Taming the Moguls (23 page)

She leaned over, ran her hands over his
cheeks and through his hair, and lowered her lips to his. “I love
you, Tommy Golden. I’ve loved you every day since I was fifteen
years old.”

His arms came around her and held her tight
as they made out like teenagers. He was still inside of her and
growing hard with every swipe of her tongue, every rock of her
hips. “Oh,” she said when she realized they were making love again.
“Oh,” she moaned as he rocked against her sensitive core.

He wanted to flip her onto her back and drive
into her with long, powerful thrusts, but he banked the instinct.
He held her and let her lead. With time and trust, they would get
there. She would get there. He would show her how to feel safe in
his arms no matter how they made love.

Exhausted and sated, they lay on the blanket
as the fire sputtered. Tommy pulled the blanket around Gretchen
where she sprawled on his chest. “I’ll put some wood on the fire
just as soon as I can feel my legs.”

“Am I hurting you?” she asked.

He flipped her over carefully and leaned into
her side. “The only way you could hurt me is if you left me
again.”

Her eyes drifted closed. “We have to talk
about this.”

“I know. Let me get the fire going, and then
we’ll talk.” He kissed her swollen lips, cruised down her neck, and
drank in her scent before sitting up and reaching for his clothes.
“Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

The temperature was warming. Tommy thought it
might get above freezing for a few hours in the afternoon. He
should look for a snow shovel and dig a path. If he didn’t have
other, more pressing things to do, like plan his future, he would.
He filled his arms with firewood and went back inside the
cabin.

Gretchen had put her clothes on. It was for
the best, he told himself when disappointment settled in his
stomach. They needed to talk, not make love. She sat wrapped in the
blanket and watched as he brought the fire back to life. They’d
brought so many things back to life.

He settled beside her and reached for her
hand. “What are you thinking?”

“We live in different parts of the country,”
she said.

“For now, we do.”

Her eyes were huge when she looked at him.
“What do you mean, ‘for now’?”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I’m
not letting you go. Geography is the least of my worries.”

“I have a son. He’s in school. We have a home
where he’s settled and feels secure.”

“A home is where you make it, and I haven’t
forgotten about your son.” Although he’d put him in the background,
far beneath his desire for Gretchen and his need to have her in his
life. He’d have to share her with a boy. A stranger.

“You said before he’s the spitting image of
his father,” Gretchen reminded him.

“Sperm donor. You can’t honestly tell me you
think of Ryan as Alex’s father.”

“Alex doesn’t have a father. He’s mine.”

“Which is how I’ll think of him. As yours
and, maybe someday, ours.”

She clasped a hand to her breast. “Oh, Tommy.
My heart’s going to burst right out of my chest. I love that you
say that, that you’ve considered him, but the reality of him is so
much larger. He’s the center of my world. Everything I do is for
him.”

“You are the center of my world now.
Everything I do will be for you and for him. I don’t make promises
I can’t keep.”

“I’m…My head is spinning right along with my
heart. We need to slow down and break this down logically. You live
here. I live in Chicago. I have a son. You have four
businesses.”

“I can sell my businesses. We can move
somewhere new, start fresh wherever you want to live.”

“You would do that for me? You’d move away
from your family, your friends, your life?”

Tommy squeezed her hand. “We’d make our own
family. We’d make new friends. And if we keep going at it like we
did today, we’ll make our own life—a new life—not long from
now.”

“Oh my gosh, I never considered birth
control. We could have…I could be pregnant.”

“I’d be okay with that.” His stomach dropped
when she slapped her hands over her face until he heard her
laughing and saw the dimples pop out on her cheeks.

“You move so fast I can’t keep up,” she
said.

“If we can get a deal done on Bear Stream, is
there any chance you could relocate here? Would you want to?”

“I…I don’t know. It’s so remote.”

“It’s a small town, but the schools are good.
I have a house big enough for you and Alex and a couple more
kids.”

“A couple?”

“Just keeping our options open.”

“Project managers usually oversee things from
Chicago while an onsite crew does the work. I suppose I could talk
to Robert about applying for something onsite or maybe at the hotel
once it’s open.”

“I don’t want to live in Chicago. Too many
memories are there, all of them bad.”

“Your mother’s there.”

“Yes, she is. She’s part of the bad.”

Gretchen blew out a breath. “I’ll have to
talk to Alex.”

“I’d like to meet him. Soon. As soon as we
can get this deal done, I’ll fly up.” He’d make time to see his
mother. His visit, and their confrontation, was long overdue.

She reached for him and clasped his hands in
hers. “You need to think about this. About what you’re saying.
About what you’re doing. I love you. I’ve never loved anyone but
you. I want us to be together. This is like a dream for me, hearing
you say everything—more—than I’d ever dreamed possible. But when we
leave here, this oasis we’ve made, we’re going to have to face
reality.”

“I lost you once. I let you get away. I won’t
do it again.”

“There’s something else.” Gretchen looked
down and twisted her hands in her lap. “It’s Ryan.”

Chapter 45

Tommy’s house was locked up tighter than a
drum. No one answered when Lyle rang the bell and pounded on the
door.

Erica came up behind him. “His truck’s not in
the garage.”

“I figured as much when the snow was
undisturbed in the drive. Looks like he hasn’t been home since
before it started snowing.”

“It hasn’t been twenty-four hours. The police
won’t consider him missing until twenty-four hours have
passed.”

“Olivia’s not the police.” Lyle rubbed his
face. “I guess we should call her.” They got inside the SUV and
called Olivia.

“You checked the restaurant, Mountain Sports,
and his house?” she asked.

“We’re sitting in his driveway now. It
doesn’t look like anyone’s come or gone since the snow started late
yesterday.”

“I knew something was wrong,” Olivia
said.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. Is he dating
someone we don’t know about? He could have spent the night with a
woman.”

“He dates, and it’s usually on the sly, but
he would never not show up for work. You know that. I’m coming
down.”

“I think you’re jumping the gun. Erica had a
good point. The police won’t consider him missing until twenty-four
hours have passed.”

“Which will be right about the time I arrive.
I’ll be there in four hours.”

“Is there any way to talk you out of
this?”

“Nope,” she said. “My brother’s in trouble. I
just know it.”

“All right, all right, I’ll meet you at the
Tap. Don’t hurry. If I hear anything before then, I’ll give you a
call.”

“She’s coming?” Erica asked when Lyle hung
up.

“Couldn’t talk her out of it.”

“So what do we do?”

Lyle shrugged. “Let’s go back to the Tap and
let Stevie and a few others know to call me if they hear from him.
Then we can go find Mom. We’ve got some time to kill before Olivia
shows up. May as well make the most of it.”

Lyle parked his SUV behind Dodge’s truck in
the drive of his mother’s home. “Didn’t expect them both to be
here.” He reached for Erica’s hand. “Ready?”

Erica clutched her stomach. “Not really. I’m
nervous.”

“You’re being silly. She’s going to be
thrilled. Trust me.” He kissed her lips and led her from the car,
into the garage, and up the stairs to the main residence. “Hello?
Anybody home?”

His mother called from the back hallway, “Be
right out.”

“We’re interrupting,” Erica whispered. “We
should come back another time.”

“Don’t be silly. She’s probably just
working.”

“And your stepdad?”

Lyle shrugged. “Who knows? He may have ridden
out somewhere with Kevin or Miguel.”

Moments later, his mom and stepdad emerged
from the hallway. His mother’s cheeks were flushed as she bustled
out and gave them a quick hug. “This is a surprise.”

Dodge narrowed his eyes at Lyle. “Yes, it is.
What’s so important you couldn’t wait until later?”

Sarah nudged Dodge. “Can I get you something
to drink? Some cookies, maybe?”

“I’ll have a cookie,” Lyle said. “Erica?”

Her face had gone ghostly pale. “No, thank
you. Lyle, I think we should go.”

“Don’t be silly,” he said in a voice loud
enough for everyone to hear. “They hadn’t gotten started yet or he
wouldn’t have let her come out.”

“Honey, Dodge was just helping me replace a
light bulb in the bedroom.”

“Right, Mom, those light bulbs are tricky.
Anyway,”—he sat at the bar and pushed a seat out for Erica to join
him—“we wanted to stop by and let you know Erica and I are getting
married.”

Sarah spun around, a plate of cookies in her
hand. “Married?” For a second, Lyle wondered if Erica was right and
his mom was going to be upset. Then a wide grin stretching from ear
to ear eased over her face, and she set the plate on the counter.
“Oh, honey.” She reached across the bar and grabbed his hand and
then Erica’s. “My baby’s getting married!”

Dodge walked up behind Lyle and slapped his
shoulder. “Good for you, son. Good for you. I suppose that was
worth an interruption.” Erica dropped her head and stared at her
hands, her cheeks flaming. “You sure about this guy, little lady?
He’s a pain in the ass.”

Her head flung up, and a smile broke out on
her face. Dodge, in his own distinct way, had managed to ease
Erica’s discomfort. “I’m sure. He’ll be my pain in the ass.”

Dodge laughed. “You hear that, Sarah? I do
believe Lyle’s met his match with this one. You’re a smart guy for
not letting her get away.”

“No one ever said I was stupid.”

Sarah walked around the counter and pulled
Erica to her feet. “Welcome to the family, sweetheart.” She
enveloped her in a hug. “My boy did good.” Her eyes filled with
tears when she hugged Lyle. “My baby’s a man, a grown man making a
family of his own. I’m so proud of you.”

“Erica was worried you’d be upset.”

“Upset?” Sarah clasped Erica’s hand. “I’m
thrilled. We’ve got a wedding to plan.”

Erica’s face blanched. “We haven’t gotten
that far yet, Mrs. Dodge.”

“You’re going to have to call me Sarah from
now on. And why haven’t you gotten that far?”

Lyle scratched his neck. “I’m working on the
ring first. Then we’ll worry about the wedding.”

“You haven’t gotten her a ring yet?”

“I’m working on it. As usual, my mouth got
ahead of everything, and I couldn’t wait to ask. I think it’s a
good sign she agreed on faith alone.”

“We should celebrate,” Sarah suggested. “How
about dinner tonight? Dodge can throw some steaks on the grill, or
we can go out. I’ll call Kevin.”

Lyle checked his watch. “Not tonight.
Olivia’s on her way down from Denver. Tommy’s missing, and we’re
meeting her at the Tap in a couple of hours.”

“Missing?” Dodge asked.

“No one’s seen or heard from him since
yesterday before the storm rolled in. Erica and I just came from
the Lower Fork. He hasn’t checked in, his house is locked up tight,
and he never opened Golden Mountain Sports.”

“That’s not like him.” Dodge’s brow
furrowed.

“Which is why she’s worried. I thought she
was being overdramatic, but I’m starting to get worried myself. She
thinks maybe he went up the pass and got stuck in the storm.”

“Anybody check the local hotels?” Dodge
suggested.

“For what?” Lyle asked.

“Holcomb’s rep’s in town. Turns out she’s a
lady from Tommy’s past. He’s been torn up about it for days. I just
wonder if maybe they’re together.”

“I didn’t know to check. Do you know where
she’s staying?”

“No, but she’s from Chicago, so I’d imagine
she’s staying at one of the hotels in Westmoreland.” He grabbed his
cell and the laptop on the kitchen counter. “There’s only two or
three where an out-of-towner would stay. I’ll make some calls.”

Lyle reached for a cookie as Dodge dialed.
“May as well eat,” he said when Erica snarled.

“Bingo,” Dodge said. “She’s at the Wentworth
Inn. My friend Chuck works at the front desk there, and he said she
hasn’t checked out, but no one’s seen her since yesterday. She uses
the gym every morning and eats in the lounge, but didn’t do either
today.” He looked at Lyle. “Sounds like they might be
together.”

“But where? If she’s not at her hotel, and
he’s not at home, where are they?”

“Wait,” Erica said. “There was a car at
Golden Mountain Sports. Stevie said it looked like a rental.”

“Blue sedan?” Dodge asked.

“That’s it,” Lyle said. “How do you know what
car she’s driving?”

“I met with her and Tommy last week. Hers was
the only other car in the lot.”

Lyle sighed. “They must be together.”

“Wonder if they went up the pass to look at
Bear Stream?” Dodge asked.

“Tommy had to know a storm was coming,” Sarah
said. “They’ve been predicting it for days.”

“The pass is closed,” Lyle said. “If they
went up, chances are they’re still there.”

“If they went up and found shelter, chances
are good they don’t want to be found,” Dodge said. “Do Tommy a
favor and don’t let word get around he’s missing.”