“I was thinking we’d set the room up at the end of the day so it doesn’t interrupt the other classes. We can go on our Phys. Ed. walk at about two o’clock and snap the pictures. Then come down to the resort about two-thirty. I know that won’t give us time to develop the film today, but we can work on that tomorrow, maybe.”
Bryce and Reid agreed by nodding.
“Alright, I’ll go down and start cleaning out that room and have it ready by two-thirty,” I promised them.
“Thanks, Dad,” Reid said. Bryce shook his head comically at me in agreement.
“Sure thing,” I answered, grinning at them, then at Angela while we cleaned up the lunch plates. “Just put them in the dishwasher,” I told the kids.
“Thanks for lunch,” Angela said. “I enjoyed it.”
“You're welcome,” I told her. “Anytime, and I’m glad you liked the elk.” I smiled at her and looked at the boys as I headed out. “See you guys at two-thirty.”
* * *
Back in my office, I finished the payroll so I could get started on cleaning out the storage room. I kept rehashing lunch with Angela and the boys. Again, I marveled at how well she fit in and how much the boys liked her. It seemed totally normal for her to be there with us.
It was becoming increasingly hard to deny my attraction to Angela. I thought about Sam, and immediately feelings of guilt took over. I remembered what my mom had told me the other day, that it was okay for me to move on. That Sam would want me to be happy. But it was hard. Really hard.
I didn’t want to push Sam out of my mind.
I needed to find balance. I would always love Sam and she would always be a part of my heart. I also knew it wasn’t fair to deny myself the opportunity to find happiness again. Not for me or my boys.
The thoughts started to weigh on me, and I knew that I needed to get them off my chest. I needed someone to talk to. It was times like these when I missed my dad. He’d known me well, being his eldest son, the one who’d spent the most time with him.
I miss you, Dad. What would you do?
Out of all my brothers, Cole was the most level-headed when it came to relationships, not that he’d had one in a long time. I was also closest to Cole and felt the most comfortable talking to him. So I decided to ask Cole to come and help me clean out the storage room. That way, I could nonchalantly ask his opinion about my situation with Angela.
Cole arrived, and we began cleaning old supplies and random things out of the unused room.
“Why have we kept all of this junk?” he asked, grimacing.
I laughed. “I have no idea. This is like the junk drawer in the kitchen, on a larger scale.”
“Really,” Cole agreed. “It’s great the boys want to take up photography, though. I’d think it would be something that Reid would certainly be into.”
“I know. Surprisingly, Bryce is just as excited about it. I think it has to do with Angela,” I said. “She’s a good influence on them.”
“That’s great,” Cole replied. “They could use a mother-figure, I’m sure,” he commented, looking at me out of the corner of his eye, trying to feel out my reaction to the statement.
“Do you think they’re ready for that?” I asked him.
Cole stopped and looked at me. “Is this what’s been bothering you?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “It’s been on my mind a lot lately.”
“Since Angela’s shown up, it’s no big secret that you’re attracted to her. We all have eyes, you know?” he said, more light-hearted now.
That made me smile. Guess I wasn’t as sly as I thought.
“Yeah, I know. And I do like her. The more time I spend with her, the more I like her. I’m having a lot of guilty feelings about Sam, though,” I confided in Cole. “I feel like I’m being unfaithful.”
He continued moving all the stuff and nodded in understanding. “I don’t blame you. How can you not feel that way? Samantha was your first love. Your only love. But she’s gone now and, I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to wallow in her death.”
“I know,” I agreed, shaking my head. “Mom said the same thing.”
“And Mom is always right,” Cole said, chuckling.
“Yeah,” I agreed, smiling.
After a moment of silent working, he said, “It’s okay to let Angela in, you know. And if you’re worried about the boys, I don’t think you need to be. They like her.” He looked at me, waiting until I looked at him. “And like I already said, they probably enjoy having a lady around. The more time that they spend with Angela, the more they’ll feel that way toward her. They know Angela doesn’t want to replace their mother. They’re smart and adaptable.”
“I know you’re right, Cole. Thanks. I could never have had this conversation with Dax or Harley,” I said to him.
Cole laughed a deep belly laugh. “Dax and Harley might grow up one day,” he said. I laughed with him.
We finished cleaning out the storage room just as Angela arrived with the boys. They were each carrying a box of darkroom supplies. Cole found a long table for them that we’d stashed in an outbuilding. I introduced Cole and Angela for the first time, and they hit it off right away. Cole gave me a sly wink as he left.
The boys, Angela, and I set up the darkroom together. Now, more than ever, I was certain that she belonged here.
Angela
Wednesday morning, I had English, math, and history lessons planned for the boys. I wondered about Brad and looked at the clock, ready for lunch way too early. We only saw each other for a moment in the morning, as he had a nine o’clock meeting. As I was coming in, he was running out.
When twelve-thirty came, I could hardly contain myself. I asked the boys if their dad mentioned lunch today.
“No, all he said in the morning was that he had a lot of meetings today,” Reid informed me.
“He wouldn’t let us starve, though,” Bryce said.
Reid laughed. “Bryce, we have a refrigerator full of food. We can make sandwiches,” he suggested, looking at me for approval.
“Yes, we can make sandwiches if your dad doesn’t show up in the next few minutes,” I agreed.
Just when I was reaching for the bread, there was a knock at the door. I opened it and found a young man from the kitchen, dressed in a white cook’s shirt standing on the porch. He held out a plastic bag of takeout boxes.
“Mr. Hunter asked me to deliver these,” the cook informed me. “He included a note for you, Miss Barret,” the cook said, handing me the bag and note.
I thanked him, and he skipped back down the porch steps, taking two at a time, and jumped into his car. I carried the bag to the kitchen island, and the boys began unpacking it.
I opened the note. It was addressed to the boys and me, so I read it out loud:
Dear Bryce, Reid, and Angela,
Sorry I couldn't make it to lunch today. I have meetings scheduled all day and a couple of interviews for summer housekeeping positions going on. Please enjoy the food. Talk to you guys later.
“Let’s eat.” I tried to hide my disappointment that their father wouldn’t be joining us.
“Mmmm, tuna fish sandwiches,” Reid exclaimed.
“Tuna?” Bryce grouched. “He knows I hate tuna fish.” He had a disgusted look on his face.
“Calm down, there’s more here,” I showed him. “Let’s see…looks like chicken noodle soup. And there’s breadsticks and salad.”
“Good. I like chicken noodle,” he informed me, smiling again, taking a breadstick.
I divided the food up amongst us, and we ate our lunch talking about what we had planned for the afternoon. My heart was only half in the conversation as I sipped on my soup and thought about Brad in his meetings. I felt guilty about thinking about him and not giving the boys my undivided attention. I was allowing myself to get too caught up in my attraction to the man. I tried to put him out of my mind.
We finished our lunch and cleaned up. We had health and biology to finish up for the day, so we got
to it.
“What about the darkroom?” Bryce asked.
“We can go down to the resort after we finish these lessons,” I told him.
About an hour later, the phone rang. Bryce ran to answer it. “Hello?” He listened for a moment. “Yes, it was good. Thanks. Okay,” he paused while listening.
“Who is it?” Reid tried to ask him in a loud whisper. Bryce looked over at him and put up one finger, telling him to hold on.
Finally, Bryce looked over and held out the phone to me. “It’s Dad. He wants to talk to you.”
I grabbed the receiver from him, my heart beating faster. “Hello?” I greeted him.
“Hi, Angela, sorry I missed lunch,” Brad apologized.
“It’s okay. I know you’re busy,” I replied, happy he’d thought of me during lunchtime.
“I’m calling because I wanted to ask you if you would like to go to dinner with me tonight? There’s a nice restaurant downtown I’ve been wanting to try,” he explained. “I think you’ll like it, too.”
His question took me off guard. Dinner? I thought excitedly.
“Sure, I’d love to go,” I answered.
“Okay, great. I made reservations for seven-fifteen. Can I pick you up at seven?” he asked me.
“That’s perfect,” I said and rattled off my address when he asked.
“I’ll see you then. Can you put Reid on the phone for a minute?” he asked.
“Sure. See you later,” I replied and told Reid his dad wanted to speak to him.
I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. My heart was beating faster than normal, and I was certain I was blushing. I refocused my energy where it belonged, on the boys, but I couldn’t hide my happiness.
When the kids were doing their lesson, I used my laptop to Google the restaurants in Blue Haven. Only one came back as nice, a fancy place called The Stone Terrace. Also, the diner on Main Street came up, along with a fast-food joint, and The River Room, here at the resort. I looked over The Stone Terrace’s website and saw that it was, indeed, a fancy restaurant and lounge. I would have to find something nice to wear.
Excited about tonight, I turned my mind back to the boys’ lessons. When they finished, we walked down to the darkroom in the resort. It was a beautiful day for a stroll, and we could develop the negatives and make a couple of prints if we had time.
When we got to the resort, I noticed that Brad’s Jeep wasn’t parked in its normal spot, and I didn’t see him for the rest of the afternoon. Even though he said he would be busy, I still hoped to get a glimpse of him.
The developing of the negatives went well, and we had time to print a couple of photos. Each of the boys took a finished photo with them to hang in their room. I told them we would print the rest of the negatives next time.
When the school day was over, the boys were to go and see their Gram, according to Brad’s instructions. I made sure they complied and then walked slowly back up the drive to the house where I’d left my car.
It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed the alone time and strolled up the drive. I didn’t see another soul after leaving the resort, except for a couple of guests getting out of their cars. It wasn’t the busy season right now. I could imagine this place was packed in the summer months as well as during the peak ski season and holidays.
I reached my car, where I had left my laptop bag and lesson books before heading down to the darkroom. Brad’s house loomed before me, empty. Again, I felt the gratitude of having such a great job, and the excitement that maybe it could lead to so much more.
Back at home, I searched through my closet for something to wear. My nerves were getting the best of me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
After thinking about it, I realized I hadn’t felt like this toward any man in a very long time. Maybe never. I’d thought I loved John. We’d even talked about getting married. Of course, thankfully, that never happened. He’d turned into a jealous, controlling prick who’d almost killed me.
Though I had only known Brad for a week, I could say without a doubt that he would never treat a woman poorly. I could see it in how he cared for his boys, how he conversed with his mother, and how he spoke of his late wife. I could see it even in the small way he thoughtfully brought me lunch every day.
I was forced to admit to myself that my feelings toward him were growing deeper each day.
I found a lovely white summer dress with spaghetti straps that flowed to just above my knees. The top fit my bosom perfectly, allowing a little cleavage to show. I added a turquoise silk shawl around my shoulders as it was a little too chilly outside to wear a summer dress. The turquoise brought out the greenish-blue color of my eyes.
I pulled matching heels out of my closet — a white pair of leather, high heel sandals that wrapped around my ankles. I massaged lotion on my bare, tanned skin, making it soft and supple. In the bathroom, I applied mascara on my long lashes, lightly brushed on pink blush, and added a dab of red lipstick. I brushed my long, wavy, thick hair, pulling up the front and securing them in a clip behind my head, allowing the strands to hang down over the longer, back part. I put on my diamond drop earrings and took a final look in the mirror.
I looked elegant in a nice, summery kind of way. I was happy with the girl who nervously beamed back at me.
Looking at the clock, I noticed it was just about seven. I grabbed my evening bag and made sure I had my cell phone and wallet just as I heard a rap on the door.
I took a deep breath. You deserve this, I reminded myself and went to open the door.
Brad stood there, standing tall and handsome in a black suit. Under the jacket, which he wore open, was a white dress shirt slightly unbuttoned at the top, revealing curly chest hair peeking out. His blue eyes beamed at me. He looked super sexy.
“Hi,” he said, holding out a bouquet of mixed flowers. He looked me up and down before meeting my eyes again. And he blushed. “You look beautiful,” he said, smiling.
“Thank you, Brad. You look handsome yourself,” I informed him. I accepted the flowers and asked him to come in while I put them in water. “These are lovely,” I told him, taking the time to inhale their sweet scent. I found a vase and put the flowers in the center of the dining room table.
Brad watched me as he glanced around my home. “Your house is nice. But you don’t have much furniture,” he observed.
“No, I moved here with no furniture,” I told him. “I’ve had some delivered, and I found some pieces at the antique store. I love antique furniture,” I said, pointing to the coffee table and two end tables. “The dining room table is antique, as well. I had the couch, TV, and my bed delivered.”
“I see,” Brad said. “These antiques are exquisite,” he observed, running his hands over the carved details of the end table. “Cole would appreciate these pieces.”
“Cole has good taste,” I said, grinning.
“He sure does,” Brad agreed. “Are you ready to go?”
I nodded, and we walked outside. As we were walking down the walkway to Brad’s jeep, I noticed the black sedan with the tinted windows again, parked at the end of the street next to the curb.
Brad followed my gaze but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. I, however, knew all the cars that parked on this street and knew this one didn’t belong to anyone here.
We reached the jeep, and Brad opened the passenger side door for me. I thanked him and stepped inside. He softly closed the door behind me and hurried around to the driver’s side.
As we drove past the black car, I tried to see if anyone was sitting inside of it. The windows were too dark, though. I also noticed that there was no house at that end of the street. The house beside it had a large side yard, which this car was parked alongside.
Weird, I thought.
Brad was telling me about one of his meetings today, and I turned to listen to his story. Soon, I was so completely absorbed in what Brad was saying and forgot about the black sedan.
Brad
She clapped her hands together in pleasure when I held out the bouquet of mixed flowers. Her reaction was priceless. Now I knew she loved flowers, something I didn’t know before.
I drove to The Stone Terrace Restaurant and couldn’t stop jabbering along the way. It was like not seeing her all day had taken a toll on me, and I felt as if I had a hundred things to tell her.
The best thing about Angela was that she genuinely cared about what I was saying. I forgot what it was like to have someone to tell about my day. Even the simplest of things, like how a meeting went, she enjoyed hearing it. I found it easier and easier to talk to her the more time that I spent with her. I looked forward to our conversations every day.
I parked the jeep in the restaurant’s parking lot and opened Angela’s door for her. I hooked my arm through hers as we walked from the car into the restaurant. She nestled close to me and looked up and smiled. It felt good to have a sexy woman to walk arm and arm with again.
There are so many things I miss about being in a relationship, I realized.
The maître d' led us to our table. Candlelight bounced off the cream-colored tablecloth and set a perfect ambiance for the evening. Being that it was April, and a Wednesday, we had the dining area to ourselves. We could hear several patrons at the bar having a good time, but besides that, we were alone.
I was both nervous and excited.
Dancing firelight reflected in Angela’s eyes when she looked at me. She pulled her gaze from mine just long enough to gaze at the exposed beams of the ceiling and the massive stone fireplace at the back of the room.
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 7