Taming the Montana Millionaire (5 page)

“No. I don't want them tracking me.”

Marlon leaned his forearms on the back of the recliner. “Unless they work for an elite law enforcement agency and are expecting your call, I don't think they can triangulate your position.”

“Very funny,” Roy said, but he was fighting a smile.

“I thought so.”

“I'm waiting.” Haley crossed her arms over her chest.

The teen huffed out a breath, then pulled out his phone and thumbed through his address book and hit dial. He waited and they could all hear when a woman answered.

“Ma? It's me. I'm fine. That's all I wanted to say.” He rolled his eyes, then interrupted, “No. All you need to know is that I'm okay. Tell Dad whatever you want.” Without another word he hung up. He finished his Coke, set the can on the coffee table, then grabbed the basketball and stood. “I'm going to shoot some hoops.”

“You forgot something.” Haley nodded at the empty can.

“There's a recycle container in the back room. Rule number one is pick up after yourself.”

He rolled his eyes, huffed out another breath then grudgingly did as instructed. Then he walked to the front door and said, “Now can I go?”

“You need the practice,” Marlon commented.

“Yes, you can go,” Haley said.

Without another word, shrug, eye-rolling or huffing breath, Roy was gone.

Haley set her purse on the coffee table. “You didn't have to rub it in.”

“Yeah, I really did.”

“Because of the ‘old guy' crack?” Her full lips curved up at the corners.

“Pretty much. Although, just between you and me, he
almost beat me. In the end, it was experience that gave me the edge. That, and a killer jump shot.”

“So you won because you're old?” she asked.

“No. I'm experienced.”

“And vain.”

He thought about that. “Maybe. But did he have it coming? Oh, yeah. The kid needed to be taken down a peg or two. Humility is a building block of respect.”

“What about his self-esteem?”

“What about mine?” he countered.

“You're an adult. You should be above that sort of thing.”

“Call me shallow, but I felt the need to teach him a lesson. And, contrary to what most do-gooders—excluding yourself, of course—would have you believe, self-esteem isn't shaped by everyone telling you how wonderful you are. It's formed by putting in the work. You earn it by putting one foot in front of the other, day after day. Running away from your problems doesn't solve them. They just trot right along after you.”

She tilted her head to the side as she studied him. The ends of her ponytail teased her shoulder and gave him more ideas a guy shouldn't have about a girl like her.

“What?” he asked warily.

“Is it possible I was wrong about you?”

That was unexpected. He shook his head. “I think there's a problem with my hearing.”

“Why?”

“I could have sworn you said you were wrong about me.”

“No.” She fought a smile. “I said it was possible.”

“Same thing.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he held up a hand to stop her. “What is it you were wrong about?”

One of her eyebrows rose questioningly. “I never would have guessed that self-esteem was one of your issues.”

“Humor me.”

“Okay.” She sighed. “Maybe I was wrong about a bad boy like you being able to relate to kids.”

“Wow. And?”

“And what?”

“You questioned my role model qualifications,” he reminded her.

“I was wrong. Seriously, Marlon, I understand now what you meant when you were talking about thinking outside the box. Roy never would have called his mom because I asked him to. You were right about understanding a guy's point of view. It never would have occurred to me to challenge him to one-on-one basketball, let alone be able to beat him. I'm sorry for misjudging you.”

“Apology accepted.”

“I'll go even further. Maybe—” she held up a finger in mock warning “—just maybe, you're a good man and actually as sincere as you seem.”

When she smiled at him with genuine warmth and admiration, Marlon felt something shift and tighten in his chest. He'd vowed to get her respect. Mission accomplished. Having it felt even better and more satisfying than he'd expected. It was way past time to confess the real reason he was volunteering and assure her that he would do every last hour of his community service.

He straightened away from the chair and moved in front of her. “There's something I need to tell you—”

Music coming from her purse interrupted him. “My cell.”

It took her a few seconds to rummage through her pocketbook before finding the phone. She flipped it open. “Hello. Hi, Linda. Sure, I can come in and help train the
new girl. No problem. See you later.” She hung up and looked at him. “Sorry. You were saying?”

“About why I wanted to give you a hand with this program—”

Just then the front door opened and a guy in postal service light blue shirt and gray-blue shorts walked in. “Hi, Haley.”

“Hey, Bob. What's up?”

“I have something for you. Addressed to ROOTS.”

She smiled. “My first mail here.”

He handed her a packet. “It's from the Thunder Canyon Justice Center. The county clerk requires a signature.”

“This makes me feel official,” she said.

It made Marlon feel like crap. He had a pretty good idea what was inside. He watched her sign and hated that her first official mail for her pet project was about him and not in a good way.

When they were alone again, she ripped open the envelope before he could stop her.

“Haley, there's something I need to say—” But the words stuck in his throat when she looked up from the letter and the joy drained from her face, followed closely by the respect and admiration that had been there just moments ago.

“You had your license revoked for reckless driving,” she accused.

“It wasn't exactly reckless. I was in complete control of my vehicle.”

“And driving way over the speed limit.”

“That's what I was trying to tell you,” he said.

“So wanting to help the kids was a lie.”

“Not exactly. I really do want to help them.”

“Only so you can get your license reinstated. Not be
cause you care.” The warmth in her eyes was replaced by anger and disappointment.

He missed the warmth. “Yes, but—”

“But nothing. It's just like you said. You know all about trying to get away with stuff. Maybe you should try the truth for a change.”

“Haley, you have to listen to me.”

“No, I really don't.” She shook her head and for a split second the sheen of tears glistened in her eyes. “My responsibility is to the teenagers who come here. I won't tolerate lies from them or anyone who's around them. You're fired, Marlon. Please leave.”

He was a salesman and knew when to push and when to exit quietly. He chose the latter and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Losing an account had never felt as bad as this. He'd gone from hero to zero in a heartbeat. For one shining moment she'd admired how he handled the kid. He liked having her good opinion.

And he wanted it back.

He hadn't achieved success in the retail market by going quietly and he wouldn't do it now. Not because it was about community service.

Now it was personal.

S
he'd fired Marlon, but Haley was the one who was hot. Even several hours later during her lunch shift at The Hitching Post, she was mad. He'd had her snowed for about thirty seconds before she found out he couldn't be trusted. That must be a world record and a definite warning not to buy into his charm. Clearly she'd been wrong—he hadn't changed at all.

“I'm so stupid,” she mumbled, distractedly setting a hamburger and fries down in front of Ben Walters.

“Hey. Whoa.”

She stopped. “Did you need something else?”

“Yeah.” He pointed to the seat on the other side of the table across from him. “Sit.”

She sat. She never said no to Ben Walters, and not just because there weren't any thanks big enough for his support after her mom died. He was a big bear of a man with a thick barrel chest, pale blue eyes that saw too much, and
gray hair. A widower in his mid-fifties, he had a deep voice and no tolerance for attitude. He was also her friend and she loved him very much.

He came to The Hitching Post nearly every day for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Sometimes all three. And always sat in the same place. In fact, they called it “Ben's booth”, the one with an unobstructed view of Lily Divine over the bar.

Was it only a couple hours ago that she'd sat close by with Marlon and Roy, fretting about the teen seeing the nearly naked picture?

Ben unscrewed the top from the ketchup bottle, turned it upside down and hit the side with his huge palm until his fries were barely visible through the mound of red. “Tell me what's bothering you.”

“Nothing.”

His gaze jumped to hers. “So you look mad enough to spit and call yourself names over nothing? I never knew you to tell fibs.”

That stung. It put her in the same column as that fibbing Marlon Cates. “Okay, you're right. I'm ticked off at someone.”

“Who?”

“Marlon Cates.”

“Heard he was in town.” Ben took a bite of his burger and held her gaze.

Haley hadn't planned to bore him with details, but they just came pouring out. “He claimed he wanted to help me with ROOTS.”

“That's disturbing.”

“I know. The thing is, I couldn't figure out why he would volunteer.”

“Doesn't sound like him,” Ben agreed.

“Turns out he got his third speeding ticket in a year and
his license was revoked. The judge gave him community service and he's doing it at ROOTS. But he neglected to tell me that so I fired him.”

Ben's ruddy face grew redder. “That kid was always wild. I knew way back when that he was trouble.”

“No kidding.”

“Nothing he's done since high school has changed my mind.” He picked up the napkin and wiped his mouth. “Although he seems to have a head for business. That company of his turned out pretty well. They say he's worth millions.”

“That's what they say,” she agreed.

“Who knew jeans and western type stuff were worth so much?” He shook his head. “Always said Marlon Cates had a sales personality and it wasn't necessarily a compliment.”

“It's a good thing he's successful,” she said. “He can afford to pay his speeding tickets.”

Ben nodded and finished chewing. “Did you hear about the time a few years back that he and his twin, Matt, got engaged to twin girls?”

“Yeah.” As much as Haley wanted to ignore Marlon Cates talk, in a small town stories spread like the flu. “I heard his parents put a stop to it in a nanosecond.”

Ben grinned. “Scandal sticks to that boy like white on rice. Since Thunder Canyon resort opened, if he was around some Hollywood ‘it' girl was always hot on his heels.”

The reminder pricked a part of Haley that she thought was buried much deeper. “For sure his scandalous escapades border on urban legend here in Thunder Canyon.”

“True enough,” Ben said. “Good for you, booting his butt out of your place.”

“In all fairness, he did help me with the heavy work.
I'm not sure how I'd have moved the fridge and furniture without him.”

“He's got an angle—”

Linda Powell, the Hitching Post manager, stopped by the table. “Who are you bad-mouthing now, Ben Walters?”

“No one who doesn't deserve it,” Ben said. His blue eyes twinkled at the dark-haired woman and she smiled back, a decidedly flirtatious expression in her green eyes.

Haley noticed the attractive, dark blond-haired young woman beside her boss. She'd seen her in here before, but they hadn't met yet. Clearly that was about to change.

“Haley,” Linda said, “I'd like to introduce Erin Castro.”

“Nice to meet you, Erin.” Haley held out her hand and the other woman shook it.

There was something about her that Haley couldn't really define. It had nothing to do with looks, because Erin was really pretty. Her worn jeans and white T-shirt, if anything, were simple and did not draw attention to how beautiful she was, even with her long hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. But there was a needy expression in her blue eyes.

It was just a feeling but if anyone knew what needy felt like it was Haley. Kind-hearted people in this community had pulled her family through the worst time that anyone could imagine. She knew from experience that compassion was always appreciated.

Linda tucked a strand of shoulder-length hair behind her ear. “I just hired Erin to replace Shirley.”

“Welcome to The Hitching Post family,” Haley said. So this was the new girl she was going to help train. “Meet Ben Walters, my friend and one of our best customers.”

“I like my burger medium well.” His voice was friendly-gruff.

“Just write ‘hockey puck' on the ticket and the cook will know who it's for,” Linda teased.

“Thanks for the tip,” Erin said.

“I haven't given you one yet.” Ben studied her intently. “Gotta see how the service is first.”

“Don't be mean, Ben,” Linda said.

“Not mean. It's the God's honest truth.”

“That's good,” Erin said. “I'd rather have the truth than live with a lie.”

Haley noticed a spark of intensity in the words, but chalked it up to nerves starting a new job. “Have you ever waitressed before, Erin?”

“I'm so grateful for this opportunity. Linda is taking a chance on me and I'll work hard not to let her down,” she said, not really answering. “How long have you lived in Thunder Canyon, Haley?”

Haley noticed the one-hundred-eighty-degree turn away from herself, but didn't point it out. Instead she responded truthfully. “All my life. I grew up here.”

“Wow, you must know everyone in town.” Erin toyed with the end of her ponytail.

“I know a lot of people,” Haley said.

“We were just talking about one of them when you walked up,” Ben said. “That Marlon Cates is a piece of work.”

“I haven't met him. Do you know him well?” Erin asked her, that edge of intensity slipping into her tone again.

If kissing him meant she knew him well, Haley did. But that wasn't something she was willing to share with her friends, let alone a stranger. “He was a year ahead of me in high school.”

“Stay away from that one,” Ben warned.

“Why?” Erin asked.

“He's not so bad,” Linda chimed in. “Just a high-energy person.”

“You call it high energy,” Ben said frowning. “I call it bad news.”

“Why?” Erin asked.

Haley didn't miss the girl's acute interest in Marlon and wondered about it, trying to ignore the sting of unwanted jealousy.

Another good reason for firing Marlon. He brought out the worst in her.

“It doesn't matter,” Haley said. “He lives in Los Angeles and isn't staying in town long.”

“I didn't mean to interrupt your lunch, Ben.” Linda smiled. “Just wanted you both to meet the new girl.”

“I look forward to working with you,” Haley said honestly.

“Same here. Nice to meet you both.”

As they walked away, Haley studied the newcomer's trim back and slender figure. She sure asked a lot of questions, but maybe it was an attempt at female bonding. Finding common ground for friendship.

The suspicious thoughts made her feel just the slightest bit hypocritical. After all, talk was the foundation of friendship. Talk was a way to communicate feelings. Haley had encouraged Roy to talk about what he was going through in an attempt to help.

Funny thing about talk. She'd just unburdened herself and didn't feel the least bit better for it. She was still bummed about firing her charming volunteer. She'd enjoyed spending time with him in spite of herself. But a lie of omission was still a lie.

The truth was that Marlon Cates hadn't changed at all. Ben was right about him being trouble. He was capable of
breaking her heart without breaking his stride. Firing him was for the best. Her best.

Because she was starting to look forward to seeing him every day. And that wouldn't do her any good at all.

 

After a restless night dreaming about kissing Marlon, Haley drove into town with Roy. She had to work the breakfast shift at The Hitching Post, but couldn't order the teen to sit at a back table with some crayons and a coloring book to keep him out of trouble. As he pointedly said, he wasn't a baby and she wasn't his mother. She couldn't tell him what to do. After that he'd left and she hoped he was staying out of trouble.

There was a cockiness to Roy that reminded her of Marlon Cates, and she didn't mean that in a good way.

Apparently she had a weakness for bad boy charmers of all ages.

After her shift ended, she left her truck parked at work and walked over to ROOTS. The basics were there—TV, fridge, furniture. She'd hoped to have more on the walls, give the place a personality, but that would come eventually. School opening was still a few weeks away and a bad economy meant fewer jobs and more kids with time on their hands who needed a hangout.

She'd made some phone calls to Tori Jones and Allaire Traub, English and art teachers respectively at Thunder Canyon High School, and asked them to spread the word that ROOTS was open. Haley planned to spend every minute that she wasn't working or taking her own part-time college classes at her new venture.

Key in hand, she prepared to open the door, but then she looked in the window and saw a group of kids inside. But how did they get in? No one was supposed to be here without adult supervision.

Haley walked inside, struggling for calm. “Hi.”

A chorus of four voices answered “hi” back. Roy was sitting on the sofa with Kim Wallace, a sixteen-year-old blue-eyed blonde. On the loveseat, C. J. McFarlane was rubbing shoulders with his best friend Jerilyn Doolin. Both of them were fifteen. He was a good-looking boy with auburn hair forever in need of a trim. A slender girl with dark hair and eyes, Jerilyn was dealing with her widower dad's drinking problem. The two kids hung out together and they made a cute couple. But she didn't want them to be a couple here at ROOTS without supervision.

“So, I see you've all met Roy,” she said as casually as possible. She stared at the runaway and asked, “You didn't break in again, did you?”

“Nah. Marlon let us in.”

Haley followed his look to the TV stand in the corner where the man in question had his broad back to the room and was dealing with what looked like a video game.

Marlon glanced over his shoulder. “Hi. I still have the key you gave me yesterday.”

She'd completely forgotten. “I see.”

He stood and walked over to stand beside her in front of the teenagers. “I ran into Roy this morning and we decided to come over here. Shoot some hoops. Watch TV. Hang out.”

Would she have worried about the kid more or less if she'd known he was with Marlon? She would never know.

“Then C.J. and Jerilyn stopped by and he hooked us up,” Roy said.

“And I was just walking by and saw them inside,” Kim volunteered. “I needed to get out of the house.”

“Why is that?” Marlon asked.

She tossed a long strand of blond hair over her shoulder. “My parents. They're fighting.”

Haley's heart went out to the girl. “I'm sorry to hear that.”

Kim squirmed on the sofa. “They're getting a divorce.”

“Didn't I hear that your parents divorced, C.J.?” Marlon folded his arms over his wide chest as he looked down at the teens.

C.J. nodded. “It was hard.”

Kim looked at him. “Did you get the ‘we both love you but fell out of love with each other' speech?”

“Something like that,” he agreed.

“I think the divorce manual has a chapter on how to talk to the kids.” Kim looked sad and angry in equal parts. “If love has a short shelf life, why should I believe they won't decide not to love me?”

“A parent's relationship with a child is different than with each other,” Marlon said. “It's unconditional.”

“He's right,” C.J. confirmed. “For a while my mom and dad were fighting over me. My mom sued him for full custody and was going to make me go to boarding school in Switzerland.”

“Cool,” Roy commented.

“That stinks,” Kim and Jerilyn said together.

Haley remembered agreeing with Marlon about girls and boys thinking differently, and she'd just seen proof.

“What happened?” Marlon asked the teen.

“Mom's fiancé is all about family and made her see it wasn't a good idea to come between me and my dad, and they finally came together on what was best for me. I like it here in Thunder Canyon. Dad and Tori are getting married, which is cool.” He shrugged. “It all worked out.”

Kim didn't look convinced. “I can't see my mom coming
around. She's driving me nuts. Has to know where I am every second. Calls my cell phone all the time. There are so many rules I can't even remember them all, let alone not break them.”