Rocky Mountain Angels (8 page)

He turned his attention back to the road, and Mari had to smile. “Okay, if it makes you happy.”

She could never have imagined when she left Piedmont, Oklahoma, what was waiting for her in a big Victorian house in Old Colorado City. These three men had taken her under their wings as if they actually were angels—her rescuers, her helpers, her advisors, and now, even her own personal designer.

She glanced at Eli while he was maneuvering through traffic.
He’s so handsome
. She had been able to hold him at a distance that first night when he was just another charmer, but what she had seen of him the last few days was chipping away at her resolve to steer clear of any romantic entanglements with him.

“So did you pick out the paint colors for your house? They’re absolutely beautiful.” In the light of day, Mari had marveled at the intricate paint design on porch railings, trim, and gables. The rose color used on the door was repeated, but there were also darker shades of green, lighter shades of rose, and ivory.

Eli slowed for a corner. “Thanks. That was a lot of fun. I’d love to do more stuff like that.”

“Well, why don’t you?”

Eli shook his head. “Joe keeps me busy doing the large-scale stuff.”

“You’re taking off today and tomorrow.” She looked at him with mock seriousness. “Maybe you should make better use of your time, Mr. Rhodes.”

Eli kept looking ahead, but his mouth curved slowly into a smile. Mari’s curiosity rose up. “Okay, what are you smiling about?”

Eli feigned ignorance. “What?”

She braced a hand on her seat and leaned her shoulder toward him. “You know.”

He glanced her way then faced the road and chuckled. “That was a favorite phrase of my father’s, and back then he was right. I could have made better use of my time. In fact if someone said that to me last week, they’d be right.” He stopped for a light and looked at her. “But right now, they’d be dead wrong.”

Mari blushed and smiled shyly, settling back into her seat. They drove for awhile in silence; then they changed direction, putting mountains directly ahead. Mari was in awe of the row of snow-dusted peaks and gave an audible sigh.

Eli flashed her a smile. “We’ll have to go to the top of Pikes Peak when it’s warmer.”

“How does one do that? Can you drive up?”

“You can, but you might find the twisty mountain roads unnerving. The Cog Railway is a much more relaxing way to go.” He paused as he changed lanes and turned a corner. Mari saw a sign for Manitou Springs. “You can, of course, hike it. Are you a hiker?”

“I’ve done a bit, but I doubt I’m ready for Pikes Peak.”

“How about The Incline?”

Mari looked at him questioningly. “What’s that?”

“It’s an old abandoned incline railway track that hikers have claimed. It rises 2000 feet in elevation in less than a mile. It’s a 68% grade in one spot.”

Mari was taking in the interesting shops they were passing. “Have you hiked it?”

“Once or twice.”

She looked back at him, curious at his tone. “You’ve done it more than once or twice, haven’t you?”

He slowed and pulled into a parking space with a sparkle in his eye. “Yeah. The Rhodes brothers race it at least once a year.”

“Race it? Are you serious?”

Eli turned off the ignition and looked at her squarely. “I never joke about physical fitness, Mari.”

He looked so serious that Mari didn’t know what to say. Then his lips twitched and his eyes twinkled, and Mari laughed. Yep, her heart was losing this battle.

***

After a light lunch, Eli and Mari perused the unique shops and art galleries of Manitou Springs. Eli was beginning to see what Mari meant by being a “spontaneous shopper.” Without him shaking his head over 90% of the things she “just loved,” she would have ended up with the most colorful, but disjointed, house in town.

Luckily, she didn’t
dislike
the things he found for her: a colorful mountain meadow painting to replace the gaudy cowboy number and bright floral paintings to replace the modern poster prints in her living room. He even found her a painting of a fiesta ware teapot with daisies in it for her kitchen.

As the afternoon sun was heading decidedly westward, Eli and Mari loaded their art treasures into Eli’s trunk. Eli closed the lid and looked to Mari, whose eyes were shining up at him. “We’re done, right? I mean, you’ve spent quite enough on me today.”

Eli thought that determined mouth was just begging to be kissed.
Kissed until she forgets the cost
. He smiled to himself.
Kissed until she forgets her own name
.

She stepped closer. “What are you smirking about?”

Eli drew in a breath, his eyes still drinking in her lips. He placed his hands on her shoulders.
Just one kiss
. His eyes slid upward to those big innocent doe eyes, and his hands slid off her shoulders as he took a step back. “Enough for today, maybe.” He walked to the passenger side and opened her door.

She shook her head at him as she got in. “What else do I need?”

He closed the door on her question and answered once he was seated behind the wheel. “Well, you need a new bedspread—something that’s in line with the style of your bed. Then there’s new towels for your bathroom, an area rug in the living room, and there’s still the matter of something to sit on.” He pulled away from the curb.

“Eli, you can’t buy me a sofa.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll check the thrift stores, and besides, I’m not thinking a sofa, I’m thinking a love seat.” He glanced her way, waggling his eyebrows.

Mari sputtered and whacked his arm.

“Hey,” Eli protested, “start beating up on me, and I’ll leave you with the cowboy and put the meadow in my office.”

“You forget, I was happy with the cowboy,” she sassed.

“Were you? Were you two a happy couple?”

“We were. All tucked in bed, he was the last man I saw every night.” She looked at him a moment then blushed, angling her face away. “I can’t believe I said that.”

Eli smiled at both her embarrassment and the picture she just painted for him of her all tucked in bed. He stopped at a red light and reached over to brush her hair away from her face. She turned back to him and before he quite knew what he was doing, his hand was sliding into her hair and his mouth was on hers, giving her a tender kiss. He could tell he surprised her, but she didn’t pull away, and when he kissed her again, she kissed back, putting her hand to his cheek.

A loud honk behind them broke the mood and got Eli’s attention back on driving. He gave a friendly wave behind him as he pulled forward and crossed the intersection. Glancing at Mari, he was surprised to see her looking at him intently. “I’m sorry, Mari, I didn’t intend to do that.”

Her brow pinched. “You didn’t?”

Eli back paddled. “Not that I didn’t want to. I’ve wanted to kiss you since you showed up soaked and bedraggled on my porch. I just hadn’t planned on kissing you right now in the middle of traffic.”

She was trying hard not to smile. “So was your plan the
love
seat?”

He laughed. “There would be fewer people honking.” He turned a corner, his heart dancing with the sound of Mari’s laughter.

***

It didn’t take long to switch out the old art for the new and drive a nail in the kitchen wall above her little table for the teapot painting. Mari was truly thrilled and had to sit awhile in each space looking at them. They shared a cup of tea in the kitchen, the living room, and finally, they sat on the foot of her bed gazing at the mountain meadow.

“It really is an improvement, Eli. Thank you.”

“Are you sure you won’t miss him? I mean you and he had this bedroom relationship going on. I know if I were him, I’d be crushed.”

Now that Eli had kissed her, Mari was starting to feel uncomfortable sitting with him on her bed—especially with him looking so darn good in a teal v-neck t-shirt. She rose, and Eli caught her hand. “Mari, do I have to wait for a love seat to kiss you again?”

She looked at those dark imploring eyes and felt her pulse jump. Getting him out of her bedroom was crucial. She gave a tug, and he rose and followed her through the doorway. “I will not let you kiss me on my bed, Eli Rhodes.” She took the empty mug out of his hand and set both his and hers on a small end table.
I’m not really sure I should ever let you kiss me again.

His kiss in the car had certainly taken her by surprise, but what surprised her even more was how much she had wanted it to happen again. Her resolve concerning romance with Eli had slipped down the drain sometime in the middle of the most gentle kiss she had ever experienced, but that didn’t mean all her reservations went with it.

They must have shown on her face, as Eli had released her hand and was putting on his coat. “How about a friendly, good night kiss?” He stepped toward her, gently grasped her arms, and kissed her on the forehead.

Mari felt a longing sweep over her for those lips to be on her lips, those arms to enfold her and draw her close, but the fear of a broken heart at the hands of this charmer kept her hands and her lips to herself.

He gave her a smile before leaving her alone for the night.

Mari stared at the closed door for a minute then spun around and, with determination, headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. She opened the freezer looking for lettuce and the crisper looking for croutons. She cut off the end of her fingernail slicing a tomato and nearly poured soy sauce on her salad instead of Italian dressing.

Finally she sat down at the table and put her head in her hands.
Oh, Eli, what have you done to me with just one kiss?

***

After spending the afternoon with Mari, Eli was lying on his bed feeling as tight as a jaguar ready to spring. Ben had given him one of his dirtiest looks when he came in, and Eli had actually felt sorry for the kid. He knew why Ben was attracted to her, and unless he was reading her all wrong, Ben didn’t have a chance.

Eli was used to getting any girl he wanted, but this time he wanted more than a night. He wanted nights and days and months and years. Patience wasn’t his best trait, however; he wanted it all now. Leaving when he did had been imperative.

Kissing her had tested the waters, but it was also a test for himself. Could he touch her, care for her, help her without demanding more? He’d never sat on a bed with a woman before yesterday without it being part of a seduction. And he had never yet set out to seduce a woman and been disappointed.

He closed his eyes and thought about her sweet, moist lips on his.

Chapter 6

Mari was pushing the last of her salad around on her plate, lost in thought. She had been doing nothing but thinking ever since Eli had left—thinking about life, about direction... about Eli.

She had dated quite a bit when college was a new thing for her, but as she had gotten older, the college students she shared classes with got younger. And she hadn’t met a man yet that was someone she’d want to spend her life with, any more than she’d found a career she wanted to spend her life with.

When she first met Eli, he was easy to dismiss as a charming playboy. Someone who was nice to look at and maybe joke around with, but you’d never let yourself fall for him. He had heartache written all over him.

But the last two days had been different.

Yeah, he was still charming and flirtatious, but there was something more. Comparing personal spaces yesterday had started out as a game, but Eli had taken it a step further and actually seemed to care about what he “read” in her chaotic decorating. And buying her art was something she never expected.

She put fingertips to her lips. His kiss had been so gentle and giving, and it had nearly turned her insides to mush.
Does he really care, or is this just how suave men like him operate to get women like me—women who are totally inexperienced—into bed?

Elbows on the table, she closed her eyes and massaged her forehead with the heels of her hands, willing her brain to stop the replay of his fingers sliding into her hair so carefully, tentatively. If she were to follow up on the feelings he evoked in her...

Jumping to her feet, she carried her plate to the sink. She looked down at the fingers that were starting to turn white and feel numb without even venturing out into the frigid night air.
Is he right? Will I be running headlong into another dead end with zoo keeper technologies?
She went into the living room to retrieve her mug for another cup of tea.

She had spent over ten years trying to find her path—trying to find that special something that would make her yell, “This is it!” After the last degree she threw in a drawer, she took a test to find her interests. It suggested working with animals, and the zoo keeper plan was born. When her research brought up the program at Colorado Springs in the shadow of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, it had seemed perfect.

But if I can’t do the zoo, I’m right back where I started career-wise.
She filled her cup with water and set it in the microwave.
Why is this so hard for me? None of my brothers had any trouble figuring out their lives.

Jerry had followed in their dad’s footsteps and went into banking. Sam worked his way up to be the manager of a sandwich shop, while Nathaniel was a computer programmer. Noah followed in their mom’s footsteps, pursuing a realtor’s license, and Alex, the youngest of the five, worked in construction. Four of them were married with children, and Alex had been dating someone seriously for about four months.

Only Mari was at loose ends.

Filling her mug with water from the tap, she felt a sudden need to get her impressions of the day shopping with Eli out of her head and into her hard drive.
And that kiss...
She knew she’d be writing about that at length.

While the water was heating in the microwave, she thought back to the moment sitting on her bed with Eli when she had almost told him about her passion for writing. She was glad she hadn’t spilled those particular beans, but she couldn’t help wondering what his reaction might have been.
Would he be like the people that want to read something and then pretend it’s good, or like the people that are sure you couldn’t possibly have any writing talent, so they move slowly away, nodding and smiling.