Taming the Montana Millionaire (9 page)

“It'll cost you,” Marlon warned. “You won't know when or how much, but it will.”

“I'm scared.” Matt positioned the board where he wanted
it and fitted another in. “We're pouring the foundation soon and it needs to be framed first.”

“Yeah. I figured,” Marlon said wryly. “I lift a hammer from time to time—when I have the time. It hasn't been that long since I worked for Cates Construction.”

“You're a pansy,” Matt joked. “Soft and sweet with your cushy job behind your desk in L.A.”

“Never judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes.” Marlon smiled.

Unlike dealing with the mercurial Haley Anderson, this back and forth with his brother was familiar. The house foundation wasn't there but the same couldn't be said of the one he had with Matt. It felt good. And the truth was they hadn't worked like this for a while. Or talked.

“So what's new?”

Matt glanced up. “I guess you haven't heard.”

“What?”

“Dillon Traub is going to take over for Marshall as the on-site sports doctor at Thunder Canyon Resort.”

Dillon was Dax and D.J. Traub's cousin. Through them, Marlon had met him and liked him a lot. He was fun, casual and confident without being obnoxious. Then a thought hit him.

“Why is he filling in? Where's Marshall going?”

Matt slid him a pitying look that said he really needed to stay in the loop. “Marshall and Mia, that's his wife in case you haven't heard—”

“I know he's married. And I've actually met Mia. She's great. What I didn't know is that they're going somewhere.”

“In September he's taking her on an extended working vacation,” Matt explained.

“Working how?”

“Mia has finished nursing school and they'll be doing
some sightseeing as well as visiting counseling centers that she hopes to model her own after.”

“I didn't know that,” Marlon said.

His twin nodded. “She's using her inheritance to start a grief counseling center for women.”

Marlon thought about Haley, the overwhelming anguish she must have experienced after her mom died. “Sounds like a really worthwhile undertaking. The Anderson family could have used something like that.”

Matt swiped his forearm over his sweaty forehead as he nodded. “Yeah. I don't know how Haley did what she did. Raising Angie and Austin at the same time she was dealing with her mother's loss…and she did a great job of it.”

“Yeah.” Haley was a hell of a woman, Marlon thought. As was his sister-in-law. “Good for Mia. I hope the two of them have a great trip. And I can't think of anyone better than Dillon to fill in for Marshall.”

Too bad he wouldn't be around when the other man took over for his brother. Moving around a lot was the downside of doing what Marlon did. And that meant missing out on a lot of stuff. It never used to bother him, but now? Discontent was the best description he could come up with.

Marlon watched his brother fit more wood together and nail it in place. “You know, it's a good thing Dillon is rich and the heir to Traub Oil Industries.”

“I'm sure Dillon wouldn't argue with you on that point.” Matt looked up, a wry expression on his face. “But why do you think so?”

“Because he's not locked into a nine-to-five job and can pick and choose where and when to practice medicine.”

Matt rested his forearm on his thigh. “Now that I think about it, he always knew he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up.”

“Don't sound so envious.” Marlon handed his brother another two-by-four. “You always liked building stuff. From Tinkertoys to Erector sets, you'd make things. I envied that.”

“You think I've always been sure of myself?” Matt asked.

“Duh,” Marlon answered.

“Not so much. Have you forgotten that I'm a law school dropout?”

“Only because it was never really your dream,” Marlon defended. “Mom and Dad wanted you to be a lawyer.”

“That's not an excuse,” Matt retorted.

“I'm not saying it was. Just that kids try to please their parents.”

Marlon thought of Roy and wondered if he'd run from parental pressure to do or be something he didn't want. Then he thought about Haley, who hadn't had the guidance of parents nearly as long as she should have. And now she was trying to help other kids who needed a steadying hand. Again he realized that she was a very special woman.

“In the long run, life is all about finding something you love to do,” Marlon said. “And you like working with your hands. It's what you're good at. Construction is a no-brainer for you.”

“Like you're good at business.”

“Yeah. But it fries my ass that you're good at business, too.” Marlon grinned when his twin made a scoffing sound. “Really. It's not fair that you can do both equally as well. And you really love it.”

Matt looked up. “How do you feel about what you're doing?”

“You mean my company?”

“No, the community service. The need for speed brought you down, bro. How's it going at ROOTS?”

“It's living up to its name,” he said ruefully. “I'm planted in one spot. At least until the end of August.”

“You might be stuck in one spot, but at least the scenery is good. Haley is hot. You could be stuck working for a crabby ninety-year-old with a gray bun in her hair and a stick up her butt.”

No argument there, Marlon thought. Haley was pretty as a picture and twice as sweet. Until last night. “She's not ninety and I've never seen her hair in a bun.”

“So what's wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Matt's expression was scornful. “This is me, Mar. I know you better than anyone.”

“You don't know everything.”

“Then tell me.”

Marlon met his brother's gaze. “I was engaged in college and she took me for a bundle of money.”

“I hate it when you're right.” Matt stared at him. “I didn't know that.”

“She played the purity card. Said she didn't believe in sleeping together before marriage. So I proposed and wanted to set a date.”

“Don't tell me. She was in no hurry to do that.”

“Right in one,” Marlon said ruefully. “She claimed she had a lot of debt from her father's medical problems and didn't want to burden me with it.”

“So you wrote her a check,” Matt guessed.

“With too many zeroes. After which she disappeared.” He hated being made a fool of. “It's not something I look back on with pride.”

“I can understand that. But don't let that put you off women altogether.”

“Who says I'm doing that?” Marlon asked, suddenly defensive.

“Something's going on. What's up?”

He knew there was no point in putting his twin off. Matt knew him too well and wouldn't let up until he had the information he wanted. “Haley. All grown up, I mean.”

Matt stood and rested his hands on his hips. “You're hung up on her. And running scared because of the girl who ripped you off.”

Marlon waved his hand dismissively. “What have you been smoking?

“There it is again,” his brother said, pointing. “Defensive. Another sign that something's different with you this time.”

“You're crazy.”

“No, you are. You need to embrace it, bro. She could be ‘the one.'”

“The one?”

“To finally tame my restless twin,” Matt explained.

“No way.” Marlon shook his head. “Just call me the happy wanderer.”

“The more they protest, the harder they fall,” Matt teased.

Marlon didn't like the turn of this conversation and it was time to put it out of its misery. “Even if I was interested in Haley, and that's a big if, I'm not the settling down sort.”

“Where have I heard that before?” Matt snapped his fingers. “Oh, yeah. Big brother Marshall said it right before he met Mia. Maybe even after they met. He swore up and down he wasn't the kind of man who did relationships. He was just like you, carefree and commitment-phobic.”

“And your point is?”

“He's married and getting ready to go on his honeymoon. I've never seen him happier.”

“Again I ask, what's your point?” Marlon knew he'd be
sorry for asking, but the words were out before he could stop them.

An unfortunate byproduct of verbal sparring with his brother was getting backed into a corner. Fighting his way out didn't always make his comebacks very smart.

“Just saying. Haley could be the one.” Matt smiled. “Never say never.”

There was no way to win this argument so Marlon didn't try. No matter how much he'd liked kissing Haley, how much he liked the lady herself, clearly the feeling wasn't mutual. Although he would swear the attraction was. But could he trust it? Was pushing him away some kind of game with her?

There was no point in sorting out the questions. The bigger problem was finding a way to shut down his festering feelings, because he had two more weeks of community service left. That was more than enough time for a lot to happen.

And he didn't want anything to happen. Not with Haley. He would rather walk barefoot over broken glass than do anything else to hurt her.

“G
uys don't make cookies.”

Haley looked up as Roy stirred chocolate chips into the second batch of thick dough. They were in her small, cozy kitchen working on the old oak table. The six chairs were against the wall where inspirational sayings were hung beside her mother's copper pots and decorative plates. With walls painted a soft yellow, the white cotton curtains at the window pulled everything together as they overlooked the front yard.

Thank goodness she'd been able to hang on to this place after her mother died. Not only for Austin and Angie's sake, but for her own, as well. She still felt her mother's presence and wondered what her response would have been if Austin griped about baking like Roy just did.

“Is there a rule somewhere that says guys can't make cookies?” she asked.

He looked up from his job. “It's chick work.”

“Has anyone ever mentioned to you that whining is marginally tolerable in a two-year-old, but incredibly unattractive not to mention annoying in a teenager?”

“Just saying.” Roy grinned. “If any of my friends saw me with a wooden spoon and a bowl of dough, I'd never live it down.”

“Do your friends live close by? Is there a chance they could see what you're doing?”

“Did you think I wouldn't notice that?”

“I wasn't subtle?” she asked innocently.

“Not even a little bit.” He grinned again. “Nice try.”

“Okay then. Back to cookies. You might be surprised how many men know their way around a kitchen. Some of the top chefs in the world are men.”

She studied him, his blue eyes unreadable, light brown hair shaggy around his lean face. Definitely a hottie as the teen girls had mentioned more than once. Yesterday he'd said longingly how good home-baked cookies tasted and she realized how long it had been since she'd baked them. This was a rare day off, giving her time to do just that. Angie and Austin had left for work at the resort a while ago and she'd nudged Roy into helping her. A dollop of guilt had been judiciously applied in the nudging process. Apparently he needed another dose.

The muscles in his biceps bunched as he wielded the wooden spoon, grunting from the effort. “I hate baking.”

“Me, too.” She met his surprised gaze. “What? Just because I'm a girl I have to like it?”

“I didn't say anything.”

“It's written all over your face.” She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “There's my shocking secret. I hate cooking.”

He stood the spoon up straight in the thick mixture. “Then why are you doing it?”

“You said the kids like homemade better than store-bought cookies.”

“So? They can survive without 'em. Everyone has to live with disappointment.”

She happened to be looking at him when he made the comment. Was he quoting someone who'd said it to him? Was he running from some form of disappointment? Sooner or later this had to be sorted out because the situation couldn't go on much longer. The call to his mother had been a while ago and all the poor woman knew was that he'd been alive then.

If she and Marlon couldn't get Roy to open up pretty soon, they'd have to involve the authorities. It wasn't her first choice because she wanted the kids to feel they could trust her with anything. But talking through problems was the first step in facing them. Roy was simply hiding.

“Yeah,” she finally said. “Everyone does have to live with disappointment. But not when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. They've been known to make stronger men than you sing like a canary.”

“Not me.” He glanced at a grouping of pictures on the wall behind her.

There was one about parenthood and a saying that children learned what they lived. Another of a cow because her mother had liked cows. And a cross-stitch of a breadbasket. Her favorite was the embroidery that her mom had made. Just words on a linen square. “There are but two lasting bequests we can give our children—roots and wings.”

Haley glanced at it, then said, “My mother made that. She said it means that kids should always know where they come from, where home is. Where they're loved. But a parent should also infuse their children with the courage to strike out and find their own destiny. Never be afraid to
follow a dream knowing you can go home again. It's where the name of the mentoring program came from.”

“ROOTS,” he said.

She nodded. “It's my dream. To help kids, like the people here in Thunder Canyon helped me when my mom died.”

“I get it,” he said.

“Good.” Hoping he would say more about where he came from, she waited, but he just looked thoughtful. It wasn't quite time to push yet. Sighing, she indicated a pan full of cooled cookies beside the stove. “Why don't you put those in that plastic container.”

“Okay.” He lifted a spatula from a crockery jar on the counter and went to work. “So, speaking of ROOTS—”

Something in his voice made her look up. A hint of vulnerability that maybe he'd tell her more about himself. “Yes?”

“What's up with you and Marlon?”

Hearing the name of the man she kept trying to put out of her mind was unexpected and she missed the cookie sheet when she scraped dough off her spoon. It plopped on the distressed wood floor. No way this floor could be as distressed as her, she thought. Talking about the man who'd kissed her wasn't her idea of a good time. Odd, now that she thought about it. There was a time she'd dreamed about kissing Marlon and it finally happened, in front of ROOTS, the dream that she'd made happen. She was one for one on the dream front. One was going well, the other? Not so much.

“There's nothing up with me and Marlon.” Turning her back, she grabbed a paper towel, then stooped to clean up the mess. It was a good way to hide the reaction she couldn't conceal. Kids didn't miss much.

But Roy was persistent. “Then why didn't you say hello to him yesterday?”

“What? Where?” She threw the gooey paper in the trash, then picked up the two teaspoons and resumed dropping dough on the cookie sheet.

“You came in to ROOTS after work and said hi to me but not to Marlon. You always say hello to everyone. What's up with that?”

“Really? I didn't realize.” She brushed a knuckle on her cheek and remembered what Marlon had said about lying. Was her nose growing? “I'm sure it wasn't a big deal.”

“Was, too. He bailed right after that. It was tense. And don't tell me it's just my imagination. Or I don't know what tension is, because I do. He was tense and so were you.”

“It's nothing you need to worry about. The fact is, his community service will be over soon. He'll be leaving town.”

Her attempt to sound upbeat was a dismal failure. Even she heard the sadness in her voice. Something about saying those words out loud made her chest squeeze so tight it was a challenge to draw in a breath of air. So much for the unspoken lie that his kiss didn't change anything.

“I think you really like him,” Roy stated firmly.

Keep it light, she thought. Uncomplicated. And as truthful as possible. “Of course I like him. I like everyone. You shouldn't read anything into it.”

“I wish you'd stop treating me like a kid.”

“Why would you think I am?” she asked.

“I've got eyes. I've been around. I know stuff. I'm almost eighteen. A man.”

Haley rested her spoons on the lip of the big bowl as she looked at him. “Reaching a milestone age doesn't automatically mean you're a man, or a woman either, for that
matter. It's what you do day in and day out that makes you an adult.”

He put the lid on the big plastic container. “You mean like what you did? Stepping up for Angie and Austin after your mom died?”

“That's right.”

“What about your dad?” he asked. “Was he dead, too?”

To her he was. His leaving had broken Nell Anderson's heart. Haley remembered being a little girl and asking her mom about him. The soul-deep sadness in her eyes when Nell had answered that he just didn't love them enough to stay. He'd already been gone a long time, but her mother was still sad and lonely. The child Haley had been wished she and her brother and sister were enough for their mom, but the sadness never went away.

And Haley never resented the man who'd fathered her more than when he wasn't there for his kids after losing their mother. It had been six years, but anger still made her voice shake and her hands tremble when she talked about him. The feelings were real and raw and maybe Roy should know he wasn't the only person on the face of the planet with problems. He needed to see, so she turned off her own emotional sensors and let her feelings show.

“My father was never a man,” she said angrily. “Real men don't walk out on a wife and three children who need him.”

The hostile tone got Roy's attention. “Do you remember him?”

“No.” It was on the tip of her tongue to say she was glad, but that was childish. Running away. “It makes me sad and angry. I try to tell myself that he's the one who missed out, but the truth is Angie, Austin and I all lost out on something
because we didn't know our father. He disappeared and avoided his responsibilities.”

Thoughtfully, Roy leaned back against the Formica countertop. “So you do think I'm a kid.”

“It doesn't matter what I think. Only you can decide whether or not you're running away from something.”

“Marlon isn't running,” he said out of the blue.

It was official. Marlon Cates was a favorite of everyone. Women wanted to be with him and guys wanted to be his friend. She was the only one who fell into some gray area of pretending he didn't do a thing for her.

“I'm not sure what you mean,” she said.

“Community service. He's here and doing what he has to do. He's not running out on his punishment. He's sticking around. That makes him a man.”

Wow, was he a man, she thought as memories of their kiss popped into her head. Roy blinked at her and, for just a second, she was afraid she'd said the words out loud. Then his expression turned pensive, making him look like the confused teenager she was trying to help.

“He's taking the consequences for his actions. Like a man. I can't argue with that.”

Roy suddenly grinned. “And I still say you like him.”

She couldn't argue with that either, much as she wished she could. She'd like to believe that Roy was just a kid who didn't really understand grown-up relationships. It was a fact that Marlon was doing the responsible thing and making a difference. The teens looked up to him. That was all good.

It was her liking him that was bad.

Unlike how her father had walked out, Marlon's leaving wasn't going to be a surprise. She had fair warning. There was time to prepare. And yet she didn't know how to stop the runaway, out-of-control freight train her feelings had
become. Every indication was that they couldn't be stopped. She'd tried, but even this teenager had seen through her.

Since she couldn't seem to get a handle on what was simmering between them, maybe Marlon could stop it. Who could blame him after the way she'd acted. Even Roy had noticed. From now on she expected Marlon to be just as cool toward her, maybe put the brakes on her feelings.

She had to keep trying. There was a time limit on how long Marlon was sticking around, but heartbreak had no shelf life. It could last forever.

 

She could be THE ONE.

Ever since yesterday, when his twin had said that about Haley, the words had been capitalized in Marlon's mind and wouldn't leave him alone. He'd come for breakfast at The Hitching Post and so far was just having coffee, wishing it wasn't too early for something stronger. He was still brooding about Matt comparing him to their older brother Marshall, who'd sworn that he wasn't the marrying kind.

For the record, Marlon's situation was completely different. He didn't live in Thunder Canyon. He had a life in Los Angeles and Haley hadn't bothered to hide her opinion of the place. Plus she'd made no secret of the fact that she didn't respect him much. Even Roy had noticed the cold shoulder.

How could she be “the one”? In order to tame the restless Cates twin, she needed to show some interest. If she was interested, she had a funny way of showing it.

“You're in my seat.”

The deep voice and hostile tone made Marlon look up. Ben Walters was looming over him, a walking, talking crabby sign that this day could actually get worse. The two of them had never gotten along and Marlon wasn't in the mood to play nice now.

“I don't see your name on it,” Marlon said.

“If you were around more, you'd know they call this Ben's booth.” The other man pointed to the erotic picture of Lily Divine over the bar. “Old guy like me knows the best seat in the house when he sees it.”

Marlon studied the portrait of the scantily clad woman. It had nothing to do with why he'd sat here, but now that the benefits had been brought to his attention, he grinned. “Old has nothing to do with it.”

The man's mouth twitched, as if he were fighting a smile. “Still, this is my usual place.”

“Maybe we could share it.” The fact that this geezer was a close friend of Haley's wasn't his primary motivation, but it wasn't exactly a deal breaker either.

Ben looked thoughtful for several moments, then nodded. “On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You sit on the other side of the booth.”

“Done.” Marlon slid his coffee mug across the table, then got up and sat with his back to Lily Divine.

Ben had just settled on the seat when Hitching Post manager Linda Powell brought over two menus and a steaming mug of black coffee. The pretty brunette put it down in front of the older man and smiled.

“This is a first.” She glanced at the two of them and one of her dark eyebrows lifted questioningly. “Has there been a shift in the universe and no one told me?”