Marrying Cade(23)

"This is beautiful." Melo gazed at the large paintings on each wall, and  wandered over to the nearest one. It was a picture of deep dark  forest-brown black trunks of trees and the dark emerald green of pine  needles were so finely painted it drew the watcher in. She gazed closer,  making out the figure of a black bear standing on a bed of dropped pine  needles.

"They are all by the same artist. She's a local," Cade said. "Each room  has art by a different local artist. They're a talented lot around  here."

Melo wandered over to another picture. "And this one is of the lake."  The painted water shimmered in mute reflection of the view outside the  window.

Cade stepped close.

Melo's body reacted to his nearness, soaking it in like a cold traveler close to a fire.

"I commissioned the artist, Margie, to paint pictures of this area after  I bought the first one of the bear in the forest. All of the artists  were handpicked, and they have a gallery in the hotel where guests can  purchase more of their work. A lot of guests like to have something to  take home with them. An echo of Hidden Lake to remind them of their  vacation."

"There can't be many other places to sell around here, either," Melo  said. If she reached out a hand, she could touch him. Her hands curled  into fists.

"One of the guests owns a gallery in New York, and Margie's working on  an exhibition." There was pride in his smile. "She deserves it, she's a  wonderful woman."

"Did you and Margie … " Melo's voice trailed off. What right did she have to question his relationships with other women?

A knock on the door broke the mood, and he strode across to open it to a  waiter balancing a tray of tea and coffee. "Ah, thank you, Joe."

The waiter smiled warmly. "It's good to see you back, sir." The young man carefully put the tray down on the low coffee table.

"How's everything going?" Cade questioned.

"Going great," the waiter answered, sneaking a glance at Melo.

"I'll catch up with you later." Cade patted Joe's arm, and then they were alone together again.

"You know all your employees?" It didn't fit with the image of a solitary man, jetting from hotel to hotel.

"Not all of them." Cade poured tea in a thin stream into the delicate  china teacup, and added a swirl of milk, just the way she liked it. "But  Joe … " he grinned, "Joe was very much like me when I was younger. Angry.  He's Bette's little brother. He got in with a wrong crowd in Anchorage a  while back. When he ended up spending a night in prison for drunk and  disorderly behavior she bailed him out and brought him home. Their  parents are dead-it's just him and Bette, so I offered him a job."

"And now?"

"Well, he's been here six months. I'll get the feedback when I meet with  Ben." He tossed back the last mouthful of his coffee. "Let me show you  your room. You can have a bath, change and rest. You must be exhausted  after the journey."

Two doors led off the central sitting room. Cade pushed open the door on the right. "This is your room."

A four-poster bed with full-length filmy curtains was backed up against  pale yellow striped wallpaper, and another large window faced out onto  the lake, painting the room with light. Unlike the sitting room, the  room was fully carpeted with a deep cream carpet. Melo's case lay on a  small table at the end of the bed.

"There's a bathroom." Cade pointed to an open doorway close to the bed.  "And you should have everything you need in there." He stepped closer  and ran a finger over her cheek. "I'm going to take a shower then check  in with Ben." He glanced at his watch. "We'll go down for dinner in a  couple of hours."                       
       
           



       

Melo breathed him in. The faint stubble suited him, and it was all she  could do not to reach out and touch him as he had done to her. She  clenched her hands by her sides. Swiped her tongue across her lips, then  stilled as his gaze locked on the tiny movement and darkened to forest  green.

His Adam's apple jerked as he swallowed then stepped away-out of temptation's reach.

****

"Good to see you," Ben said, crossing the compact office as Cade walked in. "How was your trip?"

"Uneventful." Cade clasped his friend's hand, and simultaneously thumped  Ben's upper arm. Ben had been his manager since the hotel opened, and  what had begun as a business relationship had over the years expanded  into friendship.

Cade sat into the battered leather chair he refused to upgrade because,  despite its appearance, it was damned comfortable. Cade kept a desk  available at all of his hotels but this one felt most like home.

Ben sank into the chair opposite.

"So, how's Joe working out?"

There was no better way to find out exactly what was going on than to  spend the scant time he was at each hotel right in the heart of things.  Being a remote hands-off employer wasn't for him. When he was a kid his  father had run the ranch the same way, before his addiction spiraled out  of control.

"Joe's working out fine. You were right to give him a chance," Ben  slipped off his black rimmed glasses, and rubbed his nose. "Tell me  about you, how did the wedding go?"

"Good," Cade answered.

"Bette tells me you have a guest staying?" Ben's voice sounded nonchalant, but his curiosity was obvious.

"Melo Bellucci, Adam's new sister-in-law." Cade didn't want to talk  about Melo. The fact he couldn't define the shifting relationship  between them had him on edge, and his voice was curt as he told Ben all  he was willing to. "She's an old friend."





Chapter Eleven



A menu carrying waiter showed them to their table in a quiet area at the  back of the dining room. Thick burgundy curtains blocked out the  darkness outside. The room was lit with low lamps, lending an air of  intimacy despite the presence of other diners. Crystal, china and  gleaming silverware graced the table atop pristine white linen, and a  small votive burned in a crystal holder in the center of the table.

Cade looked the perfect picture of vibrant health in his dark suit and  tie, while Melo was so tired she struggled to keep her eyes open.

The waiter handed them menus, then they were alone.

"Did you manage to get some sleep?" Melo asked, playing with the strand of pearls around her neck.

"No." His mouth curved into a smile. "I had work to do, and I decided to  get it out of the way early so I could spend tomorrow with you."

"I'm so tired, I doubt I'll be up to much in the morning," she  confessed, scanning the menu. "In fact, I'm having trouble choosing what  to eat."

"I'll order for you." Cade called the waiter over and ordered. "My  favorite is pasta with salmon in a dill sauce. It's light yet filling.  We won't stay long." He smiled slowly. "Have I told you how beautiful  you look tonight?"

Her heart flipped over. Resisting Cade was too hard. He looked beautiful  too and for once she was too tired to consider the wisdom of telling  him so.

"You look pretty wonderful yourself," Melo heard the huskiness of her voice and watched his eyes darken to jade.

"You and I … " He paused, reached for her hand. "We have such a history  between us. In one way you know me more than anyone, and yet in  another … "

"In another we know each other barely at all," Melo admitted. "A lot of  things have happened in our lives over the past few years. You've been  in love."

"I thought I was once." He pulled his hand away as pain flickered in his  eyes. "But she wasn't what I thought she was. I was looking for  something that doesn't exist. Luckily I found out the truth before we  married."

"What were you looking for?"

The arrival of the waiter with their food lent a natural pause to the  conversation. Melo thought perhaps Cade would change the subject once  they were alone again, but to her relief he didn't.

"I've never spoken of the engagement to anyone, but I guess it's natural  to talk to you about it, I always told you all my secrets, didn't I?"  He speared a piece of salmon, as though capturing it from the lake. "I  was looking for someone to be my companion through life, I guess.  Someone who would understand me; someone I could rely on. Instead, I  almost tied myself to a woman who was more interested in getting high. I  tried to get her help for her addiction, took her to all the best  doctors. She told me she wanted my time, my attention rather than what I  could buy for her. She wasn't willing to change."