Sweet Home Colorado (The O'Malley Men) (6 page)

Chapter Eight

“The way I’m reading this,” Sally said, putting down
the rib she’d been chewing on, “is not so much that Jack doesn’t want to make
love to you, but that he wants it to be more than a quick roll in the hay.” She
picked up another rib. “He sounds like a keeper to me.”

“Except that I don’t want a keeper,” Grace said. “I don’t want
to get seriously involved with anyone. No one will dictate my life ever
again.”

Sally’s low whistle made several heads in Rusty’s turn their
way. She ignored them, saying, “I hear Jack O’Malley’s good people, though.”

With a sigh, Grace tossed the corn chip she’d been playing with
onto her plate of nachos and leaned back in the booth. “He is. Really good. Too
good for me, I think.”

“Don’t go selling yourself short. This relationship is worth
salvaging.”

“There is no relationship!” Grace said more forcefully than she
meant to. “Jack and I dated back in high school. And now, we’re...ancient
history.”

Sally sat forward, her lunch forgotten. “Were you doing more
than just
dating
in high school?”

Grace chuckled at Sally’s enthusiasm. She’d barely known this
woman for thirty minutes and had already confessed pretty much everything about
her lousy marriage and her initial reasons for returning to Spruce Lake. And now
Sally wanted the details of her history with Jack.

The only women she’d associated with in Boston had been
colleagues. She’d kept her private life private, but there was something about
Sally, something totally guileless, that had Grace wanting to confess all, as if
they were long-time friends rather than two people who’d met in the restroom of
a local hardware store half an hour earlier.

“No, we weren’t intimate—until the night before he left to join
the peace corps somewhere in Guatemala,” Grace admitted.

“I’d heard he was a priest or something?”

“You seem to know a bit about him.”

Sally shrugged. “Just gossip. I’ve only been living here a
couple of months, but his name has come up in conversation. Folks are impressed
by what he does to get wayward teens back on track, how principled he is.”

“Pity his principles extend to me.” She sighed. “I only came
here for the house. I never expected that Jack still lived here, nor that my
lawyer had asked him to do an estimate. Hell, I didn’t even know he was a
contractor. But when I saw Jack, all grown up and virile as hell, my priorities
took a right turn.”

Sally grinned. “Just because he turned you down doesn’t mean he
isn’t into sex. You’ll have to go seduce him some other way.”

“Which isn’t going to happen now because we’re not even on
speaking terms.”

“Hey! Some of the best sex my husband and I have is makeup
sex.”

They shared a laugh at that, and Grace said, “I’m sorry, I’ve
been wailing about all my problems and never bothered to find out a thing about
you, Sally. Tell me about your husband.”

“Dex and I were high school sweethearts. I ended up pregnant,
so we got married and here I am.”

Grace raised her eyebrows. “I think your story is a little more
detailed than that. Do you have more children? Have you always lived in
Colorado?”

Sally wiped her mouth with her napkin and pushed her plate
away. “Dex and I grew up in a small town in Kansas. After we got married we
lived with my parents until we both finished high school. Dex did odd jobs
around town. We couldn’t afford college, but he started working for a roofing
contractor, learned the business and started his own. A few years later, we sold
it and moved to Denver, bought a home, had a couple more kids. Our youngest has
bad asthma and Denver was too polluted, so we hunted around for somewhere with
clean air, good schools and a low crime rate. Spruce Lake area seemed perfect,
so we rented out our place in Denver and signed a lease on a house in Harper’s
Corner. Once we know exactly where we want to put down roots, we’ll sell the
Denver house and buy here.” She grimaced. “Or at least that’s the plan. There
was plenty of work until recently, but now it’s not so great. We might have to
move back to Denver or somewhere even farther afield for work.”

“And you don’t want that?”

“Nope, we both love it here. And we worry about how our son
will cope where the air isn’t mountain-fresh and clear. You know much about
asthma, Grace?”

Grace hadn’t yet mentioned her area of specialty, just told
Sally she was a doctor and had been married to a surgeon. “Actually, I’m a
pediatrician.”

Sally’s eyes widened with interest. “Well, I’ll be... If you
have any insights on the latest research, I’d love to hear them. And the town
could do with your skills.”

Grace didn’t want to disappoint Sally by telling her she was
leaving town as soon as she could hand the renovation over to another
contractor, so she let it ride.

“Speak of the devil,” Sally muttered. “If that isn’t one of the
prettiest sights in Spruce Lake. Yessiree. Not one gorgeous man, but two.”

Grace spun around in the booth to see what Sally was talking
about.

Jack—and Matt, the county sheriff—had just entered Rusty’s. Her
face burning, she spun back to face Sally before Jack noticed her.

Fortunately, he didn’t. Unfortunately, Sally was grinning from
ear to ear and motioning them over.

“Sally!” she hissed. “I don’t want to see him.”

But Sally ignored her. “Sheriff Matt, how lovely to see you
again,” she said, offering her hand for him to shake. “How’s that beautiful wife
of yours?”

Sally knew Matt O’Malley enough to ask after his wife? Why
hadn’t she mentioned this earlier? Grace sure wouldn’t have spilled her guts
about Jack had she known.

“She’s well, thanks, Sally. And Dex?”

“Great. He’s working in Silver Springs this week, so I’m doing
the books and visiting the hardware store to pick up supplies.” She indicated
Grace, who was studying the remains of her lunch. “I think you might have
already met my friend Grace Saunders.”

Grace glanced up at Matt, avoiding Jack’s eyes. She was all too
aware of him standing beside his brother, taking up way too much space in the
tiny restaurant. Robbing her of air. Preventing her escape.

“Well, well,” Matt said. “Jack and I were just talking about
you, Grace. Mind if we join you?” he asked and, without waiting for an answer,
sat down beside Sally.

Sally, the traitor, slid over to accommodate him. Grace had no
intention of making room for Jack and refused to move.

“We’re taking a late lunch,” Matt explained. “Nice to have some
company. Can we order you ladies another drink?” He gestured to a young waiter
who practically raced to their table. Anything to keep the county sheriff happy,
it seemed.

“I won’t say no to another root beer,” Sally said. “Grace and I
have been talking so much, I’m parched.”

Great! Why don’t you just tell them
everything we’ve been talking about,
Grace nearly blurted.

“Four root beers,” Matt said to the waiter. “Make mine a diet
and I’ll have a Cobb salad with grilled chicken. What’ll you have, Jack? And for
heaven’s sake, sit down.”

Since he was given no other option, Jack complied, sitting
beside Grace, who scooted over so far she was practically glued to the wall on
the other side. “Burger and fries,” he muttered.

“I’m not sure if you’ve met my brother, Sally,” Matt said.
“Jack’s a contractor. Jack, this is Sally Carter. Her husband Dex is a roofing
contractor. Maybe you could send some work his way?”

Jack nodded at Sally. “Nice to meet you, I’ve heard good things
about Dex’s work. If you have his card, I’ll get an estimate from him for my
next job.”

“Jack’s supposed to be working on Grace’s house, but she fired
him this morning,” Matt said to Sally as if the other two weren’t there.

“I did not fire him!” Grace spoke up at last. “He fired
me!”

Matt’s eyes narrowed. “Is this true, Jack? One day on the job
and already you’re fighting with the client?” He grinned then and Grace
suspected Matt was all bluster, not taking the matter nearly as seriously as he
was pretending.

“Stay out of it, Matt,” Jack warned.

Grace grabbed her purse, ready to get out of there. One
problem—Jack was blocking the way.

“Stay right where you are, Grace,” Matt said. “Neither of you
is leaving until you’ve both said sorry to each other and shaken hands on
it.”

“The hell I will!” Grace said, crossing her arms. “I have
nothing to apologize for. It’s your Neanderthal brother who’s causing all the
trouble.”

Matt nodded sagely and looked at Jack. “She’s probably right.
You’ve had so little experience with women, you have no idea how to treat
them.”

The statement surprised Grace. Jack hadn’t had a lot of
girlfriends?

“And you just stepped
way
over the
line,” Jack said, rising.

Matt reached across the table and pushed him back down. “Food’s
here,” he said, then stole one of Jack’s fries and had his wrist slapped by his
brother. With a grin, Matt popped the French fry in his mouth, his expression
blissful.

The fries smelled so good, Grace was tempted to steal one
herself.

Matt looked in disgust at his salad, then dug his fork in.
Grace was thankful the crisp vegetables would have him chewing for a while,
unable to demand one or the other of them to apologize. Not so with Sally,
however. She’d long since finished her ribs, declared them delicious and was
ready to play devil’s advocate. “So who’s going to say they’re sorry first and
when are you starting work on Grace’s house again, Jack?”

Jack glanced at Grace. “My rules still stand. Unless you’re
prepared to agree to them, we don’t have a business contract.”

“Rules?” Matt and Sally asked at once, both leaning
forward.

“Grace knows them and that’s all that matters,” Jack
snapped.

“Okay, I agree to the rules,” Grace conceded. “But you have to
agree to use Sally’s husband for the roofing.”

“And if his estimate comes in too high?” Jack asked.

“It won’t,” Sally told him. “I’m sure Dex would love to work on
such a beautiful building. Apart from that, we have three kids to feed, so we
could do with the work. Speaking of which, I need to collect them from school.”
She began to stand and Matt got up to let her by. Shaking Jack’s hand, she said,
“Great to meet you at last, Jack. And a pleasure meeting you, Grace.” She
removed a couple of business cards from her wallet, handing one to Jack and the
other to Grace. “Give me a call sometime. I live in a houseful of men, so it’s
nice to have some girl talk.”

“Thanks for coming to my rescue,” Grace said, looking pointedly
at Jack. “I don’t know how I would have got back into town without your help,
Sally. And I look forward to meeting the rest of your family.”

Matt slid back into the booth as she left and said, “I didn’t
realize Sally was so lonely. I’ll have Beth give her a call and invite them over
for dinner one night.”

“I don’t like the way you keep puffing every time you move, big
brother,” Jack said, observing Matt’s shortness of breath. “You need more
exercise. Starting tomorrow morning, you and I are hiking up the peak. Meet me
at the base at six.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding! You want to kill me? I wouldn’t make
it to the halfway station.”

“Then that’ll be our goal the first day. You want to be able to
eat fries again sometime this century, don’t you?”

Matt looked so forlorn, Grace couldn’t help laughing. “I do
seem to remember you as the action-man of the family, Matt.”

“He’s gone from chasing the bad guys to too much
administration.”

“If I had the time, I’d go to the gym,” Matt said, defending
himself.

“Forget the gym. What you need is good, clean mountain air. I
might bring a couple of the guys along, too. I think Tyrone would enjoy the
exercise. And the views.”

Matt nodded. “Growing up, the only exercise he got was running
away from the cops and gangs. And until you took him on, the only view he was
likely to get was from a jail cell in Dade County.”

“He’s a good kid. He was heartbroken when you decided you no
longer needed our services,” he said, looking at Grace.

“Enough already!” she said, holding up her hands. “I’ve agreed
to your stupid rules. Now lay off.”

Jack shrugged and took the last bite of his burger.

“So are you two going to start dating again?” Matt asked,
obviously trying to feign innocence.

Jack almost choked on his burger at Matt’s question, so Grace
said, “No, we aren’t. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have overalls to buy.” She
stood up, forcing Jack to move over so she could get out of the booth.

“You want a ride back to the house?” he asked.

“It’s two blocks. I’m sure I can make it all by my little bitty
self, thank you,” she snapped, and dropped a couple of twenties on the table to
cover her and Sally’s bill.

“I’d like to meet Beth, Matt. Here’s my card. She can call me
anytime. Or just ask her to drop by the house. She might find me covered in
sawdust,” she said, glaring at Jack, “but it would be a pleasure to meet the
woman who snagged a catch like you.”

Matt glowed under her compliment and Jack’s jaw dropped. “What
about me?” he finally managed.

“You’re not married,” she said. “And the way you treat women, I
doubt you ever will be.”

With that, she turned on her steel-toed boot and strolled out
of the restaurant, careful to put a little more sway into her hips than
necessary.

* * *

M
ATT
CHUCKLED
AS
he watched her leave.

“I have a feeling, little brother, that your rule
about not sleeping with a client is going to be
broken very soon.”

Chapter Nine

Damn Matt. Damn Sally, and
especially, damn Grace!
Jack thought as he drove back to the house.
Fortunately, Grace’s car was no longer parked out front, so he didn’t have to
see her. What he hadn’t expected to see was the place swarming with his
workers.

“What’s going on?” he asked Al. “Didn’t I tell you to clear
this site?”

“You did. But then the guys wanted to stay. You know how much
they want to work on a house like this. I couldn’t leave them unsupervised.
Plus, I knew one of your brothers would talk some sense into you. That’s why I
called Luke.”

Jack grunted and stormed inside. Ace had already demolished the
kitchen, leaving a bare shell. Jack was impressed by the speed with which he
worked. Ace and Tyrone were sweeping up the last of the dust.

“Good job, Ace,” he said, going over to the young man and
clapping him on the shoulder. Jack took the broom from him and said, “Take the
rest of the afternoon off. You and the guys go to Rusty’s and have a meal on me.
I’ll see you all at seven tomorrow and we can start fresh.”

“So you and Ms. Grace are friends again?” Ace said.

News traveled fast around Spruce Lake. Al wouldn’t have said
anything to the guys, so he wondered how they knew. His question was answered as
his brother Will meandered down the stairs and said, “Heard you were having
woman trouble, so I stopped by to help.”

Jack glared at him. “You can help by getting off this job site.
And don’t play with any of the power tools on your way out!” he said to Will’s
retreating back. Will had a reputation for being clumsy with tools, but strap on
a pair of skis and the guy couldn’t make a wrong move.

“Catch you Friday, buddy,” Will said as he sauntered out the
front door. “Oh, and Mom said to bring Grace.”

Will was referring to the regular Friday-night gathering at Two
Elk. He was certainly
not
taking Grace. With all his
brothers, their spouses and his mom campaigning for him and Grace to pick up
where they’d left off fourteen years ago, Jack was sure he didn’t stand a
chance. He wanted to win Grace back by fair means, not through his family’s
interference.

* * *

“I’
M
DYIN
’
HERE
,” Matt puffed as they hiked up Mount Sourdough,
one of the four ski mountains surrounding Spruce Lake.

“No, you’re just out of shape,” Jack told him, not even
breathing heavily. “After this, I’m going to work on Grace’s house, while you’ll
be going to a breakfast meeting. If you want to have a doughnut that Beth won’t
hear about, then you’ll shut up and walk.”

“When...did you...get so...bossy?” Matt panted.

“Since my brothers decided to stick their noses into my love
life.”

“So you admit...you’re still in love with Grace?”

“Just keep walking.”

“I don’t understand why you’re so reluctant to make the most of
the time she’s here. What’s the problem?”

Jack stopped and looked at him. “Because I don’t work that way.
I never have and never will!” Deciding they’d gone high enough for one day, he
turned to start walking downhill, then halted and pivoted back to Matt.

“My relationship with Grace is none of your business, Matt, and
that’s how I want it to stay.”

“Hey! You’re the one who said you needed to talk yesterday and
we ended up at Rusty’s.”

“Where you proceeded to humiliate me by demanding I apologize
to Grace.”

Matt shook his head. “Oh, little brother, you have a long way
to go if you haven’t learned the two most important words for trying to placate
a woman.”

“And what are they?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Very funny,” Jack said, increasing the pace and forcing Matt
to keep up.

“You should bring Grace up here for a picnic,” Matt said. “Bet
all these wildflowers spread out like a carpet would have her eating out of your
hand.”

“I don’t want her eating out of my hand.”

“What do you want from her, then? If it isn’t sex, then
what?”

Jack stopped so suddenly, Matt almost barreled into him. “I
want what you and Beth have, Mom and Pop, Luke and Megan, Adam and Carly. Even
Will and Becky, although what she ever saw in him is beyond me.”

“Such harsh criticism from you? Our most compassionate
brother?”

Jack ignored the remark. “I...want a love that will last a
lifetime. I don’t think Grace believes there’s such a thing.”

“Then you need to convince her there is.”

They’d reached the lower slopes where the topography leveled
out. In winter, these were the nursery slopes where beginners learned to ski.
Jack started to jog. He was keen to get to work, and in spite of himself, he
couldn’t wait to see Grace again.

He stopped at Matt’s vehicle and leaned against it, waiting for
his brother.

Matt took a few minutes to join him and another minute to catch
his breath, then said, “I’m glad...I parked here and not in town. I can’t
manage...another step.”

“Take a look at how much you’ve achieved today,” Jack said,
indicating the mountain.

They could spot the ridge they’d reached, high above them.

“I swear that mountain is way bigger than it was when we were
kids,” Matt said.

Jack patted his back. “Nope, still exactly two miles above sea
level to the ridge. Another half mile of elevation to the top of Sourdough.
We’ll be hiking to the peak by the end of next week.”

“That’s a relief. I was afraid you were going to say we’d be
hiking to the peak tomorrow.”

“Just think of all those doughnuts you’ll be able to eat when
you do that.”

“After all that exertion, the thought of doughnuts makes me
feel sick.”

Jack laughed and Matt opened his car door, apparently in no
mood to share his amusement.

“Want a lift back into town?”

“Nope. I need to clear my head. See you same time tomorrow. And
park your vehicle another two hundred yards down the hill. You need the extra
exercise.”

Matt grunted. “See you tomorrow,” he said, and drove off in the
direction of his office.

Jack stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled into town.
Since the hike hadn’t taken as long as he’d expected, he’d get to the job site
before anyone else arrived. He pushed the door open into Rusty’s and ordered
coffee and granola.

“Nice group of kids you’ve got working for you, Jack,” Rusty
said as he plunked the coffeepot on the counter, leaving Jack to refill his cup
as often as he wanted.

Jack poured the coffee, added milk and took a mouthful. His
eyes closed in bliss. Nothing beat Rusty’s coffee.

“Thanks. They’re keen to learn and they work hard. Haven’t had
a lick of trouble with any of them. Did they enjoy their meal last night?”

“Very much. Here’s the bill,” Rusty said. Jack didn’t bother to
check it, just pulled out his wallet, peeled off some twenties and said, “Hope
this covers it.”

Rusty took the money, glanced at the bill and said, “Sure
does.” He dropped some of the cash into the tip jar. “How come you never check
the bill? Those kids could be ordering caviar for all you know.”

“You don’t serve caviar in this dive. I trust the kids to be
sensible, and since you won’t serve them alcohol, we don’t have a problem. Most
of these kids have been treated pretty badly by adults all their lives. I figure
extending them some trust and hoping they don’t abuse it can’t hurt.”

Rusty nodded. “One of them, Tyrone, was asking if I had any
evening work for him.”

“He’s a good kid. Not sure he’s had any waiter experience,
though.”

“He’s happy to start as a dishwasher. And he sounds more
interested in short-order cooking than in waiting tables.”

Jack finished his bowl of granola but was still hungry. The
early-morning hike had left him with an appetite. He picked up the breakfast
menu.

“Tyrone won’t have any references, but you can use me, if you
want. The kid is a hard worker and, in my opinion, honest. Just don’t work him
too hard so he’s useless to me the next day.”

“I’ll give him two nights a week, Friday and Saturday, if
that’s okay with you? He has all of Sunday to recover,” Rusty said, and grinned.
“What else can I get you?”

“Ham and poached eggs on an English muffin, thanks.”

Rusty took the order through to the kitchen and returned to
where Jack sat. “So who was the pretty lady sittin’ with you yesterday?”

“I thought you were cooking yesterday,” Jack hedged.

“Was. Just ’cause I’m in the kitchen doesn’t mean I can’t keep
an eye on the place. So, who is she?”

“She’s contracted me to restore Missy Saunders’s old
place.”

“So that’s Grace Saunders?” Rusty asked. “She sure has grown up
some. Didn’t you two date in high school?”

Jack had forgotten that Rusty had opened his bar and grill
while Jack was still in school. He’d had a soda fountain back then, too. Jack
and Grace had spent more than a few afternoons there.

“I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind,” Jack said,
refilling his mug and moving to a booth—away from the bar so he wouldn’t have to
endure any more questions. Rusty was a great guy, but being a local bar owner,
he knew and passed on a lot of gossip.

“I’ll take my eggs over here,” Jack said, grabbing a copy of
the newspaper and indicating he needed space to read it as he slipped into a
booth. Fortunately, the place started to fill with patrons and Jack didn’t see
Rusty until he placed the plate of ham and eggs in front of him.

“Enjoy,” Rusty said, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Jack decided he’d eat breakfast at Maria’s café in future.
Maria could be every bit as nosy as Rusty, but since she didn’t start her shift
until the children were at school, he’d miss having her stop by the table to
interrogate him.

* * *

A
HALF
HOUR
LATER
and stuffed with food and
coffee, Jack turned in at the gate.

Al’s truck was already parked out front. “Morning, boss,”
Tyrone greeted him as he mounted the front steps. “What do you want me to do
today?”

“Morning, Tyrone. I hear you’re looking for some work at
Rusty’s?”

Tyrone’s normally open expression grew a little alarmed. “You
don’t mind, do you? I wanted to save for a car. There are some real bargains in
the paper,” he said.

“No, I don’t mind at all, Tyrone. I admire your initiative. But
run it by Judge O’Malley first. And before you buy a car, let me know and we’ll
go check it out together. I’ll have a local mechanic make sure you don’t buy a
lemon.”

Tyrone’s face split into a huge grin. “Thanks, boss.
Man...you’re somethin’ special. You know that?”

Jack clapped him on the back. “You’re a hard worker, Tyrone. I
admire that in a person, so I’m happy to help out. How about if you go and ask
Al what he wants you to start on today?”

Tyrone nodded and disappeared inside.

“That was a nice thing for you to do.”

Jack spun around. Grace was leaning against the railing. He’d
been so involved with Tyrone, he hadn’t even noticed her arrival. He took in her
outfit. She wasn’t wearing overalls, but she was at least better covered than
yesterday. A shirt unbuttoned over a scoop-neck T-shirt, jeans and the
steel-toed boots. The tight-fitting jeans
could
have
left a little more to the imagination. But he’d get her working so hard today,
Grace might regret not wearing something more loose-fitting and comfortable.

“He’s a good kid,” he finally answered. “I’ll go out of my way
for anyone who wants to get ahead in life.”

Grace climbed the stairs and came to stand right in front of
him. “I hear you go out of your way for a lot of people.”

“You don’t want to believe everything you hear in this
town.”

“Not even from Mrs. Carmichael, the florist?”

“When did you meet her?”

“I stopped by to get some flowers to cheer up my hotel room. We
got to chatting. Seems she’s a big admirer of your family, especially your
brother Will, in spite of his friendship with her husband’s pig.”

Jack laughed. Will and Louella and their strange friendship was
a source of amusement and sometimes consternation around town.

“Don’t be surprised if he stops by here one day with Louella
tagging along. They hang out when he’s in town. Otherwise, she gets up to
mischief, and then Mayor Farquar gets into trouble with Becky.”

Grace held up her hands. “Whoa there, go back a couple of
steps. Why does the mayor get into trouble with Becky?”

“The mayor is Mrs. C.’s husband and he owns Louella. He and
Becky don’t exactly see eye to eye on pigs living inside the town limits. Mrs.
Carmichael kept her former married name because no one could get used to calling
her Mrs. Farquar.”

Grace shook her head. “I’m still not sure I understand all
that. But I look forward to meeting Louella. I think.” She frowned and Jack
wanted to smooth out the line with his finger.

“Anyway, I have good news. I’ve found somewhere to stay in
town,” she said. “Speaking of Mrs. Carmichael...I’ve taken the apartment over
her shop. In fact, I’ve moved in already.”

No wonder he hadn’t heard her car pull up. Grace must have
walked the two blocks to the house.

“You should’ve called me. I’d have helped you move your
stuff.”

“Not much to move. I do have a favor to ask, however.”

“Done,” Jack said without waiting to hear what it was.

“I’m returning my rental and so I’ll need a ride back from
Silver Springs later today, if that’s convenient for you?”

“Won’t you want a vehicle to get around?”

Grace shrugged. “I can walk anywhere I need to go in town.”