Free Rocky Mountain Valentine by Carol Steward Page B

the earth who wouldn’t leave her brokenhearted. Dale had. And even her own father had turned his back on her. She pulled her knees close to her body and much as she resisted, the tears seeped through.
    The phone at the check-in counter rang, and Lisa hesitated. When it rang the fifth time, Lisa finally answered. “Whispering Pines Guest Ranch.”
    “Millie?” The feminine voice sounded concerned.
    “No, she’s not available. May I take a message?” Lisa wiped the tears onto her sleeve and dug through the train conductor’s stand for paper and pencil.
    “Well, then, who is this? Adam’s sister?” The voice turned from irritated to sweet, as if the caller was suddenly trying to make a good impression.
    Lisa tried to hold on to her patience while her irritation continued to grow. Adam hadn’t mentioned a girlfriend. “No. How may I direct your call?”
    “Oh,” the caller said snippily. “I must have missed your name.”
    Now Lisa was feeling an uncommon twinge of orneriness. The woman was jealous. Lisa wanted to laugh. “No, you didn’t. May I tell Adam who called? He’s busy at the moment.”
    The woman hesitated. “This is Tara. Have him call me back as soon as possible. Adam has the number,” she purred. “I’m calling to confirm our lunch date for tomorrow.”
    Lisa’s hand paused after “lunch date.” “I’ll give him the message.” Lisa hung up, feeling her smile fade as confusion set in. Despite trying not to care about the stubborn cowboy, she did. And it just figured that there was already another woman in his life. She should have known better than to trust him.
    She strolled across the room to the box of tissues and grabbed a handful as a flood of memories raced her tears for release. She recalled the day she and Dale had moved across the country together, and the day two months later that she’d come home from Katarina’s wedding to find all of her possessions gone along with the man she’d thought loved her. She’d cried for hours that night in the empty apartment, kicking herself for turning down a promising job for a man she barely knew.
    Drying her tears, Lisa realized it was nearly dark and Adam hadn’t returned. She found a muffin in the refrigerator and warmed it in the microwave.
    Adam’s accusations lingered in her thoughts as she nibbled on a juicy blueberry and sipped a glass of milk. “Yeah, Adam, I run, and I’ll keep on running. It’s the only protection I have.”
    She went to work on her laptop, frustrated that Adam wouldn’t cooperate. Apparently the man didn’t appreciate the value of free national exposure, she thought bitterly. Letting her anger replace her logic, she pounded out an article sure to please her editor. Now all she needed to complete the assignment were a few pictures and she could be on the road again.
    The snow had stopped, yet the wind whistled in the stovepipe. Out the picture window she could see the lights from town reflecting off the ominous, hovering clouds. Where could Adam be?
    Adam blamed his edginess on the storm, claiming he was anxious to check to be sure everything was okay. Was that really why he seemed so angry? Or was it the story? Or her? All afternoon she had been walking a fine line between making amends and what Adam might misconstrue as flirting.
    The clock chimed. Moonlight glistened over the fresh layer of snow. She tugged on her boots and coat, grabbed her camera and headed outside. This was a shot she couldn’t miss.

CHAPTER NINE
    A DAM WAS RELIEVED to see an end to the snow. It had been a long day of bitterly cold winds. Only good part about it was the winds had blown the storm away. The last thing he needed this week was a foot of snow. He slammed the iron rod against the solid barrier, determined to chip a hole in the ice. The pond had frozen over little more than a week ago, and keeping enough of it open for watering the stock had become a full-time job.
    Adam resigned himself to the fact that Lisa would be