Tony watched as Maddie dabbed the corners of her mouth with the cloth napkin, then placed it on the table beside her empty bowl.
“That was delicious, Cookie.” She slid the chair back from the table and stood.
The chef accepted the compliment with a brief nod.
Maddie looked at Tony. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get unpacked. What time should we meet to go over Mr. Fairchild’s offer?”
So that’s how it was? Down to business, just like that. Although he knew he shouldn’t expect otherwise—it was why Maddie came to Cloud Mountain Lodge. Still, Tony wanted to delay the start of the negotiations. Maybe because he feared talking business would bring about her departure too soon. Or maybe because he wanted to make her smile again, a smile that reached into her big brown eyes, a smile that he remembered from college.
He placed his napkin on the table. “You’re going to be here for four days. There’s plenty of time for us to meet. How about we do it in the morning? This afternoon I need to run into town for supplies and then I’ve got to hang wallpaper. We’ve got more guests coming in over the weekend.”
“Well…”
“You had a long drive up from Boise. Kick back and relax a bit. That’s what a place like Cloud Mountain is all about. Relaxing. Enjoying the beauty around us.”
“I suppose you’re right. Morning it is, then.”
Audrey began to gather the dirty dishes to carry into the kitchen. “There’s a lovely fire in the fireplace in the reading room. It’s right off the lobby. Once you’ve got things settled, come on down and enjoy the view. I’ll fix you a cup of coffee, if you’d like.”
“She prefers hot tea with milk,” Tony said.
Maddie turned her head sharply. “How did you know that?”
“I heard you say so.”
“When?”
He shrugged, making light of the memory. “I was part of a study group that met in the student union building. You know how those groups were crowded on top of each other. I must have overheard you tell the waitress.” He rose from his chair. “I’d better pick up those supplies or I’ll never finish that room on time.”
He strode from the dining room, mentally calling himself several kinds of a fool. “Anderson, you’ve got more important things to think about than her.”
Only, what were they?
Maddie took her time unpacking, hanging clothes in the closet, placing other things in the bureau drawers. Her personal care items—favorite brand of shampoo, face cleanser, lotions, makeup—went in the bathroom. As she turned her attention to the materials in her briefcase, she remembered David’s admonition: Well, don’t forget to have a good time while you’re there. You’re in danger of becoming a workaholic. You’re young. Live a little.
A sigh escaped her lips. David was right. All she did was work. She had no social life to speak of. Even her involvement at church was minimal. When someone asked her to go to brunch after Sunday service or to come to a women’s Bible study or small group meeting, her reply was always the same: “I’m sorry. I have work to do. Maybe next time?”
But next time never came, she was busy then, too.
Maddie sank onto the bed. “Why am I like this?”
Because you’re afraid to live.
It was true. She was afraid. Afraid of failing…again. Afraid of never being free of the past. Afraid that she wouldn’t climb out of debt. Afraid to trust others. Afraid to trust herself.
Afraid to trust God.
It hurt to confess her lack of trust, even silently. She knew it shouldn’t be that way. She knew God loved her and cared about her present and her future. But still she was afraid to let down her guard, to embrace her life as it was, as it was yet to be.
As she’d done several times since her arrival, she walked to the large window and looked at the beautiful winter scenery beyond the glass. So different from Los Angeles. She should listen to David. She should take the time to enjoy herself while she was here. Maybe get into the Christmas spirit.
Christmas.
As a child, she’d loved this season—the lights, the hidden presents, the trees, the parties—but now she dreaded it. The month of December was filled with bad memories. Broken promises. Ugly arguments. Shattered expectations. And like icing on a cruel cake, her divorce had also become final in December.
She hadn’t been in the Christmas spirit since. Her world had been reduced to work, work and more work.
I don’t want to be like this any longer, God. Help me, please.
Tony was loading the last of the supplies into the back of the Jeep when he saw Maddie coming down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street, gazing at the window displays of the small shops that lined Cloud Mountain’s main thoroughfare. She stopped outside Candy Corner.
Her white knit cap was pulled low over her ears and her hands were shoved into the pockets of her down coat. Even from across the street he could tell she was shivering, her shoulders hunched forward. Years in California must have thinned her blood.
He closed the back of the Jeep and headed across the street. When he stepped onto the curb, he asked, “Got a sweet tooth?”
She gasped as she whirled around. “Tony. You scared me half to death.”
“Sorry.” He grinned. “Didn’t mean to.”
“You don’t look sorry.” After a moment, she smiled, too.
“The caramel apples topped with nuts are my favorite. What about you?”
“Almond toffee.”
“Come on.” He jerked his head. “My treat.”
“Oh, I shouldn’t.” She touched her hips. “Too many calories.”
“A little won’t hurt you. Besides you’re so thin right now, a good gust of wind might blow you away.”
“I don’t know….”
He chuckled as he took her arm and steered her into the shop. The air inside was thick with wonderful, sweet smells.
“I’ve gained a pound already,” she said.
Evie Barrett, the owner of Candy Corner, came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron as she approached them from the opposite side of the candy displays. “Hey, Tony. How you doin’?”
“Good, Evie.” He motioned toward Maddie. “This is Maddie Scott. She’s a guest at the lodge for the weekend.”
“Nice to meet you, Maddie. This your first time to Cloud Mountain?”
“Yes.”
“Have you been skiing yet?”
“No. I only arrived at the lodge a short while ago.”
“I was up there with my sons yesterday after they got out of school. Great powder this week. You’ll see what I mean when you get out there.” She patted her fingertips on the display case. “What can I do you for?”
Tony answered, “We’ll take a pound of the almond toffee and a half dozen of the caramel apples with nuts.”
“Comin’ right up.”
Maddie looked at Tony as if he’d lost his mind. “A pound?”
He shrugged.
“I’m in so much trouble,” she said beneath her breath.
He laughed.
She smiled in return.
If he could have captured that moment and kept it in a jar, he would have. It was perfect. The two of them, like old friends, smiling and laughing in a candy shop. It was his best dream come true.
Except in his best dream, they would be more than friends.
Slow down, Anderson.
He turned to watch Evie weigh the almond toffee on the scales.
He hadn’t really known Maddie in college. He’d wanted to know her. So had plenty of other guys. But she never had eyes for anyone but Craig Houston. All Tony could do back then was stand on the sidelines and wish he were more like the football star.
But he was nothing like Craig, and he was glad of it. Maybe things could be different now. After all, God wasn’t surprised when Maddie showed up at the lodge. Maybe this was part of His plan.
Or it could be wishful thinking.
Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to find out which it was.
Tony paid for the candy, then motioned toward one of the small white tables that stood along the opposite wall. “Let’s indulge.”
“Okay. I shouldn’t, but okay.”
After they were seated, Tony handed her the bag of toffee. She reached inside and withdrew a piece. As she bit into it, her eyes twinkled in appreciation.
“That good, huh?”
She nodded. “That good.” She popped the rest of the piece into her mouth.
“I suppose I shouldn’t ask questions while you’re eating.”
“No. Go ahead. Save me from myself.”
He leaned back in the chair. “I was wondering if you’ve still got family in Idaho.”
“No.” She shook her head. “My dad died when I was a toddler and Mom never remarried. When my sister, Kate, moved to Florida with her husband, Mom moved there, too. I was still with Craig at the time—” a shadow passed over her face “—and we were never home much. So it made sense for Mom to live near Kate.” She took another piece of toffee from the bag. “What about you? What have you been doing since college?”
“I got my degree in business management and put it to use with a conglomerate down in Texas. I did well, but I missed Idaho. So when I heard the owner of the lodge wanted to sell, I started planning and saving. A few years later, I made him an offer.”
“Is your family still in Twin Falls?”
“No. Mom and Dad both passed away while I was in Texas.”
“I’m sorry. Was it an accident? They must have been rather young.”
Tony twirled the stick on a caramel apple between his thumb and index finger. “Cancer took Mom six years ago. Dad had a heart attack a few months later.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again.
“Even after six years, there are still times when something happens and I think, wait until Mom and Dad hear about this.” He shook his head slowly. “I guess you never completely get over losing your parents.”
Silence stretched between them, each lost in thought.
Finally, Maddie said, “I’m assuming there’s no Mrs. Tony Anderson.”
“Not yet. But hopefully some day.”
“Do you have some special girl in mind?”
How about you, Maddie?
It was crazy, how close he came to saying those words aloud. It was insane that he thought them at all. Maybe he’d better end this conversation before he made a complete fool of himself. He needed to get away from Maddie and breathe in some crisp winter air to clear his head so he could think straight again.
But when he opened his mouth, he said something unexpected. “Listen, why don’t I skip hanging wallpaper and you skip the rest of your window shopping in beautiful downtown Cloud Mountain? Let’s go skiing instead.” He leaned toward her. “Let me show you why I wanted to move here and buy that old lodge.”
She shook her head. “Tony, I haven’t skied in years. I’m not sure I remember how. Besides, I don’t have any gear.”
“We can take care of all that. Skiing is like riding a bike. You don’t forget. We’ll take a nice easy run. No steep trails. No moguls.”
“I don’t know—”
“Come on. The sun is shining. The sky is clear. The snow is good. You’ll have fun.”
“Fun,” she echoed softly, lowering her gaze to the bag of candy on the table. “Have some fun.” When she looked up again, resolve filled her gaze. “Okay. Let’s do it.”