Taming His Montana Heart(18)

“The plow driver will have to work all night.” Shaw groaned. “I hope none of the guests decide to leave tonight. It might not turn out well.”

“Do you feel you have to make sure everyone’s safe and tucked in?”

“Right now, you’re my only responsibility.”

Was it her imagination or had his voice lowered with his last words? The answer shouldn’t matter but it did, a lot. Wishing she had control over the storm so she could draw out their time together, she reluctantly pulled on the door only to have the wind push it closed. Shaw reached around her, brushed her hand aside, and yanked.

“Hurry,” he said unnecessarily from inches away.

Despite his warning and her attempt to slide in as quickly as possible, countless flakes landed on the steering wheel. That was nothing compared to what was on her coat. She started the engine and windshield wipers but didn’t dare start moving until the defroster had done its job. Thank goodness for all-wheel drive.

A glance to her left reinforced what her nerve endings had already made clear. Shaw was still standing there, a civilized abominable snowman. If only she knew what to say.

He used his sleeve to wipe off the side window while she did the same to the inside of the windshield. When he was done, he smiled and wiggled his fingers. Feeling like a carefree child, she returned the gesture. Then he saluted her, lowered his head, and aimed himself at his rig. With his every step, he became more ghostlike.

Less real.

Feeling as if he’d taken a piece of her with him, she fastened her seat belt with unsteady fingers and shifted into the lowest gear. The tires crunched, the windshield wipers slapped back and forth, and her face grew hot from the defroster. She gripped the steering wheel with both hands and repeatedly checked the rearview mirror looking for him. When his headlights came to life, she relaxed followed by giving her escape route her full attention. No way would she get stuck. This was her chance to prove to Shaw that she was worthy of his respect, his admiration.

Fortunately the time she’d spent at the ski resort near the snowmobile business held her in good stead because her mind wasn’t keeping pace with her actions. She kept the pressure steady on the gas, alert for any indication the vehicle was losing traction, still proving herself to and for him.

When she reached the thankfully recently plowed paved road leading to the resort, she flexed her fingers. Shaw was right behind her, his lights low so they wouldn’t blind her. Was he focusing on staying on the road or was he thinking about her?

“Good night, boss,” she said even though he couldn’t hear her.





Chapter Six




“I knew you’d say that,” Shaw said to his uncle.

He shifted position in the recliner that had come with the apartment. The chair was too small for him and smelled faintly of wood smoke since the chimney for the lobby’s fireplace below ran up his north facing wall.

The outside lighting didn’t reach this high so it didn’t make sense for him to be staring at his window but that was what he was doing. He liked having the unseen night all around, the storm isolating and insulating the resort and not having to deal with winter. Simply letting it happen. Replaying this afternoon and early evening. Thinking of a small woman bundled against the elements and his arm around her.

“Say what?” his uncle demanded.

Concentrate. “I shouldn’t have to spell it out. Just once I’d like us to have a conversation that doesn’t revolve around you not wanting to spend another dime.”

“I have to,” Uncle Robert grumbled. “This darned resort’s going to put me in the poor house.”

Hardly, since his uncle was a millionaire many times over. Usually Shaw took it as a matter of course that he’d have his work cut out for him convincing the older man that Shaw wasn’t spending money for the heck of it. In fact he suspected Uncle Robert took the stance he did out of habit and not because he disagreed with his nephew’s priorities.

Tonight however, his shoulders ached, he was still cold, and his stomach kept rumbling. He wanted to end the conversation so he could head into his kitchen with its hodge-podge of cookware and heat up something for dinner.

If Haley had agreed to what he’d wanted to ask her, they’d be waiting for someone else to do the cooking. However, he hadn’t invited her to join him in the restaurant. Instead, he’d put work before spending more time with her.

Working endless hours kept him from sinking too deep into the past, but it also kept him alone.

“Professional trail grooming equipment is going to make us money.” He turned his attention from the dark window to the living room lit by a single lamp. Haley might take one look at the older, inexpensive furniture and know he didn’t see the place as his home, just somewhere to hang his hat. That might not be her only conclusion. “Not only won’t we be wasting manpower, the more trails we can offer, the more people we’ll get up here.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Can you really trust that woman?”

That woman? No, she was more. He just hadn’t figured out what. It would be easier if his life wasn’t so complicated—if he dared tell her what he’d once been and what he’d done.

What was he thinking? They barely knew each other. Even if they became more than co-workers, he couldn’t imagine telling her why he couldn’t remember what it meant to have a full night’s sleep.