by Cindi Madsen
Well, there was the bluntness, but at least he hadn’t edged it with animosity. As far as Rod Brantley went, that was a warm welcome.
Cam slipped his fingers between Emma’s, feeling the need to tighten his hold on her, and gave her hand another squeeze. She squeezed back, her touch bringing the same calm it did last night, and making him think that despite the odds and their unconventional start, maybe they actually had a shot at making this work.
Chapter Sixteen
Two weeks went by, in which the last cabins took shape, even their interiors all but finished.
During that time, Cam often came over to have dinner with her and Zoey and to help with bedtime. The three of them had even gone to eat at the diner one night, which had stirred up plenty of talk.
Since then, people had stopped Emma on the sidewalk, or in the grocery store, or even when she was pumping gas and stressing about how late she was running, to ask what was going on with her and Cam Brantley. Mrs. Branson had gone so far as to warn her that from what she’d heard, “that Brantley boy” had been quite the hoodlum in high school, and she was pretty sure her stolen garden gnomes were his doing. She’d added that if Emma found out where they were, could she let her know, because she hadn’t been able to find any just like them since.
As if Cam actually had some secret place where he stashed stolen garden gnomes.
Cam mentioned that he’d been told how sweet Emma was on more than one occasion, and a couple of women wanted clarification on if he was truly Zoey’s father, like they suspected he and Emma were playing some big prank on everyone. Then, after he’d confirmed that he was, they’d asked him why he’d taken so long to make things right.
So basically, the town was trying to get involved, just like she’d worried they would. She’d learned to simply smile and change the subject when the prying started. Mostly because it was none of their business, but the truth was, she wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. This past month had been a lot of fun, and during last weekend’s fishing excursion with Zoey, she’d laughed more than she ever had before.
Every time Cam cast his line, Zoey would walk over next to him and throw rocks in the water, which kept the fish far, far away—he’d been using salmon eggs, anyway, and in her experience, the fish in the reservoir always turned their noses up at them. Despite both of their attempts to keep Zoey from venturing past the shoreline, their daughter was wet and muddy about an hour after they reached the reservoir.
More than anything, it felt like playing family, but Emma supposed they weren’t playing. They were a family, even if a little unconventional and still trying to figure it out.
But there was a difference between working side by side and raising a child together, and having the kind of relationship she wanted, one with fireworks and passion.
To be fair, nothing got in the way of intimacy like a two-year-old—the last couple of times Cam had been over, Zoey had started crying right as they’d settled onto the couch to catch their breath from the day, obliterating the chance to see if kissing would turn into a little more.
But Emma’s worries from the night of their first and only date sans Zoey hadn’t completely gone away. More than once, after Cam had left with nothing more than a kiss good night, she’d heard Ricky’s voice in her head: It’s one thing to have a boring job that you talk about nonstop, but it’s another when the thought of having sex with you makes me yawn. I just can’t make it work anymore.
He’d said it like the entire relationship had been a chore. With bedtime rituals, toddler tantrums, and having to pack two extra bags for a simple fishing trip, how could being with her not feel a little bit like a chore?
The knock on the door jerked Emma back into the present. She set aside her laptop, which had an application to an architecture firm in Casper on the screen, and answered the door.
“Everything okay?” she asked when Grandma Bev stood on the porch, the light illuminating her bright red coat and matching lipstick.
Grandma stepped inside. “For the record, I prefer more of a conventional greeting. Like, ‘Hello, dear Grandma. It’s so nice to see you.’”
“How about, ‘Hello, Grandma who’s hell-bent on giving me a heart attack. I’m so glad you took time out of your busy social life to stop by’?”
Grandma rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged on the corners of her mouth. “That’ll do.” She looked around, doing a wide sweep of the living room and kitchen. “That fella isn’t here?”
“Not tonight.”
“How do I always manage to miss him?”
Because apparently I’m luckier than I thought. Eventually they’d have to meet, of course, but since Grandma Bev would most likely go into interrogator mode the second after names were exchanged, Emma wanted to put it off a little longer. Until she felt sure enough about the relationship that she could confidently answer that she did know exactly where it was going.
The worries that’d occupied her mind a minute ago tried to rise up and make her wonder if they’d actually get to that place before the nosy townsfolk and family obligations got too much for Cam.
But then she reminded herself how good he’d been about everything. The image of him attempting to fix Zoey’s ponytail after it’d fallen out the other night popped into her head. In typical Zoey fashion, something as little as an undone hairdo could be treated like the end of the world, and when Emma’s hands were occupied with making dinner, Cam had jumped in to help.
When she’d seen that, she’d told herself she was stupid for caring about anything else when he was such a good father.
Thinking about the way that ponytail had stuck straight up, giving their daughter more of an antenna than a hairstyle, made her bite back a laugh.
Grandma perched on the edge of the couch. “I just wanted to let you know that Vera Mae officially put her house up for sale today. A moving truck is coming at the end of the month, and then she’ll be living with me. So to reiterate, there’s no reason to use me as an excuse anymore, and I hope you’ve been moving forward with your plans instead of waiting around and twiddling your thumbs.”
“Gee, I really miss those thumb-twiddling days,” Emma joked. “They were so much fun, but they’re definitely hard to find after having a kid.”
Grandma Bev shot her a look that made it clear she didn’t consider this a joking matter.
Truthfully, Emma had put off filling out applications, but the Mountain Ridge job would be done soon, and she’d promised herself—and Grandma Bev—that she was going to move forward with her career.
That was before things happened with Cam, though, which was why she’d started daydreaming about him after she’d reached the end of the application instead of actually sending it.
But she didn’t dare say that, or she’d be accused of turning into her mother, and neither one of them wanted that. So she picked up her laptop and swiveled the screen to face Grandma. “I was just applying to this firm in Casper, actually. The city’s currently experiencing an influx in their population, which means they have a need for more housing, and I figured it’d be the best place to start.”
A mix of apprehension and guilt rose up at the thought of taking a job in Casper, because now there was more to it than leaving Grandma behind.
There’s no harm in filling it out. And it’s only a little over an hour’s drive from here, which isn’t bad.
Before she could change her mind, she hit send and promised herself she’d fill out another one tomorrow night.
Chapter Seventeen
With the weatherman promising lots of blue skies this weekend, Cam’s thoughts turned to the mountains. The last trip with Emma and Zoey had been the opposite of the experience he’d envisioned, but even though he hadn’t returned with a single fish to show for his efforts—thanks to Zoey’s love of throwing rocks—he’d had a blast.
Now he had another kind of trip in mind, more along the lines of a major hike to a lake farther up with an overnight stay, and he was wondering how likel
y it’d be to convince Emma to leave Zoey with Quinn and Heath so she could go with him.
Admittedly, the thought of it made him a bit nervous, but he also knew that Heath would be touring with his band soon—not to mention how busy they’d all be once Mountain Ridge officially opened—and if Cam didn’t take a chance on some alone time with Emma while he could, he’d regret it.
Quinn approached, waving a flyer in the air. “There’s this big sale, and they have a used four-wheeler. You and Heath mentioned it’d be nice to have one, but I’m starting to stress about how much money we’ve already sunk into the place. Then again, if we can get it cheaper now…”
Cam took the flyer. “Did you show it to Heath?”
“He left last night—Dixie Rush has that show in Casper, remember?”
Crap. He hadn’t remembered. “When will he be back?”
“Tomorrow night,” Quinn said. “The big tour’s not for another month.”
Cam glanced at the details of the four-wheeler, but it wasn’t sinking in. His thoughts were still too busy turning over his plan. “Hey, if I asked you and Heath to watch Zoey on Saturday, all the way through Sunday afternoon, how scared would you be?”
“Not scared at all,” Quinn said with a laugh. “I’m guessing you and Emma need a little alone time.” She nudged him with her elbow.
Cam shook his head. “I have a feeling you already know way too much about me and Emma.”
“Girls talk.”
“So, do you think she’d be interested in an overnight trip? And I’m not saying that anything has to happen. I’m just saying…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Never mind. Let’s pretend this conversation never happened.” He lifted the flyer and studied the many vehicles. “I think that we can wait. Did you balance that ledger thing?”
“No. Just because I’m the Asian one doesn’t mean that I’m going to do all the math.” She crossed her arms.
“I wasn’t saying—”
Quinn laughed and shoved his arm. “You’re too easy! I’m just busting your balls.” She took the flyer from him. “I’m working on it, but I got caught up organizing the kitchen and trying out recipes. Emma and I are about to have a meeting about rates and that kind of thing, though.”
She took a few steps away and then spun around. “And Cam?”
He braced himself for whatever his future sister-in-law was going to say, although with her, bracing did little good when it came to what popped out of her mouth.
“Yes, we’ll watch Zoey, and yes, I think Emma will be happy to take an overnight trip with you. In fact, I think you both could use a break from everything.”
Cam expelled a deep breath, excitement that the trip he’d envisioned with Emma might actually happen rising up and taking hold. “Thanks.”
“Yep. Can’t wait to hear all the sordid details,” Quinn said, then she laughed, and Cam shook his head, the little bit of relief he’d felt flying right out the window.
…
“How’s it working with Pete now?” Quinn asked Emma as they sat at the large table in the main room of the lodge for coffee and their meeting.
He’d had a work emergency in Salt Lake City, and then he’d called Mr. Strickland to say he had to deal with meetings and couldn’t make it back to Mountain Ridge for a few weeks. At first Emma had worried that he’d been avoiding her after she’d politely declined his date offer, regardless of his claim that he understood about her and Cam.
“Fine. He came in this morning and we just went on as usual. I’m the queen of awkward, too, so I’m pleasantly surprised that it hasn’t changed anything. Actually, he showed me pictures of a property his company had just acquired. They’re planning on renovating a ski resort in Park City, Utah, and he wanted to get my input on a few of the ideas he had for the place.”
She couldn’t help but beam at the compliment, but she knew Quinn would get it—after all, Quinn’s determination to change her career had landed her Mountain Ridge. And Heath, actually.
“Well, if I were him, I’d want your input, too,” Quinn said. “I never could’ve made it through this construction phase without you. And I can’t thank you enough for taking a look at our books.”
Quinn turned the laptop toward Emma. “I’m trying to see where I can cut down some overhead, but I also want us to have a reputation as the perfect place to escape. Not the place where there aren’t any amenities and we price gouge people.”
Emma pulled up a search window and typed in “Wyoming Resorts” so she could get a feel for what other places were doing before she gave her opinion.
An hour later, she and Quinn were still sorting through figures and debating the finer points of what all Mountain Ridge would offer guests.
“I really think you should cut lunch,” Emma said. “At least until you see how profitable breakfast and dinner are. Lunch is usually the meal where people will be out and about anyway, either in the mountains or checking out the town, and the cabins have the stoves and all the dishes and pans—people can make their own lunches. And look how much it’ll save you…”
Emma plugged the numbers into the Excel worksheet she had open, since Quinn didn’t have an adding machine—or QuickBooks for that matter, although Emma told her she would need both, no question. Then she hit enter and watched the cell for the grand total.
“Whoa,” Quinn said, pointing at the figure. “Seriously? We’ll cut that much?”
Emma nodded.
“Lunch is getting the ax, then.” Quinn leaned over and hugged her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
A quick glance at the time and Emma realized why she was so hungry. “Speaking of lunch, I need food.”
“Oh, hold up one sec.” Quinn turned to her, but then her phone rang. “Sorry. It’s Patsy Higgins. So hold up a few more secs—I don’t dare let her go to voicemail.”
“I get it,” Emma said. But when the conversation looked like it’d take a while, Emma slipped outside to grab her lunch. The rest of the crew had obviously already eaten, and she didn’t see Cam, so she headed back inside.
The second Quinn hung up, she let loose a squeal. “Oh my gosh! I just got the best news! A pipe burst and it flooded the park!”
Emma drew her eyebrows together. “I never took you for someone who’d take joy in damaged parks.”
Quinn grimaced. “Yeah, that came out wrong. It’s super bad news in some ways—the town’s going to need to dig up the pipe and replace it, and despite Patsy Higgins’s best attempts to”—she made air quotes—“‘hasten the process,’ they won’t have it done in time for the picnic auction.”
Now Emma understood the excitement, because although she loved the park and the entertainment it provided for Zoey, she experienced a major thrill over the thought of not having to deal with making a basket. “Thank goodness. I was totally dreading that stupid auction.”
Quinn frowned. “No, that’s not the good part—the auction is still happening. But instead of the park, it’s happening here!” A grin spread across her face. “It’ll be a great opportunity to show off what we’ve done and get buzz going. It’s perfect.”
Emma’s happiness faded, and she groaned. Then she sat up straighter. “Wait. You’ll probably need my help making sure things run smoothly behind the scenes, which will make me way too busy to deal with bringing a basket, right?”
“Wrong. Do you honestly think I’d risk Patsy Higgins’s anger? I’m making a damn basket, you’re making one—hell, even Sadie’s taking one. Haven’t you heard? Until we officially tie the knot, like so many other people have done this past year, it’s up to us to shoulder this fund-raiser.”
“Oh, I heard.” Emma ran a hand through her hair and then slowly pushed away from the table. “I guess I’d better go get to work so that the property is perfect before the picnic.”
“Before you go, though, I do have some good news.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. “After your last declaration about good news, I no longer trust your definition of it.�
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Quinn laughed. “Okay, I might deserve that. But you and Cam deserve a long weekend away. This morning he asked me if Heath and I would watch Zoey so you two could go on an overnight camping trip.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“That’s so nice, but having Zoey overnight is a lot different from a few hours. I’ve never left her overnight before, either.”
“I realize that. But we’re loving being Uncle Heath and Aunt Quinn, and getting to know Zoey better. Plus, if I really need it, Sadie and Caroline are down the road. Caroline, who not only raised Royce, but takes care of troubled teens at Second Chance Ranch. I have your grandma’s number, too. Between all of us, we can definitely handle watching her for a couple days. And more than that, I owe you for today, and for the picnic, not to mention you’re my friend. We can do it, I swear.” Quinn stood and grabbed Emma’s hand. “Just let us do this for you.”
The thought of leaving her daughter wasn’t easy, but alone time with Cam? The fact that he’d gone to the effort to make arrangements for an overnight camping trip sent hope tumbling through her. So she nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” Quinn said. “Thank the guy who wants to take you camping.”
“Oh, I plan to,” Emma said, and then she felt heat settle into her cheeks. A hint of nervousness crept in as she thought about all that time with Cam. And a night alone in a tent. But she was tired of being scared, and she didn’t want to hold back anymore.
She wanted to explore this thing between them so she’d know if she could take it into account as she started making plans for the future.
Chapter Eighteen
Emma welcomed the burn in her legs and lungs, even though it made her feel completely out of shape. When they’d taken Zoey fishing, they’d driven most of the way and then made the short mile and a half hike to the reservoir. But Cam said he wanted to take her to Blue Lake, which she’d never been to before. It was higher and deeper into the mountain range, and you could only get there by foot. She’d always felt like she knew the hills fairly well, so adventuring to a spot she’d never been made a swirl of excitement go through her, and she used that anticipation to help her push past the tired muscles.
