Rocky Mountain Valentine

by Carol Steward

  He stared at the floor. “Not exactly.”

  She laughed. “Why’s that?”

  “Guess you could say I’m that much of a coward. If you didn’t like it, I’d just as soon not know.”

  Lisa felt a load had been lifted from her shoulders. She stepped closer and lifted her lips to his rough cheek and kissed him lightly. “I couldn’t agree more, regarding this matter of business, but after we have that taken care of, I wouldn’t mind at all if you gave me another. To celebrate, of course.”

  He nodded casually, a smile softening his face. “And what might we be celebrating?”

  “Survival?” she suggested, surprised to feel a twitch on her own lips. “Or to a job completed? Or maybe I’ll get a permanent job offer,” she added as they walked side by side to the kitchen. Lisa took two soup mugs from the cupboard. “The possibilities are endless.”

  “A permanent job offer? I thought you enjoyed the footloose and fancy-free life of the roving reporter.”

  “It is fun, and I do enjoy it, but sometimes...” Lisa shook her head as she realized what she’d almost said. “Well, I miss the benefits of a job. You know, the security of health insurance, retirement, a regular paycheck...” she muttered hastily.

  He silently offered to pour her a glass of milk. She nodded. “Is that all you miss?”

  “It’s been fun, but there comes a time when a woman has to have a back-up plan. Don’t try to read anything more into it than that.” Lisa went on to explain the possible job offer.

  “You’re trying to tell me you don’t miss having a home and...” He stumbled over the words.

  “A family.” She smiled sympathetically.

  “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”

  She put her hand up to stop his apology. “Don’t get me wrong. This ‘offer’ is far from my dream job, but it is full-time. If something doesn’t come along soon, I’ll be flipping burgers.”

  “Would that be at the local stand?”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “Just wondering if you’re going to be around a little more often. You know, to see your sisters.”

  “My sisters?” She raised her eyebrows and set her spoon in the soup. “You kiss me like there’s no tomorrow and ask me if I’m coming back to visit my sisters?” She shook her head. “We’re two mature adults, Adam. There’s nothing wrong in enjoying a kiss, is there?”

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On whether the feelings are mutual. Otherwise, I acted out of turn.”

  She stared at him in silence.

  “If that’s your answer, then I’d say we’d better keep the relationship strictly business.”

  “Can’t we enjoy a kiss without it meaning something? I care about you, Adam, b-but—” she stammered “—it doesn’t mean I’m going to demand a commitment. It was only a kiss, for heaven’s sake.”

  He chuckled softly, rubbing his thumb and index finger along his lower lip. “I suppose you’re right. After all, your life is on the road, right? And you don’t want any ties to slow you down. Is that what you’re saying?”

  Lisa felt the heat creep up her neck and into her cheeks. Was that what she’d said? “I didn’t say that.” She shook her head. “Yes, I’ll be going sometime, but I’m not leaving yet. In fact,” she said, “I was wondering...” Lisa had at least a dozen things going through her head right now, and not one complete sentence in the batch. It was only a kiss. She struggled to put the right question into words. “Actually, I was thinking...about the grand opening.” She forced her mind back to the article. Maybe Adam was right after all; mixing business with pleasure was a really bad idea.

  “What about it?”

  “It seems the least I could do is to help you get ready, since you’ve agreed to do this article. And I could take the pictures at the celebration. I don’t want to add stress by rushing you to get ready.”

  Adam shook his finger. “My sister put you up to this, didn’t she?” He began laughing. “I should have known better....”

  Lisa leaned across the table and touched his lips with her finger. “This has nothing to do with your sister, Adam.” She felt like she was going to faint; the blood was pumping so fast, it was bypassing her brain. “I hope I don’t regret this, but it’s kind of peaceful here. I’d like to stay a while longer.”

  “A while longer?”

  “I’ll have to leave, eventually. Duty calls. You understand that, don’t you?”

  What was she saying? What was she asking?

  “No commitments. No promises. No regrets.”

  He had to be crazy to consider her offer. And even crazier to agree. Yet agree he did. Knowing very well that the time would come when he would have to tell her goodbye and hate both of them for this moment. He leaned forward, drawing her closer at the same time. Her hair was silky and soft against his rough hands. No commitments, no promises, no regrets. Adam forced himself to keep the kiss short and sweet. “I’m glad you’re staying.”

  To his relief, Lisa smiled demurely and sat back down in the chair across the table and continued the conversation as if nothing momentous had just happened. “Remember, I’m here to help you get ready. I’m no longer a guest. Agreed? Oh! And not a word to anyone. No brothers or sisters. No one.”

  “You keep changing the rules. I may have to reconsider.” Maybe nothing had changed. Maybe he was the only one of the two of them that felt the difference. Maybe he was the only one headed toward heartbreak.

  He didn’t think so. He longed for more smiles like the ones she’d brought into his daily existence in two short days. She’d touched a spark of light to the cobwebs of his past, giving him hope for the future.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  LISA COULDN’T REMEMBER a more pleasant dinner with any man. They lingered over their meal, discussing the history of Whispering Pines.

  She asked questions and listened intently while Adam went into detail about wanting to share his grandparents’ legacy with others.

  Lisa saw his gaze go beyond the timber walls surrounding them. Adam’s baritone voice sounded softer than usual. “There’s something to be said for listening to the wind whispering through the trees, feeling the sun on your face, losing track of time...”

  “I noticed a quote on the desk.” She paused, trying to remember the words. “‘Come away by yourselves...’”

  Silence.

  “‘...to a lonely place and rest a while,’” Adam finished the quote.

  “I take it that’s your motto?”

  Adam nodded. “Grandpa wasn’t doing well and had to be moved into a nursing home. Mom couldn’t run the ranch alone. I came to help out.”

  “What about the rest of the family? Couldn’t they help?”

  “Alex was wandering the countryside jumping out of airplanes fighting fires, Kevin was spending fourteen hours a day trying to get his own company back on track and my sisters’ husbands knew nothing about ranching.” Adam shrugged. “I didn’t really plan to stay, but in the meantime, I realized there was another option.”

  “You left your career to help your mom?”

  Adam got quiet. “It was a good time to make a change.”

  Lisa stared at him in disbelief. “With no back-up plan, or job security or...”

  “Promise?” Adam’s eyes met hers, and a look of satisfaction told her she’d been set up. “I was beyond expecting promises of any kind. My integrity had been ripped apart and pieced back together like a jigsaw puzzle by then. All I wanted was to be alone.”

  She felt her mouth go dry. “I didn’t realize. I’m sorry, Adam.” She longed to dig deeper, yet not at the expense of causing Adam more pain. If he wanted to tell her what happened, he would.

  His smile was warm and tender. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. I’m happy witht he way things turned out.”

  Adam could almost see ideas spinning in her mind as she jotted down notes on the paper napkin.

  He stretched to see what sh
e was writing.

  She smiled. “I agreed to let you give final approval. That doesn’t count editorial input during the writing. Don’t you trust me?” She tucked the napkin into the hip pocket of her denim jeans and cleared her dishes.

  “Just curious.”

  “Not to worry. You and your land will shine. Now all I need is your help with the pictures.” Her pink lips formed a wide smile. “Please.”

  He shook his head. “I’d hate to break the camera.”

  “It wasn’t you, trust me.”

  “It’s broken?”

  “I don’t know for certain. I’m afraid it got wet when I fell into the pond. I assume there’s a camera store in Fort Collins, isn’t there?”

  “We can see.” Adam pulled the phone book from the drawer of the roll-top desk and thumbed through the business section. “Here’s one. Says they sell and repair professional equipment.”

  “Could you drive me, or should I call a cab?”

  Adam laughed out loud. “In this snow, you couldn’t get a soul to come out this far.” He snapped the book closed. “I can take you tomorrow. I have a few errands to run in town anyway. As you probably noticed on the tour yesterday, I haven’t picked up any linens. Would you mind helping me do some shopping?”

  “That’s our agreement, isn’t it?”

  * * *

  BY THE TIME they made it into town and found the camera shop, it was late morning, and the place was closed for lunch. “Why don’t we run your errands first?” Lisa turned to face him.

  “The bedding store is on the other side of town.” He pulled the sleeve of his nylon parka aside and checked his watch. “According to the sign, they’ll be open in forty minutes. Why don’t we browse? Maybe you could help me with some decorating ideas? My sisters have threatened to take matters into their own hands if I don’t get it done soon.”

  “My, my, we’ve had a change of heart, haven’t we?” Lisa tucked the camera back into the bag and followed him.

  “I may be bullheaded, but I’m not an idiot.”

  She laughed. They passed a kitchen store in silence. Then an art gallery displaying Southwestern drawings. Pointing to one, she said, “That would look nice in the great room. Don’t you think?”

  He studied it then shrugged. “It’s nice, but...”

  “Not really you, I guess.” Lisa started walking again. “Maybe...”

  “Remember, I’m not in the market for another interior decorator, Lisa. I just thought we could find a few little knickknacks. I repeat, few. I’m not hiring a huge staff—and I’m not fond of dusting.”

  His warning didn’t seem to faze her as she picked up her pace. “Look at this.” Without pause, she pushed the heavy oak door open into a rustic shop.

  He had to agree with her. Why had Celeste come in dragging modern art sculptures of wildlife and poorly made replicas of antique furniture when this stuff was available?

  “Oh, Adam. Isn’t this adorable?”

  He looked at Lisa standing next to the whimsical bear carved from a tree stump. She held up the sign that said Out To Lunch on one side and Welcome on the other. Adam smiled. “Cute as can be.”

  She spun around, hands on her hips. “Are you making fun of me?”

  Adam shook his head. I wasn’t talking about the bear, sweetheart. He lifted the statue from the display. “I suppose you want me to put the little critter on the deck?”

  Lisa stepped back to assess the bear. “He’s too small. Maybe the artist could make you a larger version.” She cocked her head and smiled. “It could say Feeding the Herds instead of Out To Lunch.”

  He returned the bear to the display and gently placed his hand on her back to move her along before she had a ten-foot statue on his bill. “I’ll think about it.”

  “You really like the idea?” She looked up to him with those curious eyes of hers.

  His heartbeat quickened and a primitive warning sounded in his brain. Lisa looked oddly fragile as she waited for his approval, and he didn’t have the heart to let her down. “Yeah, he’s okay.”

  Satisfaction washed over her, and she moved through the store more at ease than he’d seen her since her arrival. She picked up a replica of a rustic old barn lantern and a copper candle holder with a cutout of the silhouette of a pine tree. “I think these would add dimension to the coffee table by the big-screen television.”

  “Dimension?”

  “You know, contrast. Tie the old and the new together. Besides, they’d add an aspect of light to that side of the great room. If someone’s watching TV, their back is to the woodstove. Not only that, candles are homey.”

  Before he knew it, he’d agreed to buy them, and several other items. She disappeared when he went to the proprietor’s office to order the special sign for the bear carving.

  When she returned, Lisa had a bag of her own which equalled his in size.

  “What did you get?”

  She smiled, lifting her eyebrows. “Just a couple of gifts. Alissa and Ricky have birthdays coming up.”

  “Oh, yeah. Guess I’d better do some shopping, too.” Adam locked the bags in the truck before they returned to the camera store. Lisa pulled her camera from the bag and handed it to the technician and explained what had happened. She waited silently for his assessment.

  The white-haired gentleman glanced up at her, then across the store to Adam. “I don’t see any real damage,” the man said. “But I can take a look at it and give you a call tomorrow. Gets kind of pricey replacing a professional setup like this, I suppose you know.”

  From the corner of his eye, Adam saw the worry in her expression. “Yes, I know,” she all but whispered. “I’ll call tomorrow.”

  Adam set the book back on the shelf and stepped up beside her. “Can I do anything?”

  She simply shook her head in silence and headed toward the door.

  “Why don’t we get a bite to eat?”

  “Eat?” Lisa’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no. I forgot to give you a message last night. A woman called to confirm a lunch date.” She dragged Adam out the door. “Oh, drat, I forgot her name.”

  Adam glanced at his watch and chuckled. “It’s not like I have a dozen women on a string. Come on, we may as well see if Tara’s still there.”

  “You’re kidding, right? I don’t think the woman will appreciate making this a threesome.” They both climbed into the truck and Adam started the engine.

  He turned quickly and looked at Lisa, humored by her reaction. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Lisa was jealous. “You didn’t think she’s my girlfriend—did you?”

  Lisa shrugged, a tinge of pink staining her cheeks. “She sounded...well...a bit possessive, like a girlfriend might.”

  She does care. “And how would a jealous girlfriend sound?”

  Lisa buckled her seat belt and hugged her bags to her body. “She kept asking who I was.”

  Trying to keep the humor from his expression, he said, “And what did you tell her?”

  “She asked if I was Millie, I said no. She asked if I was your sister, I said no. I was very professional. I asked for her name and number to take a message for you.”

  A laugh rumbled from deep in his chest and he leaned across the seat and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Bless you, Lisa. I owe you my life.”

  Lisa’s fingers lingered on the spot he’d just kissed. “You and she aren’t...”

  He shook his head as he backed out of the parking space and pressed the accelerator. “Let me make one thing absolutely clear right now. I don’t kiss one woman while I’m dating, seeing or in any way involved with another. Not that Tara wouldn’t love to claim otherwise. She’s on the Sweetheart Festival committee.” On the way to the restaurant, Adam explained how Tara had weaseled her way on to the site selection committee and into the position as hostess. As he pulled into a parking place at the Italian restaurant, Adam added, “Whatever you do, don’t make the lady mad. The last thing I need right now is to have her leave me to host
this thing myself.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “HI, I’M SORRY we’re late.” Adam realized his mistake when he saw the shock on Tara’s face turn to fury. Tara’s skin flushed all the way down to her generously exposed cleavage.

  He’d had to drag Lisa out of the truck and into the restaurant, assuring her the entire way that there never was, nor had there ever been anything between him and the woman who had affixed herself to the idea that there was a romance brewing.

  Adam held Lisa’s chair for her, then casually pulled an extra chair from a nearby table for himself. Through the tight-lipped smile, Tara’s tone was velvet, yet edged with steel daggers. “Adam, I didn’t realize you were bringing anyone. Is she one of your hired help for the party?”

  Apparently there had been more to Lisa and Tara’s conversation than simply words. He laughed lightly, hoping Tara wouldn’t read any more into Lisa’s presence. “No, Lisa’s a family friend who’s visiting the ranch for a while. We had errands to run in town this morning and I didn’t think it would be hospitable to leave her to find lunch on her own.”

  Tara deliberately removed the reading glasses from her nose. Her gaze darted between them and settled visciously on Lisa. “I see. I’m surprised you didn’t simply say that last night, Lisa.”

  Lisa glanced at Adam, then to Tara. “Most establishments value a guest’s privacy second only to their owner’s. I simply answered the phone as a courtesy to Adam.”

  Adam hoped his smile reflected his appreciation of Lisa’s tact. While he didn’t want to alienate Tara two weeks before the celebration, he certainly wasn’t into fueling her assumption that he shared her interest in the two of them dating.

  The three ordered, and Adam turned the conversation to the business at hand. Valentine’s Day.

  Tara efficiently opened her leather-covered day planner to the Sweetheart Ball header. “I’ve arranged with the county maintenance crews to grade or plow the roads to the ranch the afternoon of the party. I don’t want ruts or snow to stop anyone from attending. We’ve poured too much into this.”