concede if you allow me to buy your son a dream-catcher.”
“Please, Mom?”
“Okay,” Jami agreed, feeling out-numbered, out-voted, and travel weary. The sooner they got the beds assigned, the sooner they could settle into the rooms.
Grant picked up Jami’s denim tote bag and her son’s purple backpack, slung them easily over his shoulder, and carried them into the spare room where he placed them onto a low cabinet. “Are you sure you’ll be comfortable in here? You’re welcome to the main room.”
“No, thank you,” Jami replied, wishing he would leave them alone. Why did his presence seem to fill the entire space wherever they were? She pushed an unruly lock of hair off her forehead and plastered a smile on her face. “I think Toby needs some rest, and I’d like to freshen up, so if you don’t mind...”
“I don’t mind,” he drawled, his dark eyes twinkling as he stood immoveable.
Jami shot him a glare, vowing that she would strangle Sierra the next time they met. Her friend had not warned her of Grant’s Carrington’s devilish sense of humor. He obviously delighted in taunting her, and she felt her temper heating to the boiling point. “Please get out of our room, Mr. Carrington.”
“Grant, remember?” Toby chirped, totally unaware of the tension radiating between the adults.
She gritted her teeth, determined not to blow. “Please wash up, Toby.”
“Aw, Mom, I’m not dirty.”
“Toby.” She kept her voice soft, but she knew it rang with a riled mother’s edge of steel. The child read either her tone or expression because he immediately dropped his protest and scampered into the bathroom, slamming the door behind in his haste.
Jami turned to Grant. “Why didn’t you tell me you have a cabin up here?”
“You didn’t ask.”
“How would I know to ask a Houston businessman if he owns a cabin in the Rocky Mountains?”
Grant grinned at her. “Who do you think recommended Frost Lake to Ty and Sierra?”
“This entire trip is your fault, isn’t it?” Jami demanded, hands on her hips.
A guilty expression cloaked Grant’s handsome face, his dark eyes hooded as he gazed at her. “That’s possible.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sierra didn’t explain?”
“Explain what?” Jami asked suspiciously. What else had Sierra neglected to tell her?
“I’m a business consultant, so Ty came to me for advice on how to promote CupidKey. I suggested an all-expense paid get-acquainted week for a lucky computer-matched couple. I didn’t expect to be part of that couple.” Grant’s fingers stiffened when he touched the packet tucked under his arm, as if the envelope were an unpleasant reminder of something.
“How did you end up as my Cupid match?” Jami asked, curious to see if he had been coerced as well.
“Ty fed my information into the computer, and I guess they don’t have much of a client base, yet.”
“You’re not kidding,” Jami said with feeling, recalling the lady biker with nose ring. She frowned. Maybe Grant had not intended to be part of the lucky couple, but he was still responsible for both their “prize” and destination.
Toby popped out of the bathroom. “I’m hungry, Mom. When do we eat?”
Grant raised his cuff and glanced down at his Rolex watch. “In about five minutes. I’ll leave you two alone to freshen up while I change. We can meet downstairs in the dining room. It’s to the right of the stairway.” With that, he spun around and strode out of the room, tapping the door shut behind him.
Dinner at Frost Lake Lodge proved to be a less than perfect experience for Jami. The meat in the elk stew tasted gamey, the potato chunks and sliced carrots were not peeled, and there was far too much onion and celery for her taste. She thought the cornbread delicious, but Toby got the accompanying honey butter all over himself. As she reached for her handbag to clean his sticky paws and face with the moist-wipe towelettes and hand sanitizer she always carried, Jami realized she had left her handbag on the table inside the suite.
Not wanting to cause any fuss, she dipped her napkin in her water and subtly cleaned off her son. Glancing up, she caught Nell’s eye, and the elderly woman smiled. The diminutive woman’s white hair grew in wispy tufts and when Nell smiled, her whole face glowed pink.
Jami returned the smile, glad that most of the other guests were away for the evening. She had been told they had gone to a champion rodeo down in town, which left Jami, Toby, and Grant in the company of Homer,