by SJ McCoy
Roberto chuckled. “Oh, that’s even better.” He turned to Oscar. “Do I just have to guess?”
Oscar nodded.
“Great.” Roberto winked at her. “Don’t worry, darling. I’ll do you proud. I’ll just need to measure you up.”
Grace wanted to feel more uncomfortable than she did while Roberto took every measurement she could imagine—and a few she would never have thought of! When he was done, he sent her to check out the purses while he went and consulted with Oscar.
She picked up a dark brown purse with a light brown pattern on it; it was pretty. Maybe she could get it. She didn’t want Oscar to buy her everything. It felt weird. She flipped the price tag and let out a long, low whistle. Nope. No way could she get it—and no way would she, even if she had that kind of money. She could never carry a purse that could have fed a family for a couple of weeks.
Oscar came to join her. “Do you like it?”
She shook her head rapidly and held up her own. “I prefer mine.”
He gave her a knowing smile. “Please don’t get mad at me about this. I’m only being practical. It’s about being able to surprise you. That’s all.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “We both know it’s not, and part of me wants to be mad at you, but another part thinks it’s sweet and knows you mean well.”
He rested his hands on her shoulders and planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. She was starting to love the way he did that. “Thank you.”
Half an hour later, Roberto returned. Grace eyed all the bags he was carrying then looked up at him.
He grinned. “I’ve given you a couple of choices.”
“A couple? There must be more clothes in those bags than there are in my entire closet.”
He gave her a warm smile. “I hope you’ll love them all. Let me know, won’t you?” He handed her his card, then passed Oscar a receipt.
Grace turned the card over in her hands. Roberto gave her the impression that he genuinely wanted to know how she liked the things he’d chosen for her. She smiled at him. “Thank you.”
Oscar hugged him again, and they made their way out.
“Have a lovely time,” called Roberto as they reached the door.
Grace turned back and waved at him.
She was quiet when they got back in the car.
“Are you okay?” asked Oscar. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“No. That was a sweet thing to do. Thank you.”
“So, what are you mulling over?”
She shrugged. “I’m kind of mad at myself.”
“Why?”
“Because he made me realize how small minded I am about some things.”
Oscar didn’t look too impressed.
“Not because he’s gay!” she said quickly. “I don’t have a problem with that, and I never understand why anyone does. I mean, if you’d have described that store to me and described Roberto, I wouldn’t have wanted to go there. I would have felt, I don’t know, superior in some ways and inferior in others. I would have said that’s not my kind of place, and he’s not my kind of person. I don’t value fashion or people who build their lives around it.”
“And you think that makes you small minded?”
“In a way. It’s not that I suddenly care about fashion. But I do like Roberto. He’s not a bad person just because he has different priorities from me. He struck me as a kind, decent human being.”
“He is.”
Grace nodded. “I guess we both have a lot to learn, don’t we?”
Oscar smiled and reached across for her hand. “We do, and I’m looking forward to us teaching each other.”
Grace kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead. Did that mean he was looking forward to spending more time with her? She hoped so, but maybe he just meant while they worked on the center.
“Do you want to talk about what you have in mind for the center?” she asked.
“I thought we agreed we should wait? I want this to be about us.”
“Us? There’s an us?” She regretted the question as soon as she’d asked it. She wanted to know. She wanted the answer to be yes, but she didn’t mean to put him on the spot like that.
He reached across and took ahold of her hand. “I’d like there to be. If you’re interested?”
She tried to hide her smile, but she couldn’t manage it. “I’m interested.”
He squeezed her hand, then let it go as he took the exit. “Good.”
They were going to Santa Monica. That was good. She liked it there. Maybe they’d walk the beach and visit the pier. It was fancy out here, but it was special. One of the families she’d stayed with had brought her and their other kids out here for their birthdays. It was one of the very few places where she had happy memories. She’d love to make some more here with Oscar.
~ ~ ~
“Have you figured it out?” he asked as he took a right turn.
“I think so.”
He grinned. She hadn’t. She probably thought they were going to the pier, and one day he’d take her. But that wasn’t his plan tonight. Tonight, he was going to take her home. The look on her face when he’d talked about her childhood had touched him deeply. She’d never known anything like that kind of life, and no doubt thought she never would. He wanted to share it with her. His parents still lived in the house he’d grown up in. At least for part of the year. He knew they were there this weekend, and he wanted her to meet them, to feel the kind of love that came with a family like his.
She was looking puzzled now. “This isn’t the way to the pier.”
“I know.”
He’d called ahead to the airport while she was busy with Roberto getting measured up for the jeans and sweaters and cowboy boots he’d wanted her to have. His jet would be ready when they arrived.
“So where are we going?”
“Here,” he answered as he turned into Santa Monica Regional.
“It’s an airport?”
He nodded and found a spot to park. “Ten out of ten for observation.”
She made a face and pushed at his arm. “We’re going somewhere else?”
He nodded, trying to hide his grin but not succeeding.
“Where?”
“To check somewhere off your bucket list.”
Her eyebrows knit together. “Montana?”
“Yep. Paradise Valley, where I grew up, and tomorrow we’ll go down to the park, and you can meet the bison.”
“What?” She looked stunned. “But there are no flights to Montana from here.” She looked around. “There are no flights to anywhere from here. This place is private.”
He cocked his head to one side, trying not to look too smug.
“You have a private plane?” she asked incredulously.
“I do, and we should go get on it. It’ll take us about two and half hours in the air.”
She sat there staring at him, apparently lost for words, so he got out and went around to open her door for her.
She stood beside him as he pulled his holdall and all of her Hayes’ bags from the trunk.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m in shock.”
He smiled and slid his arm around her shoulders. “You’ll get used to it. Come on. I said we’d be here and ready to go by four-thirty.” He steered her inside and felt her tense when the two girls at the front desk spotted them.
“Mr. Davenport!” The blonde whose name he could never remember smiled and batted her eyelashes at him. She usually did that, but Oscar was surprised that she’d do it while he had his arm around Grace. He was grateful, though, as Grace edged closer to him and tightened her arm around his waist.
“Hi—” was all he got chance to say before the other one chimed in.
“I’ll let Woody know you’re here.”
“Thanks.” He steered Grace to the sofas that overlooked the runway and set the bags down.
“I can’t believe thi
s.”
“Believe it. You told me that the place where I grew up is on your bucket list. Why wouldn’t I take the opportunity to make it happen for you?”
“Why would you?”
He smiled and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Because I love to see you smile.”
It was true, and she rewarded him with one of those smiles. “Thank you.”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Davenport. Are we ready?”
“Yes, thanks.” Oscar stood back as Woody collected the bags. “And sorry for the short notice.”
“No problem.” Woody smiled at him. “You’re doing me a favor.”
Oscar chuckled. He knew the pilot had a somewhat complicated love life and often appreciated the opportunity to get out of town for a few days.
“Do you have a return day in mind?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“Okay.”
Oscar didn’t miss the look of disappointment on Woody’s face. He’d love to be gone longer himself, but he and Grace had a lot to get back for. Monday would mark the beginning of his new chapter. His mind was reeling with everything he’d need to do to call a halt to the new club and make a start on the new center. He kept pushing it away, though. That could wait until Monday. His time with Grace couldn’t.
They followed Woody across the tarmac to where the jet stood. Grace looked up at him in amazement. “This is yours?”
He nodded.
“Wow!” was all she had to say about that.
~ ~ ~
When they landed at the airport in Bozeman, Grace leaned forward to peer through the window. They’d been flying over mountains for a while now. They were amazing! It was hard to take it all in—the size of the mountains, the sheer vastness. Not to mention the fact that she was sitting in a private jet with the sexiest man she’d ever known. The man who wanted to share this with her.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“I think I’m going to wake up any minute now and realize that this was all just a dream.”
He shook his head. “Nope. It’s real. It’s all real, and it’s only going to get better now we’re here.
Less than fifteen minutes after stepping off the plane, they were in a rented Jeep and heading east away from the airport. Grace drank in the scenery while Oscar talked on his phone. Apparently, he had a house they were going to. Not only that, but he had someone he could call to open it up for them—and to have dinner delivered. She shook her head as she listened. This was a whole different world.
He hung up and smiled at her. “Everything should be ready when we get there.”
“I didn’t know you had a house here.”
He shrugged. “We all do. It’s a great place to visit, and we all want to see the folks, but not necessarily have to stay with them.”
She nodded. “Do you come here often?”
“No. I haven’t in a long time. We all tend to meet up in LA, or we’ll go to Oregon if Dad’s busy there.”
Grace raised an eyebrow.
“Dad’s a doctor,” he explained. “He has a rehab clinic on the Oregon coast.”
Grace pursed her lips. She knew there was big money in rehab. Celebrities would no doubt appreciate being able to hide out in some secluded, luxury facility with an ocean view. “What kind of rehab?”
“Stroke. He’s done some pioneering work in the field. He was a neurosurgeon for most of his career, but when he was ready to slow down, he set up a physical and occupational therapy clinic. Then, when one of his old college buddies had a stroke, he got into that kind of rehab, too. He’s the kind of man who always has to be doing something, learning something new.”
Grace smiled. “And you take after him?”
“I’d like to think so.”
He drove them over a mountain pass, and on the other side, the landscape opened up a little. The wind roared over vast empty plains. Grace was a little sad to leave the mountains behind, but Oscar took the next exit and headed south through a little town that looked to be a gas station and grocery store and not much else. South of town, they squeezed between the feet of two mountains, and then a beautiful valley opened out before them, lined on either side with majestic mountains. Grace leaned her head back and tried to drink it all in.
“Welcome to Paradise,” said Oscar with a smile.
After a while, he turned off the main road and down a private driveway.
“Is this it?” asked Grace when she spotted the house.
“That’s my parents’ place. Mine’s just a little farther down the lane.”
“Are they there?” she asked when she saw the lights glowing in the windows.
“They are, but we’ll see them tomorrow.”
Grace shuddered. She hadn’t envisioned this as a meet-the-parents type deal.
He reached over for her hand. “Don’t worry, they’re great people. I think you’ll like them.”
“I’m more worried about what they’ll think of me! They’ll probably be horrified that you’d bring someone like me here.”
He scowled at her. “What exactly do you mean when you say someone like you?”
She shrugged and stared out the window as they followed the lane and another house appeared. It was beautiful, more like a lodge than a cabin, standing in a meadow by a river, with amazing views of the mountains.
He brought the Jeep to a stop and came around to open her door, but she jumped out before he could. She was perfectly capable of opening her own door.
“Are you going to answer me?”
“You know what I mean. They’ll expect you to bring home some model or movie star, someone from a good family at least. Not someone from foster care, someone who’s soon to be homeless and jobless again.”
He took hold of her shoulders and turned her to face him. “They’re not the kind of people who judge someone by their circumstances. Even though it seems you are.”
Wow! That told her, didn’t it? She glared up at him, but his smile disarmed her, yet again. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his lips, the way they quirked upward did funny things to her insides. The way he lowered them to hers made her forget everything. He crushed her to his chest and claimed her mouth. She clung to him as she kissed him back, hoping this really wasn’t a dream she was about to wake up from. She wanted to stay lost in this dream forever, his arms around her, his mouth exploring hers, the birds singing in the meadow, the water rushing in the river, and the big Montana sky darkening above them.
Chapter Fifteen
Oscar showed Grace to one of the guest rooms and left her to go through the Hayes bags. He smiled as he remembered the way Roberto’s eyes had lit up when he’d told him what he wanted. Roberto was a great guy, and he had the best fashion sense. He’d even given Oscar a few tips lately. Navy had been his suggestion, and Oscar was grateful for it. He’d mostly stuck to black and gray before, but he now had a collection of navy suits that he loved.
He hadn’t seen what Roberto had picked out for Grace, but he couldn’t wait. He knew it’d all be amazing. The brief had been clothes suitable for Montana, to include hiking, possible horseback riding, and a possible meal with his parents. He decided to give them a quick call.
“Oscar. You’re here then. We saw you go by.”
“Hey, Mom. I can’t wait to see you.”
“You, too, dear. Will you want to come for lunch?”
He sighed. “I’m not sure. I want to take Grace to the park tomorrow. She’s never been. So, I don’t want to have to race back up the valley for lunch.”
“That’s okay. How about I do cold plates. That way you can call me when you’re on the way back. It won’t matter if it’s two o’clock or five.”
“Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”
“I know. I can’t wait to meet her.”
Oscar smiled. “You don’t know the first thing about her.”
“I do. I’ve been pumping your brother for information.”
Of course she had. “And what did he tell you?”
“That she’s a very special young lady.”
“She is.”
“And you’ve known her for how long now?”
Oscar thought about it. Damn. It was less than two weeks.
His mom chuckled down the line. “I already know that too; I just wondered if you’d make any excuses.”
He shook his head.
“I’m glad you didn’t. Sometimes you meet a person and you just know.”
“Know what?”
“That they’re your person.”
“Your person?” he asked with a laugh.
“Yes, your one and only, your love, the one you’re meant to spend your life with.”
Oscar didn’t know what to say. Grace was special, yes. But to think that she might be his person? That thought hadn’t even occurred to him. He was enjoying this for what it was. He hadn’t gone so far as to think about what it might be. “I don’t know what to tell you, Mom.”
He could hear the smile in her voice. “That’s okay, dear. I have a feeling, and tomorrow I’ll know if I’m right.”
He laughed. “You and your feelings.”
“Don’t mock. You know my feelings are usually spot on.”
“I do. I’ll see you tomorrow. Say hi to Dad for me?”
“Will do. Bye.”
Oscar hung up and went to look out at the view. The huge wall of windows overlooked the river and the valley. He’d chosen this spot because of that view. He let himself out onto the deck. It was almost dark now. The mountains loomed to either side and stars were starting to come out. Could Grace be his person? He sucked in a deep breath. He didn’t know. He wasn’t ready to have a person. Was he the kind of guy who had a person? A woman. A wife? Damn, that was a scary thought. He didn’t understand why people did it—got married. Monogamy was unnatural as far as he was concerned. Why tie yourself to one woman, when there were so many women in the world? Why commit to a lifetime with one person, when people changed, they outgrew each other, they stopped having fun together. He shuddered. No. Grace was a special lady. But he didn’t believe he had a person, as his mom put it.
He turned when he heard her at the top of the stairs and went back inside. She leaned against the log railing and smiled down at him. His heart started to pound. Damn, she was beautiful. Her long, dark hair fell around her shoulders. She was wearing jeans and a red shirt. She looked amazing.
