Listen to Your Heart (15 page)

“That’s a relief. At least he won’t say
anything.”

He reached over and gave her hand a
squeeze. “What’s the matter? Don’t want to be seen with me?”

She fumbled for her sunglasses as they
drove out of the parking lot. “No. It’s not that.”

“Then what?” he frowned.

“Look, Adrian. I like you; I guess
that’s obvious.”

“I sense there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

“But you’re the boss’s son. Your family
owns the hotel and a lot of others.”

“Yes, I see. That makes perfect sense.
I’m employed, I’m single, and we share the same interests. Definitely not a
good basis for a relationship.”

“Stop kidding around. You know what I
mean.”

“Morgan.” He reached across, grabbed her
hand and brought it to his mouth. The touch of his lips on her knuckles was
warm, soft and intimate. “You’re over-thinking this. Let’s just relax and enjoy
each other’s company.”

He was right. After all, there were no
promises between them. At least none that had been spoken.

Adrian pulled out onto Blackcomb Way. “You
know, I haven’t been to the Chateau yet. This will be a chance to check out how
the big boys do it.”

“I hear it’s impressive, but I like the
concept of a boutique hotel. It’s so much easier to control the quality of
service.”

He shot her an appreciative glance.
“What’s what we’ve always believed. My father’s big on niche marketing. Ours is
small, discreet hotels with superior service.” The central tower of the hotel
loomed ahead and he glanced over at her. “Let’s not talk about work for a
while. When we step inside those doors, we’re just a young couple on a date.”

“You’ve got a deal.”

“Buffet or a la carte, sir?” Their
server deferred to Adrian.

He looked at Morgan. “A la carte for me,
please,” she said.

“Thank you, Jeremy. I’ll do the same.”
Adrian accepted the menu and laid it aside. “I think we’d both like some coffee
first.”

Morgan nodded her agreement and the
server left. “How did you spot his name tag so quickly?”

“Habit, I guess. When I was a kid and
worked out on the terrace at Klosters, people yelled at me all the time.” He
lowered his voice. “The Germans and the Brits were the worst. Anyway, when
someone took the time to notice my name, I appreciated it. Of course as Bernie
and I got older, Dad demanded that we acknowledge staff, whether in our hotels
or somewhere else.”

“My father would approve of that. He’s a
born salesman and he taught me the value of always thanking the receptionist
when you enter and leave an office. It’s a good habit.”

Coffee appeared and Morgan took a
thoughtful sip. “I hate to admit it, but I’ve been so busy since I got here
that I’ve scarcely thought about my family.”

“What are they like?”

“Well...” She considered her answer. “I
told you about my brothers, right?”

“In general terms.”

She thought for a moment. “In a way, the
men in my family are larger than life. They’re very enthusiastic in everything
they do, which mostly relates to business these days. And of course my mother
is supportive.”

He cocked his head to one side. “Does
she work in the business or does she have her own interests?”

Morgan allowed her gaze to drift over
the other diners before she replied. “Mom has her own interests I suppose, but
to a large extent she lives in Dad’s shadow.” She brightened. “It was because
of their travels and hearing about all the places they visited that I became
interested in the hotel business.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oops. We
weren’t supposed to talk about business.”

“And what about Dale? She’s part of your
family as well, isn’t she?”

“For sure.” She met his gaze. “I think I
know you well enough now to give you a bit of her back-story. Her mother was a
drug addict who died from an overdose. She’s lived with us since her early
teens. She worships my mother.”

“Wow.” Adrian was silent for a few
moments. “I saw her with Chance, I think it was yesterday. They were walking
through the Village, but they were completely wrapped up in each other. They
looked happy.”

“I know. This thing with Chance has
really surprised me. She usually pushes men away but he’s really hung in
there.”

“Is that what it takes?” His voice
lowered. “If so, I...” He stopped abruptly, pulled out his phone and read the
message.

“We have to go,” he said abruptly,
standing up.

“Why?” He’d gone from relaxed to tense in
the time it took to read the message. The bottom dropped out of her stomach.

“Here.” He shoved the phone into her
hand and managed to get her arms in her coat sleeves while she read.

The message was from Dale.
Urgent. Have
Morgan call me and come back to hotel ASAP.

He threw some money on the table and
hustled her out. “Do you want me to stay with you or shall I go get the car?”

She was already holding the phone to her
ear, so he gestured to the porte cochere. “I’ll pick you up.”

Dale answered right away. “Where are
you? Why don’t you have your phone on?”

There was a hint of panic in her voice.
Morgan didn’t think she’d ever known Dale to lose it before. “We’re at the
Chateau. What’s going on?”

Dale took a deep breath. “I just had a
call from Ken. Mom’s been in a car accident. They’ve taken her to the hospital
but that’s all he can tell me.” Her voice lowered. “He thinks someone was
killed in the other vehicle.”

Morgan looked around wildly. Where was
Adrian? Oh yes, he’d said something about going for the car. “I’m on my way.
Adrian’s gone for the car.”

“Okay. I want to keep this line clear in
case Ken calls back.” She paused for a moment. “I’m going with you, Morgan.”

“What?”

“Calgary. I’m going with you to
Calgary.”

Morgan realized that Dale was almost
crying. “Of course you are. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

She went out the front door and made her
way through a chattering group of Japanese tourists who had just climbed down
from a tour bus. Adrian pulled up behind the bus and for a moment she didn’t
spot him, but a quick tap on the horn drew her attention and she ran to the
SUV.

“What did Dale say?” he asked as he
steered carefully around the bus.

“Mom’s been in a car accident.” Morgan
fought for composure. “They don’t know much yet, but she’s been taken to the
hospital.” She stared silently out the window.

“Are you okay?” He touched her gently on
the arm.

She looked at him through eyes brimming
with tears. “I was just thinking about how long it’s going to take us to get
there.”

“Us?”

“Yeah. Dale’s determined to go as well.”
She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. “Wynn-Jones isn’t going to like
this; both of us being gone at the same time.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened, but he managed a
wry smile. “He’s not the most understanding person in the world, is he?”

He squinted as the SUV went from
brilliant sunshine into the relative darkness of the underground parking area.
Morgan was out of the vehicle and headed for the elevators before he’d turned
off the ignition.

“Come on,” she said, leaning on the
elevator button. “Dale said to meet her in the lobby.”

The lobby was full of suitcases and ski
gear when they exited the elevator. Two couples with teenage children were
checking in, and the children waited impatiently by the elevator, room cards in
hand.

Morgan looked around and spotted Dale
and Chance across the lobby. Dale was on her cell phone and looked up as Morgan
entered, then motioned her over.

“She’s here now,” she said into the
phone and handed it to Morgan. “It’s Ken,” she mouthed.

Morgan steeled herself. “Hi Ken.”

“Morgan. I’m at the hospital now with
Dad and the twins. They have Mom in ICU and they’re not telling us much. The
most we can get from them is that she has a head injury and they’re going to
keep her sedated for a while.” His voice quavered and Morgan gave him a moment
to recover. “That’s about all they can tell us.”

Morgan exchanged a look with Dale, who
was clinging to one of Chance’s hands. “Okay. Dale and I will make plans and
one of us will get back to you. Tell Dad and the boys to hang in there.”

She turned to Adrian, but he wasn’t
behind her. She hated to admit it, but she wanted his support if the manager
gave her any grief about leaving.

And then she spotted him across the
lobby, talking to a tall, handsome man. Probably another important guest. He
turned, saw her and waved her over.

“Morgan, I’d like you to meet my father,
Bernard Zimmerman.”

Of course. She should have recognized
him, even across the lobby. He had the same dark green eyes and broad shoulders
as Adrian, and he looked at her with interest.

“I’m sorry to hear about your mother.
Adrian tells me she lives in Calgary?”

Morgan nodded.

“Well, Adrian seems to think that we
should help you get home a bit faster, and I agree.”

Morgan looked from father to son, not
comprehending.

Mr. Zimmerman pulled out his cell phone.
“How soon can you be at the heliport?” he glanced at Adrian. “Son?”

Adrian grinned. “Oh. Let’s see. Half an
hour?” He glanced at his watch, then looked at Morgan for confirmation. “We can
dash back to the Lodge, pick up a few things and still get to the heliport by
eleven thirty.”

His father walked a few steps away and
began to speak into the phone.

“Dad’s going to arrange for you and Dale
to get to the airport by helicopter. Our jet is at the South terminal, and it
will take you to Calgary.” He smiled. “The pilot should know the way; they just
came from there.”

“But...” Morgan looked at the front
desk, where Karen was busy with check-ins. “This is all moving so quickly. What
about my shift tomorrow? What about Mr. Wynn-Jones?”

“I’ll cover for you, and don’t worry.
Dad doesn’t like to interfere with the hotel managers, but he will override him
if necessary. Come on, let’s go tell Dale.”

Mr. Zimmerman stood by as Morgan filled
Dale in on the plans. He stepped forward as she finished her explanation.

“The helicopter service will make sure
you get to the company aircraft.” It was his turn to look toward the front
desk. “I just arrived, and I haven’t touched base with Mr. Wynn-Jones yet, but
he looks busy. When things calm down, I’ll fill him in about what happened. You
can call him from Calgary when you know more.”

Morgan’s throat closed up with emotion
and she couldn’t speak. Dale stepped forward, hand extended. “Thank you, Sir.
We appreciate all of this.”

“We should leave now.” Adrian looked at
Chance. “Is it okay with you if I drive them?”

“Sure.” Chance pulled Dale into his arms
for a quick hug. “It will be all right,” he said, tucking a stray piece of hair
behind her ear and staring into her eyes. Something passed between them and he
stepped back. “Drive carefully, Adrian.”

Chance stood beside Mr. Zimmerman and
watched them duck into the elevator. “Thank you, Sir. That’s a nice thing
you’re doing for them.”

The hotel magnate looked at Chance for
the first time, a smile on his face. “I did it for my son as well. Do you know
what he just told me?”

“No, Sir. What was that?”

“That young woman just took my son on
the Peak2Peak gondola.” He shook his head in wonder. “I was afraid this day
would never happen.” He unashamedly wiped a tear from his eye and clapped
Chance on the shoulder. “This is a happy day for me.”

The rotors were already turning slowly
when Adrian pulled up at the heliport. He walked with the women to the small
building that served as a terminal.

Morgan turned to him. “Please thank your
father again. This was...” She lifted her shoulders, unable to come up with the
right words.

He cupped her face in both hands,
brushed his lips across hers, and then released her. “Go,” he said. “And call
me when you know something.” The high whine of the helicopter was drowning out
his voice. He pointed to his cell phone. “You have my number,” he shouted.

She nodded her understanding, then climbed
into the helicopter. The steward closed the door, and the earth fell away
beneath them. For a moment she could see Adrian, one hand shielding his eyes,
then the helicopter turned and he was lost from view.

The thirty-five minute flight was over
before they knew it and soon they were ensconced in the luxurious leather seating
of the Zimco aircraft.

“Welcome aboard, ladies.” The steward
greeted them warmly. “The pilot tells me we should be arriving at the Calgary
airport at approximately three fifty five local time.”