The Unexpected Bride (Montana Born Brides) (6 page)

When she got back to the showroom, she found Tracy serving a customer, so took off her
woollen hat and gloves, and waited patiently, wandering around amongst the furniture. It was beautifully made and each piece had a unique feel to it. She heard Tracy proudly telling the customer that the wood was mostly sourced from sustainably-grown alder, pine and aspen forests and was supplied by the lumber yard just along the street, or made from reclaimed timber. Laurent and his assistant carpenter, Luke, who worked with him at Copper Creek, really were incredibly talented.

After about ten minutes, Laurent emerged from the back office.
“Let’s go do the rest of your shopping. Here. Let me.” He took the heavy brown paper carrier that contained the jars from Emma’s hand. She liked the way he had old-world, European-style manners.

After bidding Tracy, Josh and Martha goodbye, Emma pulled her gloves and beanie back on and they set out to return to Main Street, where Laurent said there was a toyshop. “Hopefully, they sell marbles,” he said.
“They have all types of toys.”

“Including retro ones?” Emma couldn’t resist.
She tilted her head, her eyes dancing, hoping he would join in the banter.

Laurent didn’t disappoint her.
His eyes did their familiar crinkling at the corners. “I’m praying so. Do you have a plan B if they don’t?”

“We’ll just have to improvise.
Different-colored beans, maybe.”

“Jelly beans?
The kids’ll just eat those and World War Three will break out when they get high on the sugar.”

“I was thinking of dried beans.
You know, pulses.”

“Hey, you’re not only cheerful, you’re also
full
of good ideas.”

“That’s what you employed me
for,”Emma retorted smartly.

“Indeed I did.” Laurent raised an eyebrow, a smile still playing around his mouth.
“Okay, here’s the toy store. Let our mission to find marbles commence.” He held open the door for her. She passed through, relishing experiencing this chilled, easy side of him.

The store proved to be filled with all types of toys and games, and the owner, who clearly knew Laurent well, was pleased to go into his stock room and find the quantity of colored plastic marbles that Emma needed.

When they emerged, Emma couldn’t resist raising the bag she carried and shaking it triumphantly. “See? Lots of lovely retro marbles!”

“Okay, okay, I see,” Laurent said, laughing.
“Come on. We’ll go visit Sage at Copper Mountain Chocolates to celebrate. Hot chocolates are on me. I need to atone for my lack of belief in the possibility of finding marbles in Marietta. ”

Sage
Carrigan’s store proved to be a delight. Emma’s eyes opened wide at the vast array of hand-made chocolates and other goodies. Laurent went to the glass-fronted counter and ordered hot chocolate for them both, while she settled herself at one of the three tables situated in an alcove. Her attention was caught by the pretty display for Valentine’s Day in the shop window.

“They do great trade here around Valentine’s.” Laurent arrived with two steaming, frothing mugs of hot chocolate.
“Here.” He held one in front of her. She took it from his hand, feeling aware of his broad form close to hers. He moved to sit down opposite her. “Are you expecting a card from a lover?”

Emma breathed in the rich, sweet smell of her drink and took a fortifying sip. “No,” she said quietly. There was a pause and she could feel Laurent watching her closely. “This is just delicious,” she volunteered, brandishing her mug and changing the subject.

“It is pretty amazing,” Laurent agreed. “Sage does a brisk trade. People come from far and wide to try it and her candies.”

“Well, thank you for buying it for me.”

“You’re welcome. Brooke used to love coming in here. She was a real chocoholic too.”

Emma looked up at him.
This was the first time he’d mentioned his wife to her. “We women need our chocolate,” she said diplomatically, hoping he would tell her more.

“I used to buy Brooke one of the special selections they do here for Valentine’s Day.
And for Christmas and her birthday.” There was a faraway look in his eyes now as he reminisced. “She would make them last by having just one chocolate a day. She said she didn’t want to get fat.” He shook his head. “Not that there was much chance of that. She was incredibly energetic and active and had a great figure. She was always on the go and thinking of other people.”

“She was a beautiful lady,” Emma ventured tentatively, thinking of the photo of Brooke on her wedding day that sat on a side table in the living area at Copper Creek, in which her light-blue eyes sparkled and her honey-blond hair was tousled around her pretty, sun-tanned face. “You clearly loved her very much.”

“She was, and I did.” Laurent hunched over the table and lowered his gaze to stare into his mug. In a short minute, the previous high mood of the afternoon quickly deflated, like air escaping from a balloon. Emma bit her lip and instinctively she leaned over the table and put a comforting hand on his arm and patted it, wishing she could give him a hug.

“I hate this time of year,” he growled suddenly, still staring down at the table-top.

“I know,” Emma said soothingly, and gave his arm another pat. “It’s wonderful for lovers, but not for everyone.”

“Damn right it isn’t!” Laurent’s tone was now sharp with grief.
“You get through Christmas, and then you have to steel yourself to get through another crock of sentimental sh—“ He stopped himself and rubbed his hand over his eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It just gets to me sometimes.”

“I know.” Emma could tell his loss was still very painful to him.
“Don’t apologize. It’s good to let off steam sometimes.”

“You’re very kind,” he said stiffly, moving his arm away from her hand so that she couldn’t touch him anymore. Emma could see that serious mask descending over his sensitive features as
he struggled to clamp down his emotions and for a crazy nanosecond she longed to take his proud face in her hands and stroke it.

“Do you want to buy some chocolate for the children?” She hoped that by changing the subject again she might lift his mood.

“No. They get enough sweet stuff from my mom, and it will only make them sick.”

Emma paused for a moment, and decided that she would do best not to ruffle him with more sympathy, but to give him some space instead.
“Right. Well, I think I will get a little something for Linda. She’s been such a wonderful support to me since I arrived.”

“Go ahead,” Laurent replied tonelessly.
Emma rose from her seat to go over to the counter and make her purchase.

She didn’t have a lot of cash on her, so she selected the milk chocolate gift mix for Linda, which came in a pretty copper box and cost ten dollars.
While Sage Carrigan was tying a ribbon around it, Emma glanced over her shoulder at Laurent, who was standing now and staring at the Valentine window display, a sad look marring his good-looking features. The relaxed, good-humored man she’d glimpsed earlier this afternoon had definitely disappeared. She sighed out loud and turned back to the counter.

Sage peered at her through her red-burnished hair as she finished tying the bow on Linda’s chocolate box. “Storm clouds on the horizon again?” she observed in a low voice, straightening and handing the candies over.

“Yes,” said Emma hesitantly, not sure she should be discussing her boss.

“It must be incredibly tough for him coming in here and seeing all the hearts and flowers,” Sage empathized. “And it can’t be easy for you because you have to deal with it. But don’t give up on him.
He’s a good guy. I hear he’s started coming out of it since you arrived.”

“Um…” Emma wondered how exactly Sage knew that, and how she should respond.

Sage must have seen her puzzled expression, because she volunteered, “Linda’s been singing your praises. She says you’re terrific with the kids, and you’ve made a real difference to Laurent.”

“The children are brilliant…” Emma began, but Sage interrupted her.

“You are making headway with Laurent. It was obvious when you first came in here this afternoon, he was so happy in your company. Don’t let the mood swings get you down. Keep going. He’s one hot mess right now, but you’ve clearly got a lot of love to give, and God knows he needs it; the whole family needs it.”

Feeling a little embarrassed, Emma mumbled her thanks for Sage’s encouraging words and handed over payment for the chocolates.
Laurent held the shop’s door open for her.

“We’d better get going,” he said briskly, apparently having recovered himself. “We need to pick up the kids and the dog. Mom will want to be starting supper for her and Dad soon.”

“Of course,” Emma agreed, and led the way out into the street.

On the journey home, Laurent put on an album of country tracks and silence was replaced with slow, sensual, bittersweet songs.
Emma leant her head against the passenger door window and thought about how much Laurent obviously still mourned his wife. She also had a chance to process what Sage had said. She felt pleased that the consensus seemed to be she was getting results with Evie and Jerome. But Sage’s pronouncement—
You’ve clearly got a lot of love to give, and God knows he needs it
—weighed on her mind. It was easy enough to offer the children her love and support. But what could she do for her grieving boss? Did he actually want her help? And, anyway, she was so wary of doing anything that might be misconstrued; she still hadn’t recovered from her bruising experience at the hand of Sir Giles…

Laurent cut through her thoughts.
“Thanks for your patience this afternoon,” he said, flicking a glance at her. “I’m sorry I burdened you with my grief. But…it’s still kind of raw,” he admitted.

“It’s no problem,” Emma said, giving him a rueful smile.
“These things take time to heal.”

He turned his attention away from driving briefly to return the smile.
“They do. But I appreciate it all the same.”

For the next couple of weeks, Emma busied herself with Evie and Jerome, while Laurent was preoccupied with his business, spending long hours either with Luke, his assistant carpenter in the workshop, or in town with his team at River Bend Interiors.
Laurent didn’t often eat with them, and when he did, he focused on the children—well, Evie, mainly; there was still a lack of meaningful interaction between him and Jerome. The marbles had been a great success, with both kids behaving much better as they competed to fill their individual jars with the small, brightly-colored plastic balls. Consequently, Laurent was much calmer and more relaxed when he was with them. But Emma herself had had little chance to talk to him. She was glad that he had settled into a way of relating with his kids, especially with Evie, but felt she would continue to make even better progress if she could engage with him, work with him, to help him overcome whatever was preventing him from reaching out to enjoy being a father.

She wondered if he was feeling uncomfortable about his outburst of emotion at Sage’s.
Her natural compassion made her want to comfort him and reassure him that it was okay to grieve for his wife, but she knew it was probably better to let that sleeping dog lie, not least because, withdrawn though he certainly could be at times, she now knew to throw in intelligent, compelling, charming and funny as well. She sighed inwardly; when he was those things, he was some of what she admired most in a man, and she couldn’t stop herself feeling drawn in…