“It must be rewarding to continue something he started.” She lifted her skirt and tucked it under her legs, leaving her bruised leg in the open air.
“That’s looking a lot better. What have you been putting on it?”
“Arnica. I have a pot of it that I take everywhere.”
A giggle followed by a squeal filled the air. “Connie.” His favorite godchild toddled toward him. David reached out and she tumbled into his arms. “Hey there, gorgeous girl. How are you?” He kissed the plump cheeks as her little legs kicked against him. “Where have you been?”
Susan wandered over. “She was over at Dad’s and has only just woken up. Can you take care of her for a moment while I get her something to eat? She’ll be starving, poor little munchkin.”
“Sure.” Her soft baby smell triggered a sense of loss in him.
If Elise hadn’t left, David was sure he’d be a father by now. But maybe not. If he recalled, she wasn’t particularly motherly even though at the time he’d brushed that part aside convinced he would be able to talk her around. What woman didn’t want a child with the man she loved?
“You, Connie my girl, are the cutest little pudding I’ve seen.” April tickled the little girl under the chin. “She’s so adorable, David. I can’t believe how happy she is.”
“I know. The only time I’ve seen her upset is when I have to stick her with a needle.” He ran his hand over the blonde bouncing curls.
“Oh really? That makes two of us then. Not the most memorable thing I’ve had done to me either.”
“I had no choice.” Even if he hadn’t taken a slither of satisfaction in the act, he would have done it anyway. “You know that.”
“I do, and I can’t thank you enough for helping sort out that bookcase. You should come and have a look how it all turned out. The shop looks amazing, even if I say so myself. I’ve had enquiries already for the decorating service I’m offering.”
“Thank you for the flowers. It was very kind of you and I didn’t expect them.” His skin tingled and if it was possible for a man to blush, he was doing a great job of it.
“You’re very welcome. I thought you deserved the first delivery from Wildflowers and Lace after what you did for me. And if you want to make it a weekly delivery, just let me know.”
Connie wriggled from his arms and headed toward her mother calling out. “Momma, Momma.”
“Over here, baby girl.” Susan waved and started to cut up a sausage for Connie.
David gave his attention to April again. “Let me think about it. Perhaps give me a price and I can let you know.” He gave her a smile as a scream ripped through the air.
Chapter Eleven
April shot to her feet and was over at the barbeque before she could think a coherent thought. She picked up the squealing child and ran with her to the kitchen to run the burn under cold water.
“Hurt.” Hiccupping sobs alternated with baby babble from the little girl.
“Oh, baby girl. Let me see.” Susan grabbed her daughter from April and inspected her hand. “I didn’t even see her touching the barbeque.”
David touched Susan on the shoulder. “You need to keep that under running cold water for at least ten minutes, cool the skin before it blisters.”
“She gave me such a fright with that scream, David.” April held her hand to her heart, the furious beating slowing as Susan pushed the pudgy fingers under the running water again. “See, the red is going down now. You poor thing, Connie. That must have really hurt you, baby girl.”
“Thank goodness you were there, April. I’ve never seen anyone move so fast.” Susan kissed her daughter’s cheek. “All better, baby girl?”
“Thanks, April. I appreciate how quick you moved, especially with that sore leg.” David put a hand around her shoulders and she leaned into him, the adrenaline leaving her a little shaky.
“No problem.”
“Good. That’s good then.” He looked as relieved as April felt. It was obvious how much he adored Connie.
“Come outside with me and have a drink somewhere quiet where we can talk and let our heart rates slow down.” She held out her hand and he stared at her as if scared she would bite. “Come on. A drink and a chat. Let’s drink to Connie being lucky it was only a minor burn. Besides, I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to you the last couple of days and I kind of missed seeing you around. The day is too beautiful to not make the most of it.”
“Easy to see why. The shop is looking amazing, at least from what I’ve seen from the outside. You’ve done a great job.”
“Thanks.”
David put his hand in hers and she pulled him outside. They paused at the cooler and he poured them both a glass of wine after asking her preference. “This is a nice wine. Fruity and fresh, much like the bottle we shared the first night we met.”
April took a sip. “It is. I don’t drink much normally but this is very pleasant.” She slipped her arm through his and headed over to a shady spot. “This is so relaxing after the last hectic couple of weeks. It’s nice to stop and breathe.”
“You certainly got a lot done in a short amount of time.” When David smiled, the dimples in his cheeks deepened.
“Been peeking, have you?”
“I get my coffee down the road, remember? And I always walk past and some mornings I even get to jog with Oscar. It’s the only time I get to exercise. The way you’ve got the room set up with the low lights on, the lamps throwing light in strategic places, makes it hard to miss, you know.” He leaned back in the seat, stretched out his long legs.
“Of course, I’d forgotten the coffee episode. It seems so long ago when it’s not, really.” April laughed. “We seem to be quite the accidental couple, don’t we? Me the accidental one and you being the poor unfortunate guy on the spot.”
“It would seem so.”
“Tell me, David, what do you do for fun?”
He whipped his head around and looked at her and she kicked herself at how that must have sounded. “You know, you run for exercise, but how do you relax?”
“Oh, right. Well, I listen to music. I have my favorites of course.”
“Who?” April leaned forward, eager to hear what he had to say. She would get to know this man no matter how hard he made it.
“Mozart is my favorite. ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ especially. I love the intensity of the story.” He sighed. “Do you know it?”
April blanched, the question throwing her off. She was expecting to hear he liked Waylon Jennings or Shania Twain. He had the look of a country music fan. “Ah, not really, no. I’m more into old stuff like the Rolling Stones or the Beatles. Anything from the ’70s, really.”
“Oh.” He sipped his wine and looked out over the gathering. “I see.”
“But I’d be interested in hearing it, though. I love to learn new things.” She watched Connie running around the yard, her earlier painful experience forgotten. “Children are so resilient, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they are. We have a lot to learn from them I feel.”
“So, you’re Connie’s godfather. You and Susan must be close.” His face lit up when she spoke of the baby.
“We went to school together. We’ve always been as thick as thieves, even when I was away in Seattle.”
“That’s nice. I like her. She’s very friendly and kind. She didn’t know me from a bar of soap but she still she insisted Mari invite me here today.” Susan flitted from guest to guest and looked over in their direction more often than was necessary, a whimsical look on her face. April gave her a smile.
“Heart of gold.” David lifted his hand in a wave.
“And so calm and down to earth.”
*
Was she taking a dig at herself? It was hard to tell but April Moore was a very creative person if not more than a little scatterbrained. The smudge of orange paint on the side of her neck showed just how distracted she could be. No doubt in the middle of a project and rushed off to do something else and
forgot what she was doing. But he could tell by looking at the job she’d done setting out her shop she had a skill that couldn’t be learned. Everything fitted together seamlessly in his opinion and he was happy to give it even if he wouldn’t give her taste house room. Her eclectic mix of different styles all melded together to look as though it was tossed casually in the room. A slightly different color palette to her apartment, thank goodness, but the shop was bound to draw plenty of customers from what he’d seen so far. He walked into work every day, fingers crossed that she hadn’t gotten around to painting the kitchen they shared. So far his prayers had been answered.
“Your talents seem to be in putting things together. Did you always know what you wanted to do?”
She shook her head, laughter bubbling up her throat. “Good heavens, no. Ask anyone in my family and they’ll tell you how often I change my mind about what I wanted to do when I grew up. One day I’d be convinced I was going to be a gardener, the next I wanted to be a vet. I went through so many different career choices it drove my parents insane. I think I still do.”
The tiny freckles scattered over her nose and across her cheeks mesmerized him. Not dark enough to stand out but pale enough to almost blend with the tan kissing her skin. He hadn’t noticed them before.
“And you settled on a mix. Interesting concept.” David swallowed, fascinated by the youngest of the Moore sisters. She wasn’t his type but there was something about her he couldn’t ignore.
He was just getting comfortable when Susan walked over with her father. “April, I wanted you to meet my father. Dad, this is April who’s taken over the empty half of David’s building. April, Pierce Linton.”
April jumped up and squealed, making David cringe beside her. “Seriously? Pierce Linton.” She turned to David and thumped him on the arm. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew him?”
David shared a desperate glance with Susan who came to his rescue. “My father likes to keep a low profile. But he saw what you’ve done with the shop and asked to meet you. There aren’t many people around this town with your kind of talent. His words, too, not mine.”
April held out her hand, the grin on her face bigger than David’d ever seen it before. “I’m having a pinch me moment.”
Pierce preened and David wanted to kick the man. He was an eccentric old fool who they all tolerated because he was “arty.” Plain weird was how David would have described him. Even when Susan and he were growing up, her father had seemed like an enigma to them, someone to be adored from afar but only if one liked his work. David didn’t.
Always buried in his art without the normal constraints of life to bog him down like an eight-to-five workday. His wife had been a saint the way she put up with his ways, in David’s opinion.
But he was incredibly successful, which made David question his own taste in art. He’d readily admit he didn’t understand modern art. Painted animal skulls and rusty teapots made into weird mythological creatures seemed to be the most popular in Pierce’s world. Gruesome stuff. Give him a cool, calm landscape any day.
“I have your limited edition posters in my apartment.” April’s cheeks were flushed and David wondered what he had to do to get that kind of reaction.
“I’m flattered. When I walked past your shop, I had an idea I’d like to share. I wonder if I can steal you away from David and discuss something with you?”
Her mouth dropped open and her eyes bulged. “Really? You want to talk business to me?” The high squeak of her overly excited voice grated on David’s nerves.
The man had to be sixty if he was a day. How on earth could someone as youthful and exciting as April was even remotely interested in anything to do with Pierce? It didn’t make sense.
“Anyone would think you’re jealous of my father with that look of thunder on your face.”
He stared at Susan, the words registering in his brain. “Don’t be ridiculous. April isn’t interested in your father apart from his art. He’s far too old for her anyway.” Images of sugar daddies ran through his mind, quickly dismissed as beyond ridiculous. But still, the idea lurked.
Susan watched them walk away, a wistful gaze in her eyes that made him feel ill. “He does seem rather taken with her though. Poor man’s been alone for years. I think it’ll do him good to have a love interest again and, really, age is just a number.”
Seeds of dismay sprouted in his mind. How insane was that? He found April charming one minute, annoying the next and as soon as someone showed an interest, his mood blackened. Besides, he was going to be going back to Seattle and she was only just putting down roots. While it might be interesting to have a fling, there was no way he could commit to a proper relationship.
Pierce, on the other hand, lived and worked in Cherry Lake. He was here to stay. The thought alone made David anxious.
Chapter Twelve
“I can’t believe I have a Pierce Linton original hanging on my wall.” April stood back and stared at the finely carved cow skull she’d hung up over the antique couch in the front room of her shop. The vivid blue and gold paint brought the bleached white bone to life with a story of its own etched onto the surface. Scatter cushions in varying shades of blue tied the artwork with the furniture.
“Don’t you find it creepy?” Mari stood staring at it, looking unsure what to make of it.
“Not in the slightest. Just look at the detail. The guy’s a genius. Imagine how long that would have taken to carve and paint. The brush strokes are so fine and delicate which makes the heavy skull look, I don’t know how to explain it, but almost whimsical like.”
“Hmm, I’m not convinced. I don’t think my tastes run to animal bones I’m afraid. If I want whimsical I’ll invest in some paintings of fairies or Dakota’s glass angles.”
“Not everyone’s taste does. I get that. But, regardless, you have to admit he’s brilliant and painting on bone is only one of his mediums. I’m so very lucky to have this. They’re worth a fortune and I could never afford one.”
“If you say so.” Mari tapped her foot, a Moore sister sign of impatience. “Listen, I came over early because I want to talk to you about some displays for the hotel. It’d be great for me and also would help to put your name out there. I’ve been working on the plans with the architect for the renovations for the ballrooms but I want to get your help decorating the bar and the guest rooms. Get a head start on the final layout before I have a grand opening. What do you think? Do you have the time to whip up something special for me?”
April turned from her artwork and smiled at her sister. “Are you kidding me? As if I’d ever say no after what you’ve done for me.”
“Just because I lent you money doesn’t mean you’re obliged to help me.”
“No, but being your sister does. We Moore girls stick together. What did you have in mind?” April walked over to the water fountain near her desk. “Water?” She held up a crystal water glass from the collection on a silver tray.
“Sure, thanks. I was thinking of keeping the displays more heritage-like. Use some of the stuff in the attic and mix in some color with flowers or whatever takes your fancy. I know you’ll do a great job.”
“Aww, you say the nicest things.” April filled two glasses, added a slice of lemon to each and then brought it over. “So, I get to do what I want so long as it fits in with the heritage theme of the hotel?”
“I guess. How about you make a couple of arrangements and we can go from there?” Mari accepted her glass. “You’ve evaded the issue long enough. Tell me about you and David.”
Huh? “What are you talking about?”
Mari rolled her eyes. “I heard from Bella that Jake said you two were making eyes at each other at the cookout on the weekend and David might have said something to the guys about you. I did hear something about wine after work and maybe a pizza one night.”
“Really. What else did he say?”
Mari shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. They won’t say but I’m guessing it was c
omplimentary or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
A warm shot of pleasure pierced her skin. “I’ve gone all goose bumps.”
“Well, I wouldn’t get too excited over it. He’s a confirmed bachelor from what I can gather and no matter what his friends say, doesn’t seem at all keen to change that status.”
April rested her chin on her hands and smiled. “I like him, Mari. He’s far too serious but underneath all that smooth exterior is a man who’s scared to commit. I know it.”
“Honey, don’t go getting hurt, okay? David is a lovely guy but you two have nothing in common.” Mari jiggled her slice of lemon. “I’d suggest you keep looking if you’re keen for a relationship.”
“Maybe.” Not a hope in hell.
She liked what she saw when she looked at him. Sexy with his black-framed glasses, and different enough to be a tantalizing challenge. One she was more than prepared to rise to. But what was he scared of? There was definitely something there, she could tell. The successful doctor must be hiding a secret or a big case of hurt and April had every intention of finding out what it was.
“Back to you. How soon do you want these arrangements?”
“Soon as you can get around to it. I have a couple of suites ready to go and want to start taking bookings next week. Can you come and have a look, too, please? Make sure the rooms are good enough. Maybe tweak them a little if you think they need it.”
“Of course I will. Look, don’t worry. I’ll work on them today or tomorrow. How about a couple of arrangements with fresh flowers for the bars, too, and maybe something a little bit longer lasting for the rooms? That way you don’t have to fuss about falling petals or leaves and they wouldn’t need to be replaced every other day.”
Mari thought for a moment. “I was hoping they would lend a fragrance to the room though. You won’t get that with dried arrangements.”
“Actually, you will. I can infuse them with essential oil buds which will last for weeks. Leave it with me and see what I come up with. I’m sure you’ll be happy.”
The Moore Sisters of Montana: The Complete Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Page 40