by Liz Isaacson
He sighed and turned back to the laptop. If he could secure the top tier of the grant, maybe he could justify not mentioning a donation to Rose and her sisters, or any of the Whittakers.
By the time he finished and remembered that Rose had texted, another couple of hours had gone by. He cursed himself as he looked at her texts and saw that she’d asked him about the great news.
Asked him if he had time for dinner, and that she was down in the valley at her sister’s.
Asked him if he’d always be working nights and weekends.
A throbbing pain started behind his eyes. He wanted to tell her everything, go to dinner with her, cuddle on those comfy couches in the basement of the lodge. Wanted to go home to her on nights and weekends.
It was only six-thirty, and surely they had time for dinner. So he called her, because he hadn’t heard her voice for a couple of days, and he was in agony over it.
“Hey,” she said, her voice half soft and half hard.
Everything inside him sighed. “Hey.”
“You never answered my texts.”
“The hospital administrator came by right when you texted.”
“It was hours ago.”
Just a couple, and Liam frowned. “I had some things to take care of.”
“You always do.”
“Rose,” he said. “I’d love to go to dinner.”
“I can’t,” she said. “I’m already back up at the lodge, and Beau says it’s going to snow again.”
“Please,” he whispered, rubbing his fingers across the bridge of his nose. He needed some painkillers. “I’ll grab something on the way up to my place, and you can drive down and meet me. I’m on Prospect Lake.”
Silence came through the line, and Liam knew she was considering it. “Or I’ll come up and get you and we can go back to my place. I don’t have one of those fancy theater rooms, but we can curl up by the fire. I’ll get whatever you want to eat.” He took a deep breath. “Please, Rose.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “Give me the address.”
He did, and she said, “And I’m feeling like Chinese tonight. Extra egg rolls, please. And some of those pork potstickers.”
“Done,” he said. “See you in about an hour?”
“I’ll be there.”
The call ended, and Liam stood up, leaving the clipboard right where it was. As he walked out, he wondered if he should hand the clinic over to someone else. But the thought felt poisonous in his soul, and he just couldn’t do it.
An hour later, he had all the food set out on the counter. The fire in the gas unit was on high. And Rose still hadn’t arrived.
It had not started snowing, and Liam thought for once the predictions would be wrong.
After another fifteen minutes of waiting, and with his stomach demanding some of that food that was just sitting there, Liam moved to the front windows. He saw a truck sitting in his driveway, but no one had come to the door.
He opened the front door and stepped outside. Rose made him come all the way down the steps and the sidewalk before she got out of the truck. “What are you doing out here?” he asked. “It’s freezing.”
“I was trying to decide if I should come in or not.” She looked at him openly, pure vulnerability in her eyes.
“Why is that such a hard decision?” Liam asked, ice moving through his veins, and not just because of the sub-arctic temperatures. He couldn’t lose Rose. She was the best thing in his life, and he hadn’t even known he needed her.
She shrugged. “I feel like maybe I’ll always be second to the clinic.”
“That’s not true,” he said. “I just have a lot going on right now.”
“You said you had good news.”
“I do, and it just took some of my time today.” He extended his hand toward her. “Please come in.”
She put her hand in his, and Liam’s heart celebrated. He led her into the house, and barely had the door closed before he pressed her against it and said, “I missed you so much.” In the next moment, his mouth found hers and kissed her. Kissed her with everything he had so she wouldn’t doubt him. So she wouldn’t have to make such hard decisions about whether she should come in or not.
“Liam,” she breathed into his mouth, and then she kissed him again.
Okay, so at least she missed him too.
Chapter Fifteen
A month passed, and the snow stayed. But as April disappeared into May, the sun finally started to unearth the land beneath the drifts.
Her life had been divided into two parts—one with Liam in it and one where he wasn’t. Her parents had come in late February, and they’d both stayed for a week. Then her father had gone back to Nashville to finish up some things before he retired, and her mother had stayed.
She lived in the room next door to Rose—at least for one more night. Rose had purchased a house in town, in one of the newer neighborhoods that had sprung up in the last year, and moving day was tomorrow.
She didn’t have a whole lot at the lodge except for clothes and toiletries. No furniture. No kitchen things. But she had hired a moving company and spent many long hours on the phone with them for what to pack and what to leave. Her dad was going to go through everything that was left and either donate it, trash it, or sell it.
In fact, most of that had already been one, as the movers had left Tennessee six days ago. The truck would be here tomorrow morning, right on schedule, as she’d just gotten off the phone with Jeff, the driver who’d been communicating with her for a few weeks now.
She entered the kitchen to find Beau so he could mobilize the men he knew. All of the Whittaker brothers that lived in Coral Canyon would be there, and Beau claimed he could get several more big, strong cowboys from church to help.
“Hey,” she said to the man standing in the kitchen. But it wasn’t Beau. He turned toward her, and he was clearly a Whittaker. Andrew, then. She hadn’t seen much of him or his wife, as they lived in town, and Andrew was purportedly the busiest Whittaker because he still had a more-than-full time job at the energy company.
“Hey, Rose,” he said with a grin. “Coffee?”
“I’m good, thanks.” She sat at the bar and flipped her phone over, a bit out of place with this Whittaker brother. Graham didn’t make an appearance at the lodge every day, but he and Laney and their kids came every Sunday, or Beau and Lily and Rose went down to their ranch. Andrew and Becca had come for Sunday dinner a few times, but Rose had never been one-on-one with him.
“How’s Chrissy?” Rose asked, reaching deep into her memory for the name of Andrew’s daughter. “Wasn’t she sick a couple of weeks ago?”
“Yes,” he said, a smile crossing his face. “Thank you for remembering. She’s doing a lot better, thanks.”
“Did you figure out what was wrong with her?”
“Chicken pox,” he said, lifting his mug to his lips. “So we were in complete quarantine for a while. Your boyfriend was quite helpful.”
“Oh, you saw Liam?”
“He came to the house a couple of times.”
Rose smiled and nodded like she’d known all along. But of course she didn’t. Rose was not part of Liam’s work life at all, a fact she’d been continually brushing away all spring.
“I’m available to help you move tomorrow,” Andrew said. “I have a big favor in return.”
“All right,” she said, hoping she’d be able to say yes. She couldn’t expect him to give up his day schlepping her boxes and not help him if she could.
“It’s non-obligatory,” he said. “You can say no, and I’ll still gladly come help you move.”
“All right,” she said again. “What is it?”
“My wife hasn’t been out of the house in a while, and I think she’s going stir-crazy.” The more he spoke, the faster he got. “I want to take her out of town for a few days, but I need a babysitter for our almost-two-year-old. Beau says you’re great with baby Charlie, and—”
“Yes,” Rose said with a smile.
Andrew blinked at her. “Really?”
“Really. I love kids.”
Andrew chuckled and came around the counter, gripped her head, and placed a kiss on the very top of it. “Thank you, Rose. Thank you. I’ll get all the details worked out and let you know.”
And that was how Rose became a babysitter when she’d used to be a country music superstar. And she didn’t mind one little bit.
The following morning, Rose woke in the room where she’d been living for the past few months and took a deep breath. “This is it,” she told herself.
She’d made it out of bed and into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with a suitcase on the front before she heard a bang! and Vi call, “Hello?”
Rose moved toward the door, and had barely made it down the hall when Vi called again. “What?” she said over the railing, still moving to get down the stairs. Because something was going on.
Vi had tears running down her face, and a smile so wide, that only one thing could’ve happened. “Todd asked you to marry him,” Rose said, practically tripping over her feet as she ran down the stairs. Don’t fall, don’t fall, she coached herself.
She reached the bottom of the stairs, and Vi had her hand out for Rose to see the diamond. “Oh, my goodness.” She could barely breathe at the sight of it. “Vi, oh, Vi, it’s beautiful.” She grabbed onto her sister and hugged her, jealous and joyful all at the same time. “I’m so happy for you.”
“What’s going on?” Lily asked, and Vi spun toward her.
“Todd finally asked me to marry him.” She rushed through the living room, Rose right behind her. Rose took Charlie so Lily could shriek and bounce up and down as she celebrated with Vi.
Finally, Vi took a deep breath and said, “Do you think I can plan a wedding by Christmas?”
“Of course,” Lily said immediately. “It’s barely June.”
“Mom and Dad will be here anyway,” Vi said, following Lily into the kitchen, both of them apparently forgetting that Rose stood there with Charlie. Such actions would’ve bothered her in the past, but she was determined not to be upset today.
It was her moving day, the start of a new life for her. And besides, she wasn’t the last one to know, because her mom came downstairs and said, “What’s going on? Was Vi yelling?”
Rose handed her Charlie and said, “Yep. Come on, Mom. You’ve got to see this ring.” She stood back and watched the women in her family interact, realizing how blessed she was. Then she joined the fray and made toast for everyone, accepted coffee from Lily, who made a delicious brew, and laughed with everyone in the kitchen.
Soon enough, it was time for her to finish packing her bag and get down to the house she’d bought. She bypassed Prospect Lake Road, almost desperate to see Liam before she moved in. The clinic was seven days from opening, and she didn’t expect to see him for more than a few hours this morning until that was done.
She’d said it was okay, but she was getting tired of living two lives. He’d promised her that his life wouldn’t be so crazy once the clinic opened, and she’d been living on that promise and a prayer for weeks now.
She pulled up to the two-story house on the north side of town, her backyard bordering the Wyoming wilds beyond, to find Liam’s LandRover already there. The moving truck was too, and as she got out, she caught sight of him coming out of the open front door.
“There you are,” he said with a smile. He swept his arms around her and kissed her. “They got here five minutes ago. I let them in.”
“Thank you.” She took a deep breath, getting mostly the spicy scent of his cologne and a little bit of fresh air. “Today’s the day. You’re still coming for dinner, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it. You’ll be at the grand opening next Monday, right?”
Rose gazed up at him, thinking of Vi’s new diamond and wondering if Liam would ever buy her one. They’d talked about kids, but he’d honestly never said if he was okay having kids he’d never wanted. He’d told her more about his life before they’d met, and Rose was honestly happy with their relationship.
Sometimes spending time with him felt like a negotiation, and she didn’t like that. But she’d seen Lily and Beau do the same thing, and in some of her late-night chats with her mom over the past few months had revealed the same thing.
So maybe Rose wasn’t great at negotiating for what she wanted. Maybe she’d always been given exactly what she wanted. She didn’t like feeling spoiled and selfish, so she’d been working really hard to accept when Liam could spend his time with her and when he needed to be at the clinic.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” she said. “I even found the prettiest dress to wear. It’s pink.”
“Ooh, pink.” He pressed his lips to her temple again as Beau and Graham arrived. “Good thing you brought the big guns,” he said, glancing toward the semi truck. “I had no idea a single woman could have so much stuff.”
Rose rolled her eyes and gently pushed him away from her. “Go get another box, doctor.” She looked up at him. “Oops, you’re a cowboy today.”
He grinned, tipped that sexy cowboy had at her, and walked over to the Whittaker brothers. They all started taking boxes inside. Rose didn’t relish the idea of unpacking them, but at least the movers had followed her directions and labeled each one in large, black letters for where it went.
She’d come down to the house yesterday and put small signs on the doorframes so the boxes would get where they needed to go. Andrew and Becca pulled up, and Rose took a detour over to their car.
“Hey,” she said to them. Becca hugged her, which sent surprise through her, while Andrew bent to get their daughter out of the car. He held her on his hip, and wow, Rose had seen Beau handle tiny Charlie, but to see another tall, burly man wearing a cowboy hat and handling a little girl with such love sent hope right through Rose’s heart.
She glanced over her shoulder to see if Liam was around. She couldn’t see him.
“This is Chrissy,” Andrew said. “Chrissy, this is Rose.”
“Hey, baby,” Rose said, and Chrissy just stared at her blankly.
“She takes a bit to warm up to people,” Becca said, taking her and setting her on the ground. “We’re going to help Rose move into this house today, sweetie. Let’s go.” The toddler waddled along beside Becca, both of them moving very slow. Andrew walked ahead and picked up a box, glancing over at them before he headed to the house.
Rose caught sight of Liam as he came out, and they met at the back of the semi. He grinned at her and picked up another box, not even glancing at Chrissy.
“Do you know Becca?” Rose asked before he could walk away. “And her daughter, Chrissy?”
“Oh, Andrew’s wife.” He put his box down. “Sure, hello.”
“My boyfriend, Liam.”
Becca shook his hand and Rose handed her a small toy. “Look, baby. You take this.”
Liam looked at Chrissy and then back to Rose. She scooped the girl up into her arms and said, “Let’s see if we can beat the buff cowboy to the house.” She took off toward the front door, jogging as best as she could with the child in her arms. She giggled, and Rose laughed, and she heard Andrew chuckling behind her too.
“Oh, we’re going to beat him. Don’t let him pass us, Chrissy.” Rose went up the steps to the door and paused, exaggerating her breathing. “We did it.” She looked at the little girl, who was smiling and gripping her apple squishy for all she was worth.
“You guys cheated,” he said from behind them.
Rose faced him. “We did not. You’re just slow.”
His eyebrows lifted, and she moved to the side to let him in so he could take his box into the kitchen. Their eyes locked and didn’t let go until he passed her completely. Rose felt like someone had stuffed the sun into her chest and turned it on high.
“Come on,” she said to Chrissy. “Don’t let him tell you we cheated.” Rose felt a bit out of breath, as she didn’t really spend a whole lot of time in the gym. Certainly no
t the way Vi did. She found her sister in the backyard with Jetstream, and Rose put Chrissy down on the lawn. The dog came over, and she started laughing as he licked her face.
“Jet, stop it.” Vi pushed the dog away, and Chrissy reached for him again. Rose watched them both, her heart expanding with love for the simplest of interactions and the simplest of creatures.
“Rose,” someone called, and she stood.
“You’re okay with them?” she asked.
“Yeah, go.”
As Rose walked into the house, Becca came out, both of them smiling.
“Your dad just got here,” she said, and Rose thanked her.
Not only was her father there, but at least a dozen more men from church, and they all looked like they could haul tall buildings with a single bicep.
“We want to know where you want this couch,” her dad said, and Rose put on her bossy pants. Maybe moving day wouldn’t be so bad, and as long as she had a bed to sleep in that night, she could deal with anything else.
Liam kissed her goodbye when he had to leave for his final meeting at the hospital, and Rose focused on getting all the pieces of her new life in line. Right where she wanted them.
Once everything was off the truck and in the right place in the house, everyone left.
Except Rose. She stood in her new living room and realized there was still one piece missing.
Someone to share this new life with, and she was really beginning to wonder if that man was Liam, or if she was once again wasting her time with the wrong man.
Chapter Sixteen
Liam worked so much, he slept better than he had in months. He’d never slept particularly well overseas, but that life seemed so far from this new one in Coral Canyon. He couldn’t believe he’d been here for almost six months now. Couldn’t believe the clinic he’d envisioned was going to actually open.
One week, he thought as he pulled into the parking lot and got out of his LandRover. Things were going well at Rose’s, so while he wished he could be there with her, he also knew she was in good hands.
