Leila grinned. “When are we gonna have another Grease marathon at your place?”
Melanie laughed. “Any time, and you know it. This time we can sing along loudly because I bought the karaoke system we found on the internet. Now, what can I get you two?”
The outside door clanged, and the air changed. Not in a perceptible way, but with a way that raised the hair on Melanie’s arm. She knew who’d walked in before she turned around.
Her heart dropped to her knees.
Colton walked in dressed in a full blue suit with striped power tie.
She gulped, her hands clutching on the rag. They’d known each other their entire lives, and she’d never seen him in a full suit. Even for school dances, he’d looked more cowboy than savant.
Today he looked like exactly what he’d become: one of the most influential and powerful financial geniuses in the Pacific Northwest. His hair was ruffled, enhancing the perfect angles of his handsome face. A powerful build filled out a suit costing more than her beat-up pickup.
His ideal mate definitely wore designer heels and not scuffed cowboy boots. The chick probably even spoke French. Or Italian. Or some fancy language that educated people knew.
His gaze warmed when it raked her. “Morning, Mel.”
Shivers cascaded through her stomach. “Mornin’.” Why was she looking at him so differently? One kiss, one that was a colossal mistake, shouldn’t change anything.
The kiss hadn’t changed anything.
He nodded at Kurt behind the counter. “To go today, thanks.”
Kurt tipped his bushy head and ducked to steam some milk.
Colton pressed a kiss to his mom’s cheek and reached to drag Leila up for a hug. “How’s my favorite girl today? Ready for our date?”
Leila smacked him noisily on the nose. “Maybe.”
Colt’s eyebrows lifted. “Maybe?”
Leila pouted. “I don’t know.”
Mel cleared her throat, and when Colton glanced her way, she tugged on her hair.
Colt grinned and snuggled his niece closer. “But you have such a new pretty haircut. We have to go out and show it off.”
Leila gasped in delight. “You noticed.”
“Of course—you look all grown up.” He settled her back in her seat and mouthed a thank you to Mel.
A pang shot through Melanie. Someday Colton would have kids and a life of his own, and she’d be relegated to the status of old friend. A surprising hurt spiraled through her.
“You okay?” Colton asked.
“Sure.” Melanie smiled as Kurt sauntered over to hand Colton his drink.
“Good.” Colton slid cash to Kurt and kept his focus on Melanie. “Because I was wondering if you’d mind driving into Billings to the office today—perhaps for lunch? I have a business proposition for you.”
“What a lovely idea,” Loni said with a smile.
Melanie narrowed her gaze. Loni and Leila being in the coffee shop simultaneously with Colton was no accident. The manipulative man had arranged the situation. “Oh, I—”
“I already know you have the night off, and I sent one of our crews to take care of your downed fences today.” The smile Colton flashed was filled full of dare. “So I think you have time.”
Irritation slivered across her skin, but she couldn’t very well let him have it in front of his mother. “But I—”
“Oh,” Loni exclaimed, digging into her purse. “Since you’re going into Billings, would you do me a huge favor and return this brooch to Jillison’s jewelry store? I would go, but I’m not up to par today, and today is the last day I can return the piece for full value.”
Melanie faltered as she accepted the high-end bag and took a good look at Loni.
She looked great. Fantastic, even. Bright eyes, good color, sweet smile.
Even so, there was no way Melanie could refuse. “Of course. I’m happy to help.” She’d planned to go into the city at the end of the week for an appointment, so maybe she could change the day, anyway. She shot Colton a look promising retribution, and his smile widened.
“It’s a lunch date, then.” Amusement twinkled in his blue eyes. “I will see you ladies later.”
Melanie forced a smile as he loped from the coffee shop. She had just been expertly maneuvered by the best. And…had he said date?
Chapter Four
Colt shoved a stack of manila file folders to the side of his desk, his mind on emerging markets. He’d invested the family holdings heavily in a start-up green science company out of Seattle, and six months ago, he’d been convinced it was a good idea. It had fit his grand plan perfectly.
Now he wasn’t so sure, although the owner was a buddy from college. Had Colton invested too much? He’d been so confident—maybe to the point of cockiness?
Colton had still been overseas studying international markets, although he’d unofficially taken over for his father as CEO of the company long ago. Now his dad took care of the main ranch and enjoyed semiretirement with Loni.
Colton pressed both hands against the heavy wooden desk. How many times had he played around the desk while his father had worked deals sitting in the very chair Colton now sat in? How many school reports had he finished in the office, always enjoying the dealing and financial aspects?
His dad and Jake and Quinn’s dad had been business partners long ago. In fact, the desk had originally belonged to the boys’ father. He’d died in a snowmobile accident when the boys were young, and after a couple of years, Tom and Loni had fallen in love, gotten married, and had two more kids—Colton and Dawn.
They’d combined the ranches and family business into one. One that now rested on Colton’s shoulders. For now. In a couple of months, Dawn would graduate with yet another degree, this one in business. Right now, she was finishing up her graduate degree at the university, and then she’d head to Europe for six months to study international finance until early December. Then, finally, she’d come on board at home. Their little sister loved school.
A blond head poked inside his door. “Mr. Freeze? Your sisters-in-law are here to see you.”
Colton glanced up at his new secretary and grinned. They had to be about the same age, and the formality had to go. “Thanks, Anne. And please…call me Colton. The mister makes me feel old and decrepit.”
Anne smiled. “Fair enough. I’ll send them in.” She disappeared from view.
Sophie, Jake’s wife, was the first through the door, all energy, even in her fifth month of her second pregnancy. “Hey, bro. We were in town shopping, and I thought I’d drag you to lunch since Juliet has to get back to the art gallery.” Her wispy blond hair feathered around a cute, pixie face.
Juliet followed gracefully behind Sophie, her red hair curling around her shoulders. She’d married Quinn last year, and her calm nature made the sheriff relax in a way he hadn’t in eons. She glanced around the stately office. “Are you going to decorate more to your tastes?”
Colton frowned and looked around at the paintings that had adorned the walls for decades. “Probably not. Although…I’m thinking of moving headquarters to Mineral Lake.”
Sophie clapped her hands together. “Great idea.”
Juliet pursed her lips. “With the internet and so many people working from home, there’s no reason you’d have to drive to the city. When are you thinking about moving?”
He shrugged. “I wanted to talk to the family first, but I was thinking within the year.”
“That’s a great plan.” Sophie bounced up on the balls of her feet. “Now come feed a starving pregnant lady, would you?”
He grinned and crossed around the desk. “Melanie should be here in a few moments, so why don’t we wait for her?” Then he could butter Mel up with good food before hitting her with his business proposal.
Sophie’s eyebrows lifted. “Mel’s coming into t
own?”
“Yes,” Colton said.
“Oh.” Sophie slipped an arm through Juliet’s. “Well, now. In that case, I’ll just grab something on the way home.” She started dragging Juliet from the office. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”
Colton hustled to follow them to the doorway. “You’re not imposing.” Not that Sophie had any problem inserting herself in any situation if she deemed it appropriate. “Mel should be here any minute.”
“No, no, no.” Sophie waved as they reached the outside door.
Juliet halted their progress and looked down several inches at Sophie. “You have a day this week in the town pool, don’t you?”
Sophie snorted. “Of course not.”
Juliet glanced toward Colt, her eyes sparkling. “I think we should accompany them to lunch.”
“Nah.” Sophie tugged harder. “I know you have sometime in next month for their get-together date.”
Juliet’s eyes widened. “I most certainly do not.”
Sophie laughed. “When you lie, you sound like a countess.”
Colton shot them both a hard stare. “Please tell me you’re not in on some Maverick County bet that involves me.”
“Nope,” they said in unison.
Sophie won the struggle and yanked open the door. “The bet only involves the town of Mineral Lake and not the whole county. Bye, Colt. I’ll talk to you later.” The door closed behind them.
He had to find out more about this stupid town pool. Colton cut a look at Anne. “That was interesting.”
Anne smiled, all professional. “Your sister-in-law has a lot of energy.”
Now that was the truth. Scratching his head, Colton turned back toward the stacks of work on his desk. “When Melanie Jacoby gets here, please send her in. Thanks.”
The entire town of Mineral Lake needed to get the heck out of his business.
…
Melanie wiped damp palms along her faded jeans. She should’ve worn a dress, but jeans were her normal look. Yet as she entered the stately brick building that housed Lodge-Freeze Enterprises, she wished for a different style.
One that fit with a gazillionaire like Colton.
Then she shook her head. Man. They’d been friends since preschool, and he knew everything about her. Well, almost. He didn’t give one hoot how she dressed.
She pushed open the door and stopped short.
“Hi,” said a gorgeous blonde from behind an antique desk.
Yeah. Melanie’s biggest nightmare skirted the desk in a pretty pink suit, green eyes sparkling, hair perfectly styled. Colton’s exact type, right down to the plus-sized boobs.
“You must be Melanie,” the stunning woman said.
“Yes.” She held out a hand to shake. The woman’s manicure matched the smooth suit. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. I’m Anne, the office manager slash secretary slash receptionist.” The woman gestured Melanie toward a plush chair in a stylish waiting room. “Colt said to send you right in, but he’s on the phone with a broker from Taiwan—something about emerging markets—so how about I give you a heads-up when he’s finished?” The smile was genuine and the tone gentle.
“Thanks.” Melanie tried not to leave boot marks in the thick carpet as she crossed to take a seat. Next to Anne’s style, Mel looked like a cousin from the freakin’ boonies. From that branch of the family tree.
“I love your boots.” Anne leaned over for a better look. “Where did you get them?”
Mel glanced down at the Lucchese hand-tooled boots. “My grandfather gave them to me for my birthday a few years back.”
Anne smiled. “They’re amazing.”
Yeah, they were. Melanie smiled her thanks. What the heck? The perfect blonde who was lucky enough to work with Colt all day needed to be snotty or arrogant, not nice. Melanie wanted to dislike her. A lot. Instead, she was very much afraid she’d just made another friend.
The outer door opened and a miniature bundle of pure energy ran inside. “Mama!”
Anne stood, her eyes widening. “Tyler. What’s going on?”
A robust woman followed through the doorway, a kid’s backpack over one shoulder, a stack of haphazard papers in the other. “I’m so sorry, Anne, but my daughter was in a car accident, and I need to go to Seattle. Immediately.” The woman dropped the bag on Anne’s desk and turned back to the door. “I’m so sorry.”
Anne gulped. “It’s okay. Let me know how your daughter is.”
The woman left.
Anne swallowed, turning pale. Her lips faltered as she smiled. “So it’s you and me today, baby.”
Tyler smiled and nodded before zeroing in on Melanie. “I’m Tyler. I’m three.”
Melanie grinned at the little cherub. He had his mom’s green eyes and spiky, crazy blond hair. Pudgy cheeks showed a couple of dimples. “I’m Mel.”
Colton’s door opened, and he stepped outside.
Anne hurried around the desk. “Mr. Freeze, I’m so sorry, but my day care lady had an emergency.” She brushed hair from her face. “I know this isn’t a place for kids—”
“Tyler,” Colton said with a grin. “Dude. How’s it going?”
Tyler launched himself at Colt, who swung him up in a wide arc. “Good. I ate goldfish.”
“Yum.” Colton tucked the toddler more securely into his side. “Tell your mama to call me Colt, and tell her you can work here any day. Always.”
The moment hit Melanie square in the abdomen. Colton was a natural with kids. In fact, he was a natural with this one.
Anne fluttered her hands. “It’s just that—”
Colt rolled his eyes and set Tyler on the desk. “Stop sweating the small stuff, Anne. Kids have always run amuck in this office, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The woman nodded, blinking rapidly. She obviously needed the job.
Melanie attempted a reassuring smile. “There’s a spot in Colton’s office where we carved our initials when we were seven. Over by the wooden file cabinet.” Of course, it had been Tom’s office at that time. And he’d decided to leave the initials in place, even through several repaintings of the office.
Anne grinned. “I saw those—there are three sets.”
Hawk had been there, too.
Colton strode forward and slung a friendly arm around Mel’s shoulders. “We’re heading out to lunch. If you need to take a half day and go hang with Tyler, no worries. If you want to stay here and work together, no worries. So…no worries.”
The last was said with a firm note that caused the oddest fluttering in Melanie’s belly. And he wasn’t even talking to her.
“Thank you,” Anne said quietly.
“See ya later, Colt,” Tyler called out.
“Bye, buddy.” Colton all but propelled Melanie out of the door and through the building. “I’m starving. Besides the latte earlier, I haven’t had a thing to eat. Tell me you’re hungry.”
Melanie lifted a shoulder. “I could eat before we fight.”
“We’re not fighting.” The firm tone returned.
Melanie glanced at his hard face. “Does anybody ever win a negotiation with you?” Those Taiwanese businesspeople didn’t stand a chance.
Colton’s natural grin made him seem even more approachable, if that was possible. “Yeah. You, Hawk, Dawn, Leila…family always wins.” He casually switched their positions on the sidewalk so he walked between her and the street. “Well, unless I’m right. Then I win.”
“Are you ever wrong?” she asked, trying to bite back a smile.
“I’m sure it has happened.” He opened the door to a quiet deli.
Mel nodded and chose a table near the window to sit. The quaint restaurant had checkered tablecloths on the tables and movie posters on the walls. “What’s up with your receptionist? Cute kid.” Hopefully Anne was
married.
Melanie didn’t want to analyze why that mattered to her. Not now.
“She’s a single mom and is the best organizer I’ve ever seen.” Colton glanced at the specials scrawled across a chalkboard.
“Anne is very pretty.” Melanie studied the hand-printed menu.
“Huh?” Colton focused back on Melanie and shrugged. “I guess, but I need a good assistant, and she’s excellent. I don’t care what she looks like.”
Right. “You’re not blind, Freeze.”
The bubble-gum-popping waitress showed up to take their orders.
Colton smiled, instantly sending the teenager into swoon-mode. “I’ll have the roast beef on sourdough, and the lady will have turkey on whole wheat with extra pickles.”
The teenager nodded and bopped away.
Melanie kicked Colton under the table. “Turkey isn’t what I wanted.”
He lifted an eyebrow and studied her. The seconds ticked by until she couldn’t stand his gaze any longer. “Okay. Turkey may be what I wanted…this time. But you might’ve been wrong.”
“This is a great sandwich place, and turkey is your favorite sandwich,” he said.
She lifted her chin. “You don’t know me as well as you think.”
“I know you kiss like a goddess.”
She could only stare. Yep. That was Colton. If there was an issue, a problem, he charged head-on into it. No coyness, no subtlety, no hidden agenda. “I can’t believe you said that,” she finally choked out.
He took a sip from a sweating water glass. “I figured we should talk about the kiss.”
“Why?” She shook her head, panic heating her lungs. She couldn’t lose Colton as a friend, not now. Definitely not now. “We’re friends. We slipped. It’s over.”
“I know.” He rubbed his cut chin. “But, well, I liked kissing you. It felt—”
Right. It felt right. She nodded. “I know, but we’ve been best friends forever. I mean, forever.” He and Hawk were the certainties in her life. The limited stability she could claim. Of course she was attracted to Colton—the guy was all hard angles and good nature. He also had gone through women like toothbrushes for a long time…and she didn’t want to be relegated to an old drawer in the bathroom.
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