UnBreak My Heart_A Snow Valley Romance Read online

  “Seriously?”

  “Perfectly. Just look at my face.” Rayna lifted an eyebrow. “Snow Valley is gorgeous just about every month of the year except January when the trees are bare and spring feels a hundred years away. Lucky you to land here in the dead of winter.”

  Caitlin laughed and pushed away a fresh twinge of homesickness. Good grief, she was twenty-seven years old and had never lived away from home. Having her own apartment two miles from her parents didn’t count.

  Rayna grimaced. “Uh, oh. I just had a contraction.”

  “Back to bed with you,” Caitlin said firmly, taking her arm.

  Rayna let out a small giggle. “It’s sheer decadence to roam the stairwell for a few minutes.”

  “The house is simply gorgeous,” Caitlin told her, helping her back into the king-sized bed.

  “Please poke around. Peek into the guest rooms. Quentin did a marvelous job remodeling and getting us in business a few years ago. He’s the best.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for it.”

  “I’ll give him a scolding and tell him to treat you well.”

  “Please don’t! I’m embarrassed enough as it is.”

  “Whatever you say, sweetie.” Rayna grasped Caitlin’s hand in hers. “I’m so grateful to you for coming. Wade’s work schedule got piled on this winter and there are some office politics going on, plus a new fire station going in at the county seat. The man probably drives two hundred miles a day alone. I don’t want to lose this baby.”

  “Don’t say that,” Caitlin told her. “You are going to have a perfect baby, I promise. Do you have any doctor charts I can look at? Your medical history and the history of the pregnancy?”

  “Doctor Taggart sent me home with them when I told him I had a midwife coming. He was relieved, I think, not to worry about me way out here on the far side of town.”

  Caitlin nodded. “I’ll read over the files and charts tonight and we’ll do a physical exam tomorrow morning.”

  “Don’t worry about me for now. Go unpack and settle in. I feel perfectly healthy. Meanwhile, I have my remote and Netflix. Just leave the door open so I can shout at you.”

  “One question. Why are you upstairs so far from the main living rooms?”

  “The master suite is actually downstairs. Quentin is enlarging it to add on the nursery so I’m up in the biggest guest room until he’s finished. He’s behind schedule, but promises me it will be done by the end of February so you’re going to be seeing his crew going in and out all day.”

  “Where should I sleep?”

  “There’s another small room downstairs where my niece Becca stays when she’s come to help during the busy summer season. It’s the room closest to the living room and kitchen so you can hear guests and answer any questions or needs they might have. I know I’m throwing the dratted inn-keeping tasks at you as well, but we only have one married couple here at the moment. They’re still newlyweds, barely married a year, but avid skiers so they’re gone during the day. They’ll be checking out end of next week.”

  Caitlin smiled, waving away her worries. “At least you’re here to answer all my questions as I figure things out. I’ll head down now to explore and unpack. Now take it easy.”

  She returned downstairs and wandered the main rooms to get her bearings of the floor plan.

  The parlor of the Starry Skies lay under a canopy of crown molding. Chandeliers set into ceiling medallions were reminiscent of the best Victorian mansions of Great Britain. Quentin Hudson had done gorgeous work.

  The large sitting room lay through a set of doors off the foyer. Rayna had furnished it in rich mauves and gold brocade. Couches and chairs sat in easy, intimate arrangements before the fire hearth. The hanging lamps, plush rugs, and lace curtains were elegant and yet cozy.

  Caitlin could imagine that Rayna’s guests instantly felt at ease when they arrived. Enticed to spend time in this room reading, visiting, and having afternoon tea. She’d noticed the sign on the front desk mentioning the guest tea service.

  In the kitchen, there were tables for two and four customers, plus two long trestle tables. Another area was clearly laid out for serving buffet style, a small stack of menus on the side. Caitlin picked one up, impressed at the breakfast line-up.

  “The Big Sky Breakfast”

  Starry Skies Bed & Breakfast,

  Snow Valley, Montana

  All-You-Can-Eat Flapjacks with all the trimmings

  Crispy Seasoned Hash Browns

  Savory Sausages

  Crisp Bacon

  Dripping buttered biscuits and local honey

  Homemade Peach Preserves

  *A Touch of Sweetness*

  Strawberry Crepes with Whipped Cream

  Behind the kitchen, Caitlin found the guest room Rayna had mentioned. It was perfectly located for easy access to the kitchen, as well as hearing the front desk bell.

  She dragged her suitcases across the hallway and spent the next hour unpacking her clothes into the closet and bureau.

  Just down the hall was the master suite. And then the construction area. She opened the doors, noting that the nursery was situated next to the guest room and then the master bedroom beyond that.

  The nursery had new walls and electrical wires, but no sheetrock or insulation yet. It was freezing in there despite the roof in place.

  Caitlin closed the doors again and checked the thermostat in the hall. Despite the cold outdoor temperatures and the age of the house, it was reasonably warm. She’d just have to get used to wearing heavier tops and sweaters in the house.

  Now Caitlin was grateful her mother had insisted she purchase flannel underwear. Long John’s Quentin had called them. The man sounded like somebody from a movie set in the 19th century.

  She shook her head, determined not to think about him—and to steer clear of him when he was working during the day.

  Tomorrow she’d spend with Rayna going over her medical records and perform her own exam. After that, she’d go down to the clinic to speak with that Doctor Taggart about other pregnancies in the valley he might want her help with. And to make sure they were on the same wave length regarding Rayna’s pregnancy. Caitlin planned to stay busy.

  Especially if she was running the B&B while Wade was at work for twelve hour days.

  Caitlin left her coat and gloves in the laundry room to get Mrs. Davies’ help with cleaning them tomorrow. Tomorrow was Friday, right? It felt like she’d already lost track of the calendar.

  Back in her room, Caitlin checked her luggage for any stray items in the side pockets, then zipped up the bags and placed them on the floor of the closet.

  She plugged in her phone and iPad to charge and then rummaged through her handbag, tossing the boarding pass and baggage claim ticket.

  Pulling out the list she’d made from Madame Tallulah, Caitlin studied it again. “Okay, I’ll play along,” she said, glancing about the walls to see where she could tack it up.

  There was a spot between a stunning painting of Snow Valley and another of a young woman and a young man next to each other on horseback. Caitlin wondered if that was Becca Dash. Hadn’t her mother said that Becca had gotten married over the summer? A boy from here, in fact. A childhood friend, but Caitlin couldn’t remember the details.

  Flattening the folds of her Breaking the Curse List, she found scotch tape in a cupboard of the kitchen and taped it up next to the east window.

  Caitlin pulled out a pen and ran a line through Stefan’s Sin of Epic Proportions. Then another line through Trip to a Distant Land.

  “I’m thinking in capital letters now,” she said to herself.

  The next moment, Caitlin sucked in her breath. Her heart began to pound. Lifting the pen, she slowly crossed out #3. Encounter with a Diesel Truck. That prediction had been eerily specific.

  “This is truly bizarre,” she muttered. “Just no way is this actually happening.”

  Could Madame Tallulah truly see into Caitlin’s future?

/>   7

  Mrs. Davies arrived at dawn the next morning and Caitlin helped her cook the eggs, grating cheese on top. The middle-aged woman was small and thin with graying blond locks, but a powerhouse of energy. She moved around the kitchen like it was her personal race track.

  Caitlin took the biscuits out of the oven and put them on a platter while Mrs. Davies fixed the plates. It was an easy service since their guests were small in number and the eight-month newlywed couple had eyes only for each other.

  Caitlin only knew them from the hotel register, a Mr. and Mrs. Cardall. They looked young, as if they’d barely graduated college. Which made her feel old, a sobering thought.

  “Now you sit and eat,” Mrs. Davies said to Caitlin.

  “But I’m the help, too,” she protested when the older woman set down a loaded plate of hot pancakes, bacon, biscuits and homemade jam at one of the smaller tables next to the big wide windows that overlooked the grounds and the mountains in the distance.

  “You’re a guest, too, my dear. Besides, you have your hands full with Rayna. Believe me, I adore Rayna to death, but she’ll keep you running up and down those stairs until you want to scream.”

  Caitlin smiled, wondering just what the next few weeks were going to bring.

  “Oh, Mrs. Davies, I left my muddy coat and gloves on the washer in the laundry room. Can you show me how to clean them without ruining the fur. Fake fur,” she added with a smile.

  “Already took care of them while you were in the shower.”

  Caitlin blinked in surprise. “Then you’re a miracle worker, thank you.”

  “I was wondering how they got so muddy. Did you have a fight with a rambunctious dog?”

  “You might say that,” Caitlin said with a laugh. “A diesel truck splattered me good.”

  “Ah,” Mrs. Davies said knowingly. “You mean Quentin Hudson. Sometimes he thinks he owns the road.”

  “Or driveway.”

  Mrs. Davies laughed. “That sounds like him, and he’ll be here soon. I’m going to run upstairs as soon as Mr. and Mrs. Cardall leave and do their sheets and room. Will you give Quentin a plate of breakfast?”

  “You mean you feed him, too?”

  “Got plenty of food, don’t want to let it go to waste.”

  Caitlin’s smile was tight on her face. She’d been hoping to avoid the man. “Where’s Wade?” she asked to change the subject.

  “Fed him at the crack of dawn. Heavy snow is taking down some power lines about twenty miles west of here. He’s got crews of firemen and usually a set of paramedics with their vehicle out at various locations to make sure nobody gets hurt or a fire doesn’t start. Especially when some of the lines are in folks’ backyards.”

  “Hopefully I’ll see him tonight.”

  “You should. It’s Friday night. I think he has this weekend off.”

  With that, Mrs. Davies bustled out the door and upstairs while Caitlin finished her breakfast and sat back in her chair with the last of her biscuit dripping with butter. She stared out at the sparkling snow with its backdrop of crystal clear mountains like a relief against a blue sky.

  When Mr. and Mrs. Cardall rose and pushed back their chairs, Caitlin got up, too. “Can I get you anything else?”

  “Nope,” the young man said. “It’s so good we don’t even eat lunch half the time.”

  “I’m Caitlin by the way, Rayna’s cousin.”

  “You must be the midwife, then?” his wife said. “Mrs. Davies was telling us that. I’m Briana and this is Jeff.”

  “Nice to meet you. Did you get a chance to meet Rayna?”

  “A couple times when we first arrived,” Briana said. “I hope everything goes well with the baby.”

  “I’m sure it will,” Caitlin assured her.

  “We’re off to another ski resort in the direction of Forsyth. Maybe some cross-country skiing. We’re going to be back late. Found a nice restaurant we want to try out for dinner.”

  “Have a great time,” Caitlin said.

  “Oh, and just so you know we’re staying through the weekend and then headed back home to Bozeman. School starts next week.”

  “Oh, you’re still in school?”

  “Grad school for Jeff,” Briana said, glancing up at her husband with adoring eyes. “He’s getting his PhD in Chemistry.”

  “Second year, so far so good,” Jeff said, holding Briana’s hand tightly.

  Caitlin nodded, envious of their happiness and obvious love for one another. Babies, these two! They were just babies! She would have been perusing catalogs of invitation templates this month and shopping for bridesmaid’s gowns, but she tried to push aside the depressing thoughts.

  “Have a great day and be safe on the roads!” she called gaily when they headed outside to their car, feeling like she was their mother for a brief moment.

  Depressing.

  She cleared plates and heard the washer start up down the hallway to the laundry room when the door opened again. Caitlin looked up, assuming it was the young couple returning because they had forgotten something.

  Instead, it was Quentin Hudson wearing a mountain man jacket over his green flannel shirt and a tool belt at his waist, a cell phone in one hand and talking to someone—a supplier, it sounded like. “You can’t have them ready before tomorrow?” he was saying. He made a grunting sound and then added, “I’ll pick them up myself. I need them first thing Monday. No later or this job isn’t getting done in time.”

  He snapped off the phone and saw Caitlin watching him.

  There was a peculiar pause while they stared at one another, and then Caitlin shook off her reverie, realizing that she’d been mentally assessing his shoulders and muscular chest—the product of his work, no doubt, plus those darn blue eyes of his.

  “You usually just walk right into someone’s house?” she asked.

  He cocked his head at her, two days of growth along his chin, which made for a devastatingly sexy look.

  “I know you and Rayna live here, but it’s a hotel first. So yes, I’m used to walking in the public front door. And Mrs. Davies has been feeding me since I started the job three months ago.

  He had a point, but Caitlin thought he was rude to just walk in while on the phone. “Do you also have a crew that needs feeding?” That came out more impolite than she’d intended, and her she was chiding him for his attitude.

  “One or two guys. Depends on the day and what I’m doing.”

  They had another brief stare down and then Caitlin finally croaked out, “Breakfast?”

  “Sure, thanks,” came the slow answer as his eyes puzzled her over. “Where’s Mrs. Davies?”

  “Sheets. Laundry room. Cleaning bedrooms.” Caitlin sounded like a robot. What was wrong with her? This guy infuriated her and made her lose her train of thought.

  Quentin moved toward the stove in the back of the dining room where the food was being kept hot.

  “I’ll get it for you,” Caitlin said, jerking her legs forward.

  “I can do it, don’t bother yourself.”

  Caitlin prickled. “It’s no bother,” she said coolly.

  He turned his face toward hers and she stopped on the tile floor. “I just meant that I’m sure you have lots of things to do and I can take care of myself. I don’t need you to wait on me.”

  His sort-of apology wasn’t much better. Caitlin shrugged and stepped back. “Suit yourself,” she said briskly, striding toward the kitchen with the dirty plates and bowls.

  While she did the dishes, she could hear him rattling around in the dining room, his fork scraping against his plate, knife clattering.

  The man made her feel off-balanced. He was so opposite Stefan in looks and demeanor. Short wavy hair, instead of long. Deep blue eyes instead of deep brown. Nowhere near as lean and lanky, but Quentin wasn’t heavy, just packed with muscle. Here was a guy who spent his day in physical labor while Stefan slept in, day-dreamed, played his guitar and piano, scribbled a bit of music, and then went out for the
city night life while she was on her feet at the hospital.

  Perhaps she and Stefan were actually opposites. Caitlin had been in love with his artistic nature and charm and talent.

  “You okay?” a deep voice said behind her.

  Caitlin whirled around. “What?”

  “You’ve been washing that same plate over and over again.”

  Caitlin dropped it back into the sudsy sink and turned on the rinse water. “Um, can I get you something?”

  “Juice or coffee would be nice.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Like I said you don’t need to wait on me, just didn’t see any out there on the buffet table.”

  “It’s over there,” Caitlin said, pointing toward the stove. “I brought it back in to re-warm. Juice is in the fridge.” She lifted her soapy hands and shrugged her shoulders.

  “I’m used to feeding myself. Appreciate the food though. Very much.”

  She nodded, biting at her lips. “Of course, least we can do.”

  He disappeared with his glass of juice while Mrs. Davies whistled down the hall.

  “Shall I take breakfast up to Rayna?” the woman asked, popping into the kitchen.

  Caitlin shook her head. “Let me. I need to do an exam and go over her medical files anyway.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be off before noon so if you need anything holler sooner rather than later.”

  “Got it, thanks, Mrs. Davies. And thank you again for cleaning my coat. I was afraid I’d be stuck indoors all weekend.”

  “If you need a coat and galoshes less fancy than what you brought we got a whole closet full of them in the main hall for guests who forget how chilly we get here. Even in the spring and fall. Help yourself to whatever you need.”

  “By the way, do we have any other guests coming in during January? Just curious.”

  “Hmm, go look at the reservation book and register. This place is your home until Rayna’s back on her feet.”

  Mrs. Davies disappeared down the rear hall again and Caitlin dried the few dishes and then let the pots and frying pans to soak.

  Wiping her hands against her jeans, she went into the foyer to check the front desk before heading upstairs. It would help to know who was expected over the next few weeks to better schedule out her own time.