Rocky Mountain Angels

by Jodi Bowersox [romance]

  Eli met her at the bottom of the stairs. “Leaving already?”

  “Ben invited me in for dessert, but I realized I need to feed Tawny.”

  Eli grabbed his wool coat. “I’ll walk you.” He expected her to protest; when she didn’t, he opened the door and ushered her out before Ben got wind of what he was doing.

  She blew out a breath with her brow pinched as she stepped off the porch.

  “Foot hurt?”

  “Yeah,” —she continued down slowly— “pain meds have worn off. I should have put them in my purse this morning.”

  Eli grabbed her arm to halt her descent then scooped her up. Carrying her across the lawn, he was once again surprised when she didn’t protest. She dug the key out of her purse, unlocked the door, and turned the knob, still in Eli’s arms. Turning sideways, he carried her through the doorway and shut the door with his foot. He didn’t set her down.

  “Mari—” “Eli—” they said at the same time. Eli looked deep into her eyes, and she didn’t look away. “Mari, unless you tell me not to, I’m going to kiss you.”

  As it turned out, the day was just full of surprises.

  Mari wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned in, and kissed him, her lips soft and sweet. Eli felt a surge of emotion along with a wave of passion. He carried her to the settee and sat, still holding her.

  “This is really going to hurt your butt.”

  “With you on my lap, I could sit on nails and not feel a thing.” While he was grateful for this change over yesterday, he was puzzled and almost afraid to breathe for fear it wasn’t real.

  Mari must have read his expression. “I can see you’re confused, and” —she paused and licked her lips— “I’m a bit confused, too, but I guess I’ve decided to give you a chance.”

  “You guess.”

  “Everything about today just sort of led up to it, although it didn’t really form as a coherent thought until a moment ago.” She slid off his lap. “Your butt has got to be hurting.”

  He gave her a lop-sided smile. “Well, it is now.” He rose and started in on the buttons of her coat.

  “I told Ben I’d just be a few minutes.”

  “Yeah, well, I want those few minutes.” He pushed her coat off her shoulders, and she let it fall to the floor. He slipped out of his and tossed it back on the wicker bench then stepped close, running a hand down the side of her face. Tracing his thumb along her bottom lip, he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Settling his lips on hers, he let his hand slide into her long, loose curls as he kissed her gently and sweetly.

  He let his lips drift to her ear. “Can I come back later?” he whispered. She nodded, and he gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Okay, sugar, go feed your cat, and I’ll get your meds. Are they in your bedroom?”

  “Yeah,” she said limping toward the kitchen. “On the chair by the bed.”

  Striding to her room, he grabbed the prescription bottle and paused a moment beside her bed. He kissed his fingertips and brushed them lightly over her pillow.

  Exiting the bedroom he crossed back to his coat and picked hers up as well. Meeting her at the kitchen door, he handed her the bottle of pills. She took it and opened it, looking concerned. “There’s something I have to know before we start seeing each other.” She paused and stepped back into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

  Eli grimaced and wondered what new questions he might have to answer concerning his past love life.

  She swallowed the pills then turned to face him, leaning against the counter. “Why don’t you go to Shabbas services? Don’t you believe?”

  He took a step toward her and held out her coat. She turned and slid her arms in the sleeves, and he settled it on her shoulders before pulling her hair out of the collar. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he set his chin on top of her head. “I suppose I do, but I just don’t see any use for all the rituals. Why would a God who created the universe care about all that and do nothing to stop the wars all around us. The candles are lit, the prayers are said just so, and the wine is blessed, but children die of starvation and cancer. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

  She turned in his arms and looked intently into his eyes. “Would you be willing to give it another try? It’s kind of important to me.”

  He locked his hands behind her and smiled. Sabbath services, no matter how inane, were a small price to pay for this jewel. “Yeah, I could give it another try.”

  A few moments later he was carrying her across the lawn once again to his house, where Ben was probably impatiently waiting. He couldn’t help the pride that swelled in him at the thought that he had won in the competition for their fair neighbor’s attentions, but it was quickly followed by sympathy. Ben can be a royal pain in the ass, but he’s still my little brother. “Mari, about Ben...”

  “I know. I’ll tell him but not right now. Shabbas should be a day of peace.”

  Eli nodded and carried his treasure up the steps.

  ***

  Joe felt as if his world had tilted off its axis, and he was only hanging on by his fingertips. He had skipped the cheesecake in favor of a nap, but sleep had proved to be impossible. He was unofficially engaged to Beth, but he had never felt with her what he had felt with Mari pressed up next to him. He had always thought the “chemistry thing” was just a myth perpetuated by goofy romance novels.

  Holding Beth—kissing Beth—was a pleasurable experience, but there had never been the kind of electricity he felt with Mari. He’d never experienced shortness of breath in Beth’s presence or such a strong feeling of protectiveness. He rolled to his side, pulling the pillow with him over his head. If it was just physical, I could just stay away from her... maybe.

  But he knew it wasn’t just physical.

  Mari was smart and funny and didn’t panic in a crisis. Beth tended to be moody and flipped out when something went wrong, and while he didn’t fault her for wanting to be an artist, he had to confess, he didn’t really understand the way she saw the world and put it on a canvas. He was embarrassed to admit that he had hung the painting she’d given him over his bed, so he really didn’t have to look at it too often.

  Last night had also shown him that he and Beth were worlds apart in things of religion. She went through the motions with him, because he expected her to, but he could tell it didn’t really mean anything to her.

  And when Mari sang... Joe rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling. When Mari sang...

  Joe had been so moved by the harmonies they had created together in the song she obviously knew by heart and sang with such emotion, it had taken the whole next song to recover. The Sabbath wasn’t just a rote exercise for her. She feels it deep inside; she sings it; she lives it. When he had her sitting close to him the second time, it was all he could do to keep from sliding his arm tight around her and pressing a kiss to her curly head.

  He sat up and swung his legs to the floor. So what do I do? Am I really ready to break up with Beth just like that? I don’t even know if Mari’s interested in me. He moaned. But now that I know what there could be, will I ever be satisfied with Beth? Putting his head in his hands, it suddenly hit him that he wasn’t the only male in the house thinking about Mari. He knew both of his brothers were vying for this little woman’s affections. Oh dear God, do they both feel like this?

  He rose and walked to the window. The shadows were getting long. The Sabbath would soon be over, but he knew he had a long night of prayer ahead of him.

  Chapter 11

  Eli woke Sunday morning to the sounds of demolition overhead. He stumbled out into the hallway in his boxers and practically ran into Ben in much the same state. They looked at each other. “Joe,” they grumbled at the same time.

  Eli turned and headed back to his room, doing a belly flop on his bed. It was still dark out. He turned his head to see his alarm clock. 5:30? What the hell, Joe? Sundays were usually a house work day, but starting this early was hardly the norm.

  He pul
led his pillow over his head, but the banging upstairs was relentless. I didn’t even know he was ready to start upstairs. We don’t have this floor done yet. Tossing his pillow to the floor, he rolled over and sat up. No point trying to sleep through this. Rubbing a hand around his face, he launched off the bed before it could grab him back down into its warmth.

  He could hear their only shower running, so he pulled on jeans and a gray t-shirt and made his way to the third floor. He stood a moment at the top watching Joe, wearing an old white t-shirt and holey jeans, put all his strength into swinging a sledge hammer at the lath and plaster wall, sending clouds of dust into the air.

  When he paused a moment, Eli stepped forward. “Joe.”

  Joe turned, nodded, and put the sledge up for another slam.

  Eli stepped closer. “Joe, hold up a second. Why on God’s green earth are you starting so early, and why are you doing anything up here when we don’t have the second floor finished? I don’t have the plans done for up here. Heck, we’ve barely discussed this space.” Eli sneezed and waved a hand in front of him. “And you should have a mask on. You don’t need plaster dust in your lungs.”

  Joe paused and leaned on the handle of his sledge hammer. “To answer your first question, I’ve been lying awake for awhile, so I decided to get up and be productive. And I’m working up here, because I felt like pounding something. We don’t need plans to know that all this plaster and lath has to come down.” He paused. “And you’re right about the mask. Could you go get me one?” He turned back to the wall and hefted his hammer. “Thanks.”

  Eli didn’t know what had precipitated Joe’s need to “pound something” but respected that need nonetheless. I just wish he didn’t feel it at 5:30 in the morning.

  When he hit the second floor, Ben was coming out of the bathroom in old work clothes, his hair wet. “What’s up with Joe?”

  Eli shrugged. “He’s just an early bird today ‘feeling the need to pound something.’” Eli’s eyes narrowed. “Are he and Beth fighting?”

  Ben turned to head down the stairs, and Eli followed. “I don’t know, but he spent Shabbas with her Friday evening, got back real late, and was kind of weird, so maybe they are.”

  Eli had only met Beth once or twice—Joe’s budgeting fetish kept her from coming to the Springs very often—but he thought they went together like Miley Cyrus and Josh Groban. He was pretty sure she was not who Joe thought she was, but Joe had a way of maneuvering people into his corner to fill whatever spaces he needed filled and ignoring their real potential. Maybe Beth’s tired of wearing the mask Joe’s given her.

  Lord knows I am.

  He suddenly remembered something. “Ben, run a face mask and goggles up to Joe. He’s creating so much dust up there, he won’t be able to see soon, and he’ll be coughing up plaster balls. I’ll get started on breakfast.”

  Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Ben jogged out to Joe’s pickup while Eli headed toward the kitchen. He pulled out mixing bowls, eggs, milk, and pancake mix to make their usual Sunday breakfast of pancakes and eggs. Despite the early hour, Eli started to whistle as he broke the eggs into a bowl, thinking about the evening he had spent with Mari.

  She hadn’t wanted to break it to Ben that they were dating until sometime today, so he had sneaked back over to her place while Ben was playing a video game in his room. Mari had been looking through a bird book when he arrived and was excited to show him a bird she’d spotted in the afternoon that she’d never seen before. It was just a scrub jay, but evidently there aren’t scrub jays in Oklahoma.

  After he’d been thoroughly educated on the topic of birds, they had piled up all the pillows she had on the floor in front of the TV to watch a movie and still got up stiff and sore two hours later. I’ve got to get that woman something comfortable to sit on.

  She had wanted a promise of fidelity while they were dating, and he had given it without hesitation. He didn’t foresee any difficulty in keeping his eyes on her alone. He never wanted to be alone with anyone as much in his life.

  Ben came back in the house and ran up the two flights of stairs and back down again as Eli poured the beaten eggs into a pan on the stove. Ben shook his head as he grabbed the bowl of pancake batter and started to spoon it onto the hot griddle. “He’s swinging that hammer like a madman. At this rate, he’ll have the room down to studs by noon.”

  Eli stirred the eggs. “Yeah, well, I doubt he can keep going that long. He’ll be worn out and asleep about the time we would normally be getting started.” He began to whistle again.

  Ben glanced at him sideways. “Why are you in such a good mood? You wanted to knock my block off the day before yesterday.”

  Eli nodded. “I sure did.”

  Ben felt a knot forming in his stomach. “Where were you last night? I was looking for you to play Street Fighter, but you weren’t in the house.”

  Eli put a lid on the eggs and turned to face him. “I really wasn’t aware that I needed to report my every move to you, Ben.”

  “I can’t believe you. Friday night, you said you could change for Mari, and Saturday night you’re back to the usual.” He flipped the pancakes. “Good thing Mari doesn’t know how fast you forgot her.”

  Eli looked pained. “It saddens me that you have so little faith in me, Benjamin.” He stepped around the table to exit the kitchen. “Watch the eggs while I go tell Joe that breakfast is nearly ready.”

  Ben watched him go and felt a pang of guilt. Was he wrong? But why wouldn’t he just tell me if he wasn’t doing something he shouldn’t? He hadn’t seen him so perky since he was flirting with Mari, telling her she owed him two dates. The knot in Ben’s belly tightened.

  Was he at Mari’s last night?

  ***

  After a rather silent breakfast, Joe should have been ready to go back to bed, but he still had a restless stirring in his middle that had him heading back up to their top floor as soon as the dishes were in the dishwasher. The three men worked steadily for the next couple of hours with Joe and Eli wielding hammers while Ben scooped the rubble into trash bags.

  A feminine voice at the bottom of the stairs had them all turning their heads. “Hello? Are you guys tearing the house down?”

  The three strode to the stairwell, white with plaster dust, and looked down. Mari smiled up at them in a long-sleeved brown top over jeans. “My goodness, you guys look like really odd ghosts!”

  The three pulled their masks down and goggles off. Joe couldn’t help smiling at the sparkling eyes that had haunted his thoughts ever since the Sabbath service. “I’m sure we’re a sight. Don’t come up unless you want to look the same.”

  She held up a basket. “I brought muffins. Can you take a break?”

  Eli reached for a towel hanging on the end of the railing. “Just give us a minute.”

  Joe’s smile became a grin. “Go on down to the kitchen. We’ll be there in a sec.”

  The three wiped themselves off as best as they could then headed down. Joe’s heart was beating at a rapid clip, and he couldn’t fight the feeling of competition that was coming over him. He had spent the evening wrestling with God, seeking counsel for his suddenly overturned heart, and though he had tried to pray himself back into his former frame of mind, he woke up with Mari’s sweet face at the forefront of his thoughts, and Mari’s sweet voice echoing in his soul.

  Mari had coffee brewing in the coffee maker and muffins set out on napkins by the time they showed up in the kitchen. Three warm smiles greeted her, although Eli also gave her a subtle wink. She should have felt uncomfortable rooting around in someone else’s kitchen, but Mari felt right at home. She poured them each a cup of coffee, feeling a bit like a waitress in a diner. “Oh, and some of you like cream, right?” She started toward the refrigerator, but Joe, who was sitting closest to it, jumped up.

  “I’ll get it, Mari.” He took her by the elbow and led her to a chair. “You don’t need to be waiting on us. You should probably have your foot elevated.”

/>   Joe’s touch never failed to cause flutters in her belly, and she looked down embarrassed, especially with Eli sitting right across from her, watching. Joe turned back to the refrigerator, and she tried to cover how flustered she felt. “It’s feeling much better today, thanks.”

  “You’re just high on pain meds,” Eli teased.

  Mari smiled before taking a bite of her muffin. “Maybe.” Their eyes locked for a moment as a memory of Eli’s strong arms and tender kisses warmed her.

  The microwave beeped, and she started to rise, but Joe again stopped her. “I mean it, girl, sit still.” He retrieved the steaming mug of water and placed it before her. He looked to his brothers. “Do we have any tea?”

  Before they could answer, Mari whipped out a tea bag from the back pocket of her jeans. “Never fear, I came prepared.”

  “You want some honey?”

  Mari nodded and bit her lip at the answer she was thinking. Joe squeezed her shoulder as he passed behind her, and Mari shivered.

  “Looks like you could use something warm.” Eli observed after taking a sip of his coffee. “How are your fingers?”

  She held them up for inspection as Joe set a teddy bear bottle of honey beside her and sat back down at the table. “Not too bad. Just a few white spots at the ends.” She quickly opened the tea packet and set the bag in the water and weighed it down with a spoon. Feeling like everyone was suddenly scrutinizing her, she wrapped her fingers around the hot mug.

  Eli turned to Joe. “Her fingers go completely white in

  the cold.”

  “I know, I’ve witnessed it. Have you ever asked a doctor

  about it?”

  “Yeah, there are some meds you can take, but the list of possible side effects is pretty long. Most just advise staying out of the cold.”

  Eli’s brows arched. “So have you changed—”

  “These are really good, Mari?” Ben interrupted in such a way to let everyone know he’d done it on purpose. Eli gave him a look but didn’t say anything.