Rocky Mountain Romance
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Lesley Ann McDaniel
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10
Chapter 1
If everything had gone as planned, Sheila Macintosh would have left for the L.A. airport half an hour ago. Instead, she stood in her office, pacifying her frayed nerves with jelly beans and waiting for the printer to spit out the last pages of her design analysis. Why had she allowed herself to cut it this close?
Sheila loved her job as a designer for one of the leading restaurant design firms in Los Angeles, but the responsibility came at a price. She’d put in extra hours for the past month to cover her bases for her upcoming two weeks off. There was nothing like preparing for a vacation to make a girl feel like she needed a vacation.
Tapping her hands on the output tray as if that might actually speed things along, she allowed a fleeting glance through the window at the hazy Hollywood Hills. In just a few short hours, she’d be at the Bar-G Ranch in Thornton Springs, Montana, helping her best friend, Courtney, prepare for the arrival of her first baby. A tingle of anticipation danced across her shoulder blades.
She shuddered. The anticipation, she had to admit, wasn’t entirely positive.
Ever since she’d heard Courtney’s baby news last summer, a part of her had been secretly resisting this trip. Her last visit to Montana, for Courtney’s wedding nearly a year ago, hadn’t ended well. Nevertheless, she was determined to keep her senseless anxiety at bay and return to Thornton Springs. That was the least she could do for her dearest friend.
And “senseless” it was. The source of her concern wouldn’t even be there this trip. She’d made certain of that. No one else even knew what had happened, so her secret was safe.
Why was she even letting it get to her?
As the final page popped out of the printer, she snapped it up and checked her watch. Ten o’clock already? If she hustled to take care of her last little details, she’d still be able to make it to LAX on time. If the L.A. traffic cooperated—and that was always a big if.
As she swooped over to her desk, her cell phone buzzed and she gave it a quick glance. Kevin. All rational thinking skidded to a halt, colliding with a strange sense of obligation. It was great that he took the time from his workday not only to think of her but also to touch base. But the clock was ticking.
Nervously noting her to-do list, she hit Speaker and started to fit the design pages into a report cover. “Hi, Kevin.”
“Hello, beautiful.” His voice was like velvet. “Are you at the airport yet?”
“I wish.” As pleased as she was to hear from the man she’d been seeing for the past few weeks, she was in too much of a hurry to relax into a conversation. “I haven’t even gotten out of the office yet.”
“Oh. Really? Well...I suppose you can still make it.” The words were thick with the implication that she was being overly optimistic. “You know, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you decided to postpone your trip.”
“Aw, that’s sweet, Kevin.” She clicked the report cover shut. “But you know Courtney’s counting on me.”
“Mmm.” The noncommittal sound held a subtle edge of pique. “So I can’t talk you out of leaving, huh?”
A hint of flirtation in his plea invited her to take her mind off work, which would only compound the problem. She flicked her computer screen out of nap mode. “’Fraid not.”
“Fine.” He heaved a small sigh. “But don’t worry. Two weeks will fly by like you never even left.”
Somehow that didn’t sound as reassuring as she knew he meant it to. It was her hope that the two weeks would stretch out luxuriously.
She reminded herself to be grateful for Kevin’s attentiveness. Her heart had been stomped on more than once by guys who’d started out great and ended up anything but. She’d resolved not to allow that to happen to her again. Kevin seemed to be a true candidate for Mr. Right, and she needed to remind herself not to push him away because of her lingering resentment over a few bad apples.
“Kevin, I really appreciate your call, but I need to get going.” Leaning over her keyboard, she pulled up the spreadsheet that corresponded with the design she’d just completed and began typing in some final notes for her assistant. “I promise I’ll call when I land in Montana, okay?”
“You’d better.” His voice held a touch of playful admonishment. “And text me the address of the place where you’re staying. I want to send you something.”
“Something for Courtney’s baby?” Only half attending to the conversation now, she continued to type.
“Nnno.” He drew out the single syllable. “Something for you.”
His emphasis on the last word both pleased and frightened her. She wasn’t ready for any meaningful gifts that might involve making major decisions. “You know you don’t have to do that.”
“I know. But I want to be sure you’re thinking about me.”
Words suddenly failed her. Sure, she’d think about him, but his presence in her life was still really new. She didn’t expect to keep him at the forefront of her mind while she was away.
Still, she hadn’t dated anyone in a long time, and at twenty-seven, her hope of getting married and starting a family was definitely something she should start taking seriously.
Closing the spreadsheet, she picked up her phone and switched it off Speaker as she drew it to her ear. “I’ll look forward to seeing you when I get back.”
“I’m glad.” His voice quivered almost imperceptibly. “Let’s plan on going to that new restaurant you’ve been working on. The one with the aquarium.”
She heaved out a sigh. The Abbott account. As a restaurant designer, she’d found the elaborate plan for that high-end seafood restaurant to be the toughest she had ever done, and it had been down to the wire getting the analysis completed to the owner’s satisfaction before she had to leave town. That had been a major relief.
“Great.” She grabbed her linen jacket off the back of her chair. “But you do know the place won’t open for at least six months.”
He let out a self-assured chortle. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Her heart did a little flip. It was a relief to meet someone who wasn’t plagued with commitment phobia, as most men in this town seemed to be. Yes, Kevin was a real catch.
A rap at her open office door jolted her, and she looked up to see her assistant, Karl, leaning into the doorway and revving like a racecar. She held up a hand to let him know she’d be right with him.
“I have to run, Kevin.”
“Oh. Well...” He paused as if to carefully calculate his words. “Call me when you land. I’ll be worried until you do.”
The thought of him being “worried” both pleased and disturbed her.
Ending the call, she held up the report she’d just finished. “Karl, I’m glad you’re here. Will you give the Roquefort Grill design to Claude for me, please?”
“You can give it to him yourself.” He flapped an arm toward the hallway. “He needs to see us both in his office, pronto.”
“What? Now?” She slipped her phone into her purse and tugged on her jacket. “But if I’m not out the door in five minutes, I’m in serious danger of missing my flight.”
Karl lifted his hands in a “What can I do?” motion and took a few anxious steps backward.
Deflating, she picked up the design and followed him.
In spite of her two-inch open-toe Kate Spade pumps, she managed to match his sprinter-like pace. “Do you know what this is about?”
He took the corner, nearly plowing over a wide-eyed intern. “All I know is he bellowed something about a total redo on the Abbott account and sent me to get you.”
“A total redo?” She grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. “It took us weeks to put that together. I thought Mr. Abbott was ready to sign off on it.”
“You know restaurant owners, Sheil.” He took the final steps toward the opulent double doors at the end of the hall, pushed one open and gestured for her to precede him. “They don’t know what they want.”
As they moved into the outer office, a harried administrative assistant wordlessly waved them toward the second set of double doors that led to the inner sanctum of their boss, Claude Maples. Inside, Claude spoke urgently on his phone as he dipped his pointed chin in acknowledgment of their entrance.
Sheila checked her watch. “Three minutes,” she mouthed to Karl, who bobbed his shoulders helplessly.
“Macintosh.” Claude plunked down his phone. “Abbott wants some changes made.” He motioned toward the analysis on his desk—the one she and Karl had slaved over to get to the client on time. “I want you to put everything else on hold and focus solely on this today.”
Sheila’s eyes flared at Karl, and he backed up a step. Clearly, she was going to get no help from him. “Uh...Mr. Maples...I—”
“This shouldn’t be too complicated.” Bending over his desk, Claude shuffled through some papers. “He loves the aquarium wall so much that he wants us to bring the under-the-sea effect right into the dining area. I told him you would develop some ideas and we’d have a new analysis to him by tomorrow.”
All the air left Sheila’s lungs. Short of actually giving the diners scuba suits and plunging them underwater, how was she supposed to bring the effect any more out into the room than it already was? She took a step forward and placed the analysis she’d just finished on his desk next to the other one. “But I’m leaving for the airport right now.”
“He has some specific thoughts about ambience and mood that he wants you to incorporate into the concept.” Claude continued his paper shuffle. “I trust you can convert his thoughts into something cohesive and rework the design.”
She shifted from one foot to the other. Could Claude have a hearing problem she’d never noticed before? “But I can’t get it done by tomorrow. I’m leaving town.” She glanced at Karl, who seemed to be studying his shoes. She fixed her gaze again on Claude. “You remember. Montana?”
Claude looked up finally, his beady eyes squinting from behind designer frames. “Montana?”
She nodded. He was only in his fifties—far too young to be losing both his hearing and his memory. She went on. “My best friend is having a baby?”
“Oh. Yes. Well.” His head tipped down again, revealing the start of a bald spot in his otherwise full head of graying hair. “She’s not having it today, is she?”
“No, I don’t think so. But—”
“Fine, then.” Turning from the papers, he clicked at his computer. “You have time.”
“But she’s expecting—”
“Yes, that’s what you said.” He scowled at the screen.
“No, I mean she’s expecting and she’s expecting me to get there tonight.”
“Oh. Well.” His focus didn’t waver. “You’ll work something out.”
Sheila felt a migraine coming on. Courtney had made it clear that she wanted Sheila there for the home birth, which could happen at any time if the baby came early. If she postponed her departure, she could easily miss it.
She pulled back her shoulders. “Mr. Maples, you approved my vacation weeks ago.”
Frowning at her, he removed his glasses. “And weeks ago, we didn’t know that Cameron Abbott would have an eleventh-hour change of heart about his restaurant concept.”
“But, sir, I—”
“Macintosh.” He narrowed his gaze, pointing his glasses at her like a dart he was aiming to skewer her with. “The Abbott account is the biggest our firm has had in months. If you feel you can’t follow through on it, I’ll have to turn it over to someone else.”
Her heart pounded. She’d worked so hard to blaze a trail for herself in this firm. If she let this account slip from her grasp, it would be like starting from ground zero. She bit her lip so hard it would probably leave a mark.
Claude raised a thick eyebrow. “Is that what you want?”
“No, sir, but I—”
“I didn’t think so.” He replaced his glasses, then thrust a stack of papers at her. “I’ve given you a copy of Abbott’s requests along with my notes.”
Her shoulders drooped as she hoisted the heavy stack and slunk out of the office. Karl caught up to her, clutching the now-defunct analysis in his hands.
“Sorry, Sheil.” He sounded genuinely contrite. “I know this trip meant a lot to you.”
Meant? Her head swam. If she and Karl pulled an all-nighter, she could still make it out of here by tomorrow.
As they entered her office, anxiety gnawed at her stomach. What was she thinking? Even if they incorporated all the changes by morning, the client would still need to give his approval. They had taken weeks to get this far along. How did she know he wouldn’t drag it out for days asking them to tweak the design?
Karl crossed to the coffee bar with the supercharged energy of someone who thrives on completing monumental tasks in an impossibly short time. “Should I make coffee?”
“Coffee. Sure.” She spoke absently as she drifted over to her desk chair but didn’t sit. A thought wrapped itself around her like a cloak. What if this was a blessing in disguise?
As she absently grabbed a few jelly beans from the bowl on her desk and placed them in her mouth, she watched Karl take a bottle of filtered water from the mini fridge and pour it into the coffeemaker. If she told Courtney she couldn’t get away from work after all, then she wouldn’t have to risk facing the anguish she’d worked so hard to conceal. Maybe this was what she had secretly been hoping for all along.
As she readjusted her grip on the papers, her eyes lit on the framed photo of her with Courtney at Big Sur the week before Courtney had started working on North to Montana, the movie that had taken her to the Treasure State in the first place. She stared solemnly at her BFF, whom she hadn’t even seen since Courtney’s fairy-tale ranch wedding ten months before. An ache rose in her throat that refused to be swallowed.
Carefully measuring out coffee grounds with a small scoop, Karl spoke over his shoulder. “You want me to cancel your flight?”
Did she? There really wasn’t a logical reason for her to avoid Montana. It wasn’t the place that was the problem, after all, but the memories it held. How could she even consider letting her best friend down just because she was a coward?
She dropped the stack of papers onto her desk with a thud. “No. I’m catching my flight. I can do what I need to do on the plane.”
Karl whirled around, the coffee scoop in his hand spraying an arc of brown particles on the carpet. “But—”
“It will be fine, Karl.” She began shoving papers into her computer bag. “Whatever communicating you and I need to do, we can do over the phone or email.”
He charged toward her, still balancing the half-full scoop, as if he’d forgotten he held it. “But Claude said—”
“He said we needed to redo the design. He didn’t say I had to stay here to do it.”
“But how am I supposed to—”
“You can handle it, Karl.” She grabbed her purse and her computer bag.
“But—”
She rounded her desk, meeting him in the middle of the room and putting a hand on his shoulder. “You are perfectly capable of presenting the design to Mr. Abbott without me.”
As she moved toward the door, Karl made a little whimpering sound behind her. She stepped into the hallway, giving him one last encouraging look before making a dash for the elevator.
Her stomach tightened painfully. If she didn’t love her best friend so much, life right now would be a whole lot simpler.
* * *
Sheila watched the lush Montana scenery roll past from inside the vintage Chevy pickup belonging to Courtney’s sister-in-law, Janessa. Gazing at those majestic green mountains and the too-blue-to-be-believed late-afternoon sky, she thought how crazy it was that just a few hours ago, she’d been hemmed in by ashen concrete and brown haze.
“Everyone had so much fun at Courtney and Adam’s wedding.” Janessa had been talking practically nonstop since picking Sheila up at the airport in Helena. “I just hope my wedding is as awesome as my lunkheaded brother’s was.”
Sheila smiled. At twenty-two, Janessa still had a youthful energy, but she’d grown up a lot since last summer. Not only had she logged almost two semesters of culinary school, but she had opened a successful café and catering business with her best friend, Andra—which Sheila had helped design long-distance—and she’d gotten engaged to a former champion bull rider. It had been quite a milestone year for Janessa.
“We’re having our reception at Micah’s ranch—the one he owns with his dad,” Janessa went on. “That’s where we’re going to live once we’re married. We’re both teaching horseback riding and junior rodeo there. He has a real heart for kids who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to afford activities like that.”
Sheila couldn’t help a twinge of jealousy at how together Janessa’s life seemed compared to her own. Not that she wasn’t happy for her. She smiled. “I can’t wait to meet Micah.”
A look of love spread across Janessa’s pretty face. “He’s the greatest guy in the world.”
The greatest guy in the world. Sheila rolled in her lips. Would she feel that way about Kevin once she got to know him better?
As Janessa turned off the highway and through the fancy gate with the big Bar-G Ranch sign arcing over the top of it, an assemblage of mixed emotions rallied for Sheila’s attention. The last time she’d seen these sprawling fields, she’d been heading the other direction, away from the ranch and the total humiliation she’d suffered there. She’d been so angry and hurt that it had taken every ounce of strength she possessed to maintain her composure.
Now, as they neared the house, it all came flooding back as if no time had passed.
What was the matter with her? It wasn’t as if she’d be walking back into the same situation. Things would be different now that only a few people would be at the house. This would be a nice peaceful vacation with no upsetting distractions. She’d done everything in her power to make sure of that.
Relaxing a little, she focused on the house, which was surrounded by blossoming trees and colorful spring blooms. She’d fallen in love with this place last summer and excitement brewed at the prospect of staying here again, even though things would be...well...different.
As the truck pulled up between the house and the romantic old red barn, the front door swung open and Courtney stepped out onto the colossal front porch. Sheila let out a little shriek.
Ever since Courtney had left L.A. to serve as the personal assistant to Angela Bijou, the star of North to Montana, Sheila hadn’t gotten to spend much time with her. Courtney had fallen for Adam—the owner of the Bar-G, where they were filming—then had gotten a job assisting Travis Bloom, the A-list movie director who also happened to own a ranch in Thornton Springs. Courtney’s life had been unfolding like a story right out of Hollywood ever since.
Biting back her jealousy over yet another friend whose life was totally together, Sheila jumped out of the truck practically before Janessa had brought it to a stop. She bounded up the walkway to where Courtney waited on the top porch step with one hand on the railing and the other on her expanded middle. She looked adorable in maternity jeans and a simple lacy white top.
“You look amazing!” Sheila took the steps two at a time and threw her arms around her best friend.
“And you look like you could use some Big Sky R & R.” Courtney took a step back and studied her. “Let’s ditch the suit and get you into some vacation duds.”
Sheila laughed. They had been through this last summer, so this time she’d come prepared with jeans, T-shirts and a pair of sneakers. Two whole weeks of comfy clothes and flat shoes sounded like paradise to her.
She looked around. “Where are your parents?”
Courtney gave a sardonic chuckle. “My husband is determined to bring out my dad’s inner cowboy. They’re out riding the range. And my mom is in town shopping for baby things with my mother-in-law.”
“You know...” Janessa stood at the bottom of the steps next to a bed of vibrant pink-and-orange petunias. “With all the men around this place, we shouldn’t have to carry your bags upstairs.” She made a sweeping gesture in the direction of the outlying ranch buildings and the pastures beyond. “Why don’t I go rustle up a bellhop before I head back to the café.”
“Oh, the café.” Sheila clapped her hands together at the reminder. Although she’d helped them with the design, she hadn’t been able to visit the place in person yet. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“I know!” Janessa whirled around, her dark brown ponytail swinging to keep up. “I’ll be right back with some muscle.”
Letting out a small sigh, Courtney watched Janessa round the corner of the house.
“What?” Sheila frowned.
“It’s just that we’re all a little worried. The café was a huge financial undertaking for those girls. We’re praying they can keep it going and pay off the loans they had to take out.”
Sheila bit her lower lip. She had done all she could to help the girls prepare, but in the restaurant business, you had to expect the unexpected. “I know they have more things they want to do to the place, and they’re going to need to replace their stove soon. Maybe I can give them some ideas when I see it in person.”
Courtney’s look of concern eased. “There will be plenty of time to go into town later.” She grabbed Sheila’s arm and pulled her toward the ornately carved front door. “Right now we have some serious catching up to do.”
They entered the spacious foyer that was practically the size of the lobby of Sheila’s condo building back in L.A. The house, Courtney had told her, hadn’t changed much since a past generation of the Greene family had built it in the 1880s. No wonder the movie people had picked it for their Western.
“Come on.” Courtney tipped her head toward an arched doorway that led into the parlor. “You remember Tandy, our ranch cook. She said she’d leave us some fresh lemonade.”
Sheila followed her into the warm, inviting room that always made her feel right at home. Maybe it was the soothing colors, a deep sage accented with rich brown velvet drapes, or the nostalgic feel of the high ceilings and tall windows that invoked a simpler era, but Sheila had loved this room from the moment she’d first seen it.
Courtney lowered herself onto one of the brocade settees in front of the dark wood hearth. She reached for a cut-glass pitcher of icy lemonade that sat on a tray in the middle of the coffee table, encircled by matching glasses. She glanced up at Sheila as she started to pour. “I really love your hair!”
“Thanks.” Joining her on the settee, Sheila ran her hand through the shaggy almost-to-the-shoulders cut she had adopted just recently. She’d resisted thinking her need to change her hair had anything to do with this trip, but now that she was here, she had to admit to the importance of giving her ego a little pick-me-up just out of principle.
“I figured you wouldn’t want to go anywhere tonight,” Courtney said. “I thought we could just sit out on the porch and watch the menfolk toss horseshoes or footballs or whatever else they get their hands on.”
Sheila gathered her thoughts. There was something she was supposed to do tonight. Oh. Right. Work.
“Actually—” she did her best to rustle up a note of nonchalance “—I have a design I need to finish up. It’s probably going to take up the whole evening, but after that, I’m all yours.”
Courtney frowned. “I thought you were on vacation.”
“I am, but you know Claude. He can’t live without me.”
Courtney’s mouth twisted to one side. “Well, he’s going to have to. One thing living here has taught me is that there’s more to life than work.”
Sheila angled her a look. “You still love your job, though. Right?”
“Mr. Bloom is the best boss I’ve ever had.” Courtney smiled. “Oh, that reminds me, I have to update you about that situation before Mama Greene gets home.” Her face contorted slightly and she rubbed her lower back.
Sheila gave her an assessing look. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel great.” Holding out the full glass, Courtney’s smile remained on her lips but faded from her eyes.
Sheila narrowed her gaze and took the lemonade. “You don’t sound very convincing.”
Pouring a second glass, Courtney let out a little sigh. “There’s been a slight change in plans, but it’s nothing to worry about.”
Taking a sip of the deliciously sour liquid, Sheila puckered her face. “What kind of change?”
“Well—” Courtney shrugged “—we’ve decided not to have the birth at home after all.” She took a tiny sip. “My midwife says there’s a small chance that we might run into some complications, so we decided not to risk it.”
“What kind of complications?” Sheila didn’t even try to keep the concern out of her voice. This was, after all, her future godson or goddaughter they were talking about.
Courtney raised a reassuring palm. “Nothing for anybody to worry about.” She paused. “It’s just that we’re so far from the hospital out here that if anything did come up...” She batted away the thought with her hand. “I’m so excited to have everyone here in time for the birth.”
Sheila slit her eyes. Just as she was about to probe for more details, the sliding doors that led to the opulent Victorian dining room glided open and Janessa bounced in.
“Hey, Sheila, I found you a Sherpa.” She waved a presentational arm toward the dining room.
A masculine form appeared in the doorway, causing Sheila to nearly choke on her lemonade. Ben Jacobs. She couldn’t have been more stunned if a herd of wild Montana horses had suddenly stampeded down the staircase.
Ben stood there looking like a dream. Her worst nightmare. As their eyes met, his tentative smile seemed almost apologetic. He had one thumb hooked in the front pocket of his jeans—which fit him perfectly, she quickly noted—and ran the other hand through his slightly tousled hair in a move that would have been boyishly endearing if she hadn’t already caught on to that act.
Her head buzzed and she let out a cough that resembled a horse’s whinny as heat scaled her cheeks. At least she could blame the blush on the nearly choking. This was the most awful thing that could have happened. Ben was not supposed to be here.
“...can put yourself to good use.” The hum in her head turned out to be Courtney talking. “Sheil, you remember my brother, Ben.”
Sheila gulped. As if she had a hope in the world of ever forgetting him. Of course, Courtney had no idea of the significant place she’d allowed him to claim in her life. When it had all come crashing down on her, she’d been way too ashamed to tell anyone. If everything went her way, she never would.
Ben took a couple of careful steps into the room and raised an uncertain smile that sent her heartbeat into hyperdrive. Why did he have to be even cuter than she remembered?
“It’s really good to see you again.” His voice sounded like melted butter. Soft, soothing, delicious.
Her knees went weak, and she was thankful she was already sitting. She had subtly asked Courtney several times who was going to be here for the birth, and never once had the answer included her brother, Ben. When had this plan changed?
“Ben came out from Fresno with Mom and Dad to surprise me,” Courtney supplied, as if reading her mind. “Isn’t that great?”
Great. Sheila tried but failed to keep her hands from shaking, a fact made all too apparent by the light clinking of the ice in her glass. It had been ten whole months. What was the matter with her?
When she had met Ben the week before Courtney’s wedding, she’d been immediately smitten not only by his good looks but by how sweet he was. He shared Courtney’s sandy-blond hair and hazel eyes and had a smile that had made her want to follow him around that entire week like a puppy. Now, as she tried to avoid lingering eye contact with him, she felt her pulse kick it up yet another notch. She was hopeless.
Seeing Courtney’s puzzled look, she realized she hadn’t responded to her question. Not wanting to be rude or appear shell-shocked, she forced herself to look at Ben. “Oh...yes, it’s really terrific that you could make it.”
Her eyes drifted past Ben just to make sure there were no more surprise guests—of the female persuasion. There didn’t appear to be...not yet, anyway. But a shudder ran up her spine. That would be more than her heart could handle.
“Come on, Ben.” Janessa waved him toward the foyer. “Her bags are in my truck.” She looked at Sheila. “I have to head to work, but let’s plan on you coming to the café tomorrow, okay?”
Sheila nodded and managed to utter something along the lines of “Can’t wait,” as Ben followed Janessa out to the foyer. Courtney started talking again, and the soft creak of the front door let them know when the two of them had gone outside.
“...I’m telling you, romance is in the air around here.”
Sheila jumped. “I...I don’t—”
“Between my mother-in-law and my boss.” Courtney gave her a swat to the arm. “Didn’t you hear what I was saying?”
“Oh. Uh...sure.” Right. Courtney had been updating her on the progress of the relationship between Adam’s widowed mother, Elena, and the twice-divorced but now born-again Travis Bloom. “What’s up with that?”
“They’ve been spending a lot of time together. They both swear they’re just friends, but I think that’s fear talking.”
“I can’t blame them for wanting to take things slow. I mean, they’ve both been married before.”
“True. But she’s been a widow for over a decade, and he’s a different man since his first two marriages.”
“The born-again bridegroom?” Sheila remembered that Mr. Bloom had made a dramatic turnaround by becoming a Christian later in life, a fact that was now reflected in the movies he made.
“Something like that.” Courtney chuckled. “You can just see by the way they look at one another that they’re meant to be together. I can always tell.”
Ugh. Sheila took a big gulp of her drink and decided she’d have to perfect her poker face around her too-perceptive best friend.
The front door creaked again and a moment later Ben appeared, pulling Sheila’s suitcase with the laptop bag and her purse hooked over the handle. He gave Courtney a questioning look.
“Blue room, Jeeves,” Courtney quipped.
Wordlessly, Ben gave a flicker of what almost looked like hopefulness at Sheila. He lowered his eyes, then headed for the stairs.
“We’re putting you in the room you had last summer.” Courtney seemed remarkably oblivious to the war being waged in Sheila’s heart, thank goodness. “Mama Greene and I figured you and Ben could handle the extra flight of stairs.”
Sheila gulped. Last summer she’d stayed on the third floor, but all the rooms had been occupied by wedding guests. The idea of being up there with Ben suddenly felt really intimate. Worse, though, was the thought of there being someone else up there, too. She tried not to let her apprehension show. “Just us?”
Courtney gave her a quizzical look.
“I mean...you don’t have any other guests...from Adam’s side of the family or...anything?” She winced inwardly. How dare her shaking voice betray her?
“Nope. Just you two up on the third floor, and my parents on the second.”
Well, that was a relief, anyway. Courtney went on to say something about dinner and getting settled in, but all Sheila could think about was that if she didn’t manage to regain some control of her emotions, she was in for a torturous couple of weeks.
The old feeling was back. The one she’d had no control over last summer and really had no control over now. The one that had told her heart to throw caution to the wind and to hope that maybe...maybe...
She snapped to. Maybe nothing. This time she was going to listen to her head, not her stupid heart, which had only ever gotten her into trouble. This time she wouldn’t fall for Don Juan Jacobs and his smooth lies.
Courtney frowned. “Everything okay?”
She jerked a look at her friend. “Yeah, why?”
“You just got a little quiet.” Courtney elbowed her in the ribs.
“Oh. Must be jet lag.”
“From one time zone? You have gone soft.”
Sheila forced a good-humored chuckle. It was too humiliating to confess what an idiot she’d been, especially when it involved her best friend’s brother. Besides, Courtney had enough on her mind right now with getting ready for the baby and taking care of last-minute details at her job.
The last thing she needed was to be told that her big brother was a deceitful two-timer.
