Cabin Fever

by Karen Rose Smith

  She motioned toward the logs. “We have plenty.”

  Dropping his suitcase next to the sofa, Brad motioned out back. “There’s a generator hooked up now, too, so you won’t have to worry about the power going out.”

  “I’m not worried.” She wasn’t—not as long as she was with Brad.

  After they’d eaten a quiet supper with forced conversation, Brad realized he didn’t know what the hell he was doing. He thought he’d planned this out, but being with Emily again had made him doubt his course. He didn’t want her to think he’d brought her to the cabin again to sleep with her. That wasn’t what this was about. But she seemed as jittery as a teenager on her first date, and he wasn’t much better. He knew he couldn’t just tell Emily he loved her. He had to show her. He had to make a public declaration so she’d know his intentions were true.

  Tomorrow he’d find out if she loved him. If she wanted to spend her life with him. The suspense was killing him.

  They sat in front of the fire listening to music. He told her how he’d found Tess’s daughter and then he added, “I’m going to take more cases like Tess’s.”

  “Missing persons?”

  “Yes. Especially parents who can’t find their kids. I’m starting a new division at Vaughn Associates just for that.”

  Her eyes became huge and wide. “Your father agreed to that?”

  “He didn’t have much choice if he wanted me to stay. I’ll be head of the division. He won’t be overseeing it.”

  Emily looked happy for him, yet there was deep sadness in her eyes, too, and he wondered if that was because they wouldn’t be working together. They might be if all went as he’d planned.

  As Emily stared into the fire for a few more moments, she said, “I guess I’d better turn in.”

  He hadn’t touched her up until now because his self-control was at a premium. Although he wanted her in his arms, he wanted her there the right way.

  When she stood, he stood with her and blocked her path to the bedroom. “Did you see the gossip column in the newspaper a few days ago—about Suzette and me?”

  “Yes, I did. It was a public statement that you’re not the father of Suzette Brouchard’s child. I guess you’re glad that’s all over.”

  “I am. I just wanted you to know it was cleared up.”

  “Brad, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you at first. My only excuse is that I didn’t know you. Once we spent time in Thunder Canyon together, I realized that if you said you weren’t the father, then you weren’t the father. I knew that before we returned to Chicago.”

  Grateful Emily would never be anything but honest with him, he was touched deeply by her words. His lips longed to take a kiss, his hands longed to rove her body, but instead of doing either, he brought his hands to her shoulders and leaned in and kissed her forehead.

  Huskily he said, “You have sweet dreams tonight, Emily. You should never have any other kind.”

  As she looked up at him questioningly, he just smiled and tapped his index finger to her nose.

  Smiling back, she disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Emily took Tess to breakfast the following morning, Caleb’s housekeeper was outwardly nervous. She couldn’t seem to sit still, opening her purse for a tissue, pushing her food around, picking up her fork and putting it down again, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

  Emily leaned across the table and patted her arm. “It’s going to be all right.”

  “When I talked to Annie on Saturday, she seemed so hesitant about coming home again. I told her it didn’t have to be permanently. If she liked California, I could go out there and visit her. Since Mr. Vaughn won’t take any money for finding Annie, I have my savings.”

  “Your daughter might need to get the feel of Thunder Canyon again. I know it took me a while.”

  “She wasn’t happy here,” Tess said with a shake of her head. “Maybe I should move out there. I could. Maybe Mr. Douglas has a friend in California I could work for.” Then she sighed. “He’s still in such a bad mood these days because of the mine and all.”

  Ignoring Tess’s comment about Caleb, Emily focused on Annie. “I think you should wait and spend a few days with your daughter and find out what she’s thinking. You’ll have to get to know each other all over again.”

  Tess took another bite of her eggs. “I guess you’re right. My mind’s just speeding ahead so fast I can’t stop it.”

  All too well Emily knew what that was like. Last night as she’d lain in the cabin bedroom alone, hearing Brad move about out in the living room, her mind had raced, too. But it hadn’t gotten anywhere.

  She wondered why he’d asked her along. Simply be cause she’d been involved in the case and might want to see the conclusion? Although he’d told her the mayor wanted her there, that seemed superficial. Maybe this trip was Brad’s way of saying a final goodbye since they hadn’t done it when she’d resigned. Whatever the reason, her heart ached to be with him…really with him. He’d driven into Bozeman to pick up Annie at the airport, and she and Tess were supposed to meet him at the town hall in the conference room upstairs at ten-thirty. The press conference was scheduled for eleven.

  Glancing around the Hitching Post, trying to absorb everything about it because she knew she wouldn’t be back, Emily felt tears come to her eyes. Not wanting Tess to see, she quickly blinked them away, winked at the Shady Lady above the bar—a woman who’d had a lot more substance than the town had ever expected—and said to Tess, “I don’t want to rush you, but we should be going.”

  Pushing back her plate, Tess gave Emily a weak smile. “Thank you for the breakfast. I just wasn’t hungry.”

  Emily had taken care of the bill after the waitress had brought their breakfast. Now she left a tip and led Tess outside.

  It was a beautiful end of May day, and the immense blue sky was cloudless. The temperature was already sixty degrees, and Emily’s light blazer felt just right. She’d bought the pantsuit for her job interviews. It was a beautiful emerald-green, and the sea-foam blouse complemented it. Brad had appraised her that morning with a light in his eyes that usually meant he wanted to kiss her. But he hadn’t.

  She wouldn’t think about that.

  That morning Brad had dropped off Emily and Tess at the Hitching Post. Now they strolled leisurely through Old Town to the town hall. Already residents, tourists and news crews were spilling from the covered sidewalk into the street. The mayor had given both Emily and Brad passes so security would allow them inside.

  Emily showed her pass to the security guard, keeping hold of Tess’s arm. “She’s with me,” Emily said.

  After the guard gave Tess the once-over, he nodded for them to enter.

  Sitting at her desk, Rhonda fielded questions from men in suits and ties and women professionally attired.

  She’d be busy today.

  Emily guided Tess toward the staircase to the left of the large foyer. It was the same polished wood as the floor, and Emily caught the scent of must and history as they neared the second-floor landing. Going down a hall, she spotted Conference Room A and opened the door. No one was inside.

  With all her heart Emily hoped that Annie hadn’t changed her mind and decided not to fly to Thunder Canyon.

  There was a conference table and a few chairs, but Tess went to stand at the window. “All this fuss over a gold mine. Don’t these people know what’s really important?”

  Emily knew what Tess meant. She knew what was important. Loving someone was important. “Lisa Mar tin’s life might change completely because of this.”

  “Maybe not for the better,” Tess murmured.

  When the door to the conference room suddenly opened, Emily saw Brad first. He quickly stepped aside, letting a pretty young girl pass him.

  Annie Littlehawk stood immobile in the doorway for a few seconds. Then Tess opened her arms to her daughter and Annie flew into them. Both women were crying, and Emily felt tears on he
r cheeks, too.

  Crossing to the door, she gave Brad a wide smile. He put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close.

  Then he said in a husky voice, “Tess, Annie, you can stay here as long as you want. We’re going to leave and give you some privacy. Mr. Douglas said he would send a car when you’re ready to go back to the Lazy D. Just call the ranch.”

  When he and Emily were standing in the hall with the door closed, Emily smiled up at him. “I’m so proud of you for finding Annie.”

  “I had help.” Taking his arm from around Emily’s shoulders, he nodded downstairs. “We’d better get to the press conference. Mayor Brookhurst won’t be happy if we’re late.”

  When Emily and Brad entered the huge reception room, the mayor was already on the stage at the west end of the hall. He beckoned to them. After they mounted the steps, he murmured, “I can’t get in touch with Lisa Martin, and no one knows where she is. I guess she’ll find out she’s the owner if she has her television tuned in to CNN.”

  There was a podium on the stage, which the mayor went to after he motioned Emily and Brad to the two chairs also on the stage. There was a handheld mike on a stand beside one of the chairs that they could pass from one to the other.

  As soon as the mayor tapped on the podium, the room went silent and all eyes were upon him. He introduced himself, knowing full well network cameras were shooting close-ups. Then he welcomed everyone and gave them a brief history of Thunder Canyon. However, he kept his speech short.

  Finally he motioned to Brad. “Mr. Vaughn, a private investigator from Chicago, will now tell you how he and his assistant found the actual deed to the Queen of Hearts gold mine.”

  Emily noticed that Brad seemed very comfortable with the microphone as he made eye contact with the reporters and residents of Thunder Canyon, relating how he and Emily had investigated the ownership of the mine up until their visit with Tildy Matheson. Then he handed the mike to Emily, and she spoke about the trunk in Tildy’s attic and the torn lining. The crowd listened with hushed fascination. Finally, when Emily had finished, Brad nodded to the mayor, and Brookhurst handed him something from inside the podium. It looked like a framed picture.

  But it wasn’t a photograph. Emily soon saw it was the deed, preserved and framed so nothing would happen to it.

  The mayor announced, “The legal owner of the Queen of Hearts gold mine will be presented with this deed at the first opportunity.”

  “Who is the owner?” a reporter shouted out.

  “The rightful owner of the mine was Lily Divine. According to our research, her great-great-granddaughter, Lisa Martin, will now inherit it.”

  Questions exploded. Many of them, about Lisa, couldn’t be answered. Emily suspected reporters would be knocking on Tildy’s door, as well as Lisa Martin’s, as soon as the press conference was over.

  As the questions eventually subsided, the mayor turned to Brad. “As far as the Queen of Hearts gold mine is concerned, we’ve concluded that part of the press conference. But Mr. Vaughn has something else he’d like to say.”

  Suddenly Brad stood with the microphone. Instead of addressing the audience, however, he turned toward Emily. Taking her hand, he drew her up out of her chair.

  “Brad, what are you doing?” she whispered frantically.

  “What I’m doing is acknowledging how I feel about you in front of the whole world.”

  Her heart galloped at triple speed as she looked up into his eyes, stunned by his announcement.

  “I want the whole world to know how very special you are and how very much I love you. It was our trip to Thunder Canyon that made me realize how wonderful you are and how much I need you in my life.”

  Then he took a box from his pocket and knelt before her on one knee!

  The room was silent again, everyone looking on and listening as Brad went on. “I’m taking the biggest risk of my life here today, Emily, because I don’t know what you’re going to say. But I felt I had to propose this way to prove to you how much I care about you. Pretty words don’t mean a thing without action. So I’m taking action.”

  Opening the box, he held out a beautiful diamond in an antique white-gold setting. “I love you, Emily Stanton, and I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”

  No words came to mind as tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at the ring and then she gazed at Brad kneeling on the floor before her…humbling himself before her. All at once she realized he’d planned his proposal this way to prove to her he didn’t care if she was from a different background. He didn’t care that her father had been a blue-collar worker. He didn’t care that she didn’t move in his social circle. He was on his knee before her to prove how very much he loved her.

  Somehow she found the words she needed to banish the anxiety in his eyes, to assure him she felt the same way he did. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  At her answer he was on his feet and folding her into his arms, kissing her with all the pent-up passion he’d been holding in check.

  Applause rang out all around them.

  When Brad broke away from her, he took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. Then he took her hand, led her from the stage and on a dash through the reporters and residents of Thunder Canyon. They were going too fast for anyone to stop them.

  She ran beside him to the parking lot, asking, “Where are we going?”

  “To the cabin.”

  “I can’t believe Caleb is letting you use it again.”

  Two reporters followed them and were now close on their heels. Brad said, “I’ll explain after we get there.

  Come on.”

  In seconds they’d hopped into the SUV and pulled out of the parking lot with a screech of tires.

  They veered onto Thunder Canyon Road. Still stunned, Emily mused, “I thought we were going back to Chicago today.”

  “Can you spare a few days with me? We have a lot to talk about.”

  Happiness began in her heart and filled her whole being. “I can spare a lifetime for you.”

  Taking her hand again, he laid it on his thigh, and that’s where it stayed while they drove to the cabin.

  Once there, they climbed out of the car and went to the doorstep.

  Brad scooped her into his arms. “Finally,” he sighed.

  “Finally what?” she asked with a coy grin.

  “Finally you’re mine.”

  She held her ring up to the sunlight. “Is that what this means?”

  “You can bet your life that’s what it means.”

  Opening the cabin door, he carried her over the threshold. After he kicked it shut with his foot, he took her to the bedroom and gently set her on the bed. With a quick shrug he ridded himself of his suit coat, then unknotted his tie and tossed them both to the bedside chair.

  Beside her on the bed, he held her face in his hands. “Do you know how much I love you?”

  “Tell me,” she murmured.

  “It about drove me nuts last night to sleep here with you and not sleep with you. I wanted you to know this trip had nothing to do with sex. This trip was about you and me and the life we’re going to have…the children we’re going to have. We’re going to spend a few days here planning and dreaming because this is our cabin now.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  “Nope. I made an offer Caleb couldn’t refuse. This is going to be our getaway when life gets too demanding. It will be our vacation spot. When we have kids, I guess we’ll have to build on to it.”

  After he helped rid Emily of her jacket, he began unbuttoning her blouse.

  Her fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt. “What made you change your mind? About marriage, I mean. That night at my mom’s apartment you seemed so definite—”

  His fingers stilled. “I was definite because I was denying what I felt. I thought if I sounded definite I’d be able to convince myself. When I walked away from you that night, my heart hurt, and when I found your resignation on my desk, I knew I couldn’t
abide the thought of you being with anybody but me. I went to find Tess’s daughter and realized how important family was. After I came back, I had a long talk with my mother and I understood things I’d never understood before.”

  “About your parents’ breakup?”

  Tenderly he took her hand in his and caressed her palm. “Yes. She sacrificed her happiness to keep me in her life. I think over the last couple of years I realized that cars and trips and work couldn’t bring happiness. I was restless and dissatisfied and unfulfilled until I came here and got to know you. Then my attitude and perspective changed. Maybe I finally grew up.”

  Seriously he said, “I know I put you on the spot at the press conference. If you have any doubts about marrying me, any doubts at all, we’ll wait until I’ve proven to you there are no reasons for doubts.”

  During their stay in Thunder Canyon, Emily had learned that Brad was a man of integrity, a kind man, one who would know the value of a vow and stand by one for the rest of his life. “I don’t have any doubts.”

  “If you want to go to college, we can make sure that happens. If you want to work with me and find missing persons, I’d like that a lot.”

  “I’ve been thinking about getting my private investigator’s license. Working with you sounds like a wonderful idea. I’m absolutely sure about our future together. I do have one request, though.”

  “What?”

  “Will you make love to me until I believe everything that happened today is real?”

  “Your wish is my command.”

  Then Brad was kissing her and holding her and undressing her and loving her.

  Emily’s dream burned away in the fire of their passion, and she wasn’t sorry. Because the reality of Brad loving her was so much better than any dream ever could be.

  Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Karen Rose Smith for her contribution to the MONTANA MAVERICKS: GOLD RUSH GROOMS series.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-8759-8