Rocky Mountain Angels

by Jodi Bowersox [romance]

  Mari turned, half-smiling. “Well, thank you, professor Rhodes. Just pick, you say.” She shook her head. “Don’t you think if it were that easy, I would have done it by now?”

  He patted the spot beside him, and she crossed to him and sat. “Why is it so difficult?” He thought a moment. “I know, close your eyes.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re obviously a very visual person. So let’s try an experiment.”

  “You’re not going to kiss me, are you?”

  Eli took in a breath and let it out. “No, I promise I won’t kiss you.” He paused, a smile blossoming on his face. “Today. Now close your eyes.”

  She complied, and all Eli could think about was kissing her. He shook his head. “Okay, now picture me taking that wicker seat and carrying it out of the house. How does that make you feel?”

  Mari giggled. “Actually pretty good.”

  “Thank heavens,” Eli chuckled. “I’ll be glad to take it outside and set it on fire.”

  Mari giggled again, and Eli wanted so badly to take her hand lying on her thigh but gripped the canopy pole beside him instead. “Okay, so picture me dismantling this bed and chucking it out the window.”

  “No!”

  “All right, the bed’s a keeper.” Hallelujah, I like the bed. “What about the passionate bright red chenille bedspread?”

  “Well, I like the color... I’d be sad to see the color go.”

  “How about your mosaic-tiled table and chairs in the kitchen?”

  “Those belonged to my late aunt, so they stay.”

  “Do they have to stay in the kitchen, or could they go outside where they belong?”

  Mari opened one eye and gave him a look. “I’m just a poor college student, you know.” She opened both. “Okay, I think I can do the rest of this evaluation by myself.”

  “Can you? I mean, seriously, this sappy cowboy painting... what do you like about it?”

  “I like the colors in the sunset. I guess I just block out the silhouette of the cowboy and see that dark spot as counter-balancing the oranges and pinks.”

  By her expression, he guessed that she was as baffled by the way she saw the world as he was. It seemed to be all about color. Okay, we can work with that. “So, do you even see the styles, the textures, the design?”

  She closed her eyes again, bending her head and clasping her hands under her nose. “Yes.”

  “But it’s hard work?”

  She opened her eyes and dropped her hands.“Yes, and I have to admit, I’m a spontaneous shopper. If it grabs my eye and makes me smile, I’ll buy it.” Her shy sideways glance nearly stopped Eli’s heart. Are we still talking about shopping?

  Eli took a deep breath as her gaze fluttered through him. “I’d be glad to help you. We use the colors you love and just get them into one style—one theme—and who knows, maybe getting your house pointing in one direction will help you in other areas. Are you also a spontaneous shopper when it comes to college courses? I’d hate for you to waste more time getting a degree you won’t use.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “A degree that’s like that cowboy painting over there—pretty, but useless to the over-all theme.”

  He rubbed his hand over her upper arm and held his breath. She didn’t pull away.

  “You and my dad, both. But I don’t consider all of my time in school a waste. I’m just not using it to make money. I don’t think I’m spontaneous, really, when it comes to school; I was interested in every field I studied. They just didn’t pan out to be what I want to do with the rest of my life.

  “And sometimes even if the interest was there, the talent wasn’t.” She looked at him, a hint of blush to her cheeks. “I have no illusions about my abilities in decorating, even if I do have a degree. I chucked it and started over in psychology. And” —she sighed— “I had to be honest with myself about psychology. While I found a lot of it fascinating, I soon realized I didn’t want to be a practicing psychologist, nor did I want to do research. I should have dropped out of that program halfway through.”

  He was drawing lazy circles on her shoulder with his thumb. “Why didn’t you?”

  “My parents were really invested in that particular field. They thought I had finally chosen well, and I think they were proud to tell their friends I was going to be a ‘doctor.’”

  Eli wondered why she was struggling so hard to find a direction. “What are your passions, Mari?”

  He let his hand fall away from her shoulder as she turned her whole body toward him, sliding her bent leg up between them. She seemed almost bursting to say something, her eyes bright, but then he watched as she swallowed whatever she had been about to tell him. She may as well have turned a key on her lips. He couldn’t keep himself from taking her hand resting on her knee. “Are you passionate about zoos, Mari Baker?”

  “I love animals.”

  “As visually oriented as you are, I bet you could sit and look at them all day, but are you also passionate about feeding animals? Are you passionate about cleaning up after animals in all kinds of weather? It’s not quite as easy as scooping a litter box for your cat.” She didn’t say anything, and Eli knew he was right. Zoo studies would just be another degree in a box—if she even made it that far. He stood. “Tomorrow we’re going shopping for your house, and Friday we’re going to the zoo.”

  Mari looked alarmed. “To the zoo? In this weather?”

  Eli looked at her with eyebrows raised. “I don’t care if there’s a blizzard, I’m taking you to the zoo on Friday.” He turned and left the room, grabbing his coat off the standing rack right outside the door. He wondered what she had been going to say earlier but decided not to press. “Be ready by noon tomorrow for shopping—we’ll grab some lunch first.”

  Mari followed and put her hands on her hips. “Well, aren’t you bossy, all of a sudden.”

  Eli turned back at the door and smiled. “Yep. You can thank me later.”

  Chapter 5

  Eli rang her bell right at noon the next day, and Mari went to the door, her heart pumping. She had disappointed Ben a half hour ago when he popped by to see if she wanted to go out for lunch, and now she wasn’t sure if she should be going with Eli. She had never in her life been the object of two men’s attention before, and certainly not two brothers. She didn’t want to cause conflict in their family and was ready to tell Eli that when she opened the door. Except the smile that greeted her so disarmed her she could barely breathe, let alone form a coherent argument.

  Eli stepped in and closed the door. “Ready?”

  She nodded and grabbed her coat off the rack. Eli took it from her and helped her slip it on over her rust cable knit sweater and jeans. While she buttoned, he plucked her scarf from the rack and wrapped it around her neck several times. He took a step even closer and pulled her hair out of its confines. Mari looked up into his dark eyes, and he smiled. “I don’t want you to get cold.”

  “My hands are the main problem. Sometimes my toes.”

  “Warm socks?”

  “Yes.”

  “Gloves?”

  She pulled them out of her pockets. “Yes.”

  “Okay,” —he waited for her to put her gloves on then took her hand and pulled her toward the door— “let’s shop!”

  “Eli, I’m afraid we’ll just have to window shop today,” she protested as they moved down the sidewalk to the curb where Eli’s sporty red car was idling. “I really am a poor college student.”

  He opened her door, and she slipped into the black interior, finally noticing the car and how much it suited Eli. “Oh my, this is nice.”

  Eli grinned, still holding the door. “It didn’t cost me nearly as much as it was worth. I just happened to fall into the deal of a lifetime. A fellow moving overseas needed to unload it and sold it for a song.”

  He shut her door and ran around to the driver’s side. Mari couldn’t help noticing how excited he seemed to be about shopping. I thought men hated to sho
p.

  After he was settled and had adjusted the heat settings, he turned to her. “I know you’re short on funds. Anything we see that we just can’t live without will just be a housewarming gift from me.” He put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb.

  “Oh, Eli, I can’t let you do that.”

  “Yes, you can.” He stopped at the stop sign at the end of their block and gave her his full attention. “When I got up today, I actually couldn’t wait to get going. You were absolutely right when you said my heart isn’t in my work. Designing big, impersonal buildings has taken the fun out of architecture. Doing this for you will get me back to what I loved about designing houses—personal touches.”

  He turned his attention back to the road, and Mari had to smile. “Okay, if it makes you happy.”

  She could never have imagined when she left Piedmont, Oklahoma, what was waiting for her in a big Victorian house in Old Colorado City. These three men had taken her under their wings as if they actually were angels—her rescuers, her helpers, her advisors, and now, even her own personal designer.

  She glanced at Eli while he was maneuvering through traffic. He’s so handsome. She had been able to hold him at a distance that first night when he was just another charmer, but what she had seen of him the last few days was chipping away at her resolve to steer clear of any romantic entanglements with him.

  “So did you pick out the paint colors for your house? They’re absolutely beautiful.” In the light of day, Mari had marveled at the intricate paint design on porch railings, trim, and gables. The rose color used on the door was repeated, but there were also darker shades of green, lighter shades of rose, and ivory.

  Eli slowed for a corner. “Thanks. That was a lot of fun. I’d love to do more stuff like that.”

  “Well, why don’t you?”

  Eli shook his head. “Joe keeps me busy doing the large-scale stuff.”

  “You’re taking off today and tomorrow.” She looked at him with mock seriousness. “Maybe you should make better use of your time, Mr. Rhodes.”

  Eli kept looking ahead, but his mouth curved slowly into a smile. Mari’s curiosity rose up. “Okay, what are you smiling about?”

  Eli feigned ignorance. “What?”

  She braced a hand on her seat and leaned her shoulder toward him. “You know.”

  He glanced her way then faced the road and chuckled. “That was a favorite phrase of my father’s, and back then he was right. I could have made better use of my time. In fact if someone said that to me last week, they’d be right.” He stopped for a light and looked at her. “But right now, they’d be dead wrong.”

  Mari blushed and smiled shyly, settling back into her seat. They drove for awhile in silence; then they changed direction, putting mountains directly ahead. Mari was in awe of the row of snow-dusted peaks and gave an audible sigh.

  Eli flashed her a smile. “We’ll have to go to the top of Pikes Peak when it’s warmer.”

  “How does one do that? Can you drive up?”

  “You can, but you might find the twisty mountain roads unnerving. The Cog Railway is a much more relaxing way to go.” He paused as he changed lanes and turned a corner. Mari saw a sign for Manitou Springs. “You can, of course, hike it. Are you a hiker?”

  “I’ve done a bit, but I doubt I’m ready for Pikes Peak.”

  “How about The Incline?”

  Mari looked at him questioningly. “What’s that?”

  “It’s an old abandoned incline railway track that hikers have claimed. It rises 2000 feet in elevation in less than a mile. It’s a 68% grade in one spot.”

  Mari was taking in the interesting shops they were passing. “Have you hiked it?”

  “Once or twice.”

  She looked back at him, curious at his tone. “You’ve done it more than once or twice, haven’t you?”

  He slowed and pulled into a parking space with a sparkle in his eye. “Yeah. The Rhodes brothers race it at least once a year.”

  “Race it? Are you serious?”

  Eli turned off the ignition and looked at her squarely. “I never joke about physical fitness, Mari.”

  He looked so serious that Mari didn’t know what to say. Then his lips twitched and his eyes twinkled, and Mari laughed. Yep, her heart was losing this battle.

  ***

  After a light lunch, Eli and Mari perused the unique shops and art galleries of Manitou Springs. Eli was beginning to see what Mari meant by being a “spontaneous shopper.” Without him shaking his head over 90% of the things she “just loved,” she would have ended up with the most colorful, but disjointed, house in town.

  Luckily, she didn’t dislike the things he found for her: a colorful mountain meadow painting to replace the gaudy cowboy number and bright floral paintings to replace the modern poster prints in her living room. He even found her a painting of a fiesta ware teapot with daisies in it for her kitchen.

  As the afternoon sun was heading decidedly westward, Eli and Mari loaded their art treasures into Eli’s trunk. Eli closed the lid and looked to Mari, whose eyes were shining up at him. “We’re done, right? I mean, you’ve spent quite enough on me today.”

  Eli thought that determined mouth was just begging to be kissed. Kissed until she forgets the cost. He smiled to himself. Kissed until she forgets her own name.

  She stepped closer. “What are you smirking about?”

  Eli drew in a breath, his eyes still drinking in her lips. He placed his hands on her shoulders. Just one kiss. His eyes slid upward to those big innocent doe eyes, and his hands slid off her shoulders as he took a step back. “Enough for today, maybe.” He walked to the passenger side and opened her door.

  She shook her head at him as she got in. “What else do I need?”

  He closed the door on her question and answered once he was seated behind the wheel. “Well, you need a new bedspread—something that’s in line with the style of your bed. Then there’s new towels for your bathroom, an area rug in the living room, and there’s still the matter of something to sit on.” He pulled away from the curb.

  “Eli, you can’t buy me a sofa.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll check the thrift stores, and besides, I’m not thinking a sofa, I’m thinking a love seat.” He glanced her way, waggling his eyebrows.

  Mari sputtered and whacked his arm.

  “Hey,” Eli protested, “start beating up on me, and I’ll leave you with the cowboy and put the meadow in my office.”

  “You forget, I was happy with the cowboy,” she sassed.

  “Were you? Were you two a happy couple?”

  “We were. All tucked in bed, he was the last man I saw every night.” She looked at him a moment then blushed, angling her face away. “I can’t believe I said that.”

  Eli smiled at both her embarrassment and the picture she just painted for him of her all tucked in bed. He stopped at a red light and reached over to brush her hair away from her face. She turned back to him and before he quite knew what he was doing, his hand was sliding into her hair and his mouth was on hers, giving her a tender kiss. He could tell he surprised her, but she didn’t pull away, and when he kissed her again, she kissed back, putting her hand to his cheek.

  A loud honk behind them broke the mood and got Eli’s attention back on driving. He gave a friendly wave behind him as he pulled forward and crossed the intersection. Glancing at Mari, he was surprised to see her looking at him intently. “I’m sorry, Mari, I didn’t intend to do that.”

  Her brow pinched. “You didn’t?”

  Eli back paddled. “Not that I didn’t want to. I’ve wanted to kiss you since you showed up soaked and bedraggled on my porch. I just hadn’t planned on kissing you right now in the middle of traffic.”

  She was trying hard not to smile. “So was your plan the love seat?”

  He laughed. “There would be fewer people honking.” He turned a corner, his heart dancing with the sound of Mari’s laughter.

  ***

  It
didn’t take long to switch out the old art for the new and drive a nail in the kitchen wall above her little table for the teapot painting. Mari was truly thrilled and had to sit awhile in each space looking at them. They shared a cup of tea in the kitchen, the living room, and finally, they sat on the foot of her bed gazing at the mountain meadow.

  “It really is an improvement, Eli. Thank you.”

  “Are you sure you won’t miss him? I mean you and he had this bedroom relationship going on. I know if I were him, I’d be crushed.”

  Now that Eli had kissed her, Mari was starting to feel uncomfortable sitting with him on her bed—especially with him looking so darn good in a teal v-neck t-shirt. She rose, and Eli caught her hand. “Mari, do I have to wait for a love seat to kiss you again?”

  She looked at those dark imploring eyes and felt her pulse jump. Getting him out of her bedroom was crucial. She gave a tug, and he rose and followed her through the doorway. “I will not let you kiss me on my bed, Eli Rhodes.” She took the empty mug out of his hand and set both his and hers on a small end table. I’m not really sure I should ever let you kiss me again.

  His kiss in the car had certainly taken her by surprise, but what surprised her even more was how much she had wanted it to happen again. Her resolve concerning romance with Eli had slipped down the drain sometime in the middle of the most gentle kiss she had ever experienced, but that didn’t mean all her reservations went with it.

  They must have shown on her face, as Eli had released her hand and was putting on his coat. “How about a friendly, good night kiss?” He stepped toward her, gently grasped her arms, and kissed her on the forehead.

  Mari felt a longing sweep over her for those lips to be on her lips, those arms to enfold her and draw her close, but the fear of a broken heart at the hands of this charmer kept her hands and her lips to herself.

  He gave her a smile before leaving her alone for the night.

  Mari stared at the closed door for a minute then spun around and, with determination, headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. She opened the freezer looking for lettuce and the crisper looking for croutons. She cut off the end of her fingernail slicing a tomato and nearly poured soy sauce on her salad instead of Italian dressing.