Rocky Mountain Mornings (Roberts of Silver Springs Book 1) Read online

  “We’ve gone out once, and he had dinner with Bekah and I last night. There’s really nothing to tell.”

  “Has he kissed you?”

  Bri blushed. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

  “Because you blush! He has kissed you!” Mom gave her an inquiring look.

  The door opened and slammed shut. “Mom, I’m here!” Jack yelled from the other room.

  “Hey, big brother.” Bri took the opportunity to run from the conversation and hugged Jack. “How was your week?”

  “Not as good as yours. I hear you and the contractor were steaming up the windows of his truck Monday night.” He kissed their mother on the cheek, and grabbed a pinch of a brownie.

  “We were not!” Bri blushed. “You guys have got to stop saying things like that.”

  “You just don’t want Dad to know it’s true!” Jack said, frowning at her. “You shouldn’t go around kissing guys that I haven’t met yet. I need to know if he’s good enough for my baby sister.”

  Bri rolled her eyes. “Jennifer is interested.” She knew the words would be enough to convey her thoughts. They’d know he’d be gone soon.

  “If he has half a brain he won’t have his head turned by her. Want me to swoop in and ask her out? She’s been after me for years. I could mess with her long enough for him to realize she’s not worth dating.” Jack reached for another bite of brownie, but Mom slapped his hand away. “Ouch!”

  “No, I do not want you to date her. I can’t stand her! What if you fell for her, and I had to spend the rest of my life with her as my sister-in-law? It would be all my fault!”

  Jack laughed. “I don’t think I’m quite blind enough to fall for her!”

  “I sure hope not!” Bri started carrying the dishes into the dining room. “Lunch smells delicious, Mom.”

  The door slammed shut again. “I’m here!”

  Mom shook her head at Dad. “Sometimes I wonder why our children behave like heathens, slamming doors and yelling at me when they arrive. And then you come in and I know exactly why!”

  Dad grabbed Mom by her arms and kissed her soundly. “I’m your favorite heathen.”

  Mom laughed. “You definitely are. Now wash up so we can have a nice lunch!”

  Dad didn’t mention Anthony until they were almost finished with dessert. Bri had just convinced herself that he hadn’t heard anything yet, but she should have known. “I haven’t met this man of yours yet, Bri. Why didn’t you bring him to lunch?”

  Bri shook her head. “He did try to invite himself, but I thought it would be best if he didn’t come. Not yet anyway. I need to make sure he’s going to stay.”

  “She’s worried about Jennifer Olson.” Jack broke off another bite of brownie and popped it into his mouth. “Great brownies, Bri.”

  Dad sighed. “That brat still after every man you date?”

  “Of course! She seems to think if a man dates me, he’s fair game.” Bri took a sip of her milk. “Let’s give it a couple of weeks, and if he’s still around, I’ll invite him to meet everyone.”

  Mom changed the subject, obviously sensing that Bri was uncomfortable. “I hear you’re catering the Olsons’ anniversary party.”

  Bri nodded. “Jennifer forgot their anniversary, and hadn’t asked anyone to do it until last night. So she came to me. She knew we’d want the extra money for the B&B, and we’d take the job at the last minute.”

  “Don’t let her take advantage of you,” Dad warned.

  “I told her I was charging her double, just because she came to me at the last minute. And I’m charging a whole lot more than I probably should, but she makes me crazy.”

  “Good girl. You should charge her at least double. She’s always felt like she could run over you, and it’s not okay.” Emma smiled at Bri, letting her know how much she approved.

  On the drive back to the B&B, Emma reminded her that she was every bit as good as Jennifer. “You know she likes to think she’s better, but the truth is she’s lazy. Never works. She just flits around, driving to Denver to shop, and acting like she’s better than everyone else.”

  “I know. And she drives a flashy vehicle that Mommy and Daddy bought for her. We work for everything we have, because our parents raised us right.”

  Emma stopped in front of the B&B. “I want to come in and meet him.”

  “You need to get back to work,” Bri responded. “You were just talking about work ethic.”

  “I need to use the bathroom. I’ll just say ‘hi’ and leave.”

  “Go away, Emma. You don’t have to go that bad.”

  “You don’t know how badly I need to go! You can’t tell me that!”

  Bri blew a kiss at her sister. “See you in the morning.”

  Emma wrinkled her nose as Bri got out of her vehicle. “I’m going to meet him soon, you know!”

  “I know! I know! Have a good day!”

  “You too!”

  Bri hurried into the house, checking the kitchen for a mess first thing. Bekah had done the dishes, so there wasn’t anything there to do. Bri went into the basement and started on the throw pillows. She couldn’t wait to get the furniture in the rooms and the quilts on the beds. There would be furniture delivered on Monday. She was getting more excited by the day. Her dream was coming true.

  After she’d finished the pillows, she went upstairs and peeked out the window to see if Anthony’s truck was still there. She couldn’t believe how disappointed she was when she realized it was gone.

  She went into the kitchen and started the dough for the pizza. She preferred to make her dough from scratch, but she usually used a bottled sauce. She could make it taste just as good, but for the most part it was easier to use a store bought.

  She slid two large pizzas into the oven at five-thirty, hoping he would be back. She hadn’t spoken to Anthony since before lunch, and she wasn’t certain if Jennifer had already gotten to him or not.

  Bekah came into the kitchen and sniffed while she was at the table, reading on her Kindle. Her face was red from the cold. “I got the parking lot shoveled out.” She held her hands over the stove, turning them over to warm them.

  “Did you and Anthony have a good lunch?”

  “Sure. It was delicious. He ate three servings. There isn’t any left.”

  Bri shook her head. “I didn’t expect there to be with him around.”

  “Jennifer came by while you were gone.”

  “What did she want?”

  Bekah shrugged. “She asked if you had any more information for her about the party, but I think she was really here to see Anthony. Everyone in town knows your whole family meets for lunch on Wednesday, and she waited until you were out of sight before she came over.”

  “How did he react?” Bri was afraid of the answer. Was that why he’d left without saying goodbye?

  “He told her he was dating you, and she should go away.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. She just laughed and told him that he’d figure out soon enough that she was the one he wanted. I can’t stand her. Have I told you that before?”

  Bri smiled. “Only about a hundred times. I’d listen to it a few thousand more.”

  “I’ll say it a few thousand more too. I don’t know why she chose you as her victim back in elementary school, but I’ve hated her ever since.”

  “Honestly, I think she was jealous of our friendship. We had each other as built-in friends from the first day of school. We already had someone to sit next to and put our nap mat by. She didn’t have anyone, and with the way she treated people, she really never had a best friend. She changed from year to year. Remember when she tried to become all chummy with you?”

  Bekah tilted her head to one side, thinking about it. “Was that third grade?”

  “I think it was. I just remember that she followed us around everywhere, and she kept trying to talk to you whenever we got separated.”

  “That’s right. You know, you may be on to something.
She’s jealous of our friendship.”

  Bri nodded. “And I think that’s why she always worked so hard to steal my boyfriends too. She wanted what I had…a really close friend she could never lose.”

  “Now that I think about it, when you and I got into that big fight in seventh grade over Tommy Dean, she tried to get close to me then too. She told me you were saying bad things about me.”

  “And then we sat down and talked and decided that Tommy Dean was a jerk, and she kissed him under the bleachers at the football game, and we just laughed. I think that made her mad too.” Bri smiled at the memory. She and Bekah had let a boy come between them for exactly one week before they’d realized that no boy was worth losing each other over.

  “I’m sure it did!” Bekah sighed. “She’s been a pain in my behind since the first day of kindergarten, but it was so much worse for you. I wanted to protect you from her, but I never felt like I could.”

  “No one could. She had it in her head that it was her job to make my life miserable, and she succeeded at times. But you know what? I think she did me a favor for the most part. She showed me how flighty the boys I dated were. She showed me who my real friends were.” Bri shrugged. “I’m good.”

  Bekah smiled. “I’m glad you can see that. I still hate her though.”

  “You won’t hate her when you hear what I’m charging her for the catering. We’re going to get that board sidewalk we wanted out of it. I asked Anthony for a quote, and we’ll clear enough to do it.”

  “She should forget about her parents’ anniversary more often.”

  Bri grinned. “I have no problem taking advantage of her forgetfulness. I’m going to do the work, but I’m doing it on my terms, not on hers.” She glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Anthony’s supposed to be back here in five minutes. I’m worried he won’t come.”

  “Because of Jennifer? You should have seen the disgust on his face. Trust me, he’ll be back. If only to eat your cooking. I think he’s already ready to propose to you, just so you’ll keep feeding him.”

  “He keeps asking me to run away and marry him. I know it’s because of my cooking, though, so I ignore him.”

  Bekah laughed. “He’s come right out and asked you to marry him already? You should do it.”

  “Nah. I need to make sure he’s sticking first. You know we don’t divorce in our family. I’m going to make sure that he’s the right one before I even consider marrying him.”

  “How will you know?”

  Bri shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  The front door opened and a deep voice called, “Honey, I’m home!”

  Bri shook her head. “He’s going to fit in with the family perfectly. Mom was just lamenting at lunch today that Dad taught all of us kids to slam the door and yell that we were there.”

  Bekah laughed. “Well, I think you’ve found your match.”

  Chapter Six

  By the time they were ready for break for the weekend on Friday afternoon, Anthony had firmly entrenched himself into Bri’s life. He wandered into the office where she was talking on the phone before leaving, and stood leaning against the wall, watching her.

  She had finished up all the painting, and she was now working on getting stationery printed for the hotel. She spent a lot of time on the laptop on her desk in the small office, deciding on linens and ordering things for each specific room. She seemed so excited all the time. “I’ve got you down for the second weekend in April, Friday through Sunday. Yes, sir. I’ll make sure your confirmations go to your mobile phone. I’m excited to meet you and your wife. Thank you.” She put the phone on its cradle and smiled at him. “You finished?”

  “For today. I’m going to need help getting bathtubs, toilets, and sinks for the bathrooms up the stairs on Tuesday.”

  “I’ll call my brother. Are you okay with doing it at six-thirty?”

  “He won’t mind?” Anthony had never had a brother, and watching her with her cousin fascinated him. His dad had been an orphan, and his mom had been an only child. He’d seen his grandmother regularly, but she and his father were the sum total of his family. He was more than a little intrigued by Bri’s huge family.

  “Nah. I’ll make him breakfast and send him home a big pot of my stew, which he claims is nectar of the gods. He’ll do the work, and we’ll both be happy. You’ll like Jack. He’s a good guy.” She started to tell him he’d offered to distract Jennifer for a while, but she bit her lip. If he didn’t already realize their relationship was on the tongue of every Roberts in town, she wasn’t going to be the one to clue him in.

  “So what are your plans for tonight? I think we should do something together.”

  She shrugged helplessly. “We could go to a movie. Or go dancing. There’s a little bar on the edge of town that does a live country band on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s a local band, and they’re really not ready for a record deal, but they’re a lot of fun to dance to. Or we could go to dinner somewhere. Go hang out in the hot springs.” She sighed. “Or I could do what I should do and go grocery shopping for the things that I can prep for the party I’m catering next weekend and get started.”

  “How ’bout this. I’ll go home and shower and get into something a little cleaner, and come back for you. We’ll go get the groceries you need together, and you can turn me into your kitchen lackey. What’s a caterer without a kitchen lackey?” It wouldn’t be his first choice of ways to spend a Friday night, but as long as he got to spend it with her, he wouldn’t complain too much.

  She looked at him for a moment, as if trying to see into his mind. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. Of course I’m going to need payment for said services.”

  She groaned. “I already have too many expenses for the catering job. I’m paying you with another job. You’re fixing the sidewalk, remember?”

  “That’s not the kind of payment I mean.” He walked toward her, taking her hand and pulling her out from behind the desk. “I was thinking a kiss or two…and a home-cooked meal. My grandmother died when I was fifteen. I haven’t had a lot of home-cooked meals since then. My dad figured eating out was easier than cooking, so we ate out a whole lot.”

  Bri frowned. “Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you so I’ll cook for you more than I already do?”

  “Is it working? Breakfasts would be really nice…”

  She laughed, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. “You absolutely destroy my schedule, but you’re cute, so I think I’ll keep you.”

  “Good. Let’s talk wedding dates…”

  She pushed away from him, shaking her head. The man was a mess and a half. “Go shower and meet me back here in forty-five minutes. I’ll throw something together for supper, and we’ll go shop before we eat.”

  “It’s only three…you want to eat before four?”

  “Of course not. I’ll get everything prepped and then cook it after we shop. You have any requests?” She was almost afraid to ask, because she knew he would eat anything she made. The man wasn’t finicky about his food at all—as long as she made it, he’d eat it.

  “You said something about stew that you’re making for your brother. Can you make stew for me?”

  “Sure.”

  “With homemade bread?”

  She sighed. “You always have to make it harder, don’t you? I have some dough that I froze into loaves in the freezer. I’ll get some out now, and hopefully it will be thawed enough for me to make it for supper.”

  He leaned down and kissed her softly. “As long as you cook for me every day, I’m willing to give up my freedom and marry you. I will pledge undying devotion.”

  “You know, as flattering as that proposal was, I think I’d rather my future husband loved me for me and not for my cooking.”

  “Are you saying I don’t love you?”

  “I’m not even going there,” Bri said, shaking her head. “You go shower, and I’ll get started on the stew.”

  By the time
he came back, she had the stew prepared and partially cooked. She picked up the pot from the stove and poured it into her crockpot while he watched. “It’ll be ready when we get back. And if it needs to cook a little longer, I’ll just pour it back into the big pot.”

  “Just so I get fed. I don’t much care what goes into it.”

  She sighed. “You’re a handful, Anthony Black. Are you this difficult on all your jobs?”

  “Nope. Usually I just do my work and leave, barely talking at all. I only talk to the special people I work for.”

  “Trying to butter me up?”

  “Well, I do want some butter on that homemade bread you’re making me…”

  “You’re a pain in my butt sometimes. You know that?”

  Anthony grinned. “That’s what you love best about me, right?”

  “I wouldn’t say that…” Bri followed him outside and stood next to his truck.

  “Am I driving?” he asked. He’d expected her to drive.

  “I’d prefer if you did. I don’t like to drive with snow on the ground.”

  “You live in the mountains of Colorado, and you don’t like to drive with snow on the ground?”

  “Everyone has little eccentricities!” She grinned at the surprised look on his face. She knew she was odd, but she’d slid on some black ice once and almost gone over a guard rail and off the road. Somehow she felt safer if she was the passenger.

  He unlocked the truck and got in. “Mine’s already warm too. That’ll help a little.”

  “I appreciate you grocery shopping with me. I wanted to spend the time together, but I really do need to get to work on the party. I’ve been so busy with the B&B that I haven’t started prepping at all. Usually I’d have it mostly done by now.”

  “Jennifer invited me to the party. She told me it would be the premier event in town for the entire year, and I’d be missing out if I didn’t come.” Anthony shook his head. He’d met women like Jennifer before, and he had no desire to get to know her any better. He was familiar enough with her type.

  Bri rolled her eyes, trying to make light of it. She knew what the other girl was up to. Her prom date had left with Jennifer after all. “I suppose she offered to be your date since I need to work at the party, and you shouldn’t be left all alone with nothing to do?”