Taming the Montana Millionaire (14 page)

If anyone could appreciate creativity in any medium, it was her. Sketching had always been her serenity and she figured after last night she'd be churning out a lot of stuff when she got home.

She wished she was there now and was tempted to hop in her truck and go. But she just couldn't skip out on Marlon, no matter how big a jerk he'd been. That didn't mean she wouldn't take the coward's way out and avoid him just a little while longer.

She scurried through the hotel lobby and went outside to the courtyard. Sitting on a wrought-iron bench, she scanned her surroundings. It was a landscaped rectangular area surrounded on three sides by the four-story buildings. A fenced-in pool was at the far end with grass, trees, flowers and shrubs in the middle. It was a peaceful place, or might have been if she wasn't in the middle of a personal crisis.

She should have stayed in Thunder Canyon. The trip had been a waste of time. Roy was still missing and she'd slept with her major crush. On the failure scale, she was two for two.

“Here you are.”

She jumped at the sound of Marlon's voice behind her. Lost in thought and wallowing in a healthy portion of self-pity, she hadn't heard him approach.

“Here I am.” She didn't turn to look at him.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Yes.
But it would be best to get this over with. She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He sat down beside her with his own Starbucks cup in hand. “I've been looking all over for you.”

“And you found me.”

She dug into her bag and broke off a piece of scone—not
out of hunger because her appetite had deserted at the sound of his voice, but just for something to occupy her hands. The longer she could keep from looking at him the better.

If only she couldn't smell the spicy fragrance of his aftershave, the clean manly scent of his skin after a morning shower. Her insides quivered with excitement in spite of the rational voice warning that it was a waste of energy.

He took a sip of coffee. “Are you all right?”

“Of course.” She chewed the pastry without tasting anything. “Don't I look all right?”

“That's not what I meant and you know it.”

“What
did
you mean?”

She could have taken pity on him and answered the question she knew he was asking, but her charitable streak was nowhere to be found. If it was up to her, ignoring the whole thing would be the way to go.

He let out a long breath. “We need to talk about last night.”

“No,
we
really don't.”

“Okay then. I need to. You can just listen.”

“No, I really can't.” She started to stand, but his hand shot out and tugged her back down. She hated that his slightest touch put a hitch in her breathing.

“Don't be stubborn.”

“Can't help it. I was made that way.” She set the bag and coffee on the bench between them.

“Why didn't you tell me you'd never been with a man?”

The words felt like an accusation and she went on the defensive. “It's not something I should have to apologize for.”

“God, no—” There was adamant agreement in his tone. “I'm the one who should apologize.”

“Darn right.” She chanced a look at him and the sincere regret in his expression deflated the serious case of mad she was carrying around. “Why?”

“I should have known,” he said miserably.

That shocked her. “How could you?”

“There were signs. Your reaction to that kiss on the way to dinner, for one.”

“It just surprised me. I haven't kissed that many guys.” The defensive words just popped out. She prayed he wouldn't pity her. That was something she couldn't bear.

“How many?”

“A few.” She glanced at him and it didn't look like he was feeling sorry for her. “Including you? Two.”

“The guy when you were in college?”

“How did you know that?”

“I asked around because—” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Your reaction when I kissed you was—I was afraid I'd screwed up. Ben and Linda didn't remember you going out with anyone in Thunder Canyon, but thought there might have been someone when you went away to school.”

“You made inquiries into my personal life?”

“I was trying to understand,” he defended. “I figured someone hurt you and that's why you pushed me away. Now I know the truth.”

Could they just be done with this conversation? “It's no big deal.”

“You're wrong. It's an incredibly big deal. When a woman gives herself to a man for the first time, it's a gift.”

“Really?” Her gaze snapped up to his and she couldn't detect anything but honesty there.

“A gift and a responsibility.”

“Why?”

He was quiet for several moments. “A woman's first time can affect her attitude about sex forever. A guy feels pressure to make it good. I wish I'd known—”

That was so sweet. It was the subtext of what her mom had said from the male point of view. And she knew without a doubt that her mom would have liked Marlon.

“I handled it badly,” he continued. “I'm really sorry about that. Somehow I'll make it up to you.”

A glow spread from her midsection outward until every part of her was tingling. Obviously he didn't consider her an alien from the planet Zatu and that boded well for a second time. She was all in favor of that.

She touched his arm and the warm skin melted any lingering insecurities. “For the record, my attitude about sex is alive and well.”

He studied her for several moments, then wrapped her fingers in his big hand. Apparently he decided she was telling the truth because his mouth softened into a smile. “Good.”

As much as Haley wanted to hold on to this moment, they needed to figure out their next move. “What are we going to do about Roy?”

He let go of her hand and picked up his coffee, taking a sip as he thought. “I think we've done everything we can here.”

“But he's still out there somewhere.”

“Billings has a population of over a hundred thousand,” Marlon pointed out. “It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are kids in Thunder Canyon who want to hang out at ROOTS. They need to be your priority.”

She sighed. “You're right. It's just—”

“The ones who run away need the most help?” he guessed.

“Yeah.”

“He knows how to find you.” He squeezed her fingers reassuringly, then released her and stood up. “Let's go home.”

“Okay.”

They walked back into the lobby and she started for the elevator when he put a hand on her arm.

“I'm going to check out at the front desk since we're down here,” he said.

“I'll go with you.”

They talked to Paul, the clerk on duty, who charged the credit card Marlon had given them yesterday. He'd insisted on paying for her room, too, and said she could reimburse him later. Something told her he wouldn't take her money, though.

Marlon folded the printout of the charges and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” the young man said. He smiled and looked at each of them in turn. “Come back and see us again, Mr. Cates. Mrs. Cates.”

Haley was trying to process the fact that Paul thought they were a couple even though they'd had separate rooms. He'd probably only looked at the total, not the itemized charges. It was an honest mistake. The real surprise was Marlon's reaction.

“We're not married.” His tone was adamant and he couldn't get the words out fast enough.

He could have let the misunderstanding slide. Who cared if a man they would never see again thought they were married?

Obviously Marlon cared. He'd been incredibly uncomfortable with the idea. Setting the guy straight and in that sharp tone was the equivalent of backing up several steps and putting his hands up to distance himself from any part of her being his Mrs.

It was a sad and sobering reality check. Just moments ago she'd been a starry-eyed lover looking forward to a second time. But the truth was, he regretted the first time. If she'd told him she'd never done it before, he'd have sent her to her room with a pat on the head. He didn't want the responsibility.

He didn't want to be tied down to a place
or
a person.

Especially a person.

And her reality check went one awful step further. This whole time she'd been worried about her crush on Marlon. Worried about making the same mistake. She wouldn't have slept with him if she didn't care. A lot. So she hadn't made the
same
mistake. This was so much more than a major crush.

She'd fallen in love with him.

I
t was a quiet afternoon at ROOTS. Marlon and Haley were the only ones there. They'd been back in Thunder Canyon for twenty-four hours and still no word from Roy. He hoped the kid was on her mind and not what happened between them.

Sex.

Awesome.

He still couldn't believe that she'd picked him to be her first. And if circumstances were different, if he wasn't leaving, he would show her everything he could about seduction and tenderness. But nothing had changed and something made her go distant. One minute she'd shyly told him her attitude about sex was alive and well. The next they'd checked out of the hotel and on the drive back, she got quiet and broody.

Marlon had tried more than once to draw her out. Every time he'd asked if something was bothering her she went
all female on him and said everything was fine. He was beginning to hate that word.

So here they sat. Not talking. He was working on his laptop at the tiny computer desk and she was sitting behind him on the couch, with her legs tucked up beneath her and a sketch pad in her lap. The only sound in the room was her charcoal pencil scratching on the paper.

Marlon liked quiet when he worked, but the air was vibrating with tension and making him nuts. He was just about to take her on regarding the silent treatment when his phone rang.

He reached for the case on his belt and retrieved his cell. After looking at the caller ID, he smiled and answered. “Dana. How's the world's best personal assistant?”

“Crabby. When are you getting out of the slammer?” she asked.

“Technically I was never in the slammer.”

“You know what I mean.”

“My community service will be satisfied in about a week.” So soon? When did that happen? It had gone too fast, he thought, swiveling his chair around to look at Haley. She didn't look back.

“Good. I need a vacation,” Dana said.

“Because?”

“I'm running MC/TC by myself.”

“I've been pulling my weight,” he protested.

“Oh, please. Long distance just makes more work for me.”

“I'll make it up to you when I get home.”

“Don't try to get on my good side with false promises. I'm mad at you.”

He leaned back in the chair and slid another quick look at Haley who was still pretending not to listen. “So the
whole purpose of this call was to yell at me and make me feel guilty?”

“Of course.”

“Come on, D. I know you better than that. How's business?”

“The numbers have improved slightly. Not dance-of-joy good yet, but there's reason for cautious optimism. The downward spiral has leveled off and some of the profit graphs are actually starting to go up.”

“That's great news. Might be a good time to counter the buyout offer.”

“So you've decided to sell?” Dana asked, disapproval leaking into her tone.

Marlon had discussed the pros and cons with her at length and knew, like Haley, she favored hanging in there. “I'm still considering all the options.”

“Before you go to the dark side, consider this.” He heard papers rustling. “The sketches you sent me from— What's her name?”

“Haley,” he said and saw her glance up.

“Right. Haley's drawings are incredibly promising.”

“I thought so.”

“Boss, we could do a whole line. Love the name, by the way. A great way to brand it. HA! It's sassy and sexy.”

Just like the woman herself. He glanced at Haley who was looking at him now, probably at the sound of her name and the excitement in his voice.

“That's good,” he said.

“If we push it, I think we can get the product into our trial market in time for Christmas. It will be a lot of work and more up-front cost to do it. But the payoff could be really big.”

“I'm glad you approve.”

“You found her,” Dana said. “I assume the designer is a her.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“She's there, isn't she?”

He met Haley's curious-but-trying-not-to-be look. “Yup.”

“You can't talk?”

“I thought I was,” he said.

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah. And that would be an affirmative.”

“This covert conversation doesn't work for me,” Dana said, going into crabby mode again. “When are you coming home?”

“I'll be back when my community service is done.”

“About a week,” she repeated. “Good. I'll get moving on these new designs. See you soon, boss.”

“Excellent. I can't wait to see what happens.” He hung up.

“Problem?” Haley didn't look distant as much as troubled.

“Actually, no.” He stood and walked over to the sofa. “That was my assistant.”

“I gathered. The ‘world's best personal assistant' remark was a big clue.”

“Dana Taylor,” he confirmed. “We met in college. A business class.” For some reason he felt compelled to explain. “When MC/TC started to take off, she was the first person I hired. It was a good decision.”

“So everything's okay?”

“Very. She called to let me know how much she likes your designs.” He waited, but there was no response. Maybe she didn't understand the potential. “She wants to try and get them in the stores by the end of the year.”

Her eyes widened, but there was no excitement. “You sound anxious to get back to work.”

“Dana thinks your designs will really take off. But if we're going to make it happen, there will be a lot of overtime required.” He'd expected laughing, squealing, possibly dancing and hugging. What he didn't expect was no reaction at all.

She put her pad and pencil down on the table and stood. “Then I wouldn't dream of keeping you. After all the overtime here at ROOTS you've more than satisfied the court's expectations. And mine. I'll sign off on your community service right now so you can go.”

Leave?

Early?

When he'd started here at ROOTS, those words would have made him pump his arm in triumph. Now? Not so much. He still had a week. He
wanted
that week.

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” The words were raw and angry.

The thought of leaving her was like a punch to the gut and knocked the air out of him, a lot like being tackled by a two-hundred-fifty-pound linebacker who wanted to rip his head off. Every instinct he had pushed back.

He liked Haley, everything about her.

She was beautiful. Smart. Prickly. Stubborn. Creative, sweet and funny. Pure of heart.

He liked walking into ROOTS and seeing her eyes light up at the sight of him. He liked knowing she had no idea her reaction was so obvious. Making her laugh made him happy. He especially enjoyed nudging the sad look from her eyes and wanted to make that expression disappear for good. But somehow he'd etched it even deeper and that was unacceptable.

And just like that it all became clear to him. He wanted to be in her life and to keep her in his. “Haley, I—”

“You're off the hook, Marlon. Go back to L.A.” She turned and disappeared into the back room followed by the sound of the rear door opening and closing.

Marlon didn't want her to leave any more than he wanted to. It was as clear to him as the mountains around Thunder Canyon on a windy day. Maybe he should accept the offer on the table to buy his business. He could stay here. Go to work for Cates Construction. It would be great to see more of his family.

More important—he would be with Haley.

Somehow she'd gotten under his skin. All he'd ever wanted was to be a successful businessman and he'd done it. He had no idea when success had stopped being enough.

That was a lie. The seed was planted six years ago when he kissed Haley, then never followed through. Being forced to stay and work with her, his feelings had taken root and blossomed.

He had to go after her this time.

Just as he turned toward the back room where she'd disappeared, the bell over the front door clanged. Marlon did a double take when Roy Robbins strolled casually inside as if he hadn't a care in the world.

“Hey, dude—”

“Don't you dare ‘hey dude' me, you pinhead.”

“Haley says it's not nice to call people names.”

“Well, Haley's not here right now. I am.” Marlon pointed at the kid, anger rolling through him. “What the hell happened? Haley's been worried sick about you. She insisted on going all the way to Billings because you have a friend there. Obviously we didn't find you.” Marlon realized
he'd
found something on that trip, though.

Himself.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Lighten up, man.”

“Not a chance. I'm leaning on you hard. And you know why? You used Haley—”

“It wasn't like that,” Roy protested.

“Bull. You took advantage of her good heart. Stayed at her house. Let her feed and take care of you. You used this mentoring program, one that means everything to her, as your own social network. For completely selfish reasons. Then there's a little dust-up and you can't take the heat like a man. Gone without a word like a spoiled brat.” Marlon took half a step closer. “You made Haley worry. I don't like it when she worries.”

“Peace, man.” Roy made a
V
with his index and middle fingers. “I thought it would be best for me to split.”

“Best for who?”

“For Haley.”

“Again I say bull. You took the chicken way out because facing her was too tough.”

“She talked to me about how to man up.”

“And apparently wasted her breath,” Marlon accused.

Something that looked a lot like surrender flickered in the boy's eyes. And somewhere in the hazy, rational part of Marlon's mind he knew he was taking out his own frustrations on the kid. He dragged in a cleansing breath of air.

“Look, dude—” Roy caught himself and stopped. “Marlon, I didn't mean to worry her. I thought she'd be relieved if I was gone.”

“You thought wrong.” Some of Marlon's anger slipped away when it became clear to him that the kid regretted his actions.

“I know that now. I'll apologize to Haley before I go.”

“What?”

Marlon wasn't sure whether to be surprised or pissed off. What would Haley do in this situation? Probably bake cookies and grill Roy like raw hamburger with a touch so gentle he wouldn't realize the secrets he was giving away. Connecting to people was effortless for her. As simple as a long-ago kiss that had changed his life.

“You thirsty?” Marlon finally asked.

Roy looked wary as he nodded. “But maybe I should go find Haley—”

“That's a good idea. But it might also be a good idea to run what you're planning to say by me. I'll get a couple of sodas.” Marlon pointed at him. “Stay put.”

“Cool.” Roy sat on the couch.

When he came back with the drinks, the kid hadn't moved. He handed Roy a cold can, then sat in the worn chair beside him and popped the tab on his own soda.

“So we know why you took off from Thunder Canyon. Where did you go?”

“Helena.” Roy lifted the tab on his drink and took a long swallow of the cold liquid.

Helena? What the heck?

“Why there?” Marlon asked calmly.

“It's where my cousin lives.”

“So when you ran away from home, why didn't you go to your cousin's in the first place instead of Thunder Canyon?”

“He'd have ratted me out to my folks and I didn't plan to go home ever again. Then,” he added.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” A small smile curved the corners of his mouth. “But Haley says talking is a good way to sort things out.”

“You should listen to her,” Marlon advised.

Roy nodded. “There was this girl—Whitney.”

“A woman. Why doesn't that surprise me?” He took a drink of his soda to stop any more editorial comments from slipping out.
Not helpful,
Haley would have said. “Go on.”

“She's a cheerleader. A real fox. Extremely hot.” Roy met his gaze to see if his meaning sank in.

“I'm old, but the teenage boy/cheerleader fantasy is an unforgettable classic for guys of all ages,” Marlon explained wryly.

Roy grinned, but it faded a moment later. “She dumped me. It was on her Facebook page. The whole school was tweeting about it.”

“It happens.”

“But, dude, I never saw it coming. We were voted the couple most likely to last until graduation.” Roy's eyes were full of teenage tragedy. “And she didn't even give me a reason. She said I didn't do anything, but the relationship just ran its course and we were over.”

“That's rough.” Marlon sincerely meant that.

“Everyone knew. I just couldn't stick around. The pity was a total drag.”

“I can see where you'd feel that way.” And this was the part Marlon really wanted to talk about. “But Haley will be upset if you take off again.”

“It's not taking off.” Roy looked up. “I'm going home. My mom is on her way. I just came back to thank Haley for everything she did for me. I don't know how I'll ever repay her for—”

“Thanks will be enough. She doesn't want anything but for you to be okay.” Marlon reached over and squeezed the kid's shoulder approvingly. “You gonna be okay? When you get home? Maybe you could talk to Whitney.”

Roy nodded thoughtfully. “I'd sure like to know why
she dumped me. To understand what was going through her mind.”

Good luck with that, Marlon thought. Fortunately the words didn't come out of his mouth. “Talking is good. Just don't forget that the female mind is a dark and complicated place.”

“Dude, you're talking about Haley, aren't you?”

“That's a pretty big leap.” It was true, Marlon thought, but still a big leap.

“You didn't deny it, so I must be right.” Roy pointed at him. “You like her.”