Rocky Mountain Valentine (20 page)

She hesitantly raised her hand. Dale glanced at her, obviously puzzled.

He looked terrible. His curly brown hair was long and bleached. His face was overtanned, leathery and covered with a new beard. His looks alone must have terrified the children.

“Lisa?”

She nodded, unable to hide her shock.

He dropped into the chair and glared. “Took you long enough to find me.”

She could see the fear in his eyes, despite his attempt to intimidate her. “I didn’t look for you, Dale. Anyone who hasn’t the decency to say goodbye doesn’t—” She cut herself off, fighting to overcome the bitterness seeping back into her heart. She had harbored anger and resentment long enough. Her short time with Adam proved to her that relationships and family were far more important to her than all the “things” Dale had stolen from her. Compassion. Forgiveness.

He laughed. “You’re a little late. There’s nothing left.”

Lisa prayed for courage to say what she’d come to tell him. “I didn’t come for my things, Dale. You may have taken my belongings, but you didn’t take my heart.” This wasn’t coming out right. The words sounded stilted, even to her.

He eyed her suspiciously. “So what are you doing here? Gonna bail me out?”

She wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t. Her mouth was dry, and she longed for the bottle of water she’d locked in the cubicle outside. “I came to forgive you.”

“Yeah, right.” He roared with laughter and slammed his open hand on the table. “It won’t do you any good to press charges. You can’t prove a thing.”

The guard looked over at them. “I don’t expect you to understand, but you can at least hear me out.” She took a breath and continued. “I want my life back. Freedom comes from forgiving.”

He leaned close. “If you want to forgive me, get me out of here. We can make another go of it.”

She saw the desperation in his eyes, the fear, the willingness to say and do anything to escape the hell he’d gotten himself into. She didn’t answer.

“You know how sorry I am, how stupid I get. I didn’t mean it.”

How many times had she heard that? Still, she’d never seen him this low, groveling for pity. “Maybe it’s time you get professional help.”

He glared at her, raising his voice. “You’re going to dump on me, just like everyone else.”

“You’ve dug yourself into a deep hole, Dale. Even my love couldn’t have saved you this time.” She’d once thought if she’d only loved him enough, it would make up for the emptiness in their lives. “I can’t rescue you anymore. All I can do is forgive you for hurting me. I knew even then that it was useless to look for my things. I knew you’d sold everything to support your habits.”

“Yeah, Miss Goody-Goody. Ran back to your sisters, I bet, told them your poor pitiful story and let them take care of you. And you can’t even give me one more chance.”

She blinked back tears. “It’s time you pay the consequences of your mistakes. Maybe this time you’ll let someone help you, but that won’t be me.”

He jumped from his chair and kicked it across the room, yelling profanities at her.

She stepped back, numbly watching in shock as he slugged the officer who tried to restrain him. Additional officers and the jailer piled in the doors, removing all the inmates. Dale was thrown to the floor and cuffed.

Visitors were rushed through the exit, and Lisa was detained again by the officer who had interrogated her before allowing her to visit. After spending another hour of trying to convince her to press charges, Lisa stood up. “My testimony wouldn’t do you any good, Officer. I only came today to close this door. Pressing charges would not only be futile, but it would chain me to a past I’d just as soon forget. I don’t want revenge.”

“I hope you succeeded, ma’am. As for Dale, he won’t be free to bother you for a good long time.”

She collected her pack and walked down the marble steps to the curb. Lisa took a deep breath; the bite of the cold air on her lungs reminded her of Colorado. And Adam. She closed her eyes, comforted simply by the memories.

How had her life changed so much in three short weeks? She had no more doubts. She had fallen in love. What worried her more—the possibility of Adam asking her to stay, or Adam letting her go—she couldn’t decide.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

L
ISA PULLED ON
her hose and the hoop skirt her sister had ordered, then slipped the Southern-belle-style dress over her head and turned for Emily to tie the bow.

“How are you doing?” Emily tucked a stray hair into the bun and put the tiara on her head.

“Ouch.” Lisa scrunched her nose and removed the crown. “Why do I have to wear this thing?”

Emily took it from her grasp. “Because you’re supposed to be the Queen of Hearts.”

“I thought you said it was a Southern belle costume.”

Emily snatched the crown from Lisa’s hand. “And when you add a crown, you become a queen. Hurry up, we need to get it clipped on. Adam’s probably wondering where you are.”

Lisa ducked so Emily could reach the top of her head easier. “He probably won’t even talk to me. I promised I’d be here early and the party has already started.” Or maybe he wasn’t talking to her because of what she’d written in that article.

“Trust me, he’s missed you,” Emily said.

“Right.” Halfway through the week she realized she’d never erased the article that had been written to please the editors. Had Adam mistaken that one for the newer version she planned to submit? Lisa tugged at the bodice of her dress, wishing it were one of the high-necked Victorian styles instead. “So, is Adam the King of Hearts? Or are he and Tara coming as bride and groom, like she planned.”

“I don’t have a clue what he ended up with. He may not have had a chance to exchange it, he was so busy this week since Tara backed out.”

“She didn’t! Why didn’t he say something?”

Emily had a guilty look on her face. “He’s had a lot on his mind this week, Lisa. I’m sure that’s why he’s been so hard to reach.”

Kevin had assured Lisa on the drive to the ranch that Adam would understand her delay. And while she wanted more than anything to trust her brother-in-law, past history prevented her from blindly accepting any man’s word. It made no sense that Adam hadn’t called or left any messages.

Lisa straightened her costume, applied a pale pink lipstick and dug through her bag for the blush. “I knew something would happen to make me late. I should have never promised,” Lisa grumbled.

That one article wouldn’t leave her thoughts. Why she hadn’t deleted it, she couldn’t say. Even as she wrote the assignment, her conscience had bothered her. She’d known all along that she couldn’t send it.

Snow pelted the window of Millie’s bedroom suite. She had offered the use of her house so Lisa could freshen up without feeling rushed. “You made it in time. Just relax and enjoy,” Emily said.

“The snowplows have been here, but what about the caterers? Did they make it through the storm?” Lisa wiggled her hips, enjoying the rustle of the elegant black skirt against the satin slips.

Emily patted Lisa’s shoulders, tugging the shoulders into place. “It’s all under control. Are you warm enough?”

Lisa looked at the velvet-and-cameo pendant dangling around her very bare neck. “I’m sure I’ll be plenty warm once we’re inside with all those people. Oh, Emmy, why did I ever agree to this? And why didn’t Adam tell me Tara backed out?” Adam needed her, and she’d let him down already.

“He knew you were busy and didn’t want to worry you. It looks like love to me.”

Love.

The mere word had terrified her three weeks ago. And experiencing the emotion was the furthest thing from her mind when she’d arrived. Yet since stepping onto Whispering Pines, she’d come to understand the meaning of unconditional love.

Love. Between Toby and Adam. Adam and his family. Was it also possible for Adam to love her, too? Or was she in for another disappointment?

If Adam was even speaking to her, she wanted to tell him exactly how she felt. A week back in the fast-paced lifestyle she was accustomed to had changed her perspective on everything. Money couldn’t provide happiness or security. She knew that now.

Lisa slipped her feet into her sister’s high heels and groaned. “I can’t do this, Emily. I’ll break an ankle.”

Emily laughed. “You don’t have a choice. The dress is too long to wear flats. Now for the gloves.”

She reached out a hand to her sister, feeling the awkward binding of the long evening gloves. “Now I know why I never went to prom.”

“One night of frills hasn’t hurt a tomboy yet. You’ll survive.”

“A tomboy?” She hadn’t heard anyone call her that in years. A smile soothed
Lisa’s rattled nerves as she recalled the look on Adam’s face when he’d seen her in her leather skirt. “I think not.” She held on to the hope that whether or not she truly fit the tomboy mold, Adam would accept her apology and love her anyway. She had to show Adam that she had changed, and she could change even more. She could give up her career and make family her priority.

Her week spent photographing the children had been a blessing. She’d never realized how much fun kids could be, let alone wished for a family of her own. Lisa thought of her father. She had a long way to go to understand how he could have walked out on his daughters and wife, but she hoped she could reach the point where she could forgive him, as well.

Kevin hollered up the stairs, “It’s time to go, ladies.”

Kevin greeted his wife with a kiss and gave Lisa a smile. “Adam had better hold on to his hat.”

Lisa’s nerves were so tangled and her mouth so parched, she couldn’t even come up with a snappy reply.

A few minutes later, Kevin pulled into the circular driveway and stopped. Red carpet had been rolled out over the layers of snow.

Twinkle lights outlined the lodge and the rustic chandeliers inside glowed through the large picture windows. From outside she could see red heart-shaped lights and more sparkles than on New Year’s Eve.

“It looks like a winter wonderland. And look...oh, my.” A huge draft horse stood in front of a sleigh adorned with twinkle lights and giant jingle bells.

Emily pulled out her ornately adorned Victorian mask and held it to her face. Kevin put his top hat and a mask on and handed the keys to the valet. “Well, here goes. Put your mask on, Lisa. Now you see why my little brother has been difficult to reach.”

Lisa pulled the satin mask over her eyes as they stepped into the lodge. Her heart beat in her throat just thinking of Adam. She looked around, disappointed that he wasn’t there to greet her. “He’s done a tremendous job.”

“Adam doesn’t do things halfway.”

Lisa stood in the foyer, and not seeing Adam anywhere among the crowd, she turned to Emily. “I need to get something. I’ll be right back.” Before Emily could argue, Lisa hiked her dress out of the way, took off the heels and ran up the stairs to her suite.

Lisa was shocked to find the door was open and her things were gone. Panic filled her.
He promised my things would be waiting. That they would be safe.

She dropped the shoes and collapsed against the wall. How could Adam have invaded her privacy and removed all of her things? The satin skirt rustled as Lisa went into the bathroom and opened the mirror. Nothing. She rushed back to the wardrobe and opened every nook and cranny, hoping to find her laptop. Her clothes, her computer, her life—gone.

There’s an explanation for this, Lisa.
Don’t get upset. She dabbed the tears from under the mask and inhaled slowly. “He wouldn’t do this to me. Not Adam.”

Lisa opened the window, poked her nose against the screen and inhaled again, hoping the icy pine scent would calm her nerves. There had been so many people downstairs. Adam hadn’t been there to greet her. He hadn’t called, hadn’t left a message.

“Lisa?”

Lisa hit her head on the window as she turned toward Katarina’s voice.

“What in the world are you doing?”

She straightened the tiara and closed the window. “Getting some fresh air.”

“You just came inside. What’s wrong?”

Fear tightened around her like a noose. “My things are gone.”

“Adam asked me to move them into his guest room so they’d be safe. He didn’t want them in here with the open house. You knew he’d need to show all of the rooms off.” Katarina’s usual cheery smile was filled with concern. “You didn’t think he’d gotten rid of your things, did you? Why would he do that?”

Lisa shrugged. “It’s a long story.” And it wasn’t the time to confess to her sisters what she’d been through in the past year. Maybe tomorrow, but not now. “I didn’t really think Adam had taken them, but...” Suddenly it dawned on her where Lisa had said her things were—in Adam’s guest room. Not at her sisters, or at his mother’s—in
his
guest room. Maybe it would be okay. “I guess we’d better get down there, since I’m supposed to be hostess.”

Katarina nodded, then tried unsuccessfully to bend over and pick up Lisa’s shoes.

“An eight-month-pregnant body should not bend that far, Kat.” Lisa slipped them on, stifling the groan. “Promise me one thing. After tonight, I never have to wear heels again.”

“Not even on your wedding day?” Katarina smiled. “You’ve fallen in love, haven’t you?”

Lisa ignored her sister’s “I told you so” look.

As usual, Katarina’s cheerful optimism overshadowed her goading. “You may have avoided that bouquet, but it’s my guess that its magic sprinkled across the room onto both of you anyway.”

Lisa spun around and disputed her claim, accidentally spilling the entire story.

“I knew it.” Katarina said, bubbling with excitement. “Wait till I tell the others.”

Lisa followed her waddling sister down the stairs, trying quietly to tell her how premature Katarina’s exuberance was. She came to a sudden halt when she spotted Adam across the room with Tara.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

A
DAM SHOOK
T
ARA’S
hand from his arm. “Excuse me, I have guests to tend to.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more help, Adam.” She clutched the sleeve of his tuxedo again.