Finding Love In Big Sky, Montana (Resort to Love--Finding Love line Book 2)

by Angela Ruth Strong

  Discussion Questions

  1.) Though Paisley forgave her father, she still had to deal with believing lies about herself as a result of the abuse. What are some lies you’ve believed about yourself?

  2.) Paisley is scared of getting hurt again, and in her efforts to protect herself, she teeters on the verge of treating Josh abusively. Have you ever hurt someone else as a result of your own pain?

  3.) Paisley’s pain is more than emotional. She has a physical ailment, as well. Why do you think God allows disease? Is there any good that can come from it?

  4.) Josh is used to getting whatever he wants. How can this lead to manipulation in life?

  5.) Josh doesn’t know what he wants anymore while Paisley knows she won’t ever have what she really wants. Have you ever fallen into either of these categories? How so?

  6.) Sam gets stuck in the middle between Josh and Paisley. In such a situation, is it best to stay involved or remove yourself entirely? Would you have handled Sam’s circumstances any differently?

  7.) Dot and Annabel enjoy their lives despite the fact that they are living Plan B. When is a time that you’ve had to accept Plan B for your life? What did you learn through it?

  8.) Annabel becomes a mentor to Paisley, using herself as an example of what not to do. Have you ever had to learn something the hard way but then were able to use your experience to help others?

  9.) Josh had been looking for Paisley for a decade without realizing it. Do you think their love story would have been as powerful if it had all worked out from the beginning? Why or why not?

  10.) The Star of Bethlehem played a role in bringing Josh and Paisley together. Have you ever looked back in your life to find that God had been leading you all along and that He knew exactly where you needed to end up from the very beginning? And/or have you ever missed God’s direction for your life?

  A Sneak Peek at Book Three—Finding Love in Park City, Utah

  Releasing Spring of 2017

  Chapter One

  C.J. Lancaster checked her watch as she ran across the street of downtown Park City, Utah. If she weren’t so rushed, she might enjoy the quaint storefronts that lined the valley between mountain peaks. Instead, she had to dart around tourists and hurdle snowbanks.

  Thank goodness fur-trimmed boots were acceptable apparel for journalists at the Sundance Film Festival, though she was still freezing from the unfamiliar sting of icy air. Only one more block to go, according to the concierge at her hotel. Problem was, she was supposed to have been at the festival base camp fifteen minutes ago for her interview with actress Emily Van Arsdale.

  C.J.’s breath fogged up her aviator glasses, and she whipped them off to wipe on her scarf. She squinted against the blinding reflection of sun on bright snow and continued her race down a walkway between two shops. Strands of leftover Christmas lights dangled from the wooden canopy overhead, and a couple of tourists stopped to pose for pictures with a bear sculpture on a bench. C.J.’s stomach churned at the sickening sweetness of it all. Was life really that perfect for some people?

  A crossing guard in an orange vest raised a baton to keep her from crossing the next street. She stopped but bounced side to side with nervous energy. The bun she’d twisted on top of her head, in her frantic preparations for her flight out of L.A. that morning, tugged at her scalp with each hop. She didn’t even want to think about how messy she looked.

  The crossing guard lowered his baton and waved her through. “Have a great day, ma’am.” Even the crossing guards were happy in this town.

  She jabbed her sunglasses on and forced a smile to her lips. She could do this.

  A couple of huge white tents welcomed her to her destination. She flashed her credentials hanging from a lanyard and entered the courtyard dotted with heaters and fire pits. There. The tent on the right. She fought the current of bodies flowing the opposite direction.

  Oh no. Did that mean the Q&A was over? Had she missed her interview? All that work for nothing?

  She spotted a bright orange jacket signifying a festival volunteer and rushed the woman’s direction. “I’m here for my interview with Emily Van Arsdale.”

  The woman shrugged and pointed to another volunteer wearing a headset.

  C.J. squeezed through the throng of bodies. She flashed her badge again. “I’m with Star News, and I’m a few minutes late for my interview with Emily Van Arsdale. Do you think she would still see me?”

  The gentleman with silver hair shot her a grin. “I’m sure she would if she was here, but she left for the next film showing.” His southern accent dragged out the words, making them almost sound charming. But they weren’t.

  C.J. groaned. Her head fell back, and she closed her eyes. Mac, her boss, wanted the article about Emily more than anything. But expecting her to catch a 7AM flight after waking her up at 3AM to let her know she was going to be filling in for a sick reporter was not the way to get it. Of course, Mac wouldn’t take any of the responsibility. He’d say she’d failed to complete the task he’d hired her for. Should she even try to write another article that day, or should she simply head to her hotel room and let her aching body catch up on sleep?

  The volunteer cleared his throat. “I bet you could talk to Emily at Redstone Cinema. You might even be able to watch her film. They reserve seats for the press.”

  Now those were charming words. C.J. lifted her head and stared at the man, hoping to gauge the validity of such a claim.

  He looked away and spoke into his headset like one who held authority. When he looked back, there was a twinkle in his eyes. He obviously loved what he did. She might as well try to enjoy her job, as well.

  “How do I get to Redstone?”

  Sam Lake bit into his concession stand ice cream bar and surveyed the insanity that had become his brother’s life since Tracen married Emily. Lines of people filled the theater lobby and wove through the maze of velvet ropes. There was a line for pass holders who’d paid thousands of dollars to be the first to get into any film they wanted. Then there was the line where ticket holders could wait up to two hours before the film began. Then there was the wait list line in case any seats were left after the pass holders and ticket holders had been seated.

  All those people in all those lines stared and pointed and took pictures of Emily from where she hid out at the table behind a grouping of potted plants. No wonder Tracen always wanted to hurry home to his cabin in Sun Valley, Idaho.

  In fact, at that moment Tracen was looking longingly through the glass doors toward blue sky and white mountain peaks where the Olympics had once been held. Sam knew the feeling of longing, but he refused to look. After falling off a ladder and breaking his ankle when removing Christmas lights a couple of weeks ago, he’d had been sentenced to surgery and a few months in a walking boot. There would be no more snowboarding for him that winter.

  “Sam.” Emily’s tiny frame scooted beside him. She spoke quietly as if not wanting to be overheard by the mass of humanity. “Will you be my bodyguard so Tracen can go snowboarding?”

  Bodyguard? Sam had been a soldier in the Army, a wildland firefighter, and a ranch hand in the past few years, but he’d never been a bodyguard. Might be kind of fun. “What do I have to do?”

  “Not much. Just give Tracen reassurance I’ll be safe. I mean, I know you’d rather be snowboarding, yourself, but . . .” Emily shrugged.

  She was trying not to rub it in since his accident had shattered his pride even more than it shattered his ankle. Playing the role of bodyguard could make him feel useful again. “Sure, I’ll be your bodyguard.”

  Her shoulders visibly relaxed. “Thank you so much. I think Tracen needs a break if he’s going to make it through tonight’s opening party.”

  Sam tossed his Popsicle stick into a nearby garbage can and licked the sweet, sticky remains of vanilla ice cream off his lips. He smiled at the image of his brother dressed up for a glitzy party. Tracen hadn’t even worn a tuxedo to his own wedding. “That’s a good idea.�
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  Emily beamed and squeezed his bicep before stepping away to talk to Tracen. Sam was the only other Lake who’d arrived for the festival so far. His two oldest brothers and their families would be coming later in the week for future showings of the film and the awards ceremony. Mom and Dad were supposed to fly in that night. Then there was Sam’s brother Josh and his fiancée, Paisley, who would be taking their parents back to Montana after the festival to help Paisley finish planning a Valentine’s Day wedding.

  Sam was happy for Josh, but not happy about being the only single Lake brother left. As the baby of the family, he’d probably get stuck at the kiddie table in the giant cabin they’d all be sharing for the next two weeks. Maybe he’d reenlist in the Army after Josh’s wedding. That is, if the military would take him with the screws and plate in his ankle.

  Tracen joined him and clamped a hand on his shoulder. “You sure you can handle her?” he asked.

  Handle Emily? Emily could handle herself. Sam was only supposed to make sure Tracen didn’t worry about not being there with her. “I’ll keep the paparazzi away,” he promised.

  “You’ll give them the boot?” Tracen joked.

  Sam shook his head at the bad pun. “Too soon.”

  Tracen stepped backwards and rubbed his hands together. He didn’t even look like he’d heard Sam’s response. He was already mentally preparing to shred the mountain. “Thanks, man. I’ll see you guys at dinner.”

  Sam nodded. It wouldn’t be so bad. He’d get to know his sister-in-law better. He’d have great seats for the documentary about the athlete Emily helped her mother train for the Rio Olympics in the sport of trampoline. And heck, he might even be on the big screen himself as he’d lived with Tracen and Emily for a while. That kind of made him a celebrity, too, didn’t it?

  Sam took his position as sentinel and crossed his arms to look out at the crowd. Any of them could be celebrities. Or future celebrities. Maybe Tracen wouldn’t be the only Lake brother to date an actress.

  Except, Sam really shouldn’t be dating if he was going to reenlist. Military and marriage hadn’t mixed too well for his buddies. And Sam had yet to meet a woman he would be willing to give up his freedom for.

  An argument erupted at the doors to Theater One where Sundance volunteers had begun “loading” for Emily’s documentary. A skinny woman in fur boots and a navy blue scarf waved a badge at the ticket taker. The ticket taker shook her head then pointed Sam’s way.

  The woman turned. Removed her sunglasses. Focused past him to where Emily was conversing with her mom and the film director. Then the woman made eye contact with Sam.

  Her expression faded long enough for him to see the wrinkles of weariness, but then it changed. Her eyes widened. Her chin lifted. Her shoulders squared. And her lips turned up as if in absolute delight.

  He blinked in the brilliance of it. And he couldn’t help smiling a little bit himself. Because she was headed his way. And he was going to get to play bodyguard after all.

  C.J. wanted to throw a fit. She wanted to drop onto the ugly blue carpet of the cinema lobby, kick her feet, and wail at the unfairness of life. She didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want this job. She had so many more important things to do than interview the rich and famous to make them even more rich and famous.

  But as she wasn’t rich and famous herself, she had to work. She had to make her boss happy. And she’d come so close to achieving her goal that she wasn’t going to stop now. If Emily Van Arsdale’s tall bodyguard with the watching eyes and mischievous smile didn’t let her charm her way past, she was ready to punch him in the gut. It might not help her get her story, but she’d at least feel better.

  “Hey,” he said in a deep voice that matched his muscles. His arms were crossed, but his expression was open. Maybe even curious.

  C.J. took a deep breath of the nauseating, popcorn-scented air. “Hey.”

  She stopped in front of the man and tried to keep from peeking past to see what Emily Van Arsdale was doing. C.J. had also spotted a gray-haired woman. Could that be Emily’s mother? They both had the same bright blue eyes.

  The bodyguard’s eyes were brown. Dark brown. And they studied her. What did they see? She could feel her bun drooping to the side. Definitely not professional. She reached up to pull out the pins and shake her hair loose. Her scalp ached. She massaged. That felt a little better but hadn’t helped her get closer to Emily. Now what?

  She’d ask a question. “Are you here to watch Emily Van Arsdale’s documentary?” There. He’d have to talk about the actress now.

  “Yes. Are you?” One of his eyebrows lifted in a challenge as if he knew she hadn’t been allowed inside the theater.

  She should kick him right there. Though playing the damsel in distress might get her farther. She dropped her head to one side and softened her voice. “I didn’t get a ticket in time.”

  The man clicked his tongue and shook his head, but he seemed more entertained than sympathetic. “There will be other showings. You’ve got two weeks to try again.”

  She narrowed her eyes. Oops. She was supposed to make him want to rescue her. Make him want to impress her enough to introduce her to the actress. She turned her glare into an eyelash flutter. “Yes. There’s always hope.”

  The man smirked. “Big Emily Lake fan, are you?”

  Emily Lake? Oh yeah. The actress had gotten married and changed her name. C.J. would play along. “Yes. Big fan.”

  The man’s gaze dropped down to her credentials for a second. Had he seen her media pass? “Are you sure? Because you didn’t even know her last name.”

  Well, that route wasn’t going to work. C.J. could knee him to get past to Emily, or . . . she could take advantage of that spark of interest she’d heard in his greeting. As long as his interest wasn’t the kind of interest that caused traffic to rubberneck around a car accident. Her life had pretty much become a train wreck as of late, but hopefully her state of being wasn’t so obvious.

  She held up her hands. “You caught me. I was actually looking for an excuse to come over and talk to you.”

  His warm chuckle seared her frayed nerve endings. Her ego was already fragile enough without his mockery, but perhaps he wasn’t mocking. Perhaps his laughter meant he was enjoying her attention. Not all men were like her ex-husband, were they?

  Should she laugh along with him or blush and run? He wouldn’t be able to catch her with the cast on. What kind of body guard wore a cast, anyway?

  He held out his hand. “What’s your name?”

  Her heart tripped over the idea of touching him. But it was a hand shake. A formality. She slid her palm into his, and the heat of it soothed her nerves even more. Again, what kind of bodyguard was this guy? Shouldn’t he be cold and intimidating?

  She pulled her hand away and balled it in the pocket of her pea coat. “I’m C.J. Lancaster. And you are?”

  “I’m Sam Lake.”

  Lake? Oh no. C.J.’s hand came out of her pocket to cover her mouth. She’d hit on Emily’s husband. She was never going to get the interview now. She might even get blacklisted from the festival. Mac had warned her that could happen if she monopolized Q&A sessions, but he’d never mentioned this. This was too horrible to even imagine. C.J. would have been better off punching the guy.

  Sam’s perfect white teeth flashed as his crooked smile grew. “I’m Emily’s brother-in-law.”

  “Oh . . .” She let out her breath in a whoosh. Her hand dropped from her mouth to his forearms still crossed in front of his chest. Shoot, she was touching him again. She pulled her hand away but checked for a wedding ring on his finger. None. She wasn’t in danger of becoming “the other woman” after all. If she was ever going to date again, she’d have to make it a habit to check for wedding rings. Rookie mistake. “That’s . . . that’s good,” she said.

  Her gaze rose up to meet his. Did he know what she’d been thinking, or could she possibly salvage her plan to get past Sam to speak with his sister-in-law?

/>   His eyes sparkled. “So, what does C.J. stand for? California Journalist?”

  Warning bells rang in her head. Abort. Abort. “No. I . . . uh . . .”

  “You’re the reporter who missed your interview, aren’t you?”

  He knew. She had to humble herself and plead her case. Maybe he would understand. “Yes. Though I wasn’t the reporter scheduled to be there. Gretchen got sick, and I found out at 4 a.m. that I had to fill in. I didn’t make my flight, and since I got here I’ve been running all over town trying to find Emily. Now I’ve found her, and I’m begging you to let me talk to her. I’m sorry I pretended otherwise. My boss really wants this story, and I really need my job.”

  Sam ran his fingers through thick, dark hair, and she realized she was clutching his other arm. She dropped her hands to her sides and moved back. Clinging to him wasn’t going to help her cause.

  A woman in an orange jacket stepped next to them and waved to the people behind Sam. “Emily, we’ve got the theater loaded, and I’m here to escort you to your seat.”

  Oh no. C.J. wouldn’t have time to talk to Emily now. Though maybe there was an extra seat for her, and they could talk after the show. Sam could make it happen if he wanted to.

  Emily and the gray-haired woman stepped closer to walk past.

  C.J. turned. If she reached out she could tap Emily on the back. She could plead her case to someone she hadn’t already embarrassed herself in front of.

  Sam’s hands settled on her shoulders and slid down to her biceps to hold her in place. Her muscles tensed. If ever she was going to elbow him, this was the time.

  But Emily’s blue sky eyes looked C.J.’s way, and C.J. froze.

  Emily smiled before glancing up at Sam. “No rush, Sam. I’ll save your spot.”

  “Thanks, Em.” His voice was so low. And so close to C.J.’s ear. It gave her shivers, which was silly considering their situation. Maybe she was cold.