asked you to do?”
“I’m putting together a proposal on spec,” Angus explained. “He has no idea I’m working on it.”
“But it would be for this company?” Trish probed. “Gordon wouldn’t want a third party to have access to any sensitive information.”
“Oh, yes,” Angus said. “I’m preparing this for Sweetheart Log Homes. The only people who will see it are Gordon and Blake. And Brianna.”
“I guess that will be all right. Go ahead and use the drafting room.” Trish wrote a password on a slip of paper. “You’ll need this to access the maps and the computer files.”
“Thanks.” Angus flipped on the lights in the drafting room and got his pens out of his case. Spreading a sheet of drafting paper on the slanted table, he climbed onto the high stool. He should call Brianna but he didn’t want to get sidetracked when his brain was brimming over with ideas he needed to get down on paper.
Detailed drawings would take days, time he didn’t have, so he concentrated on the basic design concept. It would be rough compared to his normally meticulous work, but would give Gordon and Blake an idea of what he had in mind.
With the photos he’d taken from the water, and the survey map of the area in front of him, Angus sketched front and side elevations of a two-story log lodge. As he worked, new ideas kept coming and he would pause now and the
n to make notes.
The more he drew, the more excited he became. The seed for this project had been planted in his brain years ago when Gordon had first showed him the property and it had been brewing in his subconscious ever since. Then Brianna had given him the idea of incorporating green technology. A boutique eco-resort situated on Flathead Lake that was modern and luxurious but with an old-fashioned homey feel and environmentally sustainable. What was not to love?
An hour went by, maybe two, or three. A growing pile of crumpled paper lay on the floor at his feet. But there were also some good drawings that he set aside. Trish brought him a cup of coffee and some cookies and silently set them on the desk. He nodded his thanks but kept on drawing. More time passed, the sun shifted in the sky, and his stomach rumbled but he ignored it. Finally, he stopped to review his drawings so far.
The front elevation showed a lodge with outdoor dining overlooking the lake and mountains in the background. An interior sketch of the great room featured a two-story stone fireplace and sunken seating area with groupings of comfortable sofas and chairs. At one end was a cozy bar.
Something was missing. He scratched his head. Cabins. Three or four, dotted among the pines along the shore, keeping with the theme of exclusivity and sustainability. People could have their luxury in a rustic setting and feel good about it.
He poked his head out into the outer office. Trish was still at her desk, working at her computer. The clock above her head read three p.m. Shoot.
“I’m sorry I’ve been here so long,” he said. “You should have said something.”
“Would you have heard?” she said, with a small smile.
“Probably not,” he admitted, shamefaced.
“It’s fine,” Trish said. “But I’m ready to leave. Are you about finished?”
“Not quite. Do you mind if I stay? I’ll lock up when I’m done and drop off the key to Gordon when I show him my drawings.”
“I wouldn’t do this for just anyone, but I know Gordon trusts you.” She gave him the spare key from her desk drawer. “Don’t forget to turn off the lights.”