Rocky Mountain Valentine (11 page)

Before he knew it, he’d agreed to buy them, and several other items. She disappeared when he went to the proprietor’s office to order the special sign for the bear carving.

When she returned, Lisa had a bag of her own which equalled his in size.

“What did you get?”

She smiled, lifting her eyebrows. “Just a couple of gifts. Alissa and Ricky have birthdays coming up.”

“Oh, yeah. Guess I’d better do some shopping, too.” Adam locked the bags in the truck before they returned to the camera store. Lisa pulled her camera from the bag and handed it to the technician and explained what had happened. She waited silently for his assessment.

The white-haired gentleman glanced up at her, then across the store to Adam. “I don’t see any real damage,” the man said. “But I can take a look at it and give you a call tomorrow. Gets kind of pricey replacing a professional setup like this, I suppose you know.”

From the corner of his eye, Adam saw the worry in her expression. “Yes, I know,” she all but whispered. “I’ll call tomorrow.”

Adam set the book back on the shelf and stepped up beside her. “Can I do anything?”

She simply shook her head in silence and headed toward the door.

“Why don’t we get a bite to eat?”

“Eat?” Lisa’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, no. I forgot to give you a message last night. A woman called to confirm a lunch date.” She dragged Adam out the door. “Oh, drat, I forgot her name.”

Adam glanced at his watch and chuckled. “It’s not like I have a dozen women on a string. Come on, we may as well see if Tara’s still there.”

“You’re kidding, right? I don’t think the woman will appreciate making this a threesome.” They both climbed into the truck and Adam started the engine.

He turned quickly and looked at Lisa, humored by her reaction. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Lisa was jealous. “You didn’t think she’s my girlfriend—did you?”

Lisa shrugged, a tinge of pink staining her cheeks. “She sounded...well...a bit possessive, like a girlfriend might.”

She does care.
“And how would a jealous girlfriend sound?”

Lisa buckled her seat belt and hugged her bags to her body. “She kept asking who I was.”

Trying to keep the humor from his expression, he said, “And what did you tell her?”

“She asked if I was Millie, I said no. She asked if I was your sister, I said no. I was very professional. I asked for her name and number to take a message for you.”

A laugh rumbled from deep in his chest and he leaned across the seat and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Bless you, Lisa. I owe you my life.”

Lisa’s fingers lingered on the spot he’d just kissed. “You and she aren’t...”

He shook his head as he backed out of the parking space and pressed the accelerator. “Let me make one thing absolutely clear right now. I don’t kiss one woman while I’m dating, seeing or in any way involved with another. Not that Tara wouldn’t love to claim otherwise. She’s on the Sweetheart Festival committee.” On the way to the restaurant, Adam explained how Tara had weaseled her way on to the site selection committee and into the position as hostess. As he pulled into a parking place at the Italian restaurant, Adam added, “Whatever you do, don’t make the lady mad. The last thing I need right now is to have her leave me to host this thing myself.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

“
H
I,
I
’M SORRY
we’re late.” Adam realized his mistake when he saw the shock on Tara’s face turn to fury. Tara’s skin flushed all the way down to her generously exposed cleavage.

He’d had to drag Lisa out of the truck and into the restaurant, assuring her the entire way that there never was, nor had there ever been anything between him and the woman who had affixed herself to the idea that there was a romance brewing.

Adam held Lisa’s chair for her, then casually pulled an extra chair from a nearby table for himself. Through the tight-lipped smile, Tara’s tone was velvet, yet edged with steel daggers. “Adam, I didn’t realize you were bringing anyone. Is she one of your hired help for the party?”

Apparently there had been more to Lisa and Tara’s conversation than simply words. He laughed lightly, hoping Tara wouldn’t read any more into Lisa’s presence. “No, Lisa’s a family friend who’s visiting the ranch for a while. We had errands to run in town this morning and I didn’t think it would be hospitable to leave her to find lunch on her own.”

Tara deliberately removed the reading glasses from her nose. Her gaze darted between them and settled visciously on Lisa. “I see. I’m surprised you didn’t simply say that last night, Lisa.”

Lisa glanced at Adam, then to Tara. “Most establishments value a guest’s privacy second only to their owner’s. I simply answered the phone as a courtesy to Adam.”

Adam hoped his smile reflected his appreciation of Lisa’s tact. While he didn’t want to alienate Tara two weeks before the celebration, he certainly wasn’t into fueling her assumption that he shared her interest in the two of them dating.

The three ordered, and Adam turned the conversation to the business at hand. Valentine’s Day.

Tara efficiently opened her leather-covered day planner to the Sweetheart Ball header. “I’ve arranged with the county maintenance crews to grade or plow the roads to the ranch the afternoon of the party. I don’t want ruts or snow to stop anyone from attending. We’ve poured too much into this.”

Adam said, “I wouldn’t have thought either to be a problem any typical Colorado winter, but with every record from precipitation to low temperatures being broken this year, I wouldn’t doubt anything.” He took a drink of water. “You might want to see if you can reserve plows for late that night, as well, in case we get snow during the party. I don’t need to find beds for two hundred guests my opening night.”

“Nor would we want
anything
to force the committee to back out of the commitment to Whispering Pines at this late date,” Tara said in a sultry voice. Tara explained how the celebration had evolved to honor Whispering Pine’s historical status in the community. Lisa’s quick retort included facts about the ranch even he’d forgotten.

Not to be outdone, Tara tried to counter with another fact, and got it all wrong.

Not missing the subtle threats Tara had tossed into the conversation, Adam interrupted them. “And the caterers are bringing the food out...”

“At four,” Tara finished for him, ignoring the young woman refilling their drinks. “I’ve ordered my gown from the boutique on Columbine, but I’ll need your size to order a tux. Would you like me to bring it out for you that morning?”

“I’m sure you’ll have enough to do. I’ll make the arrangements,” he said. He felt as if the temperature in the room had gone up twenty degrees. He could almost hear the innuendo Tara had given Lisa on the phone. If he didn’t know better, her remarks could leave people believing he was practically a married man. He shuddered to think it.

He heard Lisa whisper to the waitress and Adam nodded his thanks to the young lady as she set his plate in front of him, grateful for her prompt service. Tara went through the party hors d’oeuvres menu for at least the fifteenth time. “Did something change since last time we discussed the menu?”

Tara looked back at her notes while Adam took another bite of lasagna. “No, why?”

“I thought I must have missed a change. It sounds like you have everything under control, Tara. I’m sure the event will be a huge success.”

Lisa ate her ravioli marinara without meeting his gaze. What in the world must she be thinking?

Tara took a bite of shrimp and linguini. “Lisa,” she said with a clump of food in her cheek, “are you planning to stay for the masquerade ball?”

Surprised, Lisa forced her bite down before attempting an answer. “I haven’t quite decided yet, but you’re making it quite inviting. It sounds like a perfect conclusion...”

Adam nudged her knee with his.

Taking a sip of water, she paused the just long enough to nudge him back. “To my visit,” Lisa continued. “I wouldn’t miss being here to support such dear friends as the MacIntyres.”

Adam couldn’t get out of here fast enough. If he didn’t, who knew what the two women would come up with next? He asked for their bills, and excused himself and Lisa as soon as she indicated she was ready.

Obviously caught off guard by his quick departure, Tara hadn’t finished eating. “Adam, will next week, same time, work to finalize plans?”

Shaking his head, Adam declined. “I have a lot of last-minute details at the ranch to oversee from here on out. Call if there are changes.”

Tara looked at him, then Lisa, with a look of revenge. He moved his hand to
Lisa’s waist to escort the drifter away from Tara’s lethal glare.

He didn’t relax until the restaurant doors closed behind them.

It took Lisa all of two seconds to react. “You...” she began, spinning around to scold him.

He lowered his face close to hers. “Deserve every rotten thing you could say about me, but after we’re out of her view, please. And try not to look as if
everything
I said was a fabrication. I do still have to work with the woman for two more weeks.”

Lisa’s smile was one of triumph, pure and simple. She could easily have fed him to the wolves, and right now he couldn’t wait to find out why she hadn’t.

He unlocked her door and helped her inside. She started to protest again, but he raised his hand to stop her. “Hold that thought.”

She buckled up and waited silently until they’d turned onto College Drive. “You are a cad.”

“I had that coming.”

Lisa’s voice rose an octave. “You could have warned me that she would come at me with claws out.”

“Wait just a minute. Your phone conversation with Tara should’ve clued you into that.” Adam turned into the shopping center, hoping that setting Lisa free to spend his money would take her mind off his less-than-stellar behavior. “What do you say we buy some bedding?”

Lisa ignored his question. “Why didn’t you tell her the truth about why I’m here? And why didn’t you tell me your grand opening is a masquerade ball?” she demanded without allowing time to answer either. “It is the perfect conclusion to this story. A masquerade ball on Valentine’s Day. My editor will love it.”

“Lisa, I’m sorry for putting you in an awkward position with Tara. And I admit, you handled it with incredible class.”

She gazed at him with her sweet musing look. “So what was that nudge for?”

Her eyes twinkled with mischief, and he felt trouble brewing. “I wasn’t sure what you were going to say. I don’t want Tara to find out about the magazine or the article.” Suddenly Adam realized he had lost the willpower to push her away. He would let her do this story her way.

Lisa laughed. “Well, you can bet I won’t be the one to tell her, but just knowing the woman, your secret isn’t safe for long.”

She was probably right. And if his past luck with women was any indication, he’d spend the rest of his life picking up the pieces.

They stepped into the department store side by side. Something told him his plans of being home in time for evening chores were shot.

Adam had never seen so much bedding in his life. “One word of warning. No ruffles, no lace, no frills,” he said as she pulled a cart from the rack and handed it to him, taking another for herself.

She turned around and looked at him wide-eyed. “Oh, no you don’t. If you want my advice, I’m willing to give it, but it’s your ranch.” She pushed the cart forward, nudging him to take the lead.

“There you go changing the rules again.”

She smiled mischievously, “Come on. Picking out bedding isn’t painful. It just takes an imagination.”

Adam started down the aisle, pulling the cart behind him. He tossed five sets of hunter-green sheets from one shelf—pillowcases from another—into the basket as he walked. He skipped the pink sets and moved on to the blue, then added to the assortment. The last set landed with a splat on the linoleum floor. He turned to find Lisa frantically putting the sheets back on the shelf.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to save you a few hundred dollars.” She pointed at the designer label. “Not to mention, you have to look at the bed size. I don’t think you have many twins in the lodge, do you?”

“No, none.”

“And dark colors fade. Just a suggestion, I’d stick with the lighter shades for the sheets since they get washed so often. Now, first you need to decide on a color for each room.” She pulled out her notepad and pen and leaned against the shelves, taking tally of furniture color, size and style.

“We just received the beds a week ago—let’s see...” Adam recited the information from memory.

“Color preferences?”

Adam looked around, then shrugged. “That’s why I need your help. And with your traveling experience, you surely have ideas of what works and what doesn’t.”

“Why don’t we start with the same colors for two or three rooms so you can mix and match if need be?” She headed toward the hunter green and burgundy first.

Five hours, three stores and he didn’t dare add up how many dollars later, they had the bedding, towels and guest room window coverings purchased. The back of the truck was heaped full. He carried the boxes into the lodge, hoping Lisa would hurry and get everything put into the rooms they belonged in before he managed to mix them up.

They worked late into the evening, racing to open packages, removing all the tags and getting the piles of linens into the four industrial-size washers.

The phone rang as the two of them ran through the kitchen each carrying a load of towels. Adam paused to take the call, giving Lisa the chance to ease ahead. “Hello.” Adam laughed breathlessly into the phone.

“Is Adam there?” Katarina asked hesitantly.

“Kat, this
is
Adam. Who’d you think was answering my phone?”

“It doesn’t sound like you.” His sister-in-law’s voice was thick with concern.

Adam had no doubts that Katarina was serious, and felt a laugh work its way up from deep in his chest. “Don’t worry, it’s me, and I’m fine. Is everything there okay? Do you want to talk to your sister?”