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

by Ann B. Harrison

  “Yes, honey. That was what Ethan suggested. I’d take you myself but I have a meeting with a prospective client later today so I’m going to be in the office. I’m sure the boys can look after you but you have to promise to behave yourself. Best manners, okay?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Mom.”

  “I mean it. I don’t want Ethan thinking I’ve raised a wild child who can’t do as he’s told. If you don’t behave, I’ll hear about it from someone and it’ll ruin your chances of ever going again.”

  “I promise. I’m not a little kid anymore, you know.” He dropped his plate in the sink.

  “Thank you. Now please go and tidy your room and make the bed before Pearl gets here.” She looked at her watch and picked up her pace. The apartment had to be spotless before Pearl arrived.

  Both Ethan and Mari had been right. Pearl cried as soon as she saw Noah. Luckily Mari’s boy had a good heart and gave her a big hug and spoke softly to her, not the slightest bit fazed at her tears.

  “You look so much like your dad when he was little.” Pearl stroked the hair from his forehead and pulled him in for another hug, stifling any question he might have had at that comment. “Such a gorgeous-looking boy you are too.” Noah giggled and let her wrap him in cuddles. He’d gotten plenty from his aunts of late but the only grandmother he knew was Mari’s stepmother and they were away on a cruise of a lifetime. It looked as though her boy missed his grandma too.

  “Come in and sit down, Pearl. I’ll make us coffee and we can sit out on the veranda and watch the people of Cherry Lake go by as we chat.”

  “Aunt Bella made you a cake.” Noah grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the apartment, over to the table and pointed at the cake sitting under a glass cover.

  “Oh my. That looks fabulous.”

  He spoke matter-of-factly. “She’s famous and lives here now. Jake’s going to marry her.” Noah gazed at the chocolate layer cake, a wistful sigh escaping his lips.

  “Lucky Jake then. I think I know who your aunt Bella is. From what Ethan tells me, she’s the lady who won Masterchef a couple of years ago and made a good name for herself.”

  Mari poured two mugs of coffee. “That’s her. Now she lives here and is going to be making wedding cakes for my business as well as producing her cookbooks. That’s if I ever get any clients.” She brought over cake plates and forks. “I have someone Skyping me later this afternoon about a date later this year. I really hope I can pull it off.”

  “Honey, if I’m any judge, you’ll do fine. I heard all about your wedding business in LA. I even looked you up once I knew what you were doing.” She waved a hand in front of her face to ward of the tears starting again. “I’m so proud of you, of what you’ve managed to achieve. Don’t you dare doubt yourself now.”

  Easier said than done even taking into account her success in the city. It was a whole new ball game setting up shop in Cherry Lake and trying to make the whole package work. But Rake had confidence in her or she wouldn’t be here now. She was going to give it her best shot. “I’m trying not to but it will be my first wedding since moving here and I’m nervous.”

  “You have every right to be but you should just remember how well you’ve already done and not let the nerves get the better of you. Listening to Ethan talk about the plans you have for the ballroom makes me wish I could do it all again, not that Jeff would agree. It sounds fabulous.”

  “Hopefully it will be. I know Christian and I tossed designs back and forth for months until we were both happy with what the architect put together. As soon as Rake showed me the hotel, it felt like the right place to be. The perfect place to bring up Noah.” She cut the cake and put a piece on each plate. A flash of pain passed over Pearl’s face. Mari could not mention his name, but it wasn’t the way to behave. He’d been a large part of her life and there was no way she was going to put his memory into a back drawer and forget about him. Even if it caused his family pain.

  “Let’s take this outside in the sun.” She picked up her plate and coffee and led the way out to the small table and chairs that overlooked the main street. She could see almost to the other side of Flathead Lake from up here.

  “Such a lovely spot upstairs. I doubt you’d ever get sick of the view.” Pearl put her cup and plate down and took a seat and sighed as she sat back. “This is lovely, Mari.”

  *

  The joy on his mom’s face told him how her coffee date went.

  “He’s adorable, Ethan. So much like you and Rake as a youngster.”

  “I thought he looked like Mari.”

  “No, not at all. He’s you and Rake to a ‘T.’ You boys were almost identical as babies. How can you not see that?” She picked up a pot of seedlings, tipped them into her hand. “He even has some of the same mannerisms. The way he tosses his head even when the hair isn’t in his eyes just like you used to do. Haven’t you heard that giggle of his? Sounds just like you did. Brought tears to my eyes, it did.”

  Ethan thought about it but all it did was make him regret how he’d questioned Mari about being Noah’s father. “I’m having dinner with them tonight after I take him to kick the ball with Jake and Cory. I’ll, ah, have to listen for it and see if I agree.”

  The tractor drove down the laneway between the house and the packing shed. His father slowed and pulled on the brake. “Ethan.”

  “Dad.”

  “What are you doing here? Thought you were working today.”

  “I was. Even I need time off every now and then.”

  His father grunted. “Work never killed anyone.”

  “Jeff, let it alone. Ethan’s put in a good day’s work already. Did you want coffee, now you’ve stopped?” Pearl put her seedlings in the ground and pressed the soil around them. “You’ll stop for one too, won’t you Ethan? Mari sent me home with cake. That sister of hers can cook up a storm, I tell you.”

  “No thanks, Mom. I need to get going. Promised Jake I’d kick the ball with them.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, nodded at his father and climbed in his truck.

  Jeff climbed down and headed up the path to the kitchen. “Hmm. I don’t suppose it will kill me to take a break. Cake you say?”

  Pearl stood up and brushed the dirt from her hands. “You have a good time, Ethan, and I’ll see you later.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Behave, Noah. I’ll be over after my Skype meeting to watch you guys, okay?”

  “Don’t fuss. He’ll be fine. It’s going to be a great afternoon of guys kicking a ball and letting our hair down. You deal with your bridezilla and leave Noah in my capable hands. It’ll be nice to have some bonding time with my boy.” Ethan gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. “You concentrate on your meeting, and good luck. Not that you’ll need it. We’ll see you when you’re finished.”

  “Thank you.” They walked away leaving her a bundle of anxiety, nerves, and anticipation. It’d been almost a year since she’d taken on a wedding. A year filled with making the decision to move, another with packing and leaving, saying goodbye to her old life, and taking on the Lake Hotel. And the thing that scared her the most? Meeting up with Jeff Benson. Even watching her son walk off with his father didn’t scare her like Jeff did.

  Keith ambled down the hallway. “Just going to go and turn the taps over and bleed the lines. I’ll be down in the cellar if you need me.”

  “Thanks, Keith. I’ll be in the office. Things should stay pretty quiet for another couple of hours at least. I’ll be going over to the park later but I’ll be back before we open for dinner.”

  “Righto.”

  She checked her watch and hurried upstairs to grab a coffee to take to the office. There wasn’t anything to do but wait for the Skype call to come in. The paperwork had been sent through to the bride-to-be, Natasha. She had all the brochures from April and Bella as well as the images Mari had taken of the little stone church overlooking the lake, its picturesque gardens perfect for photos.

  The bridal suite had been finished
last month along with the small reception rooms she’d earmarked for the bride’s day. All that remained was the ballroom and that was turning out to be more of an issue than she expected but it would all come together. It had to.

  By the time she was sitting in the office in front of her computer, nerves had settled and her business skills rose to the fore. Notebook on hand, her file ready, she pushed the accept button as the Skype call beeped on her laptop.

  “Natasha, how lovely to see you.”

  “Mari, it’s been ages.” The bubbly blonde had grown up a lot in the three years since she’d been a bridesmaid at the wedding Mari had organized for her big sister.

  “And look at you. All grown up and so very much in love. Congratulations again. I’m so thrilled for you.” The joy Mari felt at dealing with her brides all flowed back in. It was as though she’d never had time off to move. Her mind kicked into gear and she went through the list, ticking off the boxes as the bride gave her version of what she wanted for her big day.

  “I can’t believe we have Bella Moore making our wedding cake. It’s just…so fab.”

  “Which cake did you decide on?” Mari had shipped cupcake testers to the bride-to-be of the different flavors Bella had on offer as samples to try since she wasn’t local. A clever and stress-free approach when someone was having a destination wedding and couldn’t be on hand for every decision. It was all in the planning—something she prided herself on.

  “I liked the rose cake best of all. Robert wants chocolate, but I don’t know. I want something different. What do you think?” Natasha leaned her chin on her hands and stared through the lens at Mari, waiting for her to give her opinion.

  “I loved the rose cake too. We had it for dessert last week and it’s divine, isn’t it?” She paused. “Did you see the gift boxes Bella does up from the bride and groom? If you decided to go that route, you could have the rose cake for your wedding cake and use the chocolate for the favors. The chocolate is a more fudgy consistency and will last longer where the rose cake is so light and fluffy, you’d want to eat that on the day, I think. It’s not as sweet either so it won’t clash with the desserts on offer. The last thing you want is people passing on your wedding cake because they’ve overeaten on the dessert side.”

  Natasha’s face lit up with a smile. “Oh, you’re so right. Lizzie was delighted with you taking care of her wedding and I knew it was right to come to you. The decision was driving me mad and you’ve just figured it out for me. I knew I could count on you.”

  “Thank you for the vote of confidence. I was thrilled when you got in touch with me. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how many of my clients would be sharing my details now that I’ve left Los Angeles.”

  “Oh please.” She giggled. “Destination weddings are all the thing and you’ve got a reputation as one of the best planners around. Why wouldn’t people come to you?”

  “You’re too kind but I appreciate it.” The warmth rolled through her gut, chasing away the small patch of doubt that had plagued her ever since she’d arrived in town. “What did you think of the church? Isn’t it just adorable?”

  “Amazing! That stained glass window is the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. It looks as though the angels are walking on the lake behind them. Robert can’t wait to be there and exchange vows. We’re both super excited.”

  “Me too. I’ll put the final contract in the mail to you tomorrow then unless there’s something else we need to discuss? You know I’m here any time you need to talk though.”

  “No, I’m more than happy with what we’ve decided. If there’re any problems or changes to be made, I can call you.” She sighed. “It’s so good to talk to you again and to know you’re taking care of everything. Such a relief to have that stress off my shoulders.”

  A loud voice boomed down the hallway and Mari looked up and decided it was time to finish the call. “It’s my pleasure, Natasha. And if you need me for anything, you know I’m only a call away. I don’t want you stressing over anything. That’s my job.”

  “I don’t care what the heck she’s doing. I want to talk to her now.”

  Natasha pulled a face. “Sounds like you have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Mari looked up as Jeff Benson stormed into her office. “Sorry, Natasha. Thanks for everything.” She clicked the link and the face of her first bride shut off. She shut the computer, giving herself a second to catch her breath.

  “What are you doing in here, Mr. Benson?” Mari counted to ten and looked at him.

  “Since you haven’t been out to see me, figured I would come in and talk to you.” He walked in and stood in front of her desk.

  “Have a seat, Jeff. Can I get you a coffee?”

  He sat down. “Nope. Just had one with Pearl. She’s come home singing your praises, she has. I’m not sure I’m ready to do the same.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “Not sure I trust you even now. Not after taking my boy away and keeping him from us all these years.”

  “Let me be honest here. I never took him away from you. You pushed him away.” Butterflies churned in her stomach but now that Jeff was here, she was going to have her say.

  “No, I didn’t. Is it so wrong to try and steer your children in the right direction? Just you wait until it’s time to guide your young one. Bet you see how difficult it is then and I’ll remind you of this conversation.” He looked across the desk at her, frowned and spoke again. “I think you owe me an apology and I’m here to collect it.”

  Really? She was the one who was wronged, not him. “I’m not sure what I owe you, Jeff, but an apology wasn’t exactly on my mind. Why don’t you tell me your reasoning behind that?”

  “You took my boy away and kept him from us and we all know that. All those years with no word, no contact at all, and you sitting pretty there with him as if you’d done nothing wrong.” His lips twisted into a bitter line.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong. At the time I tried to explain it to you but you wouldn’t listen. The last people I’d steal from are you and Pearl. You had to know that.”

  “All I know is that you took off, with my boy and left Pearl a mess. Now you’re back as if nothing happened and everyone is falling all over you to make it up. Just don’t go expecting me to follow them. Far as I’m concerned, you did wrong by me and I can’t forget it.” He slapped his cap against his leg and put it back on his head. “Just so long as you know where we stand, we should get on fine.” He turned and walked out before she could say anything else in her defense.

  Mari was still sitting in her office when Keith came back up. He put his head in the door. “Was that Jeff I heard?”

  “Sure was.”

  “Is he giving you a hard time?” Keith had been vocal that he had her back when she arrived in town. An old-timer already employed at the hotel, she’d kept him on.

  She stood up. “Yes and no. It’s understandable and I was expecting it. Shame I didn’t really get a chance to say what I wanted but he kind of took me by surprise.”

  “You did nothing wrong. Don’t let him get to you.”

  “At least now he’s had his say, he might stay away and leave us alone.”

  “You don’t deserve any of his crap.” He puffed out his chest. “Jeff needs to remember we were all teenagers once, including him. You’re doing a stand-up job with this business and people around town are right proud of the way you’re conducting yourself.”

  “Thank you, Keith. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

  “Anyone can see you’ve got what it takes to run this place. Look how well the Christmas tree auction went. You brought folks into town that haven’t been involved in the community for years and your sisters are doing the same thing. Don’t let him get you down. The people around here will back you Moore girls any day.”

  *

  “Mom. Come and watch me kick the ball.” Ethan stood back as Mari walked through the fence and gave Noah a hug.

  “I hope yo
u’re behaving yourself, young man.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Duh. I told you I would.” He caught the ball that Cory threw to him, put it down on the ground, and lined up the goal post. “Go sit and watch me. I’m getting pretty good. Cory said so.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. Little guy has a good foot on him.” The teen ruffled Noah’s hair and stood back while he lined up his kick.

  Ethan casually walked over and followed Mari over to the bleachers, climbed up a couple of rows to take a seat. He sat down beside her, wondering what put the tight lines around her mouth. When he’d left with Noah earlier, she seemed quite happy. “Meeting not go as well as you expected?”

  “It was great. I’ve booked my first wedding.” She cheered when Noah’s kick hit the goal then her face went glum again.

  “So why so sad then?”

  “I might as well tell you because he probably will anyway. Your father came for a visit today.” Her shoulders drooped.

  He closed his eyes and swore under his breath. It had to happen sooner or later. And it wasn’t as though it was unexpected. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s hardly your fault.”

  “Don’t care. I still feel a little bit responsible. Guess it goes with the territory. What did he have to say for himself?” He reached out and took her hand in his. “I wonder what set him off. He seemed fine this morning when I caught up with him at home.”

  “Just that he hadn’t forgiven me and blamed me for Rake leaving. Nothing I wasn’t expecting.”

  “He said something about me too?”

  “Only that I had you and Pearl wrapped around my little finger.”

  “I might have to have a chat with him. If he’s going to cause problems, you’re not going to want to bring Noah out to see him, are you?”

  “No. But don’t make a fuss. I need to catch up with him again and have my say. There are things Jeff and I need to discuss and then I can move on.”

  “Then will you tell me what Rake made you promise to do?”

  “Yes. But will it really make all that much difference to you and me?”