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

by Ann B. Harrison

  “Doesn’t look like I have any choice, does it?” He tried to look harassed but the blossoming smile on his face probably gave him away.

  Bella gave him a quick hug. “Thank you. For being so accommodating and going along with me and my mad ideas, you guys can have my venison and mushroom stew with creamed parsnip whip for dinner after Jason shoots the photos. Deal?” She smiled sweetly, making his body react. This wasn’t the time nor the place. Breathe, Jake, just breathe.

  Jake made the point of speaking to his son while he tried to control the stirring of long forgotten closeness creeping in. “So, are you giving these to the class incognito or what?”

  “Huh? Oh, right. I haven’t thought about it much. Don’t know how I’m gonna do that. Someone will see me bring them in.”

  “I’ll do it. I can drop them off at the front office first thing Monday and say they’re for your class. That way nobody will be any the wiser and you’ll get a box too.” Bella shrugged as if it made sense to everyone but Cory. It didn’t take long before he got the idea.

  “Wow, you rock, Bella. Thanks.”

  “My pleasure. Now, that first batch should be cool enough to decorate. I hope you two are ready for some fun.”

  Jake leaned against the counter with his coffee while she scurried around the kitchen getting the decorating icing and sugar candies ready for the big procedure. It seemed Bella didn’t do anything by halves.

  Once she had everything lined up on the counter, she paused for breath. “Right, this is what we do. We each do a different color icing, but, and this is where it’s going to make the difference, we take a mix of all the different shapes and sized cookies. You can decorate them however you like but let’s do the base icing first then I’ll show you some neat tricks.”

  Bella handed him a bowl of bright pink icing and a knife shaped object that made icing cookies a breeze, apparently. Before long, Jake forgot the surroundings, the photographer, and found himself enjoying the experience.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You’re amazing.” Bella gave Jason a grateful smile as she scrolled through the photos he’d taken that day.

  “That’s why you pay me so much money.” He walked over and poured himself a coffee. “So, this guy, your hunky fireman, is it serious?” Jason came back, leaned against the prep counter where his laptop sat.

  Yes! “I’m not sure. He’s amazing and we’re good together but I have commitments. You know that. Plus, he has Cory. Great kid and I love him to death already but he’s settled here in school.”

  Commitments, she couldn’t just brush off. It wasn’t her style and certainly not since it’d taken her so long to achieve her dream. All those early years of slogging it out in burger joints after school, working weekends for caterers and anyone else that would let her near their kitchen had been tough but worth it in the end. She’d accomplished her dream and it was all churning around in her mind. Making a decision wasn’t something she could do in an instant. Not with so much riding on it.

  “Listen to me, Bella. You know I wouldn’t say something unless I honestly believed it, right?”

  She nodded. He was a man of few words but what he did say always made sense.

  “I don’t know anyone that works harder than you do and, sure, I get the reason why. I’m a workaholic the same as you are but sometimes you have to stand back and take a good look at what you have, what you want, and where you’re going to end up.” He sipped his coffee, waited for his words to sink in. “I’ve never seen you react to anyone like you do to Jake. Heck, if I didn’t know the truth, I’d have thought that boy was yours. You all seem to click, fit in with each other. It’s a lovely thing to see.”

  “Yeah, I feel like it’s meant to be but…”

  “That’s where you need to stop yourself. It’s not about the ‘but’, it’s about the how. That’s what you have to focus on. How can you make it work, how can you all have what you want?”

  “I’m committed for another season. The books I can do anywhere so long as you’re prepared to travel to do the photo shoots.”

  “And I am, you know that. You and I can make that part work. You have to find the one thing that would make it work between you, Russell, and the studio. Last thing you need is the company suing your butt for breach of contract. That would take the shine off any romance. And, honestly, after all the hard work you’ve done to get this far, I doubt you want to throw away your career.”

  “That’s what scares me. I can’t lose everything I’ve worked so hard for. I didn’t slave in those back alley cafes just to give it up now. There has to be a way I can have a relationship as well.” She sighed, dropped her head to her hands. “I don’t know what to do, Jason.”

  “Scroll down a bit further. Something there might give you the incentive to try harder.” He looked over her shoulder as she did what he suggested.

  A series of photos of the three of them icing Cory’s cookies. Bella hit on a picture, bringing it up to fill the screen. Jake with pink icing on his cheek, her trying to wipe it off. The look in his eyes was one of total adoration. Her belly flipped, hormones sat up and sang a full serenade.

  “That guy is totally in love with you, even if he doesn’t know it yet.” He patted her on the shoulder. “Looks like something you wouldn’t want to lose.”

  She looked at the picture again, noticed the goofy smile on her face. In the background, Cory watched them, a satisfied grin lighting his eyes.

  Everything was giving her the green light. So why did it feel as though she was the one holding back?

  “You’re right. I need to come up with something. I just don’t know what yet.” She started cleaning the kitchen, packing the stew she’d promised Jake into containers. Once she was done here, it was home for a shower and then Bella planned to walk down to their house.

  The door burst open and Mari rushed in, eyes huge and troubled. “Where’s Cory?”

  “Uh, he left half an hour or so ago. Why?”

  “Jake’s been hurt. I don’t know how bad but I heard he got called out to an empty house someone set on fire. A wall collapsed.”

  Her heart almost stopped beating. “No.” She tore off her apron. “Where is he?”

  “Ben took him to the local doctor’s office. It’s down past the library. Do you want me to take you?”

  Bella looked at her hands. They shook too much for her to drive. “Please.”

  *

  Jake winced as the doctor injected around the wound area with the anesthetic. “Stop being such a baby, Jake.”

  “That stuff stings. Be better off having stitches without it.” He felt like a wimp complaining but couldn’t help it.

  He was lucky. When the beam fell and Ben yelled a warning, Jake couldn’t get out of the way in time. Just went to show, he could never take anything for granted. Especially in his job.

  Dr. David Morrison shook his head. “Sorry, not going to even go there. It’s a pretty nasty gash. Too big to glue, otherwise I would have.” He handed the nurse the syringe. “I’m guessing about six or seven stitches in that manly forehead of yours.”

  “Great.” He relaxed now that the doctor had finished with the needle.

  “Lucky it didn’t knock your head off from what Ben told me.” He held a dressing over it to stay the bleeding.

  The front door slammed and a panicked voice called out, “Jake?”

  David smiled. “Seems you have a visitor. Put your hand on that while I see who it is.” He walked out and came back seconds later with Bella. Her face was blanched of all color, eyes huge in her face. Her lips trembled as she reached for his hand, staring at the blood trail down his face onto his shirt.

  “I’m okay. You can stop worrying. It’s only a scratch.”

  “God, Jake. When Mari told me you were hurt…”

  He pulled her down against his chest, careful to keep his head turned away from her. A shudder went through her body followed by a choked sob.

  “I’m fine. Ben shouldn’
t have worried you.”

  “He was looking for Woodsie and Cory. Your father wasn’t answering his phone so he called the hotel. Didn’t want Cory finding out from someone else. He thought he might be with me but he wasn’t.”

  “I think he’ll be at the school grounds doing kicking practice with his friends.”

  Bella sat up, stroked a hand over his chin. “Mari is going to find him, bring him over. Let me text her to make sure she knows it’s not life-threatening. I don’t want Cory to be scared like I was.” She pulled her cell from her pocket and quickly thumbed a text to her sister. Her phone pinged straight back.

  “She’s found him and will bring him over shortly.” Bella slid her phone back and took his hand, holding it against her chest. “You scared me half to death, Jake.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, believe me.” He looked up as David came back in.

  “Sorry, folks. I need to stitch this up now.” He poked at the cut to make sure Jake couldn’t feel anything. “All good?”

  “Sure.” He squeezed her hand, brought it to his lips. “Can you go and wait for Cory, please, in case he comes in before I get out? I don’t want him scared.”

  “Of course I will.” Bella leaned up and kissed his cheek before hurrying out of the treatment room.

  “Seems like a familiar face. Do I know your lady, Jake?”

  “Maybe you do, Doc. If you like cooking shows, you’d recognize her from television.”

  David’s face underwent a change. “Bella Moore, of course. My mother adores her shows. I didn’t know she was in town.” He tore open the suture pack and threaded the needle. “So, mixing with the rich and famous, eh, Jake?”

  “Rich? Is she really? I have no idea. Found out how famous she was but I have no interest in what she earns.” He lay back and closed his eyes as the needle came toward his head. “Her sister owns The Lake Hotel.”

  “Hmm, I seem to recall hearing they sold. I’m sorry I wasn’t here for the Christmas gala. Hear it was a great night. Keep still and this will be over before you know it.”

  If it wasn’t for the pulling of his skin, Jake wouldn’t have noticed a thing. Pity it would wear off soon. He was going to be left with a heck of a headache. A door slamming and a murmur of voices told him Cory was here. The last thing he wanted was for his son to panic. Accidents were a way of life in his profession. So far he’d been lucky and only suffered the odd burn or scrape.

  “Right, good to go. I don’t need to tell you to take it easy tonight. You might feel fine but I’d be watching for concussion. Keep that dressing on for at least forty-eight hours then you can take it off. Stitches out in seven to ten days.”

  Jake sat up, swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His vision skipped for a second before settling down.

  Cory came into the room, followed by Bella. His eyes were filled with tears and his lips trembled. “Dad.” He threw himself at Jake, his voice muffled as he held onto his father. “I was so worried.”

  “Didn’t Mari tell you it wasn’t a big deal? Only stitches?” Jake pushed him back and looked into his face.

  Cory shrugged, wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Yeah, but I had to see for myself. After, you know, Mom, I kind of freaked.”

  Jake pulled his son close. Cory relating it to losing his mother wasn’t something he’d even considered. Perhaps it was time to give up his job, do something safer. But as soon as the thought went through his head, it was followed by a refusal. A mental kick in the butt. There were worse jobs out there, more dangerous in fact. He could be killed in a vehicle accident as easily as a fire on duty. He loved his job. Jake wasn’t about to run from danger because Cory still remembered losing his mom. Rather, he would make sure his son understood that it was okay to worry. Just not to go overboard, to put things in perspective. “You and I need to have a talk, Cory.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Later that day Jake sat outside on the front porch with a soda, watching the ripples over Flathead Lake. The afternoon with Bella had been as fantastic as it had been eye-opening for him. The ease with which Cory and Bella interacted pleased Jake greatly. She was a natural with Cory and it was obvious that his son adored her. It was a shame about what happened when he went back to work but that was life. Once he’d gotten a lift home, he’d talked it out with Cory.

  Jake hadn’t known his son had harbored a deep-seated fear he’d lose his father in a work-related accident. Thank goodness for Bella. She’d stayed with them until Cory announced he was fine, he’d overreacted and she’d been able to go back to the hotel to finish what she’d started earlier in the day.

  Now Jake had time to sit and think about their relationship. What scared him was the change in her manner with her photographer there. It was like she was a different person to the girl he first met. He put it down to professional character and hoped he was right. Finding out she was wealthy also put a different spin on things. Not that that should matter but it was like she was two people, one for her business and one when she was with him. Who was the real Bella and did he really want to know? Would it make any difference to him, to the way their relationship was steaming along?

  “What’s bothering you, Son?” His father eased himself down into the matching chair. “Been like a bear with a sore head ever since you got home, excuse the pun.”

  Jake peeled the label from his bottle, took the time to smooth it out on the arm of his chair before he spoke. “I’m not sure I’m doing the right thing here, Dad. Our lives are so different.”

  “Hmm. Seems to me that you two could do with some alone time to discuss what’s going on then.” He sighed, leaned back in his chair. “You know, your mom and I came from different backgrounds. Her family had money, mine didn’t. Her family wanted her to marry someone with standing in the community. She wanted to marry me, a poor carpenter that lived in a pokey little town miles from anywhere. I didn’t have much to offer her. The cottage was pretty rough in those days, hot in summer and damned freezing in winter but I owned it, you know?”

  “You did well. Nobody can say you didn’t work hard to provide for us.”

  “That’s not what I meant. What I’m saying is that our differences were an obstacle, that’s all. It was something that was either going to make or break us. It was up to us to decide if we were going to let it or not.” He sniffed. “Lucky for me, your mom was made of strong stuff. I suspect your Bella is the same.”

  “But she has her career. You should have seen her today. She was such a different person with her photographer around. Business orientated, focused like you wouldn’t believe. She wouldn’t have that here. That’s if she wanted to give up the city and move. We haven’t got that far yet.”

  “Why can’t you be the one to move?”

  The words hung in the air for a moment.

  “I can’t do that to Cory. I’ve thought about it and it just seems wrong somehow and Bella understands that. He’s had enough upheaval in his life already. Maybe if he was at college it wouldn’t be such a bad thing but not yet and after the way he freaked out today, I feel I have to take his feelings into consideration.”

  “Of course you do but not to the extent that you lose what you want because of it. Don’t you think he should be the one to make that decision? Of course he’s going to miss Lisa. Why wouldn’t he, she was his mother? The boy is besotted with Bella though. Any fool can see that and I don’t think you’re far behind him. It might be more painful to let her go than make the move.”

  “She lives in a different world than I do. I can’t see her throwing away lucrative contracts to live here.” How much money could she possibly make living in a small town like this?

  “Have you even asked her?”

  Jake shook his head, regretted it as the stitched forehead throbbed. He was scared to put to words the answers that ran through his head when he gave the thought space to develop.

  “Guess you’d better put on your game face because it looks like our dinner has arrived.”


  Bella drove down the lane, pulled up beside their gate, and turned off the car. She fussed around inside before Jake got up to go and greet her. When he opened the door, she looked up at him with a breathless smile that went straight to his gut.

  “Sorry I’m late. I had to do some prep for tomorrow and Jason wanted to show me the shots from today. I got carried away.” She reached out, cupped his cheek in her palm, concern on her face. “Are you up to this? I can leave the food with you and let you have an early night you know. You don’t have to be sociable for me. That’s got to hurt, Jake.”

  “I’d rather eat with you here, thank you.” He slipped his arm around her waist, brought her in close. “I haven’t thanked you for today.”

  Bella laughed. “For freaking out on you?”

  “No.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “For coming to the rescue and helping keep Cory calm. I’m sorry you got caught up in that.”

  “Poor kid. I felt for him and don’t be sorry. You had a wife, Cory had a mother. Of course you’re both going to talk about her. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Jake dropped his head to her mouth and nibbled against her lips. Bella opened to him rewarded him with a passionate exchange. “Thank you anyway. I appreciate it.”

  A cough from the garden broke them apart. Woodsie sat watching them, a smile on his face. Bella pulled away with a reluctant sigh and leaned into the car. When she came out, she passed him a brown paper bag before leaning back in to reach for a large padded carry bag she used for hot food.

  “What’s this?” Jake peered into the bag.

  She smiled, a nervous gleam in her eyes. “Take a look for yourself.”

  “Guess we’d better do this in the light. It’s getting dark and cold out here. Although not dark enough to keep my father from spying on us like a teenager.” He glanced at the bag and walked up the path and into the house ignoring the laughter from the garden. Jake put the bag on the kitchen counter and took out the tissue wrapped package. Bella stood nearby, shuffling nervously.