Taming His Montana Heart(5)
His frown was so slight she nearly missed it. She would have if she hadn’t been studying him. “I have more concerns than I want to think about and could possibly interest you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
Did I say that? “Everything you have on your plate.”
“I signed up for it. Had to do—something.”
Chapter Two
Cursing himself for saying what he had, Shaw pulled back on the door handle and stepped aside so Haley could enter the lodge’s restaurant ahead of him. As he did, he scanned the lobby, noting an elderly couple, a trio of middle aged women, and an older man dozing in one of the chairs.
When Haley’s coat brushed his, he reminded himself that she was an employee. Their relationship wasn’t personal. In fact, there wasn’t anyone at Lake Serene he confided in because it was safer that way.
The problem was, he didn’t think of Haley in quite the same way he did the rest of the staff. Her soft hazel eyes and small, feminine frame factored in. Her body, not that he’d seen her without her clothes on, had made its way into more than one dream, but that wasn’t the only reason she stood out. She had a tendency to study her surroundings as if trying to make her peace with the mountains or something, just like he did.
What was she looking for, not that he had a right to ask or she an obligation to answer.
Because it was a little before five in the afternoon, most visitors to Lake Serene were still out enjoying the environment. Only three of the casual restaurant’s tables were occupied. When Haley indicated a small one that looked out at the frozen lake, he nodded.
It was hardly the first time he’d held meetings in here. Not only was the causal restaurant larger than the second-story apartment he lived in or his compact office, people tended to relax in the cafe. As for him, he appreciated being able to seeing the entire space without being obvious about it.
He should have met with Haley before a series of storms deposited close to four feet of snow on everything and turned the mountains into a winter wonderland and sometimes a hassle. His only excuse was that snow brought people out of the woodwork. Having so many visitors around slowed the renovations, but he didn’t mind since snow filled the rental rooms and cabins with paying guests and kept things operating in the black, which pleased Uncle Robert as much as anything did.
Watching Haley weave around the tables with her arms at her sides and her legs encased in well-worn jeans, he decided not to concern himself with finances or his uncle this afternoon. He just wished he could turn off his phone. He’d ask her about the snowmobile operation and listen to the cadence of her voice as she responded, study her eyes for hints of what was happening beneath the surface.
So Haley Walters had been partial to red as a child. And she’d volunteered to help Alexa kick his butt in a snowball fight. In a short amount of time he’d learned two personal things about the employee who occupied an inordinate amount of his thoughts.
“I don’t get in here very often. I understand it used to be pretty dingy,” Haley said as she sat so she could watch what was going on beyond the large window. She’d taken off her coat and hung it over the back of the chair closest to the window. He selected a chair to her right. His back was to the wall, and he could see all the way to the entryway.
“Dingy is an understatement. I polled several longtime employees. They all agreed that the old indoor/outdoor carpet had to go. That was already a priority to me, but it was good to get a consensus.”
“I love the tile you chose, and the white walls really show off the photographs of the area. Do you have a background in interior design?”
“Hardly.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “What I did was research other resorts in person and online before I came to Lake Serene. I presented my uncle with the designs that appealed the most to me. He chose my favorite.”
“Well, you have good taste. It’s downright cheerful in here. Unfortunately the prices and my budget are at odds.”
“I wish it wasn’t like that. Unfortunately, it costs a lot to get food up here. As a result, what I have to charge makes it hard on the staff.”
“It can’t be helped.” She leaned back and turned toward the window.
Was she losing herself in the view of the lake and mountains all around? If so, he understood the feeling. It had taken him the better part of a year to relax here, and there were still times when the vast unknown rubbed his nerves. When the past intruded.
“I usually do my own cooking, which—everything looks so peaceful today. Quiet. In some respects it’s healing.”
“Healing?”
Her eyes widened. She held up her right hand and turned it so he could see her scraped knuckles. “Sure. I’m always beating myself up.”
He sensed that wasn’t what had initially prompted her comment, but she wasn’t a suspect he was grilling. Leaving her to her secrets, he looked around for a waitress. Until she’d damaged her shoulder, Kolina Childs had been the best waitress he’d had on staff. Although he missed Kolina’s competence, he understood why she no longer spent her days waiting on diners. A lot of people, him included, changed careers.
Don’t go there. Old story, one that doesn’t belong here today.
“So, what are you telling me?” he asked to get the official conversation going and his thoughts where they belonged. “That three of the snowmobiles aren’t worth trying to keep running?”