This Time in Timberline

by Jennifer Morey

  He kept looking at her, waiting for her to continue. She'd obviously come to reveal something about Utah's past. However untrue it may be. Utah had a way of attracting misinterpretations about her. Rather than creating a wedge between him and her, as was Megan's intent, it only made him adore her more. And want to protect her.

  "She slept with Calvin to get closer to Arthur," Megan said. "He told me everything."

  "He told you she slept with him?"

  She nodded. "Mm hmm." Her hands slid up and down his chest.

  "Why you?" He ignored her deliberate caress.

  Her eyes flickered with confusion.

  "Why would he tell you that?" Megan, of all people in Timberline, the queen of gossip.

  "He came into my café. We got to talking."

  "So you're friends, you and Calvin."

  "I wouldn't call it that. He was just there when Melva, Lulu, and I were talking about her one day."

  "And he joined in."

  "Yeah, something like that."

  He was beginning to understand. "Megan, you can't believe everything you hear and you can't twist it into something you think will benefit you."

  A slight frown creased her brow. "I don't think this will benefit me. I don't take pleasure in other people's unscrupulous behavior." She slid her hands off him and stepped back. "Calvin said he met Utah when he went golfing with his stepdad one day. She found out how rich his stepdad was and asked Calvin to have dinner with her. He took her to a nice place and afterward, she went home with him."

  "So she slept with the stepson then moved on to the dad." He let his disbelief come out in his tone.

  "She used Calvin to get close to Arthur. She knew what she was after from the beginning. Once she established a relationship with Arthur, she turned him against Calvin and manipulated him into writing her into his will."

  "Why did she need Calvin to get close to Arthur?" Was Megan making this all up or had Calvin told the lie?

  "Calvin didn't like her. She had to win him over first."

  "And she accomplished that by having sex with him?"

  "Yes."

  "How'd he feel about her after she slept with his stepfather?"

  "He hated her. But that was her intent. She wanted to estrange him from Arthur so she'd get all the money. Is that someone you want to be associated with?"

  "Utah said they were already estranged when she met Arthur."

  "Of course she'd say that. She wouldn't want you to think she was the one responsible for the estrangement."

  He grunted a laugh, unable to hold it back.

  "You don't believe the Utah of your teenage years could do it," Megan pressed. "But the Utah who moved home could. And did. Calvin told me."

  "Then Calvin lied."

  "Why would he lie about that? He loved his stepdad like he was his real father."

  "I think it's time for you to leave."

  Megan pursed her lips. "I'm only telling you to save you some heartache."

  The woman was lining herself up for embarrassment if she kept this up. Unless he was the only one who could see she was lying. "I'll keep it in mind."

  "Andy doesn't show it, but he's got a lot of money. Everybody knows. His father left him a fortune. Does Utah know about that?"

  "I don't care if she does. She isn't making inroads with me to get to my father."

  "No?"

  He shook his head. "No." How far would this woman go?

  Why would Utah run away from him at the Fourth of July celebration if she wanted to get close to him?

  "I saw the way she ran off on the Fourth," Megan said, reading his thoughts like a vulture. "She's playing you."

  "I'm kindly asking you to leave."

  "Mason-"

  "I've heard enough. Now, if you'll just go...."

  Her face crumbled into regret. "Please don't be mad at me for coming here like this, Mason. I just thought someone should tell you."

  He waited without saying anything.

  She finally backed away, then turned. At the doorway she looked back. "I'm really sorry."

  What a good actress she was. A desperate one, if she'd go to this length to drive him away from Utah. She'd made a mistake thinking he didn't know Utah. He probably knew her better than anyone in town. Sweet Utah. Sweet, beautiful, misunderstood Utah.

  Chuckling as the essence of her floated through his senses, soaking his soul and keeping the smile on his mouth, he left the barn to find his dad. Maybe they'd have a beer on the back porch. On the way, a disturbing notion entered his mind that maybe she was worth staying for. Worth more than his career. More than revenge...

  ###

  Utah was avoiding him. Mason pounded the piece of trim that would finish the wall in his dad's office. It had been three weeks since he'd last seen her. It was driving him mad. He thought about her all the time. Her against the bathroom door. Her in his arms during the Fourth of July fireworks, just the way he'd longed to have her all those years ago. More than once he'd nearly gone to her house, late at night, but stopped himself.

  Mason pounded the hammer so hard it dented the wood trim when he missed the nail. Putting the hammer down on his father's desk, he turned and headed for the door. Some of Nell's lemonade sounded good. He could use something to cool him off. It was hot today, even for this elevation in the mountains. It was usually about ten degrees or more cooler up here than on the Front Range.

  He entered Nell's Deli with the jingle of bells. The first thing he noticed was Roanne and Keegan. He'd never seen Keegan smile that much before. He also hadn't seen him this taken by a woman before, either. Had their mission softened him? Mason couldn't imagine him quitting for this life. It had to be temporary.

  Utah appeared. She must have gone to the restroom. As she sat with Roanne and Keegan, she saw Mason. That same electric charge lit between them. She looked startled and maybe a little uncomfortable. Hell. Just seeing her reawakened sexual starvation that ate away his resolve to leave her alone like she obviously wanted. He wanted to take her by the hand and pull her to her house, where they could spend days in bed with no one to bother them.

  Her eyes widened as he continued to stare at her, devouring the sight of her. Forcing his gaze away, he resumed his trek for the counter to ask for a lemonade. He paid for the tall cup and took it toward the exit. Don't look at her. Don't-look-at-her. Don't-

  "Hey Mason, you going to the Celebrate the West Festival this weekend?" Roanne called.

  "Roanne!" Utah protested.

  Mason stopped. He caught Roanne's grinning face the same instant he saw Utah slap her palm on the table and hiss something too low for him to hear. It would be rude to just walk out of here without saying anything. He walked over to the table.

  "Isn't everybody?"

  "Utah was just saying she wanted to help you and Andy with the hay rides."

  "I did not," Utah ground out.

  She wore a white knit sleeveless shirt that dipped to give only a glimpse of cleavage. Plenty for his feasting eyes, if only for a second or two. Her mouth formed a stiff line and she wasn't even looking at him. She'd pulled her dark hair away from her face, accentuating the delicate slope of her cheeks and nose. Slowly her eyes lifted, as though she couldn't resist any more than he could. He stared into that glimmering blue gaze that grew more heated as they stared at each other.

  "I could use a co-pilot," he heard himself say.

  She locked gazes with him.

  "What do you think, Utah? Mason's driving the hay wagons for the festival. Why don't you ride with him?"

  Utah looked blankly at Roanne. "Huh? Oh." She turned back to Mason, starved for the sight of him just as he was starved for the sight of her. "Okay. Sure. Why not?"

  She'd given in.

  He'd have to restrain himself from leaving the children behind so that he could lay her in the back of the wagon on some deserted road. Just like old times.

  ###

  Utah turned from the door when she could no longer see Mason. She
stared at the polished wood floor of Nell's Deli, but instead of the floor, all she saw was Mason. He looked so good. And she was going to spend time with him on a hay wagon.

  Doomed. That's what she was. This town wasn't big enough to avoid him. The end of summer couldn't come fast enough. He'd have her naked in no time, probably at the festival, in the back of a hay wagon. It wasn't a 69 Mustang, but it would be a heck of a lot softer.

  Numbly, she looked at Roanne. "Did I just agree to ride a hay wagon with Mason?"

  Roanne laughed delightedly. "You can blame me. It's my fault."

  "It is your fault." She began to come out of her Mason-drugged trance. "Why did you do that?"

  With her elbow on the table, Roanne held her palm face-up. "It's obvious to everyone but both of you that you're crazy about each other."

  "It isn't obvious to me."

  "Me, either," Keegan said.

  "You would say that, you're a man," Utah said.

  "Trust me, the man is totally gone. He may not know it yet, but he is. He's yours, sweetie. All you have to do is take him."

  The way she took Keegan? He did seem taken. But he wasn't Mason. "You don't know Mason the way I do. He hates this town."

  "He thinks he hates it. Once he realizes that the best thing that ever happened to him lives here, he'll start smelling the pine."

  "It does grow on you," Keegan said, winning a pleased smile from Roanne and a quick kiss.

  When she withdrew, her smile fled as her eyes fixed on something toward the door. Utah saw Charlie, who stood frozen in the entrance. Then he gathered his wits and turned, hurrying out of the restaurant.

  Roanne started to stand up to go after him. Keegan stopped her.

  She sat back down.

  "I was wondering about that," he said.

  "What? It's nothing, I told you. He didn't want to marry me."

  "But you wanted to marry him."

  "Not anymore."

  "You sure?"

  They'd clearly had this discussion before. Utah was impressed with Keegan's care on the matter. It showed he was here for more than an affair.

  Roanne's hesitation spoke loudly.

  Keegan twisted to face her better. "I came back here because of you. I thought we had something going. Now I'm not so sure this is a good idea."

  "No, Keegan, I-"

  He placed his finger on her lips. "I like this. I like us. But if you have unresolved feelings, you need to resolve them before we continue."

  "I am resolved. It just happened really fast. Charlie proposed and I thought we were madly in love and then he had second thoughts and started flirting with other women. I didn't realize it then, but we were never right for each other. I mean, we were. I'm stuck in Timberline and he was my best choice here. But the truth is, he isn't my best choice. I need excitement. I need to go places and be with a man who challenges me."

  Utah hadn't truly understood her friend until now. Charlie wasn't exciting. Roanne would have settled for him.

  Roanne put her hand along Keegan's face. "Meeting you made me see that. I have to take care of my grandmother, and I don't know if I'll live here the rest of my life, but Charlie would have held me back. I don't know where you and I will end up, I just know that you don't hold me back."

  Utah felt she was intruding. Keegan searched into Roanne's eyes and once he decided he believed her, kissed her tenderly. He kissed her again. And then glanced at Utah.

  She wiggled her fingers in a wave. "Still here. In public."

  He chuckled.

  "I'm going to go now. You two probably are, too." She stood.

  "I think you're wrong about Mason," Roanne said. "He won't be able to walk away this time. I feel it. I just do. I can't explain it, okay?"

  She couldn't explain it because she was in a similar situation. Except Roanne's heart wouldn't be as crushed. She hadn't known Keegan long enough. "What if he doesn't?"

  "If there's one thing I've learned over the last few weeks, it's that you can't stop taking chances because a few things go wrong in your life, Utah. It's a sure way to pass up an opportunity to find real happiness." She glanced at Keegan. "I'm not saying this will last forever, okay?"

  "It's an opportunity."

  "Yes. An opportunity." She smiled at him.

  "I need to go." Utah left Nell's and headed for home.

  Maybe Roanne had a point. She'd grown protective of her heart since Beau conned her into marrying him and her dad went to prison after never showing her a glimmer of real affection. And she couldn't leave Mason out of the mix. He'd hurt her more than any other man in her life.

  Building a golf course gave her a sense of security and happiness that death, dishonesty, and abandonment had taken from her. But taking the risk of trusting Mason seemed too big for her. She'd only line herself up for another disappointment. Her golf course would never disappoint her.

  She walked all the way home. With her head down, she didn't notice someone leaning beside her front door until he spoke.

  "I see you're at it again."

  She looked up from her fixation on the ground. Calvin. She checked up the street one way then the other. No one was outside. No cars moved along the street. Ellie's porch was empty.

  Calvin pushed off the house and walked toward her.

  What should she do? Her throbbing pulse kept tune with her growing fear. "Why don't you go back to Denver and leave me alone?"

  She moved back as he came down the steps.

  "It's a simple matter, Utah. You have money that belongs to me. All I'm asking is you hand over my fair share." He stopped before her. It was all she could do to not turn and run.

  "You already got your share. You don't scare me." She hoped he couldn't tell what a lie that was.

  His eyes took on the same look as that day at the market. Dangerous. Unpredictable. "You'll either give me the money, or I'll take you."

  "How? By hitting me?"

  "I have a more permanent solution in mind."

  A flash of shock shot through her. What did he mean? Would he kill her?

  "I lost everything because of you," he hissed between clenched teeth, leaning toward her.

  Utah struggled to keep her cool. "It isn't my fault you alienated yourself from your stepfather."

  "You're what drove us apart. You were never any relation to my stepfather, yet here you are, building a golf course, squandering all his hard-earned money. You're exactly what I thought you were. Arthur refused to listen."

  "Arthur would be happy with what I'm doing. I'm calling the course Brentwood in his memory."

  Calvin breathed a derisive grunt. "You think that makes any difference?"

  "I cared about him."

  "That's what you'd like everyone to believe."

  "It's the truth." She started to turn to walk toward Ellie's house. Calvin took hold of her arm and pulled her back to him.

  He put his face close to hers. "Five million, Utah. That's what it's going to cost you to make me leave town."

  Yanking her arm free, she stepped backward. She'd have to liquidate everything to pay him that.

  "Utah?" Ellie called from her front porch.

  Utah saw her standing with her hand on one of the posts by the stairs.

  "I'm through being nice. Get me the money, or I'll be back." Calvin bumped her shoulder as he walked toward the street.

  She watched him walk down the sidewalk until he reached his car, parked far enough away that she hadn't noticed it until now.

  "Are you all right?" Ellie asked.

  "I am now." She went up onto Ellie's porch and sat on the bench. Ellie sat beside her.

  "I heard him threaten you."

  Ellie had come out onto the porch just before Calvin had left.

  "Don't worry. He's all talk." If only she believed that. Calvin had failed in court and now he was acting on his own. She didn't doubt for a minute that he'd be back.

  "Maybe you should tell Mason." Ellie lifted a glass of clear liquid on ice.

&nb
sp; She wasn't telling Mason a thing. No sense in stirring up more trouble. "What is that? Vodka?"

  Ellie's eyes twinkled with her smile. "Water."

  Utah smiled back and raised her eyebrows. "Water?"

  "Mm hmm." It was a happy sound.

  "No way."

  "Scotch doesn't have the same appeal as it used to."

  Utah leaned close to examine her. "Ellie? Is that you?"

  "Yes, but a new Ellie."

  Seeing the contentment softening every feature of her face, Utah put it together. "It's Reed."

  "He took me to Moosehead the other night." Her delight took years off her appearance.

  "Ellie Thorpe, are you bar-hopping now?"

  "Oh, now, you stop."

  Seeing the color paint the old bird's face, Utah marveled that it was possible to embarrass her. "I think it's wonderful. You and Reed."

  "We're just friends." She sipped her water, frail hand steady and sure.

  "He's handsome for his age."

  "He's five years younger than me."

  Utah leaned back against the bench. "I'm not even surprised. Now you're a cradle robber."

  Ellie laughed lightly.

  The quiet mountain air calmed her as much as being in her neighbor's company. A temporary calm.

  "Don't tell Mason that Calvin came to see me tonight, Ellie."

  "Why ever not?"

  "It's hard enough for me to be near him. If he thinks I'm in danger, he'll stick to me like epoxy to protect me. That isn't good for me right now."

  "Then tell Andy. That man is trouble, Utah Pieper."

  "So is Mason."

  "We'll see about that after the festival. You both will have plenty of time to talk on that hay ride."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The only good thing about today was all the people. Utah's heart wouldn't slow down as she reached the fairgrounds. She'd almost made it through the summer without losing herself in Mason. A hay ride with Mason could change that. This was a festival, one of her favorite things in the world. The enchantment might prove to be too much. Mason himself most assuredly could.

  The anticipation alone was enough of a red flag. Maybe she'd already lost herself to him.