Читать книгу Colton's Rescue Mission - Karen Whiddon - Страница 11

Back home, Remy shed his clothes and once again climbed in between his sheets, then pulled his comforter up to his chin. He couldn’t shake the image of Vanessa in the soft flannel pajamas, wondering what it would be like to slip his hand under them and caress her warm skin. Guilt immediately followed that thought, because he knew he didn’t have the right.

Despite thinking he wouldn’t, he managed to drift off to sleep. When he opened his eyes again, he saw his alarm was due to go off in five minutes. He shut it off and pushed himself up.

Thirty minutes later, showered and dressed, he drank his black coffee and nuked instant oatmeal for breakfast. When he’d finished eating, he checked his watch. He had a morning meeting with a new advertising firm from Denver, so he wouldn’t have time to stop by Seth’s.

As he drove to work, he couldn’t help but wonder if his brother had felt well enough to ski. He found himself wondering if Vanessa would go by herself, anyway, and wished he had time to head up to Pine Peak.

Wishful thinking. And foolishness, completely unlike him. Remy considered responsibility his middle name and rarely took time off from work.

Though right now, he sorely wanted to. He hadn’t been skiing at all this season. Of course, his sudden desire to go now had way too much to do with the intriguing beauty ensconced in Seth’s condo. Trouble, any way he looked at it.

Shaking his head at his stray thoughts, he parked and reminded himself to concentrate on his job. When he walked into the elegant lobby of The Chateau, he greeted Mary, the redheaded concierge who was married to Johnnie Web, a firefighter and local hero. She smiled and greeted him back, her cheerful words making him smile the entire elevator ride up to his floor.

As he stepped off and entered the bustling office, the uncharacteristic quiet made him pause. Usually, phones were ringing, people were talking and the hum of various printers or copiers made a pleasant cacophony.

Today, more than half of the cubicles were empty—people taking off for the approaching holiday. He ought to know because he’d personally approved everyone’s requested vacation time.

He’d actually been a bit surprised the Denver ad agency had requested a meeting today to pitch their ideas for a new campaign. While Remy had let it be known that he was actively searching for a new company, all the other major players had scheduled meetings for after the New Year.

Since he actually admired this firm for wanting to get a jump on their competition, he’d agreed to the meeting, despite being short several members of his decision-making staff.

Walking into his office, he looked around for his assistant, Heather. She came out of the break room carrying a donut and a cup of coffee, her long, brown hair up in her usual jaunty ponytail. “Well, good morning,” she chirped. “Someone brought donuts, if you’re interested.”

Before he could reply, her phone rang. Heather rushed past him toward her desk, managing to get there without spilling any coffee. “Remy Colton’s desk,” she answered. Listening for a moment, her eyes went wide. “Please hold.” She eyed Remy, her expression carefully blank. “It’s The Lodge. You’d better take it.”

“Okay, thanks.” He strolled into his office and closed the door. He couldn’t imagine why anyone up there would be calling, but picked up his phone and answered.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Denise, one of the shift managers, said. “But Seth didn’t show up this morning.”

Remy glanced at his watch. “What time was he scheduled to be in?”

Denise hesitated. “Nine. However, when he pulls a time slot that early, he’s always a little late.”

Remy hadn’t known this. “How late?” The question came out a bit sharper than he’d intended.

“He’s usually in by ten,” she said quietly. “But it’s after that and he isn’t answering his phone.”

Remy cursed silently. If he hurried, he could make it to Seth’s condo and back before his meeting, which seemed to be running late. “I’ll run over and check on him,” he promised.

“Thank you.” Again, he sensed her hesitation. “If he’s…sick, just let us know so we don’t expect him.”

“Will do.” He hung up, gritting his teeth. Almost immediately, his assistant buzzed him.

“Your ten o’clock canceled,” she said. “They were driving up from Denver this morning. Since the pass is closed, they have no way to get here.”

He thanked her, actually glad. Now he wouldn’t have to worry about rushing things with Seth. It sounded like his baby brother needed a good talking-to.

Vanessa wondered for the umpteenth time if she’d made a mistake agreeing to stay in Seth’s condo, even if only for one night. When his handsome brother, Remy, had shown up after midnight, worried, she felt a jolt of attraction low in her belly. Again. And she hated drama of any kind. Getting in between two brothers could create chaos of epic proportions.

Still, after Remy left and she’d wandered back to her bedroom, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

When she woke shortly after seven, she hurriedly showered and dressed before heading to the kitchen, where she hoped to get a cup of strong coffee. Seth’s bedroom door remained closed, making her wonder if he’d forgotten their plans to ski. Loath to knock, she texted him instead.

What time are we leaving?

No answer, which might mean he was in the shower. She went ahead and made her coffee, glad Seth stocked milk and sweetener. After a couple of sips, warmth flooding her throat, she felt her original optimism again. There was nothing she loved better than skiing and she could hardly wait to try out the slopes at Pine Peak. She glanced at her gear piled over in a corner near the door. Rather than leaving it in the car and taking a chance on it being stolen, she’d brought it inside Seth’s condo.

Speaking of Seth… She checked her watch. They’d agreed on early morning, before he had to go in to work. While she wasn’t sure what his schedule looked like today, she figured he’d have to start by nine at the latest. Which meant they were running out of time to ski.

She walked over to the window and peered outside. Snow still fell in a steady curtain and judging from the amount piled up on cars, they’d gotten over a foot of fresh white powder overnight. But there didn’t seem to be any wind, which was a good thing.

Perfect for skiing. As long as conditions weren’t whiteout, the slope would be rocking and rolling. She could hardly wait.

Gathering up her nerve, she went ahead and tapped quietly on his door.

Nothing.

With her heart racing, she turned the knob and peeked her head in. Judging by the man-size lump under the covers, Seth was still asleep.

Sleeping it off?

“Seth?” she ventured, staying in the doorway. “Seth, are you going to get up?”

A loud groan was his only answer.

Damned if she would go any farther into the room. She wasn’t sure what Seth thought this was, but she could clearly see what might happen if she stepped over and attempted to shake him awake. He’d pull her down and start kissing her, likely ignoring her protests that they weren’t intimate anymore.

Nope. Not happening. Suppressing a shudder, she called him again. “Seth. We’re supposed to go skiing before you go to work. I’m not sure what time you have to be in, but if we’re going to hit the slopes, I’m thinking we need to head out now.”

“We’ll go later,” he mumbled. “I’m taking the day off from work.”

“Okay,” she replied, backing out and closing the door. Drinking the rest of her coffee, she debated whether or not to head out alone. While she could certainly ski an unfamiliar mountain by herself, it was always much more fun with a friend like Seth, who was a damned skilled skier. And whatever else he might be, she hoped the two of them could remain friends.

She decided to give it a few hours. After all, she had no place she had to be.

Since Seth had told her to make herself at home and to help herself to anything she wanted, she rummaged in the fridge in search of something she could make herself for breakfast.

Surprised to find a wide variety of foods, she settled on scrambled eggs and toast, along with a second cup of coffee.

After she ate, she checked the weather app on her phone. While she personally felt there was no such thing as too much snow, she knew ski resorts didn’t always agree. If visibility got too poor, they’d shut down the slope and send the ski patrol out to bring in any stragglers. Her heart sank as she realized the snowstorm had caused exactly that situation. Though they hoped for perfect conditions tomorrow once the storm had passed, those in charge had decided it was too dangerous at the moment.

Which meant Seth’s refusal to get out of bed had actually been a good thing. With the passion of a thousand purple suns, she hated getting suited up in anticipation of a couple of good runs and being stopped at the base of the mountain as she was about to get on the lift.

Should she go home then, and leave skiing Pine Peak for another time? After all, she’d done what she came to do and hopefully Seth would now have some closure.

Another quick internet search revealed they’d closed Loveland Pass. She could still take the I-70 tunnel, though she wasn’t sure of the road conditions right now.

Her motto when it came to snowstorms had always been Better Safe Than Sorry. Which meant she’d be sticking around Roaring Springs at least one more night, maybe longer.

Glancing once more at the still-closed bedroom door, she knew Seth wouldn’t mind her staying with him an extra day or two. If she could just get past this uneasiness. Since she’d been here, Seth had been nothing but a perfect gentleman. Sure, he’d gone out and had a little too much to drink last night, but he hadn’t come pounding on her door or anything.

A sharp series of knocks on the front door made her jump. Hurrying over, she checked the peephole. Her stomach did a somersault when she saw Remy standing there, all bundled up in a down parka, a light dusting of snow on his broad shoulders.

Hurriedly, she opened the door. “Come inside,” she said. “It’s freezing out there.”

“I know.” As he stepped inside, his solemn expression gave her pause. “They closed down the slopes.”

“Yes, I saw. Ditto on Loveland Pass, which shouldn’t be such a surprise.” She took a deep breath. “Would you like some coffee?”

One side of his mouth quirked up, but he shook his head. “No thanks. This isn’t really a social visit. Is Seth around?”

“In there.” She inclined her head toward the closed door. “Is everything all right?”

“He didn’t show up for work.” Remy removed his parka and hung it on the back of a chair. “He didn’t even call, so they didn’t know if they needed to bring someone else in to cover his shift.”

Seth had said he was taking the day off. Clearly, he’d managed to forget to inform his employer of that.

Again, their gazes met and held for a second too long. Remy looked away first. “Is he still asleep?”

Feeling slightly dazed, she nodded. “I think so. I tried to wake him earlier but he was having none of it. We were supposed to hit the slopes first thing this morning. Though I guess since they closed them down, it was lucky we didn’t.”

“True.” Remy grimaced. “Please excuse me while I go talk to my brother.”

She nodded, trying to decide if she should retreat to her room or not. As he disappeared inside Seth’s room, she elected to remain in the kitchen. She couldn’t help but find how seriously Remy appeared to take his role of elder brother fascinating. Obviously, Seth could use the help.

“Get the hell out of my bedroom,” Seth shouted. “Who let you in here, anyway?”

“Your houseguest,” Remy replied, his tone measured and controlled. “I was here last night, too, after Gary called me all worried about you.”

A string of curse words followed. “I don’t work for you, Remy.” Seth stormed out of the bedroom, briefly stopping short when he saw Vanessa. He’d put on a sweatshirt and a pair of wrinkled jeans and shoved his feet into snow boots. “Sorry about this, Van,” he muttered, before snagging his down parka out of the front closet. He turned to glare at Remy. “I’m just living my life and trying to have some fun, bro. I don’t need you coming in here and giving me a hard time.”

Remy started to speak, but Seth cut him off with a furious command. “Don’t.” He held up his hand. “I’m out of here. Don’t follow me, either of you. I need to be alone.” With that, he bolted out and slammed the front door, knocking down a picture that had been hanging on the wall and shattering the glass.

Not sure what else to do or what to say, Vanessa went in search of a broom and a dustpan. She located them in the laundry room and went to clean up the glass.

“Here, let me.” Remy took them from her and immediately got busy. Surprised, she hung back, wishing she had something to do with her hands. Maybe then she could better resist this unexpected urge to touch him.

Once he’d dumped all the glass shards in the trash, Remy retrieved the vacuum and went back over the area. Vanessa watched him, amazed how he could manage to look so sexy while performing the most mundane task.

Finally, he shut off the vacuum, wound up the cord and put it back in the hall closet. “There,” he said, dusting his hands off on the front of his jeans. “All done.”

She nodded. “Thanks.” Then, because she felt awkward, she checked her watch. Since she’d had such a late breakfast, it seemed a bit too early for lunch. But since cooking was one of the things she loved and did well, she asked Remy if he’d eaten.

“Not for hours.” The grim set of his mouth told her food had been the last thing on his mind.

“How about you let me make you something? I can rustle up breakfast or lunch or brunch, if you want to call it that. Seth told me to help myself to anything I wanted in the kitchen.”

Though his gaze narrowed, he finally nodded. “I’d like that, thank you. But something simple. I don’t want to put you out.”

Relieved, she grinned. “Actually, I love to cook. And right now, I’d feel a lot better if I could keep busy.”

He followed her to the kitchen. “Again, I apologize about all that. You just got here. I’m sure you didn’t sign up for all this family drama.”

Did she hear the hint of a question in his voice? Deciding to ignore that possibility, she began rummaging in the fridge. “So…what are you in the mood for?” she asked.

“Have you had breakfast?”

Slowly, she nodded. “I made myself scrambled eggs earlier. But that doesn’t matter. I can whip you up some breakfast if that’s what you want.”

Watching her, he considered. “It’s still early enough for breakfast to be a respectable option. The Chateau restaurant serves it until ten thirty.”

“Breakfast it is, then. Bacon, eggs and toast? Or…” She took a peek inside the refrigerator again. “There are enough ingredients for eggs Benedict with ham. Would you like that instead?”

“If it’s not too much trouble.” He grimaced and glanced at the front door. “I wonder if Seth will be back to eat.”

Though she privately doubted that, she nodded. “I’ll make extra just in case. As long as I keep the eggs and the English muffins separate, it won’t get too soggy.”

Humming happily, she got busy. Next to skiing, cooking was her favorite pastime. And privately, she considered herself pretty darn talented at it. Her friends back in Boston had always raved about the meals she’d made. And since moving to Boulder, she’d hosted a couple of dinner parties with the same results.

And now she’d be cooking for Remy. Why that felt different, she wasn’t sure.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he murmured from behind her, his voice so close she knew if she spun around, she could reach out and touch him.

Forcing herself to continuing stirring the hollandaise sauce, she simply glanced over her shoulder. “Not really. Why don’t you make yourself a cup of coffee and sit down and relax? This won’t take too much longer.”

“Would you like a cup, too?” he asked. “You look like you’re about empty.”

Though she rarely had more than two coffees per day, she liked the idea of sharing a cup with this man. Maybe they could talk and get to know each other a little bit better. As long as that’s all they did, that should be safe.

“Sure,” she answered.

“Cream and sugar?”

“Yes, please.” She smiled as he did a double take. “I know, black coffee is better. According to Seth, you can best taste the coffee that way.”

“I agree with my brother on that.” Remy made them both a cup, then carried hers over to her before taking a seat at the table. “You seem to know what you’re doing,” he commented. “Do you cook professionally?”

“No.” She risked another glance over her shoulder. “I’ve thought about it. Though I’m afraid if I started doing it for a living, that would take some of the joy out of it.”

Just then the front door blew open and Seth burst inside. He shook off snow before removing his coat and barreling through to the kitchen. At the doorway, he stopped short, staring at the two of them.

“What are you doing?” he asked as he came up behind Vanessa and gave her a huge kiss on the side of her neck. “That smells interesting. Why are you cooking for my brother?”

At his touch, she froze. Again, she had the sense of barely leashed violence, though she managed to shrug lightly. “He was hungry, so I thought I’d make him something to eat while he waited for you to get back. There’s plenty, if you’d like some, too.”

Instead of immediately answering, he leaned around her and peered into the pan. “What is that?”

“Hollandaise sauce. I’m poaching some eggs and serving them on English muffins with cheese, topped by this sauce.”

“You know, eggs Benedict,” Remy chimed in, his tone dry. “I’m pretty sure you’ve had it before.”

Though Seth didn’t respond, judging by the hard set of his mouth, he wasn’t pleased.

Why Remy was pushing his brother’s buttons, she wasn’t sure. But she sure as heck planned to stay out of it. She kept busy, putting the English muffins under the broiler now that the poached eggs were in the water. “Seth, why don’t you get some coffee and sit?” she suggested. “Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.”

Seth narrowed his eyes and glared at her, then stalked over to the coffee maker. Relieved, she relaxed her spine slightly, though she couldn’t help but wonder if coming here for closure might have been a huge mistake.

The eggs were done just as the English muffins turned the perfect shade of brown. She tossed a few thick slices of ham in a frying pan and when they’d begun to crisp, she put everything together and ladled the hollandaise on top. Perfect, she thought, suppressing the urge to snap a quick pic with her phone. Instead, she smiled and carried the plates over to the table.

“Here you go,” she said, placing the meals in front of each man. “Enjoy.”

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Seth asked, eying his food. “Seems like you went through an awful lot of trouble for my brother.”

Still smiling, she ignored the snide tone. “I had scrambled eggs and toast earlier, while you were asleep. And you know how much I like to cook. This wasn’t any trouble at all.”

“Thank you,” Remy said, and he dug in.

Seth eyed his brother, using his fork to move things around on his plate. When he finally cut a piece, he got only the egg and ham, leaving the English muffin and most of the sauce on his plate. He chewed and then set down his fork. “You know,” he mused, “I think it’s time I hired a professional chef.”

When he glanced at Vanessa, she wondered if he was actually going to offer her the job.

“One who can really cook.” He pushed his plate away. “Nice try, Van.”

Stunned, she could only stare. To her horror, she felt tears prick the back of her eyes. She turned away, ostensibly to clean up the pans. The casual cruelty coming from a man she’d always regarded as a friend hurt. Clearly, Seth hadn’t gotten over the breakup, and they couldn’t go back to being friends. In fact, as soon as the roads were clear, she needed to pack up and go. Maybe a room at either The Chateau or The Lodge would have become available just for one or two nights, so she could ski Pine Peak. Heck, she’d even take a room in one of the chain motels on the edge of town.

She ran the water, then scrubbed out the pans and placed them in the dishwasher. Seth had gone silent, making her wonder if he might apologize. She glanced back at the table, only to find him glaring at her, his expression furious.

“What were you two doing here alone while I was gone?” he demanded, including Remy in his stare. “And come on, Vanessa, why were you trying to impress my brother with a fancy breakfast? We have oatmeal. Scrambled eggs and toast is what you said you had. But no, that wasn’t good enough for him. I’m thinking you—”

“Enough!” Remy pushed to his feet. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Seth. Leave her alone. She was simply being kind. She doesn’t deserve this treatment from you.”

“Really, Remy?” Standing so quickly he knocked back his chair, Seth faced his older brother. His hands were clenched into fists. “You come in my place, hit on my girlfriend and have the nerve to try and tell me how to act?”

Remy appeared as stunned as she felt. “Seth—”

Again, Seth cut him off. “Mind your own business. Vanessa belongs to me. Our relationship has nothing to do with you.” He pointed toward the door. “Leave.”

Remy took care not to glance her way. Part of her didn’t want him to leave. But when she didn’t correct Seth, what else could he do?

“Thanks for breakfast,” he finally said, meeting her gaze. “It was delicious.” He grabbed his parka and left.

Seth dropped back into his seat, muttering under his breath. Vanessa cleared her throat. “Seth, we need to talk.”

“Do we?” He shook his head. “Don’t be mad because I didn’t like your cooking. I’ve never been fond of eggs Benedict, that’s all.”

“It’s not that,” she said. “Actually, that’s only part of it. You were unnecessarily rude, both to me and your brother. Not just that, but I don’t belong to you. And we don’t have a relationship.”

His harsh expression softened. “Then why’d you come here? Come on, Van, I know you missed me as much as I missed you. You didn’t drive up all the way from Boulder just to ski.”

Even though the lure of skiing Pine Peak had factored into her decision to come to Roaring Springs, she knew better than to bring that up. “Seth, I came here to explain why I broke things off so abruptly. I wanted to give us both closure.”

“Closure?” He spat the word as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. “What is it with women and closure? Who the hell cares? Either you want to get back together or you don’t. Which is it?”

Heart aching, she took a deep breath. “Actually, I was hoping we could go back to being friends. But clearly, that was a foolish idea. I’ll pack my things and get out of your hair. I’m sorry to have put you out.”

She kept her chin up and her back straight as she walked to the guest bedroom. Luckily, she hadn’t done much unpacking, so all she had to do was grab her toiletries and put them in her suitcase.

When she emerged, Seth was nowhere to be found. She had no intention of going in search of him to say goodbye. Essentially, she’d already said that.

It took two trips to get her small suitcase and her ski gear loaded back in her car. Seth didn’t bother to make an appearance, something that both saddened her and filled her with relief.

At least the plow had been by. She’d put snow tires on her car right before the first snow and she had chains in the trunk in case she needed them. Either way, she wasn’t sure she could make it back home in this weather. With snow still falling heavily, she drove a slow and cautious couple of blocks until she reached The Chateau. If worse came to worst, she’d sleep sitting up in a chair in the lobby.

There were no parking spots open in the small lot, but she finally located one on a side street. This time, she left her skis on top of her car, though she grabbed her suitcase and trudged toward the hotel entrance.

Stepping through the ornate glass doors, she felt as if she’d entered a different world. Though she doubted anyone would have checked out since yesterday, she approached the front desk, anyway.

Just as the polite, well-coiffed young woman asked her if she could help her, Vanessa had an idea. “Yes, I’m looking for Remy Colton. I was told he works here.” After all, she’d met him out in front of the hotel yesterday.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Colton isn’t taking visitors today,” the woman, whose badge announced her name was Tena, said.

“Could you contact him and ask him to call me?”

Slowly, Tena nodded. “I could take your number, yes.”

Vanessa rattled off the digits, then asked that Remy call her as soon as possible. “I’ll be waiting in the lobby,” she said. “Unless you happen to have any vacancies?”

“I’m sorry, we don’t. We’re fully booked through Christmas.”

Which was the same answer she’d gotten when she’d inquired yesterday and clearly nothing had changed on that front.

Choosing an unoccupied, overstuffed chair facing the front door, Vanessa took a seat. She began scrolling through her phone, checking social media and catching up on the news. Barely five minutes had passed when her phone rang.