Rocky Mountain Romance

by Lesley Ann McDaniel

  Ben put a hand on his hip, shifting his weight to one foot. “What are you two talking about?”

  Courtney fairly whispered, “The love triangle.”

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Ben flinch, as if surprised by the answer. He looked outside again, shaking his head. “You’re not playing matchmaker again, are you, sis?”

  “Again?” Courtney sounded defensive. “Look, I never set out to matchmake. It just seems to happen that way.”

  Uncomfortable with the direction this was headed, Sheila watched Mrs. Greene greet her guests. “You know, Courtney—” she calculated her words “—sometimes people are attracted to each other, but romance just isn’t a good idea.”

  Releasing the curtain, Ben took a step back. He had obviously heard her. Had he gotten the message?

  “Maybe.” Courtney spoke with that sometimes-annoying defiance of the happily married. “But I think Mama Greene just needs a little prodding—”

  She was cut off by the sound of the front door opening and voices wafting in from the foyer.

  “Elena. I’ve heard so much about you and your wonderful family.” Blair sounded cheerful and sincere. “Travis has been talking about you for months.”

  Courtney looked at Sheila and whispered, “Months? He’s known Mama Greene for two years.”

  “Well, I’m very flattered.” Mrs. Greene’s voice was calm and steady, not at all like the voice of a woman who felt romantically threatened. “Please come in and meet my daughter-in-law and our guests.”

  As the three of them entered the parlor, Sheila noticed Courtney eyeing Blair with a narrow, distrustful gaze. She was probably right about her having an interest in Mr. Bloom, but truthfully, she seemed really nice. Sheila wasn’t seeing anything underhanded in her approach, and after all, Mrs. Greene hadn’t laid a claim on him. It wasn’t as if he were off-limits, really.

  She watched as Ben crossed to Blair, holding up his paint-covered hands in an explanation of why he couldn’t offer to shake. Without intending to, Sheila pictured him wearing nerd glasses and clutching a microscope and she almost laughed out loud.

  Then her chest squeezed. Why couldn’t he still be that sweet guy who hadn’t even had a date until after high school?

  Chapter 5

  All through dinner, Ben had been so involved in a mental Ping-Pong match over whether or not to talk to Sheila about his job that Tandy’s beef stew and chocolate cake might as well have been oatmeal. Now, as he trailed behind the Greenes and their guests on their way from the dining room into the parlor, he said a little prayer. He’d devised a plan, but if he decided to go through with it, he was going to need some divine guidance.

  Ever since his conversation with Hank the previous evening, he’d been building up his courage. Then Sheila’s comment that afternoon about romance not always being a good idea had crashed his confidence like a computer virus. Should he reboot by telling her about the transfer possibility, risking the pain of a lukewarm rejection? Or should he just forget about it and accept his fate as a permanent bachelor?

  He swallowed hard against the lump of self-doubt that lodged in his throat, and hung back with his dad and Mr. Bloom as the ladies chose their seats.

  “I’m sure you heard about the movie that was filmed here at the ranch.” Addressing Blair, Mrs. Greene smoothed her skirt behind her and sat on one of the little antique-looking sofas. “But it’s just as exciting to have a reality show shot in our town.”

  “We prefer to call it a ‘cooking competition.’” Blair sat in a fancy high-back chair opposite the sofa. “The integrity of reality shows can get a little dicey.”

  “Integrity is important in all areas of life.” Mr. Bloom stood behind the chair that was situated between Blair and Mrs. Greene, waiting for Janessa to be seated on Blair’s other side. “It’s a special responsibility for those of us in the entertainment industry, don’t you agree, Blair?”

  “Absolutely. We take pride in our show’s honesty.”

  Ben’s dad helped Courtney settle onto the sofa next to Mrs. Greene, then joined Mom over near the fireplace. That left only Ben and Sheila standing. Their eyes met and he gave her a smile, which she politely returned before taking a seat next to Courtney.

  His heart lifted. She had smiled, albeit in a manner that could have been interpreted about a hundred different ways. It wasn’t exactly the meet-me-on-the-front-porch-in-five-minutes kind of smile he would have liked, but it was something, and right now he was clinging to every “something” that came his way.

  Feeling restless, he moved over to where the women had been scrapbooking earlier and sat down. They’d left everything all splayed out on the table, just as his mom always did at home when she worked on a project like this. Glancing at the photos in front of him, he mentally reviewed his plan.

  Sooner or later, Sheila would say good-night and head upstairs. All he had to do was “coincidentally” go up at the same time. Even if everyone retired en masse, he and Sheila were the only ones staying on the third floor. That would guarantee him at least two minutes of one-on-one conversation—all he’d need to gauge if there was a chance of getting back into her good graces. He smiled to himself. It was a practically foolproof plan.

  As long as he didn’t lose his nerve or say something completely stupid.

  Right.

  “It’s a shame that Adam didn’t make it in for dinner.” Mrs. Greene sounded both concerned and apologetic. “This is such a busy time of year for the ranch.”

  “Yes, I’m looking so forward to meeting him.” Blair shifted her focus to Courtney. “You must be happy to have your family here right now, especially with your husband being so busy.”

  Courtney responded with a curt nod. “Adam will probably spend the night in his truck again, keeping an eye on our mama cow that hasn’t had her calf yet.”

  Ben had noticed that his sister seemed to have abandoned her usual “way” with people around Blair. He shrugged his eyebrows. Must be a hormonal thing.

  “So—” Blair crossed her legs “—what happens if you go into labor and the calf hasn’t been born yet?”

  “One of the ranch hands will take over with the cow.” Courtney lifted her feet onto a footstool in front of her. “Adam normally likes to be out there in case there’s a problem, but he’s got guys he can depend on.”

  Glancing down at a partially covered picture of Courtney as a kid, Ben huffed out a little laugh. He pushed aside the paper that was covering its other half, and his face fell. It was a picture of the two of them, back in his “awkward phase.” The one that had lasted twenty-eight years and showed no signs of coming to a close.

  He sighed. It was humiliating that he was such a geek. Toting a microscope around the way other kids carried teddy bears. As if he thought he was going to make some great spontaneous scientific discovery and might need the thing. Other kids had thought he was weird. How old had he been when he had finally realized they were right?

  It wouldn’t be so bad that his mom brought it to put in the album, but it had been right here in front of where Sheila had been sitting earlier. That meant that she’d seen it and had probably had a good laugh over it with Courtney. Great.

  He rubbed at a threatening headache in his temple. If there had been any doubt in Sheila’s mind that he was a loser, that was certainly gone now. Thanks, Mom.

  He shifted his focus back to the conversation, which, not unexpectedly, had turned to Food Fight.

  “When will you start filming, Blair?” Mrs. Greene asked.

  “My B-roll team arrives tomorrow, along with Brian Leary.”

  Janessa perked up. “The women in town are just dying to see him.”

  Blair gave a little smile. “Women do love him, that’s for sure.”

  “What exactly is a ‘B-roll team’?” Leave it to Dad to want to k
now all the details.

  “That’s the crew that shoots secondary footage.” Blair turned her head to answer Dad but then made sure she included everyone. “My cameraman, Todd, will be my right-hand man for the next two days, shooting footage of the café and customers. Then we’ll interview the owners away from the café.” She inclined her head toward Janessa. “That’s what we call the ‘bio segment.’”

  Feeling too pent up to really get involved in the conversation, Ben looked down at the table again. A photo of Sheila and Courtney that was probably taken when they’d gone to Big Sur a few years ago grabbed his attention. Glancing from the photo to Sheila sitting across the room, his mouth pulled up a little. How could anyone be so captivating?

  “So tomorrow the café will be open just like normal.” Blair seemed genuinely happy to explain the rules. “Anyone who comes in to eat might have a chance to talk to Brian Leary about their meal and appear on the show. They do need to sign a release saying we can put them on television, of course.”

  “We have to go there tomorrow, Bob.” Mom was so easily enthused, especially about things that involved food. She looked at Blair. “When does the actual competition take place?”

  “Friday is D-day.” Blair spread her hands open like a fireworks display. “That’s when the A-roll team arrives, along with the judges, to film the main event. The café will close at noon. After that we’ll have invited friends and family to be background customers while the judges are there.”

  Seeing a picture of himself that his mom had taken out in their front yard right after his college graduation, Ben contorted his mouth. Those nerd glasses were fine for work, but he sure was glad he’d finally gotten contacts. At least that was an improvement.

  As everyone else continued to discuss the show, Ben overlaid the picture of himself on Courtney’s part of the other photo, making it appear that he was standing next to Sheila.

  Getting a little more into it now, he slid a plastic heart-shaped template across the overlapping photos. Something about seeing himself next to Sheila encased in the shape of a heart reassured him. Did that make him a romantic? Or just a weirdo?

  After a few more minutes of discussion about the show, Janessa excused herself to go study, and Mrs. Greene moved to accompany Blair and Mr. Bloom to the door.

  Courtney rose, then teetered as if she wasn’t quite balanced. Grabbing her arm, Sheila stood, too, and a surge of adrenaline propelled Ben to his feet. Was this his chance? Or was she going to stay down here to talk to Courtney, leaving him hanging out awkwardly like some dweeb at the eighth-grade dance?

  Wavering, he tried not to let on that he was waiting for the girls to make a move while they talked quietly to each other, probably about the alleged “love triangle” that Courtney was so up in arms about. He kept an eye on Sheila, ready to pounce like a cat if she made a move for the stairs.

  “Isn’t that cute?” His mom suddenly appeared next to him, giving him a start.

  Seeing that she was commenting on the photos spread out on the table, his heart jumped into his throat. Terrific. Apparently, she had seen that he’d created the heart scene and was probably about to announce its “cuteness” to the room. This was worse than that time in the sixth grade when she’d told her Bible study group about him writing Jenny Blakely’s name inside his binder. Would he never escape?

  Thinking fast, he grabbed the microscope-nerd shot, pushing aside the heart with his other hand. “Mom, why did you bring this one?”

  “What’s wrong with it?” The corners of her mouth drooped. “I think it’s adorable.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just...”

  Sheila moved around the coffee table, prompting Ben to drop the photo and take a clumsy step in her direction. “Uh...Mom, Dad...are you going upstairs now...?”

  Regarding him with a wary expression, his mom responded, “It’s a little early yet. I think we’ll stay down here and chat with Elena.” She crossed to Dad. “Don’t you think so, Bob?”

  “Sounds fine. Courtney?”

  Courtney had surreptitiously crept over to the window and was peering through the curtains. She jarred back at the sound of her name. “What? Oh.” Letting go of the curtain, she turned to them. “I think I’ll go up and see if I can get Adam to answer his cell. I always worry about him out there.” She turned to Sheila. “You heading up?”

  “Sure.” Sheila seemed to be fighting a yawn. “It sounds like we have a big day tomorrow.”

  As the girls started for the doorway, Ben said a hasty good-night to his parents and attempted to catch up.

  “Son.” Dad’s authoritative tone brought Ben skidding to a stop.

  “Uh...” He watched the girls making their way slowly into the foyer. “Yeah, Dad?”

  “I’ve been thinking about the painting idea, the one we talked about.”

  From the contemplative tone in his dad’s voice, Ben knew this could take a while. The girls were almost to the stairs. How was he supposed to handle this without being obvious?

  “You’re right about showing it to Courtney first.” Dad had that far-off look in his eye that he got whenever he attempted to access a creative vision. “I think once the women see the sketch, they’ll agree with—”

  “Good point, Dad.” Seeing that this could easily develop into another endless nursery-design committee meeting, he launched a spontaneous plan B. “Why don’t I run up and grab the sketch and show it to Courtney before she goes to bed?”

  “Fine idea, son....”

  Leaving his dad calling out additional instructions, Ben caught up to the girls, who were moving just slightly faster than water flowing uphill. If he hurried, he could grab the sketch and be back by the time they summited floor two.

  Advancing a step past them, he spoke over his shoulder. “I...uh...told Dad I’d show you his new plan for the baby’s room.”

  Courtney frowned. “You did get him to repaint the whole ceiling, right?”

  “It’s plain white, just like you wanted.”

  Taking the stairs at a near run, he dashed to the baby’s room and glanced around the tarp-covered space. Where had his dad put that drawing? If he didn’t hurry, Sheila could easily continue on up to the third floor without him.

  Seeing the paper peeking out from under a paint can, he grabbed it and dashed back out into the hallway just as the girls hit the top step.

  “Here.” He stretched out the word in an attempt to cover how out of breath he felt from his jog down the hall.

  Looking up at him from under a skeptical brow, Courtney took the drawing. Instantly, her scowl melted into a smile. “Ohh...it’s so cute.”

  Sheila leaned in, smiling approvingly at the sketch of a yellow duck waddling along with a pair of ducklings trailing behind her.

  It pleased him that Courtney liked it, but to see Sheila approve sent a thrill through him. “So I hope you like it, because I—”

  He was cut off by the sound of Brahms’s Lullaby, and Courtney reached into her pocket to pull out her phone.

  Catching on that it was Adam on the line, he and Sheila both turned away as Courtney took a few steps down the hall for some privacy.

  His heart went into a humiliating hyperdrive. This was it. The opportunity he’d been waiting for. His mouth opened, but nothing came out, as if the files in his head were too fragmented to efficiently access. Was it possible for the link between a person’s brain and their vocal cords to shut off like an internet connection after a power surge?

  Sheila backed up a step, her beautiful eyes dancing from side to side like a pair of brown-and-gold-flecked butterflies. The movement gave the impression that she was nervous, too. As though she wanted to let her gaze land anywhere but on him.

  He shifted his weight, ready to move with her if she started for the stairs. A slow breath did little to low
er his heart rate, but the brain-to-voice connection seemed to reestablish itself just as she spoke, too.

  “It really is cute...”

  “I don’t understand...” He let out a nervous little laugh as she gave him a go-ahead hand. “I don’t know why Court didn’t like Dad’s flying ducks.”

  “It wasn’t the ducks she objected to.” She grabbed her elbows. “It was the duck hunters he had hiding in the bushes. That would have given her kid nightmares.”

  Ben let out a chuckle. “He was thinking it would be like Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. Totally old-school.”

  “Your dad can be so avant-garde.”

  “I’ll say.”

  Sheila nodded at the paper still in Courtney’s hand. “I didn’t know your dad had actual artistic talent.”

  “Well, he... I mean, I—”

  “Hey, Ben.” Holding her phone away from her ear, Courtney took a few steps toward them. “I really need you to do me a favor. Tandy is packing up some dinner and a carafe of coffee for Adam, but he doesn’t want her to drive all the way out to the north pasture by herself. Would you drive her?”

  “What, like now?”

  “Yeah.” She handed him the phone. “He can tell you how to get there.”

  He looked over at Sheila, who hesitated for a moment before bidding them good-night and making a move for the third-floor staircase. Feeling his perfect plan slipping from his grasp, he took the phone.

  Great. Ordinarily, he’d be more than happy to help out his sister, but why did her timing have to be so incredibly rotten?

  * * *

  After tossing around in her big hand-carved oak bed for almost an hour, Sheila gave up and let out a groan. She was due for a good night’s sleep, but knowing that Ben hadn’t come up the stairs yet had somehow prevented her from nodding off.

  It had occurred to her, as they were waiting to say good-night to Courtney and talking about ducks, that she needed to do everything she could to keep from walking up to the third floor with him alone. Sure, it was only one flight of stairs, but she didn’t trust herself not to get swept up in conversation and forget why she was so mad at him. He really was just that charming. Thank goodness it had been easy to slip away tonight when Courtney had intervened, but she’d have to be more careful in the days ahead.