Listen to Your Heart (18 page)

Morgan held out the bag of peanuts to
Dale, then tipped what was left into her mouth. “While we were growing up, she
never said much,” she said around the peanuts. “But all that time she was observing
us, figuring out what makes us tick.”

She looked at her watch. “Speaking of
ticking, we’ll be there soon. Do you think Chance will be there to pick us up?”

Dale beamed. “Quite sure. Unless he gets
hung up at the store.”

* * *

They spotted Chance’s tall, lanky form
as soon as they walked into the baggage claim area. Morgan looked around, half
hoping that Adrian would have come as well; even though she knew that the hotel
was short-staffed during her absence.

Dale’s bag appeared on the carousel
first. She grabbed it eagerly and went to meet Chance.

“Here, let me take that.” He reached for
the suitcase and their hands touched.

“Oh, hell!” he said, releasing the
suitcase and gathering her into his arms. “I missed you,” he said simply,
pulling back and looking into her eyes.

“Me, too,” she said, lifting her lips
for a kiss.

Chance turned to Morgan. “How is she
this morning?” He still had an arm around Dale. “When I talked to Dale last
night, she was doing really well.”

“Better every day.” Morgan looked
around.

Chance followed her gaze. “He couldn’t
come.”

Morgan shrugged, but she was having a
hard time hiding her disappointment. “I understand.” She smiled brightly. “So,
how’s business?” They walked out toward the short term parking lot.

“Busy. The hotel, too. Mr. Zimmerman has
been stirring things up a bit”

“Anything I should know about?”

“I don’t think anything has been decided
yet, but I heard he’ll probably get the lease on the restaurant.”

Morgan nodded. “How’s Adrian?”

Chance didn’t answer for a moment. “He’s
fine,” he said eventually. Morgan wished she’d been able to see his eyes.
“Busy, of course.”

Prickles of apprehension crept down
Morgan’s spine. Something was wrong here. She hadn’t been able to reach Adrian
last night, but she’d thought he said he was working and staff members were
required to turn off their personal phones while working at the front desk. She
wanted to ask more questions, but Chance and Dale were chatting happily about
his progress in purchasing the business, and she didn’t want to appear too
needy.

Stop it!
she told
herself as they drew closer to Whistler. Her imagination was running away with
her, and she hated that. They’d be there soon enough.

Dale turned around. “We’ll go straight
to the hotel and check on our schedules for tomorrow, okay?”

“Sure.” Morgan was tired, and her
clothes were wrinkled, but she wanted to see Adrian.

Chance looked at her in the rear view
mirror. “I’ll check in at the store and maybe we could all have dinner together
at the restaurant.” His eyes gave nothing away. “It’ll be busy, but it’s better
than trying to cook.”

Morgan could only nod.

He pulled into his assigned parking spot
and headed for the store. Morgan and Dale walked up the front steps of the
hotel and the lobby doors opened silently.

* * *

“No, not there.” An elegant woman laid a
possessive hand on Adrian’s arm and smiled up at him. They were standing in
front of a tall Christmas tree and she brushed up against him as she reached
forward and removed a sparkling decoration. “Over here.” She re-positioned the
bauble.

Morgan hated her on sight. After her
experiences working at hotels in Banff, she recognized a spoiled rich girl when
she saw one. The woman laughed and touched the side of Adrian’s face. “Now,
don’t pout. Besides, this is work for a woman.” She followed her touch with a
kiss and he raised a hand to his cheek.

Dale strode across the lobby toward the
elevator. The housekeeping office was located on top floor. Adrian spotted her
and his eyes widened. Then he turned.

“Morgan!” he said, the colour draining
from his face. He looked trapped; his gaze skittering from the blonde to Morgan
and then back.

“Ah, so this is Morgan.” The woman came
forward, walking as though she was on a fashion runway. She extended her hand.
“I’m Claudia. Claudia Klauser.”

As she came closer, Morgan’s dislike
intensified, if that was possible. The woman had perfect skin and brilliant
blue eyes. The hair colour was probably from a bottle, but it was skillfully
done. Long blonde hair was twisted in a French braid at the nape of her neck
and fine wisps curled around her face. In her travel-rumpled clothes, Morgan
felt like someone’s kid brother.

Her good manners came to the fore and
she accepted the proffered hand.

“So you’re Morgan,” the woman said. Her
faint accent only made her more exotic. “We’re all so grateful to you for
curing Adrian of his fear of heights.”

Morgan withdrew her hand. “He did that
himself.” She tore her eyes away from the woman and looked at Adrian. He looked
miserable.

“Be that as it may,” she waved a hand
airily, “We’re still grateful, aren’t we darling?” She returned to Adrian’s
side and slipped her arm into his.

“Claudia...”

She wrinkled her perfect nose. “He’s
always been modest, but we’re used to it.” She cuddled up against him. “Just
think, when we get back home we can go skiing again.”

He gave her an odd look and disentangled
his arm. The woman made a moue of displeasure, but he didn’t seem to notice. He
gave his head a quick shake and walked across the lobby.

“Morgan, I’m sorry...”

She hoped he couldn’t hear her heart
breaking. “I understand, Adrian. You said it was complicated.” She looked past
him to where Claudia was hanging more ornaments. “I must say, she’s beautiful.”

“Who?” He looked puzzled.

“Your girlfriend. Claudia.”

“Morgan.” He reached for her, and then
seemed to remember where he was. “Claudia’s...”

“Morgan!” Bernard Zimmerman came into
the lobby from the direction of the restaurant. “You’re back! How is your
mother?”

Morgan could see how this man was so
successful. Every eye in the lobby turned when he walked in. Adrian was
developing the same charisma; it was a pity she wouldn’t be around to see it.

“My mother is fine, thank you. She asked
me to thank you for getting us there so quickly.”

“My pleasure.” He looked across the
lobby at Claudia, then turned to Adrian, a small frown on his face. “I thought
you were going to arrange for the tree to be decorated on the late shift?”

Adrian sighed. “You know Claudia. She
found the boxes stacked over there and hauled them out while I was dealing with
a customer.” He lowered his voice. “It was either let her go ahead or have an
altercation right here in the lobby.”

Mr. Zimmerman’s lips narrowed. “You made
the right decision, of course, but I really would have preferred it to be done
later.”

Adrian looked at Morgan. “I was going to
ask Morgan to come back late one night and do it with me.”

Why was he talking about this now? It
was all too confusing.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said, “I need
to check on my shift for tomorrow.” She held her hand out, European-style.
“Thanks again, Mr. Zimmerman.”

Adrian watched her go.

Bernard read Adrian’s expression.
“What’s going on here, son?” He glanced at Claudia. “Is Claudia playing games
again?”

Adrian winced. “She made it sound like
we were together. I was trying to explain when you came in, but from the look
on Morgan’s face, she wasn’t going to be very receptive.”

Bernard took him by the arm and led him
away. “Listen to me, son. You have to make it clear once and for all that
you’re not taking your brother’s place in her life.” He gave a short laugh.
“Even Bernie was getting ready to break it off with her, but she was clinging
to him like a limpet.” He bent his knees and looked into Adrian’s eyes. “You’re
being too nice. Are you willing to risk losing Morgan because some spoiled girl
won’t take no for an answer?”

“No, I’m not.”

Adrian waited at the front desk until an
arriving couple had finished their check-in. “Where’s Morgan?” he asked.

Kent looked up from the computer.
“Sorry, man. She left when you were talking to your father.” He glanced toward
the front door. “Looked like she couldn’t wait to get out of here.”

“Dammit!” he checked his watch. Another
hour and a half to go on his shift. He’d worked alone at the concierge desk the
past couple of days and had enjoyed the freedom, but now he wished that Klaus
Drescher would appear. No such luck. “Okay, thanks, Kent.”

He eyed the Christmas tree. Claudia had
only hung about half a dozen ornaments.

“Put those back in the box, please. My
father wants this done when there are no guests around.’

“But Adrian...”

He looked at her wearily. This woman
thought of nothing but her own desires. It was no wonder his brother had tired
of her. “Just do it, Claudia. And I don’t appreciate that little charade with
Morgan right now. There’s nothing between you and I, and there never will be.”

“But Adrian...”

“Stop saying that.” His hands clenched
at his sides and he forced himself to relax. “Go back home, Claudia. There are
lots of rich, eligible men there at this time of year.”

She opened her mouth to reply, then shut
it, turned on her heel and headed for the elevator. Adrian removed the
ornaments, tidied up the mess she had made and put the boxes back behind the
concierge desk.

“So?” He looked up to see his father.
“Where is Morgan?”

“Gone back to the Lodge, I guess.”

“What are you waiting for?”

“I have another hour and a half before I
can leave.”

His father motioned for him to get up.
“I’ll cover for you.” His eyes sparkled. “It’s not as if I haven’t done this
before. This is a slow time of day, isn’t it?”

Adrian admitted that it was.

“Then go. I can manage. It will be fun.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Adrian ran to the
elevator, and waited impatiently to be taken to the parking garage. He hadn’t
noticed that it was getting dark out. He hoped he could spot Morgan if she
hadn’t already caught a bus on Village Gate Boulevard.

It was snowing when Adrian pulled out,
Had it really only been a few days ago that they’d gone for brunch at the
Chateau? He turned left onto Village Gate and searched for her among the crowd
waiting for the bus. There she was! He pulled up at the bus stop and rolled
down the passenger window. ‘Morgan!” he called.

She looked at him and tears pooled in
her eyes.

“Get in,” he urged. She looked like a
waif. She had no gloves, and there was snow melting in her hair.

The SUV filled with light as a bus
pulled up behind.

“Come on,” he said.

She hesitated for a moment, then got in.

He pulled out and she remained silent.
He glanced at her from time to time, but she kept her face averted.

“Thanks,” she said, as they pulled into
the parking lot at the Lodge. She jumped out and headed for the door. When he
caught up to her, she was digging frantically through her purse, trying to find
her key card. Tears were streaming down her face.

“Here, let me.” He opened the door.

They went to the elevator and rode up
together in silence.

She stood outside her door, key card in
hand.

“You don’t have to explain,” she said.
“I understand.”

She turned and opened the door.

“No, you don’t.” He followed her inside
and went directly to the bathroom, where he grabbed a towel.

“Come here.”

She frowned, but took a few steps
closer. He tossed the towel over her head and started to dry her hair. “You
don’t understand at all.”

He whipped the towel away and pushed her
hair out of her eyes. “Morgan, Claudia is Bernie’s girlfriend. Or should I say
she
was
his girlfriend.” He smiled faintly. “When Bernie died, she
focused on me.” He touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “I don’t
want her, Morgan. I want you. I always have.”

“Why?” Hope dawned in her eyes.

“Why?” He stepped back and looked at
her. “Because you’re real, Morgan Dempsey. Even with your wet hair and red
eyes, you’re more beautiful than Claudia will ever be.”

He opened his arms and she stepped into
his embrace. “This is where you belong. Don’t run away from me again, okay?
I’ll just come and find you.” He kissed the top of her head. “I missed you,
Morgan. Promise me you’ll give us a chance.”

His voice rumbled in his chest and
Morgan raised her lips. “My mother told me to listen to my heart. And right
now, my heart would like nothing better.”