Mistaken Gifts (2 page)

Eva shrugged and flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder. "It’s not a big deal. After all, it’s what I do. What we do," she added pointedly.
 

"I know, I know," Andi said. "I’ve been kind of absent lately, but that will change after the wedding. I promise. It’ll be your turn to have a little vacation. You deserve it. Especially with all this."

Eva brushed off the comment. She didn’t need to take time off. Besides, Andi and Colin would probably want a honeymoon and she had her work to keep her busy. It’s not like she was about to run off to a hot beach with some equally hot guy.
 

She shifted from foot to foot as she glanced around the room. She was starting to feel the familiar itch to get started with the planning prep. The banquet room was still decorated for the Christmas season that had barely wrapped up. It would take a solid day to strip it down and start getting it dressed for a wedding. And that was only if she had competent people working for her. She was about to ask Andi how many people she’d have from the Lodge staff to help her when Andi grabbed a piece of paper from the portfolio and held it up.
 

"This is perfect," she exclaimed. "Vows by the pond?"

Eva silently cursed herself. She hadn’t been sure her ideas for the ceremony would work out and she didn’t want Andi to get excited about something that might not pan out. "Well, as long as it’s not too cold or a blizzard or something," Eva said. "Maybe we can have a back-up plan, too. We don’t want your guests to freeze."

"No," Andi said. She gazed at the photo and said, "It’ll be perfect. It’s such a small wedding and it’s kind of where our first date was."

"I remember. Ice skating," Eva said and added quickly, "Don’t worry, I won’t make you say ‘I do’ with skates on."

Andi laughed, but her smile faded quickly and was replaced with immediate tears.

"Andi, are you crying?" Eva knelt so she was face to face with her. "I told you, I’d never make you skate in a wedding dress. I was just—"

"No." Andi waved her hand in a weak attempt to dry her tears. "It’s not that. Sorry, I’ve just been so emotional lately with everything going on. I swear I’m bursting into tears all the time. It’s ridiculous." She wiped her face with a tissue Eva handed her. "Thank you."

"Of course."

"No, I mean for everything. For all of this. I didn’t plan on having the ceremony so soon, but when Colin proposed…and then being here again for the holidays, it just felt right, you know?"

Eva nodded even though she most certainly didn’t know.
 

"I just don’t want to wait anymore. What’s the point, right?"

What was the point indeed, Eva thought. If she had someone who loved her the way Colin loved Andi, she herself might be inclined to break her self-assigned rule of never getting married. The idea had tempted her more than once lately, not that she’d admit it to anyone, but there was no point even entertaining the thought when she hadn’t met anyone worth the effort in years. Not when all she’d had to choose from were men like Liam.
 

"I just had an idea." Andi sat up straight. "You’d probably really like Colin’s friend, Troy. He’s a successful businessman, something to do with paint, I don’t know. But I do know he’s cute and more importantly, he’s single."
 

"I don’t need a date."
 

"Sure you do," Andi said. "You can’t fool me."
 

Eva froze for a second before grabbing the portfolio away from Andi. She flipped through the pages so she wouldn’t have to look up and into her friend’s eyes. Andi knew her too well, and the last thing she needed to worry about was Eva’s love life. Especially if Andi knew that she’d actually like to have a love life. It was better if everyone, including herself, kept to the original plan of staying single and carefree.
 

"Come on, Andi." Eva forced a lightness into her voice. "You know me. I don’t do serious relationships. I’m more of a casual kind of girl. That’s the way I like it." She flinched inwardly at the lie that was becoming hard to keep, especially from herself. "Now, can we get back to work? Do you have any other ideas for the ceremony? Because we should start nailing down the details."

There was silence for a minute and when Eva allowed herself to look up at Andi’s face, she could see the uncertainty there. Thankfully Andi didn’t push. Instead, she said, "I did have one idea that I think would work really well. Especially if we have the ceremony at the pond."
 

Eva flipped to a clean page and poised her pen over the page, waiting to take note.
 

"What if I arrived on horseback?" Andi asked.

"Arrived where?"

"The ceremony, of course."

"You?" Eva said. "You want to ride a horse in your dress? A stinky barn animal? In a gown? And here I was worried about you on skates."

Andi pushed back from the table and stood, pulling Eva up as well. "It’ll be perfect. And seriously romantic. I’m sure there’s a white horse in the stables." Andi got that look on her face and Eva knew she was already picturing herself on the horse. "You’re going to need to talk to Jeff.”
 

"Jeff?"

"He’s the stable manager. Our resident cowboy. You can work out the details with him."

"Horse details? Cowboy?”

"Yes, silly. Are you feeling okay? You look a little stunned."

Eva shook her head. Stunned didn’t begin to describe it. "Andi, I don’t know. I’m not really the best person to deal with that. I don’t do horses."

That was an understatement. Just the thought of a smelly stable was enough to wrinkle her nose, let alone the idea of getting near one of the huge beasts. She’d only been on a horse once and that was enough. She’d been twelve, and at summer camp. Of course that story had a far from a happy ending, unless you call a broken arm and a lifelong distrust of sitting on any four-legged creature a happy ending. Horses were pretty enough to look at, as long as she didn’t have to go anywhere near one.

"Please," Andi pleaded. "I know you don’t love horses. But I really think it would be great and I just don’t have the time to deal with the details. My dad and the boys are arriving in the morning and I need to keep them far away from my mom. I’ll have my hands full just with family drama. I really need you."

"What about your dad’s wife?"

"Roxanne?" Andi rolled her eyes and quickly added a sweet smile. "Oh, she’ll be coming later. She said she couldn’t bear to be in the mountains one day longer than she needed to be. I really need you. Besides,” Andi gave her a little smile. “You may not like horses, but you can’t say no to a cowboy.”
 

Eva narrowed her eyes. “I’m sure I could say no. But…” she gave her friend a conspiratorial grin and as they both knew she would, she nodded. "I’ll take care of it," Eva said. Of course she’d do it. But it didn’t matter what Andi said; best friend or not, she wasn’t getting anywhere near an actual horse. As for the cowboy, she’d have to wait and see.
 

Jeff Michaels led Clover, a patient, dappled mare, out of her stall, through the stable and out into the crisp morning air. The sun was shining, making the fresh snow from the night before sparkle and flash in the sun. There was nothing more peaceful than the meadows after a fresh snowfall and peace is exactly what he needed to clear his head.
 

"Here you go, beautiful," he said to the mare as he let her loose into the fenced pasture. There weren’t any trail rides scheduled for the morning, so whenever possible he liked to give the horses a bit of freedom and he liked to believe they enjoyed the fresh snowfall just as much as he did. Especially on a quiet morning.
 

It wasn’t the same in the city, he thought as he scanned the white field and towering mountains that enclosed him. As much as Jeff had enjoyed the change of pace and the exciting opportunity of working on the movie set, there was something to be said for the serenity of the Lodge. It was his home, and he loved it. But he had to be honest with himself, too.
 

Jeff leaned onto the wood fence and watched the horses, letting his mind ponder the question he’d been rolling around for days. What if he took the job? As much as he loved it in the mountains, lately he felt more and more like he was spinning his wheels. And when would such a great opportunity ever come up again?

"Excuse me!" A voice startled him out of his silent reflection. "Do you work here?" a female voice called out.

"So much for peace and quiet," he muttered under his breath. He turned away from the horses he’d been watching and had to bite his bottom lip to keep from laughing.
 

A tall, blond, and he had to admit, striking
 
woman was picking her way through the deep snow in black leather, very high-heeled boots. The kind of boots dreams were made of.
 
Her red coat contrasted sharply with the snow and she reminded Jeff of the actresses he’d worked with on set. He suppressed a sigh. He’d just spent the last week dealing with the overindulged, pampered princess type and from his experience, when there was a prima donna involved, there wouldn’t be peace for anyone. Especially him.
 

He watched her for a moment as she carefully tried to step through the snow he hadn’t had time to shovel yet. The entire effect was quite comical, and he probably could have watched her for entertainment for a little longer, but when she slipped and fell backwards, landing on her behind, his upbringing got the better of him, and he launched into action.

With three long strides, Jeff stepped through the snow and was at the woman’s side. "Are you okay?" He reached down to offer a hand up. If he thought she was beautiful from a distance, she was absolutely breathtaking up close. And every bit a city girl. A city girl who was very angry to be sitting in the cold.

The woman pushed his hand away. "I’m fine," she said with a huff. "No thanks to you." She pushed up through the snow and struggled to her feet. "Do you make it a habit to make people tromp through a snowbank in order to talk to you?"

Jeff took a step back. He hadn’t expected such fire to come out of her mouth. "I’m sorry," he said after a moment. "I haven’t had a chance to get the shovel out yet. I wasn’t expecting anyone until after lunch."

"Well, I’m here." The woman used her black leather gloved hands to brush snow from her coat. She closed her eyes in an obvious effort to compose herself. When she opened them again, her tone had softened considerably. "I’m sorry," she said. "I shouldn’t bite your head off."
 

Jeff leaned back and assessed her. The last thing he’d expect from her type was an apology. "It’s fine," he said. “And hopefully you didn’t land in anything besides snow." He couldn’t resist adding the last bit. He tried to hide his smile, but the glare she shot in his direction told him he hadn’t been very successful. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "I’m sorry," he said, trying to save the situation. "What can I help you with?”

She looked him up and down as if trying to determine whether he’d be able to help her with anything at all. After a moment she said, "I need a horse."

Jeff tucked his hands into the pockets of his fleece-lined denim jacket. "Well, you came to the right place then. I think I have a few of those around here." He knew he was antagonizing her, but it was too tempting and he could use a laugh before he got down to work.

The woman crossed her arms in front of her chest and tossed her head back so her hair fell down her back. She narrowed her pretty blue eyes before she spoke and Jeff had the distinct impression that she wasn’t quite as entertained by the situation as he was. "As fun as this has been," she said, "I really don’t have much time. I’m looking for Jeff. I was told he actually knows what’s going on around here."

The opportunity to continue to mess with her head was tempting, but by the look on her face, Jeff was pretty sure he shouldn’t push it too much further. He stuck his hand out and said, "I’m Jeff. It’s nice to meet you…"

Her glare faded but she didn’t uncross her arms and after a moment, he dropped his hand.
 

"You’re Jeff? The cowboy?”
 

“Well, I don’t always wear my hat.” He touched his head briefly. “But yes, I’m Jeff. The one and only."
 

"Great." She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "I need a horse," she said.
 

"We’ve already established that I have some of those," he said and waved his arm towards the meadow. He flashed her what he knew was a brilliant smile, but she didn’t seem affected, so he settled into business. "Are you looking for a trail ride?" he asked doubtfully. He’d seen some interesting outfits on the guests before, but nothing quite as impractical for riding as what she was wearing.
 

"Me?" She dropped her arms and alarm flashed in her eyes. "Oh, no. I’m not getting anywhere near one of those…" She waved her hands in front of her face. "Beasts," she finished. "No way. I need one for the wedding."
 

Jeff surprised himself by feeling a flash of what had to be disappointment that she was engaged to be married.
 

"Do you mind me asking why you want a horse for your wedding? I mean, you don’t seem to like them very much."

"Me?" Horror crossed her face. "No, it’s not for me. I’m not getting married."

A wave of relief washed over him, shocking him further.
 

"Then…"

"It’s for my friend’s wedding in a few days. You don’t know about it? How could you work here and—"

"I’ve been away working and I just got back last night. I did hear something about a wedding," he said, remembering the memo he’d seen on his desk. "But if I’m not quite up to speed, I’ll have to apologize."

"Apology accepted."
 

He was about to shoot back a smart comeback when he saw her small smile.

"It’s my friend Andi’s wedding."

"Andi and Colin?" he asked, remembering the couple he’d had the pleasure to meet a few times in the past. “By the way, they’re horses, not beasts," he added. The still unnamed woman may have softened her attitude a little, but he wasn’t above helping get the point across, especially if he could make her pretty face flush again.