Rocky Mountain Angels (11 page)

They looked at each other as if she’d lost her mind.

“Oh come on, don’t tell me you guys never read The Big Orange Splot when you were kids.” She bit off the end of a breadstick.

Ben shook his head. “It’s not ringing a bell.”

Eli smirked. “Do you have it memorized?”

Mari finished chewing and swallowed. “Well, not the whole thing, but that line is kind of the theme.” She poked her breadstick at Eli. “You have to buy it and read it to your kids someday.”

Eli looked at his watch, still smiling. “If you say so, Miss Lit., but right now I’ve got to go.” He leaned toward her, and Mari wondered if he was going to give her a kiss goodbye, but he put his lips to her ear instead. “Pretty sneaky way of getting out of our zoo date,” he whispered. “You know I want a rain check.” He pulled back with a questioning stare.

“It may be awhile.”

“I can wait.”

He locked eyes with her for a moment; then Mari realized something. “Eli, if your meeting was rescheduled for right now, you wouldn’t have been able to go to the zoo anyway.”

“Busted!” Ben threw in from his side of the bed.

Eli didn’t look at all sorry. “That’s technically true,” he said, crossing his arms, “but from what I understand, you broke your toe last night. My meeting plans didn’t form until this morning. So,” he went on, standing and rounding the bed, “you broke the date first, and therefore”—he stopped at the foot, his hands on both canopy poles— “you now owe me two.”

“Two dates?”

Eli nodded.

Ben shook his head. “He’s just making that up. That’s not a real thing.”

“Au contraire, little brother, it most definitely is a ‘real thing.’”

Mari couldn’t keep herself from smiling.
Such a charmer.
“We’ll see. Now run along, or Joe is going to have a fit.” She couldn’t resist teasing him. “Ben will be grand company today, I’m sure.”

Ben smiled and threw Eli a look of victory, and Mari regretted her mischief immediately.
The last thing I want to do is lead Ben on.
One glance at Eli told her he read her repentant expression as easily as if she’d given voice to it.

A tiny smile lifted the corners of his mouth, but surprisingly it wasn’t a gloating smile, it seemed to convey the same thing she felt.
Eli doesn’t want to see Ben hurt either.

And in that moment, she didn’t care if it was a “real thing” or not. She wanted those two dates.

***

Ben made so many trips between their houses over the course of the afternoon, she imagined their snowless path to now look like a well-worn cattle trail.

First he’d gone back for a camp chair, so he could sit in her bedroom without being on the bed. Then he’d gone back for hand-held video games. As it turned out, Mari wasn’t very good at those, so he made the trip again for a deck of cards, and when they were tired of that, he actually brought over the small TV with a built-in dvd player from his room to set on her dresser.

Mari had hobbled to the bathroom while he was getting it set up, but when she came back, Ben seemed nervous. Mari watched him slide a dvd in, then come back and sit in the camp chair with the remote in hand. Except he didn’t start the movie; he just kept staring straight ahead with his jaw set.

“Ben?”

He slowly looked over at her. “He’s not good enough for you.”

She was pretty sure she knew who he was talking about, but she asked anyway. “Who?”

“Eli.” He looked at her with such sadness, Mari’s chest ached. “He has no idea what to do with someone like you. He’ll break your heart.”

She placed her hand on his forearm. “Ben, I’m not... I mean we’re not...” She knew what Ben was trying to say. It was the very thing she had told herself the day before. Eli was dangerous—not to be trusted—and yet just a few hours earlier she had nearly melted under his gaze. Part of her wanted him to rush in as soon as his meeting was over and keep her company for the evening.

“Maybe you’re not, but he definitely has his sights on you, and Eli’s used to getting what he wants when it comes to women.”

She gave his arm a pat and returned her hand to her lap. “Well, I’m not the type to come when a guy whistles,” she tried to reassure herself almost as much as Ben.

He hung his head, clearly wrestling with something. Finally he blurted. “He drinks too much, he sleeps around, and he doesn’t observe Shabbas. He thinks he’s God’s gift to women, but I don’t think he even believes there is a God. And if he has made you feel somehow special, you just need to know that he was out last night until late, and he came home smelling like booze and perfume.” He turned to face her, clearly pained. “I hate to rat out my own brother, but you need to know. Eli is poison. You need to keep your distance.”

Mari hardly knew what to say. She had suspected that Eli’s charm had done it’s work on other women, and she had told herself to stay away, but to hear it laid out in black and white from someone who knew him so well... She swallowed and drew in a breath. “Thank you, Ben. I could tell that was hard for you to say. And I promise, I’ll be careful.”

Ben nodded, turned to the TV, and pressed the remote. The opening credits began, but Mari wasn’t really in the mood to watch a movie anymore.

***

The meeting with the Marshalls had been productive, although they still weren’t completely ready to sign off on the designs. Joe was more annoyed by this than he should have been. He knew that often, even when Eli gives people exactly what they say they want, they change their mind when they see it in the plans. It was just a part of the process. He knew that, but for some reason, today, it bugged the heck out of him.

Truth was, he had been bugged ever since he left Mari all cozy in her froufrou bed.

He tried to tell himself he just felt guilty and out of sorts over her broken toe, but when his mind had started to wander while Eli discussed the plans with the Marshalls, he caught himself thinking about her small hands in his, her big brown eyes looking at him under long lashes when he carried her, and the shock of finding out how close they were in age.

He shifted in the seat and berated himself aloud. “It’s not like I’ve never held hands with a woman before. I hold Beth’s hand all the time.” But there was something different about holding Mari’s hands. Something that Joe couldn’t quite put his finger on. There was a feeling of instant connection that went deeper than physical touch.

He sat now in his truck in the driveway, the cold creeping back in almost the minute he’d turned off the engine. Eli had climbed out of the truck five minutes ago, mumbling about going back to the drawing board, but the the direction he took was across the lawn to Mari’s. And Joe didn’t know why that also bugged the heck out of him.

Beth. I should go see Beth.

He turned the key and backed out of the driveway.

***

Eli felt both regret and delight when Mari opened the door looking like she just woke up from a nap. He apologized profusely for getting her up but couldn’t help drinking in her just-rolled-out-of-bed appearance. Her big tie-dyed shirt just added to her laid up and laid back style and made Eli smile.

Blinking and yawning, she smoothed her hair in the back. “I can’t believe I fell asleep. It must have been the pain pills. I zonked out in the middle of the movie Ben and I were watching.” She suddenly looked around. “Is he still here?”

Eli shook his head. “I don’t think so. How’s the foot? Can I help you back to bed?”

She held up a hand. “I’m sick and tired of that bed. Let’s sit in the kitchen. I think I need a cup of tea anyway.”

Eli tried to assist, but she waved him away. “I can walk, really. That’s what the boot is for.”

He took a step back and gave her space while she walked slowly, and he could tell, painfully, to the kitchen.

She plopped down on one of the hard patio chairs she insisted on having in her kitchen and huffed out a breath.

Eli stopped beside her. “Direct me to your teabags, and I’ll make you a cup.”

“Oh, yeah, the tea, ” she said with irritation and started to get up.

Eli put a hand on her shoulder. “Mari, sit. Just tell me. I’m pretty sure I can manage it.”

She sat back, seemingly resigned, and Eli wondered at this sudden reluctance to receive a bit of help. She pointed to a floral tin cannister on the counter. He could see her colorful mugs through the glass doors of her cupboards so took down a lime green one and filled it with water before putting it in the microwave and setting the time. “What did you and Ben do today other than attempt to watch a movie?” Eli opened the cannister and pulled out a teabag.

“Oh, we played some video games that I was terrible at and a couple card games.” Then her usually sweet demeanor slipped even further away as she leaned forward slightly and pinned him with her gaze. “And we talked.”

The microwave beeped, which gave Eli the opportunity to look busy for a minute and change the subject. “Do you take your tea straight up, Ma’am?” he asked in his best Texas drawl but didn’t get even a tiny smile out of Mari.

“The honey is in that cupboard to your left and a spoon is in the drawer your standing in front of.”

He brought it all to the table and sat across from her. After a few silent minutes of Mari sipping tea and avoiding his gaze, Eli reached across the small table and tried to touch her hand. Mari pulled it back to hook a stray strand of hair behind her ear then laid it in her lap.

Eli sat up straight, keeping his eyes on hers now looking down at the table. “Mari, I’m getting the feeling you’re angry at me about something, and I really have no idea why. I didn’t think you were mad earlier today, were you? In fact, I thought you were flirting with me just a little.” He reached over and ran a finger down the back of her hand clutching the mug handle.

She put that hand in her lap, as well, and met his gaze with a determined look.

Eli smiled hesitantly. “You’re going to have a difficult time drinking your tea.”

She didn’t respond.

“Would you just like me to leave?”

Mari paused then nodded. “Maybe that would be best.”

Eli rose, feeling confused, and headed for the door.
Where did we slip off the track? Maybe she’s just in pain, or maybe it’s the pills making her cranky, or maybe—
He stopped in his tracks.
“And we talked.”

Ben
.

Eli walked back to the kitchen and stood in the doorway behind Mari. “You and Ben talked. Can I ask what you talked about? Did Ben talk about me, by chance?”

Mari’s silence told him he had.

Eli returned to the chair he had vacated. “Mari, you know that Ben has a huge crush on you. He also knows that I’m attracted to you. He may say things...”

Mari leaned in and gripped her mug with both hands. “How many women have you slept with, Eli?”

Eli wasn’t expecting such a direct approach, and he had hoped to not have to deal with this subject so soon. He sat back in his chair. “It’s true that I’ve spent too many years chasing after the wrong women, and believe me, I know that you are nothing like the women I’ve dated in the past—”

“Do you actually date women or just sleep with them?”

Eli felt his chest constrict, but he knew he had to tell her the truth. “I’ve dated a few of them for a month or two.”

“You never answered my original question. How many?”

Eli looked at the table and took a breath. “It’s not like I have a belt with notches in it. I don’t know the answer to your question.” Joe had done everything in his power to make Eli feel guilty about his sex life, as had Ben. But he never really felt it until now.

“I see. And what about the drinking?”

Eli looked up. “I have a few drinks now and then. I’m not an alcoholic, Mari.”

“And what about last night? Ben says you came home last night late, reeking of booze and perfume.”

He felt himself tense.
I’m gonna kill Ben.
“I did go out to a bar with a buddy of mine, and I had a few drinks. An old friend, who just happens to be one of those gals who practically bathes in perfume, gave me a hug. We were out until about midnight, I suppose, shooting pool.” Eli wasn’t used to reporting his every move, but he knew there would be no relationship with Mari unless he could somehow satisfy her. He longed to take her hands, but he kept his, with fingers interlocked, in his lap.

“What Ben didn’t tell you, because Ben doesn’t know, is that as soon as I met you, I knew I wanted something different. I knew I wanted a different kind of life with a different kind of woman. One that’s smart and sweet and kind, as well as beautiful and sexy.”

Mari still didn’t say anything, but he thought her eyes looked softer. He leaned back, looking at the ceiling, and ran his hands through his hair. “And believe me, I know I don’t deserve somebody like that, but if somebody like that” —he looked back into those intense brown eyes— “were to give me a chance, I know I could be true to her.”

He put his hands over hers still holding the mug, and this time she didn’t pull away. “Give me my two dates, Mari. Let me show you more of who I am, and then decide if you want to go out with me again.”

She searched his eyes for a moment then turned away and gave a start. Eli followed her gaze and noticed the dwindling daylight outside. She started to rise, and he released her hands. “The sun’s going down. Eli, you should go; we’ll talk later.”

Eli reluctantly stood and followed her slow path to the door. He paused at her coat rack to retrieve his coat. “Mari...”

She turned clumsily and gave him a weak smile. “I promise I’ll think about what you said.”

He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until she melted against him. He wanted to lose himself in those curls that changed from brown to black and back again depending on the light. He wanted to slide his hands down her back and over her hips. But instead, he nodded and slipped his coat on, being careful not to touch her as he passed her on his way to the door.

Chapter 9

As soon as Eli was out the door, Mari hurried to retrieve matches and a candle out of a kitchen cabinet and set it in a holder on her tile table. Lighting the candle, she circled her hands over the flame three times then covered her eyes. “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the Holy Shabbat.”