Her Cowboy Prince, page 7
part #1 of Once Upon A Western Series
Melody looked confused as she shifted her eyes to Justin.
“I had an idea last night, one I thought Dad could help out with.” He refocused on his dad, not wanting to think about all the questions running through his head about the guy Melody had been with. It wasn’t any of his business. “While the main Christmas week package is targeted toward singles, people who don’t have family to spend Christmas with, we’re having some events open to the public. I thought we could build a miniature Christmas village out here, something people could walk through while they sip their hot drinks, listen to carolers. Local craftspeople and artisans could dress up in costume and sell their wares.”
“Sounds like a ton of work,” his dad said. “Don’t you have enough planned already?”
Was this a voice of reason or his dad simply not wanting to be involved because he’d left holiday cheer in the rearview mirror?
“I think it sounds wonderful.”
Justin tried not to grin like a fool. The tone of Melody’s voice said all he needed to know—that she truly did like his idea.
She walked past him and scanned the lawn behind where he stood, evidently creating the village in her mind’s eye before turning back toward him and his dad.
“It has the potential to be a really great annual event, creating goodwill with the community while you host other events to draw guests from elsewhere. You know what they say, go big or go home.”
After a few more enthusiastic comments from Melody, his dad agreed to lead the maintenance staff in the building of the tiny village. Reluctantly, but he agreed.
“I’m going to draft your brother to help, too, whether he likes it or not,” his dad said as he headed back toward his truck.
“Good. He needs something to keep him out of trouble,” Justin replied with a little laugh.
But when he glanced back at Melody, his laugh faded. With an exciting new project to hopefully bring in more customers during a week when they usually weren’t at full occupancy, and his dad’s agreement to help hopefully keeping him away from self-destructive habits, Justin ought to be on top of the world. But questions about Melody’s companion plagued him. Questions he had no right to ask.
To keep from asking them anyway, he turned toward the lodge. Keeping any hint of feeling out of his voice, he said, “I’ve got some calls to make. Feel free to use the conference room this afternoon.”
Then without making eye contact with her, he walked away before he took leave of his senses and did something stupid that would torpedo the Old-Fashioned Christmas before they’d even celebrated Halloween.
*
Was it her imagination or was Justin irritated? He’d seemed excited about his Christmas village idea, but as soon as his dad had taken his leave it was as if Justin’s mood did a screeching one-eighty. Nevertheless, she followed him into the resort’s lodge. His long strides took him farther away from her with each step, so she stopped trying to keep up. As he’d suggested, she veered into the conference room to tackle her to-do list while he retreated to his office.
But as she called local churches to arrange for carolers and researched the requirements for showing classic Christmas films in a public setting, her gaze kept lifting to the doorway. But Justin was never there. It remained empty until she looked up to see Nadine standing there instead.
“Hey, got a minute?” Nadine asked.
“Sure. Do you need the room?”
“No. You’re fine. I just wondered if you needed help with anything. I love Christmas, so I’d be happy to pitch in.”
“Do you have any ideas for who we could get to play Santa and Mrs. Claus?”
“I do, actually. My grandparents. I’ll give them a call and have them swing by.”
“Whenever is convenient. I don’t want them to have to make a special trip.”
“They go out to lunch every Wednesday anyway, so I’ll suggest they eat here and you can meet them. They’ve played Santa and Mrs. Claus in a few Christmas parades over the years.”
“Sounds great. My to-do list thanks you.”
“Anything else?”
With Justin playing hermit in his office, Melody decided to take Nadine up on her willingness to help. Partway through the afternoon, Erica joined them to pitch her ideas for holiday spa packages.
“Those sound so fabulous that I think I want to book one for every day,” Nadine said.
Melody couldn’t argue with that. An aromatherapy massage and facial sounded like pure heaven. As she imagined the scents of the season filling the peaceful environs of the spa, another idea came to her.
“What if we combined a spa package with lunch in the dining room?”
Erica nodded. “I like it.”
Melody picked up the phone and dialed the extension for the kitchen. A few minutes later, Colleen joined them, bearing a plate of petit fours.
“This is why you always make friends with the chef,” Nadine said as she picked an almond pound cake petit four from the plate. “Colleen, if I weren’t already married, I’d be tempted to propose. Brad might take exception to it, though.”
Melody laughed along with the rest of the women, and it felt remarkably good. She’d had powerful little to laugh about over the past couple of years. And she’d missed hanging out with girlfriends, laughing and enjoying decadent desserts that she’d spend the next week running off. Something lightened inside of her chest, as if a chunk of her loneliness was breaking off to be replaced by what could possibly be budding friendships.
“You look like you need one of these,” Colleen said, shoving the plate toward Melody.
“Don’t mind if I do.” She selected a beautiful lemon petit four and bit down. “Umm. Nadine might be married, but I’m not.”
Everyone was still laughing when Justin appeared in the doorway, causing an extra jolt to hit Melody’s heart.
“Is this a work meeting or a party?”
“Nothing says it can’t be both,” Erica said as she extended the plate to Justin.
Melody noticed he took one of the raspberry-flavored cakes. Did the man have any clue that he looked more delicious than anything even Colleen could create? She shook off those thoughts, knowing they couldn’t go anywhere.
“Though it might not sound like it, we have actually gotten a lot of work done,” she said.
“I’m calling it now,” Nadine said. “This is going to be a huge success and an annual event. Melody is being wasted on housekeeping.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Melody didn’t like how that made her feel, even though she knew Nadine meant it as a compliment. But she thought about how hard she worked, how hard Lynn and her other co-workers in the housekeeping department worked to keep the place looking beautiful and inviting for the guests. She wished she could go back in time and double the tips she’d given to every housekeeper at every place she’d ever stayed.
“You know, Sandra’s position is still open,” Nadine continued.
“That it is.” Justin glanced at Melody and she forced herself not to react, though there was something in his gaze that made her want to squirm in her seat.
“You all are forgetting that I’m not qualified for something like that,” she said, the lie tasting bitter on her tongue.
“I think we have evidence to the contrary,” Erica said, gesturing toward the scattered papers and the tablet Nadine had retrieved from her office when they’d started brainstorming advertising ideas.
To try to divert the conversation, Melody checked the time. The afternoon had gone by so quickly. Time really did fly when you were having fun.
But allowing herself to even think about moving up to a position more in line with her experience wasn’t a good idea. It would just make her sad and angry because she couldn’t afford the kind of exposure that type of position would likely bring, even if it wasn’t on a national scale. The risk was just too great when she didn’t know the extent of Angelica’s reach or determination.
“Thanks for all your help,” she said to the other women as she stood. “My housekeeping cart awaits.”
She’d grown accustomed to her job, made a sort of peace with it. At least she had until she found herself standing with her hands on the handle of her cart filled with cleaning supplies. The wonderful buzz of brainstorming still filled her, and the last thing she wanted to do was scrub toilets and mop floors.
But it’s what paid her bills, what had allowed her the opportunity to work on the Christmas events in the first place. With a sigh, she backed the cart out of the storage room…and ran right into none other than Justin McQueen.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” She spun toward him and found herself much too close, looking up at a face that took her breath away. Feeling his hands wrapped around her arms. But somehow she found the sense to step away, to put the cart between her and Justin. “I should have been looking where I was going.”
Either it was her imagination or Justin looked every bit as stunned by their unexpected contact as she was, but after a long moment he shook his head. “No harm done.”
“Can I help you with something?”
He smiled. “I’d say you’re already helping me plenty.”
She relaxed a little, though she still wondered why Justin was outside the housekeeping storage area.
He rested his hands on the opposite side of her cart. “But I was wondering if you might be interested in the events coordinator position.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. A part of her, a very big part, really wanted to say yes. But she remembered that her current position was better suited to staying out of the public eye. Now she wondered if she should have said no to working on the Christmas festivities at all, no matter how much she was enjoying it.
“That seems a bit premature, wouldn’t you say? The Christmas events could be a colossal flop.”
“You don’t really believe that.”
No, she didn’t, but then again she had no experience in the hospitality field, no first-hand knowledge of businesses in such a small locale that depended on summer tourists for the bulk of their revenue.
“Let’s just see how things go, okay?”
He appeared as if he wanted to press her for more of a commitment, but to his credit he simply nodded. “But when the Christmas week events are a huge success, promise me you’ll agree to discuss this again?”
“Okay.” Sure, she was kicking the proverbial can down the road, but he’d caught her off guard. Her life could totally change by then. But if she was still in Montana at Christmas, she at least now had a couple of months to figure out a way for her refusal of the position to be more permanent. And it was possible the event would indeed flop, and then Justin would be stupid to bring up the topic again.
“Well, I won’t hold you up any longer. Don’t want to get you in trouble with the boss.” He grinned before turning and retracing his steps down the hallway.
The sound of voices behind her made her realize she was still staring at Justin. She jerked her gaze away and pulled the cart the rest of the way through the doorway just as one of the waitresses from the restaurant walked by, giving Melody a curious look.
As soon as the other woman was out of sight, Melody took a moment to close her eyes and inhale a long, deep breath. Though Logan Springs was way more remote than anywhere she’d ever thought to live, now she was wondering if it would have been better if she’d been resettled in the back end of the Alaskan bush. Surely there she wouldn’t be dangerously attracted to her boss and aching to grab the most interesting professional opportunity her new life was likely to offer her.
Chapter Six
When Justin rolled up to his house after work, he noticed that his dad’s truck wasn’t there. Though he could literally be any number of places, including out on the ranch, Justin wondered if he was somewhere more likely to have poker chips or free-flowing beer. Wes didn’t appear to be around either, and Justin had zero interest in scrounging up dinner for himself. Instead, he turned around and headed right back toward the resort.
He told himself it was simply to get something to eat in the restaurant, that it had nothing to do with knowing that Melody was still in the building, but that wasn’t totally true. He wasn’t sure why, but something had changed that night in his office when she’d given him the idea for the Old-Fashioned Christmas. Maybe he’d seen her in a new light, or maybe she’d offered him something to focus on besides the trouble with his dad. Whatever had initiated it, he found himself more attracted to her each day. When he’d reached out to steady her when she’d collided with him, something damn near electric shot through his entire body.
But he had to be careful. If she didn’t reciprocate, he didn’t want her to feel threatened or pressured in any way. That shred of common sense had saved him earlier when he’d followed her to the storage room. At the last moment, he’d claimed he was there to ask her about the events coordinator position, but that hadn’t been the reason he’d shown up in time to get hit by her cart. A crazy part of himself he hadn’t known resided within him had planned to ask her out.
He made the turn back onto the highway and gripped the steering wheel harder. If he were smart, he’d go into town instead. This time of year, the restaurants, including his cousin Lena’s café, could use the business. But Lena was way too perceptive, and she’d know at first glance that something was bothering him and would make it her mission to get him to spill the beans. He was too tired to fend off her questions.
Maybe he needed to make time in his schedule to go on a date. But who in the world would he ask? It wasn’t as if Logan Springs was a single person’s playground. He’d only been on a few dates since Caroline had left town two years before, none of them repeats. Nothing had clicked, and he quite honestly got tired of trying.
But then along came Melody Shaw, and suddenly he wanted to try again. If only she didn’t work for him, he would have already asked her out.
As he parked in front of the lodge, he considered the wisdom of going back into the building. Chances were it would have been smarter to stay home, even if he only ate sliced cheese with crackers for dinner. Even so, he found himself stepping out of his truck and heading toward the restaurant and a hot dinner he didn’t have to cook.
“I thought you went home,” Colleen said as she met him on her way out.
“Decided not to torture my stomach with my own cooking tonight.”
A small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain housekeeper, would it?”
If he’d been eating in that moment, he would have no doubt choked. His brain frantically searched for an appropriate response.
“No, we don’t meet again until tomorrow.”
Colleen crossed her arms. “So you’re not interested in her?”
He forced himself to play dumb. “I mentioned the events coordinator position to her, but she said she didn’t want to discuss it until after Christmas.”
“Justin McQueen, that isn’t what I was talking about and you know it.”
He sighed and rested his hands on his hips. “Anything else would be inappropriate.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m her employer.”
Colleen rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say force her. You can politely ask her out, making it clear she’s under no obligation to say yes.”
“Not a good move when there’s no indication she reciprocates the interest.”
“Oh, there’s interest.”
There was? Damn if a shot of adrenaline didn’t race through his veins. And it must have shown on his face because he saw the wicked smile form on Colleen’s face before she laughed. Then she spun and threw a wave over her shoulder.
“See you tomorrow.”
She was going to drop a bomb like that then just laugh and walk away? With friends like that…
He shook his head and resumed his trek to the restaurant. After he got his dinner to go, he made his way back to his office. He didn’t see Melody anywhere, and that was for the best. The last thing he needed was to see her before he was able to expel the thoughts Colleen had put in his head.
As he ate, he dug into some of the never-ending work that landed on his desk. Running an operation as large as Peak View didn’t really make for a lot of free time. Before he realized it, his food was gone and several hours had passed. The yawn that overtook him was what prompted him to actually look at the clock on his computer. Time to really pack it in for the night. Hopefully his dad would be home, free from the scent of beer and cigarettes, and, if Justin was lucky, back to his old self. He wasn’t holding his breath, but he could hope.
As he exited the building, he was surprised to see Melody sitting on one of the benches out front. Her eyes widened when she noticed him.
“You’re here late again,” she said.
“Yes, my work continues to refuse to do itself.”
She smiled at that. “If you figure out how that works, let me know. And you can sell the secret for a pretty penny.”
“So are you waiting for your ride?”
“Yeah.”
He realized he’d hoped she would reveal details about the younger man he’d seen drop her off, but no such luck.
“Want some company while you wait?” What did he think staying would accomplish? If she was waiting for her boyfriend, did Justin think he’d intimidate the guy? And for what purpose? He wasn’t the type to try to steal another man’s girlfriend. But it was too late to take back his offer without drawing suspicion.
“You’ll be waiting a while. Marty had to work late.”
“Marty, that’s your boyfriend?”
She laughed at his question. “Heavens, no. He’s my neighbor. His car broke down and he works up in Livingston. Just helping him out.”
Justin did his best to not let his relief show. “That’s nice of you.”
She shrugged. “No big deal.”
“Well, there’s no sense in you sitting out here that long. I can give you a ride home.”
She looked startled by his offer. Was that a good or bad thing? Why wasn’t he better at reading women instead of evidently being hopeless in that area?
