Moonsong (17 page)

Cutter stood when he finished eating, adding a generous tip to the bills he’d laid down earlier. “See you around,” he said gruffly.

“Come back and see us soon, okay?” Millie refrained from actually reaching out to touch him, but her voice called him back.

“Never can tell,” he offered her a lopsided smile.

Distracted for the rest of the afternoon, Amelia found her thoughts often shifting to the tall, dark loner. For whatever reason she found herself drawn to him, even if he had his mind set on keeping her at arm’s length. Best to put Cutter from her thoughts. For reasons she couldn’t fathom he didn’t want her, at least not enough to set aside his objections and do something about it, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to keep throwing herself at him.

After dinner Millie stepped out onto the back porch for a breath of fresh air, her eye immediately drawn to small parcel wrapped in newspaper, a small card tucked under a piece of twine holding it together. Knowing instinctively it was from Cutter even before she picked up the package, she found his neat, precise script printed on the back.

Sometimes the beauty isn’t all that difficult to see.

Unwrapping the package, she drew forth the delicately carved flower she’d seen on Cutter’s mantelpiece that first day.
Damn that man…
just when she thought she’d found a way to steel her heart against him he found his way back in…

Chapter Sixteen

The next time Cutter came into the café, he left his surly demeanor at home, and the next, and the next… It became so that Millie would regularly look for him about mid morning, after the morning rush had cleared and before the lunch crowd arrived, when she had the most time for idle chit chat. They talked about everything and nothing, the public setting curtailing any heavy or intimate talk. It also served as a kind of safety net, not letting either of them feel like things were getting too serious between them, keeping things light.

Amelia soon learned that Cutter would not talk about his past in any way, but he was fine with talking about his work, and how he filled his days. Any mention of Chase or his suit was also in the forbidden category, as was any talk about her having to choose a mate or the death of her family. But within the confines of conversation, they found a way to fill the hours and get to know one another.

Though Amelia looked forward to those visits with growing anticipation, she kept her vow to stay away from his cabin in the woods, leaving it entirely in his hands as to whether or not they saw each other since he knew where to find her.

All the while Chase continued to “woo” her, at her insistence; plying her with flowers, little gifts, and outrageous compliments at every turn. Amelia enjoyed the attention, and she couldn’t deny the attraction, but that seemed to be all there was between them; an attraction that failed to develop into anything more. Chase could sense her hesitation, and to his credit didn’t often try to push past her comfort zone.

One morning Millie woke to find a rose on her pillow, a rolled sheet of thick parchment paper tied with a red velvet ribbon lying next to it. Trying to view it as romantic and not at all creepy that it magically appeared in the night while she’d been dead asleep, she sat up in bed and opened it. In elegant script was an invitation from Chase asking her to dine with him that night. Lifting the flower to her nose, she inhaled deeply, a smile rising to her lips. She’d asked to be wooed and he’d definitely held up his end of the bargain.

The day passed in a blur as she found herself looking forward to their date. Thoughts of Cutter had occupied her mind so often of late; she realized she’d been neglecting Chase in the bargain. Telling herself she had to stop pining for a man who didn’t want anything more than friendship, she put special effort into getting ready for Chase. Leaving behind the virginal white dresses for a slinky black number that made her feel sexy; a rush of satisfaction swept through her at Chase’s reaction when she came down the stairs.

“I should take you back upstairs and tear that dress right off of you,” he growled at her ear after pressing an innocent kiss to her cheek in greeting.

“I thought you wanted to go out for dinner, aren’t you hungry?” she smiled archly.

“You have no idea…” Chase grinned, hand smoothing over the curve of her behind as he propelled her towards the door. “Come on let’s go, the sooner I get you out of here and get you fed, the sooner I get you back here.”

Amelia laughed at his tone, comfortable with that kind of remark now that she knew he wouldn’t force the issue. Feeling a bit overdressed for the Steak Pit, Millie let him steer her towards the restaurant, smiling her thanks as he made a big show of holding the door open for her. Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, she preceded him into the family style restaurant, surprised to find the lighting subdued and the place absolutely deserted. “Are you sure they’re open?” she whispered to him.

“Only for us,” he grinned back with a wink. “Come on, let’s go to our table.”

It was obvious which table was intended for them, floor space had been cleared around it. There was a lit candle on the table along with fresh flowers and a crisp white tablecloth, not the norm for a place that usually sported paper placemats. “You had them close out the rest of the restaurant?” her brows rose as she took her seat.

“Nothing but the best for you, baby,” his hand lingered on her shoulder in a light caress before taking his seat opposite her. “Well, the best I can manage in a place like Cutter’s Folly,” he grinned. “Once everything settles down I’ll take you to the City for a real fancy night on the town, the sky’s the limit.”

Once everything settled down.

That meant she’d be married with a child. How many nights on the town would there be when she had a newborn to care for? Amelia chose to keep those thoughts to herself, not wanting to spoil the evening when he was working so hard to please her. The trouble was, she could see the effort in everything he did, but it felt… contrived, almost forced. What would he really be like day in and day out if she chose him? Somehow she didn’t think it would involve many romantic gestures. What kind of father would he be? Would he be the type to help change diapers and run to the store for more formula?

“Uh oh, you’re kinda quiet over there, should I be worried? You don’t like it?” he gestured to the room around them.

“No, it’s great. I was actually sitting here wondering what kind of a father you’d make.”

His grin widened, and he picked up her hand. “I’ll make a fantastic Dad. I’ll show him everything, how to hunt, fish, track, I’ll help him grow up strong to fulfill his destiny,” Chase replied earnestly.

More of the destiny crap…
Millie pulled her hand from his. “What if we have a girl?” she pointed out; was he one of those ‘boys are better than girls’ types? Of course he was; she could see it in the flicker of distaste that crossed his features before he schooled them back into an easy smile.

“Oh, and could I please get a glass of water when you’ve got a moment?” Millie asked politely, knowing she wasn’t Leah’s favorite person.

“She wouldn’t dare,” he scoffed, but Amelia wasn’t so sure. It was an unspoken rule; don’t mess with people who handle your food.

Amelia took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, not sure her appetite was where it should be anymore. “So ah, what are we having for dinner?” she asked, seeing as how he’d obviously called ahead and made all the arrangements beforehand.

“The best in the house, you’ll see,” he gave her a wink as he continued to eat.

Leah appeared moments later with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses, a plastic bottle of water tucked under her arm. “Here you are. Is there anything else I can do for you before your food is ready?” she gave Chase an arch smile, bending forward a little to display her neckline to her advantage.

“We’re good thanks, but I know where to find you,” Chase smiled back, eyes dipping to her cleavage as expected before returning to her face.

“Yes, you do,” Leah winked before sashaying away.

“See, she got over it,” Chase grinned, turning back to his salad plate.

“Super,” Millie sighed, reaching for her bottle of water and twisting it open. At least she could trust that Leah hadn’t monkeyed with it, the seal was still in place.

“Hey, what’s wrong, Millie? Aren’t you having a good time?” Chase reached across the table and picked up her hand.

Was she? It was as romantic a setting as one could manage in a place like Cutter’s Folly, he’d obviously gone through quite an effort to please her… so what was missing? “Nothing, I guess maybe I’m a little tired is all,” Amelia shook away his concern, even as it continued to worry at her.

Amelia was subdued for the rest of the evening, though Chase didn’t seem to notice, talking enough for the both of them. She had to wonder; all kidding aside, did he know how to sit and enjoy each other’s company without having to fill every moment of silence with the sound of his own voice? She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to accept Cutter’s more taciturn habits until she spent an entire evening in Chase’s company. After having dinner with him she felt exhausted; her sense of calm battered by his incessant chatter.

As they returned to the house, he steered her towards the gazebo. “I had a great time tonight,” he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Amelia remained silent, resting her head against his shoulder. “This is where you tell me what a great time you had tonight too,” he added in a stage whisper, tilting her face up to his with a finger under her chin.

“I’m sorry, Chase. I did have a nice time, dinner was great, I’m just… well like I said before, I guess I’m a little tired,” she offered him the excuse, unable to articulate what was behind her current mood.

“Maybe a little surprise will cheer you up?” he raised a single brow, producing a little velvet box.

“Chase, you don’t have to do that, you’ve spent way too much on me already,” Millie scolded him, expecting to see a pair of earrings or a pendant. Instead, a solitaire diamond engagement ring winked back at her, catching the moonlight. “Chase…”

“Don’t give me your answer right away,” he said quickly, even as he removed it from the box and slipped it on her finger. “Just… think about it, okay? Promise me you’ll think about it?” He gave her that puppy dog grin; the one that always made her laugh, it was so ridiculously cute.

“Chase I…” Amelia swallowed, staring at the ring on her finger. “I’ll think about it,” she promised.

Chapter Seventeen

Millie pulled the ring off the moment she got back to her room, replacing it in the little velvet box. Even then, it taunted her, pressuring her to make a choice. Not ready to start down that path, she tucked it away in the top drawer of the dressing table; out of sight, but not out of mind. Eager to push Chase’s proposal to the back of her thoughts for the moment, Amelia threw herself into her work, all the better to put off thinking about the future.

On garbage detail, Millie propped the café’s rear employee exit door open with her sneaker, struggling to get the plastic bags through the narrow opening. More than a little surprised to find the alleyway occupied, her lips compressed into a nervous smile. Four biker types sat astride their motorcycles, lounging in the late afternoon sun as though they had all the time in the world; but all eyes were on her.

“Hey pretty, you wanna go for a ride?” a Hispanic one called out, making a kissy noise at her.

“No thanks, I’ll pass,” Amelia shook her head, lobbing a plastic bag into the dumpster while trying to do her best to give the impression she was ignoring them. Though she’d seen her share of bikers in her day, for some reason those ones made her nervous as hell. Especially the one hanging back with his foot propped up on the handlebars of his cycle while he pulled lazily on a cigarette. Dirty blonde hair hung in front of sharp blue eyes that followed her every move. That one made her swallow uncomfortably while she swung another bag of garbage into the dumpster. In addition to those two was a third man with thick, black dreadlocks and a woman with long, blonde hair, her angelic face a startling contrast to the leather getup she wore.

The blonde man leaned up in his seat, shirt falling open to reveal a deeply tanned chest. “So, you’re the one all the fuss is about,” he drawled, dismounting with easy grace. “I like a woman with a little more meat on her bones.”

“Bummer for me, I’m crushed,” Amelia muttered, tossing the last bag in, moving faster now that he approached.

“I’ll take her if you don’t want her, Mickey,” the first one piped up, eliciting a chuckle from the others.