by Janice Sims
“That I want you to stop seeing Cheri,” Charlie rushed on, frowning. He stood up. Harry stood up, too.
“I want her back, okay?” Charlie said belligerently. “I screwed up. We should never have been divorced. I suppose she told you that I had a gambling problem….”
“No, she didn’t,” Harry said.
“Well, we’re all adults here,” Charlie said. “I’m going to be honest with you. She begged me to quit but I was hooked. I’ve since quit and now I’m trying to put my life back together. Just so you’ll know, I’m not staying here because I can’t afford to go someplace else, I’m staying because of Danielle. She wants me here and I couldn’t say no to her.”
He had not been able to look Harry in the eyes while he’d said all that, but now he did. “I’m asking you to step aside, Harry. How long have you known Cheri? It can’t have been that long. I’m sure a man like you has women hitting on you all the time. She can’t be that special to you. Let her go.”
Harry was, frankly, tired of people telling him how to conduct his love life. First Marcia had the nerve to tell him she had done him a favor by stringing him along and then dumping him once she had brought LaShaun to heel, leaving him open to play the field. Now, Cherisse’s ex-husband was telling him to be a gentleman and step aside so that he could have a clear shot at her.
She can’t be that special to you, Charlie Washington reasoned. Well, she was special to him. He hadn’t been this excited about a woman in years. Cherisse was everything he was hoping to find in a mate. She was smart, dedicated to those she cared about and devoted to her job, qualities he admired in anyone because they demonstrated commitment. Yes, she complained that nurses were overworked and underpaid, but he bet not once had she shirked her duties. Plus, let’s be honest, Harry, he thought, the woman makes you melt every time she walks into a room.
The biggest reason he wouldn’t consider doing as Charlie Washington asked was the fact that Cherisse had told him there was nothing left between her and her ex-husband and he believed her. In order for him to back off, he was going to have to be told to do so by Cherisse herself.
Therefore he said to Charlie, “Is this what Cheri wants?”
In an instant he knew it wasn’t. Charlie screwed up his face, his eyes looked from side to side as he attempted to think of a quick response and none came. “Ah, no,” he finally said truthfully. “She doesn’t see it the same way I do.”
Inwardly, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He definitely didn’t want to leave here tonight without Cheri. He’d dreamed about seeing her again all week, had even actually had a couple of dreams about her. And the truth was his heart was beating quite rapidly awaiting Charlie Washington’s answer to his question. He did not want to lose Cheri before he’d even gotten the chance to know her!
“Then, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to respect Cheri’s wishes,” Harry said, trying not to sound too happy about it. He smiled ruefully.
“Danielle, Ma, Harry? Where is everybody?”
Both Harry and Charlie heard Cherisse approaching, and both were looking toward the doorway when she entered the family room. Both of their jaws dropped when they saw her.
Harry’s legs went momentarily weak. That face, that dress, that hair. That body, those legs and that beautiful smile directed at him! If he died right now he would die with a silly grin on his face.
“Hello, Harry,” she said, her voice husky and inviting.
Charlie wanted to first throw something over her chest to conceal her cleavage, and then throw Harry out of the house. But he stood there, powerless, as Cherisse went to Harry, kissed him on the cheek and said, “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
His eyes never leaving her face, Payne said, “You were worth the wait. You look beautiful.”
Cherisse beamed and took his proffered arm. “Thank you, Harry. You look gorgeous, yourself.” She said over her shoulder as she and Payne walked out of the room, “Good night, Charlie.”
Charlie couldn’t even manage a good-night. He plopped down on the couch after they had departed and switched the set back on. Fuming, he surfed through the channels, not paying attention to anything on the screen. He saw now that he was going to have to pull out the big guns in order to win this war.
In the foyer, Cherisse paused at the closet and let Harry help her on with her overcoat. It was forty degrees out tonight. Alone with him now, she wanted to breathe him in and look closely at his face, the lines, the planes. All week, she had been recalling him from memory and she saw now that her memory wasn’t close to the real Harry. He was devastatingly masculine with his clean-shaven square-jawed face, large nose, widely spaced dark brown eyes and that chin with a dimple in it. To say nothing of his mouth! She drew her gaze away from his mouth when she blushed, remembering those firm lips against hers, his clean, sweet breath mingling with hers, his tongue…Okay now, girlfriend, quit it before you manifest the state you’re in right before his eyes.
She pulled her overcoat closed across her chest. Too late, her nipples were hardening at this moment.
Harry held the door for her and they stepped onto the porch, whereupon he closed the door and made sure it was locked before pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly. She fell into the solid warmth of Harry. His arms went around her and drew her to his hard chest. Her breasts were crushed against him and because she was already aroused her nipples were further stimulated. She experienced a delicious sensual feeling as his tongue parted her lips. She sighed against his mouth and welcomed him inside. Her knees went weak, the soles of her feet tingled, a new erogenous zone for her.
Raising his head, Harry said hoarsely, “Hello, darling.”
With her hand in his hair, her head tilted back so as to admire him better, and a sexy smile on her lips, Cherisse murmured, “Now, that’s a hello.”
Harry grinned and kissed her again.
They went to Elway’s on E 1st Avenue. The restaurant belonged to an old teammate of Harry’s and he frequented the restaurant whenever he got the chance. Decorated in muted earth tones, the elegant steakhouse had a warm atmosphere, and Cherisse liked it upon stepping inside.
Harry had asked for a private table in the back when he’d made the reservations. He could barely tear his eyes away from Cherisse long enough to look at the menu.
Her head was bent over the menu, her wavy black hair tumbling over her slim shoulders. Harry thought he would surely make a fool of himself if he could not stop staring at her, so he asked her about work, hoping that would distract him. He was wrong. Cherisse looked up and smiled at him, her full lips curving sexily. His groin grew tight at the sight of them. And blood thundered in his ears as she opened her mouth and said, “Harry, did I tell you Amy Whitehall’s father was not the one who beat her nearly to death? It was her mother. The woman had the nerve to come to the hospital to see Amy and she was arrested. Last I heard Amy’s father was going to be released. I’m so glad for her. She’s healing well. In fact she’ll probably be released sometime next week.”
“That’s great news,” said Harry. But what he really wanted to know was how many rooms away from Cherisse did Charlie Washington sleep, and did he sleepwalk?
No, no, Harry, he thought vehemently. Don’t go there. If you want to ask Cherisse about the current status of her relationship with her ex-husband, then do it. Don’t speculate.
He cleared his throat. Cherisse had returned to perusing the menu. She looked up.
Harry said, “You’re not curious as to what Charlie said to me while you were getting ready for our date?”
She smiled. “I can imagine what Charlie said. He’s under the misconception that he’s going to remarry me, and he, Danielle and I are going to live happily ever after. He was probably telling you to back off.”
“You know him well.”
“I was married to him for nine years.”
“He’s persistent.”
“You don’t know the half of it. I told him to stop flirting with me and
he told me he’d thought over my request and ‘may the best man win,’” she said, laughing softly.
“So he thinks this is some kind of contest,” Harry ventured.
“Yes!”
Harry narrowed his eyes. Competitive to the core, he had to rein in his first impulse: to turn on the charm and sweep Cherisse off her feet. He had money. He could take her to Paris every weekend if he wanted to. He could…Harry, calm down. This is crazy, he told himself. Cheri is not the type of woman to be floored by material things.
If you win her you’ve got to win her by being yourself and to do that you’ve got to make her a part of your everyday life.
“How would you like to go to Montana with me next weekend?” he asked. “I’ve got to go check out a resort I’m thinking of buying.”
Cherisse was surprised he would ask her to go away with him when they’d only known one another for a short time, but she was also intrigued. She’d never been to Montana before and had heard it was a beautiful state. Besides, just because they went away together didn’t mean they had to share a bed. But she had to make that clear from the get-go.
She smiled at him. “I’d love to go to Montana with you. We’d have separate rooms?”
Harry laughed briefly. “But, of course, darling girl.”
Cherisse looked down at her menu once more. “Then the answer is yes, Mr. Payne.”
The waiter arrived, wanting to take their orders. For starters Cherisse ordered the coconut-battered shrimp while Harry asked for the Japanese seared tuna. Then Cherisse ordered sautéed cremini mushrooms and Harry asked for the Yukon gold mashed potatoes. Cherisse wanted to try the charred red pepper soup and Harry swore by Elway’s roasted corn and chicken chowder. And each of them decided upon crustaceans for their main course, Cherisse ordering the Alaskan crab legs and Harry the Australian lobster tail.
Each asked for one glass of Chardonnay since Cherisse wasn’t much of a drinker and Harry was driving.
They passed on dessert.
After the waiter had gone to the kitchen, Cherisse pushed her hair behind both ears and looked Harry in the eyes. “When’s your birthday, Harry?”
“October fifth,” he said easily. “You already know how old I am, and you?”
“January seventeenth,” Cherisse said. “I’ll be thirty-eight.”
“You’re a lovely soon-to-be thirty-eight,” Harry told her.
“May I ask you a very personal question?” Cherisse asked.
Harry steeled himself. “Go ahead.”
“Don’t you have that urge to be a father that men usually get after a certain age? And if so, what are you doing dating someone as old as I am?”
Harry laughed. “When you ask a question, you don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
He considered her question, then gave her an honest reply. “Yes, I want children some day and I don’t think that at the advanced age of thirty-seven you’re incapable of giving me those children should our relationship progress in that direction. You’re healthy. You’ve already had one beautiful child. I expect you could have more if you wanted to. Do you want to?”
Now he was putting her on the spot.
Cherisse rose to the occasion. “Yes, definitely. I always wanted a brother or a sister for Danielle but I certainly wasn’t going to have another child without a husband. It hasn’t been easy raising Danielle alone.”
“Well, we got that out of the way,” Harry joked. “Shall we talk about something harmless like religion or politics?”
“I’m a Christian and a Democrat,” said Cherisse.
“A lapsed Christian,” Harry admitted. “I haven’t been to church in ages. But I’m still a card-carrying Democrat.”
Cherisse looked around them. There was an eight-foot-tall Christmas tree in one corner of the dining room surrounded by wrapped gifts. It was December, after all, and many businesses already had their decorations up. “What’s your take on Christmas?” she asked. “Do you look forward to it every year or do you think it’s gotten too commercial?”
“A little of both,” Harry said. “If I can spend it with someone I care about, I love it. If I’m alone I tend to get grumpy and become a Scrooge.”
“That’s understandable,” Cherisse said. “We tend to celebrate it. Decorations will go up at the house in the next few days. Danielle, even though she’s seventeen, will be counting down the days. On Christmas Eve we have friends and family over for a meal and, I’m embarrassed to say, we sing carols and have a bit too much Christmas cheer and sometimes have to roll a couple of friends into a cab so they won’t have to drive home drunk. Yeah, Christmas is big at our house, but that’s how my parents have always done it. Now that Daddy’s gone, my mother has carried on the tradition. And if you don’t go home to Kentucky this year, we’d love to have you join us.”
Harry knew his mother would never forgive him if he didn’t come home for Christmas.
But maybe just this one time, he would risk it. “I’d love to,” he said. “I hope there’ll be plenty of mistletoe hanging about.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” Cherisse assured him.
By that time the waiter was returning with their appetizers and glasses of wine. After serving them, he hurried off, and Cherisse sampled her coconut shrimp, declaring that it was “delicious.” She ate a forkful of the pineapple-cucumber slaw that came with it. The fresh, subtle flavors were a perfect complement to the shrimp.
Harry enjoyed his tuna, as well. What he enjoyed the most, though, was watching Cherisse eat. It was a singularly arousing experience. She licked a bit of sauce from her lips and he hardened. He had to look away.
Cherisse followed his line of sight, thinking he must have spotted someone he knew across the room. But he didn’t say anything. After a while she thought she might have a bit of sauce on her chin or slaw in her teeth, something he was loath to mention.
If she had something in her teeth, she wanted to be told about it. “Harry, why are you looking everywhere except at me? Do I have something in my teeth?”
“No,” Harry said hurriedly to put her mind at ease. He looked at her, but had to lower his gaze because he was somewhat embarrassed. He said, “Looking at you is doing things to my body. I have been in a constant state of semi-arousal since I picked you up this evening.”
Cherisse reached across the table and clasped one of Harry’s big hands in hers. “You don’t know what a wonderful compliment that is, Harry. Thank you.”
“It was my pleasure,” Harry said, meeting her gaze. “Believe me.”
Cherisse gave him a winning smile and squeezed his hand. “I’m glad to know I’m not the only one having a hard time controlling my impulses.”
Chapter 12
“Montana!” cried Jo the next morning when Cherisse told her about Harry’s invitation.
Cherisse was pleased to find that Charlie had slept in on Sunday morning. She and Jo had a peaceful few minutes before either Charlie or Danielle came down for breakfast.
She and her mother were sitting at the kitchen table, both in bathrobes, drinking coffee. After breakfast both would be dressing for church.
“Yes, he’s going to inspect a resort he’s thinking of buying.”
“Why is he taking you?” Jo asked, pretending ignorance. She simply wanted her daughter’s perspective on the situation. Having very little experience with men, did Cherisse actually think Harry Payne was taking her just to keep him company?
“I know how your mind works,” Cherisse said, smiling at Jo. “We’ve already established the fact that there will be separate rooms. Why shouldn’t I go? I want to be with him. I only get to see him on weekends.”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t go,” Jo said. “I’m saying that you should be on guard against getting too tempted. Being in Montana alone with Harry is different than being at a restaurant with him in Denver.”
“So you think I’m playing with fire,” Cherisse surmised.
“Yes, I do,” said her mother. “God
help me, I don’t know if I would be able to resist a man that gorgeous if I were alone with him in a cabin in Montana.”
Cherisse laughed softly. “Well, pray for me.”
Ponderosa Pines Ranch, located in the high country of the Rocky Mountains, was not a ranch at all but a luxury resort tucked into the southwest corner of Montana.
Harry and Cherisse’s plane landed at Missoula, Montana’s airport, where a car was waiting to take them the seventy-five miles to the resort.
It was a beautiful clear blue afternoon, and Cherisse saw at once why Montana was called Big Sky Country—the wide open spaces made the sky appear endless. She enjoyed the drive and Harry enjoyed her enthusiasm.
The driver, Jake Hanks, a tall, dark-haired guy in his late twenties who worked for the resort, gave them a short history of the area as he drove “The resort is on the edge of the town of Darby, which looks just like it’s straight out of a Western movie. We’ll be driving through there in a few minutes and you’ll see what I mean.”
There was slush on the roads from recent snowfall but the four-wheel drive handled nicely on the wet road. “How much snow do you get every winter?” Harry wanted to know.
“Three hundred inches,” Jake said. “And there are short lines at the nearby Lost Trail Powder Mountain ski area.”
Harry was aware the resort wasn’t designed to cater to skiers as Karibu was. The property they were going to see had several hand-hewn log cabins dotting its five hundred acres and also had a main guest lodge with sixty rooms. It was the sort of place where urban folks who wanted a genuine Western experience, but also wanted to be in the lap of luxury, vacationed.
They were coming into Darby now. As Jake had said, the town definitely had an Old West flavor. False storefronts lined Main Street. There was a tavern, a haberdashery, a general store. It really did look like the set of a Western.
Driving out of town, Cherisse noticed many log cabins. Having lived in Colorado practically all her life, she had rarely met anyone who actually lived in a log cabin. If she had had a camera she was sure she would have been doing the touristy thing and snapping photos of the homes.
