All Night Long: Kiss The Bride #2

by Cynthia Cooke

  “Yes. Partly. For the bar. Not for the hotel.”

  “Good. Finish it, then present it to Rich and your mom tonight at dinner. Talk to him like an investor, not your family.”

  His eyes met hers for a long moment. “All right. I will. Thank you.”

  “What are friends and fake fiancés for?”

  He smiled and stood. “Will I see you tonight at the Valentine’s party?”

  She walked him to the door. “I’m not sure. I’ll try to make an appearance.”

  “I really hope you’ll be there.” He brushed his lips gently over hers. She shivered at his touch. Okay, maybe if she buckled down and worked really hard. He kissed her again, his tongue caressing her lips. Her knees weakened, and she grabbed his shoulders. She opened her mouth, and his tongue moved over hers, spreading heat throughout her body and making her forget what it was they were talking about.

  “Maybe you could stay for just a little while,” she murmured.

  “No, I can’t. You have to work, and I have a bar to save. Let’s both make it happen, and then we’ll have cause to celebrate.” He nuzzled her neck. “Tonight. All night long.”

  Damn, that felt good. It took everything she had to let him step away. “All right, you win,” she murmured. “I’ll see you tonight. And thank Sam for the burger.”

  “You got it.”

  She watched the door close behind him and sighed. Damn, but she wished this wasn’t a game. Wished he didn’t live six hours away because she could get very used to this. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind and got back to work. An hour later, there was a knock at the door, and Sam delivered her dinner.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I’m bringing it early. I have a lot to do to get ready for tonight’s party.”

  “No problem at all. Thanks for making it for me.”

  “Enjoy,” he said and walked out the door.

  She stared down at her burger and fries, and while they looked good, she wished she was going to Beau’s mother’s house for dinner instead. It was crazy that Karen let the bride move up the deadline like she did without talking to her directly. What if she wasn’t able to get it done in time?

  The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. She took a bite of the burger; it was good. Then she picked up her cell and called Karen.

  “Premiere Wedding Planners,” Karen said into the phone.

  “Hi, Karen, this is Phoebe Lawson.”

  “Hey, Phoebe. How’s the conference?”

  “Good, but I’m missing a lot of it trying to finish these pieces for the Reagan wedding. Do you know why Christy moved up the deadline?”

  Karen paused.

  “I had planned to have them ready on Wednesday for our meeting. I can still do that, but Monday morning is tight for me.”

  “I’m sorry, Phoebe. I’m not sure where you got your information, but the deadline hasn’t been moved. We’re still meeting with Christy Reagan on Wednesday at eleven a.m. as planned.”

  Candy! Fury tightened Phoebe’s grip on the phone. “Really? I guess I heard Candy wrong.”

  “I told Candy I wanted you to join me on Monday at lunch with our new clients, the Whitechapels. Candy said you wanted to be a planner. I told her as long as you continued making the headpieces and jewelry for our clients, I’d be happy to bring you on to work with us. I should have called and told you myself, but I’ve been swamped. Does that sound good to you?”

  Phoebe’s breath caught. “That sounds like an amazing opportunity. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your faith in me.”

  “I love your work,” Karen said. “You are a professional, and I know you’ll be a great asset to our firm.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Phoebe admitted. She couldn’t imagine why Candy hadn’t told her any of this. And how she confused all of this with the deadline for the Reagan job.

  “Say you’ll finish up the conference and get back to San Francisco. Our lunch meeting is Monday at eleven thirty a.m. at the Ritz Carlton. The Whitechapels are high-end clients, so it will be all hands on deck for this one. Come by the office first thing Monday morning, and we’ll fill you in.”

  “Sounds exciting.” Phoebe was still having a hard time believing what she was hearing. Was this really true? Was she finally going to get a job as a wedding planner working for Premiere Wedding Planners? She couldn’t believe it.

  “Welcome to the team,” Karen said, then hung up the phone.

  Phoebe stared at it for a long moment. Her dream job was actually happening. She jumped up from the desk, pulled on her boots and jacket, and took off out of the room. She couldn’t wait to find Beau and tell him the good news. She got in the car and started up the mountain.

  Even if their engagement was fake, their romance felt real. But it was only a game, she told herself. But if that was true, why was she driving in the freezing cold to tell him her good news in person? Why not just call him on the phone, or better yet, wait until the party tonight? Because she wanted to share her news with him in person. To feel his arms around her, hugging her tight.

  Because she was falling for him.

  She parked the car at the ski chalet and started down the ravine and across the snow-covered meadow. She hurried toward the house. The porch was hidden in the shadows, and smoke rose from the chimney. Sally bounded off the porch and started running toward her, tail wagging.

  “Hey, Sally,” she called to the dog.

  Sally almost reached her when suddenly she disappeared.

  “Sally!” Phoebe hurried forward. Sally was standing in the bottom of a deep hole. Another snowdrift? This couldn’t be the same one she fell in before. Could it? She looked around her, but she wasn’t sure.

  Sally whined up at her.

  “Hold on, girl.” Phoebe started to run toward the house to get help when the snow gave out beneath her, and she dropped into the hole with Sally. Pain shot through her ankle. “Oh, no,” she cried and grabbed her ankle. She tried to get to her feet, but it hurt too much to put any weight on it. What if her ankle was broken? Damn, it hurt.

  “Help!” she yelled and wrapped her arms around Sally as tears of pain filled her eyes. Sally whined and climbed into her lap. Phoebe nuzzled against her as the sky above them darkened.

  This couldn’t be happening. Not again.

  “Help!” she cried. “Don’t worry, girl. Beau will find us,” she assured the dog. And herself. “He has to.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Beau carried the bouquet into his mom’s house. “Hey, Mom,” he called and was surprised to see Rich already sitting at the table.

  “Thank you, Beau. Those are beautiful,” his mother said and took the flowers from him and put them in the middle of the table. “Where’s Phoebe? I thought you were bringing her.”

  “I was, but she has to work.”

  “Can you tell me about this Clearwater offer?” He took a seat next to Rich at the table.

  She looked at Rich and sat across from them. “That’s what we’ve been talking about. This has been a tough decision for us.”

  “I understand that. But do you really want to sell this place? Where would you go?”

  She looked around her house. “I love this house, but I can’t manage the chalet any longer. Snowy Mountain was your father’s dream. Not mine. The chalet is not even yours or Paige’s. Other than we need it to bring in business for the hotel and bar, there really is no reason to keep it running any longer.”

  She was right. “Have the Clearwater people said what their plans are?”

  “They want to renovate the lifts and runs and bring them up to par with their other ski resorts. I’m not sure what their plans are for the hotel and bar.”

  “Whatever they will be, they won’t include me and Rich.”

  “We understand you really want the hotel and bar, but in order to run them, you would also need the chalet. Without skiers, there is no reason for anyone to come up here,” Rich said.

  “No overnight guest
s at the hotel or customers at the bar,” Beau agreed.

  His mother nodded. “It’s the only reason I’ve kept the chalet open this long. I’m sorry, Beau. I know it’s your dream.”

  “I’ll tell you what. Let me run them all. The chalet, the hotel, and the bar. Give me two years and if I don’t turn them around and make them a success, I will sell them all to Clearwater myself.”

  “How do you plan to do that all by yourself?” Rich asked.

  Beau pulled the business plans for the bar and hotel he’d been working on all day out of his backpack and laid the papers across the table.

  “You did all of this?” his mother asked.

  “I did. Phoebe gave me some great ideas, and my imagination took off.”

  “This is really good,” Rich said, looking at the plan. “But I’m afraid it won’t be enough since it doesn’t include the chalet. And one person can’t run all three.”

  Beau’s hopes plummeted. They were right; it was too much.

  His mother picked up one sheet after another. “Give us some time to go over these papers, okay?”

  He nodded. Maybe there was still hope. Even if it was small.

  “Hey,” Paige called out as she walked into the room.

  “I am so glad you’re here,” Beau said to her. “Are you aware of Clearwater’s offer?”

  She nodded.

  “How do you feel about it?”

  “Concerned. As soon as Rich told me, I started calling the other owners that have sold to them. Mom, they all regret selling to Clearwater. Every single one of them.”

  “But what about the money?” his mom asked.

  “They give it all in one lump sum. Up front. By the time you pay your taxes, there won’t be as much as you think. Plus, you would have to move and buy a new home. That takes another huge chunk since prices are much higher most places than they are here. But the worst part is their land was changed so much it’s not recognizable, or their lodges were shut down and left to rot.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “Because they want to run the entire mountain.”

  His mom looked around her house. “This is such a big decision. A family decision.” His mom turned to him. “About Phoebe,” his mom started. “Business is one thing, but you can’t marry someone you don’t love all because of a silly ultimatum.”

  “Mom—” He met Rich’s gaze and wondered if Rich would back down from his demand.

  “I understand you’re a grown man capable of knowing your own mind,” his mom continued. “But I have something I need to tell you. Something you need to know.”

  His mom reached across the table and took his hand. “Your mom married your dad because she got pregnant, not because she loved him. Without love, the marriage failed. Leaving you behind was very hard for her.”

  He didn’t want to hear this.

  “Once your mom got back on her feet, she tried to get ahold of you, to bring you to visit, but your father was afraid she’d take you away. That was the only thing we fought about. I thought you should have a relationship with her, so I kept the letters she sent you.”

  “I know.” He didn’t see why any of that mattered now. “You tried to give them to me before.”

  “I did, but you never wanted to see them. Perhaps you should now. Maybe reading them will help you understand the point of view of a scared young woman who loved you enough to give birth to you but didn’t love your father enough to stay.” She walked over to a cabinet along the far wall, reached inside, and took out an intricate wooden box. “I hoped one day you’d want to read these and reach out to her.” She placed the box on the table next to him.

  Rich started to get up. “Stay. You both need to hear this.”

  Rich sat.

  “Your mother didn’t leave because she hated this mountain.” She looked at Rich. “I understand that’s what you thought. She loved this mountain. But she left because she didn’t love your dad enough to stay.”

  “How would you know that?” Rich demanded. “You never met her.”

  “I read her letters.”

  “You did?” Rich looked surprised.

  “Of course! Do you think I would give them to my son without reading them first to make sure they wouldn’t hurt him?”

  “No, you wouldn’t,” Beau said.

  “She loved you, Beau. It killed her to leave you behind. I hope you can find it in your heart to reach out to her. It’s been long enough.” She pushed the box toward him. “It’s not about choosing this mountain over love, Beau. It’s about choosing love.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I promise, Mom. I will only marry for love. Not for the bar.” He looked at Rich as he said the words. “Or anything else.”

  “Thank you,” she said and gave him a big hug then went into the kitchen.

  Paige reached across the table. “I’m sorry.”

  “We’ll work it out.” Beau wasn’t sure how, but he wasn’t giving up yet.

  “Dinner’s ready.” His mom came out carrying the pot roast. She set the dish on the table. “Can you call Sally? She’s never late for dinner.”

  Beau opened the front door. “Sally?” She wasn’t on her bed on the porch. The sun had fallen behind the mountains, and the front yard was deep in shadows. He turned on as many lights as he could and grabbed the flashlight.

  “I’m sure she’ll come back,” his mother said. “Come to dinner before it gets cold.”

  “Sally,” he called again. He was about to turn back when he heard a soft whine. He hurried into the snow, following Sally’s prints, when he saw what looked like bootprints coming toward the house. They both stopped near the drift where he’d found Phoebe and Sally earlier. Could Sally have fallen in? He ran to the spot and stopped, his heart slamming against his chest.

  Sally had fallen in a hole. And she wasn’t alone.

  “Oh my God, Phoebe.” She lay in the bottom of the hole, clutching his dog. Eyes closed, skin deathly white. She wasn’t moving.

  “Rich!” he yelled. “Rich, get the ladder.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Phoebe woke in the hospital. She was stiff and sore everywhere. Even though she was wrapped in warm blankets, she was still freezing. She looked around the room in surprise. Beau was in the chair next to her, his eyes closed. She vaguely remembered him holding her in his arms, talking to her, telling her she would be okay, but she wasn’t sure if it had been real or a dream. She was so confused.

  “Hey, sunshine,” Beau said, sitting upright. “How are you feeling?”

  “Relieved you found me.”

  “Do you think I’d let you freeze to death in my front yard? What kind of catch would I be if I did that?”

  She reached for his hand. “Is Sally okay?”

  “Yes, Sally is fine. She’s at home with my mom. Cuddled in a ton of blankets in front of the fire. Mom’s even letting her sleep in her bed tonight.”

  Phoebe laughed. “She deserves it. She and all that warm fur and body heat saved me.”

  “I’m glad I heard her whining. What happened? I thought you were working.”

  “I was, but I got an amazing job offer, and I wanted to tell you about it. When I got there, Sally came running toward me and fell into a snowdrift. I tried to hurry to the house for help, but the snow collapsed beneath me, and I fell in too. What is going on in your mom’s yard?”

  “We had a lot of snow the other night. I will rope off the area tomorrow. Though we rarely get people walking around out there.”

  “I can see why. Did I break my ankle?”

  “No. Just sprained.”

  “Thank goodness.”

  He squeezed her hand. “You had me so scared. You were barely awake and very confused when I found you.”

  “I was terrified. If you don’t mind, I’m ready to go home to the city. All this snow isn’t agreeing with me. It’s tried to kill me twice now.”

  “I was afraid you would say that. But I understand.”

  “I should�
��ve called first and let you know I was coming. I was so excited; I couldn’t wait to share my news with you.”

  They stared at each other for a long moment, and her heart broke a little. Why was it she finally met a great guy she could see herself having a future with and he lives on a mountain six hours away?

  “So, tell me about this amazing job offer.”

  “After you left, it occurred to me how strange it was that Candy was the one to tell me that the deadline for my jewelry delivery had got moved up. So I called her boss, the woman who contracted me in the first place, to double-check. Candy got it wrong; they hadn’t changed the deadline.”

  “Why am I not surprised? Were you furious?”

  “At first, until she told me that Candy said I wanted to become a planner. Her boss offered to let me work on their next big wedding with them. It’s a dream come true.”

  “And Candy did that for you?”

  “She did.”

  “Wow. I must admit I’m surprised.”

  “Me, too.”

  She stared at his hand holding hers for a long moment.

  “When are you leaving?” he asked, broaching the subject she was hoping to avoid.

  “As soon as the conference is over. She wants me to join her in a meeting Monday at eleven thirty. How long are they keeping me?”

  “A few more hours. You had hypothermia. They want to observe you for a while.”

  “But it’s Valentine’s. What about your party?”

  “Paige and Rich are handling things.” He looked at his watch. “By now, I’d say it’s winding down.”

  “Oh, my goodness. What time is it?”

  “Twelve thirty.”

  “I’m so sorry. You should’ve gone. You didn’t need to stay here with me.”

  “I wanted to stay.”

  “All night?”

  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Of course, I stayed. You’re my fiancé.”

  Her heart melted. “And a good one, too.” A perfect one. If only he were real. “Did you show your mom and Rich your business plan?”

  “I did.”

  “And?”

  “They’re considering it. But it doesn’t look good. They are both tired of the struggle, and it is too much for me to run it all on my own.”