A Thunder Canyon Christmas Read online

  “It’s been a pleasure.” The words might seem polite but Matt sincerely meant them and he hoped Connor knew it.

  He was proud to have his name associated with this particular construction project. McFarlane Lodge would be a showpiece in Thunder Canyon, tasteful and well-crafted. More than that, it would be warm and comfortable, a home for Connor, his son CJ and his wife to be, Tori Jones.

  The only thing he loved more than setting the last tile and hammering the final nail was the other side of any building project: that first scoop of dirt in the backhoe, those heady days of pouring the foundation and framing the first few walls, when everything was still only possibilities.

  He was particularly pleased about the chance to be part of building McFarlane Lodge, with its expansive views and the massive river-rock fireplace that served as the focal point in the open floor plan.

  “I’ve got other irons in the fire around Thunder Canyon,” Connor said with a significant look. “I’m going to need a dependable contractor. I’d love to keep Cates Construction at the top of that list.”

  Matt experienced a sharp burst of pride and a not inconsiderable degree of elation. He didn’t doubt that the hotel magnate had various projects underway. Connor always seemed to be cooking up something and in this economy, anything that allowed Cates Construction to keep its workers swinging a hammer was a blessing.

  “If we can fit in the job with our other commitments, we’ll be happy to consider whatever work you send our way,” he said, moving on to the next cabinet.

  Connor smiled and patted the countertop. “I’m sure we can work something out. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Sure thing.”

  After McFarlane left the kitchen a moment later, Matt glanced toward the adjacent laundry room. A grizzled gray buzz cut bobbed there and he could see his father lurking, pretending not to listen.

  “You catch all that, Dad?” he asked with a grin.

  Frank walked into the kitchen. “I heard. He’s right. You’ve done a hell of a job with the place.”

  “This isn’t a one-man show. The whole crew worked their tails off to get ’er done by Christmas.”

  “Don’t be humble, son.” Frank gave him a stern look. “It doesn’t fit you. You’re the one who made it happen on time and under budget and every single man on the crew knows it.”

  Matt flushed at the unexpected accolades. Frank was a good man and a wonderful father but he wasn’t one for outright praise—his style was more like subtle encouragement. Matt didn’t know quite how to respond.

  “You’ve done so well the last few years, you’re starting to put ideas in your mother’s head.”

  Matt looked up and found his father looking remarkably ill at ease. “Oh? What sort of ideas?”

  “Crazy ones.” Frank sighed. “She’s talking about taking a cruise. Maybe even a couple of them. She’s even brought up maybe heading somewhere warm for the winter. Southern Utah, maybe, or Arizona. You know how the cold bothers her.”

  The idea of a Thunder Canyon without his parents was just too strange to contemplate. “What do you think about her ideas?”

  His father was silent for a long moment. “I’m considering them. I’ve been in this business a long time. I’ve got old habits, old ways. Maybe it’s time somebody else shook some new life into Cates Construction.”

  “Dad—”

  “Your brothers aren’t much interested in construction, son. Marshall’s busy at the hospital and Mitch and Marlon both have their own companies. I don’t suppose it’s a surprise to you or any of them that I would like you to take over for me. Hell, you’re doing most of the work, anyway. I’d just like to make it more official.”

  Excitement pulsed through him. This was what he wanted, he realized. Taking over the operations of Cates Construction fit him much better than law school ever could.

  “I would have asked you before but I didn’t want you to feel tied down to Thunder Canyon. You’re still young. Your mother and I have always wanted you boys to feel free to experience the world on your own terms, not ours. But now that it looks like you’re settling down, I figured this would be a good time to get things out in the open.”

  Matt stared. “Now that I’m what?”

  His father looked uncomfortable. “Your mother’s got some crazy idea you’re getting married.”

  “Where did you hear that?” he asked.

  “Apparently Edie heard a rumor last night at her bunco club about you,” he answered. “A couple different people dropped a bug in her ear that you and Christine are talking about tying the knot.”

  The hammer suddenly slipped out of his fingers and he barely managed to snag it before it would have clattered onto the Italian tile floor.

  He mentally hissed an expletive he wouldn’t dare say aloud in front of his father. He should have known his impulsive gesture Sunday at The Gallatin Room would come back to bite him in the rear one day. He hadn’t been thinking clearly or he never would have started the charade.

  What the hell was he supposed to say to his father now?

  “Um, don’t believe everything you hear, Dad. Christine and I aren’t getting married.”

  Frank narrowed his gaze. “What are you up to, son?”

  “Nothing. This is all a big misunderstanding.”

  “I thought I taught you boys better than to mess around when it comes to this sort of thing.”

  “You did. I haven’t been messing around.”

  Frank cleared his throat, looking ill at ease. “A woman’s heart is a fragile thing, son. It’s like that tile down there. If you’d dropped your hammer a minute ago, you might have chipped one of them fancy tiles. We might have repaired it, filled it in a bit. On the surface, it might look good as new, but there would always be a weakness there.”

  His father gave him a stern look. “Christine is a nice girl. If you’re not serious about her, you need to cut her loose so she can find somebody who will be.” He did not want to be having this conversation with his father right now. “I hear you, Dad. Thanks for the advice.”

  “So you’re going to do the right thing by Christine?”

  “If by doing the right thing you mean marry her, then no. Trust me, Dad. Christine is not expecting an engagement ring from me. We’re good friends, that’s all.”

  His father continued to study him. “I hope you’re right. I guess I need to tell your mother she won’t be planning another wedding anytime soon.”

  For one insane moment, Matt pictured Elise in a white dress, something feminine and lovely, flowers in her blond hair and her face bright and joyful.

  Whoa. Slow down. He drew in a sharp breath, astonished at the yearning trickling through him.

  He wasn’t at all ready to go there yet. Even if he was—which he clearly wasn’t, right?—Elise certainly had made it apparent the night before that she didn’t want to have anything with him beyond friendship.

  That seductive image faded like an old photograph under a hard western sun. He had his work cut out for him to convince her he wanted more. But Matt had never been the sort to back down from a challenge.

  Three hours later, Matt drove through town on his way to drop off a bid at a restaurant in Old Town Thunder Canyon that was planning a big remodeling project.

  If the restaurant just happened to be on the same street as ROOTS, well, that was a happy coincidence. It would give him a chance to implement his new strategy for winning Elise over.

  She claimed she didn’t want to lose their friendship. Great. Fine. He had decided he would be the best damn friend she’d ever had. He would offer a sympathetic ear, a helping hand, a shoulder—whatever part of his anatomy she needed, until she discovered she didn’t know how she could survive without him.

  Though it was a weekday afternoon, Christmas shoppers were out in force in town. He happened to spy Bo Clifton and his very pregnant wife Holly heading into a clothing store, and Tori Jones and Allaire Traub coming out of the florists with their arms full of what looked
like poinsettias and evergreen branches.

  After he dropped off the bid to the restaurant owner, he dodged holiday shoppers and slushy snow piles down the street a few storefronts to the ROOTS clubhouse.

  Connor McFarlane’s son CJ sat with Ryan Chilton and a couple of other boys at one of the tables with textbooks open in front of them, though they didn’t seem to be paying them much attention. A couple of teen girls he didn’t know looked bored as they leafed through magazines on the couch.

  As he had hoped, Elise was at Haley’s desk, the phone pressed to her ear. Her gaze lifted at the sound of the bells on the door chiming, a ready smile on her features.

  The moment she spied him coming through the door, her smile slid away and her expression turned stony, much to his consternation.

  He eased into the chair across from the desk. By the time she finished her phone call, her eyes were the wintry blue of the Montana sky on a clear January afternoon and her jaw looked set in concrete.

  She hung up the phone, a muscle twitching in her cheek. “Can I help you?”

  Not a good sign, when her voice was even colder than her eyes.

  “Um, I was in the neighborhood dropping off a bid and figured I’d walk down and see if you need help filling the gift bags.”

  “They’re done,” she said curtly. “I finished them today.”

  This wasn’t going at all as he’d hoped. “Okay, then. Any idea what my assignment might be for the Christmas party? Haley said something about needing some muscle for setting up tables, that sort of thing.”

  “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her that.”

  “I’m assuming since you’re here and she’s not that she’s still laid low with the flu,” he hazarded a guess.

  Elise jerked her head in a nod. “She sounded better this morning when she called. She should be back tomorrow. I’m sure you can talk to her then.”

  So much for his grand master plan. Elise was acting as if she didn’t even want to share the same air space with him. The night before, she had said she didn’t want to lose their friendship. Had he screwed that up now?

  “What’s wrong?” he finally asked warily. “You seem upset.”

  She made the same sort of sound his mother did when he tracked job-site mud on her mopped floors. “Do I?”

  He looked around the ROOTS clubhouse to make sure none of the teens were paying attention to them, then he leaned forward. “Is this about last night?”

  Her jaw hardened even more and for a long moment, he didn’t think she would answer him. When she spoke, the chill in her voice was nearing arctic proportions.

  “I suppose you could say that. You put me in a terrible position.”

  He glanced at the teens, who seemed to be arguing about some super-hero movie and paying absolutely no attention to them.

  “Why? Because I kissed you?” he asked in a low voice. “You weren’t complaining at the time.”

  Whoops. Wrong thing to say. The ice queen disappeared in an instant. Elise shoved her chair back and rose, her color high. He wouldn’t have expected it, but apparently his quiet, sweet Elise could pack a pretty decent temper.

  “You haven’t changed a bit,” she snapped. “You’re the same wild, irresponsible cowboy who thinks he can use his charm to get away with anything!”

  Where did that come from? “Hold it right there,” he said, pitching his voice low. “What the hell did I do?”

  “You kissed me!” she hissed.

  That drew the attention of the teens. A couple of them—the girls especially—cast sidelong looks in their direction. Maybe this conversation would be better in private, he thought, about five minutes too late.

  He gestured with his head to the teens and then pointed to a back room. Mortification replaced some of the anger in her eyes but she gave a short nod and headed into the back room, closing the door behind them.

  “I guess I haven’t read the Thunder Canyon town ordinances closely enough,” Matt said when they had some measure of privacy. “I didn’t realize kissing a beautiful woman had been outlawed when I wasn’t looking.”

  Two high spots of color flared on her cheeks. “It might not be a crime, but it’s wrong on so many levels I don’t even know where to start.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re engaged to marry someone else!”

  He stared at her for about twenty seconds. He closed his eyes, cursing his big mouth and the white knight syndrome he couldn’t seem to shake.

  “This is about Christine?”

  “Of course it’s about Christine! I can’t believe you even have to ask! I always knew you were a player, I just never imagined you would take things this far.”

  He had a feeling this was a disclaimer he was going to have to provide a few times before the rumors around Thunder Canyon started to fade. “I’m not engaged to Christine. I never was. We’re only friends.”

  “Funny, that’s not the rumor going around town. The minute I walked in the house last night, Stephanie was bending my ear about your engagement. And she’s not the only one. I’ve now heard it from more than one person.”

  He loved living in Thunder Canyon but life in a small town where everybody cared about your business had some definite downfalls. A stray bit of gossip could run rampant like an August wildfire. With just a little fuel, it would spread to every corner, wreaking havoc in its path.

  And he had stupidly been the one to set the match to this particular rumor. He should have expected this, damn it.

  The hell of it was, he couldn’t go around putting out this particular fire completely, not if Christine was going to convince her jackass of an ex that they were done.

  He might not be able to tell everyone, but he could certainly confide the truth to Elise, he decided. “Look, if I tell you something, I need you to keep it to yourself, at least for a little while.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, obviously not at all in the mood to listen to anything he had to say. Still, she didn’t toss him out so he figured he would take what he could get at this point.

  “The truth is, Christine had an overenthusiastic ex-boyfriend a few months back who couldn’t seem to get the message they were really over. I wouldn’t exactly put him in the stalker category, but maybe a step or two down from that. She confided in me one night what she’d been going through and somehow we decided to pretend to be dating in hopes the ex would finally figure out it was over.”

  “So out of the goodness of your heart, you agreed to pretend to date a beautiful woman with absolutely pure and altruistic motives.”

  He fought down annoyance at her sharp tone. “I never said that. I’ll be honest, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. My parents stopped bugging me for a while about settling down for the first time since Haley and Marlon got together. And I enjoy Christine’s company. She’s a very fun person. But we’re not engaged and never will be. Neither of us feels that way about the other.”

  She didn’t look convinced. “For the sake of argument, let’s say I was stupid enough to believe you. Don’t you think becoming engaged to the woman is taking your charade a little too far?”

  He sighed. How to explain this part without sounding like a complete idiot? “We bumped into a cousin of the ex-boyfriend outside The Gallatin Room the other night. Completely on the spur of the moment, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to convince the guy things were over, once and for all. I never really stopped to consider the consequences, that word might trickle out and we would have to explain the truth someday.”

  He thought he detected a slight thaw in her expression but it was barely perceptible so he pressed harder.

  “I’m telling the truth, Elise. Come on, think about it. Do you really believe I’m the kind of guy who would announce his engagement one night, then spend the next night kissing someone else?”

  She gave him a long, considering look. “I can’t answer that, Matt. I guess that’s part of the problem. I’ve been away from Thunder Canyon for a lon
g time. All I know are the rumors I’ve heard about your wild past. Didn’t you and Marlon get engaged a few years ago to twins you’d barely met?”

  He winced. She would have to dredge up that little gem of a story, one of his less than stellar moments. “We were young and stupid. I think it was more of a joke than anything. Marlon and I have both changed over the years. Look at him, happily engaged to Haley. And he was always the reckless one, not me. I was mostly along for the ride.”

  He thought the ice thawed just a little more. At least she didn’t look ready to feed him to the wolves yet.

  “Trust your instincts, El,” he said softly, reaching for her hand. “We’re friends. I wouldn’t treat any woman like that, not Christine and not you.”

  She stared at him for a long moment and he could feel the tremble of her slender fingers. She swallowed hard and opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment the door was shoved open.

  CJ McFarlane burst in, all auburn hair and lanky skater boy. He didn’t seem to notice any of the fine-edged tension in the room. “We’re starving, Miz Clifton. Okay if we nuke a couple bags of popcorn? Haley keeps a supply back here.”

  “Um, sure.” She stepped away from Matt and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Anything else you need?”

  “No. Popcorn ought to do it.”

  She gave Matt a long look, then returned to the other room. He followed, frustrated and more than a little annoyed that she was being so stubborn.

  “I guess I’ll give Haley a call about what she needs me to do for the party. Sorry I bothered you,” he said tersely and headed for the door.

  “Matt. Wait.”

  He turned. “Yeah?”

  She twisted her fingers together and chewed her bottom lip. “What was I supposed to think?” she finally said with a quick look at the kids. “Stephanie’s not the sort to make up stories.”

  “And I’m not the sort to string two women along. You ought to know me better than that.”

  She sighed. “I’ve been in that position before, in college. The other woman, I mean. My first real boyfriend was a…well, a jerk. I dated him for three months and never knew he had been engaged for a year to marry a girl in his hometown right after graduation. Then I bumped into them one day while they were picking out wedding flowers and had to stand there, stunned and heartbroken, while he introduced me as some girl he had a class with.”