Six Months in Montana (Montana Sweet Western Romance Series, Book 1) (12 page)

Molly walked over to the desk and glanced at the open book of pictures. Though the pictures were mostly black and white and somewhat faded, she still recognized many of them as being of Christian's grandfather and grandmother, and a few were of Christian and Dan when they were younger, along with their parents.

"Is it hard for you to look at these?" she asked softly.

"It's not as hard as I thought it would be," he admitted. "I couldn't do it until now though."

Molly understood that. When her father died, neither she nor her mother had been ready to look through photos until months after the funeral.

“After you left, Dan went right to bed, said he wasn't feeling great. I didn't want to keep watching the movie without you, and actually came looking for something of my grandmother's that I thought you might like." Christian had a shy smile on his face, as he dipped into the old cardboard box and pulled out a thick cookbook that was bulging at the seams and was faded with both age and extensive use. He handed it to her and waited for her reaction.

Molly pulled up a chair and started flipping through the pages, many of which were dog-eared and stained with use. Little scraps of paper were stuffed into the pages as well, recipes that his grandmother had noted down, or clipped out of newspapers, with handwritten notes such as 'Make again', or 'Try real soon'.

"My grandfather told me once that he gave that cookbook to her when they were first married, and she always treasured it and just kept adding to it. I think he'd want you to have it."

"Really? Thank you so much, I'm honored." Molly felt her eyes water, as she turned the pages.

"She loved to cook, just like you do," Christian said.

"Do you remember any of her favorite recipes?"

He thought for a moment, and then said, "Everything she made was good. I used to really love her stuffed steak with mushroom gravy. She always made that for my grandfather’s birthday. She made the best blueberry muffins, too."

"I can't wait to read through this. I’m sure I'll get some great ideas to try out at the inn."

Christian stood up and stretched. "Do you want to finish watching the movie?" He asked, and then added in a mischievous tone, "Or we could just head to bed."

"I'm not really that tired yet," Molly said, still distracted by the book.

Christian wrapped his arms around her from behind, and then whispered in her ear, "I'm not at all tired either."

Molly laughed at that. "Oh, okay. Let's head upstairs then. I can come back to this in the morning."

T
he rest
of the weekend went wonderfully, and the following month too. Molly and Christian had already settled into a routine of sorts, and now the only real difference was when they went upstairs to go to bed, they no longer went to separate bedrooms. Molly suspected that Dan had an idea of what was going on, but if he did, he never said anything.

Molly however was aware that the clock was ticking. Somehow four months had already gone by, and the six month deadline was coming up quickly. She loved being with Christian and running the inn, but her dream job was just within reach. Maybe there was a way for her and Christian to have a long distance relationship for a while. Then again, would Christian even want their relationship to continue? Things seemed to be going well enough, but neither of them had mentioned what would actually happen when they reached the six month mark, and Molly knew he had commitment issues.

All of this went through her mind as she drove to the inn to meet with Janie Summers, the caterer Isabella had used for her barbeque. Molly had spoken with Janie by phone, and she’d thought Molly's idea for a wine dinner at the inn was an excellent one and was happy to handle the cooking and serving. They were meeting today to go over the menu and wine pairings. Though Molly was flattered that Travis and Traci suggested she do the cooking herself, and admitted intrigued by the idea, she also wanted to make sure that her first wine dinner was a success, and that everything went smoothly. She thought the best way to do that was to leave the cooking and serving to the professionals, and to just oversee everything.

She did have some definite ideas for what dishes she'd like to serve, and when Janie arrived and they planned out the dinner, all the items they chose were favorites and mostly things she had made before. So, her plan was to pay close attention to how Janie set everything up, how much food she bought, what she did ahead versus what she cooked on site, so that when and if she wanted to try herself, she'd have a game plan to go by.

Shortly after Janie left, Molly's mother and aunt stopped by to say hello. It was a little before 3 and Molly had some down time before cocktail hour began. Her mother and aunt loved helping out at the inn, but Molly didn't want to burn them out either, so they had settled on a schedule of just having them each work a shift one day a week, which gave Molly a little break. They also took turns baking dishes to be used for breakfast as well, though Molly did most of the actual daily cooking.

"So, we have a little bone to pick with you," Aunt Betty said, as soon as they were settled around the island bar in the kitchen.

"Oh?" Molly simply asked. She had no idea what she might have done, and her aunt didn't seem the least bit angry. Just dramatic, as usual.

"You were seen kissing Christian! We're so happy for you." It must have been when they’d gone to the movies last weekend. Christian had kissed her briefly before they’d got into his truck. Both Betty and her mother leaned in eagerly, and looked thrilled at this piece of gossip. Molly hadn't said anything earlier, because she didn't want to get their hopes up.

"We're enjoying each other's company," she admitted. "But it's still so new. That's why I didn't say anything sooner."

"Well, honey, at least it's a step in the right direction," her aunt said, and her mother smiled in approval.

"We heard some interesting gossip about Isabella too," Betty said.     "Mary-Ellen from the Ladies League overheard her telling someone at the Morning Muffin that she doesn't know how you can stand running the inn. She said there's nothing fun in it. Sounds like she's had enough and might want to sell."

"No kidding? That didn't take long." Molly wasn't surprised though. She knew that the turnover for bed and breakfasts was unusually high. So many people went into it thinking it would be easy and fun, and sometimes it could be. But there were also plenty of other times when it was anything but fun or glamorous. Molly loved it though, and compared to running The Clarendon, it was a piece of cake.

"Maybe you should buy it," Aunt Betty suggested. "Since you're going to be staying. That would make so much sense, and it's just down the road; you could easily oversee both places.

Molly had to admit, the idea was tempting, but premature.  "I'm not sure if I'm going to be staying here," she reminded them. "If I do, then it's certainly something to consider."

"
D
an
, do you have any plans tonight?" Molly asked. They were in the kitchen having breakfast, and it was the day of the wine dinner.

"Yeah, my social calendar is so full, you know that." He grinned and then added, "I'm all yours, what did you have in mind?"

"Travis can't make it tonight to the wine dinner, he has a client coming in from out of town. I thought if you were up to it, that you might want to go with Christian. Traci will be there too. She and Travis were going together."

"Is this a setup?" he asked, and looked intrigued at the idea. He and Traci had had a great time at Isabella’s opening party.

"No, not at all. I just thought it might be fun for you to get out."

"Oh, okay. Sure then, thanks for thinking of me. It will be nice to get out and about. Even better next week when this cast finally comes off." Dan had stopped using crutches a few weeks ago and was getting around pretty well without them.

"Great, I'll see you all tonight then." Molly rinsed her coffee cup out and put it in the dishwasher. She grabbed her purse, and was about to head out the door when her cell phone rang and the number that came up on the caller ID made her set her bag back down again. It was Ben calling from The Clarendon. She took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Hello."

"Molly? It's Ben, how are you?

"Great, how's everything going?" Molly sat back down at the island bar.

"Spectacular! And I have even better news. Molly, everything is ahead of schedule. The GM spot is yours now, as soon as you can get here. When's the earliest you can be here?"

Molly's head was spinning. It was really happening, the promotion to GM could be hers if she wanted it! "I'd have to get back to you, but about a month I think."

"Okay, we can work with that. Call me to confirm in the next few days, and congrats! You deserve this."

"Thank you," Molly said softly, and hung up the phone in a daze.

"Everything okay?" Dan asked, and Molly jumped. She'd totally forgotten that he was there. She wondered how much of the conversation he'd overheard, and tried to recall what she'd actually said.

"You know, I think you're really good for my brother." Dan said with a serious look on his face. "I've never seen him this relaxed and happy." Then he added, "Don't mean to keep you, I know you need to run."

Molly didn't even know how to respond, so she just grabbed her bag and ran.

"
S
o
, I sort of overheard something this morning," Dan began, as he and Christian headed off to Rose Cottage for the wine dinner. "I debated whether or not to say anything because it's really none of my business, but then I figured if it was me, I'd want to know."

"What are you talking about?" Christian asked, as he focused on avoiding a pot hole as they drove onto the main road.

"I think Molly got a job offer this morning. I overheard her on the phone and she seemed so excited for a minute, like she won the lottery or something. Said something about earliest she could get there was in a month, and she'd have to get back to them in a few days."

Christian said nothing in response.

"Listen, I'm not stupid, I can see that you're crazy about her. I just thought you should know, that you guys should talk, figure it out. It'd be nice if she stayed."

"Yeah, that would be nice." Christian agreed in a clipped tone.

"Just talk to her."

M
olly was in a panic
. Her guests were due to arrive in about ten minutes and Janie Summers, the caterer, was lying flat on her back. Everything had gone so well up until this point. She'd done a great job marketing the wine dinner, and there was a ton of interest. All thirty tickets had quickly sold out and there was already a waiting list for the next dinner. They'd picked out a fabulous menu and exquisite wines to match. Everything was going so smoothly, until Janie passed out cold in the kitchen.

Molly pressed a cool cloth against her forehead and within seconds her eyes fluttered open.

"Janie, are you okay? Can you sit up?"

"I think so." She sat up slowly.

"What happened? Do you want us to call 911?"

"No! No need for that. I'm just a little lightheaded. I feel like I'm fighting something off and really haven't eaten much of anything all day; I’ve no appetite."

Molly felt her forehead again, the area that the cold cloth hadn't touched, and was immediately concerned.

"Janie, you're burning up!"

Aunt Betty and Molly's mother were hovering nearby, and Aunt Betty piped up, "Two of the regulars at the Morning Muffin have been out with the flu, it's going around."

"We need to get you home," Molly said.

"I can't leave you stranded," Janie protested weakly.

"Mom, can you and Aunt Betty give Janie a ride home?"

"We'll be right back to help you," her mother said, as she and Aunt Betty helped Janie out.

Molly looked around the kitchen, panicking inside, and trying hard not to show it. Janie's assistants, the three young girls who would be serving drinks and dinner tonight, stood wide-eyed, waiting for direction.

Molly took a deep breath. She could do this. Janie had gone through the schedule with her and much of the work was already done. The appetizers had been made ahead of time and just needed to be reheated, the side dishes of mashed potatoes and caramelized Brussels sprouts were already baking in the oven and the salads were plated and lined up on the kitchen counter ready to be delivered. But, Molly still had to cook the first course, which was sautéed scallops over risotto, and the main course which was a lazy lobster casserole. She had actually asked Janie to make that dish and had given her the recipe to follow. It was one of Molly's favorites, something she'd made a million times and should be able to do in her sleep.

She started on the risotto first, as that would take about a half hour, and then the scallops would be just a few minutes in a hot pan. The risotto itself was simple, just time consuming as you had to keep an eye on it and stir the broth in a little bit at a time, so that the end result would be rich and creamy. Once she got the risotto started, she then turned to the lobster casserole. It was relatively simple. All the dish required was fresh lobster, crushed Ritz crackers, butter, chopped fresh parsley and a drizzle of sherry to finish. Before she fainted, Janie had just taken several large bags of freshly shucked lobster meat out of the refrigerator. They sat waiting on the counter top. Molly got busy filling several large trays full of the lobster, then mixed in the crumbs, butter and parsley. A drizzle of sherry, and they were ready to go into the oven when she pulled the side dishes out.

By the time her mother and aunt returned, the risotto was finished, and the girls had served several rounds of drinks and passed hot appetizers. When they brought out the salads, Molly started searing the scallops. The key was to make sure they were completely dry before putting them in the hot pan with a bit of olive oil and butter. Dry scallops ensured a nicely browned crust. Once all the scallops were cooked, she added a bit of minced shallot, white wine and a generous amount of butter. She let it all cook down quickly into a velvety sauce, then stirred in a little fresh thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Then she began plating them, by spooning a circle of sauce on the dish, then set two scallops in the middle and added a garnish of slivered parsley on top.

When her mother and Aunt Betty returned to the kitchen, Molly told them she had things under control and they should go enjoy their dinners too. The girls did a great job serving and cleared the plates and once the main course was served without incident, Molly started to relax. The only thing left was dessert, which was Janie's special cheesecake topped with a decadent cherry bourbon sauce. The cheesecake was chilling in the refrigerator and the sauce was on a low simmer. Molly was just about done plating the cheesecakes when Christian walked into the kitchen.

"Hi." She was surprised to see him. "Is everything going okay out there?"

Christian looked around the kitchen, there was no one there but Molly.

"I just came to say hello, and see how you are doing. Where's Janie?"

"Mom and Aunt Betty took her home right before everyone got here. She came down with something."

Christian still looked confused. "But who did everything then?"

"Well, Janie did most of the work before she left. I just finished up."

"She did all the cooking before we got here?"

"That was me, the scallops and lobster dishes," she admitted, and couldn't help asking, "were they okay?"

"Are you kidding? They were amazing. I knew you could cook, but that was really something." Christian looked so impressed and Molly felt a thrill of accomplishment. As stressed out as she'd been with Janie gone, she was now on a bit of a high that it was over and had gone well, and she'd really enjoyed doing it.

Molly knew she needed to talk to Christian, though, as soon as possible, to see if they were on the same page, and if he wanted their relationship to continue once they hit the six month mark. She'd thought about little else all day and had realized that a long-distance relationship would never work. Manhattan was too far away and the GM job too all-consuming. She'd thought about a lot of different scenarios, but the only one that really made her feel a sense of peace and happiness was being here, in Montana with Christian. Although the GM job had once been her dream, the thought of being in Manhattan, alone, just didn't hold the appeal that it once had. She hoped that Christian wanted her to stay. In her heart, she felt that he did, but she worried that she might be fooling herself. After all, Isabella had once thought that she and Christian were on the same page too.