She nodded. “I want to make a treat for him.”
“Do you have anything in mind?”
“He mentioned at dinner the other night that he loved chocolate cake. With an abundance of chocolate icing.”
Mrs. Johnson set her clipboard down and chuckled under her breath. “I know just the thing. And if you get started right away, you should be able to finish it before I need you for your other duties.”
Relief filled her insides. “So you will allow me?”
“Of course, you silly girl. I aim to see you catch your man.” Mrs. Johnson winked, and Collette almost fell over with surprise. “Well, don’t just stand there . . . we’ve got a cake to make!”
Seven hours later, Collette suppressed a yawn. The cake was beautiful and the morning shift had flown by. Now, she only had a brief break to bring Matthew the surprise before she had to return to her afternoon baking duties.
As she walked to his clinic, she prayed that he would be pleased. Her mouth watered just smelling the divine concoction. Mrs. Johnson had insisted they make it seven layers, with a decadent chocolate buttercream between each layer. The heady aroma of deep, dark chocolate made Collette want to eat a piece right now.
The door to the clinic opened and made her jump. Thankfully, the cake didn’t fall.
“Why, Miss Collette! How lovely to see you today.” Matthew’s eyes fell to the chocolate surprise and widened. “Oh, my . . . is that for me?”
“Oui.” She curtsied. “I thought you might like a nice treat after all your hard work. Especially after you mended my hand so beautifully.”
“Goodness gracious, that smells delicious. I love chocolate.”
“I heard you mention that the other night.” She couldn’t contain her smile.
“Please, come in.” He took the cake from her and ushered her in the door. “How’s your hand?”
“It feels almost . . . what is the phrase?” She tapped her chin. “Good as new.”
“I’m so glad. That was a nasty cut.”
Silence stretched between them. What should she do now? “Would you like to try a piece?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He went to another room and came back with two plates and two forks. “Oops, I’d better get a knife to cut it.” He disappeared around the corner again.
Collette took the moment to try to calm her breathing. He’d brought two plates! He was going to sit and eat it with her. The thought thrilled her more than she could have imagined.
“Here we are.” Matthew gave her a smile. His cheeks turned a bit pink. “I hope it’s okay . . . I mean . . . are you able to stay a moment and enjoy this with me?”
“I’d love to. Thank you.” If only he knew how she’d been hoping he would invite her.
Matthew cut them two generous slices of the cake. He didn’t hesitate to try it, and he closed his eyes with a groan of pleasure. “This is by far the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted.”
“Merci. I’m so glad you like it.”
Matthew gave her a grin before he took another large bite. “I love it. Thank you. I don’t remember the last time anyone made me something special like this.”
His words of gratitude made her heart soar and gave her confidence. “Matthew . . . would you like to . . . perhaps take a walk with me this evening?”
He polished off the rest of his cake and leaned back in his chair. A soft smile spread across his face. “That would be lovely, Collette. Thank you for the suggestion. In fact, I’ve been wanting to gather some plants that Cassidy told me about. Her father has a vast knowledge of the native growth here and the herbal remedies.”
“I would love to help you gather.” Trying to remain calm, Collette wanted to run all the way back to the kitchen and hug Mrs. Johnson’s neck. It worked! She stood. “I need to get back to the kitchen, but I will meet you after dinner?”
“I will look forward to it for the rest of the day.” He stood with a smile and bowed to her in a very courtly manner.
“I will as well.”
“Thank you for the cake.”
“It was my pleasure.” She turned for the door.
“Collette, would you mind asking Cassidy if she can join us tonight? That way she can show us the correct plants.”
Her heart sank. So much for a quiet walk alone. Was she really so inept at this? Or was he simply not interested and trying to be polite? Oh well, it didn’t matter now. “Oui. Of course.” She tried to keep the disappointment from her voice.
Next time, she would think twice before she sacrificed her sleep to make a man a cake.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19
The train jostled Emerson around as they headed into the Curry Depot. This trip had not been the most pleasant. He found out quickly that he didn’t have sea legs. At all. His stomach could still attest to that fact.
What luck that he’d been at the Hale home about to discuss things with the matriarch—actually, it was just to pick up his money—when a telegram from Tayler arrived.
Apparently, she’d felt guilty about leaving without a word and thought she should let her mother know her whereabouts. Well, that sure played into his hand.
Mrs. Hale wanted her daughter back in Denver and for her wealth to continue to grow. Emerson wanted the same. There were different reasons for each of their wishes, but if bringing Tayler back meant that it achieved both of their goals, then Emerson would gladly do it. Besides, now Mrs. Hale offered to pay all his expenses. So did Pop. That meant there was plenty of extra. He couldn’t pass that up.
He glanced down at his watch. Perhaps they could catch a train back today. If there even was one. It seemed he had journeyed to the end of the world.
Surely Tayler was ready to listen to reason—she had apologized to her mother, after all, and sent that telegram. It must be a cry for help. She needed rescuing, and he was the man for the job.
If his luck held out, he could be back in Denver and married before the middle of July.
Now that would be the answer to all his problems.
THURSDAY, JUNE 20—CURRY RIDGE
Tayler stood in front of their little group with several samples of Alaskan wild flowers in her hands. Every evening, they’d decided to give some informative lectures for their guests. Thomas handled one evening and she took the next and so forth. He talked about the native culture and survival, while Tayler talked about the flora and fauna. All the guests seemed to really enjoy these times in the evenings after dinner while the sun still shone brightly overhead. They were normally full of questions and quite generous with their compliments about what a wonderful trip it had been.
All of them except for the four girls.
They weren’t a problem while Thomas was speaking. They all acted as if every word he spoke was divine revelation from God. Quite a contrast from when she spoke. The first night she’d lectured, they’d acted mildly bored and did a lot of sighing. Tonight, however, they giggled, whispered, and pointed at her from the back of the audience and made Tayler feel like she was standing in front of all of them in her undergarments.
What shocked her most was that the parents of these young ladies simply rolled their eyes and cast backward glances every now and then. Thomas even frowned back at them, which made the girls smile and wave and sit a little straighter. But they continued on with their antics.
She tried not to judge them as being spoiled and snobbish, and instead wanted to think of them as God did. But that was much harder than she anticipated. They truly tried her patience. Reminding herself that God loved them just as much as He loved her, Tayler took a deep breath. What could she do to reach them?
An idea took root, and she walked to the back of the group as Mrs. Bolans asked a question. “The lupine are one of my favorites, but how do they stand so tall against the wind?”
“That’s an excellent question. And it’s one I think we can answer by examining these flowers a little more closely.” She held up a sturdy lupine stalk. “But first, I need a volunteer.” The
girls looked at her with disdain as Tayler stepped up to them. “Can I get one of you to volunteer to help me?”
They all shook their heads, and the redheaded girl, Esmerelda, gave her a bored look as she leaned back on her hands.
Tayler stood and stared each of them down while everyone waited.
After several awkward moments of silence, Tayler gave up. Walking back to the front, she sighed. “Well, I guess—”
“I’ll be your volunteer.” Thomas jumped to his feet.
In less than a second, the girls in the back raised their hands.
Esmerelda stood. “I’m sorry we gave you a hard time. We’d love to volunteer.”
But Thomas looked at them and back to Tayler, and he gave her a wide grin. “That’s okay. I think I can handle it.”
Tayler’s stomach did a little flip.
She handed him several different flowers and then picked up the rest. His nearness was very distracting, but she reminded herself she could do this. “All right, so we’re going to talk about each flower, and I’ll let you all touch them as well so you see for yourself the different textures. One thing I’ve learned about the Alaskan wildlife and plant life? It’s all unique and hardy. We’ll start with the lupine Mrs. Bolans asked about and compare it to the beautiful fireweed. They both have tall stalks with the blossoms moving up in a cone shape, but if you’ll notice, the fireweed blossoms seem more delicate, while the lupine are a bit more bulbous.”
The ladies stood and gathered closer to inspect the flowers. After they’d all oohed and aahed for several moments over each one, everyone took their seats again.
Tayler’s plan was to also talk about berries tonight, but as she handed all the flowers to Thomas, she looked toward the back of the group and the four girls were gone. She shot a look to Thomas and nodded to the absent row.
He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head.
“It seems as if we’ve lost a few of our audience.” She smiled at everyone. “I hope I’m not that boring.” Trying to laugh off the inadequacy she felt, Tayler hoped their guests wouldn’t be upset.
The parents all turned to look for their daughters, but no one seemed too worried.
One of the mothers picked flower petals off her skirt. “I’m sure they’ve probably just gone to one of the tents. Please continue. It’s fascinating.”
Tayler nodded and decided she couldn’t let herself get discouraged over a bunch of ninny socialites. No matter how much she tried to think of them as God did, the thought of them leaving her lecture still aggravated her. Why were they so preoccupied with Thomas? It seemed odd that a group of wealthy young girls would cast their sights on him.
Even though he was devastatingly handsome.
Tayler shook her head to dismiss the thoughts. The guests were waiting, so she started by explaining that a lot of plants were poisonous, and that even included some berries. “In Alaska, don’t eat any berry that’s white—”
A scream split the air.
People jumped up and turned toward the sound.
Thomas took off running and grabbed a rifle on his way.
Tayler followed with the rest of the crowd. Lord, please let them be okay.
It didn’t take long to find the source of the scream. One of the girls—Mary—was thrashing in the water while the others stood on the bank.
“Oh, please help! I can’t swim!” Mary’s voice carried on the breeze.
Tayler made it to Thomas’s side just as he let out a huff.
“Thomas, help, oh, please help!” Mary bounced up and down.
Mary’s parents made it to Thomas’s other side. “Aren’t you going to do something?” Her father pointed, a stricken look on his face.
Thomas took off his shoes.
“You’re wasting time!” Mary’s mother put a hankie to her face.
Thomas strode into the water and reached out to grab the girl, but she yanked on him and he fell into the water. He came up sputtering while the girl clung to his neck and practically threw herself into his arms.
“Oh, thank you for saving me.”
The dramatics of the young lady were so overboard that everyone realized at the same moment she was faking. A couple of moans were heard from a few adults, and as Mary continued her acting, Tayler tried not to laugh. No wonder Thomas had sighed and taken the time to take off his shoes.
“You didn’t need saving, Mary. The water’s not even up to your waist. You were clearly jumping up and down off the bottom to thrash around.” His words held a bit of scolding.
But then the girl clung tighter. “I was so scared.”
Whispers sounded behind them. “What a terrible prank to pull. Don’t these girls know better?”
More comments from the others reached them.
Mary’s father bolted to the front, his face red as he obviously heard some of the comments. “You’re fine, Mary. Enough with the melodramatics.”
The girl gave up her ploy and dropped her arms. “We were just having a little fun. Weren’t we, Thomas?” Mary beamed a coy smile up at her rescuer.
“No. This wasn’t fun, Mary. It will never be fun for someone to risk their safety—and others’ safety—to play a trick to get attention.” Thomas took her elbow and escorted her to the grassy bank. “You know, if you cry wolf too many times, you may not have the help you need in the time you need it most.” Even though he scolded her, he gave her a smile. Tayler assumed it was to soften the blow.
Mary crossed her arms and pouted. Her friends circled her, and Tayler didn’t even want to know what was going on in their silly little heads.
One thing was certain. This trip would be a learning experience for them all.
“Welcome to the Curry.” The lady behind the desk offered him a smile. “How may I help you?”
“I’d like a room, please.”
“How long will you be staying?” She examined the register.
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s such a lovely area.”
A large smile spread across her face. “Yes, it is.” She turned the book to him. “You’re in luck. We’re almost full up, but I’ve got a cozy little room for you on the second floor. If you’d please sign in, I’ll get your room key ready for you.”
“That sounds lovely, thank you.” Greg DeMarco signed the ledger as Fred Jones. He’d just be another tourist and guest at the hotel.
As the bellhop carried his bag up the stairs, Greg followed behind. It was a wonderful day to be alive. Too bad Pruitt didn’t have many of those left.
20
Esmerelda curled a lock of her hair around her finger. Mary stood there soaking wet, looking like a fool. “Exactly what did you think you would accomplish?”
Mary shot her a scathing look. “You aren’t the only one who can get the men’s affections, you know.” She wrung out her hair. “I’m tired of all your flirtations. Frankly, it’s making me sick, and I don’t want to spend the rest of the summer watching you make a fool of yourself.”
Esmerelda put her hands on her hips. How dare she. “Fool of myself? I’m not the one soaked to the bone.”
“Well, at least I managed to get into his arms.” Mary stepped up to her until they were toe-to-toe. “That’s more than you can say.”
“Is that a challenge?” Could this drowned rat actually be serious? “We’ve been friends since before any of us can remember. Have I ever not gotten the guy I wanted?”
“I, for one, don’t want to just watch you play your games all summer. Maybe you need a little competition.” Mary crossed her arms over her chest and walked toward the others. Her sister, Martha, jutted out her chin. Obviously those two would stick together.
“Is this how you feel too, Alice?” Esmerelda stared down at the shorter girl.
“Oh, Essie, is this really necessary? Why can’t we just enjoy the summer together? In a few years, we’ll all be married off to a bunch of stodgy, rich men and be expected to start families. Why do we need to chase boys now?” Alice sighed.
&
nbsp; “Thomas isn’t a boy, Alice. He’s a man.” Mary snorted. “I bet that I can win Thomas’s affection before Essie can.”
Esmerelda stepped toward her so-called friend. “Oh, really? You think so? With more childish behavior like you demonstrated tonight?”
Mary huffed at her. “Think what you want, Esmerelda. I know so. He’ll see straight through your simpering façade to the cat beneath.”
She let the insult slide off her back. This would definitely make the summer a bit more fun. Esmerelda stuck out her hand. “It’s a bet. But what will we win?”
Mary squinted at her. “If you win, I’ll give you the diamond headband I wore to the Clemsons’ party that you were so envious of.”
Esmerelda let another insult fall, hiding her delight at the offer. The diamond headband was indeed a generous prize. One Mary’s parents would be shocked to know that their darling daughter had wagered. “All right, then, if you win, I’ll give you Marigold’s foal.”
The other girls gasped. They all knew the foal would be worth a small fortune, since the sire was none other than Esmerelda’s father’s champion steed.
Alice covered her mouth and then uncovered it. “What will your father say?”
Esmerelda shrugged. “What can he say? The horse belongs to me.” She tilted her head to the other girls and raised her eyebrows. “You’re witnesses. You must swear to tell the truth.”
Alice and Martha nodded.
Mary grabbed her hand and shook it. “We have a bet. And witnesses.”
Esmerelda couldn’t help the smirk that lifted her lips. “May the best woman win.”
FRIDAY, JUNE 21
Tayler walked to her new favorite spot atop Curry Ridge. The early morning hours were her favorite, the calm and quiet to gather her thoughts before the day began. Someone had placed several stumps on the side of the Regalvista lookout for seating, and it was the perfect place to watch the great mountain in the crisp and sunny morning. Even though a crystal-clear blue sky was above her, a large ring of clouds wrapped around the mountain’s shoulders in the distance, keeping the peak covered and giving him an air of mystery and majesty. He wasn’t called the High One for nothing. His reign over this terrain was undisputed.
Under the Midnight Sun Page 21
