Rocky Mountain Nights (Roberts of Silver Springs #6)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  “I—” He stared at her for a moment, wondering how he was supposed to respond to that. “Your cousin said that you never get serious about anyone, and you date all kinds of guys.”

  “My cousin? Which one?” Bekah saw red, wondering which of her blabbermouth cousins she needed to yell at. She knew it couldn’t be Bri. Bri could keep a secret, no matter how she was tortured. She wouldn’t have said a word. Must be Jack, unless he’d met another cousin she didn’t know about, which was entirely possible. You couldn’t swing a dead cat in Silver Springs without hitting a Roberts.

  “The one at breakfast this morning. Jack?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Jack has his head up his butt half the time. He knows nothing. I do date some, but it’s not like I’m dating a lot. Maybe once or twice a month I’ll go out, but there aren’t any interesting men in all of Silver Springs. Trust me. I know them all.”

  “That’s what worries me,” he said softly.

  “Why does that worry you? Of course, I know people. I’ve lived here my whole life.” She stepped closer to him, wishing he’d put her out of her misery and just kiss her. Anticipating that first kiss was going to be the end of her.

  “Well, it sounds like you’ve dated every eligible man within a five-mile radius.” He shrugged. “I’m not exactly a ladies’ man.”

  “So what? I’ve dated a lot of guys…but I’ve never dated seriously. Usually they leave me at my door with a peck on the cheek.” She frowned at him. “You’re not implying that I’m a tramp are you?”

  “A tramp? Nice word…no I don’t think you’re a tramp. I just get the feeling you’re…more experienced in the ways of the opposite sex than I am.” He tried hard to word things so he wouldn’t sound like he was accusing her of something.

  She shook her head. “I seriously doubt that’s true.” She sighed. “I want to kick my cousin. He made me sound like a trollop!”

  “A trollop?” He couldn’t help but grin at her. “We’ll just keep things casual.” He wanted more from her…but he couldn’t handle being yesterday’s news. Not with her anyway.

  She took a step closer to him, grabbing two fists full of T-shirt. “I think I’m already too far gone for that.” If he wouldn’t kiss her, then by George she was going to kiss him! She pulled him down to her, pressing her lips against his.

  Hunter took a deep breath, his hands going to her waist to pull her closer. As nervous as she made him with her honesty, he was so attracted to her, he couldn’t bear to stand still while she kissed him. He deepened the kiss, pulling her to him until their bodies were pressed tightly together.

  As soon as he took over the kiss, Bekah was lost. She’d been kissed before. Probably more times than she should have been by a lot more men than she should have let kiss her. But when Hunter’s lips pressed against hers, she forgot where she was and who she was. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, feeling tingles shooting through her body.

  When he finally raised his head, they were both slightly out of breath. She rested her forehead against his shoulder. “Umm…your kisses pack a wallop there, Hunter.”

  He chuckled softly, loving having her so close. “I could say the same for you.”

  “Give me a chance. Give us a chance.” She felt like an idiot pleading with him that way, but what did she have to lose? She could lose everything if she didn’t ask him to give them a chance, and she knew…she knew he was the man for her. There would never be another man uniquely made just for her. Maybe she was crazy to be so certain but she was sure. She knew it with every fiber of her being.

  He brought her closer, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll try.”

  “That’s all I ask.” She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She never wanted to let go.

  “We should be getting back. I meant to break long enough to get supper, and that was three hours ago.”

  She nodded. “I don’t ever want to get in the way of your work.” With her hand firmly in his, they headed back to the B&B. She stopped on the front porch, plopping down onto the swing. “I’m going to read on my phone for a little while. I’m enjoying the night air too much to go in.”

  “Why don’t I get my laptop, and I can join you?”

  “Would you?” she asked.

  “I’d love to.”

  “I’ll run in and get my Kindle then.” He opened the door and held it for her, and she rushed up the stairs to get her Kindle.

  When they got back down, he frowned. “Where exactly do you live? I thought you were on the second floor.”

  She shook her head. “No we wanted the second floor for guest rooms, so Bri and I had the attic converted to a little apartment for us to share. Two bedrooms and a bath, so more of a suite, I guess, but now she lives with Anthony, and I’m here alone.”

  He sank into the lounger there on the front porch while she took the porch swing. She pulled up the book she was currently reading on her Kindle, one of his, but she didn’t tell him that. She wasn’t a huge fan of mysteries, and she’d have to see if she thought he was worth reading before she mentioned she was reading his book.

  Bekah loved the sounds of nature along with the clicking of the keys on his laptop. She simply felt like she was close to him as he worked away. She almost felt guilty that he was working and she wasn’t, but she’d put in a long hard day. Working with Jennifer for ten minutes would have made for a long hard day.

  She wasn’t looking forward to the girl coming back the following day, but at least she knew she had the bathrooms down. One more day with Jennifer on bathroom and her on the rest of the room, and they’d be able to switch. She hoped.

  Looking down at the Kindle in her hands, she forced herself to read a couple more pages. She just didn’t enjoy mysteries. She’d make it through at least one so she could tell him she’d read a book of his, though.

  The tapping of the keys stopped, and she looked up. He was looking over at her. She smiled at him. “Stuck?”

  He shook his head. “Not at all. I’m more inspired than I’ve been in a very long time.” He looked back down and started typing away again, leaving her to watch him work for a moment.

  She stood, not wanting to bother him by watching him type. “I’m going to go get some lemonade. Bri keeps a really good raspberry lemonade made up for me all the time. Would you care for anything? Water? Lemonade? A soft drink?”

  “I’ll have a lemonade too.” He didn’t even look up from his laptop, his fingers flying across the keys.

  Bekah walked into the kitchen and poured them both lemonade into nice tall glasses filled with ice. She grabbed a couple of small bags of chips, thinking about how much she’d always felt like she needed ‘writing snacks’ when she was working on papers for school. Then she pulled some frozen brownie batter from the freezer and preheated the oven. Bri kept it frozen in four servings, so she could make just a little for them.

  Then she headed out to the porch and handed Hunter his lemonade and bag of chips. “I thought writing snacks were in order.”

  He grinned at her. “Writing snacks are always in order.”

  “I’m going to make us some brownies too. Bri always has some batter frozen, and I just have to bake it.”

  “Sounds good. Just don’t burn the house down.”

  Bekah frowned at him. “Whatever Jack told you is a lie. I can preheat the oven and throw something into it!”

  He chuckled. “That wasn’t the impression I got earlier.”

  “And you’re a gourmet cook?”

  “Nope. But I’m the best take-out picker-upper you ever saw. At home I just order whatever I want to be delivered.”

  “You’re spoiled to city life. You’d never make it in Silver Springs.”

  Hunter shook his head at her. “Shh. I’m writing!”

  “Fine.” Bekah didn’t want to put his book down, but she just didn’t find it interesting, so she pulled ear buds from her pocket and started on the first episode of Lazy Love on Netflix. For the fiftieth
time. At least. The cast—especially the two main characters—had such an incredible connection that she could watch it over and over without growing tired of it.

  At the first break in the show, she hurried to the kitchen and put the brownies in. She set the timer, and went back out to the porch, leaving one ear bud out, so she’d be able to hear the timer.

  When she looked up, she found Hunter watching her again. “Thinking?”

  He nodded. “I can only type crazily for so long without stopping to think for a moment, and then I can go ninety to nothing again.”

  “Will you have your book done in time?”

  He laughed. “If I keep going like I have the past two days, I’ll have it done before our date on Tuesday.”

  “I’m really looking forward to that,” she said. She hoped she wasn’t coming on too strong, but she wanted to be very clear about how she felt. She’d always expected love to creep up on her, to come on slowly, but with Hunter, it was almost as if a bolt of lightning had hit her. One minute she’d been content with life and her single status…the next she’d only been able to think about him.

  He nodded. “Me too. You don’t mind if I bring my notebook, do you?”

  “I don’t think you’d be you if you didn’t!”

  She heard the timer on the oven buzz and hurried in to get their brownies. She added a bit of the cream cheese frosting that was in a bowl in the fridge. She knew he liked cream cheese brownies, because that’s what he’d ordered with his boxed lunch the day before. Cutting the entire brownie in half, she put it on two plates and carried it out to the porch, along with two forks. “I hope you like your brownies hot.”

  “I do!” He took the dessert from her and set it beside his laptop, quickly finishing the paragraph he was writing. “If I stop in the middle of a paragraph, I may never remember what my brain was trying to say!”

  She laughed. “I’m learning so much about how a writer’s brain works. Better watch out, or I’ll figure out how to do it too!” She’d once thought she could write a book and even sat down and started one. She did great until she got to the second chapter. She had a beginning, and a great end, but the middle part made her head spin! And not in an attractive way at all.

  “If you really want to write, I could help you get started.” He eyed her curiously, wondering if she was serious or not. So many people told him they wanted to write, but when it came down to it, they weren’t willing to put in the hard work involved.

  She shook her head. “Not at all. I tried once. I can start a book. I can even end a book. It’s all those middle chapters that mess with my head.”

  He laughed. “I had that problem when I first started out too. I think most people do. It takes real discipline to actually finish a book and not just start a whole bunch of them.”

  “Get back to work then. I’ll watch my show.”

  “What are you watching?”

  “Lazy Love. It’s my go-to when I need to laugh and smile. I had a rough day.”

  “Because of Jennifer?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.

  “When Jennifer is involved, all days are rough.” Bekah put the ear buds back in as he started typing again. She knew it wasn’t a normal ‘date’ but it still felt good. She liked that he was writing with her sitting right there. It felt…homey.

  Hunter scrolled back to where he’d introduced Bekah and filled in a few details. Since she was right there, he could look at her and make sure he got things just right. He’d never been able to write with anyone in the same room as him before, not even his brother who’d shared a room with him until he’d graduated from college. It was different. He liked it.

  And then he grinned to himself. They weren’t in a room. They were outside! If he couldn’t write with someone outside with him, he’d never be able to write again. Maybe it would be different if they were actually in a room together. He was more than willing to find out.

  Chapter Six

  Bekah didn’t have to threaten Jennifer even once the following morning, and to reward her, they had a couple of the boxed lunches Bri made for the guests after they’d finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

  They took their lunches out to the gazebo, where they ran into Hunter. Bekah decided to sit back and watch as Jennifer flirted with him. If he was one to be easily swayed by the pretty blonde, then he wasn’t the right man for her anyway.

  Hunter looked up apprehensively as Jennifer sat beside him. “What are you typing?” she asked, trying to see his screen.

  Hunter looked at Bekah, a frightened look on his face. “A murder mystery.”

  “Oh! Are you a writer? I’ve always wanted to meet a writer. Would you put me in a book?” Jennifer’s eyes were wide, and she gave him one of the vapid looks she gave every man she was coming on to.

  “I have too many characters already. I guess I could kill you off if you wanted.” He didn’t look at Bekah as he said it, because he knew he’d start laughing.

  “Kill me off? Are you kidding?” Jennifer folded her arms across her chest. “You wouldn’t really kill me off, would you?”

  He shrugged. “Usually when someone interrupts my work, that’s how I get my revenge. I kill them in my next book. I’d be happy to kill you if you want to be in a book.”

  Jennifer wrinkled her nose. “Isn’t there a nicer character you could make me be?” she asked, running her fingers along his arm.

  He felt as if a spider was crawling on him, using his other hand to wipe away her touch. “You don’t listen to Hall and Oates by any chance, do you?”

  The blonde shook her head. “I’ve never heard of them. Why?”

  He shrugged. “They just have a song that I think of when I look at you.”

  At that, Bekah covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “You’ve bugged him enough, Jennifer. Remember he’s a guest at the B&B. Come and eat your lunch.” She felt like she was talking to a small child, and sometimes that’s just how Jennifer acted. Jennifer stood and joined her at the small table where she was eating. “We’ll be quiet so we don’t interrupt you anymore, Hunter.”

  Hunter nodded at her, his eyes filled with laughter. “I think I’ve had enough of fresh air anyway. I’ll go work in my room for a while.”

  Bekah watched him go, still trying to hide her grin from Jennifer. When the other girl asked who Hall and Oates were, she giggled uncontrollably, holding her sides. Hunter had more than passed the Jennifer test.

  *****

  That evening after supper, Bekah left the house, heading for the hotel. She was in dire need of a soak in the hot springs, and she was going to get it. Bri had agreed to be on call for a few hours, because of the time poor Bekah had to spend with Jennifer.

  Honestly the time spent with Jennifer wasn’t as torturous for Bekah as it would have been for Bri. Jennifer had always had a healthy respect for Bekah, even before she’d bloodied her nose in seventh grade. For some reason, she’d known right away that Bekah wouldn’t be cowed by her, and she was always at least cordial.

  Bekah was almost to the hotel when she heard her name being called from behind her. She turned to find Hunter hurrying toward her. “What are you up to?” he asked.

  “I’m going to go soak in the hot springs. It’s been a long couple of days.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. I’ve written more in the three days I’ve been here than I ever have in two weeks before. I’m really on a roll.”

  She smiled. “So you’re rewarding yourself with a soak?”

  “Yes, I thought I would. Mind if I join you?”

  “Not at all.” He held the door to the hotel so she could precede him. Stopping at the front desk, she said, “This is Hunter, one of the B&B guests. We’re here to use the springs.”

  The lady at the desk nodded, handing them each a pass. “You know the way, Bekah.”

  Bekah nodded. “Sure do.” She went toward the back of the hotel, and out a door to an outdoor area with wooden benches that had been built ar
ound the natural springs. She pulled her T-shirt over her head and unfastened her cut off denim shorts. “I’m so ready for this.” She carefully stepped in the tub, not at all self-conscious about her body. She was very aware of his eyes on her as he stripped off his shirt and followed her in.

  He groaned as the hot water lapped at his chest. “This feels so good.”

  “I know. You must get sore from sitting hunched over that keyboard so much.” She reached out and gently massaged his hand. “Do your hands ever get sore?”

  He nodded. “All the time. I think it’s an occupational hazard.”

  “I can’t believe you told Jennifer that she made you think of a Hall and Oates song today. I couldn’t quit giggling.”

  Laughing he shook his head. “I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t resist. She seems like the type who just needs to have her head messed with on occasion.”

  “Definitely. What are you going to tell her if she asks which song?”

  He shrugged. “No idea.” He looked over at Bekah, who was resting with the back of her head against the wooden bench behind them. “She was really making a play for me today. Was that just for your benefit?”

  “Oh, of course not. Jennifer makes plays for every man in town between the ages of twenty and forty. Of course, if she thinks any of the Roberts women are interested, the play is much harder and stronger. She must not have realized that I’m falling for you, or she would have turned it up about ten notches.”

  Hunter blinked at her. “Falling for me? Isn’t that putting it a bit strongly? We just met on Wednesday.”

  Bekah shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I knew when I met you that you were the man for me. Now we just have to figure out if I’m the woman for you.”

  He was still trying to figure out how to respond to that when the back door of the hotel opened. A couple of young men came out. “Bekah! When are we going dancing again?” one of them asked.