by Mia Caldwell
She’d been the one who had thrown herself at him, though, the one who had initiated the physical part. And he’d reciprocated, at first. Until he rejected her.
All this time he’d led her along, telling her how beautiful she was. She was attracted to him and believed the feeling was mutual.
But it hadn’t been mutual. She had thrown herself at him, and Colin had rebuffed her.
She might not have loads of experience when it came to the opposite sex, but Sabela knew when a man was aroused, and Colin had been aroused. Yet, even though she had clearly told him that she wanted him, too, he had not followed through.
Sabela’s face heated with embarrassment. Probably her inexperience had put him off. He was a man of the world, and she was a nobody from Brent Grove.
A knock at the door tore her from her thoughts. She tried to pull her hair back so it wasn’t so all over the place, but had nothing to secure it with.
“Come in,” she warbled. If it was Colin, she’d probably die right on the spot.
Sabela brought the covers up to her chin as the door cracked open. She was relieved to see Marie poke her head inside.
“I’m so sorry to bother you, Ms. Vaughn. Mr. Morgan asked me to deliver your breakfast.”
“It’s okay, Marie. You’re not bothering me,” Sabela replied. A new twinge of pain in her head made her wince, and she looked back at Marie hopefully. “You wouldn’t happen to have a couple of aspirin somewhere, would you?”
“Are you feeling poorly?”
“Just a headache.”
Marie eyed the tray she’d brought to Sabela before she went to bed. Sabela hadn’t touched it, simply left it on the side table where Marie had set it.
“You didn’t eat last night. Was it not to your liking?” the kindly housekeeper asked, scooping the tray off the table with a concerned frown, and replacing it with the new tray.
“I’m sure it was wonderful,” Sabela answered. “I just didn’t feel too great. And I’m sure what you’ve brought me right now is wonderful, too, but I’m not hungry.”
Marie’s frown deepened the lines on her brow and around her bright blue eyes. “What’s wrong? Are you ill?”
“Just some nausea,” Sabela said.
“Hmm. Nausea and a headache. I don’t like the sound of that.”
Sabela hadn’t wanted to admit it, but the housekeeper’s concern forced her into it. “I’m hungover, Marie. That’s all. I drank too much last night.”
“Did you? How much?”
Sabela told her.
“Hmm.” Marie eyed her closely. “That’s not very much.”
“I’m a lightweight.”
“Maybe.”
Sabela thought she herself would know if she was a lightweight or not. Before she could tell Marie, the older woman excused herself, saying she’d be back shortly. She shut the bedroom door behind her.
Sabela wondered at the abrupt departure, and even more when she heard the housekeeper’s voice filtering in from the sitting room. Sabela realized Marie was speaking on the intercom.
Whatever, she thought, picking up the cup of tea and sniffing at it. She took a small, sample sip. It went down easy, soothing her throat and stomach. She slowly sipped some more.
She lifted the silver cover off the plate on the tray, but the smell of the food made her stomach churn. She quickly recovered the plate and shuddered at the thought of eggs.
She was contemplating adding some honey to her tea when the bedroom door flew open. Colin burst into the room.
Sabela was so startled she nearly dropped her tea, and then she was so unnerved by Colin’s getting an eyeful of her tousled bedhead, she nearly dropped her tea again.
The big man marched up to the bed, Marie bustling after him.
“You have a headache?” he asked, or more, commanded. His frown was deeply etched into his square jaw, and his eyes flashed dangerously.
Sabela was nearly afraid she might give the wrong answer, he was so intimidating. “Er, yes?”
“Nausea?”
“Er, yes?”
He scowled. “Dizzy?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
The scowl deepened. “How’d you sleep? Do you have swelling anywhere? Do you feel tired?”
Sabela blinked at him, overwhelmed by the fierce interrogation. “Okay. No. Kind of.”
Colin waved Marie over then pointed at the tea cup. “Take that.”
Marie snatched the cup out of Sabela’s hand. Colin held out something toward Sabela. A mask. Why was he holding a mask? She realized then that he was holding a tank, too, and that it was attached to the mask.
Sabela batted at Colin’s hands as he tried to put the mask over her mouth. “Hey, mmph, what’s the deal? Stop that!”
“Don’t fight me. Just wear this and breathe.”
Sabela began to fight in earnest.
Marie leaned around the determined man and spoke in soothing tones. “It’s alright, Ms. Vaughn. It’s only oxygen. He’s trying to help you. Mr. Morgan, you’re scaring her. Explain what you’re doing.”
“I’m trying to save you, Sabela, so stop fighting me,” Colin barked.
Save her? From a hangover? Sabela would have laughed if she didn’t suddenly have a mask secured around her head.
“Breathe,” Colin ordered. “It’s oxygen. Don’t be difficult.”
Sabela took a test breath. It seemed okay. She breathed a little deeper.
“Good,” Colin said. “Leave it there for a while and see if you start feeling better.”
Sabela risked pulling the mask away for a moment to quickly squeak out, “I really just need an aspirin or two.”
Colin firmly, but gently removed her hand from the mask. “You may have altitude sickness. It can be serious. Didn’t you read the booklet? You should have contacted one of us last night right away. Marie, didn’t you tell her about the booklet? All our guests who aren’t used to high altitudes are told to read up on the symptoms of altitude sickness. Marie?”
Sabela had read the booklet, but hadn’t thought of it again. She was afraid to admit that to Colin, though.
“Yes, sir. All our guests are asked to read the booklet.” Marie gave Sabela a sympathetic glance. “I must have forgotten to tell Ms. Vaughn. I apologize.”
Colin glowered down at the older woman. “That’s a hell of an oversight, Marie. I count on you to do things right the first time.”
“Yes, sir. It won’t happen again.”
“I should hope not.”
Marie was taking the blame for Sabela’s forgetfulness, and Sabela couldn’t let her do it. She opened her mouth to explain, but Marie cut her off with a sharp look.
Colin turned his attention back to Sabela. “Feeling better yet?”
Hell no, she wasn’t feeling any better. She shook her head.
“Marie,” he said, “get Ms. Vaughn some ibuprofen please. Not aspirin.”
Marie said she would, shooting another warning look at Sabela before she left, a look that said she didn’t want Sabela to tell Colin about the booklet lie.
Colin stood stiffly beside the bed and snapped out some questions about Sabela’s condition. She nodded and shook her head accordingly. The longer the interrogation went on, the less intimidated she became, and the more her desire to rebel grew.
Finally, when he asked about her “stools,” she snapped.
She yanked the mask off her face. “It’s just a stupid hangover! For God’s sake, leave me alone!”
He flinched, his handsome features almost comical in his surprise. He overcame it quickly, though, and snatched up the mask again. “Put this back on, or I’ll put it on for you.”
“I won’t do it. I don’t have altitude sickness.”
“Well it can’t be a hangover. You only had a few small glasses of wine and an ounce of scotch, maybe? No one gets a hangover from that.”
Sabela’s face and neck burned with embarrassment. “Apparently, I do.” She frantically tried to sm
ooth down her tousled hair. “Now get out of my room before I … before I … do something you don’t like.”
One of his finely-shaped brows arched higher than the other. “Oh really? And what would that be?”
“You don’t want to find out.”
“And you don’t want to find out what I do to house-guests who endanger their health by not following reasonable treatment.”
Sabela snorted. “Let me guess. Invade their rooms and treat them like naughty children? Too late. You already did —”
“Here’s the ibuprofen!” called a falsely cheerful voice from the other side of the room. Marie.
Sabela hadn’t even noticed her enter, nor had Colin from what she could tell.
Big hands on trim hips, Colin scowled down at Sabela. Marie rushed forward and pushed herself between the towering man and Sabela’s bedside.
“Here you go, dear,” Marie said. “Take these with some water. Then you can try some more tea.”
“She needs to get that mask back on,” Colin insisted.
“Mr. Morgan, the last thing I would want is to worry you,” Marie said slowly and carefully. “But arguing with her probably isn’t the best thing right now. I think it would be better if you gave Ms. Vaughn some space. Let her rest for a while. I’ll stay with her and make sure she’s okay. And she will be. I promise.”
Chapter Twenty-One
COLIN LOOKED LIKE HE WAS going to argue as he glanced back and forth between the housekeeper and Sabela. Sabela wanted him the hell out of the room, and she tried everything to make sure her expression showed it.
It must have worked because Colin finally nodded at Marie. “I’ll need updates.”
“Of course.”
“Frequent updates.”
“I promise.”
Colin nodded brusquely one more time. “I’ll get the helicopter warmed up back in town, in case we need to descend quickly.”
“Sounds like a grand idea,” Marie said in a tone a patient mother might use.
“Okay then,” Colin said. After one last quick glance at Sabela, he strode to the door. “Call me if anything changes.”
“I will,” Marie called.
And Colin finally left the room.
Sabela collapsed back onto her pillows and blew out a loud breath. “My God, that man is a terror. What the hell was he thinking?”
Marie sat on the edge of the bed beside her and patted her arm. “He was thinking that you were sick, and that if anything happened to you it would be his fault for bringing you here, and that the only thing he wants in the whole world right now is for you to be okay.”
Sabela raised her head slightly to meet Marie’s eyes. “If you’re going to put it that way, it’s going to be hard to stay mad at him.”
Marie smiled knowingly.
“Okay, so he’s looking out for me,” Sabela admitted. “But couldn’t he be less of an ass about it? He scared me half to death when he came charging in here.”
“Mr. Morgan can be rough around the edges sometimes, it’s true. I’ve always believed, though, that just under that tough surface is a kind man, someone who can be trusted. Take those pills, dear.”
Sabela swallowed them with some water then accepted the tea Marie returned to her. “I’m glad he’s not a doctor. He’s got an awful bedside manner.”
Marie laughed. “Don’t tell him I said this, but I agree with you.” She removed the cloth from a basket and pulled out a thick piece of toast. “Here, try this with the tea and see if it settles your stomach.”
Sabela nibbled on the dry toast. The bread was homemade. It was the most delicious dry toast she’d ever had. Marie poured her some fresh tea and added a little honey.
Sabela smiled. “I appreciate that you’re taking such good care of me. I’m not used to it.”
“Mr. Morgan ensures that all of his guests are well taken care of. You should start getting used to it if you’re going to be staying awhile,” Marie said with a wink.
How long was she supposed to be staying, anyway? Colin had never given her a hard date. After his business was concluded, she supposed that he’d send her home.
But his business associates hadn’t even arrived yet. How much longer were they going to be?
She brushed the thoughts aside and brought up a concern she hadn’t forgotten. “Marie, why did you cover for me with Colin, about the booklet? You did tell me about it. You must remember.”
Marie fussed around with the tray, moving things here and there, bringing out a large linen napkin and spreading it over Sabela’s lap to catch toast crumbs. “You looked afraid, and Mr. Morgan was … intimidating you. It was better that he not make a big thing out of it.”
“But he was angry at you. I’ll tell him the truth when he’s calmed down. I don’t want you to get your pay docked or something worse.”
Marie laughed. “You don’t have to tell him anything, dear. I assure you he won’t do anything more to me.”
Sabela wasn’t so sure. She shrugged, non-committal, not wanting to promise she wouldn’t straighten things out with Colin.
She felt better after she finished the toast, and at Marie’s suggestion she curled up in one of the cushy window seats while Marie tidied the room. Last night Sabela had learned a lot about the housekeeper, and she knew that Marie was a family woman who’d been married to the love of her life for decades.
Maybe asking her in vague terms about her troubles with Colin would be beneficial.
“How did you know that your husband was the right guy for you?” she asked Marie as she worked.
Marie paused, fluffing a big pillow. “There was something about him that spoke to me from the minute I met him. He drove me crazy back then, and he still does now.” She smiled.
“Something that spoke to you?”
“Mm, yes.” Marie put the pillow down and turned her gaze out the window. “He was different from every other man. It was the way he treated me, I guess. Or the way I couldn’t stop thinking about him.”
“Even if he hurt you?”
“Oh, he never hurt me, not on purpose, anyway. No one’s perfect, dear. What’s important is that you come back and fix your problems instead of sweeping them under the rug.” Marie winked.
“But no matter how we fight, there’s no one else in the world I’d rather be with,” she continued. “He’s my best friend, and he makes me want to become a better person every day. I think that’s important in any relationship.”
They were words to reflect on. But not in regards to Colin, Sabela told herself. It wasn’t as if she was falling for Colin anyways.
How stupid would that be?
She was attracted to him, physically, and she could deal with that. She wouldn’t be so silly as to truly fall for a man who was so far out of her league.
“What has Colin been up to this morning?” she asked. If Marie thought they were dating, the question would be natural. Sabela didn’t have to try to hide her curiosity.
“Mr. Morgan hit the ski scope early this morning. Normally, we wouldn’t see him again until lunchtime. But I suspect you being here is what brought him back to the house so quickly.”
Sabela wasn’t so sure about that. She pulled her snuggly robe tighter around herself and sighed in warm comfort and pleasure. Marie came over.
“Would you like more tea?”
“No, thank you, Marie. I’m perfect right now. I feel so much better it’s like I’m a different person.” She tried to hide a big yawn behind her hand.
Marie took her cup with a kindly smile and patted her shoulder. “I’m glad. I’m going to let you get some more rest now. There’s some more toast and some muffins on the tray if you think you could eat some more. You give me a call if you need or want anything, or if you begin to feel ill again, okay?”
Sabela promised she would. Before Marie left, Sabela pointed at the mask and small oxygen tank sitting beside the bed. “You can take that. I won’t need it. I told him I didn’t have altitude sickness.”
/> Marie eyed the tank, then gave Sabela a knowing look. “It would be best, I think, to leave it there for now. Think of it as a soothe the savage beast offering.”
Sabela laughed. “I can’t believe you said that.”
“I didn’t,” Marie said with a sly grin.
She slipped quietly out the door, and Sabela immediately heard voices in the sitting room. Good grief, had Colin been sitting out there all this time, waiting?
Sabela wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She tensed, wondering if he was going to come barging into her room again. But shortly, Marie stuck her head back into the bedroom.
“We’re going now. You get some rest,” she said, firmly, as if she were saying it for more than Sabela’s benefit.
Sabela silently mouthed a “thank you” before the housekeeper closed the door a final time.
She leaned back in the cushiony cubby and sighed, warm and content under a fuzzy blanket, a soft pillow behind her head. She let her gaze wander out the window. From where she sat she could see the bottom of the ski slope.
If Colin returned to the slopes, maybe she’d see him.
She soon drifted off to sleep, and dreamed.
She watched a singular figure jet down a massive slope, swooping left and right with agile ease. At the bottom of the mountain, the figure skidded to a stop. A wide arc of snow sprayed into the air. The masked man turned to look at her.
He watched her without moving for what seemed like ages. She waved, and it seemed he might wave back, but then the moment passed.
In a flash, he was skiing toward the lift and being taken back up to the top of the mountain. The snowy peak was so far away that eventually she couldn’t see him. Sabela squinted to no avail. He was up there somewhere, way up high, but she couldn’t see him.
And she wouldn’t see him again until he came down the mountain. Something churned in the pit of her stomach. She was certain the man in the mask would never come back to her, not ever.
But she kept watching anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Two
NO MATTER WHAT COLIN TRIED, he couldn’t ease his racing mind. When work had eluded him, he decided to try finding peace through physical means. He returned to the slopes.