I dressed and got my morning coffee. Watching the sunrise, I couldn’t get Angela off my mind. I wished she could be here with me to watch the daybreak.
Maybe someday she will be here with me, I daydreamed, a happy, sappy grin on my face.
I got the boys up and made them a quick breakfast. Right before nine, I heard Angela’s car pull up, and I went to the door to greet her. She looked stunning in a black dress and high heels. She wore her hair long, flowing down her back.
I should tell her she can dress more casually, I thought. But then I’d miss this sexy, elegant look of hers.
Angela smiled when she saw me. I wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss her, but the boys were right inside. I forced myself to take a step back and let her pass by me. I offered her a cup of coffee and told her I had meetings all day again would probably have to miss lunch.
“No problem,” she answered, looking a bit disappointed.
“Why don’t you guys go down to the resort today for lunch? On the house. I’ll tell Ms. Everette you guys are coming, and you can order whatever you want.”
“You sure? We can just eat leftovers from the buffet. The food is really good.”
“We’ll have leftovers tomorrow,” I told her. “Go down and order what you want today.”
“Cool,” Reid said, never a fan of leftovers. They would order the same thing they always did. Burgers and French fries.
“Okay, thanks,” Angela replied. “Will you be around at all this afternoon?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve got a meeting with the liquor supplier this afternoon. He likes to jabber a lot,” I said with a chuckle as I continued to list the events of the day. “I have to go through inventory before he comes and make sure I order everything I need to restock our bars for the upcoming events we have scheduled.”
“Busy man,” she teased.
“I’ll probably still be up at the ski lodge when you’re finished for the day. Why don’t you drive up there and meet me?” I invited her. Anything to spend some time with her. “I can show you around. It’s really pretty up there. You continue past the resort and up the second road. Just follow the signs to the lifts and ski lodge and park in the lot up there.”
“Okay, that sounds fun,” she said, grinning now.
I blushed, trying to cover up my eagerness at seeing Angela after the boys’ classes. I turned to them and added, “Boys, you can come, too, if you want. Or you can check in with Gram before doing whatever it is thirteen-year-old boys do.”
“Okay,” Bryce agreed, and Reid nodded, neither implying what they would do. I figured they would probably go off on their own. They’d been working on building a shack down by the river, so they’d probably head that way.
“See you guys later. Have a good day,” I called as I headed out the door. I turned to give Angela one more smile, which she immediately returned. I felt the butterflies flutter in my stomach again.
I headed down to the resort and went into the kitchen to pour myself a fresh cup of coffee. I felt as if I were floating on air. I must have been humming because when I turned from putting the cream back into the refrigerator, my mom was standing behind me in her apron, beaming at me.
“Well, well, well. Someone seems to be in a good mood this morning,” she commented, a small smile on her face, one eyebrow arched.
“Oh, hi, Mom. I didn’t hear you come into the kitchen,” I confessed.
“I’m guessing your good mood has something to do with your date last night?”
“Yeah, I guess it does. It went well,” I told her blandly.
“That’s all I get? It went well?” she asked, rolling her eyes.
“Okay,” I said, chuckling. “It was terrific.”
“That’s great news,” she said excitedly. “I’m happy for you, dear.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“The boys have nothing but good things to say about Angela. I think she’s had a good influence on them,” she mused. “And in such a short time, too.”
“I’m glad you think so,” I admitted.
“Yes, and I like her. I know I haven't had the chance to spend a lot of time with her yet, but I think she’s a very nice young lady, from what I’ve seen so far.”
“I’m glad,” I said again. “So you approve of me dating her?”
“Yes, you have my full approval.” She slapped my arm, grinning.
I smiled, happy that my mom approved of me dating Angela. When it came down to it, her approval meant everything to me.
Just as I was turning to head out of the kitchen, the phone rang. “Oh, I better get that,” Mom said. “Katie’s upstairs helping one of the guests set up their Wi-Fi.” She picked up the phone which hung on the kitchen wall. “Hello, thanks for calling Hunter’s Mountain Resort, this is Mary Beth speaking.” After a pause, she continued. “No, I’m sorry, there’s nobody named Angie working here. No problem. Goodbye.”
“Who was that?”
“Oh, a man was asking to speak to an Angie who works here. We don’t have an Angie,” she stated matter-of-factly and then went back to her business.
But I had a niggling feeling in my gut. Angie was the short version of Angela. Was it just a coincidence? A few things I hadn’t paid much attention to before now came to mind. The fact that she wanted to be paid in cash. The way she looked up and down her street when we’d gotten to her house last night, almost as if she was expecting someone to be there. Did she have a boyfriend somewhere?
The last thing I needed was to get involved with someone who already had a boyfriend. I reminded myself I was jumping to conclusions and headed out the door.
Angela
I was excited that Brad had asked me to meet him after work at the ski lodge. After the boys’ classes finished, I took them down to the resort and had them go in and find their gram like Brad had instructed. Then, I followed the signs up to the ski lodge, navigating the steep road carefully.
Finally, I reached the top parking area and parked next to Brad’s jeep. There was another SUV in the lot, as well. To the left were the ski lifts, and the slopes extended up the snow-covered mountainside. Nobody was utilizing the lifts since no one was skiing, but I’d bet the view as you rode was magnificent.
Wow, I thought, taking in the massive structure before me.
The lodge itself was a wood and stone building. It looked like a large log cabin with a stone foundation and a big stilted front porch. It was beautiful, and I marveled at how Brad and his father had built this place with their own two hands.
I headed up the stairs onto the porch. I could see Cole’s works of art decorating the expansive porch. Two large, hand-carved benches took up most of one side along with a big wooden coffee table. On the other side, there was a big porch swing and several handmade armchairs. A big, hand-carved bear sculpture stood by the doorway.
Look at these details, I thought, running my hand over the carved bear. They are exquisite!
I entered the lodge and gasped. It was one big room decorated like a mountain hunting cabin. Deer, elk, and moose heads decorated the walls. A huge bearskin rug dominated the floor. One side was used as a living room type of space with several couches and armchairs. The other side had a long bar made of shiny, finished wood. Wooden stools were lined up against it. There was a big stone fireplace straight ahead, which was the focal point of the room.
I could imagine, during peak season, all the guests hanging out here, having a drink or hot cocoa by the fireplace between ski sessions.
There was a back room beyond the bar, and I followed the voices coming from it. I found a large counter when I first walked in, which was covered with a variety of skis and ski equipment behind and on the counter.
I moved behind the counter to a third room used for storage. Pushing the door opened, I found Brad talking with a tall, skinny man. The liquor vendor, I supposed. The man was holding a clipboard and writing down what Brad was saying as he went through the existing inventory.
“H
ello,” I announced myself.
Brad turned to face me and smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hi, Angela. Give us a few more minutes to finish up. Go make yourself a drink at the bar if you like,” he offered.
I thanked him and returned to the main room. I didn’t want a drink, so I poured myself a glass of seltzer water.
Brad didn’t keep me waiting long. Soon after I’d poured my seltzer, he and the man came out of the back room.
“See you next week with this order,” the man told Brad as he shook his hand and headed out the door, nodding at me as he passed.
Brad stood in front of me, looking awkward. I couldn’t tell what it was, but something was definitely off. He was behaving much differently from when I’d seen him that morning. Maybe he was just tired after a long day. Or maybe he’d had time to think about what had happened between us and decided it was a mistake.
“The ski lodge is beautiful,” I told him, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
“Thanks,” he answered, his eyes not meeting mine. After a moment, he looked at me and asked if I would like to take a walk. “There’s a nice path up here that we keep clear. You can see the rest of the resort down below on a clear day.”
“That sounds great,” I said. He looked down at my high heels. “I have tennis shoes in the car,” I reported. “I figured I should always have them with me, working at a place like this.”
We went out to my car, where I sat down and put on my tennis shoes. There was about an inch of snow on the ground, but like Brad had suggested, there was a stone walkway cleared of the snow for people to walk on.
The walkway took us around the lodge and into the pine trees where the stone led away to gravel. I noticed some puddles in places, but they were easy enough to navigate around as we walked.
I inhaled the wonderfully woody scent of pine, smiling as it filled my senses. The sunlight beamed through the trees, and I was mesmerized by the beauty of the place.
I expected Brad to take my hand like he had last night. When he didn’t, I had a sinking feeling that my earlier suspicion was true.
After a few minutes of silence, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Is something bothering you?”
He looked at me for a moment as if he was wondering how to put his thoughts into words. “We got a phone call this morning. A man asking for Angie,” he said. “I couldn’t help but wonder if it was someone looking for you.”
I stopped in my tracks and felt the color from my face drain. “A man asked for Angie?”
“Yes.” He tilted his head as he looked at me. “Angela, what’s going on?”
I was silent for a minute as I processed Brad’s words. Only one person in my life had ever called me Angie, despite me telling him how much I hated the nickname. How did he find me? I wondered. I was so careful.
“Angela, if you have a boyfriend, you should’ve told me,” Brad said, anger creeping into his voice.
I shook my head, assuring him in a rush, “I don’t have a boyfriend. I promise you I don’t. I would never do that to you. To your boys.”
“Okay, so who was the man on the phone?” he asked, suspicion in his tone. “It’s obvious from the look on your face there’s something you’re not telling me.
I didn’t know how to tell him, so I just started talking. “I wasn’t exactly one hundred percent truthful when I told you why I moved here.”
“Okay,” he said, folding his arms over his chest and furrowing his brow.
“His name is John. We dated for a couple of years when he started to get more and more controlling. Possessive,” I explained, frowning. “One evening, I came home from work late. I was grading papers and lost track of time. John didn’t believe me when I told him I was working. He was drinking, and he got really mad.” I sucked in a shuddering breath so I could finish. “He grabbed me and put his hands around my neck and shoved me against the wall. I just knew he was going to kill me. I was able to get away from him and ran out of the door to my car. I moved out the next day and stayed with my parents.”
“What a horrible story.”
“He stalked me, wouldn’t leave me alone, so I got out of town,” I finished.
“Oh, my God, Angela. You could have told me this,” Brad exclaimed, laying a hand on my shoulder.
“How?” I asked him. “Would you have hired me if I told you I was on the run from a psycho ex-boyfriend?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “But you’re right. I might not have hired you if I thought the boys might be in danger.”
I nodded, totally understanding his concern. “I’m sorry. I honestly hoped that coming here meant I would never have to deal with him again. I just wanted to start my life over and forget about it. I was being incredibly naïve. I’ve just enjoyed my time here with you and your boys so much. I’ve really made a mess of this,” I lamented.
“No,” Brad said sternly. “This isn’t your fault. What that asshole did to you is not your fault. But you need to tell me everything, Angela. I need to keep my boys safe. I need to keep you safe.”
I looked up at him, stunned by his vehemence. The fact that he wanted to protect me meant everything. I’d been expecting him to send me packing the moment I’d started talking. He continued to surprise me. Tears started to fall down my cheeks as I told Brad the whole story. He reached over and wiped them away with his fingers.
“Well, now I know why you kept looking up and down the street last night,” Brad mused.
“Yeah, that’s something else I’ve been worried about. I noticed a black car with tinted windows creeping up and down my street the last few days,” I revealed. “In fact, it was parked at the end of the street yesterday when you picked me up. And when you left to go home last night, it followed you down the road.”
Brad shook his head, thinking. “Now that you mention it, I did notice headlights behind me on my drive home. I didn’t think anything of it. When I turned on the road leading up to the resort, they kept going straight.”
I sighed. “What am I going to do? I don’t want to concern you with my problems, but I don’t have anyone else to turn to around here. Should I go to the police?”
“I don’t know,” Brad commented. “Did you go to the police back in Kansas?”
“Yes, and I filed a complaint, but they never caught him in the act, as they said, and didn’t do anything about it,” I seethed, angry again at the lack of help. “He said, she said.”
Brad shook his head. “That’s crazy.”
“I thought about getting a restraining order against him,” I continued, “but honestly, a piece of paper wouldn’t have done any good. So I just packed up and left.”
“We should at least make the police here aware, just in case,” Brad decided. “Come on, I’ll follow you into town. I know the sheriff. He probably can’t do anything about it, but at least he can be on the lookout for that black car.”
“Okay,” I agreed. Twenty minutes later, we were in the sheriff’s office, sitting across from him as he asked questions.
“Has the person in the car actually threatened you in any way?” Sheriff Andrews asked me.
“No, I actually haven’t been able to see the driver,” I confessed. “But I have a bad feeling that John Stoyer has followed me to Blue Haven from Garden City, Kansas.”
“Okay, well, all I can do is a routine stop of the vehicle in question,” Sheriff Andrews replied. “If whoever is driving it doesn’t have any warrants or doesn’t appear to be doing anything illegal, I can’t arrest him. But I can ask what he’s doing in town. Most likely, it’s just a tourist and you have nothing to worry about.”
“I hope you’re right,” I mumbled, feeling like I had at the police station in Garden City. They couldn’t help me unless he committed a crime, and by then, it would be too late for me.
“If you see the car again or anyone threatens you, call me.” He lifted his hands in a helpless gesture.
“So you can’t send a patrol car by
her house, just to look around?” Brad asked, his voice tight as he tried to hide his ire. His scowl was pretty obvious, though.
“You know how this works, Brad,” the sheriff answered. “I can’t arrest somebody for driving though a neighborhood. I will send a car around this evening, but that’s the best I can do.”
Brad nodded, and I said, “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry I can’t do more for you.”
Brad followed me back to my house after we’d left. There was no sign of the black sedan, and, for a minute, I thought the sheriff had been right and I was just being paranoid. But that didn’t explain the phone call. I highly doubted that was just a coincidence.
Brad walked me inside and checked the house, both inside and out.
“Thanks for coming to the station with me,” I thanked him when he’d walked back in. “And like I told the Sheriff, I haven’t actually seen John around here. Maybe I’m just imagining it’s him driving the car.”
“Maybe,” Brad responded, a worried look on his face.
“You don’t have to stay. I’m fine,” I said. “I’ll lock the doors. I know you’re busy.”
“I’m worried about you,” he answered, stepping closer but not touching me. “But I do need to get back for dinner with the boys. Are you sure you’re okay alone?”
I assured him that I was, smiling brightly at him.
“If you need anything at all, call me,” Brad told me. “If you see that car, call the sheriff’s office and let them know. Then, call me, too.”
“Okay, I will,” I assured him.
“I’ll call you later this evening,” he said. He leaned over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before heading out the door.
I watched as Brad left, feeling lonelier than ever. I poured myself a glass of wine to try and calm my nerves. I looked out the window and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Kids were playing up the street. The neighbor across the way was mowing her lawn.
The evening was uneventful, and after another glass of wine, I was able to relax and watch a movie. Brad called just as I was getting ready for bed.
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 9