By Sunday afternoon, it had taken a few attempts to shove the thoughts away that she’d run back to Fort Collins without telling him. He wasn’t prepared to live in a big city, and if that’s where she wanted to be, he wouldn’t know how to change her mind.
No, that wouldn’t be the reason she didn’t call him. She’d been so excited about working at the lodge and about being home. Kassidy had told him Lauren had gone with her to the karaoke bar on Friday, and while he was happy they had a great time, part of him wished he could have been there to enjoy it with her. Karaoke wasn’t something he felt comfortable with, but he wanted to spend all the time he could with her and make it work between them. Maybe if Cara had supported him a little better, he wouldn’t have felt like he was treading water for the last few months, trying not to drown.
Determined to get some answers, he got into his truck and drove to the Burke farm. He hoped someone there had answers.
When he knocked on the door, Preston answered. “Hey, Walk. What are you doing here? Aren’t we supposed to meet at your place in a few hours?”
“Yeah,” he said, glancing down at his watch. He had a lot he needed to prep for tonight, and he hadn’t been thinking clearly. “Do you know where Lauren is? I’ve been trying to get ahold of her to make sure she’ll be there tonight, but my calls go straight to voicemail.”
Preston frowned. “I haven’t talked to her in a few days. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her since Thursday. Maybe my dad knows something?”
They walked into the study where Mr. Burke was reading what looked to be a western.
“Hi, boys. What are you up to today?” he said with a smile.
“Dad, have you talked to Lauren?” Preston asked, his hands in his pockets, failing to mask the worry.
Mr. Burke nodded. “She called me yesterday. Said she was in Fort Collins—”
“She went back to Colorado?” Walker asked, feeling the frustration settle over his body like a blanket. All the fears he’d been trying to push away had come true.
Preston’s hand rested on Walker’s shoulder. “Walk, calm down. Maybe she had to settle something. She did talk about telling her—”
Turning on his heel, Walker stomped out of the room without waiting for the rest of the explanation. His brain wasn’t going to hear it anyway. His only thought was that she’d gone back to Fort Collins, giving up on him and going back to her life there. How could he have been so blind? But then again, what had he done to prevent it?
Nothing. He’d avoided her like a bad cold the last week and snapped at her when she was trying to help him. Anger, desperation, and a lack of hope collided inside his chest, taking his breath away.
He slammed the truck door and revved the engine. He would show her. He would make sure tonight was the best dinner the restaurant ever made just so her family would make sure she knew what she was missing.
The competitive edge he hadn’t felt since the last time he was in the arena surged to the surface as he raced the few miles back to the lodge. She’d believed in him and then left, just like Cara. It was time he believed in himself and made it happen. At least her advice was sound.
His focus was on the dinner that night. Once it was over and the restaurant and hotel opened on Tuesday, he’d have to find a way to mend his broken heart. But right now, he couldn’t dwell on it. He’d need to use it to get through the night and assure that his company was on the right track.
Chapter 25
After so many errands the night before, Lauren hadn’t gotten very far out of Fort Collins, maybe two hours, before she stopped for the night. The toll of driving for so long and packing and cleaning must have done something to her because despite the rock hard mattress at the motel, she slept soundly, not waking for anything.
When she did open her eyes, she saw bright coming through the small crack under the curtains. It was probably good she’d gotten some sleep, but when she looked at the clock, she realized it nearing noon, not eight like she’d guessed. With at least six hours to go until she made it to the lodge, she was going to be late for the dinner.
Lauren grabbed her things as quickly as she could and threw them into the cab of the truck. She jumped in the cab and pulled out, hoping to avoid any accidents or delays of any kind.
Just as she was about to head out, she groaned, remembering she needed to stop to buy a car charger since she’d forgotten to the night before. Once she bought it, she plugged her phone in and waited for it to charge enough to turn on. She pulled out onto the main road, hoping she could make it through the large amount of traffic for midday Sunday.
“Please turn on; please turn on,” she said, pushing the side button on her phone and waiting for her carrier’s logo to pop on the screen. It finally did, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Pulling up Walker’s name, she pressed to dial and waited as the dial tone rang and rang, echoing in her brain.
The message came on, and just hearing his voice made her feel even more guilty, knowing she wouldn’t be there like she’d said she would be.
After the beep, she rambled, probably not making much sense, but she knew she needed to get everything she could into the message.
“Walker, I’m so sorry. I’ll probably be late tonight. My landlord needed me to clean things out before next week, and with the opening of everything this week, I figured Saturday would be the perfect time. I’m so sorry, and I hope you’ll forgive me. I think…” She paused, her heart beating as the word “love” was on the tip of her tongue. “You are probably the greatest man alive, and I just need to make it through this traffic so I can get back to Coldwater Creek. I’m rooting that everything goes smoothly, and I’ll see you when I get—” The beep sounded, cutting off her message.
After pressing end, she opened a text and sent a quick voice-to-text explanation to Kassidy, hoping she’d be able to relay the message in time. She put the phone down next to her and focused on the traffic. If only she’d set an alarm or something, maybe she wouldn’t be in a mess like this.
At a complete stop on the highway, she punched Coldwater Creek into her maps app and found several long red stretches on the route. With there only being one direct route, it was still faster to go this direction, and she wanted to cry.
She’d have to try and call more of her family on the way, hoping they would help relay the message that she was doing everything she could to arrive on time.
Chapter 26
Once he’d made it back to the lodge from the Burkes, it seemed like Walker didn’t have much time to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. Several of the workers showed up just minutes after he did, and they worked in the kitchen, chopping and peeling and preparing the courses that would be served that night.
As nervous as Walker had felt up to this point, he knew this was what he wanted, to show his family that even in something completely opposite of riding a wild animal, he could succeed and continue on, still happy with his simple life.
Potatoes were being boiled with his mother’s garlic-and-salt combination, the green beans had all been cut and were now roasting, and the rolls were almost done rising, ready to be put into the warm oven to cook. The last thing to start were the steaks, as he wanted everything to come out as warm as possible. Cooking for a group of fourteen people seemed overwhelming, but as everyone fell into their places and routines, getting things plated at the same time would be the challenge.
One of the wait staff had been assigned to welcome and seat the families, and he was grateful for that much, as their chatter caused his insides to flip and twist like a gymnastic routine.
At half past five, he was able to finish all the food, making sure to get it all set up for the waiters to take out to the group. He was proud of the looks of it all. The two women plating had done a great job with the presentation of the food. Blowing out a breath, he just hoped his guests liked it.
As he thanked everyone on the team, he was amazed that even though he’d known some of these people since he was a kid,
seeing them in their element had changed his view of them for the better.
“You did pretty well, Walker. Are you sure you’ve never done any actual cooking?” Paula, one of the platers asked.
“To be honest, how hard is it to mess up meat and potatoes?” Walker chuckled, and she joined in. “I guess we’ll see what it’s like when we make several different foods all at once.”
“As long as you delegate like you did tonight, you’ll be fine. It’s the chefs that think they know it all and try to do it all that end up having the worst backup of food.” She nodded at him and walked away.
He’d promised the crew they’d be able to leave without the cleanup, knowing they’d have plenty in the weeks to come. It was the least he could do until the company was making money and he could compensate them for tonight.
Moving out to his family and the Burkes, he smiled and asked, “What did you think?”
“Everything was delicious,” his mother said, grinning at him. “Someone is trying to use my garlic mashed potatoes on his menu.”
“It’s a family favorite, and you all loved it, right?” He looked around the table for confirmation, grateful that most of the heads were nodding.
Mr. Burke rested his hands on this stomach, leaning back in his seat. “Walker, what you’ve done with this place puts the old lodge to shame. The craftsmanship, the attention to detail…well done.”
Walker smiled, feeling a sliver of pride at his comments. But for some reason, they didn’t mean as much as someone else's. A certain girl with long hair and piercing green eyes. But she hadn’t made it, and his frustration drove him to shake any thought of her away.
“What’s for dessert?” Colter asked, looking ready to eat an entire pie.
Walker opened his mouth, realizing it had been too easy and he’d forgotten to prepare something for dessert. “Um, I have some Oreos out back you can have. I don’t really have a dessert menu ready yet.”
The group stood slowly, and his mother walked over. “Don’t worry, dear. If you need to come look through my recipes to figure out some desserts, you can do that tomorrow.” She kissed his cheek.
He gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll have to do that. It would be even better if you somehow had recipes for the desserts from the old lodge.” He was hoping beyond hope with that request.
“You never know what’s in my cookbook treasure trove.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
The families filed out, thanking him for the meal, and Colter disappeared into the kitchen, only to bring back the package of Oreos a minute later. When Walker raised an eyebrow, he said, “What? You said you had some, and I already ate all the goodies Mom made for the weekend.”
“You’re good. Take it with you.”
As the last person left the lodge, the silence became deafening. He was exhausted, and all he wanted to do was sleep, but with the dishes in the sink, he knew he’d need to get them cleaned before all the stuck-on foods became hard.
Trudging into the kitchen, he turned on some music to drown out the silence and help him focus on the dishes. It was going to be a long night, and as mad as he was about Lauren not coming, he wished she was there by his side. But things were so messed up that the chances of that happening were slim to none.
Chapter 27
Lauren was ready to burn every orange cone she saw after driving on the road, hating that they’d decided to do a bunch of construction on a two-lane highway on a Sunday. She was already late for the five o’clock dinner, but she had a small chance of making it for the end. At least some appearance would be better than none.
She’d tried dialing everyone’s phone number she had, but none of them had picked up, probably enjoying the meal Walker was preparing for them.
She glanced at the clock on her dash, seeing it was nearly nine o’clock as she pulled into the driveway of Silver Brook Lodge. She enjoyed the view of the place just as much as she had when she’d passed by it the day before.
Lights were still on, but the only car in the parking lot was Walker’s. Her hopes sank. She’d have to talk to Walker and hopefully smooth things over.
She knocked on the front door a few times and then opened it, walking inside. There was no sign of Walker in the great room, but a faint sound of music made her change course toward the kitchen.
“Knock, knock.” She pretended to tap on an invisible door.
Walker stood in front of the large sink, the load of dirty dishes at the side of him towering. He stopped scrubbing and turned slowly. When he saw her standing there, she’d hoped to find some kind of excitement in his expression or the least bit of hope that he felt the same as she did. But his face was a serene mask, no emotion coming through at all.
“You’re late.” He turned back and resumed his washing, the muscles in his back tensing.
“I know, and I’m so incredibly sorry. There was traffic and construction, and every other thing that could go wrong did today. Did it go well?” Her voice sounded much higher than she wanted it to, but she hoped he didn’t hear the difference.
“The dinner went well, yes. But I forgot about dessert. What kind of fancy steakhouse doesn’t have a dessert menu?”
Lauren frowned, surprised by the admission. “That’s something we still have time to come up with. It will be fine.”
“I thought you were staying in Fort Collins.” His words were clipped, and Lauren just wanted to go back to the relationship they’d had a week ago.
“I went back to clean out my townhouse. I knew with everything happening this next week that I wouldn’t get a chance to, and I wanted to just be done—”
Walker turned around, his eyes avoiding hers. “Look, it’s been a really long day. There’s still a lot to get ready before Tuesday, and I’m really tired.”
Lauren’s mouth dropped open a bit, shocked at his words. “Uh, okay. Yeah, I’ll leave you alone. Or could you use some help with those dishes?”
He raised both hands. “I’ll be fine. Just go home.”
Taking that as a signal, she nodded, feeling the shame as she walked through the door. She’d screwed things up worse than she’d imagined.
Her heart sank as she slipped into the cab of her dad’s truck. The insurance company had come back, saying her car had been totaled, but the payoff she’d be getting wasn’t enough for a down payment on anything new or used. She’d hoped she would be able to figure something out once the lodge was making money. But would Walker want to see her? He wasn’t saying she was fired by sending her home, right?
It didn’t matter. She was going to show up the next day and work to make sure she made up for today’s mistake.
Not having gotten much rest the night before, Lauren had made a list of all the things she needed to get done in the next day and a half. Finishing up the Christmas decorations in the lodge was on the list, but the priority was getting the word out about the opening of the restaurant Tuesday night. She would work to call several of the locals, hoping that by getting the opening night off to a great start, Walker would forgive her for missing out on the party the night before.
One of the main things she’d put off over the past week was the pictures in the rooms and the ones over the mantle. She knew she didn’t have time to get any fancy frames, but she’d need to work fast if she was going to have every last element in place before people showed up.
After jumping in the shower, she dressed and pulled her hair back, knowing that today was going to be hectic and to bother with leaving it down would be a hassle. She was grateful for the extended amount of clothing she had as she pulled on a forest-green sweater and some jeans.
As soon as eight o’clock rolled around, she was dialing numbers, knowing that time was of the essence.
Her first call was to the print shop in Jackson Hole. They would be her best bet for getting the prints done quickly.
“Hi, Janet,” Lauren said once the woman came on the line. “I’m looking to get several large prints made as a surprise
for a friend. Would there be a possibility you can get those done by this afternoon? I will pay any expedited fee you need.”
“Let me see what I have in our system. Do you know what sizes you would need?” the woman asked, breathing heavily into the phone.
Lauren had already worked out the details and had a list for each of the rooms. She read off the sizes and number of each to the woman, hoping they would be able to make it happen.
After several minutes, the woman said, “We should be able to accommodate you. Because it will be a one-day print on all of these, we will need to charge you an extra five hundred dollars.”
Lauren gulped. This project would probably eat up every bit of her savings, but she’d find a way to build it back again. “Okay, that will work. I’ll send those prints over by email now with the specified sizes on them. What time can I come pick them up?”
“We close at six, so if you can be here by 5:30, we should have everything done for you.”
Lauren thanked the woman and hung up, still trying to breathe from the thought of the amount. Checking her bank account, she’d have about a thousand dollars left over. Was it worth it to spend that money on these pictures? Something inside her nudged her forward, and she knew she had to do it. No matter how Walker felt about her, she loved him.
The words rolled over her tongue, and little sparks of excitement broke out all over her. She would just have to find someone who could make the frames and quickly. Since it was a lodge, a simple aged wood frame would be perfect to show off the amazing colors and light in the shots Colter had taken.
But who could build something that quickly? She tapped her finger against her lips. She went through her family, shaking her head as each of her brothers’ faces popped into her mind. Then she thought about Walker’s family. Easton was too busy taking care of the ranch, fixing everything he hadn’t had time to fix while coaching during Coldwater Creek’s high school football season.
Love Locked Page 11
