She tilted her head and smiled. “Yes?”
“I kept the icicle for myself. I’ve got it hanging in the kitchen window of my house.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “Mom loved her glass ball but I couldn’t face giving away the icicle. Sorry.”
Dakota laughed, clapped her hands. “That’s priceless. Adam, you sweet thing. I could’ve given you another one but I’m so pleased you liked it enough to deprive your mother.”
“She’s not missing out on anything because she doesn’t know there were two.”
Dakota continued to laugh and he watched her. The way her eyes crinkled at the corners, her smile lifted her whole personality and brightened his life. There had to be hope for them and damned if he wasn’t going to fight for what he wanted.
“Oh dear.” She wiped a finger under her eyelashes, drying the tears she hadn’t been able to hold back. “You’re too funny.”
“I’m glad to be of service.” It had been worth risking embarrassment to see her so happy. “What do you want to eat? We have to get back and do this tree today as much as I’d like to sit here and make fun of myself.”
“Stop it. You’ll have me in hysterics soon.” She reached for his hand. “You’re a very sweet man, Adam, and I’m glad my icicle is hanging in your window. I hope it brings you lots of joy.”
“I’m not sweet at all. I think it was selfish of me to keep it but I couldn’t resist. Don’t tell my mother.”
“Never. But I disagree. The soccer team thinks you’re the kindest person in the world after what you did for them. I happen to agree too considering you’re not sure if your health is at risk.”
“It was the last thing I was thinking of, believe me. And there wasn’t anything strenuous in that game. I don’t think I even broke a sweat.”
“Cory was beside himself with excitement and it’s all I’ve heard about since. He popped in with his friends yesterday and told me yet again how much he enjoyed it. You made him incredibly happy.”
“It seemed like the right thing to do.”
“I agree, it was. But you didn’t have to do as much as you did. But in saying that, I think you have a young man with a serious case of hero worship now for life.”
“Yeah, he choked up when he called to tell me how much they all got out of the day and how much money they managed to raise for the Grange. Makes them feel like they have an investment in the property which can only be a good thing.” He liked that she was keen to put her stamp on the place too. “I heard that you’ve been spending some time with Cory.”
“Tiny’s taken to walking down to visit in the mornings when I let her out. Cory and I chat and as I said, he pops in from time to time. He’s a great kid who’s feeling more than a little lost at times and Woodsie is a great grandfather. He runs that home like a well-trained marine.”
“He does and I can understand how Cory feels right now. Losing a parent is hard for anyone, regardless of their age or when it was. The kind of thing that will stay with him for a long time to come.”
Chapter Twenty
Adam called into his parents’ place before he left for the airport. His father sat at the table with a cup of coffee and the morning paper when Adam walked in looking better than he had in ages. He walked over to kiss his mother.
“Mom said you were only going for the day, Son.” His father folded up the paper and put it down in front of him.
“That’s the plan but I’m not sure what will happen so I want to be prepared just in case. If I’m not coming back tonight, I’ll give you a call. I need to speak to management and work out what the future holds for me.” He poured himself a coffee and leaned against the kitchen counter. “I’m hoping to be back for the gala in any event. Dakota and Mari have put so much work into it, I’d hate to miss it because I was too stubborn to deal with this earlier.”
“Praying that things go well, Son. Last thing I’d wish on either of my boys is a bad heart like mine.”
Adam walked over and rested a hand on his father’s shoulder. “I know that. Pretty sure things will be fine. If Ross can get a clean bill of health, then so can I. It’s my own fault I left it so long to deal with.” He squeezed gently, reinforcing his point. “Now I don’t want to hear about you stressing out. I’ll call as soon as I know but if you could keep it to yourselves, I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course, Adam. It’s your business. Now get a move on. Don’t want you missing your plane.”
On the way to the airport, he couldn’t resist seeing Dakota one more time. He walked in the back of the hotel, heard her curse and smiled to himself.
“Damn tree. Why did I ever think I could take this on?”
He ducked his head behind the curtain. “Because you’re awesome at what you do and I have faith in you, that’s why.”
She whirled around, a surprised grin on her face. Dakota threw herself into his arms, making him glad he’d made the effort to stop in. “I didn’t think I’d see you this morning.”
“Decided I couldn’t go without saying goodbye.”
A wash of pain rolled over her eyes. Poor choice of words.
“Sorry, that’s not how I meant it. I should have said, I couldn’t go without saying see you later and I’m really sorry I chose now to go and sort this out when I could have done it ages ago.” He pulled her tight against his chest. “I’m looking forward to our dance tomorrow night.”
Dakota leaned back and tilted her head. “What dance?”
Adam put an arm around her, linked fingers with one hand and started moving. “Remember when I showed you the Grange and you made me think about what it was like in its heyday when my parents were young, in love and still childless? I knew then that I wanted to dance with you and tomorrow night is our turn.”
“Adam Clement, you say the sweetest things.” She leaned into him again and together they danced out into the back foyer, lost in their own world.
A cough brought him back to the present. Adam looked up and gazed into the eyes of Mari, standing on the lower steps watching them. A box of holly was hitched onto her hip, one hand on the railing of the stairs. “Shouldn’t you two be decorating the tree and saving that for tomorrow?”
“She’s right. I really have to go, Dakota.” Putting off the inevitable wasn’t going to solve anything for either of them.
“I know you do.” Her voice hitched and she stepped out of his arms.
“I’ll see you later then.” He didn’t want to leave her, not like this.
“Good luck, Adam. I’m sure things will be fine.” Her blue eyes swam with tears and he hated to say goodbye. They were both torn and he wondered if it was for the same reason.
“Hoping for the best but ready for the worst.” He held her hands up to his chest. “Listen, I know I asked you to the gala but how about we meet here? I may get held up getting back and I’d hate for you to be late with so much going on.”
Her eyes closed and he mentally kicked himself. He didn’t want to let her down by not showing up but he had to be practical. Anything could happen and he might not get back. Adam didn’t know how things would go at the doctors and if he would even want to come back home if the news was bad. He couldn’t bear the thought of returning to tell her there was no chance for them because he would be reliant on drugs to stay alive. Not that he thought for one minute she would let that stop them. It would be too hard to walk away from Dakota when she’d become to mean so much to him.
“If you think that would be best.” It was clear she didn’t believe he would turn up.
“Save me the first dance, okay? You and me, together under the stars.” The thought of having her in his arms had kept him going as the tension grew and he took his leave.
“Okay.”
“I have to go.”
*
“You’re stuck on him, aren’t you?” Mari stood watching as Adam strode out the back door leaving her little sister fighting tears.
Dakota sniffed, wiped her fingers under her eyes and sighed.
“Yeah, very much so.”
“Do you think that’s wise, considering what he’s potentially facing?”
“Probably not but I don’t think it makes any difference. We love who we love and nothing can change that.” She jammed her hands in her jeans pockets and looked at Mari. “You fell in love with Rake. Would you have married him, had Noah if you knew what was wrong with him?”
Mari dropped the box of holly on the ground, pulled out a strand and started to weave it around the balustrade as she chose her words. “I ask myself that when I’m alone in bed at night. I wonder how things would have turned out if he hadn’t died. Would I be back in Cherry Lake and the answer is probably not. He refused to come home and see his parents after what they did to him.” She tied off the end and reached for another strand.
“I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. I can’t help it, it’s the way I am.” Dakota stepped closer, leaned on the balustrade and watched her sister stringing the decorations.
“Me too. Karma and all that. Even the stuff I found hard to deal with when I was younger, you know about my drug addicted mother and Dad. The whole messy breakup and fallout. I know that happened how it should have. I mean, how else would I have you girls for sisters if she hadn’t gone off the rails and walked out on him? He never would have met your mother, never had you girls.”
“So none of that worries you, having a stepmother? Mom and Dad are kind of treading around the subject lightly, not sure if you’ll blow up over it. You did have a pretty crap life you know, compared to ours.”
“Sure but it wasn’t your fault nor the parents either. It was my mother’s fault, let’s be clear about that. She was the one with the addiction, the one who ruined her own life. Not anyone else. It is what it is and it helped shape me to the woman I am today and you know, I like what I see when I look in the mirror or do a little soul searching.” She unraveled more greenery, flicked it out straight and started threading it up the stairs.
“You’ve done well. Mom and Dad are so proud of you. I know they’d like to spend more time with Noah too but they’re a bit scared to overstep the boundaries.”
“Perhaps it’s time we sat down and had a chat about it because I hold no grudges with them. It was my mother who was the loose cannon and I hold her responsible, nobody else.”
“I’m sure they’d like that,” Dakota paused. “You may get that chance a little sooner than either of us anticipated. Mom surprised me with a phone call this morning. They want to stop by for a couple of days to check on me, see the cottage and hopefully you and Noah before they head out on a cruise. Maybe if we can show them that we’re all fine they can ease up on their guilt and their worry. Stop them being so over protective all the time.”
Mari paused, looked at Dakota and groaned. “Do you think that’s why they’re like that, because of me?”
Dakota shrugged her shoulders.
“Sorry. I didn’t think about that. Maybe if I’d turned to them for help earlier, they might have been happier but I couldn’t. I felt sick about the way I treated them but at the time I blamed Dad as well. Not realizing that it was Mom that had the bad habits. Rake was the one that made me see things as they were.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m all good now and they understand I want to do things my way. But, since they’re going to be here for the gala tomorrow, you can chat all you want to them. Maybe encourage them to come here more often, spend time with Noah because I know they want to.” She turned back to her tree. “I really do have to get a move on. They’ll be here by lunch and I wanted to be finished well before then so the judges can have at it without me hovering over them.”
She looked at her watch. “Heck, its already 8:30.” Dakota walked back to the small ballroom and paused when Mari called out.
“Don’t let him break your heart, okay?”
Dakota smiled. Too late, big sister. Its already his to do what he wants with it.
Chapter Twenty-One
Dakota spun around and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was perfect, the pristine white feathers layered over the full skirt gave her a sense of enchantment, as if she was in her very own fairy tale, the magic swan. The only thing missing was her prince. Dakota gave a silent prayer that Adam was okay. She hadn’t heard a word since he’d left yesterday and the worry was getting to her. If he’d had bad news, would he tell her or would he walk away thinking they never stood a chance? She’d come up with reason after reason of why they would be good together regardless of bad news. Convincing him would be the hard thing but she was prepared to fight for him.
She focused on the dress again. The sweetheart neckline showed off the pearl necklace her mother had given her when they’d arrived this morning for the gala before leaving on a vacation. Pearls that had belonged to her grandmother. Emotions rose in her throat. Her mother had worn them on her wedding day and if tradition had followed the rule, Dakota would wear them on hers. But she was breaking with tradition. Tonight was the rebirth of the confident person she used to be. The woman who wouldn’t let anything stand in her way. It’d taken quite a while but now she was feeling as though she was back to being the best she could be. She was happy her parents were here to see her new-won confidence, and she hoped that by attending the gala with her tonight, seeing Mari shine as well, would go a long way toward alleviating their worry as well as bridging the gap between her parents and Mari.
A throaty laugh escaped her lips.
“Dakota, are you okay?” Her father’s voice brought her back to reality.
“Sure, Dad. Almost ready.” She turned from the mirror, couldn’t resist looking over her shoulder. The wings were sublime. What a brilliant idea to dress as a Christmas angel. She matched her tree perfectly. Noah would be thrilled to see what she’d done after he’d seen her tree and come up with the idea.
She slipped on her pearly white heels and walked out to the lounge room where her parents sat waiting. Her mother stood up, her hand going to her mouth.
“Oh, Dakota. Look at you.” Tears filled her eyes and threatened to roll down her cheeks but she pulled herself together. “I’m almost speechless, honey. You look amazing.”
“Thanks, Mom. I feel pretty fabulous.”
Her father held out his arms, a shaky smile on his lips. “My darling girl. Beautiful, what more can I say?” He kissed her cheek and stared into her eyes. “If that man can’t see what’s good for him, he doesn’t deserve you.”
Dakota swallowed. “He has to deal with his own demons first Dad. I can’t exactly throw myself at his feet, can I?”
“You shouldn’t have to, honey. He’ll see you and go to mush. I can see it now.” Her mother dabbed her eyes, careful not to mess up her makeup.
Dakota held her hand over her stomach. Butterflies fluttered in a mad rush to escape the tension in her belly. Adam hadn’t come home yet nor had he called. Dakota was worried sick and found it hard to keep her emotions in check but what choice did she have? “It’s time to go.”
“In my car, Dakota. Tonight I’m driving my favorite girls.” He helped her mother with her coat and carried Dakota’s wrap in his hand. “Let’s go, ladies.”
When they arrived at the hotel, they parked around the back and went through the back entrance, heading upstairs to see Noah and Mari. The balustrade dripped holly and pine cones wrapped with gold and red baubles, sprinkled with snowflakes. The smell of the forest seeped from the real greenery bundled into every nook and cranny. Spray on snow tipped the pine needles and Dakota felt a rush of Christmas cheer ripple through her body.
Dakota had barely knocked on the door when it was flung open and Noah stood there. “Did you do it?”
In answer, she did a slow turn and showed off her wings.
“Mom, come look at this.” Noah reached out and touched the copper creation that sat firmly on her back. “Wow, they’re so cool.”
“Oh my, Dakota, how incredible.” Mari walked out, clipping earrings on her earlobes and stopped gap
ing at her little sister. She shook her head. “How come I didn’t get the creative genes in this family?”
“Sweetheart, you got the right genes. All my girls are creative in their own way.” Her father leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You look amazing. Doesn’t she Noelene?”
“Yes, she does. But both the girls do. You’ve done a beautiful job decorating the hotel, Mari. There’s something about the way you position everything that draws the eye exactly where you want it and if I’m right, Noah has the same creativity.” She stroked her grandson’s hair. “This is going to be such an exciting evening. I’m on tenderhooks waiting for the auction.”
“Mom, Dad, I want you to promise not to buy my tree.” Dakota held up her hand when her father started to protest. “I can deal with the critiques on my creation, I promise. I don’t have any problem with someone else winning tonight, although I’m dying to find out who. That’s not why I entered.”
“I know why you did.” Her father stepped over to her. “You did it to prove you can cope on your own, didn’t you?”
Dakota swallowed. “Yes, but you knew that’s why I moved here.” She glanced at her family in turn. “I know you all meant well but it was important to me and so is earning the respect of the town. That won’t happen if you go and buy my tree, Dad.”
“She’s right, honey.” Her mother spoke up, a wistful gleam in her eyes. “As much as it will have us all on tenderhooks, Dakota has the right to prove to us all that she is more than capable of running her own future.” She walked over and kissed her daughter, squeezed her hands. “I’ll do my best to control your father, but that hasn’t always worked so well in the past.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She stared at her elder sister. “That means you too. Do not bid on my tree or I’ll be very cross with you.”
“But I wanted it for the hotel. If I don’t bid on yours, that means I’ll have to make my own and I don’t have the time.”
“Excuses, excuses.”
Mari stood staring, waiting for Dakota to give in and tell her she could buy it but she refused.
The Moore Sisters of Montana: The Complete Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Page 14