Phrases like “our guests” and “paparazzi” made Cole’s head spin. He looked to Dax and knew his brother must have felt the same because his expression was slightly pained.
Cole decided it was time to intervene. Coming up behind Alice he placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. “It’s a great idea, darlin’, but let’s give Dax some time to review the research you’ve put together and come back to it once he’s had some time to digest.”
He felt her shoulders relax under his touch and she let out a soft sigh as she nodded. “Yeah, good idea.”
When he looked up at Dax he saw his younger brother staring at him with an intensity he didn’t immediately understand. It wasn’t anger, which was what he was used to seeing in his brother’s eyes.
Before he could question it, Dax turned away. “I’ll take a look tonight,” he said.
He paused with his back to them for a moment. Then he turned back and flashed Cole a sudden smile that left him stunned. He gave Alice a little wink. “Great job taking initiative, sis.”
Cole didn’t have to see her expression to know how much that meant to Alice and for a second he forgot about his issues with Dax and the fact that their family home might be sold out from underneath them.
For one heartbeat, they had felt like a family again.
* * *
He should have known that contentment couldn’t last long. No sooner had Dax and James departed then Alice was all over him. Literally.
Her arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her face in his chest with a squeal that made him think she wasn’t quite as grown up as she’d have them believe. Oh sure, she was a grown woman at twenty-one, but she could still act like a child when she wanted.
He ruffled her hair and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. And thank goodness for that. After losing her parents and now nearly losing her home, it made his heart swell with gratitude that she still had that life-affirming exuberance she’d always had.
“Do you think he’ll go for it?” she asked, pulling back to look up at him.
He shrugged. He didn’t want to get her hopes up but he didn’t want to burst her bubble either. “We’ll see, I guess.”
She nodded with a sigh and then her face brightened again, her gaze filled with mischief. “So, big bro… what’s going on with you and the prima ballerina?”
He took a stumbling step back in surprise and his sister’s head fall back with a delighted laugh.
“How did you know about that?” He growled in annoyance at how that sounded. “Not that there’s anything to know about.”
Laughing she pretended to dance on tip-toe as she headed toward the open door. “Only that you took her home last night.” She twirled to face him, wagging her eyebrows in a ridiculous manner. “And that you stayed till morning.”
He thought to protest, to explain himself, even though explaining himself to his little sister went against everything he stood for. Instead, he found himself gaping at her in shock. “How did you know?”
Alice rolled her eyes as she laughed. “This is Lulu, big brother. Everyone knows.”
“It was nothing,” he automatically protested.
“I didn’t think you were getting married,” she teased. “Besides, everyone knows she’ll be heading back to New York once she’s healed.”
“Healed?”
Alice nodded. “Rumor has it she injured her ankle while dancing. She had to take a break, and what better place to rest than our sleepy little town?”
Alice left, still laughing… at him, no doubt. He supposed he was scowling like a moron, but her words had given him pause and had turned up the dial on his already ridiculous worries.
She was hurt? Then what on earth was she doing waiting tables? She should be staying off her feet.
But what did he know? Here he was listening to the gossip just like everyone else. He should know better than to believe anything when it came third-hand through the town’s version of “whisper down the alley.”
He knew the way the gossip mill worked as well as anyone. Lord knew he and his family were at the crux of it often enough after his parents’ death. He should have know that they’d all be talking about him and Claire after the little performance they’d put on in front of the bar.
Everyone knows.
He thought about that as he finished his chores. He didn’t care what gossips said about him, but he wondered if Claire did.
Would she resent the fact that everyone in town thought they’d gone home together?
Probably. She was Claire Geddy—the town’s sweetheart, the best thing to come out of this place since the miners settled here. Heck, one day he expected to see a statue in the town center in honor of Lulu’s dancing star.
And him?
He’d be lucky if anyone remembered him as anything other than the black sheep of the Deckland family.
Since he’d been back he hadn’t seen many people. Half the reason he’d let that blonde tourist join him at his booth at The Flaming Hog the day before was to avoid conversation with the regulars.
Of course, if he’d known Claire would be there working…
What was she doing there anyway? She shouldn’t be working if she’s injured. Especially not bartending and waitressing at that joint.
At least she wouldn’t be at it for long. Probably just taking some time off, visiting her mother, and lending a helping hand while she was here. Claire Geddy had always been meant for more than waiting tables at The Flaming Hog, and everyone knew it.
She certainly deserved better than to be the butt of town gossip, especially if those rumors involved him. But it wasn’t like he’d meant to stir up any trouble. He’d come back here with the sole purpose of settling down and helping the family.
His angsty youth was behind him and he had no need to relive those days any more than he wanted to go back to being the unreliable brother he’d become after their parents died.
This was a new day. A clean slate. Cole Deckland was starting over.
My own personal hero.
This time the memory of Claire’s unexpected statement made him grin. He didn’t think he’d ever been anyone’s hero, but these days he wanted to try to be the guy wearing the white hat for a change.
Of course, he wasn’t off to a great start if he’d already managed to stir up gossip for Claire. He just hoped the rumors from last night would pass quickly, for Claire’s sake.
He also wished he could get her out of his head, but even with everything going on with his family and the ranch, and the endless chores that could keep his hands busy until eternity if he wanted—none of that had been enough to get her off his mind. He’d only left her a few hours before but he wanted to check on her. He didn’t have her cell number, nor did he have Ruby’s. The bar would be opening soon, he reckoned.
But if he stopped by, that would only fuel the gossip he’d inadvertently caused by spending the night.
Still, the anxious feeling in his gut wouldn’t let up.
But that was probably normal. Of course he’d be worried about her. She’d come dangerously close to hypothermia last night with that darn beater of a car.
He paused in his chores, a new idea pulling him out of his funk and giving him a renewed sense of purpose. He could help in his own way. His old boss Marty should have towed the car back to the shop by now and if there was one thing he did well, it was work on cars.
A little while later he pulled up in front of the shop. Marty didn’t come out, even though he knew without a doubt that his old boss was watching him like a hawk through the front window.
Marty might be getting older, but he was still as observant as ever. Cranky as a bear, but watchful as a hawk.
Sure enough, he heard the old man call out, “What do you want, boy?” as soon as he walked into the shop.
Cole grinned. It was good to be back. The smell of oil and car fumes filled the air in a way most would find toxic. But not Cole. This smell was as much the scent
of home as the smell of manure and fresh hay when he pulled up in front of the ranch. Different scents but no less comforting.
Marty was bent over under the hood of Claire’s car as he drew near. The old man’s thick white hair was splattered with grease, as usual. When his wife was alive, she used to complain to Cole in a teasing tone about how difficult it was to be married to a man who never ceased to have grease on his hands.
She’d passed away while Cole was working for him back in high school. He’d worked for him off and on since then, too, whenever he could spare the time from the ranch. Marty might not have said it in words—or actions, for that matter—but Cole knew without a doubt that the old man was grateful for the help.
And for the company.
He and Betty never did have kids and their extended family had all left town years ago to find jobs in bigger cities.
Cole’s steps slowed as he neared the car. He always felt guilty when he came back to Lulu after one of his jaunts, but never more so than when he had to face Marty. Dax and Alice didn’t need him, not really. Dax was probably better off in some ways when he wasn’t around to interfere in ranch business. And Alice had always been self-sufficient, and never more so than when she was off at college—thriving and reveling in a new world, from what he could tell.
But Marty… now there was a different story.
“Can I give you a hand?” he offered.
Marty didn’t respond right away. When he did, he straightened and wiped his hands on his overalls. Then he turned his bright blue eyes on Cole, and Cole knew he saw everything.
Everything.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Marty said, but his eyes held a hint of mischief that belied the cranky words.
Cole felt some of his tension ease as he reached for a pair of gloves and took his place beside his old friend. “So, what do we have here?”
Marty filled him in on the transmission troubles, along with the other myriad of issues this old car faced. Frankly, he’d sell it for scraps if it was up to him, but it wasn’t. This was Ruby’s car, and Claire’s he supposed. So it was up to them.
Apparently Marty had called Ruby and she’d opted to have it fixed up, which meant ordering a new transmission, which would take a while to come in. In the meantime, though, Cole could set to work on all the other minor issues that this poor car faced.
It wasn’t difficult work, but it required full attention. In that way it was meditative, he supposed. He and Marty worked side by side in peace as they focused on their individual tasks.
The silence was comfortable and the atmosphere helped him to forget about issues at the ranch, and the rumors about Claire, and what he’d say to his brother when he got the chance.
For now, at least, he was just happy to be home.
Chapter Seven
Claire followed her mother through the grocery store, watching everyone around her warily. Or rather, they were watching her. She was just returning the favor.
“Everyone knows,” she hissed to Ruby as they rounded the produce aisle.
Ruby laughed and the laugh was too loud, calling even more attention to them. “Of course everyone knows.” Her talking voice was too loud, too. Claire was pretty sure her mother was trying to be heard by the Reynolds who were one aisle over when she added, “It isn’t every day a local girl nabs herself one of the Deckland boys.”
Claire’s eyes went wide with horror. Ruby glanced in her direction and laughed so hard tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. “Relax, honey, I’m only kidding.”
But she wasn’t, not totally. Her mother had been way too pleased to find Cole in her apartment yesterday morning. It had taken multiple lectures and incessant reminders to get it through her head that a) she was not in the market for a boyfriend—a local boy or not, b) she wouldn’t be staying in Lulu long enough to have a boyfriend even if she wanted one, and c) even if she did want one and planned to stick around long enough to make it worthwhile, she sure as heck wouldn’t date Cole Deckland.
A point she tried to get across once again right now. “Ruby, you know very well I have no interest in Cole.” Ruby ignored her. “Or Dax,” she added for good measure, just in case the Reynolds were still listening. “I have zero interest in the Decklands.”
“Mmhmm.” Her mother’s murmured agreement sounded unconvinced.
“I don’t!”
Her mother’s eyes were twinkling with laughter as she turned to her, a bushel of carrots in hand. “Are you telling me you don’t find Cole Deckland attractive?”
“Yes.”
That was the biggest whopper she’d ever tried to sell her mother but she was still extremely conscious of prying eyes and eavesdropping neighbors.
When Ruby raised her brows in obvious disbelief, Claire relented with a sigh. “Okay, fine. He’s attractive,” she whispered. “But he’s trouble.”
Ruby laughed and shook her head as she continued down the aisle. “How much trouble can he be, Clarabelle? The boy made you tea and slept under the same roof with you without so much as making a move.” She whipped around to face her, the laughter replaced by the kind of mama bear protectiveness that would have made a grizzly proud. “He didn’t, did he?”
Claire sighed. “No, Mom.”
I wish.
What? No. She didn’t really think that. That was her stupid teenage crush talking. She was a grown woman now, nearly thirty, and she knew better than to mess with a biker who couldn’t commit to save his life.
Cole might be a nice guy, but she knew the type. He was exactly the kind of guy her mother had gone for when she was growing up. Handsome, charming, and fickle. She’d gotten the scoop from Ruby after she’d woken from what had to have been the deepest sleep of her life yesterday morning. She’d shamelessly gotten all the Deckland gossip she’d missed over the past decade. Everything her mother had told her about Cole only emphasized what she’d already guessed.
He was trouble.
He’d taken off periodically, leaving Dax to run the ranch. He’d leave on his bike for days, sometimes weeks. This last time he’d taken off for months—nearly a year. What kind of guy did that?
The bad kind. The kind that were the most dangerous because they weren’t mean. They didn’t curse and shout and beat their women. But that made them even more dangerous in Claire’s eyes, because it was easy to overlook their faults. He was the kind of guy who would treat you wonderfully, sweep you off your feet and make you feel like a million bucks… right up until he split.
Yup. She’d been there done that—well, she hadn’t dated a guy like that but she shared the DNA of one who fit that bill to a tee. Her father, by all accounts had the same traits. The description of her father sounded just like Cole. Charming, attractive, and one hundred percent unreliable.
Except when he was coming to her rescue.
Of course, any decent human being would stop if they saw someone stranded on the side of the road, particularly when it was freezing cold and the dead of winter.
But would everyone stay? Would any good Samaritan carry her upstairs, make her tea, and draw her a bath?
That unbidden thought had her pausing in the aisle, facing the broccoli as if it might have the answers.
She started when she heard her name called out from further down the aisle.
A cute redhead with short, curly hair and an upturned nose covered in freckles was waving her down. Claire grinned at the sight of her former high school friend. “Ellen?”
Ellen was already walking toward her. “Girl, it is so good to see you!”
Claire returned the shorter woman’s hug. She hadn’t seen her in more than a decade but she would have recognized that hair anywhere.
Ellen pulled back and gave her an assessing look. “I’d heard you were back but I didn’t believe it until I saw you with my own eyes.”
Claire found herself grinning like an idiot at the sight of her old friend. She’d done a poor job of keeping in touch with anyone other than her moth
er when she’d left for the ballet academy in NYC, and Ellen was the friend she regretted falling out of touch with the most.
Effusive and bubbly, her former friend had quite possibly the kindest and most open heart she’d ever encountered. Ellen and Steve. The memory came back to her with a jolt so strong she nearly forgot where she was. For a second she was back in high school. Ellen had started dating Steve Rhinebeck in junior high and they’d stuck together forever after that. The two had been joined at the hip.
It all came rushing back to her. Her mother’s phone call when she’d been backstage at the Met. She’d been so excited, so scared…and then so devastated by the news.
Now she took Ellen’s hands in hers. “El, I was so sorry to hear about Steve.”
Ellen’s pretty features grew strained but her smile never faltered as she squeezed Claire’s hands. “Thank you.”
Claire had no idea what else to say. She’d wanted to come home for the funeral but that was one of many major events in Lulu that she’d had to miss because of her job. Just like she’d missed their wedding and the funeral for Cole Deckland’s parents.
The silence started to grow tense, if not awkward. She should say something. Anything. And then she remembered that Ellen and Steve had a child. A girl. “How’s your daughter?” she asked quickly.
Just like that, Ellen’s features lit up once more, all strain gone as a joy Claire couldn’t even comprehend spread across her face, making her green eyes bright and giving her the same youthful glow she’d had back in high school. “She’s perfect,” Ellen gushed. With a little blush and a shrug, she added, “I guess that’s a weird thing to say about my own daughter, but it’s true.”
Claire laughed at her teasing tone. “I believe you. If she’s anything like you or Steve, I bet she’s precious.”
Ellen nodded. “Precious is one word for June. Precocious is the other.” She rolled her eyes but her pride was obvious. “I’m happy to report that she got the best of both of us….” She tossed her hair in a silly, shampoo commercial way. “My looks and Steve’s smarts.”
Dancing Queens & Biker Kings: Sweet & Rugged in Montana Page 6
