Page 41 of Mountain Dreams

“How…when…where?”

He chuckled. “I went to the store while you were still asleep.”

“You found one that was open this early?”

“Yep.” He left out that it was a grocery store.

“How did you know that I love carnations?”

“You do?”

She nodded. “I actually like them more than roses.”

He smiled, thinking about how much he’d learned about her in the past few days. “So, no baths and no roses. Got it.”

She laughed. “I don’t dislike roses. It’s just that they’re so overdone, you know?”

He nodded, though he couldn’t begin to understand the inner workings of a woman’s mind. However, he found himself wanting to understand hers.

“Did I do okay on the chocolate? I seem to recall you don’t like nuts inside, but caramel is okay.”

“You remembered right,” she said, beaming at him.

One would think he’d given her a diamond ring instead of a few flowers and some chocolate. Then he thought of the diamond engagement ring she’d been wearing just a few days ago—Wyatt’s ring. She would have been spending the holiday with her fiancé right now, but instead, she was here with him. He still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Sleep okay?” he asked, switching to a more neutral topic.

“Like a dream. The bed is really comfortable.”

“You should try mine.”

She froze with her fork in midair, and he realized his mistake. “I didn’t mean… Mine is a king-size, and I spent a small fortune on the mattress.”

She nodded, though she kept her gaze glued to her plate.

“So, what are your plans today?” he asked, attempting to change the subject.

“I haven’t really thought about it.”

“Maybe we could do something together.”

She ran a finger around the rim of the coffee mug. “Such as?”

Just then, her phone rang, and since it was lying on the table next to her plate, he saw Wyatt’s name flash on the screen. They both stiffened.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

“I guess so.”

“I’ll give you some privacy,” he said and started to rise.

“That’s okay. Stay here and finish your breakfast, and I’ll go into the other room.”

She picked up the phone and said a terse, “Hello,” as she walked out of the kitchen.

He felt deflated as he watched her leave. For the past two days, he’d had her all to himself, and it had been easy to forget about Wyatt. He bit into his last slice of toast and tried not to eavesdrop on her conversation. She must not have gone very far, because he heard her perfectly clearly.

“No thanks. I’ll come and get the rest of it another day,” she said. After a short pause, she said, “One day this week.”