Her cowboy prince, p.17
Her Cowboy Prince, page 17
part #1 of Once Upon A Western Series
She pressed her hand against her stomach, willing herself not to throw up.
Chapter Fourteen
By the time Monday afternoon rolled around, Justin was having a hard time keeping his mind on work. He and Melody had exchanged a few texts the day before, but they’d not actually talked or seen each other since he’d dropped her off at her apartment Saturday night. Since then, he’d racked his brain for what might have upset her because he didn’t buy the excuse she’d given. When he’d first seen her in the bar, she’d been staring at the TV with a shocked expression on her face. But when he’d glanced at the screen, the story being reported had been about a new distribution center being built in Billings.
After arriving home, he’d done a search on the TV station’s website and watched the segment. Was it possible she knew one of the people interviewed for the story? Someone from her past?
No matter how much he grew to like her, he couldn’t kick the feeling that something was lurking in her past ready to pounce. Part of him wanted to ask Parker if he could do a bit of poking around in her background off the record, see if there were any reports of abusive ex-boyfriends or the like. But that would be an invasion of her privacy, and not the kind of thing to build a relationship on. And despite the fact they’d only been out once, that was where his mind was already heading. He felt drawn to her in ways he couldn’t explain, felt more comfortable with her than their short acquaintance could account for. He hoped she could overcome whatever was bothering her and holding her back.
The holiday ball was only days away, but he hadn’t felt right about asking her to be his date after the episode in the bar. But he couldn’t put it off much longer. His announcement that all employees were invited as guests this year had put the entire resort staff in a festive mood. They’d gotten up the holiday decorations in record time, and the lobby smelled and sounded full of Christmas cheer every time he walked through. The extra stuff for the Old-Fashioned Christmas week would go up later, and he couldn’t wait for Melody to see how big of a success it was going to be. Because he had no doubt it would be. They were completely booked for the week with guests from as close as West Yellowstone and as far as Fort Lauderdale. His dad and his helpers were almost done putting the finishing touches on the Christmas village and had an afternoon scheduled for assembling everything out in front of the lodge.
But despite how well everything was going, Justin couldn’t dislodge the knot of anxiety that had taken up residence in his gut Saturday night. He really wasn’t by nature a worrier, but it seemed the last several months had turned him into one—first about his dad and now Melody.
He reminded himself that things with his dad had worked out. Not that his dad didn’t still mourn his wife, but at least there hadn’t been any more drunk driving episodes. In fact, he hadn’t even been to a poker game in a while. Instead, he’d spent his time working on the ranch or on the Christmas village. He worked enough that by the time evening rolled around, he typically ate dinner and then ended up falling asleep in front of the TV. But, thankfully, his dad didn’t seem sad to not be meeting up with his friends for card games. In fact, a bit of Melody seemed to have rubbed off on him. He’d floated the idea of a charity trail ride next summer, and Justin, grateful that his dad was looking ahead instead of backward, had given his enthusiastic approval of the idea.
Now that the heavy lifting regarding the planning for the Christmas week festivities was completed, Melody wasn’t due to come in early. And yet he hoped she would so he could see her before she started her shift. He wanted more time alone with her, time to hold her and kiss her and make her comfortable enough with him that she didn’t feel she had to hide anything.
At the knock on his door, he looked up hoping to see Melody. But standing there was the absolute last person he wanted to see.
“What are you doing here?”
Caroline Wilson walked into the room with a pout on her lips. “Now is that any way to talk to the woman you almost married?”
“You seem to remember the past differently than I do.” Sure, she’d pressed him to pop the question, even leaving not-so-subtle hints about the kind of ring she wanted and that they could build a little place on some other part of the ranch for his dad and Wes so that she and Justin could have the big house to themselves. What had he ever seen in her?
“But that’s what it is, the past,” she said as she settled her hips on the edge of his desk. “I’m more interested in the future.”
“That makes two of us.” But he had a strong feeling their visions of the future were very different.
Her smile was the kind that could stop men in their tracks—men who didn’t know her.
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I made a mistake when I left and didn’t give you enough time to get to the same spot I was at.”
Justin held up his hand. “I’m going to stop you right there.”
Caroline latched on to his hand, threading her fingers with his, with seemingly superhuman speed. At the same moment that he attempted to retrieve his hand, Melody showed up at the open door. He barely held in a curse as he watched the initial greeting that had been on her lips fall away to reveal surprise. She took a step back, and he literally saw her force a dispassionate expression onto her face. But she couldn’t fake it in her eyes, which revealed hurt. How awful was it that a part of him was happy to see that because it must mean that she cared about him the way he did about her?
He jerked his hand none too gently away from Caroline and stood. “Melody—”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were busy.”
Before he could say anything else, Melody disappeared down the hallway.
Caroline reached out to grab his arm as he rounded the desk and headed toward the door.
“Who was that?”
He slipped out of her grasp. “None of your business.”
As he hurried out the door in pursuit of Melody, he passed Nadine. Her words to Caroline floated to him as he neared the end of the hall.
“I think it’s time you left the premises.”
Despite the situation, a smile tugged at his mouth. Nadine did not like Caroline. Never had. And when Caroline had split town when he’d refused to propose, Nadine had made no secret of the fact that she wanted to throw a party to celebrate. She wasn’t the only one.
He made it to the corner in time to see Melody turn down the corridor that led to the laundry and storage rooms. When he reached that hallway, he called out her name despite the fact that a couple other members of the housekeeping staff, who’d evidently just clocked out for the day, were outside the door through which Melody disappeared after ignoring him. If there was anyone left on the staff who didn’t know there was something going on between him and Melody, that would soon be remedied. And he didn’t care.
As he ate up the distance between the end of the hallway and the door to the storage and break room, he realized one of the other women was Melody’s friend, Lynn. He didn’t take the time to speak to them or try to interpret their expressions. The more time he allowed Melody’s mind to chew on what she saw, the worse it was going to be.
When he opened the door, thankfully she was the only person in the room.
“Melody, that was not what it looked like.” He cringed as soon as he said it, at how the words screamed cliché.
When she turned toward him, it was as if she’d flipped a switch on every emotion within herself to the off position. But he could see beyond the barrier. Someone had hurt her, betrayed her, and now she thought he’d done the same. He had no idea how he knew that, but he did deep down. And so he told her everything that had happened prior to her arrival, not leaving out any detail. If he did, he was afraid she’d be able to tell and think his entire explanation was a lie.
When he finished, he watched her expression for any hint that Caroline hadn’t totally screwed things up for him.
“I believe you.”
He let out the breath he’d been holding.
“No way you could have made all that up on the fly,” she said. “Be that as it may, it’s the good shake I needed.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “Don’t pull away.”
Because that’s exactly what she was about to do.
She gestured between them. “You know this can’t work. For one thing, everyone will think I’m no better than her, just after your money.”
“No, they won’t.”
“Sure they will. How many wealthy businessmen and land owners do you know who date the help?”
“Stop it. You’re not the help.”
She pointed at her housekeeping uniform. “This says otherwise.” Then she used her hand to indicate the room around them. “The fact that this is where I clock in for my shifts and pick up my cleaning supplies says otherwise.”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “When I look at you, I don’t see your job.”
She averted her gaze as if she didn’t believe him.
He closed the distance between them and gently tilted her face so she was looking at him. “I don’t see the uniform or how you earn your paycheck. I see a beautiful woman I care about. A woman I think about all the time. When I’m not with you, all I do is wonder when I’m going to see you next.”
Her feigned indifference fell away like a mask shattered to pieces.
Justin ran his fingertips over her cheek. “I don’t know who hurt you, but I won’t.”
She swallowed as she lowered her gaze to his chest. “But what if I hurt you? You’ve already been through that once, and you don’t deserve it again.”
“Are you planning on hurting me?”
“No, but sometimes things just happen.” She obviously tried to hide it, but there was a tremor in her voice. He wanted to know what in her past made her so hesitant, so wary, but he couldn’t push. He had to hope that she’d tell him in her own time.
“Then I’m not going to worry about it. In fact, before Caroline showed up, the only thing I was worried about was how you would answer the question I was going to ask when you arrived today.”
She looked up at him, and he resisted the urge to stop talking and kiss her as thoroughly as he had on the side of Highway 89.
“What were you going to ask me?”
“If you’ll be my date to the holiday ball.”
“I don’t know.”
“Either you go with me or I’m going to be the only McQueen brother without a date.”
“You could find another date easily.”
“But that’s what you don’t seem to understand. I don’t want to go with anyone else. I want to hold you in my arms and dance with you in front of everyone.”
She bit her lip as if warring with herself. But if she was doing that, it meant she wanted to go but for some reason thought that she shouldn’t.
“Maybe this will help convince you.” He pulled her close and lowered his mouth to hers.
His hope that she would agree to go with him got a boost when she kissed him back with more fire than Caroline ever had. He supposed Caroline had been acting, and that was so obvious now when compared to how Melody gripped the front of his shirt and kissed him as if she couldn’t get enough of him. It was a good thing they were in the break room where anyone could walk in because if they were in his office, he might very well lock the door and not come out until they were both satisfied.
Realizing they were getting carried away and she’d likely not appreciate it if one of her co-workers walked in, he eased out of the kiss even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.
“I hope that was a yes,” he said.
Still she didn’t immediately answer. And he allowed her the time she needed.
“Yes.” She didn’t voice any of the doubt he could still see in her beautiful eyes, but he was going to take the answer he wanted and leave before she changed her mind.
As he backed toward the door, no doubt with a stupid smile on his face, he said, “You won’t regret it.”
*
Melody wasn’t so sure about that. What she was sure of was that she wanted to go to that holiday ball with Justin more than she’d wanted anything in months. The part of her that had lost so much to scheming women was not about to let this be stolen from her, too.
Suddenly weak-kneed, she sank onto a folding chair at the table where she typically ate her evening meal. Despite the huge reason why she shouldn’t be romantically involved with Justin, every time she was near him eroded her willpower even more. She considered herself to be a strong woman, but even strong people had a breaking point. And she’d evidently reached hers for self-denial.
When the door opened, she startled. But it wasn’t Justin coming back for more hot kisses, but rather Lynn with a mischievous grin on her face, along with Phyllis, another of the day shift housekeepers.
Oh, crap. How much had they heard? Seen?
“Aren’t you both off the clock?” Melody asked.
The two women sank onto chairs that matched Melody’s.
“Yes, but we’re not about to leave until you spill what that dramatic entrance and exit were all about,” Lynn said.
Melody started to stand. “Well, I am on the clock.”
Lynn grabbed her hand. “Oh, no you don’t. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that your boss won’t mind if you take a few minutes to yourself, especially since you look as if you’ve been well and thoroughly kissed.”
How in the world could Lynn tell that? Did she have X-ray vision or something?
“Don’t look so surprised. When a man pursues a woman, determination on his face, and leaves a few minutes later grinning from ear to ear, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened in here.”
“That sounds way more salacious than it was.” Though if she were to tell the truth, her body was still humming with unfulfilled desire.
Phyllis looked over at Lynn and laughed. “She must be flustered because she’s pulling out the big words.”
Lynn laughed, too, and gave Melody a pleading look. “Come on, give us some juicy details. I haven’t had a date in ages. I need to live vicariously.”
“You all don’t really want to hear this.”
“What gave you that idea?” Lynn asked. “I love a good romance novel, and this feels like one come to life.”
Melody glanced toward the door, as if somehow it might save her. “Because…won’t everyone think I’m a social climber? No different than his ex, who showed up here today, by the way?”
The two women across from her gasped.
“She didn’t,” Lynn said.
Needing someone to talk to, she told them how she’d found Caroline in Justin’s office holding his hand with her butt sitting on the end of his desk. And how he’d explained the situation.
“She’s got some nerve,” Phyllis said.
“I can’t believe Nadine let her get by her office. That woman hates Caroline. And for the record I believe Justin’s explanation.”
The truth was Melody did, too. If she didn’t, it would be so much easier to resist his advances. Well, maybe not easier, but she’d have a good reason to keep her distance as she should.
“He asked me to go to the ball with him, but I’m afraid it’d feel awkward.” Sure, she’d said yes, but what was she supposed to do with her head still spinning from the feel of his body pressed so close to hers? No heterosexual woman with any sense would have been able to think any clearer. “I feel as if everyone would whisper about us, think the worst.”
“Screw them,” Lynn said. “If the two of you make each other happy, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”
“But it does. He has to think about his business, his family’s reputation.”
“Well, unless you’re a stripper on the side and have a closet full of skulls, I think you’re okay. This isn’t high society where station matters so much.”
Melody still wasn’t convinced. “It mattered when Caroline’s motives were revealed.”
“Only because she didn’t love Justin. You do.”
Melody jumped in her chair. “What? I never said that.”
Lynn reached across the table and patted Melody’s hand. “Oh, sweetie, you didn’t have to. It’s as obvious as if it was proclaimed on every billboard from here to Missoula.”
Melody felt the blood drain from her body, pooling somewhere in the vicinity of her feet. Was she truly falling in love with Justin? Was she already there and just too afraid to admit it because she feared she’d lose him, too?
“You are going to that ball,” Lynn said. “And if you try to back out of it, I promise you I will come over to your apartment, shove you into a dress, and deliver you to the ballroom myself.”
Could this really be happening? After everything she’d lost, all the pain she’d suffered, was it possible for her to not only be satisfied with her new life but also be truly happy? Could she set aside her guilt about lying and make up for it in other ways?
She looked down at her hands and decided thinking too far ahead was going to serve no purpose other than to drive her crazy. The way she’d gotten through all the upheaval since her father’s death was one day at a time, one hour at a time, one breath at a time. The practice had gotten her this far, so it seemed logical to not abandon it now.
“Okay.”
As Lynn tittered on about playing fairy godmother, Melody did her best to focus on the positive—dancing in Justin’s arms—rather than the nagging feeling that she was making the most selfish of mistakes.
Chapter Fifteen
“What about this one?” Lynn held up a knee-length, bright yellow dress she’d found on one of the racks at the consignment store. “It’ll light up the room.”
“And make me look like a corpse in the process. Yellow is one color I can’t pull off. Besides, it’s a winter ball, not prom.”
“Well, I’m not letting you wear black. Everyone wants to wear black to these formal things.”
“There’s nothing wrong with black. It’s classic.” She tried to recall how many black dresses had hung in her closet when she’d still been helping to run Redmond Pharmaceuticals.
