Six Months in Montana (Montana Sweet Western Romance Series, Book 1) (11 page)

"
H
ow's Dan settling in
?" Aunt Betty asked. She and Molly’s mother had stopped by just after breakfast service to visit for a bit, and her mom wanted to try out a new recipe for the inn: a breakfast casserole made with eggs, bread, cheese and bacon and apple sausage. It sounded delicious, and while it was in the oven baking, they sat around the island bar in the kitchen drinking pumpkin spice coffee.

"As well as you could expect. He's friendly enough, but would much rather be back in Chicago. His whole life is there."

"You adjusted," Aunt Betty said.

"True, but I've also always loved it here."

"At least he's able to do his work here, that's something," her mother said.

"That's true. He spends most of his time at the kitchen table, on his laptop."

"What's he like now?" Aunt Betty was curious. "I haven't seen that boy in years."

"Well, he's very tall; taller than Christian and a bit thinner."

"No muscles then?" Aunt Betty persisted.

"Just not as muscular. I think Christian is more physically active, outside more. Dan is an indoors guy, as pale as can be. He's super-nice, though."

"I bet Linda O'Brien is happy to have him home." Her mother said, and Molly smiled. It was so true. Mrs. O'Brien seemed thrilled to have both of her boys there. She buzzed around Dan like a mother hen, constantly checking on him and bringing him little treats, like her special shakes made with chocolate ice cream and bananas.

"She thinks he's too thin and is on a mission to fatten him up."

"Is it strange having someone else in the house?" Aunt Betty asked.

"Not really, he's Christian's family after all." It actually was a little strange, though, as Molly was starting to feel very much at home, and whenever she got up in the morning or returned home at night, Dan was always there, either working in the kitchen, or lounging on the sofa in the family room watching TV. He had to be up and at work early, because of the time difference, and it wasn’t like he could really go anywhere yet. The doctor had said to avoid putting weight on his leg at all for the first month, to give the bones time to start knitting together.

"In a few weeks, when he's feeling up to it, I'll have you two over for dinner, if you like."

"Definitely!" Aunt Betty was always up for an evening out, and Molly knew she loved the idea of being the first to meet Dan. There was a lot of buzz about him, evidently, among the ladies who met for coffee at the Morning Muffin. Sight unseen, Dan was considered quite the eligible catch and the match-making wheels were turning.

"Too bad he's not planning to stick around," her mother said, as she got up to check on the casserole.

"There's really no reason for him to stay here. He has a life in Chicago. Kind of like me with Manhattan," Molly reminded them gently. She knew they were both hoping that she'd decide to stay in Beauville, and that she and Christian would fall madly in love and live happily ever after. Before Christian's trip to Chicago to get Dan, Molly had had to admit she thought it could actually be a real possibility. But with Dan there, Christian had withdrawn a bit, and they hadn't really had any alone time.

"But he can do his job from anywhere right? It's been years since he's spent any time here. Maybe Beauville will grow on him." Aunt Betty expected that everyone would fall in love with Beauville, if they spent enough time here.

A blinking red light caught Molly's eye. She had her laptop perched nearby and had been checking reservations when her mother and aunt had arrived, so the screen was still up. The red light was the program's signal for a reservation cancellation. It was the second one today, so she pulled the laptop closer to get a better look.

"That's really strange," she said, as she saw that the cancellation was for the same weekend as the one that had come in earlier.

"What's strange, honey?" her mother asked.

She told them about the two cancellations within an hour for the same weekend, then asked, "When is Isabella planning to open her place?" Molly hadn't heard any updates at all, but had a feeling she knew when Isabella's grand opening might be. Two cancellations in such a short time period was too much of a coincidence.

"We should check the local paper," her mother said. "She's probably got an ad in if she's planning to open soon." Molly had the newspaper delivered each morning, but hadn't looked at it in a few days. She got up and went out to the lobby, and it was in its usual spot on the coffee table. She brought it back into the kitchen and divvied up the three sections. Minutes later, Aunt Betty found something.

"Here we go. What's the date of the cancellations?" Molly told her, and she continued, "That makes perfect sense then. Isabella has a huge ad with a buy-one-get-one opening special; two nights for the price of one. I'd expect a few more cancellations, once this gets out."

"How long is the offer good for?" It wasn't a strategy Molly would have ever advised, especially for someone new to the hospitality business. She guessed that Isabella was planning to have nine or ten rooms available, and having them booked solid on opening weekend might be a bit overwhelming.

"It looks like it's just for that weekend. She wants to start out with a splash. No surprise there."

"Would it make sense to do a similar promotion?" her mother asked.

"If I did that, it would look too reactive, for one thing. But secondly, for the type of inn that we are, I don't think a buy-one-get-one promotion is the way to go. That's not the kind of branding I want. It's too much of a discount, and would make us look desperate."

"It's not like you're having trouble renting the rooms," Aunt Betty agreed. And it was true; while they weren't sold out every night, they were mostly full on the weekends and half to three quarters full during the week, which Molly was pleased with. The reviews so far had been overwhelmingly positive, and several guests had already booked return trips later in the year.

"I have thought of doing some promotion though: special packages for different events and holidays."

"What kind of packages?" Her mother checked on the casserole again, and this time took it out of the oven and set it on the counter to cool.

"I have a few ideas in mind: a special anniversary package that would include a gift certificate to Delancey's; a spa package that would include a trip to that new day spa that's opening; and a wine dinner package, where a four course dinner would be served here with accompanying wines. I thought we could take a few reservations just for the dinner too, if local people were interested."

"That all sounds wonderful," her mother said, and then added, "Maybe you should do the wine dinner first. That could generate some local buzz I think."

"I agree. I'm going to start planning something, maybe for the weekend after Isabella opens; that gives me a month."

"Why not do the same weekend? Give Isabella a run for her money." Aunt Betty was excited for a showdown.

"No, I don't want to do that. We'll let Isabella have the spotlight for that weekend. I'm happy to wait a bit."

When Molly arrived home a little after five, Dan was just clearing his stuff off the kitchen table and getting ready to relocate to the sofa in the family room. Molly smiled at the sight of a half-full chocolate shake by his laptop.

"I need to lay off these." Dan said, as he saw Molly staring at the shake. "I've gained seven or eight pounds since I've been here."

"It's probably from being less active too. I wouldn't worry much about it."

"True, I feel like a little old man right now: stiff from sitting all day." He eased himself up from the chair and onto his crutches, and did a few laps around the kitchen. "Feels good to stretch."

"Did Mrs. O'Brien leave dinner for us?" She didn't see anything on the stove, or smell anything in the oven.

"She made a bunch of stuffed shells earlier, and put them in the fridge. Said we can heat them whenever."

"Okay, I can make us a salad, and I think we have bread still."

"Do you think Christian might be up for going out for a change?" Dan surprised her. "I'm just feeling kind of stir crazy."

"Sure, if you think you're up for it." Dan hadn't left the house once since he'd arrived.

"I think it would be okay now. It will be four weeks tomorrow."

"Did I hear something about going out?" Christian walked into the kitchen, and even though he was spotted with dried mud, he still looked good to her. His days varied from managing paper and building plans to actually being out in the fields, being hands on with whatever needed doing. Today was obviously a ranch day.

"Dan is up for dinner out somewhere," Molly said.

"Great, give me fifteen minutes to shower and change, and then let's head out."

They walked into Delancey's forty five minutes later. Dan was able to move pretty quickly on his crutches, and he'd also changed while Christian was in the shower. Molly hadn't seen him in anything other than sweats and tee-shirts since he'd arrived, and was impressed by how sharp he looked. He'd put on jeans and a hunter-green button-down shirt that highlighted his green eyes and dark blonde hair, and he'd even shaved. Molly noticed more than one female guest taking a long look as they walked by. Christian looked amazing too, as always. He was also in jeans and was wearing her favorite soft blue button-down shirt. He hadn't taken the time to shave, so there was a hint of stubble that she actually found really attractive.

                  They were seated quickly at a great table near where the band would soon be setting up. Dan looked pleased when he saw there was going to be entertainment.

"Impressive. Didn't know you had any places like this in Beauville now."

"A lot has changed since you lived here," Christian began. "The town has grown. Is still growing."

"So, what's good here?" Dan asked, as the waitress handed them menus. He smiled at her and Molly noticed that she immediately seemed flustered.

"Everything's good, everything. Can I get you something to drink?" She took their drink orders and then scurried off.

"I know you're getting back to normal now. The ladies here don't stand a chance." Christian said with a chuckle, and Molly thought back to what he'd told her about Dan. She hadn't really seen his flirty side until now, but could see how he'd be popular with women. He had a smoother look to him, an easy charm and a killer smile that made his green eyes pop. She could see him breaking a heart or two if he decided to date while he was here because, as he reminded them regularly, he was going back to Chicago as soon as the doctor cleared him to return.

"The steak is what's really good here." Molly told him, as the waitress returned with their drinks, and Dan told her they needed a little more time to decide.

"Okay, steak it is then." As he closed his menu, Molly noticed Travis and Traci walk in. Christian saw them too and waved them over.

"Are you guys here for dinner? Join us, we just ordered drinks."

"Great, I just had a crazy day, and told Traci I'd buy her dinner if she agreed to come out."

"He didn't have to twist my arm too hard," Traci laughed.

The waitress returned just then and pulled a chair over to their table, so there was room for all of them, and both Travis and Traci sat down.

Once they all had their drinks and had put their dinner orders in, Christian proposed a toast,

"To Dan's first night out in Beauville."

"And to many more," Travis added.

They all clicked glasses, and the conversation flowed easily as they ate their salads.

Until Traci asked Molly, "Have you heard about Isabella's opening special?"

“We've already had two cancellations because of it. I don't blame them really, it's a good deal."

"What is she doing?" Christian looked at Molly in surprise. She usually kept him posted on everything.

"I just saw the ad in today's paper. She's running an opening day special, two nights for the price of one, including weekends."

"Can she do that?" Christian addressed the question to Travis.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "As Isabella's attorney, I shouldn't be discussing this with you, but yeah, it's totally legal."

"Just because it's legal, doesn't make it right." Traci glared at her brother, who looked decidedly uncomfortable at the direction the conversation had taken.

"It's all right," Molly assured all of them. "It's inconvenient for us, but I don't blame her for doing it. It's a business decision, something any competitor would do."

"You wouldn't do it," Traci said loyally.

"No, I would if it made sense to do it. It wouldn't have been my strategy for a grand opening though."

This caught Dan's attention. "Why not? Seems like a good idea to me."

"I'm just more cautious," Molly explained. "I'm a bit of a worrier though. We had a slow opening, just two rooms rented and that was perfect for me. I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly."

"And it did." Christian said proudly, and Molly noticed that Dan glanced at him curiously.

"Slow has never been Isabella's speed," Travis said, as he reached for another roll.

"I don't suppose you got an invite to her opening party?" Traci directed the question at Molly.

"No, when is it?"

"This Thursday, the night before she officially opens. Isn't that exactly what you did?"

Molly just nodded, and then asked, "Are you going?"

"I haven't decided yet. I don't have anyone to go with. Travis will already be there. They have an appointment just before the party begins."

"I'll go with you." Dan surprised them by saying. "I'm getting really stir crazy and that will get me out of the house. And I can be the lone family representative or spy, however you want to look at it." His smile was full of mischief, and Molly thought she saw Traci blush slightly. Yes, Dan was definitely feeling better.

M
olly wasn't surprised
when two more cancellations came in the following week. Rose Cottage had gone from fully booked for the weekend, to half-empty since Isabella's ad had run. Aunt Betty was furious and had been ranting and raving about it all week, even though Molly explained that in the overall scheme of things it really wasn't a big deal. Any competitor might do the same thing, and it wasn't personal, it was just business.

Once Thursday arrived, Molly was actually looking forward to Isabella's opening night party. Not because she was planning to attend; neither she nor Christian had been invited. But, because Dan was going to the party with Traci, it would be her first night alone with Christian in over a month. At breakfast, he'd casually asked if she wanted to grab a bite to eat somewhere in Bozeman for a change, and she was looking forward to it.

As soon as her guests finished their wine and cheese and left for dinner, Molly put everything away and then headed home. When she walked in the door, she heard the shower running and knew it was Dan getting ready to go out with Traci. She would be picking him up as he still wasn't cleared to drive. Christian wasn't home yet, and Molly didn't expect him for at least another hour. He'd called earlier, and said one of his projects was behind schedule and they'd be working a little late every day this week to catch up.

Molly decided to draw a bath and soak for a while. She was usually more of a shower girl, preferring to get in and get out and on her way. But every now and again, there was nothing like a luxurious, relaxing soak. A few days after she'd arrived, and had shown her around the ranch, her mother surprised her with a small bottle of tangerine-scented bubble bath.

"When I saw that in the store, I had to get it for you. You might as well enjoy that hot tub while you can."

It really was an amazing soaking tub. You had to step up to it. The two steps led to a beautiful marble platform and a shiny white porcelain oversized tub, with jets at either end. Molly set a few small candles around the tub. As the water was filling it, she lit the candles and found a magazine she hadn't looked at yet. She added the bubble bath when the tub was halfway full and then, once it was ready, she stepped in to a sea of sweet smelling bubbles. The citrusy scent of the bubble bath mixed deliciously with the vanilla buttercream aroma of the candles. She sunk into the warmth of the water, leaned her head back against the tub edge and closed her eyes.

She stayed like that until she heard the door downstairs open and the familiar tread of Christian's footsteps coming down the hall. As soon as she heard the sound of his shower, she decided it was time to leave the cocoon of warmth and start getting ready. She toweled off, put on moisturizer, combed out her hair and then stared at her open closet for several minutes, before deciding on her favorite bootleg jeans and a rose pink vee-neck sweater. The soft cashmere was both warm and flattering.

Fifteen minutes later, her hair was blown dry, and her mascara, blush and lipstick applied, and her boots were on. She'd chosen the pair of cowboy boots that she’d fallen in love with during her first week in Beauville.                  

When she came downstairs Christian was sitting at the kitchen island bar, reading the local paper. He looked up when he saw her.

"You look great! Are you ready to go?"

"Thanks, I'm ready." He looked amazing too, and there was a sudden charge in the air that she hadn't felt in weeks, since Dan arrived. She could tell by the look in Christian's eyes that he was feeling it too. He was wearing jeans as well and the shirt that Molly had mentioned before to him that she loved, the navy-blue button-down. It looked great on him. It made his hair look darker and his eyes a deeper blue.

They chatted easily during the drive to Bozeman and listened to a Pearl Jam CD. Christian was a huge fan of the band and had seen them live a few times, and the CD was from the last show he went to. The ride flew by and, before she knew it, they arrived at a tiny Italian restaurant that was tucked away on a side street in a not so fashionable area, but it was completely packed. Christian had called ahead to make a reservation so they didn't have to wait, and they were seated immediately at a small table by a window.

Their waitress came right over and Christian ordered a bottle of red wine, an Italian Merlot. While they were looking over the menu, Molly thought she overheard several people at a table nearby speaking Italian. She glanced at Christian in surprise and he explained, "This place is out of the way, but has a great reputation for being really authentic. Almost every time I've come here I've heard someone speaking Italian."

"That sounds like a good sign."

"It is. I stumbled onto this restaurant years ago, and have been coming back ever since."

Molly saw a plate of cheese ravioli and meatballs go by, and decided to order that once the waitress told her the pasta was homemade and a specialty of the house. Christian ordered the chicken parmesan. The waitress warned them that there might be a little bit of a wait, as the kitchen was backed up. She brought out a basket of hot, crusty bread and salads with their house Italian dressing, and they dug in.

After the waitress removed their salad plates, they did have a bit of a wait before their dinners came out. It was nice to relax and not feel rushed, and Molly was happy to just enjoy Christian's company as they sipped their wine, which was phenomenal: rich and silky.

"I'm so glad we did this," she said impulsively.

"You are? Good, I'm glad." Christian took a sip of wine and then continued, "I hope it hasn't been too difficult for you, having Dan stay with us."

"Of course not, he's your brother," Molly assured him. "It's actually been nice getting to know him."

"The timing just isn't ideal. Not that there's ever a good time for these things, but you know what I mean."

Molly just nodded and took another sip of wine. Christian was quiet for a long moment, and looked like he was debating whether or not to say something.

Finally, he set down his wine glass and said, "We never did finish our discussion, what we were talking about the night before I left to get Dan. Though there's probably nothing to really discuss any more. Dan's arrival ended that possibility." He sounded regretful but fairly certain.

"I never changed my mind." Molly put her hand on his and smiled, and he set his wine glass down, totally taken by surprise.

"Really? You're sure?"

She nodded and he was speechless for a moment. The waitress arrived just then with their dinners and set them down.

"Even with Dan there?" Christian persisted. He was clearly surprised that she was still interested.

"We can be discreet, and besides he's an adult, he'll deal with it." Molly thought to herself that she didn't think it was likely to surprise Dan. She'd noticed him looking at both of them questioningly over the past few weeks; undoubtedly he'd picked up a vibe or two.

"Okay, well, let's eat and then get out of here." Christian grinned, and Molly smiled back and took a bite of her pasta. It was out of this world, light and flavorful, but Molly's mind was elsewhere. She was thinking ahead to what would happen when they arrived back at the ranch, and the butterflies in her stomach danced in nervous anticipation.

They declined dessert and packed more than half of their dinners in to-go boxes. The ride home was mostly quiet, except for the sound of the Pearl Jam CD playing again. Molly was full and happy from the good food and wine, and eager to get home. When they pulled into the driveway, the lights inside were still off, so Molly realized that Dan must still be out with Traci.

They put their takeout boxes in the refrigerator, and then Christian asked if she wanted a little wine.

"Just a half glass please." He poured them both small glasses of wine, and then brought them into the family room and set them down on the coffee table.

"Should we put a movie on?" he asked as he took a step closer to her.

"If you want to," she agreed, and then leaned in as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'd rather do this." He kissed her then and Molly sank into him, running her hands along the back of his neck and lightly through his hair, as he teased her lips and then kissed his way along her throat and then back to her lips.

They stayed like that for a while, lost in each other, until Molly faintly heard the sound of a car door and then low voices laughing. Christian heard the same and then pulled back.

"Let's go upstairs." He shut off the light in the family room, so Dan would just assume they'd both gone up to bed, and then picked up their wine glasses and looked back at Molly. She smiled and followed him up the stairs.

Molly woke earlier than usual the next morning. She felt deliciously relaxed and lazy as she stretched her arms, rolled onto her side and remembered that she was in Christian's bed. He was already awake too, and leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Morning. Sleep well?"

"Never better," she said, and stretched again, feeling happy.

"I'm not ready to get up just yet, are you?" He ran his fingers lightly down Molly's arm and she shivered.

"I'm pretty comfortable right here." She smiled and snuggled closer to him, and he pulled her in even tighter and brought his lips down to hers.

They finally dragged themselves out of bed, and Molly was in a happy glow all day, replaying the events of the previous night over and over again in her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about Christian. Their lovemaking was even better than she could have imagined. They just felt so right together. At least that was how she felt, and it seemed as though Christian felt the same. She'd been a little worried that things might be awkward, or that Dan would know instantly the minute he saw them together. But it was wonderfully normal when they met up in the kitchen for breakfast.

Christian, as usual, had left earlier to do his rounds on the ranch and then had come back to eat a little before seven. Dan was already up and on his laptop by then, and Molly was having her coffee at the island countertop. They all ate breakfast together, same as ever, and then went on their separate ways. Dan didn't give either one of them a second glance, much to Molly's relief. It's not that she would have minded him knowing that they'd entered a different stage in their relationship, she just didn't want to be in his face about it.

Her day at the inn went smoothly as they were only at half-capacity, so it was easy to manage. She was looking forward to an evening in with Christian and Dan. They still had the stuffed shells Mrs. O'Brien had made the day before that they could heat up, and Christian mentioned that there was a movie that looked good that they could watch.

They were halfway through the movie when Molly's cell phone rang, and she saw it was the answering service for the inn. It was the first time she'd gotten an evening after-hours call and wondered what the emergency was. She hoped it was something minor, as she'd told all the guests to call if they needed anything, but so far no one had.

"Hello?"

"Is this Molly?" She confirmed that it was, and the answering service rep continued, "You have an emergency message from Isabella Graham. She is asking you to please call as soon as possible. She'd like to send several guests over immediately."

Molly thanked her, and then called the number she’d been given.

"Hello?" The voice that answered sounded anxious, not like Isabella at all.

"Isabella? It's Molly."

"Molly? Oh, thank God you called back so soon. Thank you. I'm in a bit of a jam here. There's no hot water on the second floor right now and I can't get anyone here until tomorrow morning to fix whatever is wrong. I have three rooms of guests I'd like to send your way, on me, if you have the room?" Molly was shocked into silence for a long moment, which seemed to make Isabella nervous. "I already tried The Sleepy Willow motel and they're totally booked up. Please tell me you have room?"

"I do, of course I do. Send them right over. I'll leave now to meet them.”

Molly hung up the phone and jumped up to head to the inn. Christian had already figured out what was going on from what he'd heard, and Molly filled him in on the rest.

Less than ten minutes later Molly was back at the inn and picked out the three rooms for her incoming guests. She put out a plate of cookies and some lemonade, in case they felt like a little nibble or cold drink when they arrived. Interestingly, two of the parties were the ones that had cancelled their reservations with the inn earlier in the week to go to Isabella's. They were full of apologies when they arrived, and less than complimentary about their experience at Isabella's.

"She's just as nice as can be, putting us up here, but it really is a disaster over there. No hot water, can you imagine?" Mrs. Cleeson and her sister, Mrs. Rice, were not impressed.

"Her cookies aren't as good as yours either, dear," Mrs. Rice said, as she grabbed two more for good measure, before they headed off to their rooms.

A half hour later, all the new guests were settled into their rooms and Molly was on her way back to the ranch.

The house was quiet when Molly returned home. The news was playing on the TV, but there was no sign of Christian or Dan. Dan's bedroom door was shut and the light off, so Molly guessed that he'd likely gone to bed earlier. She saw a light on in Christian's den and headed down the hall towards the open door. Christian was sitting at his desk, flipping through an old photo album. There was a small fire going, and as usual Toby was curled up at his feet.

Christian looked up and smiled, when he saw Molly standing in the doorway. "Everything work out okay?"

"Yes, everyone is settled in for the night. Poor Isabella, that's an awful thing to have happen on any night, let alone her first night." Molly really did sympathize.

"Worked out well that you had the rooms available."

"I suppose it did." Molly smiled. "What are you up to?"

"Just going through some old boxes of my grandfather's stuff. Come see."