Her chest tightened and a tear slid down her cheek. She quickly swiped it away with the back of her hand. In the coming months, she was going to have almost everything she had always hoped for. She was going to marry the man she loved, have a home in one of the most beautiful places on earth and start the family she had always longed for.
So why couldn’t she be happy and content with that?
Melissa knew exactly what was keeping her picture-perfect fantasy from becoming reality. She wanted it all. She wanted the home, the family and the one thing she wasn’t sure Shane would ever be able to give her…his love.
Seven
“It looks like I’ll just have to take a couple of the appointments myself,” Melissa said as she and Rita went over the afternoon reservations.
“I’m so sorry, Ms. Jarrod,” Rita apologized for at least the tenth time. “I don’t know how I could have made that kind of mistake.”
“It’s all right, Rita. These kinds of things happen from time to time,” Melissa assured her. “Just look a little closer next time to make sure there’s an opening at the time requested by the guest.”
Rita was beginning to gain more confidence and improve her managerial skills, and Melissa was hopeful that would continue. She knew the woman was a single mother and needed the job to support herself and her son. She certainly didn’t want to cause Rita any more stress by having to replace her.
“Ready to go?”
Looking up, Melissa smiled at Avery as she entered the Tranquility Spa’s reception area. “Would you mind if we have lunch in the Sky Lounge today?” she asked. “I only have an hour or so before I have to be back.”
“Problems?” Avery asked.
Giving Rita an encouraging smile, Melissa shook her head. “Not really. I’m afraid there was a mix-up and we’re overbooked this afternoon. It seems all of the Jarrod Ridge guests want a spa treatment before this weekend’s dinner honoring the investors. I’m going to have to do a couple of the massages and at least one of the facials myself.”
“Wow! You are busy,” Avery said, her eyes widening. “But that actually works out better for me, too.” She grinned. “In fact, I was going to ask you if the Sky Lounge would be okay. I wanted to stop by and talk to Guy for a few minutes after we eat.”
“What about Erica?” Melissa asked, grabbing her purse. “Is she going to be able to meet us?”
Avery nodded. “I called her this morning and asked her to get a table by one of the windows and that we’d meet her in—” she looked at her watch “—oops. Five minutes ago.”
“Then I suppose we’d better get going,” Melissa said, laughing. She loved that in the past couple of months she had gained a sister and a future sister-in-law that were also quickly becoming her best friends.
A few minutes later, as they got off the elevator and entered the Sky Lounge, they immediately spotted Erica and hurried over to the table she had been saving.
“I’m sorry we’re running late,” Melissa apologized as she slid into one of the empty chairs.
“You can blame me for that,” Avery said, seating herself. “Guy was running late leaving to go to the restaurant this morning because I…that is we…I mean—”
Grinning as they watched Avery squirm, Melissa and Erica both propped one elbow on the table, cupped their chins in their hands and asked in unison, “Yes?”
“Uh, never mind.” Avery’s cheeks were pink as she shook her head and quickly picked up a menu. “I think I’m going to have the tuna melt.”
“Nice save,” Melissa said, laughing as she picked up her menu.
After they placed their order, the conversation turned to plans for the baby shower. “I won’t know for a few more months whether to decorate in pink or blue,” Melissa said, shrugging.
Erica smiled. “What are you hoping for? A boy or a girl?”
“I haven’t really given it much thought,” Melissa admitted. “But it doesn’t matter to me as long as the baby is healthy.”
“That’s all that’s important,” Avery said, nodding.
Choosing a date in February for the shower, they discussed nursery themes and shops where Melissa should register. By the time they finished lunch and left the restaurant, she had only a few minutes to get back to the spa.
“I suppose I’ll see you both on Saturday evening at the dinner?” she asked as they got off the elevator in the lobby.
“Christian and I wouldn’t miss it,” Erica said.
“We’ll be there.” Avery grinned. “I’ll probably have a hard time keeping Guy out of the kitchen, though. You know how he is about wanting every dish to be perfect.”
“Since Guy took over managing the resort’s restaurants and brought in Louis Leclere as chef, the efficiency of the kitchen staff has improved greatly,” Melissa said.
“The new items they’ve added to the menu seem to be a big hit, too,” Erica added.
Melissa checked her watch. She had only a few minutes to make it to the first massage appointment. “I’m really sorry, but I have to run. See you on Saturday.”
As she hugged them both and headed down the hall toward the spa entrance, something Erica asked her at lunch kept running through her mind. It didn’t matter to her whether their baby was a boy or a girl. But did it matter to Shane whether they had a son or a daughter?
Like most men, he would probably prefer to have a boy. But she didn’t think he would be disappointed either way. Unfortunately, it was hard for some men to hide their feelings. She had always suspected that her father had been disappointed she was female.
Of course, she couldn’t say he had treated her brothers much better. He had driven all of his children to be overachievers and in the process alienated them from the very thing he had wanted them to embrace—Jarrod Ridge.
Shaking her head, she relegated thoughts of her late father to the back of her mind as she walked through the reception area of Tranquility Spa and prepared to go back to work. The sooner she finished for the day, the sooner she and Shane could leave for the ranch.
For some reason he had insisted they have dinner at Rainbow Bend, which was fine with her. She loved the peace and quiet of the remote ranch and after a day filled with booking mix-ups, Melissa couldn’t wait to get there.
“Dinner was delicious, Cactus,” Lissa said as she helped clear the table. “How did you know I love country-fried steak smothered in milk gravy?”
The elderly man beamed. “I didn’t, but I sure am glad you liked it, gal.”
Shane sat back and watched the exchange with interest. Cactus didn’t care for most people and the fact that he was falling all over himself to please Lissa said a lot. If Shane didn’t know better, he would swear the old boy was completely smitten.
Of course, he couldn’t blame Cactus. With each passing day, Shane found himself thinking about her more often, wondering what she was doing and counting the hours until they could be together again. It was something he wasn’t sure he was comfortable with, but there didn’t seem to be anything he could do to stop it, either.
Deciding that it would be better for his peace of mind to simply not think about it, he left the table. “Lissa, I have something that I’d like for you to take a look at.”
“Can it wait?” she asked, handing Cactus a plate to rinse. “After that wonderful meal, the least I can do is help Cactus with the cleanup.”
“Don’t you worry about it, gal,” Cactus said, shaking his head. “Since Shane got me this here dishwasher, I don’t mind doin’ kitchen chores near like I used to.”
“Are you sure?” When Cactus nodded, she surprised the old man by kissing his wrinkled cheek. “Thank you for dinner. It was wonderful.”
Shane had known Cactus all of his life and he’d never known the man to be at a loss for words. He always had something to say, whether it was to give his unwavering opinion or complain—which was usually the case. But the old geezer couldn’t seem to find his voice. He just stood there wearing the sappiest expression Shane had ever seen.
“You wanted to show me something?” Lissa asked, drawing Shane’s attention. She had walked over to him and he had been so astounded by Cactus’s atypical behavior, he hadn’t noticed.
Smiling at her, Shane nodded. “But there is something I think we need to do first.”
“What’s that?”
“We are going to make Cactus’s day,” he whispered close to her ear. Shane put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her to his side. “Cactus, what would you say if I told you that pretty soon you’ll be able to cook for Lissa a lot more?”
“That’d suit me just fine,” Cactus said, nodding his approval. “She’s a danged sight more appreciative ’bout my cookin’ than you are.”
Shane laughed. “So you want me to start kissing you now after every meal?”
“Try it and you’ll be missin’ your front teeth,” Cactus warned, turning back to the dishes in the sink.
“Then I guess after we get married, I’ll just have to leave the kissing up to Lissa,” he said, anticipating the old gent’s reaction. Shane didn’t have long to wait.
He hadn’t seen Cactus move as fast in years as when he spun around to face them. “Well, I’ll be damned.” If he’d had teeth, his ear-to-ear grin would have lit a city block. “Married, you say?”
Shane glanced down at Lissa and winked. “Do you think I should tell him the rest?”
“You might as well,” she said, smiling.
“There’s going to be a baby joining us in the spring.” A sudden, unfamiliar feeling settled in his chest and Shane realized that he was actually beginning to get excited by the prospect of becoming a daddy.
“I guess now that there’s gonna be a woman and youngin’ underfoot, you’re gonna expect me to stop my cussin’, scratchin’ and spittin’,” Cactus said, his grin belying his complaint.
“It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Laughing, Shane turned Lissa toward the hall, then called over his shoulder, “You’ll have to give up cooking breakfast in your long johns, too.”
As they walked down the hall to his study, he chuckled. He could still hear Cactus grumbling about kids, women and bone-headed ranchers who expected him to give up everything worth doing.
“What did you want to show me?” Lissa asked, when they entered the study and he closed the door.
She looked so sweet and desirable, he didn’t think twice about taking her into his arms and kissing her until they both gasped for breath. When he finally raised his head, Shane drew in some much-needed air.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”
Her smile sent his temperature skyrocketing. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“How was your day at the spa?” he asked, a bit surprised that something so mundane suddenly felt important to him.