Mountains Apart (Mills & Boon Heartwarming)

by Ross, Carol

  Bering—and his sister and his mother and his aunts—made it look so easy, but cooking was difficult. And messy—she was glad she’d started early so she could clean up before Bering saw this catastrophe. He’d never let her hear the end of it. She reached over and poked at the cakelike substance. Maybe she could shape it back together somehow, because it didn’t resemble any kind of cake she’d ever seen, and there were chunks still stuck in the bottom of the pan. Probably that wasn’t supposed to happen. She chewed on her lip and perused the recipe once more. She flipped the little card over. Oh, dear, there was more on the back? Grease the pan? She’d missed that important detail. And apparently she was supposed to let the cake cool before she inverted it?

  “Ugh!” She let out a groan of frustration.

  “What are we doing here?”

  Emily jumped and turned. Bering was leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest, partially from being startled but mostly because of him. And she definitely didn’t want him to see her like this.

  “Bering, what are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here for at least another hour.”

  “I finished early,” he said. Something flashed across his face but was gone so quickly she didn’t have time to identify it. A look of amusement transformed his features as his eyes darted around the kitchen, taking in the mess of pans, measuring cups, bowls and the pile of flour she’d spilled on the floor but decided to clean up after she got the cake into the oven. But then she’d started making the frosting and she hadn’t had time to get the broom. Now as she looked around, too, she wondered how it had managed to travel and spread across nearly every surface of the kitchen.

  He sauntered toward her and Emily felt her pulse begin to flutter. He looked on the verge of laughter.

  Emily, feeling slightly embarrassed, tried to smile up at him. “I am cooking dinner for you, which includes dessert. I wanted to do something to repay you for everything you’ve done for me—and with me. But...”

  He reached out a finger and trailed it across her cheek, which caused her blood to spike warmly and words to fail her. He withdrew his finger and held it aloft. The tip was white with flour. He blew it off and then draped his arm over her shoulder.

  “I see,” he drawled slowly and then gestured toward the steaming pile on the counter. “What’s that?”

  “Cake!”

  “Really?” he asked doubtfully.

  “Yes,” she squeaked.

  “That explains the flour, then.”

  “Yep.” Emily could see the humor of the situation. “Does it not look familiar? Janie said it was one of your favorites.”

  “She did, huh?” He peered at it more closely. “I’m getting old and forgetful, clearly, because I do not recognize it. What kind is it?”

  She picked up the recipe card and handed it to him. “Chocolate-cherry something-or-other,” she said. She pointed at the plate. “See that? Your sister even gave me the cherries. But I’ve only recently discovered that there are two sides to this card.”

  Bering’s lips twitched. He flipped it over and then looked back down at the cake. He made a sniffing sound. “It smells delicious, though. I can’t wait to try it.”

  “Bering, look at it.”

  “I’m sure it will look better after it’s frosted.”

  “I highly doubt it. Why aren’t you giving me a hard time about this?”

  His brows traveled up onto his forehead. “Are you kidding me? Emily, I’m thrilled. You’re cooking for me. I don’t care what it looks like. At the risk of sounding like a perfect chauvinist, I’ll admit to liking this attempt at domesticity.”

  “Bering, this is a disaster. I don’t think, uh, domesticity is my thing.”

  “Maybe not.” He chuckled. “But maybe you just need a bit of practice. But either way, I don’t care....” He picked up a chunk of the cake and put it in his mouth. “Mmm,” he said and added an appreciative moan. “I do recognize it now. It’s Aunt Margaret’s recipe.”

  “Yes!” Emily cried triumphantly. “That’s what Janie said.”

  He picked up another piece and offered it to her. “Taste,” he said softly.

  She opened her mouth and he slid the cake inside. She nodded. “It is pretty good.”

  “What else have you got?”

  “There’s chicken soaking over there, but is there any chance you would settle for just cake for dinner?”

  Bering looked down at her and grinned. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes, I would. I really, really would.”

  “Not a chance.” He walked over to the chicken and lifted off the plastic wrap. “Now, this I recognize. It’s one of my favorites.”

  “Janie said it was.” She popped another piece of cake into her mouth.

  He stared at her.

  “Whafft?” she asked, her mouth now stuffed full of cake. “I’m frilly hungrfy.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Stop eating the cake, Emily. It’s dessert. And as I’ve been trying to tell you for the last few weeks, dessert comes after the meal.”

  She stole another quick nibble. “Okay, okay. Man, you are so bossy. Has anyone ever told you that before?”

  “I may have heard that a time or two from this junk-food-addicted blonde I know.” He shook his head. “You’d think she’d be grateful for all my help and advice, but all she does is complain and sneak unhealthy snacks behind my back. Sometimes she even trashes portions of the healthy meals I prepare for her. Can you believe that?”

  “Maybe you should quit trying to feed her toast that’s full of dried bugs and wheat germ on the sly. Have you thought of that?”

  “If you don’t start eating what I feed you, I really am going to sneak some bugs in, and trust me—you’ll never even know they’re there.”

  “I don’t really think you’d do that,” she said, but couldn’t keep the doubt from creeping into her voice. “Would you?”

  “Probably not, if you are willing to make a deal here.”

  She looked at him suspiciously. “What kind of deal?”

  “I’ll help you cook this meal if you call off the rally on Saturday.”

  “The rally? Bering, I can’t do that.” She had two speakers coming, including a lady who was one of Alaska’s most popular and well-known businesswomen, and the other, a charismatic state senator. This was to be her last big push before the town-hall meeting on Sunday and the town-council vote was Tuesday. There was no way she could call it off.

  “Emily, it’s not going to make one bit of difference in the big picture and you know it. Those councilmen and women have already made their minds up. One more public battle between us isn’t going to matter.”

  Laurel’s warning flashed through her mind. Why did he seem so unconcerned? Why wasn’t he planning something of his own? Was he that confident he would win? Why would he be? She and Amanda felt as though they had secured more council votes. It was close, yes, but when it came down to it, she didn’t think the majority of them would turn down what Cam-Field was offering. “Then why call it off?”

  “I’d like to spend the day with you on Saturday.”

  “Oh.”

  “Emily, your town-hall meeting is on Sunday. Just have Tara Gillsby speak at that event if you think it will make that much of a difference. I’d like to spend another day with you before this whole thing goes down—before whatever happens...”

  She stared at him as her stomach tightened with anxiety. It was the first time either one of them had mentioned aloud what they’d both been thinking. After Tuesday, things would never be the same—one way or the other. She was trying desperately to figure out what this meant—on more than one level. But she knew, even as her mind tried to calculate the ramifications what she was going to say.

/>   “Another cease-fire?” he asked softly, and Emily couldn’t resist the longing she read on his face. It made her heart soar and it filled her with hope. And no matter how fruitless her head said that hope was, she couldn’t stop her heart from deciding this one...

  “Okay,” she said. “How about this...” She thought for a moment. “I really can’t cancel on Tara Gillsby. But I’ll let Amanda handle everything on Saturday—and by everything I mean I won’t even call to check in and see how it’s going. I’ll spend the day with you. We’ll call it a cease-fire compromise?”

  Bering nodded slowly. “Okay,” he said. “I can live with a compromise.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  EMILY AND AMANDA were sitting on the sofa in Emily’s living room drinking coffee and going over the details for the town-hall meeting that night.

  As agreed, she’d spent the previous day with Bering and it had been incredible. They’d gotten an early start the following morning when Bering picked her up and they had watched the sun rise over breakfast at Craven’s B and B, then they’d gone boating. He had pointed out landmarks as they cruised along the shore. Then they had traveled up the coastline and into a scenic fjord to get up close and personal with a glacier. Emily had been mesmerized by the sight, and the sound, of the giant mass of ice, which reached all the way to the water’s edge. They’d spent the evening at Bering’s, and Emily had barely even thought about the rally.

  And on the return trip, as she’d viewed the town from out in the water, from nearly the spot where the proposed oil platform would go, she’d decided what she was going to give Bering for his birthday. His birthday was tomorrow—the day before the vote—and he hadn’t even told her. Thank goodness Janie had called....

  “Do you want to go over your speech one more time?” Amanda asked as she flipped through the last of the pages stacked in front of her.

  “Amanda, thank you again for yesterday. It sounds like you did a great job.”

  “It went well. It was fun. It must have been difficult for you, though, huh?” she teased. “Keeping your nose out of it?”

  Emily shook her head as if she couldn’t quite believe it herself. “Surprisingly enough, no, it wasn’t.”

  Amanda’s brows lifted in mock surprise. “Well, Em, that is great. It’s so nice to see you enjoying yourself for a change. Now, how about this speech?”

  “Nah, I think I’m ready. Do you think I’m ready?”

  “Emily, honey, you were born ready.”

  “Now, if I only believed it.” Emily sighed and laid her head back against the soft cushion of the sofa.

  “What?”

  “Oh, Amanda, I don’t know. Normally I can convince myself that what I’m saying is true—or that there is at least some truth to it.”

  “Emily, what you’re saying is true.” She paused as if thinking about the statement. “It certainly isn’t untrue.”

  “I know. I mean, it’s true, but is it right?”

  “Is it right?” Amanda repeated. “Um, Emily, what are you talking about? What’s going on in that brilliant mind of yours?”

  “I don’t know, Amanda. Things have changed for me. It’s like my drive is gone. These people love this little town, and yes, we are going to bring in more money and jobs and blah, blah, blah. But is it worth it? Really, when it’s all said and done? Is it really worth it? This is such a special place, don’t you think? I mean, really and truly unique, and I don’t know... Should we be the ones to ruin that? All in the name of more money for Cam-Field’s already stuffed coffers?”

  “Um, Em, I think Franklin would prefer that you say that it’s all in the name of ‘progress,’” Amanda quipped. They both burst out laughing. It was one of his favorite buzzwords.

  “Seriously, though, what are you saying here exactly?”

  Emily shrugged. “I guess I’m saying that I don’t know what I’m doing it for anymore.”

  “Well, for starters you’re doing it to show your stepfather and that smug jerk Jeremy that they didn’t win. Everyone knows that Cam-Field wouldn’t be half the company it is without you.”

  “Thanks, Amanda.” Emily felt the tears welling up in her eyes. “And what is with these tears? I’ve cried more in the last month than I have in the last twenty years. Have you noticed that?”

  “Listen, you have every right to cry once in a while. You’ve been through so much in the last few months, in your entire life, really, if you think about it. You do know that no one else would have put up with what you have?”

  “Yeah, I think I’m finally figuring that out.” She glanced at her friend, took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. “I’m not going back, Amanda.”

  “What do you mean, you’re not going back?”

  “I don’t have a future with Cam-Field anymore. I don’t want a future with Cam-Field anymore. I always thought that I would take the reins of this company one day, and that has been my sole focus in life. But I know that’s not going to happen now. And I can’t work for Jeremy. I don’t even want to work with him. I’ve lost it.” She shrugged helplessly. “My ambition, it’s gone. I don’t care about my job anymore. I don’t care about Cam-Field. And I see so clearly now how my feelings for Franklin have been wrapped up in my feelings for Cam-Field. I’m not sure how I feel about him when I separate him from the business. But I think I’d like to find out.”

  Amanda gaped at her as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. “But what will you do?”

  “I’m going to finish this job, and by this job I mean I’m done after the vote. I do want this, for me. But I also want it for Franklin because I know how important it is to him. But however it goes, I’m quitting.” Emily was stunned to realize how torn she was between wanting to score this victory for her stepfather and by seeing Bering’s, and Rankins’s, precious way of life preserved.

  “Okay, okay...” Amanda was clearly trying to soak it all in. “But what will you do then?” she asked.

  “I’ve got quite a bit of savings.” She tilted her head to one side and said, “Maybe take some time off. Maybe go see Aidan in whatever jungle he’s camped out in. And then I’m thinking about getting a job on a cruise ship.”

  “A cruise ship?” Amanda repeated incredulously.

  “Yeah, doesn’t cruise director sound great? You’d—”

  “Em, honey, we all would like to be a cruise director, or cupcake taster, or whatever, but you can’t just up and quit.” Amanda paused and looked skyward for a second. “Can you? Well, heck, maybe you can.” She smiled at Emily and then reached over and patted her hand. “I know you’ve been avoiding this topic, but since we’re talking about your future here...um, what about Bering?”

  Emily shook her head and tried to keep a fresh bout of tears at bay. “That will all be over soon anyway. He’s going to hate me and I know it.”

  “Why would he hate you?”

  “Because Cam-Field is going to get the approval from the town council and Rankins will begin its metamorphosis and then Bering is going to resent me. And eventually it will turn to hate.”

  “Oh, Emily, you don’t know that.”

  “Yes, I do, Amanda. And you do, too. You’ve spent enough time with Tag and Bering yourself to know how closely tied their lives are to this place. Cam-Field threatens everything they are and everything they have invested here. Sure, industry will grow, but what about tourism? Bering and his coalition are right—what tourist is going to want to come here after all this construction is completed? Who is going to want to live here when the entire character of this town is changed?”

  She let out a miserable sigh. “It doesn’t matter anyway, right? I’ve seen you do this before, Amanda. The end of a job—the end of the relationship, right? I mean, it’s in the nature of this kind of thing for it not to last...”

  “You’
re in love with him.”

  “What? No. Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not...” She couldn’t possibly be in love with him, could she? Did she even know what love felt like? No, she didn’t, and surely it didn’t happen this fast, did it? No, it couldn’t.... Right, so why was it that when she thought about leaving him her chest got all tight and constricted as though she had a piano sitting on it? It made it difficult to breathe. Yeah, that was why she kept forcing herself to not think about it—so she could breathe properly. How could she have been so careless as to allow herself to fall in love?

  “Are you going to tell him?” Amanda asked.

  “No, of course not.”

  “Emily, he’s probably in love with you, too.”

  “No, Amanda, and even if that were true, it doesn’t matter. It can’t last. It can’t.” But she wanted it to, she really did. Now that she thought about it, she’d never wanted anything so much in her entire life—not even the title of CEO of Cam-Field Oil & Mineral. But she couldn’t say it out loud, she wouldn’t, because then everything would hurt even more than it already did.

  She could handle it; she’d been a master at handling her emotions her entire life. Until she’d found herself in Rankins anyway.

  Now she executed a one-shoulder shrug and remarked lightly, “You, of all people, know what it’s like to fall in love, to get involved in a relationship that you know is going to end. Give me some advice. Tell me what to do.”

  Amanda shook her head sadly. “Emily, no, I don’t. I’ve only been in love with one of the guys that I met on one of these jobs, and I got engaged to him. I would have left everything to be with him. I had planned to, remember? Sure, it didn’t work out. But all the other times—I’ve had a good time and maybe felt a little tug of sadness, but if I’d really been in love, Em, I would have stayed. Or I would have figured out some way to work it out.”

  Emily stared at Amanda a long time before she spoke. “Why haven’t we ever talked about this stuff before, Amanda? I mean, you’re my best friend.”