Listen to Your Heart (10 page)

“We thought we’d head up around six
thirty. Do you have something warm you can wear?” He leaned closer. “I like my
women hot.” He brushed his lips against her neck and then slid off the bench.
“Gotta run. I have a lesson that was supposed to start five minutes ago.”

Movement by the entrance to Zimmerli
caught her eye. Adrian was watching Rob leave, his expression unreadable. He
looked at Morgan, blinked a couple of times, then turned and walked back down
the hallway.

Tess chose that moment to stop by with
coffee. Morgan pushed her cup across the table to be filled. “Thanks, Tess.
Just soup for me, please.”

The server put down the coffee pot and
stared out the window after Rob. It didn’t take a mind reader to see what she
thought about him.

“I suppose he’s asked you to go to the
sampling party.” She stood with a hand on her hip. “You be careful now. That
stuff’s powerful.”

Morgan hadn’t considered that. She
wasn’t much of a drinker, but she’d be careful. “I’ll be fine,” she said,
watching the spot where Adrian had disappeared.

“I’m just sayin’.” Tess was still
mumbling as she walked away. “But it seems to me you chose the wrong fella.”

Morgan glanced toward the now-empty
hallway. What had Adrian thought when he saw her with Rob? He hadn’t come right
out and said so, but she was fairly sure he didn’t like the ski instructor.

That didn’t surprise her; the two men
were polar opposites. Rob, with his dark, edgy good looks that left her
breathless every time she saw him. And Adrian, with his green eyes and courtly,
almost old-fashioned manners. Rob exuded a sensual confidence, whereas Adrian’s
self-assurance was different. In his quiet way, he knew who he was, and didn’t
need to prove it to anyone.

“You’re acting as if you have to choose
between them,”
said the voice in her head.
“When that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Relax and enjoy yourself.”

Dale appeared in the hallway and she
looked up, welcoming her friend. When she’d returned to the Lodge last night,
Dale and Chance had been sitting on the sofa, his arm around her shoulder. The
television was on, but the sound had been turned down, and she could see that
they weren’t watching it. Dale had crept into their room long after midnight,
and Morgan was surprised when she’d bounded out of bed this morning a few
minutes before her alarm.

“How’s your day going?” There hadn’t
been much time for conversation while Chance drove them to work this morning.
There was something different about Dale today, and she searched her face. In
spite of her lack of sleep, the dark smudges that usually rimmed her friend’s
eyes seemed to be diminished. Her eyes had always been hard to read, but today
they glowed. Everything about her seemed softer.

“I’m fine.” She looked at the soup that
Tess had just delivered. “I’ll have some of that, please.” She went into her
professional mode. “All of the rooms for that incoming group are ready. We
should have clear sailing for the rest of the day.”

“Good.” Morgan nodded absent-mindedly.
“But I was wondering about Chance. You guys getting along okay?” The answer was
obvious, but Morgan was eager for confirmation. In spite of their closeness,
Dale had never been forthcoming about the men she was dating.

“Yes, actually, we are.” Dale looked up
as a group of skiers came through the door and seemed disappointed not to see
him. “We did a lot of talking last night.”

“Anything in particular?”

Dale’s expression softened. “No. You
know how it is in the beginning. We’re just getting to know each other.”

It was difficult not to be jealous. It
had been a long time since Morgan had been at that stage in a relationship.
Maybe that’s why the thought of being involved with Rob was so appealing. Except
that a relationship with him would be like stepping from the calm into a
whirlwind of emotions.

She laid a hand on her friend’s arm.
“I’m happy for you, Dale. I really am.”

Her friend gave her a goofy, very
un-Dale-like smile. “We’ll see. It’s early days yet.”

“Hello, ladies.” Chance approached, and
Morgan heard her friend suck in a breath of air. “How is everyone?” He included
Morgan with a quick smile, but his attention was focused on Dale. The air
sizzled between them and Morgan spooned soup into her mouth, trying to hide a
grin.

“We’re fine.” Dale didn’t object when he
sat next to her and gave her a fleeting kiss on the cheek. “How about you?”

“The store is busy today.” He ordered
without looking at the menu, then turned back to her. “The new staff have
settled in, thank goodness. It looks like we’re going to have our best season
yet.” He toyed with the cutlery for a moment. “The owner came to me this
morning with an interesting proposition.”

Morgan listened with interest. She’s
been brought up in a household where business was discussed regularly.

“He asked me if I’d like to buy him out
over the next couple of years. He’s American and he wants to concentrate on his
locations down there.” He looked at Dale. “It’s a big decision, but I’m already
thinking of ways I could expand the business. For example, he’s not here enough
to appreciate the amount of traffic we get in the summer.”

“Really?” Morgan was interested.

“Yes.” He gestured toward the lifts. “In
the summer, every second lift is filled with mountain bikes.” He made a
chopping motion with his hand. “Riders, bikes, riders, bikes. The mountain is
covered with some of the best trails around. And trust me, those bikes are
costly.”

Morgan looked outside. Only the base of
the mountain was visible from here, but she could easily imagine it in the
summer, crowded with bikers. “I’ll bet they need a lot of repairs,” she
murmured, almost to herself.

Chance shot her an appreciative look.
“Exactly what I was thinking. They ride ‘em hard, and are always needing repairs.
I’d love to set up a shop on the side to handle parts and repairs.” He paused
for a breath. “Sorry, but ever since I talked to Randy the ideas keep coming.
Would you like to go out to dinner and we can talk about his some more?” He
looked over at Morgan. “You too.”

Morgan pushed her soup bowl away.
“Sorry, kids, but I have plans.”

Chance didn’t look pleased. “Are you
going up top for the sampling party?”

“Sampling party?” Dale looked confused.

“Yeah. Tyler is throwing a party on the
patio up top to sample his new product from the still.”

Dale’s eyes widened. “The patio? Is it
really outside? Won’t they freeze up there?”

Chance gave a reluctant laugh. “Not for
long. I hear this batch is potent.”

Dale turned to Morgan. “You be careful,
okay? Who are you going with?”

“Rob asked me.” She stood up. “I’ll be
fine. See you guys later.”

Dale watched her walk away. “She’s a big
girl, but I think she’s in over her head with him.” She picked up her spoon,
then set it down again. “Am I being silly?”

Chance considered her question. “No, but
she’ll be with a group of people. Tyler may come across as a wild man, but when
it comes right down to it, he’s sensible.”

“It’s not Tyler that concerns me.” She
picked up her spoon again. “I think I’ll mention it to Adrian. I have a feeling
he’ll want to know.”

“I was wondering about that.” Adrian
frowned as he listened to Dale. “I saw them together at lunch, and I put two
and two together.”

“So you already knew about the still? I didn’t
want to spill the beans if it was secret, but I’m more concerned about Morgan.”

“Spill the beans?” He looked around
cautiously. “You mean because of my father.” He shook his head. “We don’t own
the restaurant, although the lease is coming up for renewal and I think he’s
looking into it.” He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I’m glad I don’t
have to deal with the still, though. I’m already enough of an outsider here.”

Dale had no compunctions about speaking
her mind. “I don’t agree. Everybody likes you, but you’re different than the
rest of us, and that’s good. We’d feel the same if we were working in
Switzerland.”

“I suppose so.” He put his glasses back
on. “Anyway, thanks for the heads up.”

* * *

Morgan stamped her feet to ward off the
cold and searched Skier’s Plaza for Rob. She should have asked him for better
instructions on where to meet. It was already past six thirty, and the boarding
area was almost deserted. A gust of wind threw ice crystals against her face
and she stepped inside the loading area.

“Hey, are you meeting the gang up top?”
The lifty made a drinking motion.

“Yes. I was supposed to meet Rob.”

The lifty motioned her closer. “Might as
well grab this gondola. He’s already gone topside.”

Morgan frowned. So this was the way it
was going to be. She should have known better. The gondola lurched ahead and she
looked back at the receding Village, wishing she’d stayed there.

There were hardly any skiers on the
mountain. The lights were on, banishing the early winter darkness, but most
people would be down below, stoking up on energy before tackling the mountain
at night. The wind whistled through the gondola door and she huddled in a
corner, wondering what had prompted her to accept Rob’s invitation.

Envy played a big part in it. She hated
to admit it, but she was envious of Dale’s growing romance with Chance. They
seemed so comfortable together, and the way he looked at her was enough to make
any woman’s heart beat a little faster. She couldn’t imagine Rob ever looking
at her like that. She gave a strangled laugh and braced herself as the gondola
reached the top.

Someone had cleared the snow from the
tables and benches. Candles in squat glass jars graced the tables, their flames
flickering.

“Morgan!” Tyler waved her over. “Over
here, mate. We were afraid you weren’t coming.”

She shook her head at the sous-chef’s
exuberant greeting. He was like Chance in that regard; she’d never seen him
without a smile on his face. He presided over a makeshift bar and Karen stood
at his side, a glass in her hand.

“Have a cocktail,” he urged, handing her
a glass. His speech was slightly slurred, and she wondered how long they’d been
up here. “You’ll love it.”

“What’s in it?” She peered into the
glass, then smelled it.

“Don’t ask.” Tyler listed slightly to
one side. “Spoils the fun.”

It smelled fruity. She took a small sip
and the concoction took her breath away.

“See?” Tyler poured some more into her
glass. “I told you you’d like it.”

Karen looked over her shoulder and
frowned. Morgan turned to see what had attracted her attention.

Rob was coming up the steps from the
building housing the restaurant, his arm around a tall blonde. They stopped at
the top of the steps and he nuzzled her neck, then pulled her body hard against
his. Morgan felt like a voyeur as she watched him kiss her, his hands roaming
boldly over her body. Staff from many of the Village businesses sat at the
tables enjoying Tyler’s offering, but nobody seemed to notice them.

Karen shrugged. The gesture summed up perfectly
everything Morgan suspected about Rob. He took what he wanted, and if the woman
of the moment refused, there was always another willing one, waiting to be
mesmerized...and more. She drained the glass and held it out for a refill.
Tyler complied, and filled it to the rim, looking puzzled when a few drops trickled
down the side.

“Hey, Babe. You made it.” Rob appeared
at her side, took the glass from her hand and placed it on the table. Damn him,
but he looked even more appealing here in the flickering light.

“No thanks to you.” His beard was darker
than usual; she ached to reach out and touch it. “I was waiting at the bottom.”

He pulled back from her. “Did you think
I was going to stand around waiting for you?” he gave her that mocking smile.
“This wasn’t exactly a date, you know.” He leaned over until his lips were an
inch away from her ear. “But if you’d like to make it one, we can hook up
later.”

Heat coursed through her veins and then just
as suddenly, reality made her reel back. He’d probably been saying the same
words to that woman just moments ago. It was so ridiculous, she laughed. She
had no intention of being a notch on Rob Taylor’s belt. She picked up her glass
and took a long drink.

Her laughter angered him. He turned on
her and for a moment she saw beneath the suave, sexy exterior. “You lose,” he
said with a snarl. “You and that wuss boyfriend of yours. He probably couldn’t
get it up if he tried.” He stalked off and she watched him leave, relieved and
angered at the same time.

“Are you okay?” Karen asked.

Morgan looked up, surprised to see Karen
and Tyler still there. People from the other tables were moving about, their
casual conversation punctuated by laughter. Nobody seemed to realize that her
silly, romantic dreams had just been shattered.