by K. C. Crowne
I looked over and saw Hailey blinking at me. Twirling my hair was not something that I did often. I stopped immediately and turned to take my suitcase to the bedroom, not letting her see the small smile that had formed on my lips.
Dax
I was astonished at how sexy Oakley Padin was. I mean, I already knew she was hot. But in person, she was a total babe. Model quality to the T.
When I had first spotted her at the airport, I recognized her right away. She was taller than I had imagined. She had stridden toward me in her high heeled boots as if she was floating across the floor. And her classy cashmere coat that tied around her waist and ass-hugging, black dress pants shouted self-assurance. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
The girls that I dated were usually good looking. But not like Oakley Padin. Oakley was not only attractive but confident. And that was a huge turn on, even if she was out of my league.
I had caught her checking me out a few times. But when I looked at her, she quickly looked away. I wasn’t sure what that meant. Did she find me attractive and she was being shy about it? No. She wasn’t the shy type. Or, was she just checking me out to see who she’d be stuck working with all week?
I really couldn’t tell, and it bothered me. I had never had trouble getting a girl that I wanted. There was no guessing game involved. I could have any woman I wanted. But could I have Oakley?
The thought was driving me crazy. I went home and decided to look up Oakley’s social media posts again. Was this becoming an obsession? Maybe. But I couldn’t stop myself.
I wanted to find out as much as I could about her. Maybe I missed something important the other night? Maybe she was, in fact, in a relationship even though her profile read as ‘single’.
I studied each of her photos. Many of them were professional and portrayed her wedding planning business. This made sense as she had to maintain professionalism. But in a few where she was with friends and family, she had let her hair down.
And, it appeared as if she could have some fun. Hmm, who would have guessed? Her hair was long and wavy. Copper highlights blazed in the lighting. Her blue eyes were as bright as sapphires.
A buzzing sensation in my pocket pulled me back into reality. I had been staring at Oakley’s photo and daydreaming of her.
Maybe it was Oakley calling?
My expectations were smashed when I saw the number on the screen belonged to Traci.
I hit the silence button and shoved the phone back into my pocket. I returned my gaze back to Oakley’s picture.
She was the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen. And I wanted her. Now to find out if she wanted me too.
Oakley
I was up bright and early on Friday morning. All night, I had thought of Dax Hunter. It resulted in a night of tossing and turning, trying to convince myself to stop thinking of him. Which turned out to be impossible.
I wanted to kick myself for making this harder than it needed to be. I wasn’t acting like myself at all. I was never one to moon over a guy. Especially not a guy like Dax. He seemed too carefree and I was organized and regimented. It would never work.
Since I was at an outdoor resort and everyone else would be dressed casually, I decided to take that approach myself this morning. Blue jeans, a white tank top, and red flannel. I finished off the outfit with a pair of hiking boots.
When I went to do my hair, I intended to leave it down. But I couldn’t. When working, I always wore it up in a stylish bun, so I kept it as such.
Hailey and I decided to walk to breakfast before we got stared for the day. The resort did, indeed, have delicious food and I was impressed. It was such a quaint and cozy place, smaller than the huge five-star resorts that we were accustomed to frequenting for weddings.
But I loved the charming atmosphere. It felt homey and I had noticed that the guests seemed to truly enjoy themselves here. I was happy that the Stones had chosen this place for the ceremony and reception.
After breakfast, Hailey and I went back to the cabin and the plan was for her to manage the RSVPs on the laptop while I met up with Dax to go over the floral and catering arrangements.
I called the number on the card that he had given to me and Dax answered right away.
“Hiya. Good morning,” he greeted me.
“Good morning, Dax. Are you ready to get started with the floral order and catering menu?” I asked.
“Sure. My office with all of my equipment is in my cabin. It’s located up the road that climbs up behind the resort. Is it alright if I come and pick you up and we come up here to make the arrangements?” he asked me.
I paused. He wanted me to come to his home? Part of me felt uncomfortable with the invitation. Was he trying to hit on me? Dax must have sensed my hesitation.
“If that’s not okay with you, we can meet in the dining room and I’ll bring my laptop,” he offered. “I can print out the menu when I get back home.”
I quickly thought it over. Because he was the Social Media and Advertisement Manager and he lived on-site, it did make sense that he’d have a home office. I couldn’t imagine that I wouldn’t be safe in his home.
But my safety wasn’t actually what I was worried about. Being alone with Dax was what the real problem was. And that was just silly. I was a grown woman and I could control my urges.
“No, meeting in your office is fine. I’m ready whenever you are,” I answered.
“Okay, I’ll be right down. Black GMC Sierra pickup.”
“I’ll keep a watch for you. Thanks, Dax.”
“No problem. See you in a few.”
A few minutes later, as promised, I heard the loud engine of a big pickup pull into the small driveway of the cabin. Dax got out and greeted me on the porch.
“All set?” he asked.
“All set.”
Dax led me to the passenger side and opened the door for me. He took my small carry bag from me as I climbed in then reached up to hand it back.
The truck cabin was filled with the soft aroma of his aftershave. It was a sexy fragrance and it reminded me of how manly Dax was.
Putting the thought out of my mind, I gave him a brief, friendly smile as he pulled away from the cabin. He drove up past the main resort buildings and took a left on a small driveway that led up the mountainside. The road traveled up a bit before leveling off and a string of structures came into view. One large house and four smaller wooden cabins.
He took us past the main house and the first two cabins before pulling in front of the third one.
“Home sweet home,” he said, grinning at me.
“This is lovely. You’re lucky to live someplace so beautiful,” I exclaimed.
“Yeah, I am,” he agreed, getting out of the truck and coming around to open the door and help me down.
I was surprised at how chivalrous he was as he offered me his hand and helped me step down from the raised truck bed. He struck me as a total playboy, and way too laid back to be such a gentleman. He continued to surprise me.
Dax led me up the front steps onto the large front porch and then opened the unlocked cabin door. He stood aside and waved me inside.
“After you.”
“Thanks,” I said, as I stepped through the wooden doorframe.
Taking my first look around the small cabin, I gasped at the exquisiteness. All pine logged walls, low hanging, exposed beams, and even a hand carved stairway which led up to the second floor.
“Did you build this cabin yourself?” I inquired.
“Yes, me and my brothers and my dad,” he answered.
“Wow look at all of the small details,” I marveled.
“Yeah, the cabins are all laid out the same basically, but the small details were my personal touch,” he responded. “Come on in, here is my office.”
I followed Dax to a small room which could have been a second bedroom if he had kids. Instead, he had it decked out as his home office. All sorts of tech equipment filled the room; most that I wouldn’t have any
idea how to operate.
“I’m a tech geek. Have been since I was a kid,” Dax explained as I took in all of the equipment dominating the room.
“Yeah, I can see,” I replied. I gave him a soft smile as he pulled an extra chair up to his desk and computer.
“Let’s get started.”
For the next couple of hours, we viewed floral arrangements from various local businesses. With the Stone’s desires in mind, I selected a wide variety of arrangements from two different shops. I also chose the bride’s bouquet.
It was astonishingly easy to work with Dax. I found myself giggling a few times at his senseless jokes. But I tried to remain professional and tried to avoid making eye contact as much as possible. More than a few times I sensed his gaze upon me. I knew that making eye contact would be a big mistake.
As we were scrolling through the arrangement options, I reached for the mouse at the same time that Dax did. Our hands touched, and an instant shockwave of excitement coursed through my body. I immediately moved my hand away from his and pretended that nothing had happened.
But the touch, as slight as it was, caused my center to tingle with desire for the gorgeous man sitting beside me.
Next was the catering menu. The Stone’s wanted a nice array of hors-d'oeuvres, salads, entrées, and desserts. Again, because of Dax’s mountain-man-ness, I was surprised at his knowledge of fancy foods. I was expecting to have to explain each dish to him. But again, his family did run an award-winning restaurant, and the menu planning went quickly and smoothly.
In no time, we were done. Dax made sure that all of the orders for the flowers were placed and paid for. He printed out the receipts and the entire menu for me. With that, I thought that we were done for the day. I It was all I had planned, thinking the task would take much longer to achieve. But, to my surprise, Dax suggested that we take the menu down to Head Chef Michael and also give his mom, Mary Beth Hunter, a copy.
“Michael will need it anyway and my mom is his number one helper,” Dax explained, chuckling. “Not the line cooks or prep cooks; my mom.”
“I see,” I said, smiling. I loved the family aspect of the business. “It must be nice to work so closely with your family.”
“It is. My brothers drive me nuts sometimes, but I couldn’t imagine working or living anywhere else.”
“You have all of this tech experience,” I noted, motioning around the room. “You could probably make good money working in the IT business instead of being a Social Media Manager.”
“Yes, I got my college degree in IT. At one time, catching hackers is what I wanted to do. But I could never leave the resort. And there aren’t too many any other IT jobs around Blue Haven, Colorado,” he said grinning.
“I bet,” I agreed. “The town we drove through to get here is about as small as the one where I come from,” I confided in him.
“Where are you from? If you don’t mind me asking.”
I had a feeling that he already knew, being that he wrote that article about the Stones and me. But I obliged him with an answer anyway.
“Alta, Utah. Home of 385 skiers,” I told him.
He smiled. “385 skiers, eh?”
“Yeah, there’s nothing much else to do there,” I said thinking back to my childhood skiing adventures.
“Sounds fun. So, you’re used to the mountain life. I didn’t take you for a mountain girl,” he said.
“A mountain girl? No, I live in town. Always have. I just go up the mountain to ski and stuff.”
“I see,” Dax smiled as he got up and gathered up his things. Taking extra menu copies for Michael and Mary Beth, I followed him back outside and to his truck.
Once again, he was a gentleman and helped me into and back out of the truck once we reached the main resort building. But out of the corner of my eye, I caught Dax giving me a sexy stare. I ignored him and walked into the resort, but not before seeing the confused look on his face.
I’m sure that Dax, as handsome as he was, was used to getting all of the girls. With his toned body, that long, blonde hair, full beard and mustache, I imagined girls threw themselves at him.
Well, not me. I was not the throwing myself at a man type. I was almost amused by the fact that he found me puzzling.
Dax led me through the common room, past the front desk, and through a narrow hallway. Heading back to the kitchen, I observed all the craftsmanship of the resort’s woodwork. Similar to his cabin, I could tell the work was that of his family’s. The railing of the stairs leading up to the guest rooms was similar. The front desk had beautiful etchings carved into it, and the hearth over the fireplace was exquisitely beautiful.
As we reached the kitchen’s double doors, an older man came out of an office at the end of the hallway. Though the man had some grey sprinkled through his hair and beard and was a bit burlier, the resemblance to Dax was striking. He must have been be one of his brothers.
“Dax! How’s it going?” the man asked.
“It’s going.”
Then Dax turned to me. “Oakley, this is my oldest brother, Brad Hunter.” He looked at Brad and said, “Oakley Padin, the wedding planner.”
“Miss Padin, it’s so nice to finally meet you. I’m sorry that I hadn’t come to introduce myself upon your arrival. I’m the resort’s Guest Relations Manager. With so much going on, I’ve been up to my ears in making arrangements and such.” Brad informed me, reaching out to shake my hand.
I accepted his handshake. Like his brother’s, Brad’s shake was firm and sincere.
“Call me Oakley; and I understand,” I told him. “I know that the wedding venue was decided at the last minute. I didn’t get a reason as to why the Stone’s waited so long to the event date to choose. I was just hired on Monday as well, so it was last minute for me also.”
Brad sighed. “Crazy, right? But even with the wedding date so near, there was no way I could turn away such a publicized event. Dax and I have already been bombarded by reporters all week. All this publicization is great for the resort.”
“Trust me, I completely understand. This wedding is huge for both of us,” I agreed with him.
“Is everything going alright?” Brad asked me and then looked to Dax.
“Yes, Dax has been very helpful. We got all the floral arrangements ordered and here are the menu items for the chef, and your mom I guess,” I added, holding out the list and smiling at Dax.
Dax nodded at Brad and grinned that grin of his at me.
“Good to hear,” Brad replied. His phone began to ring in his office. “Got to grab that. We should all get together for dinner one evening over the weekend,” he called out as he rushed to answer the phone.
“Sure,” Dax and I said in unison. We looked at each other and I couldn’t help but return his comical grin.
Dax chuckled. “Come on, let’s find my mom and Michael.”
He led me through the kitchen door and we ran right into an older, attractive, slightly plump lady wearing a long flowery dress with a white apron wrapped around her waist. Her bright blue eyes told me who she was. Mary Beth Hunter.
“This must be Oakley,” Mary Beth cooed. She wore a big, motherly smile ear to ear. I instantly felt at ease with her. What a wonderful family, I thought.
“Yes, this is Oakley Padin. Oakley, this is my mom, Mary Beth,” Dax introduced us. We all smiled at each other before I handed over a copy of the planned menu to her.
She looked it over and nodded in approval. “Very good. This is a wonderful menu. Michael will be pleased.”
“Michael, will you please come over here for a sec?” she called out.
There were some banging noises in an adjacent room which I took to be the pantry. Then, a good-looking, tall and slender man wearing a white chef hat and coat came ambling out of the room. He put down the pots and pans and bag of flour he was cradling in his arms and came over to greet us.
“Hello, there,” he greeted me, giving me a professional smile. “Dax.”
Perfect,
I thought. This can’t get any better. Looking around the large, well-equipped, restaurant-style kitchen, I was beginning to understand why the Stone’s chose this resort. Not only was it picturesque, but it had all the amenities of a larger resort without all the hustle and bustle.
“Michael, this is Oakley Padin, the Stone’s wedding planner. She has the catering menu for you.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Padin. I’ve heard good things about you.” He took the papers from me and looked them over. “I love this. It’s nice to work with such a respectable planner. I like when things go smoothly,” he informed me.
I felt my cheeks get hot at his compliment. Wow, I thought. How nice, coming from a well-recognized Head Chef. My hard work did not always get noticed --or complimented --and it felt good.
“Call me Oakley. And thanks for the compliment. It means a lot to me.” I nodded sincerely.
“Sure thing, Oakley. And I’m going to get started ordering what we need and planning this all out. Thanks for getting this to me so far in advanced. The press is going to be watching me as well,” he said, his voice trailing off as he walked away studying the menu.
Still smiling, I looked back to Mary Beth and Dax. Mary Beth was still looking over the menu and Dax’s intense gaze was focused on me. Our eyes met by accident. Out of my excitement, I had let my guard down.
I felt that tingle of excitement again.
I forced myself to break eye contact with Dax and told Mary Beth what a great kitchen she had. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Dax cock his head at me. Then, he rubbed his chin and scratched his beard as if he was trying to figure me out.
After a short conversation with Mary Beth, Dax suggested that we get an early dinner in the dining room. I had almost forgotten about Hailey back at the cabin. She, of course, was not stuck inside but was probably wondering what I was up to.
I agreed to dinner and told Dax that I had to call Hailey. She would be starving too. After a quick conversation with her, she agreed to head over to the restaurant to meet us.