Taming the Montana Millionaire (8 page)

They stared at each other for what felt like a lifetime and Haley couldn't breathe. Lights along Main Street illuminated the intensity in Marlon's dark eyes. What was he thinking? What should she do?

Keep walking, that's what. It was hard to hit a moving target.

But as her muscles tensed to take a step, his fingers closed a little tighter, keeping her right where she was. When he threaded the fingers of his other hand into her loose hair, her heart skipped. Then it started again, and beat so fast and hard she was afraid he could hear.

“Haley,” he whispered. “I've wanted to do this for a long time. Since that day you were painting the mural at ROOTS.”

What was he talking about? That day she looked like something the cat yakked up? So what—

And then his mouth took hers and she couldn't think at all. The world stopped and inside her it was like the Fourth of July—bottle rockets going off. The flash, bang and colors of fireworks and sparklers sparkling.

His lips moved softly, nibbling hers as his arm encircled her waist and pulled her more securely against him. She froze.
What do I do with my hands?
she thought. She wanted to feel his chest, put her arms around his neck. The sensation of her breasts crushed against him was amazing and stole the breath from her lungs. All she could think about was getting closer, as near as possible to the hard lines of his muscular body.

He took control, tipped his head to the side, making the fit of their mouths more firm, more perfect. The sparks he was creating short-circuited her nerve endings and sent
sharp thrills of excitement pulsing through every part of her. She could have stayed like this forever.

Then he traced her lips with his tongue and uncertainty fueled the panic waiting in the wings. She wasn't sure what he wanted her to do. She had no experience with a man like him and he would know that if she didn't put a stop to this. She couldn't bear it if he made fun of her. Or worse, pitied her.

She put a palm on his chest and felt the tingle as part of her longed to explore the wide contours. But she couldn't risk it. He'd know her secret and she'd be humiliated. Putting pressure into the touch, she pushed him away, then backed out of the circle of his arms and started walking.

“Haley?” He caught up with her outside The Hitching Post. “Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Should I not have kissed you?” He dragged his fingers through his hair.

“Whatever.”

“You're mad,” he guessed.

She couldn't make herself meet his gaze. “Should I be?”

“You tell me.”

Tell him what? He was the first guy who'd kissed her in years? Should she explain that the last one was in college and he'd barely progressed to kissing her good-night before she'd had to leave? Or maybe she could say that her world and her dreams shattered when she got the call that her mom was dead and any sort of personal life was put on hold indefinitely? Now too much time had passed and her social learning curve had been stunted?

Any man would have a reasonable expectation of experience from a twenty-four-year-old woman, but she was the exception to that rule. And it was too humiliating to
explain, especially to Marlon Cates, that she was a social freak.

He'd been written up in
People
magazine. He'd dated actresses and models. Haley just knew she couldn't compete.

“Haley? Talk to me.” He stopped at the door to the bar and grill and blocked it with his big body.

Without answering, she edged around him and inside the bar, where she knew what she was doing. Sort of. “Let's find a table.”

It wasn't crowded on a weeknight and she grabbed menus from the hostess stand before choosing a booth not far from the door. A private table in the back
wasn't
on tonight's menu.

“Tuesday's special is pot roast,” she said, working hard at looking over the food choices when the words wouldn't come into focus. It helped that she knew the menu by heart.

“Look,” he said, “About what happened—”

“Hi.” Erin Castro appeared beside them and smiled. “You two just can't stay away from this place.”

Haley appreciated perkiness as much as anyone, but not at the moment. “I'd like an iced tea and tonight's special. Can you put a rush on that? I need to get back to ROOTS.”

“Make it two.” Marlon handed over his menu without looking at the waitress. His gaze never left Haley's face. When they were alone, he continued. “Obviously you didn't want me to kiss you.”

He couldn't be more wrong. She'd wanted it more than anything. This was one time she wished she hadn't gotten what she'd wanted because now it was so messed up.

“Forget it,” she said.

“I think we should talk about what happened.”

“Okay.” But only because he wouldn't let it drop until she did. “I'm involved with the teen program and you're busy with your business.” She forced herself to look at him and shrug. “The timing isn't right.”

“You're hiding, Haley. You're burying your head in the sand.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Lying again. But let's leave that for now.” His expression turned wry. “You know, when you bury your head in the sand it leaves your backside exposed.”

“I'm not doing that. It's called being realistic.” Before he could back her farther into the corner, Erin showed up with their meals.

“Let me know if you need anything else,” she said, before slipping discreetly away.

Haley managed to dodge further talk about what happened but that didn't make the next thirty minutes any more comfortable. It was pretty awful. She brought up everything from weather to Thunder Canyon politics and Marlon asked her for some sketches of purses for a signature line at MC/TC. She couldn't remember ever being more miserable in her life and just played with her food until mercifully the plates were removed.

When Erin moved toward them, she knew a pitch for dessert was coming. Haley was better prepared for that than she'd been for Marlon's kiss.

“No dessert for me,” she said to the other girl. “Can we just have the check?”

“Sure thing,” the pretty blonde answered, pulling the receipt from her pocket.

“I'd like to split it,” Haley said.

“No. I'm buying,” Marlon protested.

“I pay for myself.” Her tone was adamant.

With a puzzled frown, Erin looked from one to the other.
“I'll just go get some experience doing separate checks while you two discuss this amongst yourselves.”

When she was gone, Marlon said, “I insist on paying for your dinner. Tonight was my idea.”

Not one of his better ones. Haley was sure he'd agree. This god-awful experience should take care of any possibility that he'd risk investing in her—either personally or professionally.

“Doesn't matter who suggested it. I want to pay for myself.” She pulled out her wallet and put a twenty on the table. “Tell Erin to keep the change.”

She slid out of the booth and left, listening for the sound of his footsteps behind her. When she didn't hear anything, she was both disappointed and relieved. The definition of conflict. The story of her life. She'd found out firsthand what harm socializing with Marlon could do.

Tonight she'd also found out she cared deeply what he thought of her. If she didn't, she'd have wise-cracked her way out of the awkwardness. Instead she froze. That was irrefutable evidence that the major crush she'd had on Marlon Cates years ago was not dead. That hadn't changed. But
she
had. She was older, smarter, and knew better than to wait and hope for something more from him. If there was any silver lining in this fiasco, it was that her feelings were out in the open. She could protect herself. Maybe she was burying her head in the sand but that was the best way to circle the wagons and guard her heart.

As always she'd taken care of herself, had paid her own way. But she hoped that didn't mean paying a personal price for seeing Marlon outside of work. It could be very costly.

She would not let him hurt her again.

H
aley stood by the bar at The Hitching Post and blew out a long breath. Of all the days to have a busier than usual lunch crowd, why did it have to be the day after she'd hardly slept? Of course, she'd hardly slept because of the loop in her head that continuously flashed images of the disastrous dinner with Marlon.

From breathtaking kiss to dinner check, it was hard to count the ways she'd made a fool of herself.
He
was probably counting his lucky stars that his community service was almost half over. Or he was looking for another way to pay his debt to society so that he never had to see her again. Well, she was on board with that because then she wouldn't have to see him, either. On top of that, she never wanted to hear his name again for as long as she lived.

Erin Castro plopped down on the bar stool beside her and heaved a tired sigh. “Is it always that busy?”

“No.” Haley levered herself onto the other high chair.

“Good.”

“I noticed a lot of moms with kids,” Haley said. “My guess is that they're shopping for back-to-school stuff and topping off the outing with lunch. A last hurrah to the summer.”

“Again I say good.” Erin put an elbow on the bar and rested her cheek in her palm. “I'm getting too old for this.”

Haley laughed. “You're what? Twenty-one?”

“Twenty-five.” The blonde grinned. “But thanks. And you didn't have to be so charitable after the generous tip you left me last night.”

It was a testament to willpower that Haley managed to hold in a wince. Apparently it was too much to hope that the other woman hadn't noticed the tension. Brush it off, she thought.

“Waitresses are the best tippers,” she said.

“You were already gone, so you couldn't know, but Marlon's tip was better.”

“He can afford it.” Haley had meant the words to be casual, teasing, light, but the delivery had a snap to it.

“Word on the street is that he's a high-powered businessman. A millionaire. And my own experience is that he gives good gratuity. I wonder if he ever worked in the food service industry,” Erin mused.

“So you made pretty good money last night.” Change the subject, Haley thought. No Marlon talk. “You're doing a great job for having been here such a short time, Erin. If you can handle a crowd like we just had, you'll be fine.”

“Thanks. Coming from you that's a real compliment. So how long have you worked here at The Hitching Post?”

It felt like forever. And when ungrateful thoughts like that crept in, she reminded herself that she was lucky to have the job. Lucky the manager of the bar and grill had
taken a chance on a desperate eighteen-year-old without skills who badly needed a way to take care of her family. But there were times when she wished for more. And Marlon's reaction to her sketches had resurrected the dream. For all the good dreaming did.

“I've worked here going on six years now,” Haley answered.

“Wow. That's a long time.” Erin's blue eyes sparked with interest. “You probably know a lot about the people in Thunder Canyon. Working in a place like this.”

“I'm not sure I follow.” Haley stared at the other woman.

“It's just that everyone in town comes in here. Dinner. Drinks. They talk.” She shrugged. “You're bound to hear things.”

Haley did hear things. She got information about the folks in Thunder Canyon, but gossiping seemed wrong. Taken out of context or repeated from person to person, details got fuzzy until nothing about the original story was the truth. Was Erin a gossip? Or simply wanting to bond with her over Thunder Canyon?

“I talk to a lot of people every day,” she hedged.

“I'm a newbie.” Erin laughed and there was a tinge of self-consciousness. “But you already know that. And I'm trying to get to know everyone.”

“It's a small town. That's not hard.” Haley could understand that she was trying to fit in.

“Not if you grew up here.” Erin looked eager. “I'm trying to put names and faces together. Let's take Marlon. There's another guy who comes in. Looks just like him—”

“Matthew Cates—Marlon's twin.”

“Which would explain why they look alike. Don't they have another brother?”

“Two, actually,” Haley answered. “Marshall and Mitchell
are both older. The twins are the youngest of the Cates boys.”

“Don't they have a lot of cousins?” Erin asked, a little too casually. It looked forced.

“You might be thinking about the Traubs. D.J. and Dax. But they're brothers. No relation to the Cates family. Just longtime friends.”

Erin's forehead puckered in concentration. “What about Bo Clifton? The guy who's running for Mayor?”

“You heard about that?”

“It's all over town,” Erin confirmed. “Doesn't he have cousins?”

Haley tapped her lip as she thought. “Grant Clifton. He's the manager at Thunder Canyon Resort.”

“It seems like I heard he has a sister?”

“Elise. She's my best friend,” Haley confirmed. And how she missed her friend these days. She'd give anything to have someone to talk to about Marlon. Maybe talking would help to get him off her mind. Sounded like the theme of a country western tune. “But she lives in Billings now.”

Erin nodded thoughtfully, then said, “So how long has Marlon been your boyfriend?”

“He's not.”

“Really?” The other waitress tucked her blond hair behind her ear. “I thought you guys had hooked up. After last night…”

Haley squirmed. Erin's social cues and interpersonal observations were really out of whack if she thought last night's events were about a relationship. “What makes you think he's my boyfriend? Based on what you saw?”

“You mean because you were fighting?” Erin waved her hand dismissively. “A lovers' quarrel.”

Way off the mark—and not very likely now. Haley
had acted like he had the plague because she had no idea how to kiss him back. He would never risk a repeat and that was too bad. Because she could definitely see how a kiss—especially from Marlon—could be life-altering. Ever since last night's close encounter of the personal kind, her hormones had been giving her a hard time. There was a knot in the pit of her stomach that felt like frustration on crack.

And she didn't know how to make it go away.

Since Marlon didn't plan to stay in Thunder Canyon, it was probably for the best that she got a failing grade in Kissing 101. A repeat of the experience would not help her stay aloof. Which she needed to do if she planned on not getting attached to him.

“We're not lovers,” Haley finally said. “In fact, I'm not sure we're even friends.”

“Really? He seemed pretty upset. So did you, for that matter. If there's nothing between you, there'd be no reason for that.”

He was upset when she left? That information sent a small shimmy of pleasure through her. But hope was a place she couldn't afford to go.

“Trust me, there's nothing between Marlon and me.”

“Too bad. He's really cute. And he's got a lot of money?” Erin looked like she was working very hard at appearing barely interested. But there was an underlying intensity to her questions that made Haley wary.

She was about to say they should get back to work and end this conversation when an older couple came into the restaurant and were seated in Erin's section.

“Gotta go.” She'd noticed, too. “We should get together for a drink some evening.”

“Maybe.” Haley wasn't ready to commit. She was almost sure that something was up with Erin and didn't want to
jump into a friendship based on hidden agendas. “I'm pretty busy with ROOTS right now.”

“The teen mentor program.” Over her shoulder Erin said, “Let me know if I can help.”

Haley watched her smile at the customers and wondered about her over-enthusiastic interest in Marlon. Jealousy reared its ugly head again. It was one of her less attractive qualities, but acknowledging it was half the battle in suppressing the tendency. At least she hoped so.

Since Marlon had come back to Thunder Canyon, she seemed to be acknowledging and suppressing a lot where he was concerned—both her attraction to him and the crush that refused to die.

She sighed and shook her head as she slid down from her bar stool, muttering to herself. “This whole suppression thing needs work. A
lot
of work.”

 

Marlon sat beside Roy in the folding chairs that faced the corner TV at ROOTS. They were playing a video game and he was getting his ass kicked because his head was on what happened between him and Haley last night.

When the door behind them opened, he knew right away it wasn't a group of kids. They were usually so noisy it would be impossible to sneak up on a glass of water. Even outside on the sidewalk you could hear talking, teasing, laughing. And if girls were there, the decibel level went up loud enough to shatter glass in the next county.

The person who'd just come in was too quiet and suddenly it felt as if the temperature in the room dropped to sub-zero. Plus the smell of her perfume made his blood hum, his skin burn.

Haley.

He couldn't wait to see her and dreaded it at the same time. That was just whacked for a decisive guy like himself.
Somehow he'd ticked her off when he'd kissed her last night and he didn't have a clue what he'd done wrong. It wasn't as if that was his first time kissing a girl. He'd had a lot of experience. Tons. He knew what he was doing and all the signs said Haley had been into it. She'd been breathing just as hard as he was; she'd made that turned-on, breathy little sound that drove him completely nuts.

Then all of a sudden she had pushed him away and treated him like an ax murderer. What was up with that?

Haley walked into the storage room leaving the scent of her drifting behind him. His skin felt too tight and another, stronger flash of heat rolled through him.

“Hi, Roy,” she called out.

“Hey.” The kid glanced sideways, game forgotten. “That was weird.”

Marlon set his control on the floor. “What?”

“She didn't say hi to you.”

“I noticed.” There was a lot she wasn't saying to him. Volumes. And there were no signs that would be changing anytime soon. He'd sure like to be a mind reader right about now.

“What did you do?”

Since Marlon didn't think it was appropriate to discuss kissing her, he said, “Nothing.”

Roy looked at him. “Must be somethin', dude. She's glacial.”

“Yeah, well, if global warming can melt the polar ice pack maybe it will work on her, too.” Marlon stood. “You've got supervision now. I've been relieved of duty. I'll see you later.”

“You're bailing on me?” Roy complained.

Marlon looked down. “Are you going to tell me where you live?”

The teenage mask of intensity slipped into place. “No way.”

“Then I'm bailing on you.”

Without another word, Marlon walked outside and started down the wooden sidewalk. He was halfway to The Hitching Post when he heard a horn honk behind him. Turning, he recognized the Cates Construction truck as it pulled over and stopped beside him.

His twin, Matt, was behind the wheel. “Hey, bro.”

Marlon leaned his forearms on the passenger-side window frame. “What's up?”

“I'm on my way back to a job. We're doing the foundation for Connor McFarlane's house.”

“Need some help?” Marlon could sure use some physical work to get rid of the restless energy that made him want to put his fist through a wall.

His brother studied him for several moments before saying, “Hop in.”

Marlon remembered Haley asking him if it was like looking in a mirror when he was with his brother. Their faces were practically identical, as was their dark hair and eyes. But they were different in a lot of ways. Matt was more muscular, a side effect of physical labor, working with his hands. He was also more serious, some said somber. According to their mother, he was just more mature. And loyal to a fault. Haley would never tell Matt that commitment wasn't his strength.

“That's a pretty fierce look on your face,” his brother observed.

Marlon met his gaze for a moment. “I've got a lot on my mind.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“No.”

What was there to say? Haley was mad. He had no idea
why. But he was only there to do his community service, so what did it matter whether or not she liked him? Except the hell of it was that it
did
matter and he wanted it to stop mattering.

Matt knew him well enough to leave him to his thoughts and they were quiet until they got to the construction site. And it was a beaut, Marlon thought when the truck pulled into the clearing. Connor McFarlane had picked a nice piece of land outside of town. A few trees had been cleared, but the majority were saved. The way the earth was dug out for the foundation showed him the general layout of the house, giving the front a spectacular view of the mountains, the best possible view as a matter of fact. Matt would have spent a lot of time getting the orientation just right for maximum panorama potential. His brother was incredibly good at his job.

He opened the driver's-side door and jumped out of the truck, then reached in for his tool belt and buckled it on. Marlon followed him over the uneven ground to a stack of lumber.

“This is going to be a great house,” he said.

“Big.” Matt studied the ground and nodded with satisfaction. “It will be good for the Cates Construction portfolio.”

“Where's the rest of your crew?”

His brother grabbed a piece of wood. “They're done for the day. Can't afford to pay overtime, but there's still a couple more hours of daylight and I don't want to waste it.” He looked up and suddenly grinned. “And I found some free labor.”