This Time in Timberline

by Jennifer Morey

  Crackling fireworks splintered the sky above them. Oblivious to it, Mason lowered his mouth toward hers. Just touched her. Then touched her again. Longer the next time, until his mouth sank down for something deeper.

  Her heart charged with passion, flooding her resistance. He opened his mouth and she let him inside. His tongue explored her, made love to her. Her entire body sang with pleasure.

  Slowly he lifted his head. She opened her eyes and met his, so on fire for him it overwhelmed her.

  His lips brushed hers again, building the tide of her emotions, fanning desire to new life. She wanted to be alone with him. Wanted him to make love to her with more than his mouth. She wanted to feel his naked body on hers, in hers. She wanted it with an intensity she couldn't grasp.

  She'd loved him when she was sixteen, but this was so much stronger. Oh, God, was she falling in love with him?

  It would crush her if he left her a second time. And he would. He'd leave and nothing she did would stop him. No matter how much he felt for her, he'd leave.

  Why was he doing this to her? She couldn't let him hurt her this time!

  Pushing on his chest, she scrambled to her feet. "Stay away from me!"

  She hurried through the crowd, ignoring curious looks on the way. Damn him! Didn't he care what this would do to her? Fireworks lit her way.

  "Utah!"

  She broke into a run. She didn't have a car here so she'd have to make it home on foot.

  "Wait!"

  She ran faster, reaching the parking area. But she was no match for Mason. He caught up to her, taking hold of her forearm and pulling her to a stop.

  "Let me go." She yanked her. When he didn't release her, she slapped him with her free hand.

  He let her go, stunned.

  She stepped back. "You bastard! Why won't you stay away from me?"

  "Utah..." Her emotional reaction surprised him.

  "Why?" she demanded. There had to be a reason. But as he continued to stare at her, she realized he couldn't. He couldn't stay away and that terrified her.

  "I'm sorry." He moved forward. "Utah."

  She backed up again, wanting him so much, wanting to ignore what had never left her heart, what would mushroom into more than she could handle if this went any further. She'd lose him all over again, but she either had to lose him now or lose him when he left Timberline. Again. Either hurt now, or hurt worse when she watched him leave at the end of summer.

  "Just stay away from me," she said more calmly.

  Turning, she hugged her middle and walked toward the street. Not hearing him follow, she walked faster.

  Passing Ro's Blooms, she wiped her face. The street was dark except where street lights lit her way. Ahead at the intersection of Second and Main, she noticed a car turn the direction she walked and park along the street. She didn't recognize it.

  Her steps slowed and she stopped altogether at Main. Looking up the street one way then the other, she saw no one out or any cars. No motion. The street was still and dark.

  The car ahead shut off. The driver's door opened and Calvin got out.

  Utah's heart climbed into her throat. She started walking fast up Main toward First. Nothing was open tonight. She couldn't even take refuge in one of the shops. Annie's Bakery. Mountain Hardware. Even the Over Easy Café was dark.

  She looked back. Calvin followed her on the same side of the street. What was he doing?

  She kept walking. She had a terrible feeling this time he'd act on his anger. More than spreading lies about her.

  Hearing a car, she looked back and saw Mason's Mustang turning the corner. Relief flooded her. She waited at the curb until he pulled over and stopped. The top was down. He didn't say anything.

  She looked up the street. Calvin had stopped, but he watched.

  "I just want to take you home," Mason said. "Nothing more."

  She bent to open the passenger door and slid down onto the leather seat. Looking in the rearview mirror on her side of the car, she saw Calvin turn and head back to his car.

  "Who was that?" Mason asked.

  "Who?"

  "You know who. That man who was following you."

  "How did you know he was following me?"

  He looked at her, giving her a glimpse of the soldier he was. Hardened. Tough. A human weapon. "I saw you look back at him."

  She faced forward. "Nobody."

  "Arthur's stepson?"

  She propped her elbow on the car door and pressed her knuckles to her mouth, staring out the window without answering.

  He drove without pushing her. But when he parked in front of her house, he got out and searched the street.

  Utah got out, too, and walked toward her front door. After she unlocked the door, he put his hand over hers on the knob.

  "Let me make sure it's safe first."

  "Mason, I'm fine." She could not let him into the house. It was too close to her bed.

  Ignoring her, he went in ahead of her, turning on lights as he searched. She didn't follow him upstairs. A few minutes later he came back down and stopped before her in the living room.

  "What's he doing here?"

  Knowing he wasn't leaving until she told him something, she said, "He was pretty angry I got all his stepfather's money."

  "Has he threatened you?"

  "He's made demands for me to give him the money. He hadn't said he'd do anything if I didn't. I just ran into him outside Timberline Market. Your dad interrupted us."

  "What happened?"

  "Nothing."

  "Utah..." The hardness in his tone and in his expression convinced her he wasn't letting her get away without telling him.

  "He found out that I bought the land and was building a golf course and he was angry. He made the same claims he always does, that the money is his. When I disagreed, he would have hit me if Andy hadn't stopped him."

  His face darkened, anger radiating from his eyes and tightening his jaw. One of his fists curled at his side. "Hit you?"

  She started to worry that he'd do something. "Nothing happened, Mason."

  "What's his name?"

  "Calvin Roderick. He hated his stepdad. He only wanted his money."

  "You shouldn't be alone right now."

  "You are not staying with me." No way.

  He studied her face, a careful, capable soldier. But he relented. "If he makes contact with you again, I want to know about it."

  "All right."

  "I mean it. You call me."

  "I will. I'll tell you if he contacts me." She moved to the door and opened it. "Now, if my house is safe from the boogey man, I'll ask you to go."

  After a brief hesitation, he went to the door. "Lock it."

  "I'm not a child, Mason."

  He hesitated again, but finally left.

  Holding the door open, she watched him get into his car and sit there a moment, looking at her through the darkness. She couldn't see his eyes. When he drove away, it reminded her of that last time she'd seen him drive away so many years ago. Except this time she knew she'd see him again. And that couldn't be a good thing.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  After leaving Utah's house, Mason drove to the West End Inn. He parked and went inside the main entrance. A woman yawned from behind the front desk. He recognized Patsy from the trailer park.

  "Do you have a Calvin Roderick staying here?" he asked.

  "I can't give out that information."

  Mason took out his wallet and flipped through some twenties, seeing the girl's eyes light into full wakefulness.

  He handed her a hundred dollars.

  "Room two-fifteen," she said, grinning.

  He took the stairs to the second level and found the room. He knocked.

  "Who's there?" a man asked from the other side of the door.

  "Mason Briggs. I have a question for you."

  Several seconds passed. Finally the door opened, but the chain remained in place. Mason looked at a man shorter than him by several inches wit
h brown eyes and hair. He looked close to his age.

  "Well, well, well, if it isn't the infamous Mason Briggs. I hear you and Utah go way back."

  "As a matter of fact, we do. And if I ever see you near her again, I'll put you in the hospital."

  Calvin sized Mason up. "You came here to tell me that?"

  "Yes."

  "What has she told you about me?"

  Mason didn't answer.

  Calvin chuckled, a forced, wicked sound. "Has she told you that Arthur hated me? That all I wanted was his money?"

  Mason ignored how accurate he was, ignoring too, the flash of doubt he felt. "I don't care why you're here. Go near her again and I'll find you."

  Calvin cocked his head and narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "Whatever your relationship is with Utah Pieper, you don't know her the way I do."

  "She married your stepfather, not you, isn't that right?"

  Anger stormed his eyes.

  "She did marry my stepfather. And it was for money. But there are other things you don't know. Utah came back here to hide. She was hoping I wouldn't find her, and it has nothing to do with the money she stole. Think about that, soldier."

  "What has she done that's so terrible?"

  "Why don't you ask her?"

  "I'm asking you." Mason was four seconds away from beating it out of the man.

  Calvin held up his hand. "I don't want any trouble."

  But he wasn't going to answer his question. He'd have to get it from Utah, exactly what Calvin preferred.

  "Don't go near her again." Mason turned and walked down the hall, wondering if this was another misunderstanding or if Utah was really hiding something.

  ###

  The next morning Utah walked down Main Street on her way to Velma's Cabin Cafe. She and Roanne were going to have a real breakfast. She also wanted to hear what happened between her and Keegan last night.

  When she passed the Over Easy Café, she didn't look inside. But someone came out on the sidewalk.

  "Hey, Utah."

  Utah turned and saw Megan standing in front of her café window, looking smug about something.

  "I heard you have a friend in town."

  An ill feeling swirled in her, but she refused to let it show in front of someone as shallow as Megan.

  "Calvin Roderick told me all about you and him."

  Utah folded her arms and waited for Megan to continue.

  "I wonder what Mason would think if he knew."

  Mason had come to believe her, but would he still after hearing what Calvin would tell everyone? "Knew what? That Calvin is a liar?"

  "Why would he lie about his stepfather's relationship with a pretty little free-loader like you?"

  "I don't have to explain myself to you." She started walking up the street.

  "I thought you were desperate, but I didn't realize how much until Calvin filled me in on a few details."

  Utah stopped and looked over her shoulder.

  Megan smiled in that disconcerting way. "I wonder if Mason will be so understanding when he finds out."

  "You can tell Mason whatever you want. He'll know you're making it all up, as usual. Calvin, too." She faced forward again and resumed her trek toward Velma's.

  "We'll see about that, Utah," Megan called to her back.

  Even though inside she worried if Megan was right, she didn't respond, just kept walking.

  Inside Velma's, Utah spotted Roanne sitting at a booth table. Velma's was long and narrow, with a bank of windows along the long side facing the road. The red brick walls displayed paintings of cabins in varying seasons and settings. The wood floor was worn but rustic, like the tables. Utah sat on the red vinyl of the booth.

  "How was last night?" she asked.

  Roanne beamed. "A dream. He's waiting for me at home." Twirled her straw inside a glass of soda. "He is so sweet. Kind of quiet, but sweet, and so good in bed!" She lifted her eyes upward. "I don't think I can live without that."

  "Have you talked about whether he's going to stay?"

  "No, well, yes. I did ask him during the fireworks and he said we should see how it goes over the next few weeks."

  Utah bobbed her head in a half nod. "Can't expect more than that this early in the relationship."

  "You don't sound very reassuring."

  "He's Mason's teammate."

  Crestfallen, Roanne twirled her straw some more. "Yeah."

  "You don't even know him very well."

  "I don't need to." She looked at Utah. "Was it that way with Mason? Did you see him and just...know?"

  "We were friends first."

  "What about now? When you saw him at the funeral, what did you feel?"

  Shock. Instant chemistry. "Fear."

  Roanne laughed. "Mason isn't going to leave you. If anything, he'll take you with him this time."

  "Timberline is my home now."

  "So, you're saying that the chemistry wasn't instantaneous with you?"

  "No. It was instantaneous."

  "And even though you don't know if he's going to stay, you still want him, right?"

  "Yes, but that isn't good, Roanne."

  "If you love him then it's worth the risk."

  "Do you love Keegan?"

  "I could fall madly in love with him."

  "Him or his dick?"

  Roanne swirled her straw again. Her lack of a reply answered for her.

  "Okay. You're in love with his dick. I was in love with Mason's when I was sixteen."

  Roanne abandoned her straw. "You were in love with more than his dick, Utah."

  "A lot of good that did me. He wasn't in love with me that way."

  "Yes, he was. And he's more in love with you now than he's ever been."

  "I don't trust him."

  "I don't trust Keegan, either."

  "What about Charlie? How does he compare in the trust department?"

  "What can I get you to drink?" the thirty-ish waitress asked, holding a pen over a small notebook, chewing gum, and looking at them over her reading glasses.

  "Water and coffee," Utah said. She and Roanne ordered breakfast.

  "I don't trust Charlie anymore," Roanne said. "I trust Keegan's penis more than I trust him."

  It was so sad to see a good relationship destroyed by infidelity. Trust wasn't easy to earn.

  "Maybe you just need time."

  "I know what you're trying to do, Utah, and I appreciate it, but you've never had anyone cheat on you."

  "Technically, Charlie didn't cheat on you. You broke up with him first." She left out the obvious that she'd also slept with Keegan.

  "Whenever I think of Charlie now, I think of him with her. Another woman. How could he have done it?"

  "Maybe he needed to be sure you were the one."

  "That's what he told me, but if you're sure, you're sure, you know? True love isn't something that's hard to recognize. You either love somebody or you don't."

  Thinking of Mason, Utah wasn't so sure. "I don't think it's such a sure thing, Ro."

  "Do you love Mason?"

  Utah sat back against the booth and stared at Roanne, struck by the possibility. "I hope not."

  "But you think you might."

  "I don't want to be in love with him."

  Roanne smiled. "But you are. It's exactly what I thought. You just can't admit it. You're in denial."

  Her heart felt as though it plunged with dread. "No. I cannot love Mason. I refuse."

  "You never stopped loving him, sweetie."

  "You're not making me feel very good."

  The waitress reappeared with her drinks.

  "Mason is so lost in you it's funny. Don't worry. Even if he manages to talk his heart into leaving, he won't be able to stay away for long."

  Utah frowned her uncertainty.

  "It's different this time. Wait and see."

  "I don't want to wait and see. I want to get on with my life. I want to be single for a while. Get my golf course going. Be happy. Not worry who's going to ra
ilroad me next."

  "You're putting too much importance on that golf course. It's like you married it. You have to stop, Utah."

  Utah sighed. "It's easy for you to sit there and say that. Did you know you loved Charlie?"

  "Yes. I loved him stupidly."

  Utah averted her gaze. "I need to stay away from Mason. I don't trust myself alone with him."

  "Let it go, Utah. There's no stopping what's brewing between the two of you. If you do, it'll be your biggest mistake ever. I don't believe in coincidences. Mason came home for a reason. And it's you. Whether he realizes it or not, he needs you. And you two are meant for each other."

  He needs you. She faced her friend again. "I wish I could feel as sure as you sound. But I can't. I can't trust him that way."

  ###

  Later in the afternoon, Mason helped his dad with the horses. His stable help had taken time off for the Fourth of July holiday. Putting the last horse in its stall, he turned, removing his work gloves as he spotted Megan standing in the open barn door. He looked around for his father.

  "I saw him go into the house. He didn't see me pull up," Megan said.

  "Were you looking for him?"

  The way she sauntered farther into the barn set Mason on edge. Her hips had the sway of a woman trying to catch a man's attention. He met her gaze as impassively as he could to avoid sending her the wrong message. She'd had a crush on him in high school, and he thought he'd misinterpreted her flirting at the Over Easy that time Utah met her architect there. But now he wondered.

  "Actually, I came to see you."

  "What for?"

  She smiled. "I think you know."

  She'd gotten a lot more forward over the years. "Megan..."

  "Someone has to set you straight where Utah is concerned."

  He held his silence.

  "Her lover's stepson came to town, did you know that?"

  "Arthur wasn't her lover. They were married."

  His defense of Utah made her falter a little. She moved closer, making him a little nauseous with that staged sway of hers. She put her hands on his chest. He looked down at them there, then into her eyes.

  "I know you had feelings for her back when you lived here. And I can see you're starting to get close again. I just wanted to warn you. Make sure you know everything before you let it go any further."