Owen had been planning to head home for the weekend after he dropped Tabitha off. He needed some time alone to think about his life and the path it was taking. The hours that he’d been spending with Tabitha this week had worked a kind of magic on him, he rarely thought about Sarah or home anymore. Instead, during the time he wasn’t with her, he was thinking about her, trying to figure out this complicated woman who had been thrown into his life.
She was an intriguing mix of both innocence and wisdom, an incredible chef, and a strong woman, but at times she could be soft and vulnerable. He could no longer deny the fact that he was drawn to her in a way he’d never been drawn to Sarah, but he’d been fighting it for days, too afraid to change the course they were on to do anything more than kiss her each time he dropped her off. It was lame, another by-product of living his life resisting change, but he seemed powerless to stop himself from pulling away from her when he should have been running to her.
Suddenly, it seemed important that he turn around and talk to Tabitha, so he reigned in his horse and turned around. But when he got to the restaurant he could see her deep in conversation with Joe, her front of the house manager. Tabitha seemed to be upset about something and he had the urge to storm in and find out what, but just as he started to take a step inside, Tabitha pulled Joe into a big hug, stopping him in his tracts.
When the first surge of jealously came rushing though him, he was so startled by its intensity that he actually had to take a step back. The next wave wasn’t as powerful, but it still bit into him with a force that was painful. Unable to cope with such strong emotion, especially for a woman he barely knew, he stumbled back to his horse and swung into the saddle, digging in his heels until they were galloping through town at an unsafe speed.
It took only a fraction of the time it normally would have taken for him to reach the cabin he shared with his brother Flynn, who much to his disappointment was home. He was still reeling from the intense jealously he’d felt when he saw Tabitha hugging Joe, and the last thing he wanted to do was talk about it, but just as he feared, Flynn met him on the front porch, his face full of concern.
“What’s wrong?” He demanded as soon as Owen got close enough.
Owen pushed past him and through the door, with only a curt, “Nothing.” As he headed for his bedroom.
Flynn followed him, knowing that look on his brother’s face all too well. “Something has you all upset. Wouldn’t it just be easier to tell me now than make us go through all the usual questions until I figure it out?”
Owen knew that his brother wouldn’t leave him alone until he spilled his guts, but he wasn’t in the habit of confiding in anyone, let alone his brother. But he had a desperate need to talk about what he was feeling, creating even more turmoil in him since he’d never felt that way before now. Of course, before now, his life had been carefully laid out, and organized just the way he wanted it.
Instead of slamming the bedroom door in Flynn face as they both expected him to, he turned around and headed to the living room and the big chair where he always like to sit. It took Flynn a few minutes to understand that Owen was going to talk to him, but when he did, he quickly grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and joined his brother in the living room.
Knowing that it would be best to let Owen open the conversation, he sipped his beer and waited. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” Owen confessed.
Flynn waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. “What do you mean?”
Owen gave him a dirty look, “I can see you’re going to make me spell it out for you. I don’t know what I’m doing messing around with Tabitha. I really like her but something keeps holding me back.”
“You’ve been kissing her every day for a week, I don’t call that holding back.” Flynn said, trying to introduce some humor, but then quickly grew serious when Owen shot him another dirty look. “Okay, I get it, this isn’t the time for humor.”
“I saw her hugging Joe today and I about lost it. I could have easily gone through the front widow and choked him, it was crazy.” Owen admitted, his discomfort with the subject clear as he once again changed positions in the chair.
“Stop squirming around like a little kid and face facts, you’re falling for Tabitha. What man wouldn’t? She’s smart and successful, independent and totally herself. If you didn’t already have her I would have made a play myself.” Flynn said, not hiding the admiration in his voice.
Unable to control the wave of jealously that flared up at Flynn’s words, Owen was out of his chair and on top of Flynn in seconds, ready to punch him. Flynn had been expecting Owen’s reaction and was if fact pleased, so he didn’t even flinch when Owen’s fist almost connected with his nose.
Chapter 5
Owen caught himself just before his fist connected with his brother’s nose, shocked that he’d come so close to punching him. He staggered back to his chair and put his head in his hands and took several deep breaths. “Damn, I’m sorry Flynn. I don’t what came over me.” He finally said, when he had his breathing and emotions under control.
“It was partly my fault. I intentionally provoked you.” Flynn said, calmly.
Owen’s head snapped up and he stared at Flynn for several long seconds, “Why the hell would you do that?”
“Just to see what you’d do. That’s some pretty strong jealously you’re feeling for a woman you haven’t connected with.” Flynn said, crossing his arms, satisfied that he’d stirred Owen up a bit.
“I’ve never felt like this before.” Owen finally admitted. “Not with Sarah, not with anyone.”
“Well that’s certainly something you should think about, but that’s not all that’s bothering you.”
“I can’t seem to take that next step. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted a woman.” Owen said, shocked to hear himself say the words.
“What’s stopping you, isn’t she interested?” Flynn asked.
“It’s not that, it’s…I don’t know, it just feels like there’s something standing between us. Like a barrier I can’t see, but I know is there.” Owen said, putting his head in his hands again.
“Can I make an obvious suggestion?” Flynn asked, a mischievous grin on his face. Owen rolled his eyes, the only reply he was going to give. “Why don’t you take her on a date?”
At first it seemed like a stupid idea, and he opened his mouth to say so, but then he thought about it and decided it wasn’t that bad a plan. Maybe if they got away from the canyon and spent some time together things between them would begin to make more sense.
“Okay, I’ll do it, but where am I going to take her? I can’t take her out to dinner, she’s a chef.” Then he got a brilliant idea, he’d been wanting to talk to her about getting better riding clothes, he’d solve the problem by taking her shopping. “Never mind, I’ll figure it out.”
Flynn watched Owen walk out of the room proud that he’d been able to help his little brother out with his problems for a change. As much as he loved the sheep, he had long ago decided that when they were established in the park, he was going to explore the world, figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He’d always be a part of the park, but he didn’t want to spend his life looking after a bunch of sheep. He wanted to be around people, the more the better.
Tabitha was pleased with the way the weekend was going. Saturday had been a record day and the Sunday crowd was twice its usual size. If things kept going this way, she’d have to hire some more staff. She’d managed to push thoughts of Owen from her mind, but as the afternoon turned into evening with no sign of him, she had to acknowledge that their little flirtation had run its course. In a way it was a blessing, now she could concentrate on running the restaurant, the entire reason she was there.
When Monday morning rolled around, she found herself up at the crack of dawn even though it was her first day off since the restaurant opened. She was excited about the prospect of having an entire day away from the crowds that ha
d quickly become a part of her life now that the restaurant was so popular. Reservations were full for weeks to come and that was exciting, but she knew that she needed a little time away or she’d risk burning out, so she packed a quick breakfast and headed out to explore the park.
She’d stick close to Cedar Ridge since she still had her ride with Owen that afternoon, a prospect that was still exciting but tinged with a bit of sadness. He’d never stayed away for two days before unless he was up in the hills with the sheep, and she knew that it was a sign that he’d grown tired of their flirtation. But she was finally going to get out of the paddock and onto the trail, something she thought was long overdue.
It was after lunch before she made it back to town, but she still had enough time to shower off the sweat of the morning, which when she looked at it was silly, she’d just end up smelling like horse later. But she just couldn’t face Owen all dirty and sweaty from her morning hike. She’d just come out onto the porch of the restaurant when he pulled up on his four-wheeler instead of riding as he always did. Immediately concerned that there was something wrong with the horse, she rushed out to meet him.
“Is there something wrong with your horse?” She asked when he got close enough.
“No, I was hoping you might be willing to change our plans today.” Owen said, not meeting her eyes.
Tabitha had known that the brush off was coming, but she’d expected him to at least wait until they’d had their ride. “Oh, well, I guess that’s okay.” She said, trying to hide her disappointment.
Owen couldn’t miss the look on Tabitha’s face when he suggested a change of plans, so he quickly said, “The thing is, you might want some different clothes for riding and maybe a pair of boots.”
“What’s wrong with the clothes I’ve been wearing.” She asked, trying not to get angry.
“Nothing.” Owen said, sliding his eyes over her tank top and yoga pants, then letting them settle on her tennis shoes. “It’s just that on the trail they might not be enough to protect you, and you’ll have more control with boots than those tennis shoes.”
Tabitha’s anger immediately faded, and she couldn’t help but hope that things hadn’t really come to an end. “Oh, well I didn’t know that. What did you have in mind?”
“I thought maybe we could go into town and you could go shopping, then maybe we could have dinner somewhere.” Owen suggested, finally meeting her eyes.
She wanted to ask if it was a date, but she just wasn’t brave enough. Owen was giving her no sign whatsoever as to what he was thinking and she didn’t want to embarrass herself. “That sounds good, I haven’t been out of the park since the restaurant opened.”
The smile that spread across Owen’s face when she agreed to his plan made her heart skip a beat and she felt that familiar warmth deep inside her. “Great, my truck is parked in the lot by Marissa’s house, jump on and we can get going.” He said, gesturing at the four-wheeler.
“Just let me grab my purse.” Tabitha said, quickly calculating how much she could spend on clothes and not wipe out her savings. Although the restaurant was doing well, it would take months to show a profit, which was fine since she didn’t have a lot of expenses, but she always maintained an emergency fund just in case and although she saw Owen’s point she wasn’t about to empty her account for riding clothes.
It was a short trip to town, but it seemed to take forever to Tabitha. Owen was strangely silent as if he had something on his mind. As a rule, she was fine with silence, had never been one of those people who felt the need to fill the quiet with idle conversation, but Owen’s silence made her slightly nervous. She was just about to ask him what he was thinking when the first buildings of town came into view so she kept her silence, hoping that he’d eventually tell her what was bothering him.
Tabitha had been to town several times, but never to shop for herself, so she let Owen lead the way. When they walked into the store, she was suddenly overwhelmed with all the choices, she’d expected to have a few choices, but they had hundreds of boots to choose from, plus racks and racks of jeans and shirts. Owen must have sensed her hesitation because he immediately began looking for a salesperson to help them, then had a hushed conversation with the woman who had appeared from the back of the store.
The woman looked her over from head to toe, making Tabitha instantly feel self-conscious, but then a huge grin spread across her face as she approached Tabitha. “Hi, I’m Betty. Are you ready to have some fun?”
Tabitha’s apprehension disappeared immediately, “I guess, but I umm…have a budget so we can’t have too much fun.” She hated to say that in front of Owen who probably never had to think about how much he could spend when he walked into a store.
The woman looked from Owen to Tabitha, then cleared her throat, “I’ll give you two a couple of minutes.” Then walked a discrete distance away and began to shift through a rack of jeans.
Owen pulled her a little farther away and said, “Tabitha when I invited you to go shopping I didn’t expect you to use your own money. I’ll pay for anything you want.”
Tabitha looked up at him shocked, “You want to pay for my new clothes?”
“Yes.” Owen said, a little confused, most women would have jumped at the chance to buy new clothes and not have to pay for them.
“Owen, as nice as that offer is, I can pay for my own clothes.” Tabitha said, charmed by the offer, but much too used to taking care of herself to allow him to pay for her clothes.
“I know that, but this is something I want to do. Will you let me?”
The look on Owen’s face made it clear that he felt it was important for him to do this for her, so she nodded her head. “I guess so, but it feels a little strange to me.” She admitted.
“Aren’t you the one who told me that it’s good to accept change?” Owen said, flashing her a mischievous grin, the first smile she’d seen all day.
She grinned back at him, her heart hammering in her chest when their eyes met, and said, “Are you using my words against me?”
“Well, if the advice fits.” He said, then planted a huge kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back in an hour or so, have fun.”
Tabitha watched him walk out of the store, her lips tingling, unsure what to make of the man who had just kissed her. He’d been so quiet the whole way to town, then he insisted that he’d pay for her shopping trip, and would have clearly been upset if she hadn’t. What it all meant she had no idea, she’d never met a man like Owen before, but as she turned back to Betty to get her shopping started, she promised herself that she was going to get him to open up to her.
Hours later, she was exhausted from trying on clothes, but Betty wasn’t quite done with her. “We’ve got everything you need for riding and winter in the mountains, but there’s one more thing you need.”
Tabitha looked at the stack of clothes on the counter at the front of the store, horrified to see several thousand dollars of merchandise stacked there. “Betty, I can’t get all that. It’s too much.”
“Mr. Montgomery gave me very specific instructions.” She said, shrugging her shoulders. “He gave me a list; I’m only following his instruction. But the last thing you need wasn’t on his list.” Betty had a devious look on her face and Tabitha was suddenly nervous that she was going to start dragging out lingerie.
“He asked me to recommend a restaurant for dinner, he wanted something fancy, so I told him about Pierre’s.” Betty said, a dreamy look coming over her face. “It’s so romantic, my husband took me there for our last anniversary.”
Tabitha knew instantly that she didn’t have the kind of clothes she needed with her. “I need something to wear.” She said, her voice shaking, knowing that a romantic dinner was a clear indication of where Owen wanted their relationship to go.
“Yep, you do. Come with me.” Betty agreed, taking her hand and leading her to a door in the wall she hadn’t noticed.
When they stepped through the door, they w
ere in the shop next door, which was filled with the kind of clothes Tabitha had never owned. “I don’t even know where to start.” She said, a look of panic crossing her face.
“Relax, I’ve got it covered.” Betty said, going to a rack and pulling off a sundress.
It was salmon colored and would go perfectly with Tabitha’s dark skin and brown eyes, with enough skin exposed to spark the imagination. It was more revealing than anything she’d ever worn and she looked at it skeptically. “I don’t know Betty, that’s pretty dramatic.”
“Nonsense, it’s perfect.” When Tabitha just stared at the dress, she ordered. “Go try it on.”
There were no mirrors in the dressing room, much to Tabitha’s annoyance. She would have liked to have been able to see herself before she stepped out of the little room. But when she stepped out and saw herself in the three-way mirror, all her trepidation disappeared, the dress fit like it was made for her. Even she had to admit that she looked stunning in the flimsy garment.
“See, I told you. Now all you need are some shoes, and you’ll be ready for a romantic dinner.” Betty said, a huge grin on her face.
Tabitha was so stunned by the transformation in herself that she didn’t hesitate when Betty handed her a pair of strappy kitten heels she would have never dreamed of wearing before. But when she stepped into them, they completed the outfit perfectly, and all she could do was nod her head.
After she’d removed the tags, Betty shooed her into the bathroom to finish getting ready. “Mr. Montgomery said he’d be back for you soon. You’d better hurry.”
Owen approached the clothing shop feeling ridiculously nervous about the coming dinner with Tabitha. He’d never experienced anything like it before and wasn’t quite sure how to handle the emotion. His instinct was to shut down and let her do the talking, but that’s what he’d been doing and it didn’t seem to be working. With a big sigh, he realized that it was time to change something. He was busy rehearsing topics of conversation when he walked in the door and tripped over a huge pile of packages.
You're The One Page 5
