Behind Closed Doors (18 page)

“I thought we’d stop at a motel about fifty miles from here, if that’s all right with you.”

“Sure.”

“It’s nothing fancy, but it’s out of the way and only for the night.”

“Out of the way works for me. What happens tomorrow night?”

“We head to Missoula. It’s a lot bigger than Kalispell so we shouldn’t run into anyone. I have a nice hotel in mind and you can do some shopping if you want.”

“Oh.”

He glanced at her. “You don’t sound thrilled.”

“No, Missoula will be great. I told my sister I was going shopping, but I honestly hadn’t planned on doing any.” She sighed. “Though I suppose we can’t spend the whole weekend in bed.”

Nathan let out a short laugh.

“Okay, that thought shouldn’t have made it to my mouth.” She tried to think of something clever to add, something that would make him think she was joking, but she was honestly embarrassed.

“For the record, I’d have no problem with that scenario.” He found her hand and squeezed it. “You’re cold. Feel free to adjust the heat.”

Her cell buzzed, and her heart sank like a lead weight.

She saw that it was only Fritz. Thank goodness. “You mind if I take this call? I’ve been playing phone tag with my former boss.”

“No problem.”

“Fritz?”

“Is this a trick? Is that you, Bethany? Or your voice mail?”

She laughed. “Hey, don’t get your boxers in a twist. I’ve returned your texts.”

“Boxers? Really, darling?” His sigh was dramatic, and she could easily picture his narrow patrician nose stuck in the air. “You’ve languished in Backwood Falls for too long. You must return to me before it’s too late.”

“Oh, Fritz, I do miss you,” she said, hearing a peal of raucous laughter in the background. “Where are you?”

“Hong Kong.”

“What happened to Singapore?”

“I left this morning.” Music blared then quickly died, as if Fritz had had someone turn it down. “The royal birthday dinner was a disaster, by the way. A hundred cases of very expensive, very wrong champagne were delivered, and everything went downhill from there.”

“Ouch.” She cringed. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, well, I suppose I should be grateful that’s all that went wrong.”

“So you have another job in Hong Kong?”

“No, I decided I deserved a bit of R & R.” The music surged again, a horrible frenetic, heavy metal sound, which made no sense. Fritz hated that stuff. He was fastidious in everything from his designer suits to the classical music he preferred. In fact, he hated having downtime, so she wasn’t buying the R & R story. “Hold on a moment, would you, darling?”

She glanced at Nathan. His eyes were on the road and she touched his arm to get his attention. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time,” he said, reaching over to rub her arm.

His touch was soothing, his large hand remarkably gentle. He was always gentle with her. Fritz would despise the jeans and cowboy boots, but he’d totally swoon over the man. She was halfway there herself.

“I’m back,” Fritz said, his words slurred, supporting her suspicion that he might’ve had one cognac over his limit. Something that rarely happened.

“Where are you? I know Hong Kong...but more specifically?”

“Oh, some club you wouldn’t know.”

“You don’t like going to clubs.”

“Quite right, my darling Bethany, but I met the most interesting man on the plane,” he said. “I just may take off the rest of the week.”

“Oh, Fritz...please, please be careful.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“Call me again tomorrow, huh?”

He laughed softly. “I will, but I have to go now.” He disconnected before she could say goodbye or anything else.

She stared at the phone a moment. They’d forged quite a bond and he understood her decision to quit hadn’t been an easy one. Fritz was as much family to her as Liberty and Candace. And it sure wasn’t easy ignoring the guilt she felt for leaving him.

* * *

N
ATHAN HEARD HER
deep sigh. He glanced over just as she let her head fall back against the headrest. She’d claimed nothing was going on between her and her former boss, but that wasn’t how it sounded. “You okay?”

“Of course.” Beth brought her head up and smiled. “I’m here with you and we have a whole weekend ahead of us.”

He hadn’t expected that response. No drama, just optimism. Nice. “I can’t promise to make your problems go away, but I’ll do my best to distract you.”

“Oh, boy. That’s the best offer I’ve had...well, not ever, but at least since two Fridays ago.” She laughed. “I wish I had the guts to turn off my phone. I really do.”

“Why can’t you? What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Well...” She seemed to be giving the idea some consideration. “Liberty might need me.”

“Your sister is with her.”

“True,” Beth said, pausing for a moment. “I love Candace. I really do, but you’ve met her...she’s a complete flake.”

A less-flattering description came to mind. He’d never say anything, not his place, but watching her suggestive behavior in front of a red-faced Liberty had pissed him off. “In spite of everything, Liberty seems to have a pretty good head on her shoulders.”

“Mostly she does. I can’t even explain the graffiti thing. I have a strong suspicion it has to do with an older boy she’s been hanging around. Spike’s from the city. His father works for the power company and was transferred here.”

“Spike?”

“I know.” Beth’s laugh turned into a groan. “Even worse, he looks like a Spike, kind of Goth and weird
.
Not to mention he’s eighteen going on twelve.”

“And Liberty is fifteen? You think they’re having sex?”

“No, I really don’t. I think they see themselves as kindred spirits—outsiders, misfits.” She paused. “You do realize Lib has a crush on you.”

“What?” Nathan swung a look at her to see if she was joking. But she looked serious. “No, she doesn’t.”

“Oh, yes, she does. Why do you think she reacted to us horsing around with the hose last week?”

“Hell, I’m old enough to be her—” The notion of having a teenage daughter stunned him. But it was possible.

“I know,” Beth said with a mixture of sympathy and amusement. “Candace is younger than you.”

“Fine. But Liberty doesn’t have a crush on me. She’s interested in the Arabians. We talk. The end.”

“I’m not implying her feelings are reciprocated. Jesus.” She sighed. “I think it’s kind of sweet and I’m glad she looks up to you. She barely knows her father. Sadly, that’s not a bad thing. He’s a creep. But her feelings for you make
us
even trickier.”

Us.
Small word, but lots of emphasis. Too bad he couldn’t decipher what that meant. Maybe it was best he didn’t know.

He noticed oncoming cars stop for a buck and a pair of does crossing the highway up ahead, and he slowed down. Beth leaned forward to watch the deer, an expression of wonder on her face. Even with all she had going on, she knew how to live in the moment. It made him smile. He still wasn’t sure he believed Liberty had a crush on him, but then what he knew about teenage girls could fit in his grandma’s thimble.

“Your former boss, you seem close to him....”

Beth grinned. “Are you asking if I have a crush on Fritz?”

He shook his head, annoyed with himself. The road was clear now. Traffic was moving again.

“Fritz would have the biggest laugh over that. He’d play up being the mysterious older man in my life. Fritz does love drama,” she said. “He’s not so much a father figure as a mentor.”

“How did you end up in that line of work?”

“Totally by accident. I was in college, working part-time for a catering company Fritz had hired for a client’s working retreat. Anyway, I made a crack to another waitress about how stupid it was to serve peas at a business lunch. I didn’t know Fritz was behind me and he asked what I meant.

“He nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought for sure I’d be fired and I needed the work. I just told him the truth. Peas roll too easily...as in right off the plate. I saw it happen all the time, so why take a chance? He just smiled, asked if I had a few minutes for him after my shift. He asked some questions...I had commonsense answers and he offered me a job.” She shrugged. “I was barely making ends meet, knew I’d have to take a year off school before I could transfer to a university so I said sure....”

“Ever regret not getting a degree?”

“No, not even a little. Fritz gave me an amazing education. I learned so much from him. I even got to see the world.”

“You have to miss it.”

“I miss
him.
The work was hard and I had no life to speak of, especially since the word
no
isn’t in Fritz’s vocabulary. He has quite the reputation for achieving the impossible.”

“With your help.”

“Oh, I played a small part. But he has other staff.”

Nathan knew she was being modest. With her take-charge personality and smarts, he had no doubt she’d contributed to her boss’s success in a big way.

“Fritz doesn’t make friends easily and I worry about him. He needs a confidant, someone he can trust.”

“Isn’t that you?”

“Well, it was.” She smiled. “I guess I still am,” she said with a shrug. “But it’s different now.”

“Still trying to save everyone.” The teasing words left him with a bitter taste that surprised him.

“Not anymore.” She shook her head. “Just Liberty. Everyone else can fend for themselves.”

Nathan let it go. From the beginning he’d figured she’d miss her old lifestyle and eventually leave Blackfoot Falls. Knowing just how close she and her boss were, he could see how it might tempt her. A lot could go wrong with the life she lived now. The boardinghouse wasn’t the dream project she’d imagined. Liberty was still getting into trouble at every turn. And she was Candace’s daughter, not Beth’s—there was only so much influence an aunt could have, no matter how well-meaning.

“How could I have missed that moon?” Beth was leaning forward, gazing at the sky through the windshield. “And all those stars? Nathan, we have to stop.”

He took another look at her. “Are you kidding?”

“No. We have to stop. Here. Now. Please.”

He wanted to tell her she was nuts, that the same night sky would be there when they reached the motel in fifteen minutes.

Instead, he pulled over to the shoulder. And smiled at the happiness lighting her face, a deep sense of satisfaction growing inside of him. Pleasing Beth had become a daily goal. Listening to her laugh during their phone conversations was like a tonic. But seeing her, knowing he would have her in his arms? Right now he felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

14

B
ETH OPENED THE
door, letting the brisk evening air hit her cheeks. It felt good, but mostly because her face was flushed—for no reason in particular other than that she was happy. God, how much had she missed the clear Montana sky?

“I guess we’re getting out,” Nathan muttered with a lack of enthusiasm.

“Of course we are,” she said, turning to grin at him. “How can you not want to see every star, every constellation—”

“My view is fine from here, where, I might add, it’s nice and warm.”

“I bet you have a blanket in the back.”

He studied her for a moment, as if she’d asked him a trick question. “Bet I don’t.”

“That’s okay.” She shrugged. “You don’t have to get out. I won’t be long.”

“Wait. We need to get off the shoulder. I think there’s a turnout up ahead.”

A mile down the highway they found a spot and she got out. He was right, it was so much warmer in the Range Rover. And she had to pay attention to the uneven ground, a minefield of low-growing scrub brush and tall spindly weeds. She didn’t care. Hugging herself, she made it to a small clearing and looked up at the sky.

The sheer number of stars glittering in the darkness stole her breath. She remembered as a kid thinking they had to be magic, that if anyone ever got too close they would disappear.

“Sorry to say I was right...no blanket,” Nathan said, coming up behind her. “This should help.”

She started to turn, then felt a weight settle on her shoulders. It was his jacket, the warm fleece lining making her sigh with contentment. Then his arms came around her and she leaned back against his strong chest. Her sigh deepened to a moan of pleasure.

“Better?” His quiet murmur glided over the skin near her ear, followed by the light pressure of his lips.

“You’re spoiling me,” she whispered, tilting her head and exposing the side of her neck to his trail of kisses.

His lips moved down to her shoulder. “Don’t set the bar so low.”

His heat and scent enveloped her, and she shivered, holding on to his arm—the one pressed across the top of her breasts.

“Are you still cold?”

“No. Different kind of shiver,” she said, and laughed. It registered that the arm she was clutching was covered only by his flannel shirtsleeve. “Hey, take your jacket.”

She tried to move but he kept her trapped against his body.

“Shh...” He tightened the arm around her waist. “I’m fine.” He kissed her jaw. “But you should probably stop wiggling.”

“Probably?”

His mouth curved in a smile, the movement slow and incredibly erotic against her sensitized skin. When he lifted his head, she nearly begged him not to stop. “Are you getting your fill of stars?”

“Never. Look.” She leaned back, motioning with her chin. “Do you see Ursa Major?”

“Ah, the Great Bear.”

She turned her head to look at him, ridiculously pleased that he recognized the constellation. “It’s so cool you know that.”

“Don’t get too excited. I remember it’s part of the Little Dipper and that’s about it.”

“From school?”

“Camping with my brothers. Seth was into astronomy and used to point out the different constellations. How did you get interested?”

“When I was a kid I would lie on my back in the grass for hours trying to count stars.” She returned her gaze to the sky. In another week Ursa Major wouldn’t be visible. “I swore I could see patterns beyond the few constellations I already knew and used the library computer to do some poking around.”