“I’d like that a lot,” she said.
* * *
“Okay, let’s try this again.” Caleb opened the door of his truck parked in front of Mallory’s house, then handed her inside. “I’m glad you could get Cecelia to watch Lily.”
“She said it was no problem.”
Mallory remembered what her friend had said after agreeing. There was no man in her life, so at least one of them should have an opportunity for sex. Mallory decided not to pass that on to Caleb. It was her plan to have fun. Not that sex wasn’t fun, and if his kisses were any indication, it would be fifteen on a scale of one to ten. But the goal was to keep this simple. Sex would complicate the heck out of it, so that wasn’t going to happen.
He slid into the driver’s seat beside her and drove away from the house, eventually heading south on highway 424 toward Kalispell as a steady rain began to fall.
He turned on the windshield wipers and gave her an apologetic look. “There are thunderstorms in the area, but I don’t want you to worry.”
“Why would I?”
“That’s right.” He nodded as if just remembering something. “You weren’t here during the flood last year.”
“No, but I’ve heard stories about people losing everything they had.”
“Yeah. It was pretty bad.” A flash of lightning revealed his grim expression. “I just meant that the truck has all-wheel drive and we’ll be fine if it starts raining harder.”
“I appreciate knowing that.”
Mallory looked over at his big hands on the steering wheel and the competent and confident way he drove. He was like his father, steady and strong. The kind of man you could trust. Knowing that let her relax, and after a lifetime of independence and only relying on herself, it felt surprisingly good.
Another flash of lightning zigzagged and crackled in the inky sky, and the thread of anxiety always poised inside her threatened to unravel. Then she looked at Caleb, who seemed unconcerned. So she would be, too.
She chatted about weather, work and whatever popped into her head. Even though rain followed them all the way, it felt like no time at all passed before the lights of Kalispell appeared in the distance. Mallory had been here a few times with Lily but didn’t know the place well, only that it was quite a bit bigger than Rust Creek Falls.
After exiting the highway and traveling through town, Caleb finally pulled into the parking lot of a place called North Bay Grill. “Here we are.”
“It looks nice.” The restaurant was on a corner in what looked like a respectable area. The building had wood siding and neatly trimmed flowers and shrubs surrounded it. “Not a neon beer sign in sight.”
“If only I could control the weather,” he said, watching the hard-driving rain quickly block out visibility when the windshield wipers stopped. “You’re going to get wet.”
“Not the first time. Probably won’t be the last. And—” she smiled at him “—the really important part is that I won’t melt.”
“Okay, then. Let’s make a run for it.”
After sliding out of the truck and meeting at the rear end, he grabbed her hand and they ran toward the front door. Without warning he swung her easily into his arms and she let out a surprised, “Oh!”
“Puddle,” he explained, splashing through some standing water that was deeper than it appeared.
Her shoes and the hem of her slacks would have been soaked. As she looped her arms around his neck, she said, “My hero.”
“Told you I was handy to have around.”
Yes, he was, and the reality of it made her want to sigh.
There was an awning over the front door that sheltered them from the rain and he set her on her feet, then grabbed the door’s heavy wood handle and pulled it open.
“After you.”
“Thanks.”
Inside, the lights were dim and strategically placed to illuminate an interior designed to look like a charming New England fishing village. A welcome change from the steak-and-barbecue places she’d encountered since moving back to Montana, Mallory observed happily. Since Caleb had made a reservation, they were immediately shown to a table that just happened to be in front of a fireplace where flames were cheerfully crackling. It felt good on a rainy night but Mallory had a feeling just being near Caleb would keep her warm.
When they were settled with a basket of fresh-baked cheddar biscuits, a beer for him, glass of white wine for her and their dinner orders taken, Mallory smiled.
“What?” he asked.
“It’s so different from the Ace in the Hole.”
“Because no one’s looking at us?”
“Or giving you a phone number,” she agreed. “Not that the Ace isn’t a lovely place.”
“Personally I like this small, intimate table with the white tablecloth and candles.”
“It is very nice.”
“My dad’s recommendation.” He took a sip of his beer. “He and my mom have been here and like it.”
“You’re very lucky.”
“Because my parents like to try different restaurants?” he teased.
“No. You respect them and value their opinion.” She envied him growing up in an environment of support and warmth. “You tease about being forced to have Sunday supper with them, but your mom cares enough to make it a command performance in spite of everyone giving her a hard time.”
“I know.” Candlelight made his eyes look darker. “I take it your parents aren’t that way?”
She shook her head. “It’s why my sister left home as soon as possible. And why I have virtually no contact with them even now.”
“What do they do for a living?”
“Doctors. My dad is a medical researcher and, oddly enough, my mother is a pediatrician.”
“Why odd?”
“Maybe ironic would be more accurate.” She met his gaze. “She literally knows kids inside and out. She can diagnose an illness and sees children from birth to teenagers, and establishes a professional relationship with them. But she couldn’t relate to her own daughters.”
“Obviously you tried.”
“Yeah.” She twirled her wineglass. “From an early age I realized that going to my parents with a problem was a waste of time and usually an exercise in humiliation. We were expected to handle anything and everything on our own.”
“That explains a lot.”
“I know, right? Good grades were expected and we didn’t let them down. Not then.” The really sad part was that the way she’d been raised made it difficult to let anyone in. The lesson she’d learned was that relying on anyone else made her weak and stupid. “My sister left home at eighteen to go to college and I didn’t understand why she abandoned me until I was the same age and graduated from high school.”
“What happened?”
“The parents who never made time, the same ones not there while we were growing up, were suddenly there. Telling me what to do with my life. Where to go to college. They turned their backs on Mona when she refused to follow in their footsteps and go to medical school.”
“That’s pretty harsh.”
“Yeah. Then I got the same treatment. Maybe even a little more pressure because I was their last chance to get it right.”
“Since you’re not a doctor, I’m guessing you didn’t knuckle when they leaned on you.”
“No, but of course it was all about me not living up to my potential.”
“Not everyone should have children.” His mouth pulled tight. “Although in your case I’m glad they did or you wouldn’t be here. And I’m very glad you are.”
“That’s sweet of you to say.” She smiled. “But Mona and I talked about that. She desperately wanted children, then adopted Lily and was afraid of screwing her up because of not having a positive role model. Now
it’s up to me not to screw up.”
“Do your parents know about her?”
She nodded and felt the familiar knot of anger tighten. “They didn’t exactly welcome her to the family, what with her not being really related.”
“Their loss.” He reached across the intimate width of the table and squeezed her hand. “She’s a great kid and you’re doing a terrific job with her. Never doubt that. Your parents don’t know what they’re missing.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
The warmth of his fingers, the supportive touch, were like life-giving sunshine or a long, cold drink of water when you were thirsty.
He turned his hand so that hers rested in his palm. “Then I’m going out on a limb here and saying that you should trust your gut more.”
“Why do you think so?” she asked.
“Because moving to Rust Creek Falls was a good decision. It’s not a place where folks let you sink or swim. They pitch in and help out when necessary.” He grinned, suddenly and charmingly. “Of course, the flip side of that is everyone knows when you go to the Ace in the Hole and it ends badly.”
“Yin and yang. Balance. It’s a small price to pay for having people there when you need them.” She took a sip of wine. “I feel I should apologize for starting the evening on a down note. That wasn’t my intention. And if this evening goes badly, I’ll take full responsibility.”
“Mallory, you don’t have to handle anything and everything on your own.” He wrapped his fingers around her hand again. “I’m happy to listen and I’m having a great time, by the way.”
She smiled. “I’m not sure I believe that, but if it’s true, this experience should improve, because I intend to change the subject to something much more cheerful. And it’s not about me.”
“Oh? What would that be?”
“You.” She took a biscuit from the basket and set it on her little plate. “Tell me about growing up in Rust Creek Falls.”
He sipped from his beer bottle. “That’s not a good idea. It would put you to sleep, which isn’t my goal on a do-over date.”
“Caleb, I’m serious. I made the decision to pull Lily out of New York, a place that was familiar, and dragged her across the country to what must have felt like the moon to her. It would be reassuring to hear that there’s a chance she might not grow up to hate me and end up in therapy because I forced her to move to Montana.”
He tried to maintain a properly serious expression but failed when a laugh popped out. “You’re very dramatic, aren’t you?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Neither confirming nor denying.” He nodded approval at her response. “Spoken like the smart, efficient paralegal that you are.”
“Being serious isn’t the same as dramatic.”
“Doesn’t make a difference to me.” He shrugged. “I think it’s pretty cute.”
The compliment slid through her and left a trail of warmth in its wake. Not only was he handsome and a cowboy, which was an already devastating combination, but he seemed comfortable with his sensitive side, as well. The total package. In her experience that was rare, but the evening was still young. There was still time for everything to go south and she couldn’t decide whether or not she was hoping it would—before she did anything that might complicate her life even more.
“So,” she said, “are you going to tell me about your childhood or do I have to get really dramatic?”
“Yes, ma’am. I mean no. But where to start?” He looked thoughtful. “I could be prejudiced, but Rust Creek Falls is the best place in the world for a kid to grow up.”
“Why?”
“Prettiest country you’ll ever see to run wild in.”
“So you were wild?”
“To a point.” He grinned. “Remember all those folks who have your back? Well, everyone had my mom’s. If I ever got out of line, she heard about it.”
“Did you ever get out of line?”
Dumb question. Of course he did. Look at him. Men wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him. It had probably been that way since he was a kid. She could picture him as a mischievous little boy taking every opportunity to push the envelope.
“I plead the Fifth on that. I learned pretty early not to incriminate myself.” He tried to look saintly but only managed to take sexy to a new and complex level.
“I bet your mother had a terrible time with you.”
“You’d have to ask her.” He toyed with his beer bottle. “But I wasn’t really that bad.”
“I just mean that discipline would have been an ordeal. One minute she probably wanted to wring your neck and the next you made her laugh.”
The corners of his mouth curved up and he looked pleased. “I think there might have been a compliment buried somewhere in what you just said.”
He was right about that. And there was so much more than his charm that she liked about him. Mallory felt as if she was caught in an avalanche and tumbling down a steep mountain slope trying to catch hold of something to stop herself. It was too fast, too intense.
And it scared her.
As if the angel of romantic complications was watching over her, the waiter chose that moment to bring their dinner. The interruption took the edge off her serious turn of thought and for the rest of the meal they talked about nothing important. But even that became significant because he made her laugh, which took on a great deal of importance.
They finished dinner, shared a piece of chocolate cake as big as his truck and lingered over coffee. But eventually there were no excuses to delay leaving and she was sorry to see the evening end when the server came back with Caleb’s credit card and the receipt to sign. When that was taken care of, the man started to turn away, then stopped.
“Mr. Dalton, you’re from Rust Creek Falls, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Why?”
“The thunderstorms are pretty bad, so we’ve been monitoring the Department of Transportation warnings.”
“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked, instantly alert.
“There were reports of flash floods, and apparently a section of highway 424 is blocked with debris. It’s closed until crews can clear it.”
“Any idea how long that will be?”
“Right now they’re saying not until morning.” The guy looked apologetic.
“Okay.” Caleb nodded grimly and stood, sliding his wallet into the back pocket of his khaki slacks. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
Mallory slid the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Now who’s getting serious? We’ll just take an alternate route home.”
“That’s the thing.” He put his hand to the small of her back, guiding her toward the door. “There’s only one route and it’s not usable.”
“You mean we’re stuck here?” How she wished for that charming smile of his that was so comforting.
“Unless we can hire a helicopter, we’ll be here at the very least overnight.”
“Oh, no—”
Just when Mallory thought things couldn’t get worse, the lights went out.
Chapter Eight
Caleb figured it wasn’t a good time to point out to Mallory that this was the yang to Rust Creek Falls’s yin. It was rural, and a small population made numerous superhighways and roads unnecessary. The flip side of that was when you only had one way out and it was closed, you had to scramble for a plan B. Roads were at the mercy of the weather and their situation was collateral damage.
He’d put Mallory in the truck and turned on the overhead light to minimize the eerie blackness. She looked pale and scared and he could see her starting to shake. The August night was cool because of the rain, but not cold. At least to him. For her reaction was setting in and spending the night in his truck didn’t seem like a good idea unless there was no alternativ
e.
“First things first. Let’s see if there’s cell service. After the flood last year, communications were out, but I don’t think this is that bad.” He pulled his from his pocket.
Mallory fished in her big purse and came up with her phone a lot quicker than one would think. She touched a button and the face lit up. “Oh, good.”
“Me, too. I need to let Anderson know what’s going on, since I’ll miss morning chores.”
“I hope Cecelia can keep Lily.”
“If not, I’ll give my folks a call. They’d love to have her.”
“I couldn’t impose on them.”
That stubborn pride of hers and parents who’d made her feel like a failure if she asked for help would make the process of realization take a little longer, but she’d eventually learn to trust. “What part of Rust Creek Falls folks having your back do you not understand?”
There was silence from the passenger side of the truck and when he looked over there was a sheen of moisture in her eyes.
“It’s just so hard for me to ask for help, Caleb.”
He knew it was dangerous to touch her because he’d want to do more and this wasn’t the right time, place or circumstance. But he just couldn’t ignore the need to comfort. He couldn’t help himself. He reached over and cupped her soft cheek in his palm and brushed a rogue tear away with his thumb.
“That’s the thing, Mal. You don’t have to ask. Help is just there when needed.” He pulled his hand away and curled his fingers into his palm. “And that’s how it is growing up in Rust Creek Falls.”
“I didn’t expect to get such a swift and drastic answer to that question.”
Good, he thought. That was more like her. Shock was receding some, letting her natural spunk shine through. “Give Cecelia a call and we’ll go from there.”
While she called and explained the situation, he talked to his brother. Tomorrow was Saturday and stock needed tending as always but anything more involved waited until the weekend was over if possible. Just like he’d figured, Anderson said they’d manage without him. After promising to keep everyone informed, he hung up. Mallory was still talking to Cecelia.
From Maverick to Daddy Page 10
