“Here it is,” Caitlin said gaily when they found the corner next to Ripley’s Believe it or Not! museum.
Middle Eastern music wafted through the air from the fortune teller’s canopied tent along with the spicy aroma of incense.
Madame Tallulah ushered them inside, her eyebrows shooting up when she recognized Caitlin from so many months ago. “You’re the midwife. Your friend, what was her name?”
“Lila.”
“Ah, yes, the know-it-all. So did you come to get a new fortune? Did you not like the one I already gave you?” The Southern accent was gone, replaced by a stilted Middle Eastern one. Caitlin had to stop herself from chuckling.
“No, you pretty much got it right.”
The woman smiled, tossing back her head. “So in the end you are glad you came to visit me and drink my orange blossom tea.” She turned to Quentin. “This woman has unusual hands. Such peculiar life lines.”
“There’s just one thing I’m still puzzled by,” Caitlin said. “What was the curse you told me that I had to break? It never made it on my list of predictions in the notebook Lila was writing, but I remember you saying it.”
Madame Tallulah let out a rich trill of amusement, handing them pretty china cups of orange blossom tea. “You already know what it was. You knew the curse the first time you walked into my tent. It was there, you just didn’t recognize it.”
Caitlin gazed up at Quentin. Once again, this man surprised her by sitting in an exotic booth talking to a Fortune Teller, of all people. So far from Snow Valley and everything he loved, but he didn’t look particularly out of place, actually.
He was here because he loved adventure, loved her, and Caitlin knew Quentin would do anything for her. The diamond on her finger told her that—and so much more.
All of a sudden, a light came on in Caitlin’s head. “You’re right,” she whispered. “I thought I was cursed because of Stefan’s betrayal. The curse is now broken because I’ve finally been able to trust again enough to fall in love.”
“Bingo, girl.” Madame Tallulah said. “I don’t think you need any more predictions or prophecies, or your fortune told because I think you are going to be just fine, Miss Caitlin. But the next time you’re in San Francisco I won’t be here.”
“Why?” Caitlin blinked in surprise. “Where are you going?”
“To my sister’s house in Milwaukee.”
It was an answer she’d never expected. “Milwaukee?” she echoed. “You don’t look like you belong in a place like Milwaukee. Maybe bustling New York City or romantic Savannah, but not Minnesota.”
The women flung her exotic scarf around her neck and the dangly Middle Eastern earrings jangled against her shoulders. “There are worse places. I’ll be teaching how to do palm readings and cards and fortunes at a local community college there. Good pay. Steady work.”
“Guess it could be worse,” Caitlin said, trying not to giggle. This woman was so endearing and funny.
Quentin tugged at her hand and they rose from the comfy chair to head for the doors.
“But!” the gypsy fortune teller cried out, stopping them. “Before you two beautiful, happy people go off into the sunset, I leave you with one final prediction.”
They paused and Madame Tallulah placed a hand on each of their arms. Bringing them close, she lowered her voice into a mysterious timbre. “I prophecy that you will have a long and happy life together, and you will have many children.”
Caitlin tried to suppress a grin, glancing up at Quentin’s amused and happy face.
“I also predict that your first children will be twins so start preparing now! You already know how to build a beautiful nursery, Mr. Quentin. Just be sure you purchase two cribs and a bunk bed for the future.”
Caitlin leaned over and kissed the woman on the cheek. “Thank you for helping me believe in myself.”
“Wait a minute,” Quentin said, holding up a hand and staring into the fortune teller’s face. “How did you know I recently built a nursery? Did you tell her, Caitlin?”
Puzzled, Caitlin shook her head. “No, this is only the second time I’ve ever met her.”
Madame Tallulah’s lips curved into a soft, mysterious smile. “I can’t give away all my secrets, now can I? Maybe you believe in many things now. You believe in love. You believe in life. And you believe in miracles.”
Giving a small shrug of her shoulders, Madame Tallulah shooed them out the front door draperies. The flaps closed together with a snap.
But when Caitlin glanced back over her shoulder, she swore she could see the Fortune Teller peeking through the slit as they walked away, arm in arm in the brisk spring breeze.
About Kimberly Montpetit
Kimberley Montpetit once spent all her souvenir money at the La Patisserie shops when she was in Paris—on the arm of her adorable husband. The author grew up in San Francisco, but currently lives in a small town along the Rio Grande with her big, messy family.
Kimberley reads a book a day and loves to travel. She’s stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland, sailed the Seine in Paris, swam in the waters at Cannes, ridden a camel among the glorious cliffs of Petra, sunbathed on Waikiki, shopped the maze of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.
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Also by Kimberly Montpetit
Risking it All for Love: A Snow Valley Romance
Romancing Rebecca: A Snow Valley Romance
Sealed with a Kiss: A Snow Valley Romance
My new Secret Billionaire Romance series launched
November 16, 2016!
First title: The Neighbor’s Secret
Second title: Coming January, 2017!
Also writing the award-winning FORBIDDEN trilogy (Harpercollins) under the name: Kimberley Griffiths Little
The Light in Your Eyes
Cami Checketts
Chapter 1
McCoy Wilson squinted, the glare of the sun zinging off miles of white fluff made his head throb. Snow Valley, Montana. The name made him shiver. Who named a town after something cold and why had he agreed to come here to setup his dental practice? At least his office location was good. Right on Main Street. Two doors down from his cousin-in-law, Annie’s, massage therapy clinic, and across from the park. A park that was currently three feet deep in snow.
Porter Wilson stomped up to him, his arms loaded with boxes. “This truck isn’t going to unload itself.”
McCoy smiled. He’d come because of this. Family. Aunt Rebecca, Luke, Porter, Kazzy, and three cousin-in-laws he was excited to get to know. Uncle Blake and Aunt Rebecca had been there for him as a troubled teen. Uncle Blake passed away a few years ago, Aunt Rebecca was on some mission trip, and his youngest cousin, Kazzy lived in Logan, Utah with her new basketball coaching husband, but he could still enjoy a lot of time with Luke and Porter and their wives. He’d rather be with this family than anyone else in the world.
A glint of metal flashed against the white snow. He closed his eyes, but the pain still seared through his head. He didn’t have the pain very often anymore, but anything could set it off, loud noises and bright lights were the usual triggers.
A door slammed and McCoy flinched. A pair of long legs encased in red leggings strode his direction and he forgot about the ache in his head. The girl attached to the legs was a classic blonde, blue-eyed beauty but she was also … lit up. There was no other way to describe it but light—from her radiant smile to the sparkle in her too-blue eyes.
Instead of shielding his eyes from this bright light he wanted to ingest it. Whatever was making her sparkle, he wanted to bring it into his life, his heart, and his soul. He shook his head. There was too much baggage and depression in him. If he tried to take her light he might consume it. He couldn’t take that light away, then she’d just be an
other beautiful blonde.
“Put me to work, Porter Wilson.” She smiled at McCoy while speaking to his cousin.
“Hey.” Porter gave her a brotherly side-armed hug.
McCoy knew one thing for sure. If he ever got the chance to hug this woman there wouldn’t be anything brotherly about it.
“How are you, Chanel?” Porter asked.
“Getting lazier by the minute. Thought you had a job for me.”
McCoy was confused. What was she talking about?
Porter turned to McCoy with a slow grin. “You know how you needed a dental assistant?”
McCoy nodded. His tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of his mouth.
“Found ‘er.” Porter beamed.
McCoy grabbed his cousin’s arm and tugged him toward the open office door.
“We’ll be right back,” Porter told her.
McCoy shut the door and tried to say quietly, “I told you what I wanted in a dental assistant. Young, beautiful, and perfect legs were not on that list.”
Porter laughed. “So you admit she’s beautiful and you noticed the legs.”
“Come on. I’d have to have cataracts, be near-sighted, and stupid to miss that.”
“This is perfect.” Porter swung the door open wide. “You got the job, darlin’.”
Chanel let out a happy sound that was something between a cheer and a cry of relief. McCoy wanted to run out there and do a celebration dance with her. She must need the money and the work as much as he did.
McCoy slammed the door shut and pinned his cousin with a glare that would’ve sent a lesser man running for cover. Porter simply laughed. “You’re going to be fine. You can handle one leggy blonde.”
“Porter, so help me …”
“I’m sorry, my favorite cousin, but you needed an assistant and she needed a job.”
“Is she actually a dental assistant?”
“Yes. Went to school and everything.”
“Then why does she need a job? Good dental assistants are in high demand, even in Podunk Snow Valley.”
Porter’s mouth tightened. “That’s her story to tell. Now are you going to leave her out there in the cold or are you going to invite her in to help us set up the office?”
Guilt tugged at him as he realized he had left her standing out there in the cold and those legging-things hadn’t looked very warm. McCoy shook his head and reached for the door handle. He’d never won a disagreement with any of his cousins. Why should today be any different? “How much am I paying my beautiful assistant?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Per hour?” McCoy choked. He’d never heard of an assistant paid over fourteen per hour.
“She’ll be worth it, I promise.”
McCoy didn’t know how he was going to pay back his student loans and the payday loan he’d had to take out to buy all this second-hand equipment, let alone run an office. Now he was paying his assistant twenty-five dollars an hour. Porter was going to be the death of him.
He jerked on the door handle and pulled the door open. Might as well get this over with. It wasn’t like Porter was giving him any choice. The blonde pasted her smile back on as soon as she saw them both staring at her and swiped her hand over her cheeks quickly, but there was no denying that she’d been crying. Oh, great. He’d just hired an overpriced, emotional, and much too good-looking assistant. His failure was coming quicker than even he thought possible.
**
Chanel pulled her too-thin coat tighter around herself. She stomped her feet and wished for the hundredth time that she either didn’t live in Snow Valley or could afford boots and thick Levis. She hated these thin tights, but they’d been a dollar at the goodwill and they covered the essentials as her mom would say. Her mom would send her clothes if she had any idea Chanel was cold, but Chanel always told her how great she and Trey were doing. Her dad had been forced into early retirement because of his multiple sclerosis and they needed to keep their money instead of worrying about their destitute daughter and grandson.
She ignored the cold and concentrated on hoping for a decent paycheck someday soon and the ability to purchase thicker clothing for her and Trey. It wasn’t fair to the kind people of Snow Valley, or Porter and Missy, to cuss the town just because of the bitterly cold weather and snow that never seemed to stop. Was that Seven Brides for Seven Brothers where the snow just kept coming and coming? They must have filmed that in Snow Valley.
Yet Chanel would stand out here and wait and smile until that handsome man, who was almost as strong-looking as her well-built cousin-in-law Porter, decided that she was perfect for the job. His body language, and the fact he’d left her out here in the cold, told her not to get her hopes up too high, but she needed hope or she’d deflate right into the snow and sob.
She mulled over why the man, McCoy or, maybe she should call him Dr. Wilson, looked so good to her. A man hadn’t captured her attention since Chance. Yet this McCoy guy was kind of hard to ignore. His hair was a bit on the shaggy side and a great shade of brown and gold. If she hadn’t heard from Porter how tough he was, she might have accused him of highlighting it. His wavy locks reminded her of a surfer’s, too bad they were a thousand miles from warmth and beaches. His eyes were a deep blue, navy like a midnight sky. His face showed that he’d been through some battles physically and mentally—a few faded scars, manly lines, and just the right length of facial hair to make her want to touch it.
She shook her head and focused—wait with a smile, get this job, and then she could go kiss on her little boy. Maybe Porter would take them all out for ice cream to celebrate. She felt instant guilt. She relied on Porter and Missy far too much. She couldn’t be waiting for them to provide the fun for her and Trey, as well as feed and house them. Somehow she’d make it until payday, and then she could buy her son his own ice cream cone and a warm coat.
A tear trickled down her cheek before she could stop it. Oh, no. Whenever she started mulling over how she couldn’t even provide for her son, the waterworks started. She was not a crier ... Ha. She used to think she wasn’t a crier. Now she was a faucet. Remembering that she used to be strong only made her cry harder. She was such a wimp now. Without Porter and Missy or her parent’s help she’d be in a homeless shelter. What kind of a mother couldn’t buy her son an ice cream cone, let alone shoes that fit and a coat that would keep him warm in Snow Valley’s frigid winters?
She gasped as the door swung open and swiped at her tears, then plastered a smile on her face, praying neither of the men could tell she’d been crying. It would make Porter feel bad, and she had no clue how the dentist guy would react. He sure didn’t look like any dentist she’d ever worked for.
Her eyes were drawn to the navy blue somberness of Dr. Wilson’s gaze. He didn’t appear compassionate, more frustrated and awkward. Oh, crap. Think of Trey, think of Trey. Her little boy’s sunshine brought joy to her heart and she found she could smile again without any thought of tears. She grinned at the dentist and he glowered back at her.
“Dr. McCoy Wilson,” Porter broke into the awkward silence. “Meet your dental assistant. Mrs. … I mean Miss Chanel Horman.”
Chanel should correct him with her married name, but she’d rather be Horman. She’d fill out the right name for her paycheck.
“Horman,” Dr. Wilson growled before Chanel could even say hello or celebrate that she’d gotten the job. “Any relation to Missy Horman?”
“It’s Missy Wilson now.” Porter gave him a cheeky grin. “Well, don’t you want to shake on it or something?”
Chanel was frozen in place, not sure how to respond. The dentist didn’t want her as his assistant. Porter had talked him into it. That was as clear as the snow welding her feet to the ground. The man slowly made his way down the steps and across the icy sidewalk. His halting steps snapped her out of her sadness that she’d celebrated she was getting the job and now it was going to be taken away from her. What had happened to cause Dr. Wilson, who looked to be the epitome of he
alth, to limp?
He stuck his hand out and Chanel let herself hope again. He wouldn’t want to shake her hand just to tell her she was pathetic to finagle a job because Missy was her cousin.
She placed her hand in his and felt like a kid at Disneyland. The warmth and excitement of his touch gave her smile a zing that she’d been missing for a while. She wrapped her hand around his and marveled at the connection and electricity that a simple touch of a hand could give.
He jolted and released her hand, but she held on tight. She hadn’t felt this grounded and at the same time energetic in years. No, that wasn’t fair. Her adorable little Trey gave her plenty of happiness and zest for life, but this was different. This guy was all man and the feel of his skin on hers and the way his eyes studied her made her want to be the woman he’d always look at like that.
“I, um …” He stammered and his gaze fell to their hands then back to her eyes. “Your eyes are really blue.”
Chanel laughed in surprise. “So are yours.”
“Yeah, but mine aren’t so … bright.”
Heat crawled up his cheeks. Her eyes being bright wasn’t necessarily a compliment, but the way he looked at her sure was.
Porter cleared his throat. “Well, glad to know that the dentist and his assistant are clear on their eye color,” he said drily.
McCoy’s face flared and he yanked his hand back. “You’ve got the job if you want it. We’re hoping to open for clients next week.”
“Thank you,” she murmured and looked away. “Do you need help getting set up?”
His eyes traveled up and down her body. Usually a man checking her out that blatantly would embarrass her or tick her off, but his gaze seemed to warm her from the outside in. Was it still January in Montana? “It’s pretty heavy lifting today. Why don’t you come back tomorrow?”
She hefted a thirty pound toddler around many hours a day and the thought of starting to earn money was more tantalizing than chocolate truffles. “I’m pretty tough.”
Winter in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance) Page 22