“It’s all over town,” Erin confirmed. “Doesn’t he have cousins?”
Haley tapped her lip as she thought. “Grant Clifton. He’s the manager at Thunder Canyon Resort.”
“It seems like I heard he has a sister?”
“Elise. She’s my best friend,” Haley confirmed. And how she missed her friend these days. She’d give anything to have someone to talk to about Marlon. Maybe talking would help to get him off her mind. Sounded like the theme of a country western tune. “But she lives in Billings now.”
Erin nodded thoughtfully, then said, “So how long has Marlon been your boyfriend?”
“He’s not.”
“Really?” The other waitress tucked her blond hair behind her ear. “I thought you guys had hooked up. After last night…”
Haley squirmed. Erin’s social cues and interpersonal observations were really out of whack if she thought last night’s events were about a relationship. “What makes you think he’s my boyfriend? Based on what you saw?”
“You mean because you were fighting?” Erin waved her hand dismissively. “A lovers’ quarrel.”
Way off the mark—and not very likely now. Haley had acted like he had the plague because she had no idea how to kiss him back. He would never risk a repeat and that was too bad. Because she could definitely see how a kiss—especially from Marlon—could be life-altering. Ever since last night’s close encounter of the personal kind, her hormones had been giving her a hard time. There was a knot in the pit of her stomach that felt like frustration on crack.
And she didn’t know how to make it go away.
Since Marlon didn’t plan to stay in Thunder Canyon, it was probably for the best that she got a failing grade in Kissing 101. A repeat of the experience would not help her stay aloof. Which she needed to do if she planned on not getting attached to him.
“We’re not lovers,” Haley finally said. “In fact, I’m not sure we’re even friends.”
“Really? He seemed pretty upset. So did you, for that matter. If there’s nothing between you, there’d be no reason for that.”
He was upset when she left? That information sent a small shimmy of pleasure through her. But hope was a place she couldn’t afford to go.
“Trust me, there’s nothing between Marlon and me.”
“Too bad. He’s really cute. And he’s got a lot of money?” Erin looked like she was working very hard at appearing barely interested. But there was an underlying intensity to her questions that made Haley wary.
She was about to say they should get back to work and end this conversation when an older couple came into the restaurant and were seated in Erin’s section.
“Gotta go.” She’d noticed, too. “We should get together for a drink some evening.”
“Maybe.” Haley wasn’t ready to commit. She was almost sure that something was up with Erin and didn’t want to jump into a friendship based on hidden agendas. “I’m pretty busy with ROOTS right now.”
“The teen mentor program.” Over her shoulder Erin said, “Let me know if I can help.”
Haley watched her smile at the customers and wondered about her over-enthusiastic interest in Marlon. Jealousy reared its ugly head again. It was one of her less attractive qualities, but acknowledging it was half the battle in suppressing the tendency. At least she hoped so.
Since Marlon had come back to Thunder Canyon, she seemed to be acknowledging and suppressing a lot where he was concerned—both her attraction to him and the crush that refused to die.
She sighed and shook her head as she slid down from her bar stool, muttering to herself. “This whole suppression thing needs work. A lot of work.”
Marlon sat beside Roy in the folding chairs that faced the corner TV at ROOTS. They were playing a video game and he was getting his ass kicked because his head was on what happened between him and Haley last night.
When the door behind them opened, he knew right away it wasn’t a group of kids. They were usually so noisy it would be impossible to sneak up on a glass of water. Even outside on the sidewalk you could hear talking, teasing, laughing. And if girls were there, the decibel level went up loud enough to shatter glass in the next county.
The person who’d just come in was too quiet and suddenly it felt as if the temperature in the room dropped to sub-zero. Plus the smell of her perfume made his blood hum, his skin burn.
Haley.
He couldn’t wait to see her and dreaded it at the same time. That was just whacked for a decisive guy like himself. Somehow he’d ticked her off when he’d kissed her last night and he didn’t have a clue what he’d done wrong. It wasn’t as if that was his first time kissing a girl. He’d had a lot of experience. Tons. He knew what he was doing and all the signs said Haley had been into it. She’d been breathing just as hard as he was; she’d made that turned-on, breathy little sound that drove him completely nuts.
Then all of a sudden she had pushed him away and treated him like an ax murderer. What was up with that?
Haley walked into the storage room leaving the scent of her drifting behind him. His skin felt too tight and another, stronger flash of heat rolled through him.
“Hi, Roy,” she called out.
“Hey.” The kid glanced sideways, game forgotten. “That was weird.”
Marlon set his control on the floor. “What?”
“She didn’t say hi to you.”
“I noticed.” There was a lot she wasn’t saying to him. Volumes. And there were no signs that would be changing anytime soon. He’d sure like to be a mind reader right about now.
“What did you do?”
Since Marlon didn’t think it was appropriate to discuss kissing her, he said, “Nothing.”
Roy looked at him. “Must be somethin’, dude. She’s glacial.”
“Yeah, well, if global warming can melt the polar ice pack maybe it will work on her, too.” Marlon stood. “You’ve got supervision now. I’ve been relieved of duty. I’ll see you later.”
“You’re bailing on me?” Roy complained.
Marlon looked down. “Are you going to tell me where you live?”
The teenage mask of intensity slipped into place. “No way.”
“Then I’m bailing on you.”
Without another word, Marlon walked outside and started down the wooden sidewalk. He was halfway to The Hitching Post when he heard a horn honk behind him. Turning, he recognized the Cates Construction truck as it pulled over and stopped beside him.
His twin, Matt, was behind the wheel. “Hey, bro.”
Marlon leaned his forearms on the passenger-side window frame. “What’s up?”
“I’m on my way back to a job. We’re doing the foundation for Connor McFarlane’s house.”
“Need some help?” Marlon could sure use some physical work to get rid of the restless energy that made him want to put his fist through a wall.
His brother studied him for several moments before saying, “Hop in.”
Marlon remembered Haley asking him if it was like looking in a mirror when he was with his brother. Their faces were practically identical, as was their dark hair and eyes. But they were different in a lot of ways. Matt was more muscular, a side effect of physical labor, working with his hands. He was also more serious, some said somber. According to their mother, he was just more mature. And loyal to a fault. Haley would never tell Matt that commitment wasn’t his strength.
“That’s a pretty fierce look on your face,” his brother observed.
Marlon met his gaze for a moment. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
What was there to say? Haley was mad. He had no idea why. But he was only there to do his community service, so what did it matter whether or not she liked him? Except the hell of it was that it did matter and he wanted it to stop mattering.
Matt knew him well enough to leave him to his thoughts and they were quiet until they got to the construction site. And i
t was a beaut, Marlon thought when the truck pulled into the clearing. Connor McFarlane had picked a nice piece of land outside of town. A few trees had been cleared, but the majority were saved. The way the earth was dug out for the foundation showed him the general layout of the house, giving the front a spectacular view of the mountains, the best possible view as a matter of fact. Matt would have spent a lot of time getting the orientation just right for maximum panorama potential. His brother was incredibly good at his job.
He opened the driver’s-side door and jumped out of the truck, then reached in for his tool belt and buckled it on. Marlon followed him over the uneven ground to a stack of lumber.
“This is going to be a great house,” he said.
“Big.” Matt studied the ground and nodded with satisfaction. “It will be good for the Cates Construction portfolio.”
“Where’s the rest of your crew?”
His brother grabbed a piece of wood. “They’re done for the day. Can’t afford to pay overtime, but there’s still a couple more hours of daylight and I don’t want to waste it.” He looked up and suddenly grinned. “And I found some free labor.”
“It’ll cost you,” Marlon warned. “You won’t know when or how much, but it will.”
“I’m scared.” Matt positioned the board where he wanted it and fitted another in. “We’re pouring the foundation soon and it needs to be framed first.”
“Yeah. I figured,” Marlon said wryly. “I lift a hammer from time to time—when I have the time. It hasn’t been that long since I worked for Cates Construction.”
“You’re a pansy,” Matt joked. “Soft and sweet with your cushy job behind your desk in L.A.”
“Never judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes.” Marlon smiled.
Unlike dealing with the mercurial Haley Anderson, this back and forth with his brother was familiar. The house foundation wasn’t there but the same couldn’t be said of the one he had with Matt. It felt good. And the truth was they hadn’t worked like this for a while. Or talked.
“So what’s new?”
Matt glanced up. “I guess you haven’t heard.”
“What?”
“Dillon Traub is going to take over for Marshall as the on-site sports doctor at Thunder Canyon Resort.”
Dillon was Dax and D.J. Traub’s cousin. Through them, Marlon had met him and liked him a lot. He was fun, casual and confident without being obnoxious. Then a thought hit him.
“Why is he filling in? Where’s Marshall going?”
Matt slid him a pitying look that said he really needed to stay in the loop. “Marshall and Mia, that’s his wife in case you haven’t heard—”
“I know he’s married. And I’ve actually met Mia. She’s great. What I didn’t know is that they’re going somewhere.”
“In September he’s taking her on an extended working vacation,” Matt explained.
“Working how?”
“Mia has finished nursing school and they’ll be doing some sightseeing as well as visiting counseling centers that she hopes to model her own after.”
“I didn’t know that,” Marlon said.
His twin nodded. “She’s using her inheritance to start a grief counseling center for women.”
Marlon thought about Haley, the overwhelming anguish she must have experienced after her mom died. “Sounds like a really worthwhile undertaking. The Anderson family could have used something like that.”
Matt swiped his forearm over his sweaty forehead as he nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know how Haley did what she did. Raising Angie and Austin at the same time she was dealing with her mother’s loss…and she did a great job of it.”
“Yeah.” Haley was a hell of a woman, Marlon thought. As was his sister-in-law. “Good for Mia. I hope the two of them have a great trip. And I can’t think of anyone better than Dillon to fill in for Marshall.”
Too bad he wouldn’t be around when the other man took over for his brother. Moving around a lot was the downside of doing what Marlon did. And that meant missing out on a lot of stuff. It never used to bother him, but now? Discontent was the best description he could come up with.
Marlon watched his brother fit more wood together and nail it in place. “You know, it’s a good thing Dillon is rich and the heir to Traub Oil Industries.”
“I’m sure Dillon wouldn’t argue with you on that point.” Matt looked up, a wry expression on his face. “But why do you think so?”
“Because he’s not locked into a nine-to-five job and can pick and choose where and when to practice medicine.”
Matt rested his forearm on his thigh. “Now that I think about it, he always knew he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up.”
“Don’t sound so envious.” Marlon handed his brother another two-by-four. “You always liked building stuff. From Tinkertoys to Erector sets, you’d make things. I envied that.”
“You think I’ve always been sure of myself?” Matt asked.
“Duh,” Marlon answered.
“Not so much. Have you forgotten that I’m a law school dropout?”
“Only because it was never really your dream,” Marlon defended. “Mom and Dad wanted you to be a lawyer.”
“That’s not an excuse,” Matt retorted.
“I’m not saying it was. Just that kids try to please their parents.”
Marlon thought of Roy and wondered if he’d run from parental pressure to do or be something he didn’t want. Then he thought about Haley, who hadn’t had the guidance of parents nearly as long as she should have. And now she was trying to help other kids who needed a steadying hand. Again he realized that she was a very special woman.
“In the long run, life is all about finding something you love to do,” Marlon said. “And you like working with your hands. It’s what you’re good at. Construction is a no-brainer for you.”
“Like you’re good at business.”
“Yeah. But it fries my ass that you’re good at business, too.” Marlon grinned when his twin made a scoffing sound. “Really. It’s not fair that you can do both equally as well. And you really love it.”
Matt looked up. “How do you feel about what you’re doing?”
“You mean my company?”
“No, the community service. The need for speed brought you down, bro. How’s it going at ROOTS?”
“It’s living up to its name,” he said ruefully. “I’m planted in one spot. At least until the end of August.”
“You might be stuck in one spot, but at least the scenery is good. Haley is hot. You could be stuck working for a crabby ninety-year-old with a gray bun in her hair and a stick up her butt.”
No argument there, Marlon thought. Haley was pretty as a picture and twice as sweet. Until last night. “She’s not ninety and I’ve never seen her hair in a bun.”
“So what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Matt’s expression was scornful. “This is me, Mar. I know you better than anyone.”
“You don’t know everything.”
“Then tell me.”
Marlon met his brother’s gaze. “I was engaged in college and she took me for a bundle of money.”
“I hate it when you’re right.” Matt stared at him. “I didn’t know that.”
“She played the purity card. Said she didn’t believe in sleeping together before marriage. So I proposed and wanted to set a date.”
“Don’t tell me. She was in no hurry to do that.”
“Right in one,” Marlon said ruefully. “She claimed she had a lot of debt from her father’s medical problems and didn’t want to burden me with it.”
“So you wrote her a check,” Matt guessed.
“With too many zeroes. After which she disappeared.” He hated being made a fool of. “It’s not something I look back on with pride.”
“I can understand that. But don’t let that put you off women altogether.”
“Who says I’m doing that?” Marlon asked, suddenly defensive.
&nb
sp; “Something’s going on. What’s up?”
He knew there was no point in putting his twin off. Matt knew him too well and wouldn’t let up until he had the information he wanted. “Haley. All grown up, I mean.”
Matt stood and rested his hands on his hips. “You’re hung up on her. And running scared because of the girl who ripped you off.”
Marlon waved his hand dismissively. “What have you been smoking?
“There it is again,” his brother said, pointing. “Defensive. Another sign that something’s different with you this time.”
“You’re crazy.”
“No, you are. You need to embrace it, bro. She could be ‘the one.’”
“The one?”
“To finally tame my restless twin,” Matt explained.
“No way.” Marlon shook his head. “Just call me the happy wanderer.”
“The more they protest, the harder they fall,” Matt teased.
Marlon didn’t like the turn of this conversation and it was time to put it out of its misery. “Even if I was interested in Haley, and that’s a big if, I’m not the settling down sort.”
“Where have I heard that before?” Matt snapped his fingers. “Oh, yeah. Big brother Marshall said it right before he met Mia. Maybe even after they met. He swore up and down he wasn’t the kind of man who did relationships. He was just like you, carefree and commitment-phobic.”
“And your point is?”
“He’s married and getting ready to go on his honeymoon. I’ve never seen him happier.”
“Again I ask, what’s your point?” Marlon knew he’d be sorry for asking, but the words were out before he could stop them.
An unfortunate byproduct of verbal sparring with his brother was getting backed into a corner. Fighting his way out didn’t always make his comebacks very smart.
“Just saying. Haley could be the one.” Matt smiled. “Never say never.”
There was no way to win this argument so Marlon didn’t try. No matter how much he’d liked kissing Haley, how much he liked the lady herself, clearly the feeling wasn’t mutual. Although he would swear the attraction was. But could he trust it? Was pushing him away some kind of game with her?
There was no point in sorting out the questions. The bigger problem was finding a way to shut down his festering feelings, because he had two more weeks of community service left. That was more than enough time for a lot to happen.
Taming the Montana Millionaire Page 10