Rocky Mountain Valentine

by Carol Steward

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  LISA PULLED THE door open and scooted to the middle of the seat with a camera in each hand. The owner of the store climbed in behind her. “Bob offered to take pictures of the two of us and he also wants to show me how to use the latest digital camera. He says there should be some cleared sidewalks at one of the nearby parks.”

  They’d only been outside ten minutes before the card was full and Bob began to show Lisa the new camera, after which they returned to the store. Adam watched as Bob downloaded the pictures onto the computer, giving Lisa his best sales pitch.

  “It’s great,” Lisa agreed. “But I’ll have to think about it and let you know. I’m really not sure it’s the right time to get another camera and upgrade my laptop.”

  She paid for the camera repair and left her cell phone number for Bob to call when he’d finished printing the photos of her and Adam. “So what did you think of modeling?” she asked as they left.

  Adam shook his head. “It wasn’t too bad, but I hope no one saw us. I’d never live it down. Let’s put it this way. My price just went up.”

  Lisa’s eyebrows arched and her smile widened. “And what is it now?”

  “Dinner, custody of all the pictures of you and half of those with us together.”

  She let out a laugh. “You must have been a tough businessman in your previous career.” She didn’t mention to Adam that he could make a lot more than that as a model, or that she’d checked with Bob about the possibility of doing some local work. He’d agreed to pass her name around and let her know if he heard of any job possibilities. She’d learned long ago to leave a string of strong bridges everywhere she went.

  Adam nodded. “I was, but that was a long time ago. Any other errands you need to take care of?”

  “I thought I’d look for new snow boots, so a sporting goods store, and then a discount store where I can replenish a few necessities.” She took out her list and checked off the brick of film, spare batteries and a polarizer.

  Her cell phone rang twice while Lisa was in the dressing room; once Bob called to tell her the pictures had come out fine, the other was the catalog editor calling to agree to the terms Lisa had requested and give her the flight information.

  Lisa shopped with her new assignment in mind since she would be spending a lot of time outside. She found thick socks, boots and a new pantsuit that would be well suited for traveling. She picked out silk pant liners to help hold in the warmth. After buying essentials at the discount store, Lisa begged Adam to stop at the mall to help her pick out a dress for the Valentine party. “I can’t wear just any dress to the party.”

  “You wouldn’t hear me complain.” The magnetism of Adam’s smile sent a twinge of guilt through her. She didn’t want to dampen their last day together with thoughts of her leaving.

  The afternoon went quickly, and before she knew it, they had picked up the pictures and were back on the highway. Adam picked a small, out-of-the-way restaurant with European cuisine. He chose the beef medallions in burgundy sauce and she ordered the rainbow trout.

  When they arrived home, Adam pulled out a small package from all the bags they’d carried inside and invited her to sit in front of the fire.

  She stared at the gift. “Where? How?”

  “While you were trying dresses on, I slipped into another store. I knew just what I wanted. I hope you like it.”

  She looked at his square jaw, softened by a small dimple she’d never noticed before. Lisa wasn’t so sure how she should feel about the emotions invading her heart. The box was small, and she felt her heart race. She wasn’t sure she was ready to take the leap that a jewelry box could mean. And from the serious look on his face, it was a lot more than a moose or a beaver. She untied the ribbon and opened the small square box. Moments later, she was looking at a necklace version of Toby.

  “So you’ll have your protector.”

  “Adam, it’s wonderful.” She leaned into his embrace and lifted her lips to his. “A couple of whimsical stuffed animals don’t quite compare.”

  He kissed her again. “You couldn’t get those away from me, Lisa. They’ll remind me of your visit. I’m just not sure I’m willing to share them with guests.”

  They talked until the fire died down, then said good-night. Adam took her hand as she headed up the stairs. “If you get cold...”

  “You already sent two extra blankets upstairs, Adam. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  The next morning, Lisa turned on the lights in the living room and saw the packet of photographs on the coffee table. She looked at the pictures again. It couldn’t be. It had been nothing more than an act. Sure, she and Adam had become close friends, but...she looked again, unable to believe the tenderness in their expressions. They looked like a couple in love. It was impossible. One look at these, and her sisters would start planning the next Berthoff/MacIntyre wedding

  for sure.

  She had to leave before matters got worse. Before she or Adam were hurt. No matter how she loved it here, Whispering Pines wasn’t her home, and the sooner she left, the sooner her heart could return to reality. She blinked the tears away and hurried up the stairs to pack.

  Toby raced into the room and ran all around before obediently sitting next to her.

  “Hi there, Toby. How’s your morning been?”

  Toby’s entire body wiggled and he barked as if he had an entire story of his own to tell.

  “Is that so?” she said as she knelt next to him and scratched under his chin. “Guess what?”

  “Woof.” He lifted a paw to shake her hand.

  Lisa obliged. “I have a job. I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m going to miss you.”

  Toby’s long tongue stroked her cheek.

  “A kiss for good luck. Thank you.” Lisa hugged the dog, thankful for his unconditional love.

  “When do you leave?” Adam’s deep voice tremored as though some emotion had touched him.

  “I didn’t hear you come in.” She forced a smile. “My flight’s at 10:14 tomorrow morning.”

  “I didn’t realize you’d leave so soon. Are you done with the Whispering Pines article, then?”

  How could she tell him after all this time working on the story, she’d probably blown it? She’d gone against the editor’s orders and wrote the article her own way. It wasn’t Adam’s fault. It had been her decision, her call. She knew the risk. “I’ll finish it up tonight, but I’m not sure they’ll use it.”

  “Wasn’t that what all of this was about?”

  “They want a different article than the one I wrote. I...couldn’t write it their way.”

  He nodded slowly. “So, all this time...”

  “I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

  He tucked his thumbs into his pockets and leaned against the doorjamb. “You aren’t going to tell me they fired you, are you?”

  She swallowed hard. Lisa turned around and opened her suitcase and began frantically throwing her clothes into the bag.

  His voice lowered. “Lisa? Talk to me. Did they let you go?”

  She went into the bathroom and tossed her shampoo and brush into the zippered bag. “They can’t. I’m not an employee, I’m a freelancer. I’ll send them the article. If they don’t want it, tough.” I wouldn’t put it past Steve to bill me for the airfare, and never mind the full-time job. “I’ll leave a copy for you to read, just as we agreed. Someone will love it, as is.” The words came out softer than she’d hoped. She wanted to sound strong and confident. She’d done the right thing. There was no way she could betray the trust Adam had handed her. Adam didn’t respond, and Lisa wasn’t sure what to think. “Could I bother you to take me to the shuttle in the morning?”

  “Here one day and gone the next. I hope you’ll realize that nothing is going to fill the emptiness until you’re willing to let it. You have to stop letting pain run your life. It’s your choice to make a change, Lisa.”

  She couldn’t face him, or the truth. She simply need
ed to leave. At another time in her life they might have stood a chance of finding common ground. But now she had an opportunity to break into a wonderful career and she couldn’t turn that down. Adam was right, she still hadn’t learned to let go of the past. She still hadn’t gotten over her father leaving or Dale’s betrayal.

  Without warning, Adam’s hand closed over her right shoulder. “I want your promise that you’ll come back. I need you here to help me through the party. Your sisters need you.”

  Her sisters? She turned to him, bothered by the pain in his gaze. “I’ll be here, Adam.” She turned away and stuffed a few more things into the suitcase.

  “There’s no way all of that’s going to fit. Leave whatever you’d like. I’ll make sure it’s safe.”

  Of course he would. Adam wasn’t going anywhere. Adam was tied to this land. To his ranch. To his family. They were all around him, ready to come when he needed them. No one had ever needed Lisa. They were the ones who had taken care of her. “Thanks.” She went to open the last drawer and paused. There was no way she was going to pack her personal things in front of him. “I’ll be down in a while.”

  She watched his broad shoulders ease sideways through the doorway. “If you need any help with your bag...”

  “I’m used to dragging the thing around, but thanks anyway.”

  “Come on, Toby. Let’s get chores done.”

  * * *

  ADAM NEVER DREAMED love would find a place in his heart again. Especially not with the spunky sister of his sisters-in-law. Definitely not with a drifter.

  In a week, Valentine’s Day would be over, and Lisa would be on the road again, permanently. He tried to convince himself that life would go on without her, just as it had before. He wanted to believe that she would come back to visit. He wanted more than anything to ask her to stay, to never leave. You don’t ask the wind not to blow, especially not in this area.

  “We’ve only really known each other a few weeks,” he muttered as he refilled the grain trough. “If I asked her to stay now, she may never come back.”

  “What are you grumbling about?” Lisa snuck up behind him. Adam spun around. She touched his wind-burned cheeks and warmed his red ears in her mittened hands. “You should know better than to stay out here all afternoon without something on your ears.”

  “You beat any hat I can think of.”

  Lisa smiled. “I made some hot chocolate.”

  “You shouldn’t be out here. Your skin is more susceptible to frostbite than before.” He led her out of the barn and motioned her toward the lodge. “I have time to take a break. What’s going on?”

  She bit her lip. “A break? You’ve been out here for hours. Dinner’s going to be ready soon. I used the chicken from the freezer. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Why would I mind?” He watched her bounce ahead of him, and stepped up and took her by the waist. “How are the boots working?”

  “Fine. They’re toasty.” She pulled away from his embrace. “Thought you wanted to hurry inside.”

  Adam watched Lisa run playfully through the snow. She stopped, rolled a snowball into her hands and tossed it at him.

  “Feeling brave, are you?” There was a restless energy about her movements.

  She leaned down to gather another snowball, a wide smile tantalizing him. Adam rushed forward just in time to get the half-formed ball in his face. He pulled her into his embrace and pressed his cold, wet cheek against hers. “You’re pushing your luck.”

  “You’re not going to retaliate?” Amusement sparkled in her blue eyes.

  “Have you forgotten you were caught out in a storm less than a week ago? No, we’re not getting into a snowball fight. Not now anyway. But rest assured, I will get even one day.” He wanted a lifetime of snowball fights, teasing and getting even. He wanted her here, by his side, sharing his home.

  Adam kissed her rosy lips and turned her around, pushing her toward the lodge. I’m going to miss you so much. It made no sense. Lisa had only been here a couple of weeks.

  He stomped the snow from his work boots and followed Lisa into the mudroom. What would she say if he confessed his feelings? Would she run, or would she stay?

  “I’m going to go clean up. I’ll join you in a few minutes.” Adam didn’t wait for Lisa’s response. He needed to be alone. He closed the door between the lodge and his house and collapsed against the log.

  It was the one thing he struggled with—trusting people, trusting his own decisions. And right now, finding the love of his life topped his list of doubts. How could he have fallen in love with a woman who had no home, no roots and denied needing anyone, including her own family? How could three brothers fall in love with three sisters?

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  THE NEXT MORNING Lisa looked at the time and rushed down the stairs with her camera bag and a small suitcase. “Adam!”

  Silence.

  “Adam.” She tossed the article onto the table and ran outside just as he stepped into the barn. “Adam, we’re going to be late.”

  He turned around, checking his watch as he latched the door. “I thought you said your plane left at ten-something.”

  Lisa ran to the truck. “It does. But I have to be there two hours ahead to make it through security, and it’s a three-hour drive....”

  Adam took her bags and lifted them into the bed of his truck, then cradled her face in his hands. “Relax. We have plenty of time. It only takes about two hours to get there. Have you had breakfast?”

  “I’m not hungry,” she insisted, hoping her stomach didn’t protest too loudly. “I can grab something at the airport.”

  He looked at her skeptically then handed her the keys. “I just want to say something before we leave.”

  She looked into his deep brown eyes, frightened by what she saw there. “We agreed to keep this simple. Don’t ruin the wonderful time we’ve had by saying—”

  “Ruin? What makes you think I’m about to ruin this?” His hand tenderly touched the nape of her neck and he paused until she lifted her lips to touch his.

  Each time Adam kissed her she found her feelings for him intensifying. She staggered, alarmed that he steadied her. “Don’t...don’t say it.”

  “Say what?” He challenged with a stubborn set of his jaw.

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, and don’t ask me...to stay. Please.” Her heart raced with the need to move on. She’d stayed here too long, let down her guard and allowed Adam to expose her vulnerability. “We agreed. You knew this day would come.”

  Adam’s eyes held hers captive. “When you’re ready to stop running, I want to be the one you run to.”

  She shook her head. “I’m...”

  “Running,” he finished.

  Lisa paused, afraid that if she blinked, this dream would disappear. She had spent a lifetime avoiding pain and commitment. Searching for something to fill the emptiness.

  Could Adam have been right? Was she afraid of the one thing that could heal her heart? Love.

  Adam bowed his head. “What I want to ask you...is to come back, as soon and as often as you’d like.”

  She blinked back tears, shaking her head, pleading for him to stop giving her false hope. What had happened to change the rugged cowboy’s mind? They both knew all along that she would leave. They’d agreed to keep it simple. “You don’t know what you’re saying, Adam. Sometimes I’m on the road for two...three months without a break.”

  “I didn’t say I wouldn’t miss you.” Adam kissed her. “Or that I might not want to join you once in a while.” He took her into his arms and held her close.

  Lisa felt the rise and fall of her chest. “Adam. I don’t make promises, and I don’t ask for them.” She’d picked herself up after broken promises before, and wasn’t so sure she was willing to do so again. “You knew I couldn’t stay. You agreed...” A tear trickled down her cheek. Her hand cupped his chin. “You know I don’t believe in promises.”

  He smiled. “Maybe you never f
ound the right man to give you one. I can’t avoid it forever. I won’t. As much as I wanted to deny this could ever happen to us, I won’t ever regret it.”

  “But this job—” she saw the want in his eyes “—is one I can’t pass up.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to. One day you’ll be ready to slow down, and I’ll be here, waiting for you to come home.”

  Lisa wanted to stay in the security of Adam’s embrace forever, yet duty pulled her away. He didn’t understand at all. She couldn’t give in to failure. Nor could she, like her mother, allow a man to take care of her. Lisa had to work, always would. If for no other reason than to have a safety net, something to fall back on—in case things didn’t work out.

  The emotions he’d woken in her were something she’d never regret and never fully understand. “I have to go, Adam. Please don’t make it so difficult.” She forced herself to smile. “I’ll call.”

  “I promise that Whispering Pines won’t ever be the same without your bright smile. Every time I look at those candles, I promise to think of the light you bring into my life. At that silly stuffed moose and beaver, I’ll remember...”

  Lisa closed her eyes and pain consumed her. “Adam, don’t. Please don’t do this to me.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’re so sure of where you belong in this world. You are this land and this land is you... and I—”

  “Would love to find out if Whispering Pines is where your roots can grow. So would I, Lisa.”

  Lisa closed her eyes, feeling her heart beat faster and faster against Adam’s chest.

  Adam rested his hand on her back. “It’s okay. Calm down, take a deep breath. It’s nothing to be afraid of.” He breathed a kiss into her ear. “I’ll be here when you’re ready to make that decision.”

  “Adam, this wasn’t supposed to happen....”

  Adam’s kiss erased the words from her lips and her mind. The winds blew, whispering that same soothing melody through the snow-capped trees. The breeze cooled her flushed face.