Rocky Mountain Nights (Roberts of Silver Springs #6) Read online

  Bekah laughed. “Go find a girl you’re actually interested in to dance with, Jordan. You just want to go out with me because you can’t figure out why I won’t sleep with you.”

  Jordan sighed. “Why won’t you sleep with me?”

  She shook her head. “Same reason I won’t sleep with anyone. I’m waiting for Mr. Right.” Her eyes were on Hunter as she said the words, wishing he’d believe her.

  “And you can’t dance with me while you’re waiting?”

  Bekah laughed. “You go find someone else to dance with. Ask Jennifer. We took dance lessons together, and I happen to know she’s a very good dancer.”

  Jordan rolled his eyes. “Like she’d go out with me. I’m just a peon who works for her parents.”

  “Buy her some tulips, and she’ll do anything for you. Tulips are her favorite.”

  Jordan finished picking up the towels that guests had strewn everywhere. “Why are you trying to help me with Jennifer? You’re supposed to be jealous of her.”

  “I’m not one to really get jealous. Especially when there are no feelings involved. You know that.”

  “Yeah. Maybe I’ll ask Jennifer out. I’ve heard she’s fun on a date.”

  “I’m sure she is.” She swatted Hunter’s arm when he started humming ‘Man Eater.’

  “Who’s your friend?” Jordan asked, watching them.

  “This is Hunter. He’s a guest at the B&B for a few weeks.” She wanted to say he was more, but at the moment, he wasn’t.

  Hunter raised his hand in a wave. “Good to meet you.”

  “Don’t fall for Bekah. She’s left a long trail of broken hearts behind her,” Jordan told him.

  “Get a grip. You never had any feelings for me at all. You just wanted another conquest. Go play with Jennifer.”

  “Fine. I’ll see if I can get my hands on some tulips.”

  “Oh, and order her some Frank’s Fudge from Wyoming. The best chocolate I’ve ever had. Then she’ll be eating from the palm of your hand!”

  Jordan shook his head. “Maybe you should open up a business where you give advice to the lonely and desperate.”

  “No one wants to pay me for advice they’ve heard me give for free!” Bekah waited until Jordan was gone before she hoisted herself up to the edge of the springs, just letting her feet dangle in.

  “One broken heart from the trail you left behind you?” Hunter asked.

  Bekah laughed. “Jordan moved here for college and never left. We had a couple of classes together, and we went out a couple of times, but his heart wasn’t in it any more than mine was.”

  “Why’d you go out with him then?”

  She smiled. “He’s a good dancer, and I love to dance.”

  “Ah, I see.” And he did. Kind of. He’d never been much of a casual dater, or any kind of dater really, so the casual thing was odd for him. He thought if you went out with someone, there was some level of commitment. Apparently, she thought differently. He’d have to keep that in mind.

  *****

  Jennifer didn’t work on Saturday, so Bekah was able to do her usual work instead. She cleaned the rooms quickly and efficiently, taking a fraction of the time it took her and Jennifer together. And then she went outside and started to work on the flower beds. She usually spent a few minutes every day pulling weeds, but this week had been all messed up.

  She was on her knees wearing her gardening gloves when her brother Spike walked up behind her, nudging her with his foot. “What’s this I hear about some big city guy coming in and flirting with my sister?”

  “Get a grip, Spike. I’m working here.”

  He dropped to his knees beside her. “Pulling weeds?”

  “What else?”

  “So tell me about this guy…”

  Bekah sighed. “He’s a writer. Lives in Denver. I took one look at him and saw stars. I’m going to run away with him and have his babies. Good enough?” She was ready to say anything to get Spike off her case. She’d known everyone in town must be talking about them, but having confirmation didn’t help much.

  “You’ll marry him first, right? You know Dad will have a hissy fit if it happens the other way around.”

  Bekah laughed. “Of course I’ll marry him first. I wouldn’t want to scandalize the whole town!” She crossed her eyes at her brother.

  Spike nudged her with his shoulder, almost causing her to fall. “Behave yourself!” She slammed back into her brother, trying to knock him over.

  Hunter walked outside and saw Bekah pulling weeds with a man he’d never met. Does she always have a man around?

  “Don’t touch me, you freak!” Bekah said, laughing. “Go away. Go climb a mountain or something.”

  “I might do just that. Are there any of Bri’s muffins left? I’m hungry.”

  “Why don’t you eat before you come? Or go patronize Books ‘N Beans. We’re not here to serve free food to wastrels.”

  “So I’m a wastrel now, am I? How rude.” Spike jumped to his feet, his eyes locking onto Hunter.

  Bekah’s eyes widened as she saw the two men shaking hands. “Hunter, my brother, Spike. Spike, my writer, Hunter.”

  Hunter looked at Spike’s crooked grin. “I should have known.”

  “Huh?” Spike asked.

  “Your smile. It’s the Roberts’ smile.” Hunter looked at Bekah. “And since when am I your writer?”

  Bekah shrugged. “I claimed you. So now you’re mine. We’ll argue about it later, if you want.”

  Spike laughed. “She’s going to give you a run for your money. Just be kind to her, and I won’t have to kill you.”

  Hunter nodded at Spike. “I’ll do my best.” He wasn’t at all offended when her brother threatened him. In fact, he’d have been offended if he hadn’t.

  Bekah stood up, brushing the dirt off the front of her. “Let me go see what muffins we have left.” She went into the house, realizing both of the men were following her. In the kitchen, she went to the container where Bri put all the leftover muffins. So often family came by wanting them, that they’d started making more than they expected to use and storing them in Tupperware.

  “Do these need to be warmed up?” she asked Spike, already knowing his answer.

  “Of course! Don’t catch anything on fire when you nuke them!”

  Bekah stuck her tongue out at her brother before putting several muffins into a special cloth bag that Bri’s mother had made to keep them from drying out, and slipping them into the microwave. She put some butter on the table. “Coffee or milk?”

  “Who made the coffee?” Spike asked, pulling out a chair and sitting at the table right there in the kitchen.

  “Bri did. Right before she left. It’s not poison.”

  Spike made a face. “It’s not as good as Emma’s, but at least it’s not yours. Coffee works.”

  Hunter looked between the siblings, unsure if he was supposed to be in the kitchen. He was just a guest after all.

  “Sit!” Bekah told him.

  Hunter sat down taking one of the plates Bekah put in the center of the table. “I wasn’t sure if I should! I’m not family.”

  “Sounds like Bekah wants you to be,” Spike told him.

  Bekah was on her way to get the muffins from the microwave, but she didn’t even break stride as she swatted her brother across the back of his head. “What do you want to drink, Hunter?”

  “I’ll take some milk.” Hunter was enjoying watching Bekah with her brother. He couldn’t help but wonder if the whole family was like that. Jack and Bri certainly seemed to enjoy teasing Bekah as well.

  Bekah plopped the heated muffins onto the center of the table before going to pour two glasses of milk and a cup of coffee. She sat down and joined them in their afternoon snack. “Does anyone need anything else?”

  Spike reached into the bag and pulled out an orange muffin. “I knew today was orange muffin day. I could sense it!”

  “Yeah, I was going to call you later if you didn’t show up. I knew yo
u wouldn’t want to miss out.”

  “You’re a good sister when you’re not hitting me.” Spike buttered the muffin and bit into it. “You nuke a fine muffin.”

  Bekah made a face. “I only hit you when you deserve it, and I can bake muffins too, you know.”

  “I know you can. If Bri has the batter all mixed up and all you have to do is shove it in the oven for as long as she tells you to.” He ate another bite of the muffin and took a sip of coffee. “I sure wish Emma would tell us the secret to her delicious coffee.”

  “Not in this lifetime.” Bekah shrugged. “We’ll all have to live without knowing. She swore she’d take the secret to her grave.”

  Spike looked at Hunter. “Do you have any sisters to plague your existence?”

  Hunter shook his head. “Just a brother. He’s two years younger than me.”

  “Count yourself lucky. I have three sisters. Three. You’d think another boy would have been the luck of the draw, but no. Just girls.” He grabbed another muffin and buttered it. “What’s your brother’s name?”

  “Ryder.”

  “And what does Ryder do?”

  “He’s an accountant. As opposite from writing as it comes.”

  “Why is an accountant the opposite of writing?” Bekah asked, not understanding.

  “To be an accountant, you can’t have a creative bone in your body. I make stuff up for a living, and he works with numbers all day.”

  “Are you close?” Spike asked.

  Hunter shrugged. “Semi. I mean, we don’t hate each other or anything, but we don’t have much in common, so we don’t spend a lot of time together.”

  “Are both your parents still living?”

  “Why don’t I just give you my full name, social security number, and driver’s license number? That way you can run a background check, and you don’t have to waste your voice.”

  Spike grinned. “Would you? That would make this so much easier.”

  “Spike! That’s just rude!” Bekah admonished. “I can’t believe you actually said that.”

  “Oh, please. With you for a sister, I’ve learned that I can say just about anything. It’s not like you’ve ever minced words.” Spike got to his feet. “Mom wants all of us at her house for dinner tomorrow night. Including Hunter. You were seen dancing in the gazebo in the middle of the night. Tongues are wagging.” He grabbed another muffin as he headed for the door. “Dinner’s at six. Don’t be late now.”

  After Spike closed the door behind him, Bekah groaned. “You do not want to meet my family all at once. It’s really not good for anyone, but most especially not for you.”

  Hunter smiled. “I like the family I’ve met so far.”

  “One or even two at a time isn’t awful. When you meet six at once, there’s a problem. And I’m sure that Spike will bring Amy. And Ally will bring Rex. It’s going to be the whole family, and it’s going to be rough.”

  Hunter shrugged. “Do you not want me to go? Because if it bothers you, I won’t.”

  “No, you should go. If you want to that is. I wish they’d waited to meet you until Jack and Erin’s wedding, but apparently the rumors have become too much to wait.”

  “Why are there rumors about us?”

  “Didn’t you hear Spike? We danced in the gazebo. People saw us together. That’s almost like giving me an engagement ring in a small town like Silver Springs.”

  He sighed. “I guess I’m meeting the family then, huh?”

  She nodded. “I guess you are. Just be ready for them all to ask you questions at the same time. Don’t worry though. If it gets too bad, I’ll stab my brother with a fork, and that will take the attention from you.”

  “Maybe we should set up some kind of signal so you know when to stab him…”

  Bekah shrugged. “You think you’re joking, but that’s really not a bad idea.”

  “They can’t be that bad…”

  “Just you wait!” Bekah cleaned up the kitchen, shaking her head. She’d never in her life taken a man home to meet her parents. It was going to be an interesting weekend.

  Chapter Seven

  Bekah met Hunter on the front porch thirty minutes before they had to be at her parents’ house. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” she asked. She knew she wasn’t, because she knew what her family was like. Hopefully he would be able to handle it without too much trouble.

  Hunter smiled at her, taking her hand. “You’re really nervous about this, aren’t you? I’m supposed to be the one nervous about meeting your family. Not the other way around.”

  She shrugged. “My family is insane. If you’ve never been part of a big family, then you won’t get it until you see them in action.”

  “I’m not afraid of your family,” he said softly, walking her to his car. “I’ll drive unless you want to.”

  “No, go for it. I’m so nervous I’d probably wreck. Are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to back out.”

  He laughed. “I never thought you’d be so nervous about anything. You’re the only one who can handle Jennifer, remember?”

  “Uh huh. I’m also the only one who knows what they’re getting into here!” She got into the passenger seat and buckled up. “It’s a ten-minute drive. Or we could walk!”

  He ignored her nervousness, starting the car. “Just tell me where to go.”

  She gave him the kind of directions he hated. “Turn right at the big white house. Now, left at the house with the red playhouse in the yard.” When they had parked on the street, she sighed. “We’re really going through with this, aren’t we?”

  He got out and walked around to open her door. “You’re not staying in the car. We’re in this together.” He still wasn’t sure why he’d been summoned, but he looked forward to meeting her family. It was nice to pretend—if only for a little while—that they really did have a future.

  When they got to the door, he raised his hand to knock, but she turned the knob and walked right in. An older man was standing in the living room, and he grabbed Bekah in a bear hug. “I know you’re busy with your B&B, but you need to make more time to visit your mother.”

  “I was here last week, Dad.” She stepped back. “This is Hunter. Hunter, my dad, Bob Roberts.”

  Hunter grinned at the man’s name. “Your parents had a sense of humor, didn’t they?”

  Bob grinned. “They did. Sometimes I think too much of one, but it’s cool to be a Bob. I mean, who isn’t envious of someone named Bob?”

  “My favorite writer is trying to get bobilicious into the dictionary. You should meet her, Dad.” Bekah grinned, wondering how her dad would act with a Bob-worshiper like Jolene Gold.

  “I have a T-shirt my wife bought me that says, ‘Bob—the man, the myth, the legend.’ ”

  Hunter laughed, pulling out his notebook and jotting something down quickly. At her dad’s quizzical look, Bekah told him, “He does that all the time. He’s a writer.”

  Her dad shrugged. “I’d think he’d make notes with a phone, but whatever.”

  “Are we the first to get here?” She glanced at the time on her phone. “It’s ten til.”

  “We thought we should have you two come first, so we could get to know your Hunter before the chaos ensued.” Her mother stepped out of the kitchen, holding her hand out to Hunter to shake. “I’m Christina Roberts. It’s so good to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Roberts.” Hunter tucked his notebook back into his pocket before shaking her hand. “Your daughter favors you.”

  “Thanks for not saying you know where her good looks come from. That line is so overdone, and with three daughters, I’ve heard it more than any woman ever should.”

  “Well, I am a writer. I try to make my lines a little more original than that.”

  “Do you need help in the kitchen, Mom?” Bekah asked softly, knowing her mother would understand her unspoken plea.

  “I do. Would you make the salad?” Christina tucked her hand through her daughter’s a
rm, pulling her away. “What’s up?” She kept her voice down so only Bekah would hear.

  “I feel funny about bringing him here. We haven’t even been out on a date yet.”

  “Yet. You have feelings for him, though. I can see it in your eyes, and Spike said the same thing after seeing you together yesterday. Why does it make you nervous that he’s here?”

  Bekah shrugged. “I’ve never brought a guy home before. You know that. I feel like the whole family is making something more out of this than there really is.”

  “Oh? So you’re not head over heels in love with him?”

  “From the first instant our eyes met. Well, not quite. He was a pain for the first few minutes, but…yeah. I have feelings. Strong feelings. He thinks I’m a flirt, though, because of what Jack said about me the other day. And then Jordan.”

  “Who’s Jordan?” Her mother’s brows were drawn together. “I haven’t heard you talk about a Jordan.”

  “He’s a guy I’ve gone out dancing with a couple of times. I’m not in love with him. I have no feelings for him at all really, but he’s a good dancer. He told Hunter that I leave a trail of broken hearts behind me.”

  Mom laughed softly. “You? You make it very clear that you’re just having fun with every man you go out with. I know better than that. Why did he say that?”

  “No idea. I think he thought he was being funny, but Hunter believed him. How am I supposed to convince him that I’m not really like that now?”

  “Bekah…stop worrying. If it’s meant to be, it will happen.” Mom stirred the spaghetti sauce while Bekah dug in the fridge, pulling out lettuce, tomatoes, and fresh spinach from the fridge.

  “I guess. It just feels like everything is stacked against me. I’m surprised he was even willing to come here after everything that was said about me. Someone needs to duct tape Jack’s mouth shut. I’m surprised Erin didn’t stop him from talking, because she was there too.”

  “She may have thought that trying to get him to shut up would have drawn more attention to him. I don’t know. I know Erin would never deliberately upset you. She’s not that type.”

  Bekah sighed. “I know she’s not. I’m just annoyed. I want Hunter to only hear good things about me, and there he is listening to the whole world say stuff that’s only partially true. I mean, I recognize that there’s a small grain of truth in it all. I do tend to date a lot of different men, but it’s casual. I don’t even kiss them!”