Hearts Evergreen: A Cloud Mountain Christmas\A Match Made for Christmas (6 page)

If only she could.

F
ortunately for Maddie, she'd packed two business suits, one of which had a skirt. Wearing a skirt to church would mean she didn't have to cut a leg off a pair of her good slacks, something she was loath to do.

Somehow she managed to bathe and dress on Sunday morning without injuring another part of her anatomy in the process. Then, as satisfied as she could be with her appearance, she hobbled into the dining room just as the Sullivans were finding places at the tables. David was there, too, and when he saw her, he pulled out the chair next to him and motioned for her to be seated.

“How did you rest?” he asked as she drew near.

“Like a rock. All that smog-free night air did me good. I didn't even need a pain pill.”

David nodded. “Glad to hear it.” He took her crutches and set them against the wall. “You look nice. I understand you're going to church with Tony.”

“Yes. Will you join us?”

“Wish I could, but I'd best hit the road after breakfast. I told the pilot I'd be at the airport by eleven.”

She straightened on her chair. “But we were going to talk about the negotiations before I meet with Tony again.”

“I gave that some thought and I don't think it's necessary.” He took the cloth napkin from beside his plate and spread it open on his lap. “Maddie, you know what to do. You're good at it.”

Yes, she knew what to do. She was a competent negotiator in ordinary circumstances. But doing business with Tony didn't feel ordinary.

David leaned closer. “Trust your instincts.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“I have confidence in you.”

She wished she could say the same about herself, but she couldn't. Everything about this trip seemed off-kilter. First there'd been that headline about Craig and Shari and their pregnancy. Then there'd been her broken ankle, something that never would have happened if she'd kept her mind on business. And now? Now there were these…
feelings
about Tony, feelings that had nothing to do with negotiating the purchase of the Uriah Small manuscript for David's collection, nothing to do with closing the deal so that she could collect her commission and pay off her debts. Feelings she could ill afford to entertain.

Not now.

It wasn't worth the risk.

Redeemer Community Church looked like something off a Currier & Ives Christmas card: wood siding painted white; long and narrow with plenty of windows; a tall steeple; snow piled high all around it; mountains rising majestically in the background; pine wreaths with red bows decorating each of the double doors at the entrance.

As Maddie climbed the steps, she felt Tony's gentle touch on the small of her back, a gesture of support, a silent message that he wouldn't allow her to fall. Emotion tightened her throat. She didn't want to be so moved by his unspoken concern, but she was.

“Maddie, this is Luke Matthews, our pastor. Luke, I'd like you to meet Maddie Scott.”

Tony's words of introduction pulled her attention to the man standing inside the doorway. She smiled as she took the minister's proffered hand.

“Glad you could join us today, Miss Scott.”

“Thank you.”

The pastor cast his gaze downward at the red boot on her right leg. “Did our mountain do that to you?”

“Yes.”

“I hope you'll forgive us.” Luke looked dutifully remorseful.

Maddie laughed. “I believe I will.”

She and Tony moved through the narthex, stopping several times for Tony to make more introductions. The small sanctuary was exactly as she imagined every country church should look—scuffed hardwood floor, wooden pews with faded red seat cushions, a choir loft big enough for ten people at most, an upright piano on the right side, a raised pulpit on the left.

Tony stopped beside the third pew from the front and waited until she was settled, her crutches beneath the pew in front of her, before he sat down beside her.

Softly, she said, “I feel like I've stepped into the church in that old Disney movie
Pollyanna
. Don't you think so?”

“Sorry. Never saw it.” In contrast to the ordinary words of response, his voice was low and intimate. “Not exactly a boy's kind of movie.”

She felt heat rise to her cheeks. “No, I suppose not.”

“A favorite movie of yours?”

“No, but I've seen it lots of times. My mom owns the DVD. She loves it.” Maddie was babbling now but couldn't seem to help herself. “She'd love this church, too.”

“How about your church in L.A? What's it like?”

“Very different from this.” She looked away, once more allowing her gaze to travel around the room, taking in the stained-glass window and the lifesized wooden cross. “Very different.”

“Is it a big church?”

“Yes. About ten thousand members.”

“Must be many opportunities to serve in a church that size.”

Chords from the piano ended their conversation and Maddie was thankful. Tony's last comment had struck a nerve. Over the past few years, she had been less and less active in her church. She blamed it on work and frequent travel. But those were only excuses.

As the congregation stood, Maddie listened to Tony's voice raised in song and knew, deep in her heart, that he wasn't the sort of man to offer excuses. She suspected he was deeply involved in this small church and with the people of his community.

And she envied him.

Pastor Luke, preaching a series on the fruit of the Spirit, was in great form that morning.

Thanks, Lord.

Tony couldn't help it. He'd wanted Maddie to hear a good sermon, one that would show that this church might be small but it embraced truth and the Author of truth.

Is that pride on my part, Father?

Maybe so, but he thought not. Redeemer Community was a boon to everyone in the area, not only to those who attended services here. When there was a need, its members were the first to show up and the last to leave. In the almost eight months he'd lived in Cloud Mountain, he'd seen this church in action and it was one more reason he knew he'd made the right decision in moving to Idaho and buying the lodge.

Would any of that be enough to make Maddie want to settle here? And as much as he'd like to deny it—not being the sort of man who fell in love at first sight—having Maddie stay in Cloud Mountain was what he wanted. He wanted her with him. He wanted to love her and care for her, to laugh with her and cry with her.

I can't explain why I feel the way I do about her, God. Could this be Your doing? You had to know it was Maddie who would come to negotiate for the manuscript. You had to know her being here would stir up all those old memories and lots of new feelings. Is it Your will that she stay? Is it Your will that I love her?

He hoped so. Because as much as he wanted Maddie with him, he wanted God's will more.

Help me to know what Your will is, Father.

The Sullivan clan—with the exception of Sam, Karen and Iris—had left for the ski slopes before Maddie and Tony returned to the lodge. It made for a more serene Sunday dinner for those who remained behind. The conversation around the table flowed easily from one topic to another, from construction to the stock market, from the fall movie season to the latest hot novels being touted by the talking heads, from the current snow pack to the advantages of all-wheel-drive vehicles.

Maddie enjoyed every moment, but her favorite part was when Sam Sullivan asked Tony to tell them about his decision to leave the corporate world, return to Idaho and restore this old lodge. She loved seeing the way excitement lit his eyes as he answered the question. There was no mistaking his love for this town or his aspirations for the lodge.

She wanted to see those aspirations come to fruition. She wanted him to achieve his dreams. And the best way to do that was to close the deal on the manuscript so he had the necessary working capital. But closing the deal would also mean it was time for her to go back to L.A, and, strangely enough, she wasn't ready to leave.

When had that changed?

Karen Sullivan stood, pulling Maddie from her private thoughts.

“It's time I put this little one and myself down for a nap. What about you, Grandpa? Care to join us?”

“Can't,” her husband answered. “I've challenged Cookie to a game of chess.”

From the kitchen, Cookie called, “He may wish he'd chosen that nap by the time I've whupped him.”

Everyone laughed.

With the meal at an end, Audrey bid everyone a pleasant day before leaving to visit a friend for the afternoon. Tony rose from his chair and began clearing dishes from the table. Karen disappeared up the stairs with Iris in her arms while Sam headed for the reading room to set up the chessboard. Within minutes, everyone but Maddie was gone from the dining room.

She felt at loose ends. She could go to her room and take a nap like Karen and Iris or she could get her book to read or she could open her laptop and go over some business items. Only she didn't want to. She wanted to stay with Tony.

She grabbed her crutches and made her way to the kitchen. Pushing the swinging door open before her, she asked, “Would you like some help with the dishes? I could dry.”

Tony glanced over his shoulder, then turned off the running water. “I'm sorry. What did you say?”

“I offered to help, if you'd like.”

“No thanks. Guests of the lodge aren't required to wash their dishes.” He grinned. “We're laid-back, but not that laid-back. Unless, of course, you can't pay your bill. Then we might have to put you to work.”

“I'm not a paying guest.” She entered the kitchen and the door swung closed behind her. “My room is complimentary. Remember?”

“True.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “But I bet you should rest and keep that foot up.”

“I'm fine. It's not hurting at all.” Okay, that was a slight fib. There was some discomfort, but nothing to make a fuss over.

Tony held up a dishtowel. “All right. If you're sure.”

“I'm sure.” She maneuvered her way around the center island to the right side of the sink. “I wanted to thank you for inviting me to church. I loved the service and your pastor is wonderful.”

“Yeah, we're blessed to have Luke leading our congregation. I think his teaching is anointed. Dozens of churches would want to hire him in a second if he decided to leave Cloud Mountain.”

“There were times this morning when I felt as if he was speaking just to me.”

Tony smiled. “It's great when the Holy Spirit does that, isn't it?”

“Yes.”

But I haven't felt that way in a long time. Have I been keeping God at arm's length? Have I closed my ears to His Spirit?

Maddie wasn't ready to explore those questions, so she asked another of Tony. “Where's Cookie?”

“He went to change his clothes before the big chess match. He doesn't find a willing victim very often.”

“He's good?”

Tony nodded. “He's
good
.”

Maddie set the crutches aside and leaned her hip against the counter, dishtowel ready. “You three are like family, aren't you? You and Audrey and Cookie.”

“Yeah, we are. I might own the place, but they want it to succeed as much as I do.”

“I know Cookie lives here in the lodge, but what about Audrey?”

“She has her own house about a quarter mile down the road.” As he talked, Tony filled the sink with hot water, the dish soap piling high above the surface. “She stays overnight here when she needs to, but that doesn't happen often. Eventually, we'll hire more full-time help. God willing, the day we need more help will come soon.”

Selling the manuscript will help you make it happen. David wants it and is willing to pay. We could close the deal this afternoon.

Tony placed some dirty dishes in the sink and soap bubbles flew into the air in small clusters. One bunch landed on Maddie's nose. Before she could brush at it with her hand, Tony leaned toward her and blew the bubbles away.

Her breathing slowed. Her heartbeat doubled. She felt lightheaded.

Tony took the dishtowel from her, dried his hands, then clasped her shoulders, as if afraid she might crumple to the floor. Only that wasn't why his hands gripped her arms.

He held her as a prelude to a kiss.

His lips were warm, the pressure light and tender. He smelled of a musky cologne and wood smoke. The two combined made for a heady, masculine scent. She closed her eyes and breathed it in.

All too soon, Tony drew back, ending the kiss. She looked at him and saw questions in his eyes, questions for which she had no answers. She only knew she wanted him to kiss her again, to go on kissing her.