Thunder Snow (Thunder On The Mountain Series) (3 page)

CHAPTER  SIX

N
ot nearly as bad as expected, the ‘big storm’ that was supposed to be coming left only a dusting of snow. I was in the mood for exploration and decided to walk down to the Pioneer Inn.

To the casual observer, it was probably just a hole-in-the-wall bar in a nowhere kinda town. But when you knew the history of all of the ‘greats’ of the 70s music era that had hung out here, it took on a life of its own.

Coming in from the brightness of the snow-covered ground, my eyes had to adjust to the dark interior. I was surprised at the number of people here when it was just late morning, but couldn’t help but smile as Frank Sinatra crooned from the juke box to this tough looking crowd.

The rough-hewn-wood walls and booths made it a classic Colorado mountain bar. I approached the smiling waitress to introduce myself and ask if she would mind if I took a few pictures.

“Hey, guys, this here’s Callie Weston,” she said loud enough to be heard over talking patrons and music. “She’s Charles’ daughter. Anyone mind she gets a few shots a you?”

There was only a momentary silence as all eyes turned my way before the din of voices erupted again. There was laughter and suggestive comments as people went about their business.

“It’s all yours, doll. Shoot away.”

“Think I’ll sit and let things die down so I’m not so intrusive,” I said, sliding into a booth.

“Name’s Candice,” said the friendly server with the big hair. “Getcha somethin’?”

“I’d love some coffee and something to eat. What do you recommend?”

“We’re famous for our burgers.”

“Then coffee and a burger it is,” I said.

As she walked away, I looked around at the rustic place and thought of all of the life that had gone on here. I couldn’t help but overhear some of the stories of the locals. More than once, the words
Bella Roja
hit my ears, but I had a feeling they were meant to.

Candice came back several times and sat down for a quick chit-chat while we waited for my food. She looked like she had plenty of her own stories to tell, and I thought it would be nice to come back some time when it was quieter and listen to some of her tales.

It occurred to me that this is how she learned a lot of her stories, and this is how the locals got much of their information. Wanting to fit in, I shared as much as was reasonable, and noticed several times that people strained to hear what Candice and I were talking about.

Many of these town people had a gruff exterior, much like Sam. They each had their own story that had brought them here, and I wanted to know more about them. I would have to make this a regular stop while I lived here.

Candice was a pleasant woman who had been in town for over twenty-five years. She knew everyone and everything there was to know about them, and had a lot of funny stories to tell. Lots of pictures and lots of laughter later, I headed home with a promise of future visits.

The walk didn’t take long in the brisk mountain air. I settled in with a roaring fire and a hot cup of cocoa, and mused on the turn life had recently taken. Sitting on the floor with legs crossed, I was happy and carefree as I edited my recent photos on my laptop.

Thoughts of last Spring and Jason didn’t intrude into my psyche nearly as often as they had. When I thought about the fact that he would be released from jail soon, I was even more secure in the knowledge that I had found a place where I felt protected and safe in this little town that was close to everything while being in the middle of nowhere.

Although I hadn’t been here long, I was the daughter of Charles Weston. That afforded me a sort of ‘local’ status that made me ‘one of them.’ The town was small, the locals were rough, but they took care of their own. I was out of harm’s way.

~~~

For years I had been busy pursuing my career. Teaching real estate law on the campus of CU Boulder, selling real estate, promoting my business and my father’s business, I hadn’t wanted to be diverted too much from my path.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I had been neglecting playtime in my life. I knew I wasn’t getting any younger, and a part of me was beginning to think of having a family of my own. It was time to slow down a little and start smelling the roses. Not that I didn’t love what I did for a living, but my personal life was looking like a box of raisins. I was more than willing to shake it up and start rearranging priorities.

Angie called one morning in April. “Hey, sugar. Mark and I are going to The Fort this weekend. Since your birthday is coming up, we thought it would be fun to have you join us, our treat.”

It had been almost a year since we had spent time together, and The Fort had been a place we used to go on special occasions. Feeling guilty because I had been neglecting our friendship, I said, “I’d love to, thanks. It’ll be fun to catch up.”

I was furious when I showed up and Jason was sitting at the table with them. How could Angie have done this to me, and how could I have been so preoccupied as to not have suspected she might try something like this? Inwardly fuming, I almost cringed as Jason stood up and kissed my cheek.

“If the mountain won’t go to Mohammed, as they say . . .” he snickered, a sound that clenched my stomach.

I looked at Angie and couldn’t believe the Cheshire grin she had. I didn’t want to be too rude because it was Mark’s brother and he was a great guy, but I wasn’t sure I was going to maintain civility for too long.

I tried, truly I did. But the longer we were at dinner, the more desperate I was to leave. I wasn’t sure what it was about him that made my skin crawl. Charming on the surface, not too bad to look at, why did he make me so uncomfortable? But this meeting was no different than any of the others, and if it was possible, he was even creepier than before. 

Sitting around the fire outside, sipping on an after-dinner coffee, I was counting the minutes until I could leave without being totally rude. We were catching up, but Jason kept rubbing my leg and touching my back. I couldn’t sit any closer to Angie than I was, so when I took Jason’s hand to hold it still on the seat between us, he thought I was coming on to him. If it was possible, he got even more insufferable.

Tired and no longer wanting to put up with his boorish behavior, as soon as he stepped away, I was able to excuse myself. I was getting angrier with Angie as I thought about her sneaky behavior, so when I said my good-byes, I couldn’t help but wonder at the smirk that crossed her face. I was so anxious to leave that I hurried to make it to my car before Jason came back from wherever he’d gone. I was thankful the night was over.

Sometime soon I would take the time to think about how I had been blindsided and about how I was going to have a hard time trusting Angie again, but now I just needed to get away. As I approached, I could see in the lights of the parking lot that Jason was leaning against my car waiting for me. I wanted to scream, especially when I saw the self-satisfied grin on his face.

“Angie told me you had gone. I was anxious to leave, too,” he shared. “I knew you were feeling our chemistry. I can’t wait to be alone with you.”

Hiding my shock, I said as nicely as I could summon, “I’m sorry, Jason. I’m afraid you totally misread the situation. I am utterly exhausted and just anxious to get home. I have a long day ahead of me. Thank you for a dinner, but I assure you, our evening is over.”

 The light in his eyes changed just before he roughly grabbed me and kissed me. I was surprised only momentarily. Lifting my fashionable heel, I came down as hard as possible on his foot. Stunned enough to let go of me, I jumped in my car and took off, watching Jason in my rearview mirror standing under the light, watching me drive away. 

“Crap, that was a narrow escape.” I was angry and tired and wanted to shake Angie until her teeth rattled. I didn’t ever want to be in the same room with that creep again. Before I even made it home, I had three text messages from him. I knew I was going to have to deal with him sooner or later, but I sure wasn’t in the mood tonight.

This was going to put a crimp in wanting to go out with anyone again for a while. What was Angie thinking? How many times did I have to tell her? What was the MATTER with her? I knew we had been drifting apart and I hadn’t wanted to admit it, but this might be the end. Not for the first time I wondered how someone as nice as Mark could have a brother like this?

 
When Angie called all excited the next day to tell me how much Jason liked me and wanted to know how I felt about him, I was so surprised. Was she honestly that clueless? “Oh, Ange,” I said as nicely as possible, “it’s just not ever gonna work out between us. How many times do I have to tell you that before you believe me?”

“But I saw you take his hand, Cal. I saw you holding it while we sat by the fire. You didn’t look like you minded him too much then.” I could hear the testiness in her voice.

“Oh, honey, it’s not at all what you thought you saw,” I said, stunned. “Fact of the matter is, his hands kept traveling all over me, and I was just trying to hold it still between us so he would stop touching me.” It wasn’t my desire to be brutal, but I wanted to stop it once and for all.

“Angie, I don’t like Jason, period. Not now, not ever. I don’t want to have any further discussion about it. I know how much you wanted it to, but it’s just not going to work out.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong, Callie. Why would I ever want to fix my brother-in-law up with someone who would lead him on like that?”

I knew she was hurt, but I was incredulous at her response. She hadn’t heard a word I said, and was definitely not being rational at all about the situation. I tried to bring our conversation back to some kind of normal, but she abruptly said, “Bye, Callie,” and disconnected our call. Not for the first time, I wondered why we hang on to old relationships when we have long-ago grown apart.

That afternoon I had an appointment with Clients to whom I had sold a house a few years earlier. They were being transferred out of State and wanted me to now sell it for them. Hopefully that would take my mind off of the situation with Jason as there would be much preparation for my afternoon appointment.

But I kept thinking of Angie, and how could SHE have misread the situation so completely? Had I done anything at all to lead Jason on? The only thing I was guilty of was staying as long as I had. I needed to shake it off and get on with my day.

My assistant is second to none. Marge has been with me almost from the beginning. I was young but enthusiastic when I first got my real estate license. I knew the business well, learning from the best.

My dad had taken me under his wing at a young age, and I felt confident from the beginning that I knew not only houses, but dealt well with people as they embarked on what was usually an em
otion-filled time in their life— purchasing or selling a home.

Marge had been a ‘gift’ from my dad after I had been in the business about six months. Marge was a gem and we were definitely a dynamic team. We had been together for enough years that we worked comfortably together. So when I walked into the office that day, I knew Marge had something on her mind.

“What is it?” I asked with a grin.

“Jason Stevens . . . how did you end up seeing HIM again?”
 

“Oh, Marge, what a nightmare. He is such a cretin, and I’m afraid Angie is not too far behind.”

 Marge slid the stack of messages across the desk, “Well, he obviously didn’t agree with you. He’s called six times this morning.”

 
“Will he go away if I ignore him?” I teased. “I can’t imagine having to deal with him again, but I guess I’m gonna have to be even more blunt and tell him what he obviously didn’t understand with the point of my heel.”

Laughing, I headed into my office to get on with the business of my day. Marge followed, wanting all of the details. Marge’s kids were grown, and she loved to not only hear my stories, but she protected me like a mother hen. Few were as competent or as loyal.

“He’s gonna be trouble,” she shook her head and looked me in the eye. “Mark my words, he’s gonna be a thorn. You need to deal with him and get rid of him as fast as you can.”

Meeting her gaze, I gave her words some thought.

“Don’t look at me in that maternal tone,” I said, winking. “Fact of the matter is, it just makes me angry that someone who is as crass as Jason has already commanded this much of my attention.

“Can we just forget about him for today and get to work on the Stewart’s file? Let’s not give him another minute of our time until I have time to figure out how best to deal with him.”

She scowled at me like she didn’t want to let it go. “That’s fine for now, but this won’t be swept under the rug as easily as you think. He sounds off balance,” she said ominously as she headed back to her desk.

What in the world was I doing? Why was I giving this psycho space in my head? I packed up my computer, bundled up, and headed off to my home-away-from home. I would show Sam the pictures I had taken, and untangle myself from this web I had woven around me this afternoon. I didn’t ever want him to have power over me again.

Walking in the back door, my heart skipped a beat when I heard Sam talking. I realized I was warming up to the mercurial stranger known as Jack Franklin, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed he was there.