The Moore Sisters of Montana: The Complete Series Box Set: Books 1-4

by Ann B. Harrison

  “You deal with this, please, while I serve our entree.”

  “With pleasure.” He unwrapped the cork and eased it out, careful not to waste any of the precious liquid by showing off with a burst of bubbles. He poured them a glass each and settled the bottle out of reach of the fire. When he went to pass a glass to Bella, she was already waiting with a plate of food for him. “Swap.”

  “Cheers, Bella. To our first date.”

  “Cheers. I like it out here, Jake. So pretty and peaceful. Do you fish much?”

  “Not as much as I’d like to. What with work and taking care of Cory, the number of times I hit the water are getting less and less, and this time of year it’s not feasible.”

  “If I owned a cabin like this, I’d make a point of spending the time up here even if it’s only to watch the water and relax.” She picked up a sesame cracker and scooped a morsel of pate. “This is my foie gras I made yesterday. It’s not for the book; it’s to nibble because I love good food.” She watched as he tried it. “What do you think?”

  “I could get used to eating like this.” The flavors of rich duck topped with a bitter orange sauce swept over his tongue and he imagined the workout he’d have to do to keep his weight in the healthy range if she continued to cook for them.

  “Now you know why I like to cook. Fresh is best, I always say, and good food is a necessity of life in my book, excuse the pun.” They ate in easy silence.

  Once the entree was finished, Bella took his plate, gave him her glass, and served up the main part of the meal.

  When they swapped glass for plate again, Jake leaned back on the cushions, his feet facing the fireplace, the heat from the flames warming his toes. “What do we have here?”

  “Smoked chicken, warm zucchini, and walnut salad with garlic and lemon aioli and sweet potato croutons.”

  Bella scooped a fork of salad up and ate it. As she chewed, she used her fork to point at the meal. “You know, if I had to, I could live on fish. It’s so easy to cook with and I love the variety I see in the stores these days.” She swallowed and scooped up another forkful, turned her face up to the fire.

  “I’ll have to make a point of bringing you out here more often then.”

  “That’d be wonderful. I can feel the tension slipping away sitting here watching the flames. Why didn’t I see how busy I was getting? How did I miss that when Russell didn’t?” She stabbed a piece of chicken.

  “Maybe you got so wound up in what you’re doing, it felt normal to be so busy. I think we all get on that treadmill now and then. It’s hard to get off when you don’t know it’s happening.” He scooped a fork of salad and put it into his mouth.

  “I bet you know when to step back.” Bella took a sip of champagne and gave him a megawatt smile.

  In the firelight, it was hard to see the shadows under her eyes but they were there. Without the heavy makeup for her television appearances, they were darker than he would have liked. The urge to protect her started to rise again. If he could wave a magic wand and rid her of the stress, he would.

  “Some days, no. I guess it’s human nature to keep going when you think you’re doing good or on a mission to succeed. When Lisa died, I ran myself ragged trying to make sure that Cory didn’t miss out on anything because he didn’t have a mom anymore. I put all the energy of two people into my day and it was the worst thing I could have done.”

  Bella put her plate down and rolled the glass between her hands as she listened to him talk.

  “I was walking a thin edge, I can tell you that. Superman had nothing on me. I was up early to make sure the house was clean, Cory had a decent breakfast to start the day, his lunch was packed, and schoolwork all done. I’d try to prepare dinner so I could pop it in the oven when I got home. Didn’t always work out that way though. Then I’d either drop him at school or at Dad’s depending on my work roster. We both had to juggle sports and after school activities or Cory would miss out.” Thinking about it now made him cringe. How close he’d come to burnout and breakdown.

  “How did you know when to stop?” She rested her chin on her hands, tilted her face up to watch him.

  “It was something Cory said that snapped me out of it. He told me I was looking a lot like his mom and it scared him.” He swallowed back the emotion. “Near the end she had permanent shadows under her eyes, weight loss was rapid, and she got very frail. From the pain mostly and the uselessness of it all. We’d acknowledged it by then, the fact it was terminal and there was nothing we could do. When Cory said that, I looked in the mirror. He was right. I looked terrible and it was then that I finally gave in and admitted I was being an idiot and he couldn’t lose both parents.”

  Bella reached out a hand and linked her fingers between his.

  “I spoke to my father, told him how I was losing it. He suggested we move in with him and share the load. Best thing I did thinking back on it. Cory always had someone around and I could breathe, stop killing myself trying to do everything. Finally figured out I wasn’t Superman.”

  “I’m not sure I’m at that place yet.”

  “But you’re putting yourself out there for some of the same. Look what you’re taking on, Bella. A Valentine’s Day dinner isn’t going to be a small intimate affair if I know your sister. I’ve seen what she’s capable of. The Christmas gala was hugely successful. There’s no way Mari is going to go smaller. I doubt it’s in her.” He did air quotes with his fingers. “Overachievers ring a bell?”

  Bella shuffled over and leaned against his chest. “I know but that’s alright. I can deal with it.” She sighed and tilted her head back. “Look out the window, Jake, the stars are shining bright.”

  “You’re trying to change the subject, young lady. I don’t want to see you burn out and crumble, okay?” He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed.

  “I won’t, promise.”

  “That’s something I’m going to hold you to. I’ve only just found you. Not keen on seeing you fade away on me yet.”

  Chapter Ten

  Russell sighed over the phone. “I need you back here, Bella. For the life of me, I don’t know what went wrong but the last show has to be redone.”

  “Totally?” How could that possibly be? They’d never had to redo a whole show.

  “Yes. I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do.”

  “What the heck did editing do to it?”

  “I couldn’t believe it either. Apparently a newbie wiped the whole tape. How the heck he even had access to it is beyond me. Needless to say, he won’t be working here anymore.”

  “That doesn’t even seem possible. Surely there’s a backup tape or something on the computers.”

  “I’ve asked all the same questions, believe me. The studio is going to kick my butt over this because it’s going to eat into their profit. Do you think I want to set up the whole damned studio again?” A few choice curse words came out of his mouth. “The set had been packed away and now we have to pull it all out again unless I can think of something better to do.”

  “But that’s not fair, Russell. I can’t come back now. I’m in the middle of a Valentine’s Day prep for Mari. She’s holding a big bash at the hotel and I’m doing the cooking. It’ll have to wait.”

  Silence met her words. Finally, he spoke, his voice measured and cooler than she’d ever heard it before which only went to show how much stress he was under. “You are contracted to this show. Regardless of your own personal plans, we need to have it in the can before the end of next week. You know the schedule we work on, Bella. You’ve been with me long enough to understand what’ll happen if we don’t produce the goods.”

  “But, I—”

  “Make the arrangements. I’ll see you next week.” He slammed the phone down in her ear.

  She screamed and slammed her hand on the work counter.

  “That sounds frightening. Want me to come back later when you have it all under control?” Mari wandered into the kitchen, a clipboard in her hand.


  The pink hearts dangling from thin pink ribbon from her sparkly pink pen only made Bella want to scream more, knowing she now had to fit in redoing her show as well as the Valentine’s Day dinner. How could she possibly be happy with what Russell had dumped on her?

  “I don’t believe it. I honestly do not believe what he’s doing to me.” She wiped her hands over her face, screamed again, and stamped her feet for good measure.

  Everything for the Valentine’s dinner was planned down to the wire. There simply wasn’t time to go racing off to Seattle and do what Russell wanted. Not until afterward. No room for any interruptions of any kind. He would have to wait and like it!

  Mari inched closer. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Apart from cancel all your plans, no.” Each word came out with a bite.

  Mari blanched and Bella had a moment of regret. “Oh, don’t believe me. I’m joking.” She picked up a wooden spoon and started tapping it on the counter, trying to work out her problem.

  Her sister ripped the utensil from her hands. “Tell me what the heck is going on. I don’t like that look of murder in your eyes and it’s pretty obvious it affects me.”

  “I am so angry right now.”

  “Really? I never would have noticed. What’s going on, Bella?”

  Bella paced the kitchen, her arms folded tight against her chest. “Russell wants me back in Seattle to re-tape the last show.” She bit her lip, trying to come up with a solution.

  “Now? Right this minute?” Mari paled even more.

  “Don’t freak out yet. I’m trying to come up with a solution, I promise. Thing is, it has to be done by the end of next week. I’m busy here for the next four days so that doesn’t leave too much time. Plus, I have the photographer coming to do shots for the book. There has to be a way to work around this.”

  “Can they come here?” Mari paced back and forth. “I know it’s not a studio like you usually cook out of but maybe it would work. Kill two birds with one stone.”

  Bella paused, raised an eyebrow, and stared at her sister. For the longest time she stood there thinking. Mari fidgeted, twirled her pen around, and eventually dropped it on the counter and shook her head in despair, looking ready to burst into tears. Then Bella whooped, launched herself at her sister, grabbing her by the shoulders.

  She planted a big noisy kiss on each cheek. “You’re amazing, that’s a brilliant idea. Let me plan it out. If I could convince them to come down here, it would save my skin in more ways than one.” She grabbed the clipboard and heart-laden pen and started to make plans.

  It had to be something that would tempt Russell to bring the whole show down to Cherry Lake. Something no one had done before. And, while she planned, a new thought came to mind and she scribbled as fast as she could.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jake debated going into the kitchen and sneaking back to work when he heard the cussing behind the door. He wasn’t that keen to finish his day with a dose of her anger on his shoulders, friend or not.

  “She’s been like that ever since she came in early this morning.” Mari skipped down the stairs and stopped in the foyer. “You’re taking your life in your hands if you go into the kitchen. I could think of better ways to spend my lunch hour.”

  “What seems to be the problem?”

  “Well, it sounds like the last show Bella taped before she left the city got accidently wiped but I have no idea what that all means. So not my gig.” Mari blew out a breath. “Her producer wants her to go back to Seattle and tape the show again.”

  “But, she’s got—”

  “Yeah, I know and now I feel all kinds of guilty.” Mari leaned on the banister and brushed her hair from her face. “She has her own career to think of but she’s insisting that she gets through the dinner before she goes anywhere.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve tried to tell her she comes first but Bella won’t listen to me. Too damned stubborn by far. Claims she has it all worked out, just has to run it past the studio and hope they go for it. Until then, she’s playing her cards pretty close to her chest. She won’t even tell me what she’s offered them.”

  “Not sounding encouraging though, is it?” A pan smacked on the floor followed by a groan of frustration and Jake winced.

  “Nope. If it was me, I’d leave her alone to work it out. Or you could drag her out to the cabin again to soothe those sounds of angst she’s been making all morning. I’ve never seen her so relaxed as she was after that first date and the evenings you two have spent together since. Well, let me say that you seem to be good for her. Not that I’m pushing you two together or anything.”

  Jake smiled. It was one night he wouldn’t forget in a hurry either and to hear that Bella had enjoyed it so much made him happy. Not a mega holiday home, but a small rundown cabin had made the famous Bella Moore relaxed and happy. Points to him. “She doesn’t scare me. I think I’ll risk life and limb to say hello.”

  Jake pushed open the door. Bella stood in front of the stove, her eyes closed and a wooden spoon in her hand. The acrid smell of burnt food made him pause and assess the situation.

  “Looks dangerous. Is it safe to come in?”

  Her eyes opened and a smile came across her face. “Jake.”

  “Shouldn’t you be concentrating on that pot?” He stepped closer, the bitter taint of charcoal something he wasn’t used to when she was around. He was ready to grab the fire extinguisher when Bella shook her head.

  “I turned it off. Already burned to a cinder because I wasn’t concentrating on what I was doing.” She dropped the spoon on the counter and pushed the pan to the back of the stove. “Too many things on my mind so I should take a break while I can.”

  “Mari told me about the show.”

  She clenched her teeth. “I don’t want to talk about it. Take my mind off of it please or I’m going to scream.”

  “What would you like me to do?”

  A lustful haze came over her face and she stepped toward him. “I’m sure you could come up with something.” Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss.

  His heart pounded and his body responded to her warmth. If he didn’t put a stop to this, he’d embarrass himself. He hadn’t really kissed her as in a kiss that made his toes curl kind of kiss yet. Heaven knew it was coming. Timing could be better. Certainly not the best place to show just how long it had been for him. Her place of work, him in uniform. Anyone could come in and see them. Not a good look but he threw caution to the wind and wrapped her in his arms hoping this was what she had in mind. Jake dropped his lips to hers as she closed her eyes and reached up to meet him. Soft lips pressed against his. Her eyelids fluttered and he took that as a green light and deepened the kiss, running his tongue across the seam of hers searching for a way in. Bella opened her mouth and wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck. A tickle of need ran down his spine all the way to the backs of his knees.

  Their tongues did a quick tango, finishing the lip-lock with a flourish of passion that spelled out the pent-up need simmering in them. With a final nip at her bottom lip, he pulled back. Sucked in a deep breath.

  “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that considering we were only going to be friends.”

  She gazed up at him with misty eyes. “I think we both know better than that, don’t we?” Bella’s gaze roamed his face, settled on his mouth. Before he could stop her, she ran her tongue over his lip. “You can try and deny it, Jake, but I don’t think either of us have any choice here. How many dates have we had as ‘friends’?”

  “I kind of lost count; I was having so much fun with you.”

  “Right, and how many times have you kissed me good-night?”

  “Probably all of them.” He sighed, knowing he was going to lose this argument. “What’s your point?”

  “Those kisses were nothing like what just happened. They were tame friends’ kisses. Not I want to devour you kisses. I really like kissing you too and I think we need to explore what’
s going on between us.”

  As her breasts pressed into his chest, he let his hands slide down her back to circle her waist. “But it isn’t going to lead anywhere. You go back to the city in what, three or four months and as much as I want to have a relationship with you, it doesn’t seem feasible. Where does that leave us?”

  “Well, by my calculations, that leaves us with three or four months to figure out where we’re going. I’m pretty sure we can come up with something. We’re both intelligent people. There has to be a solution somewhere. We just have to find the one that suits us best.”

  “And if we can’t?” It didn’t bear thinking about but he couldn’t see how it would work. His life was here and hers wasn’t. Bella had commitments she couldn’t ignore.

  Bella thought for a moment. “I don’t know but isn’t it worth a shot?”

  How could he deny himself the chance to try with her looking up at him like that? They’d been on dates whenever his shifts would allow and he wanted more. Much more. “I’d like to think so. But what happens if you decide to go back to Seattle? What happens to us?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. But”—she gave him a seductive smile—“I’m willing to work on a solution if you are. Have you ever given any thought to living in a big city? You might like it.”

  “I’m not too sure about that. My life is in Cherry Lake. Cory’s too. He goes to school here. How can I uproot him for my own selfish needs?”

  “Fair enough. I couldn’t do that to him either. Rash words, Jake. Forget I even thought of it. All I’m saying is this – let’s see if we’re compatible first before we jump ship and make long-term plans. You might hate me after you get to know me better. I’m sure that’s possible.”

  As if he could imagine that happening but it made sense. The only problem he had was if it all worked out between them romantically and they couldn’t resolve the issues facing them. He’d given it much thought over the last few weeks when he started to fall for her. How would he cope with losing another great love if that was how it came to be?