Found In Lost Valley

He realized she would be in the house alone and asleep if he left. The doors of the B and B weren’t locked during the day, so that guests could come and go freely. He tried to decide what to do.

After a moment, he smiled in exasperation. It wasn’t like him to hesitate. He settled upon the best course and got on with it. However, he had to admit this woman had given him pause last night and this morning.

When she’d let him in, wearing a soft pink velvet robe and fuzzy house slippers, he’d been rather taken aback by her appearance. This morning she’d fallen into his arms like a dream come true. His body had responded with rampant hunger. He hadn’t been able to disguise that fact while he’d had her pinned beneath him, her gaze startled, then wary.

Now, lying on the sofa, her hair like banked embers spread over the pillow, she looked like Sleeping Beauty awaiting her prince.

And that wasn’t him.

If ever there was a mongrel of dubious breed, he was it. Had Uncle Nick not vouched for him as a boy, today, as a man, Seth would probably be rotting in prison somewhere, resentful of life and what it had done to him. Nicholas Dalton had been his salvation.

Seth knew what a break he’d gotten. He’d been a stray mutt, taken in and fed and treated kindly. Never in a million years would he betray the trust Uncle Nick had shown in him.

He shook his head slightly, not sure what had brought on these deep, morbid musings. He had things to do. Going out the back door, he followed the sounds of music to the carriage house. There he found Honey, dressed in a black, full-body leotard, leading an exercise class.

When the music ended, she came over to him, wiping her damp face with a towel. “Whew, it’s getting hot today.”

“Depends on what you’re doing,” he said, taking in the mix of overweight men and women. “Interesting class.”

She glanced at the people preparing to leave. “It’s something Beau thought of for his patients. For weight control and also flexibility.”

“I see. Are you going to be around for a couple of hours?” he asked.

“Yes. Why?”

He explained about Amelia and her ankle, including the full details about why it was his fault, so that there would be no speculation about the situation. “So I need someone to keep an eye on her and the house while I’m out,” he concluded. “She’s asleep now.”

Honey’s eyes sparkled when she heard the story. “I don’t have classes again until school is out at three. I’ll be glad to stay with her.”

“I’ll be back in plenty of time to take care of the evening snacks.” He frowned. “I’ll have to order something for her dinner.”

“Why not serve pizza? It’s great for snacks or a meal,” Honey suggested. “Don’t tell Beau I said that, though. He’s on a campaign to make people eat healthier foods.”

“Good idea. I’ll order several kinds from the Crow’s Nest. And we can have fruit and veggies with it. You and Zack want to join us?”

“That would be lovely. I’ll call and leave word at the office. He’s off hunting down some poachers.”

Zack was a deputy sheriff with the county, heading an investigative unit charged with solving mysterious crimes, such as who occasionally slaughtered a cow on the range. That had happened pretty steadily all summer. The local ranchers were furious.

Seth left Honey in charge of Amelia and the B and B while he drove to the equally large Victorian that housed Beau’s medical practice and his own soon-to-be law office. Carpenters were working in the former dining room and parlor there.

Seth checked their progress, okayed a couple of minor changes in the plans, spoke briefly to his cousin, inviting him and Shelby over for the pizza dinner, too, then headed back to the B and B shortly after three, when Honey had to go back to her dancing classes.

Amelia was awake and on her feet when he walked in on her, surprising her in the kitchen.

“What the heck are you doing?” he demanded.

She eyed him coolly. “I have to plan something for tonight.”

“Didn’t Honey tell you it’s all been taken care of?”

She shook her head. Her hair was pulled tightly back into a ponytail. It refused to be tamed, however, and bounced jauntily each time she moved. She hopped on one foot to the refrigerator and removed a large tray. He saw she’d already prepared vegetables for the evening. That made him see red.

“Dammit, I turn my back for a minute and you’re up, disobeying orders and probably ruining your ankle.”

She gave him a look that said she doubted it.

Really irritated now, he removed the tray from her hands and set it on the counter. Next he swept her into his arms, toted her into the living room and plunked her on the sofa.

“Stay put,” he warned when she made a move to rise.

She settled down, but not before glaring at him. The telephone rang. “Well, are you going to take care of my business or not?” she asked sarcastically.

The office was built into an alcove that had once been a closet under the stairs. Like the kitchen, it had Dutch doors, the top part open and tucked out of the way. He leaned over the bottom section and picked up the portable phone.

“Uh, Lost Valley Bed and Breakfast,” he said, remembering the name of the place.

A woman asked about rooms and rates.

“Just a moment and I’ll transfer you to the reservation clerk.” He carried the phone to Amelia, who was still glaring his way. He grinned and dropped it into her lap, then headed for the kitchen to add the broccoli she’d prepared to the veggie selections.

Munching on a baby carrot, he finished filling the sections of the tray, placed the top over it and returned it to the refrigerator. When Amelia finished her conversation, he called the restaurant and ordered the pizzas. He gave his name and told the girl he’d pick them up at six.

“Five-thirty,” Amelia called from the living room.

“Five-thirty,” he corrected. “You got bionic ears?” he asked after hanging up.

She surprised him with a grin.

He made each of them a cup of tea and settled in a chair after adding logs and rekindling the fire. Now that the sun was going down, the air was cooling rapidly. He realized he loved the warmth of Indian summer days and the coolness of the nights.

“Ah, the good life,” he said. Surprised, he realized he meant it.

Glancing at Amelia, he regretted that he wasn’t the prince of her dreams. He hadn’t been all those years ago when passion had nearly overwhelmed them, and he wasn’t now.

That was an absolute fact.

Chapter Three

The great room of the B and B rang with laughter that evening. Amelia sighed contentedly. This was the best part of the day for her—when everyone was safely inside after a fun day of hiking and enjoying nature.

Her gaze was constantly drawn to Seth, who was checking the buffet over with the care he’d take with a supreme court case. Apparently satisfied that everything was in order, he turned, caught her gaze and waggled his eyebrows playfully. His grin was sudden, brilliant and pleased.

Her heart leaped around like a hungry deer spying a new meadow to graze. She shifted as longing blazed through her, and accidentally put pressure on her ankle. The throb of pain brought her back to the real world with a thud.

Being with him most of the day was interfering with her thinking processes. Seth would probably stay with her tomorrow, but on Monday he was due back in his Boise office.

What would she do then?

Marta could probably handle the breakfast alone. She’d be rushed, but she was competent. Preparing the guest rooms was the problem. Amelia did those, a task she enjoyed, as odd as that sounded to most people.

Each room had a different theme based on the natural trees and vegetation in the area. She often cut branches from the pines, cedars, firs, yews and oaks to add a touch of the outdoors throughout the house. From the garden, there were abundant fall flowers in a rainbow of colors to be arranged in tall vases and displayed in the living room and hallways. Who would handle all that?

“Ready?” Seth asked.

“For what?”

He scooped her up as if she weighed next to nothing. “Dinner,” he replied.

He carried her down the hall to her sitting room. Three different kinds of pizza were there, along with a smaller platter of fresh vegetables and fruits. Before she could question this bounty, the back door opened.

“Hi, did I see boxes of pizza arriving a few minutes ago?” Honey asked. “Zack’s on his way. He said to tell you he was starved.”

“We’re having company,” Seth explained when Amelia raised a questioning gaze to his.

He put her in the rocking chair and moved a stool close so she could prop her foot up. After checking his watch, he decided it was time for another ice pack and headed for the kitchen, leaving the two women alone.

“How’s your ankle?” Honey asked.

When Zack Dalton, on an official trip to Las Vegas as a deputy sheriff earlier that summer, had brought home this mysterious stranger, gossip had sizzled through the local grapevine. It was further fueled by a to-do involving Honey and the cops. Then there’d been a quick marriage—family only—in Los Angeles, where Honey’s brother apparently worked in some unknown but hazardous occupation. Rumor had it he was with the FBI or CIA or something like that.

Since then, the busybodies had watched Honey’s waistline to see if it was increasing. It wasn’t. She now crossed the room and took a seat on the sofa near Amelia, her movements supple and smooth as befitted a trained professional dancer. Honey held classes in the carriage house behind the B and B, an arrangement that benefited both of them.

Amelia grimaced. “Fine…as long as I don’t forget and try to move it.”

From the hall came greetings from a variety of voices. She recognized Seth’s deep baritone and Zack’s. They greeted Beau, the doctor, and Shelby, his nurse and fiancée.

The Dalton men seemed of a marrying mind of late, she mused. The group entered her sitting room, bringing the crispness of the autumn air with them.

“I can’t believe how cold it’s getting, and it was so warm today—sixty-five by the thermometer on the porch at the clinic,” Shelby was saying. She gave Amelia a sympathetic smile and handed her a gift bag.

Amelia removed two novels from the colorful bag and thanked Shelby for her thoughtfulness.

“So how are you doing?” Shelby asked, gesturing toward the injured foot.

“It’s fine, really. Seth hasn’t let me lift a finger all day. I may get used to a life of leisure,” she said, tossing a warning glance his way.

“Beau said you tripped over Seth’s shoes, which he’d left by the bed.” Shelby raised her eyebrows, then grinned.

“What?” Zack interjected. He eyed Seth, Amelia, then Seth again. “Something going on that y’all want to tell us about, cuz?”

“No.” Seth passed out paper plates, then started the pizza boxes moving. “Amelia doesn’t approve of paper plates, but since I’m the one doing the dishes, I decided to use them, anyway.”

“Good thinking,” Beau murmured, struggling with laughter. He and Zack winked at each other while the other two women looked at Amelia with interest.

She could feel the heat rising to her face and hoped she didn’t resemble a ripe cranberry.

“You guys knock it off,” Seth ordered, but in amused tones. He placed a plastic bag filled with crushed ice on her ankle, then told Zack how he happened to be at the B and B and about the accident early that morning.

“I’ve spoken to Marta about help,” he said to Amelia, taking the chair next to the rocker. “She says her cousin can come in next week and take care of the rooms. All you’ll have to do is handle the phone. You can do that from the sofa, can’t you?”

Five pairs of eyes turned to her.

Amelia could only nod. Decisions were being made, she was being consulted, but for some odd reason, she felt as if she were sinking in a quagmire. It scared her. Which was totally insane.

“Thank you,” she said briskly. “That should take care of everything until I’m back on my feet.”

Seth asked about her preferences, then placed slices of warm pizza on her plate. He and Zack went to the kitchen and returned with beer and sodas for everyone. She wondered how he knew she liked ginger ale rather than cola.

A chill ran over her, causing a slight shiver. Goose bumps sprang up on her arms.

“You’re cold,” Seth said. He covered her legs with the blanket and settled into the chair beside her again.

For the next two and a half hours, the three couples chatted about all the projects they were doing. Zack assured Honey he would have time to help her with insulating the carriage house for winter. Seth and Beau agreed the new law office would be completed within six weeks. They would plan for a grand opening next month.

Work was continuing on a lodge the Daltons were building on the shore of the Lost Valley reservoir. Shelby and Beau had plans to remodel a cottage next door to the lodge, while Zack and Honey had bought a piece of property north of them, also on the lake, complete with an old farmhouse that needed restoration.

“You’ve done a wonderful job here,” Honey complimented Amelia, indicating the B and B. “Perhaps you could help us with the plans for our house.”

“If we ever get started,” Zack added wryly. “With so many projects going on and the horse sale coming up, it’ll be next year before we can even think about it.”

Honey agreed. “I love staying at the ranch,” she told Amelia. “Zack lets me help exercise his precious cow ponies, so I’ve come a long way with my riding skills. I’ll probably cry when they’re sold next month.”

The Dalton ranch was known for its cutting horses. The upcoming sale would draw ranchers from several states, all seeking a chance to bid on the well-trained ponies. Amelia knew Zack and his twin brothers, Trevor and Travis, were instrumental in that expert training and that sale attendance was by invitation only, a sort of black-tie affair among ranchers, only they wore boots and ten-gallon hats as their formal attire.

“You’ve never been to a sale, have you?” Seth asked.

Amelia shook her head.

“You’ll have to spend the weekend with us at the ranch. There’ll be games like horseshoes, plus roping, a shooting competition and the cutting horse trials. I personally enjoy the spitting contest the most, although Trevor is the best and always wins.”

The three men laughed, while the women looked dubious.

“When is Trevor due back from the rodeo circuit?” Seth continued. “He’s been gone longer than usual.”

“He called last night,” Zack replied. “He stove in a rib, so he’s going to a stock sale in Texas, then will come on home after that.”

They discussed changes to the beef herd and the problems of ranching, then of business in general, given the economic difficulties of the times.

Later, after the two couples left, Amelia yawned and stared dreamily into the fire. It had been a wonderful evening. Once upon a time she’d imagined life could be like that—

“Here,” Seth said.

She took two pills from him and a glass of water. “What are they?”

“Painkillers. Beau left them for you.”

She took them gratefully. “Was I groaning or something, so that everyone knew my ankle was hurting?”

“No, but you became more and more silent. I figured that was a good indication. Not that you tend to chatter at any time,” he added.

She wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not, so she simply nodded, took another drink of water and carefully stood. Checking the clock, she was surprised to find it was well after ten.

“My, how time flies,” she murmured.

“Where are you going?” he demanded.

“To bed.”

He nodded and hoisted her off her feet.

“You can’t carry me everywhere,” she protested. “I can manage. I need to go to the, uh—”

“The bathroom?” he finished for her.

She nodded.

He deposited her at the door and closed it. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, then rubbed lotion on. Her good leg was starting to ache from keeping all her weight on it each time she hopped to the phone or bathroom or whatever when Seth wasn’t looking.

She sighed, thinking of the work ahead. Seth couldn’t be there every minute until she healed. She would have to cope as best she could.

A knock at the door startled her. “Yes?”

“Here’s your gown and robe.”

The door was opened a crack and the items thrust inside. She took them and quickly changed, folding her clothing neatly, with her underwear inside. She opened the door and peered out as if afraid of being attacked by wolves. Before she could take a step, he lifted her off her feet and placed her on the bed, which had the covers turned back, all ready for occupancy. He laid her clothing on a chair and turned back to her.

She swallowed hard as an ache of a different kind started inside her. Keeping her eyes averted from his face, so close to hers as he tucked her legs under the covers, she wished they were lovers and that he would be getting into bed with her, that he’d hold her close all night and make the pain go away with his sweet, hot kisses…

Forget it, she ordered her wild imagination. Forget that he’d ever held her and kissed her as if the world might end before he ever saw her again.

For her, it had. She’d been called home the next day. Her parents had actually divorced that winter, and her mother had decided she needed her daughter around for support. For all her parents’ quarrels, Amelia had never thought it would come to that.

Oddly, her mom and dad had then got back together that spring. Amelia had returned to her grandparents while they honeymooned. All had been sweetness and light during the summer. Then they’d had another quarrel. That fall, she’d again moved in with her grandparents while she finished her senior year at high school.

Seth hadn’t contacted her when he was home from the university. Not that she’d expected him to. A vagabond kid wasn’t exactly a reliable companion.

“Good night,” he told her now, interrupting the memories by helping her out of her robe and laying it aside. He glanced around to see that she had everything she needed, then nodded and left.

She lay there with the lamp on for a while and listened as the wind blew mournfully from He-Devil Mountain. For the first time in seven years, she felt adrift. Her foot throbbed like a toothache, and she was filled with restless needs she tried to ignore.

From the next room, she heard the soft noises as Seth prepared the sofa bed.

Where can we go? he’d asked on a magic night long ago.

The carriage house, she’d answered, ready to follow him anywhere.

She wished they could go back to that night, to the innocence and heart-tugging sweetness of it, when she’d first realized the power and joy of falling in love…. That first sweet, glorious love…

Ah, well, she thought, consoling her heart with the knowledge that what had to be, must be. She flicked off the light and determinedly closed her eyes.

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday. Seth took care of keeping the buffet supplied. By eleven, all the guests were gone. “What now?” he asked.

“That’s it,” Amelia told him, ready with a bright smile. “I don’t have anyone coming in until Thursday, so there’s nothing that has to be done until then. Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciated it.”

One black, expressive eyebrow lifted in its usual sardonic manner. “You trying to run me off?” he demanded.

“Well, I’m sure you want to visit your uncle before you return to the city.”

“Yeah, I do need to see him. Uncle Nick fixes a great Sunday lunch. We’ll go out there.”

“Uh, not me. I prefer to stay here.”

“Then I’ll stay, too.”

This wasn’t going as she’d planned. He was supposed to accept her thanks, then gratefully leave, knowing he’d done his best for her. “When are you returning to Boise?”

He crossed his arms and studied her for a few seconds. “I’ve arranged for my partner to handle those clients I couldn’t reach yesterday. Otherwise, I’ve canceled my appointments and plan to spend the week here.”

She was appalled. “Oh, no. You shouldn’t have done that. You don’t have to take care of me. Really.”

“Who else is going to?”

No answer came to mind. She hadn’t prepared for a grilling or his determination to stay. Neither did she want to face another night with him in her sitting room. It was just…just too much.

“I’ll be okay,” she insisted.

“We’ll see how you are tomorrow, then decide if you can be on your own.”

At his reasonable tone and resolute stance, she knew it was hopeless to argue—he’d made up his mind. But inside, she seethed with anger at his high-handed I-have-everything-under-control manner. It was so like a Dalton!

He lifted her from the Victorian sofa, his smile taunting. “Go ahead before you explode, Red.”

Only her grandfather had ever teased her and her grandmother about their hair, which was really an auburn-brown rather than flaming red. Tears stung Amelia’s eyes as she realized how much she missed them.

“What?” Seth asked quietly, as if seeing her distress.

She managed a smile. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been called that.”

“I think I’m jealous of the man who brought that look to your eyes.”

“It—it was my grandfather,” she stammered, startled by his statement and the darkening of his eyes.

“Ah,” he said enigmatically. “Where’s your purse?”

“In my sitting room.”

Ignoring her protests, he retrieved her purse and a jacket, then took her outside to his vehicle, a silver pickup with four-wheel drive and a camper unit.

“Do you camp?” she asked, buckling the seat belt once they were inside.

“Not since my teenage days.”

She eyed the well-worn truck. He’d had it since he got out of college, she knew. “I thought lawyers drove BMWs and traded them in every other year.”

“You’ve been watching too many movies,” he said wryly.

Propping her sore right foot on her left knee, she shut up and enjoyed the ride. The fall colors were splendid, especially the buttery-gold of the aspens, which lined the creeks and gorges in the mountains. In town, maples had been planted in nearly every yard, adding brilliant red and russet to the mix.

Amelia relaxed with an exhaled breath. Her granddad had told her to learn to enjoy or endure that which couldn’t be changed. Glancing at her companion, she couldn’t help but smile.

“What?” he demanded, taking her by surprise.

“I decided to enjoy the ride, since there apparently isn’t anything I can do to change it.”

“A wise philosophy.”

He flicked her a glance that caused her heart to speed up, and heat to gather deep inside her. The ache of desire was almost as painful as the ache of a sprained ankle, she found. And it wasn’t one-sided.

He’d never in any way referred to that interlude of passion they’d shared so long ago, but the knowledge of it was in his eyes and in the unspoken awareness between them.

She stared out the window until they arrived at the Dalton homestead. As they drove through the entrance—a huge log mounted on two others over the gravel driveway—she saw his uncle Nick, his cousin Travis and Travis’s new wife alight from a station wagon.

“I thought that must be some of the family in front of us,” Seth said. “I saw their dust when they turned onto the ranch road.”

He parked beside the car and came around to help Amelia out of the pickup. He shook his head when she declared she could walk, and lifted her.

“Amelia, glad to see you,” his uncle said, coming over to them. “Seth called yesterday and told me about the accident.” He clapped his nephew on the shoulder. “Glad to see you taking care of things. How’s your foot?” he asked Amelia, spearing her with his intensely blue gaze, which contrasted so effectively with his silver hair and tanned skin.