Some of the guests had arrived last evening and many were coming in this morning. Brad and Cole were directing traffic and trying to organize the parking situation.
Our goal was to get everyone to park and leave their cars to avoid too much traffic on the roads. Instead, they were to use the horse and buggies as transportation between the main resort buildings and the ski lodge.
Dax was working to organize the media who had mostly arrived in their big news station vans. He had all the vans park in one area, out of the way. They were kind of an eyesore. He allowed one reporter and cameraman from each station inside the ski lodge for the ceremony. Again, one from each station would be allowed in the dining room areas as well. The extras could set up outside to catch the skiing and horse and buggy rides.
Since the Hunters were taking care of all of that, Oakley and I positioned ourselves at the lodge. It was my job to help the guests trickling in to find their seats. Oakley was in charge of making sure everyone was in position at the correct times. This wedding ceremony needed to go off without a hitch.
Since every chair had a nametag for each guest, I simply had to ask each guest their name and check my clipboard, directing them to their assigned seat. I stood in the entranceway and greeted everyone as they came in.
The groom was already there, in the back waiting for the ceremony to begin. I was assuming that Cooper was with him. But to my surprise, he came blundering through the door on his own sometime later.
He didn’t look over at me but hurried back to meet his brother. That was odd, I thought. But then, I saw Congresswoman Stone and Mr. Stone arrive behind him. Mr. Stone looked fine, but Mrs. Stone looked upset.
They both knew where their seats were, so I was glad that I didn’t have to converse with them too much. My eyes met Congresswoman Stone’s and they were as cold as ice. I gave her a slight smile and nod to be polite, but she didn’t return the effort.
I sighed. Oh boy, this wasn’t good. I wondered if she was arguing with Cooper this morning and that was why he was late and looked pissed.
I was glad when it was time for the ceremony to begin. Oakley and I sat in the back row. The news people stood behind us. Lindsay and Angela Hunter were in charge of the wedding pictures and they each took a side aisle to capture various angles.
The bridal party had gotten ready down in the two cabins. The horse and buggies brought them up to the lodge steps. We had the lodge doors opened so that the seated guests could get a glimpse of the party outside.
Jackson and Cooper came out of the back room on cue and took their positions to wait for the bride. I looked at Cooper. He was staring out into space, not looking at anyone or anything.
Not even when the music began, and the flower girls came into the room did he look over. After the flower girls walked down the aisle, it was the ring bearer, who was one of the bride’s nephews, turn.
The bridesmaids were next, followed by the maid of honor, and then the bride herself. Everyone looked lovely and all was going well. The only time Cooper moved was when he took the ring from the child.
I was hoping that he would look to find me in the audience. He knew that I was there, of course, and I found it odd that he didn’t try to make eye contact. I was guessing that it was because of his mother, though. He had said earlier that he wouldn’t smother me today.
I wondered what she had said to him. I also wondered how his mother had so much influence over him. He had said that he didn’t care what she had thought and that he could make his own decisions, but now I found myself wondering if that were true.
These rich people didn’t live like us regular, everyday folks. The more time that I had spent with them this weekend, the more I was learning that.
The ceremony went perfectly. I was glad when it was over, and it was time to shuttle the guests down to the dining room for their formal lunch. When we got them all transported, we were going to transform the lodge into a dance floor for the wedding reception later on.
After the bride and groom and wedding party were taken down to the dining room, it was the family’s turn. I watched as Cooper followed his parents out of the lodge and sat with them in the buggy.
He never looked at me and my heart sank. Deep down inside, I knew why he was ignoring me. But it didn’t hurt any less, and I was shocked to feel this way. I knew that I had let my guard down but had no idea that my evolving feelings for Cooper were so strong.
I sighed. There was nothing that I could do about it.
After all of the guests had either been shuttled down to the dining room or had walked down, Oakley, Dax, Cole, and I began to fold up the chairs to make room for the dance floor.
The DJ set up on the same platform that the minister had used as the altar. We left up the wedding arch because it looked nice. After removing the center aisle carpet and rearranging some of the decorations, we were finished.
“We better go and eat while we have a chance,” Oakley told me.
“Sounds good. I do need to eat something before we go skiing,” I agreed.
Dax gave Oakley his truck and told her to take us down to eat. He needed to make sure the ski rental supply was all ready to go and get the bar opened. He would grab something later.
Oakley and I headed down to the dining room. We grabbed a plate of food from the buffet and took it into the common room to eat. We didn’t have an “assigned seat” in the dining room and the bar area was packed.
I had to steal a glance at Cooper while I grabbed my food. He was sitting at the wedding party’s head table beside his brother. His mother was sitting on his other side. I didn’t want her to catch me looking so I quickly looked away.
But what I did catch was Cooper looking down at his plate of uneaten food, twirling his fork. He looked utterly miserable.
I was starting to feel worse for him than for myself. But then I caught the eye of Elsie, one of the bridesmaids. She smirked at me as if she knew what was going on. I smiled and looked away, pretending that nothing was happening.
I didn’t expect Cooper to join me for skiing like he had suggested that morning. I wondered how much control his mother did have over him. Would she make him sit by her the entire day like a little boy?
I found it very strange that such a poised, successful lawyer as Cooper Stone would fall victim to his own mother’s wicked will.
Maybe, he wasn't as confident as I had first taken him to be? I could never imagine my parents telling me what to do like that and actually listening to them. It was so not normal.
After eating, Oakley and I took our plates into the kitchen. The kitchen was nuts as Head Chef Michael was barking out orders, line cooks were busy cooking, preppers were getting everything ready, and servers were running in and out of the dining room. The dishwasher was going non-stop as well.
It was impressive to see another aspect of what it really took to have a successful event take place like this wedding. Not only were the wedding planners and hosts busting their butts, but the kitchen staff, housekeeping, and even the front desk attendants were all busy as hell.
It was all coming together nicely, and I was happy to get to the skiing part. Oakley and I went back to our cabin to change into our ski attire. We jumped back into Dax’s borrowed truck and went back up to the lodge.
Harley was ready to go, and the DJ was announcing the ski events as the guests came back up from lunch. Many had stopped in their rooms or cabins to change and others remained in formal wear to enjoy the cocktails and appetizers before the reception.
Soon, we had a big group and we divided it up. Some of the skiers were more advanced and mentioned wanting to do the advanced slopes. Harley would have to take them over there. So, that left Oakley and me with the regular Joes. Some had ski experience, many did not.
I looked around for Cooper. He was nowhere to be seen. I hadn’t noticed him or Mr. and Mrs. Stone coming back to the lodge yet at all. The bride and groom had gone to the advanced slopes with Harley and their gang.
&nbs
p; I took my group of ten up first. Adults and a couple of kids. Most of my group had some ski experience, so I sent them down in twos and then followed behind the last group.
I only had to stop to help the kids on the way down. Easy peasy.
When I had gotten down to the bottom, I saw a familiar figure. He was watching me. My heart soared. Cooper had come after al. But he was still dressed in his tux.
I allowed my skis to take me all the way down to the lot. My group had to wait for Oakley’s group to come down the slope before going back up, so I had a moment to talk to him.
“Cooper!” I called to him as I slid toward him.
He flashed a smile, but something was off. “Hailey,” he greeted me.
I skidded to a stop before him. “What’s going on?” I asked.
Cooper looked tired. He looked stressed and there was a sadness in his eyes. I’d only known him for two days, but I would never have pictured him like this.
He took a deep breath and met my eyes. “I don’t know,” he answered.
I wanted to reach up and plant a kiss on his lips but refrained from doing so. About fifty feet away was a group of the bridesmaids. I couldn’t tell if they were watching us or not, but I noticed Cooper glance over at them as well.
“You don’t know?” I asked him.
He smiled slightly. This time, when he looked at me his eyes twinkled. I knew that he was struggling with something internally.
“Are you going to ski?” I asked him.
“I want to. But I have a problem,” he answered.
I raised my eyebrow at him in question. “Tell me,” I told him.
“It’s a long story. Your group is waiting for you. I’ll go and change. Be back next time you get down the slope,” he said and turned to walk away.
I saw Elsie give me the eye before running over to him. She fell in step beside him and made sure to take a quick look back at me.
I felt like punching her. But, as Cooper had said, my group was waiting. I headed back to them and we all piled onto the lifts again.
Of course, as I was reaching the bottom the second time around, I looked for Cooper. I was disappointed when I didn’t’ see him anywhere. But instead, Elsie and her group were dressed to ski.
I was thankful that my group was full. But I couldn’t just let them stand there and not say anything to them. I needed to talk to Oakley to reorganize the groups. We had almost thirty guests now in all and that was too many for both of us.
I knew that some of the guests were proficient skiers and didn’t need a guide to go up. So, I sent those ones up. But that still left me with too many. I announced that I had to wait for the other guide so that we could regroup.
Oakley was back down the slope in no time, so the situation wasn’t a huge deal. She looked perplexed though when she saw the large group waiting for their turn to ski.
“We need another guide,” she said.
“Yeah. Who can do it?” I asked her.
“Harley is still on the advanced slope. Guess I can call Dax and see if he can send someone,” Oakley replied.
I nodded and waited for her to make her call. She hung up smiling.
“What?” I asked.
“Dax said he can do it,” she grinned.
“Dax skis?” I asked surprised.
“That’s what I asked. I think that I offended him,” Oakley giggled.
I giggled too. I was glad to have my friend here with me and not have to deal with all of these snobs on my own. And, to my delight, I saw Cooper get off of the buggy that just pulled up. He was dressed to ski.
“Cooper is going to join my group. Is that alright?” I asked Oakley.
“Of course,” she laughed. “He’s technically a guest, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said too,” I chuckled.
Cooper walked over to join us. He looked as if he were in a little better of a mood, but he kept looking at Elsie and her friends out of the corner of his eye.
“I’ll tell you while we go up,” he said quietly.
I nodded in understanding.
Dax pulled into the lot about two minutes later and we were ready to go again. Oakley sent my group of ten up first, one of whom was Cooper. I’m not sure if Oakley picked up on the Elsie and bridesmaids’ drama with Cooper and me, or not, but she didn’t include them with my group, and I was so grateful.
I saw the look of relief in Cooper’s eyes, as well as the look of anger in Elsie’s when she realized that Cooper was coming in my group and she was in Oakley’s.
I wanted to look back and wave at her as Cooper and I jumped on the ski lift, but I held back. I was on the clock now and it was no time to insult one of the guests.
Cooper picked up on my thoughts and said, “Don’t worry about her. She’s a spoiled little rich kid who's used to getting her way. She will not be getting her way with me, though,” he said firmly.
I think that he was telling himself that fact more than telling me, but I nodded anyway.
“Is everything alright?” I asked him.
He was sitting beside me but not touching me. I kind of knew why so I wasn’t offended. But I wanted him to come clean with me so that I could stop guessing.
He hesitated. I could see his emotions playing out in his blue eyes. Sadness. Anger. Then he looked at me and for a split second I saw something else, what?
“My mother is causing me grief. Guess Elsie had been talking to her last night telling her that I’m with you. My mom has always thought that Elsie is the woman for me,” he paused and looked over at me.
I looked at him to go on.
“She’s not,” he assured me. “I’ve been telling them both so for years. I don’t understand why people are so hard-headed. Anyway, my mother told me to stay away from you, or, else,” he added looking away from me.
“Or else?” I asked him. “What does that mean? Should I be worried?”
Cooper’s eyes locked onto mine. “I’m not sure what she meant by it. But I would never let anything bad happen to you. And if my mom wants to disown me, then so be it,” he said a matter-of-factly.
I just looked at him. I was worried and I was sure that it showed on my face.
Cooper gave me a small smile and sighed. “I did my best to get through the wedding without even looking at you. It killed me, but I didn’t want my mom to go overboard with it and ruin Jackson’s wedding. But I won’t be staying away from you; I can’t. Unless you tell me to, that is.”
He looked over at me for a reply. I looked away and thought about what he had said. Would his mother do something to sabotage our relationship? Would she try and hurt me? Or, really disown her own son? There were too many unknowns. I didn’t really know Congresswoman Stone or what she was capable of. And I wasn’t exactly comfortable with coming in between a family. Cooper and I barely knew one another.
The lifts reached the top of the slopes and we all jumped off. Again, I sent the group down in twos with the kids going last so that Cooper and I could follow them down the hillside.
Cooper was still looking at me for an answer, but I wasn’t ready to give him one yet. Instead, I smiled and told him “Let’s go.”
I pushed off and heard him push off behind me to catch up. I let him catch up and when I looked over at him, he was grinning at me. He obviously enjoyed skiing and if it made him feel better, it made me feel better, as well.
The kids fell several times and we had to stop to help them up. The entire trip down the slope was comical and we were all laughing. I had felt Cooper lighten up a lot and the mood was cheerful again.
Before we reached the bottom, Cooper grabbed my jacket from behind. It slowed me down enough that he could ski up beside me. He planted a quick kiss on my lips before releasing my jacket.
“I needed to do that before we reached the bottom,” he called out from behind me. I turned back and grinned at him.
Cooper, my group, and I all went up the slope several more times. Each time we reached the bottom, there wa
s a quick moment that we intercepted Elsie and the bridesmaids. I met her eyes each time but was careful not to start anything. Now wasn’t the time. But I saw pure hatred in her stare and it made me happy.
Cooper totally ignored the bridesmaids and I’m sure that that made her even angrier. I was sure she’d be running back to Mrs. Stone at dinner, to tell her all about Cooper and I skiing together, and that made me a bit nervous, but I would deal with that issue later.
For now, I just wanted to have some fun with Cooper. And that’s what we did.
Cooper
Hailey’s ski group was slowly dwindling, and Oakley and Dax seemed to be having a good time together. Oakley told Hailey and me that we could take a break and that she would call us if she needed us again.
“Why don’t we go inside and get a drink?” I asked Hailey.
“Inside? Are you sure about that?” she worriedly asked me, glancing at Elsie and the bridesmaids who were walking into the lodge as we spoke.
I looked at my feet and thought the situation over. I looked back up and met Hailey’s lovely green eyes. “The more time that I spend with you, the more I enjoy your company,” I began. I took her hands into my own. “I want to see you when we leave here. We don’t live too far apart, you know?”
Hailey looked stunned for a moment when I had said that I wanted to continue our relationship past this weekend. Part of me had been wondering where this was all going to go. I was scheduled to check out tomorrow. I’d been wanting to put it out there.
She blushed and then grinned at me. Then she simply nodded in agreement.
I smiled. “Good, then it’s settled. I look forward to seeing where this will go between us. I think it’s going to go far. Truthfully, I’ve never felt this way about anyone before,” I gently confided in Hailey.
I knew I was putting a lot out there all at once, maybe rushing things a bit. But our situation was unique. We met away from home at a wedding. I didn’t have much time to tell her how I felt.
Hailey nodded again and smiled at me. Her green eyes were shining with happiness and I loved seeing her happy. I waited for her to say something.
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 54