Slowly she turned to face her boss.
“Though you’ve never asked, I’ve sensed you wouldn’t have minded working some extra hours each week, Rosie. And now that I’ve hired Portia, I’m not going to be able to give them to you, at least for a while.”
“That’s okay.” Rosie smiled with relief. “I’m still planning to move to L.A. once the house sells.”
“Have you had any offers?”
“Not yet.” She couldn’t blame her realtor Maddie Cash.
Maddie had brought in lots of prospective buyers, but so far none of them had been able to see beyond the rotting porch and peeling paint on the home’s exterior. It went against the grain to hire someone other than Edmond Burgess to do the work—for as long as Rosie could remember her father had hired him for all their family’s painting and home repairs—but since Edmond always seemed to be too busy, perhaps she ought to find someone else.
“Well, I’m sure going to be sorry to lose you when you go. In the meantime I’m glad you don’t have a problem with my niece working here.”
“I think it’s great,” Rosie assured her.
“Good.” Sage hesitated, then added, “I’m afraid Portia’s in a fragile place right now. She told you she dropped out of her senior year at the University of Washington?”
Rosie nodded.
“Something must have happened to make her take such a drastic step. I don’t know what. She refuses to talk about it. But she needs a safe place to hide from the world right now.”
And what safer place than working in a chocolate shop in Marietta, Montana?
“I’m glad you gave her the job. I think it will be fun to work with her.”
Sage’s smile showed her relief. “I was hoping you two would get along. Maybe you can introduce Portia to some of your friends. Show her around town and help her feel at home.”
“I’d be happy to do that.” Not that she had many friends to introduce.
Her best friends in high school had mostly moved away for college, careers, or to follow other dreams, and she’d drifted apart from the rest. Rosie supposed to most people her age she was deadly dull, but going out to drink and party when her father was alone and sick at home had never felt right.
Portia emerged from the washroom then, looking pale, but smiling. “So where should we go for lunch?”
The day was gloriously sunny. Rosie felt almost giddy with the prospect of an hour of unexpected free time. “Beck’s is known for amazing bison burgers.”
“Hm. A little heavy for lunch.”
Rosie guessed Portia would feel the same about her second choice, pizza. “They have nice salads at the Main Street Diner.”
Portia brightened. “That sounds perfect. I hope it isn’t too far?”
“Are you kidding? You know you’re in Marietta, right?”
Portia laughed. “It’s funny. I’ve spent a lot of holidays visiting my mom’s family, but we mostly stay on the Circle C Ranch. The few times we go to town, it’s usually to watch the rodeo.”
“Trust me, it won’t take long until you know our downtown better than your own home.”
“Don’t be so sure. I swear I’m directionally challenged.”
“Well, in Marietta, all you have to do is turn in the direction of Copper Mountain to orient yourself. The mountain and the court house are both due west. And the Main Street Diner we’re going to for lunch is right across from the court house, just two blocks away.”
“Sounds simple. I remember getting so lost in Seattle after my first frat party. Of course all the beer I’d been drinking didn’t help.”
Rosie felt a twinge of envy. As they walked the two blocks to the diner, she asked Portia for more details about college life.
“I partied way too much my first semester,” Portia admitted. “Then I met this really great guy—he helped me get my head on straight.”
“Are you still seeing him?”
“No.” Portia stopped smiling and fell silent, reminding Rosie of how she’d reacted yesterday when she’d been questioned about dropping out of college.
Was this great guy she’d mentioned connected to her decision to quit?
*
Once they’d been seated at the diner, Portia quickly became cheerful again, and the two of them talked nonstop over their lunch. Portia half-complained and half-bragged about her brainy twin sister, Wren, who was studying geology at the University of Colorado in Boulder. In turn, Rosie shared about her brother Daniel and some of the interesting people he’d worked with so far in his career.
“That’s so cool that he’s actually had two screenplays turned into movies. Have I heard of them?”
“They were both made-for-TV movies. His wife, Glenda, was the female lead for the second one. That’s how they met.”
“Oh, how romantic. I love it. Do you visit them very often? Have you been on a movie set when they’re filming?”
Rosie sighed. “Daniel and Glenda have invited me. But it was difficult to travel while our father was alive. He couldn’t be left alone for more than a day.” Portia didn’t ask for details, and Rosie didn’t offer them.
She’d learned discussions about insulin injections and other medical minutia were not interesting conversational fodder for the majority of people unless they happened to be a doctor or a nurse.
“So, you’ve never even been to L.A?”
“No.”
“Maybe you should check it out before you move there. What if you don’t like it?”
“Seriously? Of course I’ll love it. It won’t be Marietta, that’s the main thing.”
“It must be an expensive place to live, though?”
“My brother’s house has a separate casita with a bedroom, kitchenette, and bathroom. They’re going to let me stay rent-free for the first few months. It’s right by the outdoor pool. The whole place looks like a spread in a decorating magazine.”
“I’m sure it’s beautiful. It’s just—sometimes you don’t realize how much you miss home until you leave.”
Rosie ate the last leaf of kale from her plate. Portia had barely touched her own lunch. All she’d had so far was a piece of sourdough bread and a glass of water.
“Were you homesick in college?”
“I had lots of fun. But I did miss home. Unfortunately for me, there’s no going back. My parents split up during my freshman year. Now my mom is married to someone else and lives at his place. Nat is a great guy and his house is incredible—but when I go to stay with them, it doesn’t feel like home.”
“I know what you mean. My house feels so empty now that it’s just me and Huck.”
Portia’s eyes widened. “Huck? Have you been holding out on me?”
Rosie laughed. “He’s my father’s golden lab. The poor guy is so depressed, he misses Dad terribly. I’m hoping whoever buys the house will be willing to take Huck on, as well. He sure wouldn’t do well in L.A.”
Not only that, but Rosie was pretty sure neither Daniel nor Glenda would want him.
“Any other fellas you haven’t told me about?” Portia teased.
Rosie hesitated. “It’s kind of silly—but there is this cowboy who comes into the store every Friday afternoon to buy chocolates. In fact, he’d just stopped in a few minutes before you yesterday.”
“I think I know the one. I passed by this really good-looking guy on the street. I noticed he was carrying a Copper Mountain Chocolate shop bag. He was a real hottie.”
“Right?”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know! I know nothing about him, at all. We always chat when he comes into the shop—and he does flirt a little. But whenever I try to find out anything about him, he shuts right down.”
“Ah—a man of mystery. How intriguing.”
“I’d love to know who he buys the chocolates for. I don’t think they’re for him. And somehow I don’t feel they’re for a girlfriend, either. At least I hope not.”
*
After his visit wit
h his sister, Brant generally headed home to the bunkhouse at the Three Bars Ranch. If his buddies were back from the bar, they’d play a bit of poker, drink a few beers. All of them were about the same age—late twenties to early thirties—and they were friends as well as coworkers.
This Friday, however, he’d splurged on a night at the historic Graff Hotel on Front Avenue, Marietta. After breakfast he’d gone back to the care home and spoken to Margie in admin as well as another nurse, Nadia Jackson. Both women had relayed the same message.
Sara Maria was bored and lonely. The care home was no longer the right place for her.
After those unsettling conversations, Brant decided to take a walk. He always thought better when he was active and this morning he had a lot to mull over. At least the day was a beauty, the sort Montana was famous for. Enjoying the sunshine and warm air, Brant headed over the bridge to the fair grounds.
A person could hardly tell there’d been a rodeo here last week. Every last bit of trash had been removed and the ground in the rodeo arena was clean and raked. Brant walked by all the loading chutes, past the grandstands and the concession buildings until he came to River Bend Park.
Copper Mountain stood to his right now, the peak dusted with a light snowfall from the previous night. A sign winter was coming.
Good thing they’d moved the cattle down to the lower pastures last week. The boss might be right in his hunch winter was coming early this year.
Brant ambled past the library, following a pathway that skirted a row of beautiful homes on Bramble Lane.
He wished he had someone to talk his situation over with. His buddies at the Three Bars wouldn’t get it. None of them had so much as a serious girlfriend to worry about.
There was his father. But Ted’s reaction to any problem involving Sara Maria was to offer more money, and lack of cash wasn’t the problem here.
Their father had already set Sara Maria up with a generous trust fund, and that had been supplemented by insurance proceeds after their mother’s death. But money couldn’t keep a person from getting lonely.
Brant was back on Main Street when he noticed two women on the other side of the street, about a block ahead of him. They were so engrossed in their conversation they seemed unaware of anyone else, certainly not him. But he remembered them both. The shorter one had been pulling a suitcase on Main Street yesterday. The tall one with the crazy, curly hair was Rosie.
He couldn’t help but smile and his first impulse was to head toward them, maybe chat a little with Rosie.
Then another idea occurred to him. Rosie couldn’t be more than twenty-four, twenty-five—not that much older than Sara Maria. She and her friend would be a heck of a lot more interesting to his sister than the folks in the care home. Maybe he could hire one of them to spend time with his sister?
Even as he was thinking all this, the young women were turning into the chocolate shop. Without pausing to second-guess the impulse, he loped down the block, crossed the street, and followed them inside.
They were putting on their aprons, and still chatting, when he opened the door, but by the time he’d stepped over the threshold they fell silent. He was reminded of the way a classroom would suddenly become dead quiet when the teacher walked in.
“Hey.” He nodded at Rosie first, then at her friend. “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
“Changed your mind about the cocoa peanut melts?
He grinned. “No. But thanks, anyway. The thing is, I’m not from around here so I don’t know many locals. But I need to hire someone for some part-time help.”
“What sort of help?” Portia wondered.
“It’s complicated. Maybe one of you could join me for a coffee. Give me a chance to pick your brains?”
Portia raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure it’s our brains you want to pick?”
He put his right hand to his chest. “I promise my intentions are legit. My name is Brant Willington. I work at the Three Bars Ranch west of Bozeman.”
“I’m Portia Bishop and this is Rosie Linn.”
“Oh, I know Rosie.” He glanced from Portia to the girl who was always trying to tempt him to try something new. “So, what do you say about that cup of coffee?” Though he’d issued his invitation to both of them, he hoped Rosie would be the one to say yes.
Unwittingly, Portia helped his cause by shrugging her shoulders. “I’m new to town as well. But Rosie’s lived in Marietta all her life. She’s the perfect person for you to talk with.”
“Great.” He glanced again at Rosie, who looked a bit flustered. He hoped he hadn’t put her on the spot. “Is this a good time?”
Before Rosie could answer, her friend stepped over and swept Rosie’s apron over her head. “It sure is. We’ll be lucky if we get two customers in the next thirty minutes. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“I see there’s a coffee place across the street. What do you say Rosie?”
Chapter Four
The intoxicating aroma of coffee and the chattering of a half-dozen different conversations helped Rosie relax as she stepped inside the Java Café. Brant had held the door open for her. The last date she’d gone out with hadn’t done that. Of course the last date had been months ago, set up by the lawyer who’d handled her father’s estate, so she might be remembering incorrectly.
And, of course, this wasn’t a date.
Brant asked what she wanted, then suggested she sit at a table for two by the window, while he lined up to get their drinks.
Rosie noticed the cute woman behind the counter flirt as Brant place their order. He seemed oblivious. She supposed he was used to that sort of reaction from women, and she blushed to think of how desperately she’d tried to impress him for the past three months.
Yet now, suddenly, she was here, about to have coffee with him.
What sort of part-time worker was he looking for? If it meant spending time with him, she was all for it.
“Here’s your skinny latte. Did you want any sugar?”
“No thanks, this is perfect.” She noticed he’d ordered black coffee. She kind of liked that in a guy.
“So, you’ve lived in Marietta all your life?”
“That’s right. How about you?”
“I was born in Chicago. But my parents split when I was thirteen and, at that point, my mother moved us to be near her folks in Bozeman. So I’ve called Montana home more than half my life.”
He gestured occasionally when he was talking and she noticed that while his skin was working-man tough, his fingers were long and slender. On another man they would have looked elegant, but this guy was every inch cowboy.
“You said you work on a ranch. Do you like it?”
“Hell, yeah. More fun than working with chocolate all day I’d wager.”
She smiled. “That’s a bet I’d be willing to take. Working at Copper Mountain Chocolates is pretty awesome.”
“So is being on the back of a loyal horse on a sunny autumn day.”
“I bet your job isn’t quite as much fun when our January blizzards hit.”
“True. But every job has a downside.”
“Not mine.” Except, maybe, the copper-colored aprons.
“It must take a lot of willpower though, to stay slim when you’re surrounded by all those delicious chocolates.”
“I made a pact with myself when I started working with Sage. I decided I would only have one treat each day. It might be a cup of cocoa one day, or a single truffle the next. But I always limit myself to just one thing.”
“Seriously? You don’t ever cheat?”
“Nope.” She’d seen what unhealthy eating had done for her father, cutting off his lifespan by at least a decade. “Anytime I get a craving I just remind myself that I can have it the next day.”
“You’d get a kick out of my sister. I buy her a box of chocolates every Friday and she always makes them last an entire week.”
“So that’s who you buy those chocolates for! I couldn’t help
but wonder, with you being such a regular customer.”
“Yeah, they’re for my younger sister, Sara Maria. She’s why I wanted to talk to you. She just turned eighteen and she’s autistic.”
Rosie sat back. This was one possibility she simply hadn’t imagined. “Like the Sheldon character on Big Bang Theory?”
“Sheldon’s character is portrayed as pretty high-functioning, but quirky. My sister… well, she has her quirks, all right. But she lives in her own world most of the time. It can be hard to reach her.”
He started drumming his fingers on the table top. Rosie could feel his anxiety level rising.
“So where does Sara Maria live?”
“Used to be with my mom, in one of the apartments on Church Street. But Mom died in a car crash this summer.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.” He glanced down for a second, composing himself. “Sara Maria took the news badly. She had a sort of breakdown and had to be hospitalized. Since then she’s been living in the May Bell Care Home.”
“I know the place. As care homes go, it’s very nice.” Still, she was glad she’d never had to place her father in it. Leaving the home he and Mom had moved into as newlyweds would have broken his heart, and hers, too.
“It took her a while to adjust. But the nurses think now that she’s recovering from her grief, she’s getting bored and well… lonely. She needs to hang out with people closer to her own age. That’s why I want to hire someone.”
“So this is where I come in.” Rosie sank back into her seat, disappointed despite herself. She wouldn’t be spending time with him, but with his sister. Filling the caregiver role again, just as she’d done with her parents. Wasn’t that just her luck?
“You’re a few years old than her, but I was hoping you could take her out for hikes, maybe. Or go shopping. Whatever girls that age like to do.”
“I could probably get you a list of names. Nice people. I’m sure they’d be very caring toward your sister.”
“I was thinking…that is…” He scratched the side of his neck looking uncomfortable before adding, “What about you? I’d pay you whatever you make at the chocolate shop.” Seeing the prospect of rejection in her eyes, he amended his offer. “Plus an additional ten percent.”
Melt My Heart, Cowboy (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 1) Page 3
