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

by Ann B. Harrison

  “No, Chef.”

  The chorus of cries pleased her. She liked her kitchen to run smoothly without a hitch, especially on nights like this when she had a personal stake in the evening. But she couldn’t wait to go and sit with Jake. Something was bothering him, she could see it in his eyes. She hadn’t even asked how his day had been. Maybe it was something as simple as that. A rescue that didn’t go to plan, a fire he couldn’t control fast enough to save a home. So much for him lying on the couch and doing nothing. He was as bad as she was when it came to work. She wondered if he realized that.

  Before she knew it, it was time to plate up the entree. “Can someone please go and tell Russell?” One of her assistants scurried away and came back followed by her producer and a cameraman. He clapped his hands for attention.

  “Okay, people. We only have one shot at making this great. Places, please.” He turned to the cameraman. “Ready, start shooting and make sure you get plenty of footage and don’t forget what I told you earlier.”

  By the time they had served the entree and were working on the mains, sweat trickled down her back and she was in desperate need of rehydrating. It’d been go-go-go and the burn in her body was almost unbearable. She needed to sit down, relax, and forget the stress of the last few days. She pulled off her cap and threw it down. What she craved was a drink and a chair. Her feet hurt and her legs ached after the last four days of hard, relentless work. “Good work, team. Have a drink, grab your meal, and enjoy for an hour. Once dessert is served, the next round of champagne is on me. You deserve it after that effort, especially coming all the way to help me out. I really appreciate your work.”

  Bella pushed open the door and walked out into the restaurant. She tried to do a quick round of the room accepting praise and speaking to diners to make sure they enjoyed their meals but it took longer than she’d expected. It always did. By the time she made it to where Jake was sitting, he’d finished his meal and looked like he wanted to run. “I’m so sorry that took so long. I tried my best to make it so I could join you for dinner.”

  He gave her a tight smile. “I guess it’s all part of your job.”

  She pulled out her chair and collapsed into it, held her hand up to the waiter for a drink. Bella took a glass of champagne and relished the first sip. “Oh, that is so good. What a day it’s been.”

  A giggling local woman came over and handed Jake her phone. “Can you take a photo of me with Bella please, Jake?”

  Bella smiled for the photo, engaged in polite conversation, and noticed the tight lines around Jake’s mouth. When the woman left, she reached over and took his hand. “I’m sorry. This has been a bit of an eye-opener for you, hasn’t it?”

  He gave her a stilted smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yes, you could say that. Somewhat a different kind of event compared to the ladies in the café when we first went out. That wasn’t anywhere near as exacting as this is tonight.”

  “I’m sorry. It can be overwhelming if you’re not used to it. It rocked me until I got into the swing of it. Give it another hour or so and we can try and sneak off. With luck the cameras will be turned off and it will all be over.”

  “Good. You’re looking pretty tired.” He ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I knew this was too much for you to take on.”

  “You have no idea. By the time we usually finish taping each episode, I feel the need to crawl into bed and stay there for days.”

  “Why don’t you then?”

  The look in his eyes was hard to decipher. She got up, reached for his hand, and dragged him out to the foyer. Bella pulled him to the small dark alcove and pushed him down into a chair, and sat on his knee. “I need this for a moment and we couldn’t do it in there without everyone watching us.”

  “I understand. The last thing I want is to have my picture splashed all over the gossip magazines.” Jake wrapped his arms around her, and she breathed a sigh of relief. This was where she wanted to be.

  She didn’t know how long she could keep it up. “Stop thinking so hard.” She tipped her head back and opened her eyes staring at him.

  “Sorry, can’t help it. You’re doing too much and I’m trying to figure out how we can make this work.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

  “We can sort that out once this is all over. I can relax again and concentrate on my book and the restaurant. That shouldn’t be too hard.”

  “Hmmm, I still think you’ve taken on more than you need to.” He dipped his head to take her lips with his and she wound her arms around his neck, took advantage of his eagerness. They were deep into the kiss when a noise and flashing lights interrupted them. “Here comes that guy from the show you were telling me about, the guy from Survivor. Don’t look now.”

  Bella groaned and whispered in his ear. “I have to do this, be seen with him. We help promote each other’s shows because it’s the same network. Sorry.”

  “Bella, darling.” A camera panned away and Ryan Freeman coughed, grabbed her arm, and lifted her to her feet. “Excuse us.” He dragged her away. “I was just telling Russell that it would be a good idea…”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jake paced the road from his house to the fisherman’s cottage. It was two a.m. in the morning and Bella still wasn’t home. He should give up and go to bed. Admit that she was enjoying the party and he didn’t fit in. He was dreaming if he thought otherwise. Perhaps he would have been wiser to stay with her as she’d suggested but he could see she had people wanting a piece of her and he felt in the way. It wasn’t his lifestyle at all but obviously it was hers. He ran a hand over his head, rubbed his eyes, and kept pacing.

  His Valentine’s Day gift burned a hole in his pocket. He ran his hand over the small box, disbelief sinking in. It wasn’t the type of thing he should be offering her. Not after seeing Bella in her normal setting among the crowd of famous people she hung with. Diamonds and glitter were more her style. Things that were out of his reach.

  How idiotic to think that he’d be enough for her. Him, a small-town fire chief and her, a famous chef with her own cooking show and friends in high places if Sally was to be believed. In all honesty, he didn’t need to listen to his friend’s wife. He’d seen firsthand how many people craved her attention, how they fawned over her and hankered for selfies. And for that guy, the actor or whatever he was that claimed her from Jake’s knee when all they wanted was a moment alone, to be here in Cherry Lake – that alone made Jake understand how important she really was.

  He’d watched her as she’d circulated and chatted with people she knew and those that lived in the town. She treated them all the same. The smile never slipped, the animated conversation didn’t dull. Bella was the consummate celebrity and he was the small-town fireman with ties to Cherry Lake he couldn’t break. No matter what Cory might think.

  Cory, his sweet, well-meaning son was prepared to move to Seattle to a new school if Jake wanted to be with Bella. He’d leave his friends, his grandfather and the coach he adored for the greater good if he could choose the school at the end of this school semester. The boy had obviously been giving their relationship much thought if that was the plan he’d come up with. Jake had no doubt it would be close to the Seattle Sounders and that would be the drawcard for Cory. With the connections he already had thanks to Adam Clements and his former teammates, his son would be giving up his friends earlier than planned but he intended to go to college there eventually and Jake was certain that was the offer.

  “Just make sure I can go to a school where they have a development squad so I can play soccer.” That was his only stipulation and Jake was sorely tempted to tell Bella he’d follow her to wherever she pleased so long as they had a chance together regardless of the promise he’d made Lisa – that Cory could grow up in Cherry Lake where he belonged.

  He kicked at the frosty driveway, pulled his bow tie loose, and undid the top button of his shirt. He’d long discarded the jacket when Cory had sat him down for a heart-to-heart and made the o
ffer to move and now he could feel the cold getting into his bones.

  Where was she? Should he go into town and see if she needed a lift home? If she’d been drinking, he didn’t want to find out she’d driven anywhere. It couldn’t hurt for him to do a drive past the hotel and see who was still there and what Bella was doing? Surely she wouldn’t be so irresponsible?

  Tires crunched on the lane and headlights blinded Jake as he turned to watch the limo coming toward him. It pulled up at Bella’s cottage. The driver got out, nodded his head to Jake and opened the passenger door. A long leg clad in silky stockings, with killer black stilettos slid out. His breath caught in his throat. She wore a little black dress that rose high on her thighs, hugged her hips, hung off the shoulders to show the swell of her breasts. From a diamond-studded clip, her hair tumbled down the back of her slim neck in wavy curls that accentuated the fine bones of her face. Bella had changed after he’d left. Something she was obviously expecting to do and he hadn’t known about. The shock-red lipstick would have done wonders for his imagination if he hadn’t been so worried about her.

  Bella reached for the hand the driver offered, found her feet and thanked him. Her gaze met Jakes and she smiled.

  “You waited for me. I didn’t think you would when Ryan dragged me away.”

  He watched quietly as the driver shut the door, got in, and turned around to go back to town.

  Bella walked over, stopped in front of him, wobbled a little and smiled. “I missed you when you left. I’m sorry they took over like that. It was supposed to be our night. Our first Valentine’s Day dinner but Russell had other ideas.” She held her hands out to show him her change of dress. “Sneaky thing even had an outfit change for me so he could make the most of the filming. I’m sorry our plans didn’t work out.”

  “As much as I would like things to have been different, it was your night, Bella. Yours and Mari’s. Besides, you seemed rather occupied so I thought it was best if I slipped away.”

  “Possibly. But I missed you. At least it’s all over and done with now. Russell will head back to Seattle tomorrow morning once he gets over his hangover and puts the show together. I’m sure he’ll have more than enough to work with.” She raised a hand to her head, squinted her eyes.

  “And what about you, Bella? Will you be able to relax without all the excitement that he brings with him? You seemed to be in your element with that kind of environment.”

  “I love the buzz, don’t get me wrong. The thrill of making the next episode is always going to remind me of how far I’ve come. But it isn’t everything, Jake. There’s more to life than what you see on the television or what you saw tonight.”

  “That’s the bit that worries me, Bella. How am I supposed to compete with that?” This wasn’t the time or place for this discussion but he couldn’t pretend any longer.

  “As far as I’m concerned, you don’t need to. You just need to be you, the man who saved me from the fire, my own hero.”

  “I wonder how long that will be enough for you though? How long until you crave the lights and the action, hate me for being the small-town man I am?”

  *

  Her head thumped and his words became a little blurred in her mind. Hate him?

  “Jake, do you mind if we talk about this in the morning? I have an awful headache happening and I can barely see straight, let alone hold a decent conversation when the subject is important to both of us.”

  Her vision became fuzzy and she wobbled on her feet. Jake grabbed her hand, lifted her into his arms and cursed as she sagged against him. “I knew you’d taken on too much. This is ridiculous.”

  She didn’t have the energy to argue with him. He carried her over to the gate, nudged it open, and walked up the path. Her front door was unlocked and he carried her inside straight into the bedroom.

  When he set her on the bed, she swayed, put her hands out for balance. “Oh, gosh. This isn’t good.” Her world tipped and nausea rose in her throat.

  Jake bent down, slipped off her shoes and threw them across the room. “Turn around.” He undid her dress. “I can stay and help you into bed if you want or I can leave you by yourself. Do you think you can manage?”

  Even shaking her head made her feel woozy. She let him slide the dress off and peel down her stockings before he found a nightshirt under her pillow. He helped her slip it over her head and then tucked her into bed. As she closed her eyes, she felt his lips on her forehead. It was the last thing she remembered before sleep overcame her.

  When Bella opened her eyes the next day, the sun streamed in her bedroom window. She blinked and groaned, holding her hands over her face to block out the light. Her head still felt like cotton wool but not quite as bad as last night. A shower, coffee, and something to eat would probably help. Typical. It happened every time she taped a show. She got busy, forgot to eat or drink and then crashed when the adrenaline fell flat.

  Only now could she agree that Russell had been right. She was so close to burnout. Strange that he saw it and she didn’t. And she’d managed to upset Jake as well, by trying to please everyone at the same time. That was the last thing she wanted to do. She was sure she’d given him the impression she was drunk or at least halfway there. How to make it up to him?

  Bella threw back the blankets and padded into the bathroom, turned on the shower. She looked at herself in the mirror, saw the black marks under her eyes and groaned. How on earth had Jake fallen in love with her when she was such a terrible mess? When was she going to learn to take care of herself better?

  She slipped off her nightshirt and stepped under the water, sighing with pleasure. The heat took the aches and pains from her shoulder blades and made some of the stiffness go away. Bella stood under the hot water until it cooled before she got out.

  With no reason to rush over to the hotel, she felt at a loss for something to do. Jason was heading back home for a couple of days off and wouldn’t be doing another shoot until she called him. After the last few weeks of early mornings and late nights, she decided to pour herself a coffee and drink it out in the garden.

  A small paved area with a birdbath and two Adirondack chairs sat smack bang in the middle of the front yard surrounded by a box hedge low enough that she could still see Flathead Lake. Bella had mentioned it to Jason for the next photo shoot. It would be perfect with the large expanse of blue water as a backdrop. She might even be tempted to do a shoot down on the water’s edge too, a picnic setting on the sand. It was pretty enough.

  She eased down into the chair, rested her cup on the armrest and put her head back. With her eyes closed, Bella relaxed and let her mind wander. Such a shame last night hadn’t gone the way she wanted it to. Sure the hotel would get the promotion it deserved and her show would be great but was that all she wanted it to be? Jake had looked gorgeous. Rugged and handsome in his black dinner suit, he’d made her heart flutter and it was the thought of being with him that kept her going. Until the real world got in the way.

  The look on his face when Ryan had pulled her from his knee and dragged her away. The determination in his eyes when she’d done her best to convince him to stay when he tried to leave. The pain in her heart as she watched him walk out. How was she going to be able to make it up to him?

  “Hey, Bella.” The gate slammed shut and Cory came loping in. “You’re not at work. What’s going on?” He dropped down into the chair beside her.

  “Day off. Big night last night.” She gazed at him, a thought coming to her. “How come you aren’t at school?”

  “Study period. I’m going soon but wanted to come see you first.” He sat up, cleared his throat. “So, um, did Dad tell you what I said yesterday?”

  She thought a moment, couldn’t come up with anything that would account for the sudden rush of heat to Cory’s cheeks. “Why don’t you tell me in your own words?”

  “I guess. Well, it’s like this. I know you and Dad are tight and I think it’s great, you know? I mean, he hasn’t had anyone he like
s as much as you since Mom died. In fact, I don’t remember him having anyone. He’s old and all but he’s still not old enough to be on his own, right? So I figured, if you’re going to go back to Seattle when you’re done here, maybe we should go too.” He sucked in a big breath. “’Cause I know it’s hard to have a relationship when you have to travel to see each other and I didn’t think that would work out for you guys.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. What a sweet kid to be thinking of her and his father when he’d only just met the girl he fancied.

  “I mean, I don’t really want to leave my friends and Granddad but so long as I get to go to a school where I can play soccer, I’ll survive.”

  “You’d move so your dad and I can be together?”

  “I’m going to go eventually anyway so it’s not that big a deal, really. Isn’t that what he told you?” He stared at her, noticed the tears slipping down her cheeks and gulped. “He didn’t say anything, did he?”

  Bella pressed her lips together, shook her head.

  “Oh, crap. Now I’m in for it.” He hung his head, groaned. “He’s gonna kill me.”

  “What did your dad say when you made the offer?”

  “Nothing.” He picked at a thread in the knee of his jeans and her heart went out to him. If Jake didn’t say anything, did that mean he wasn’t planning on making the move to be with her?

  “I see.” She looked out over the water, debating what to do, how to fix everything.

  “Are you going to tell him I told you?”

  “No. I’m not sure he still wants to tell me anyway after last night and I don’t blame him.” She picked up her coffee, anything to keep her hands busy. “He got a taste of my crazy life and I’m not sure he liked what he saw.”

  “Seriously? How bad could it be?”