Orchard Valley Grooms
Page 40

“I’m not sure, but I seem to remember reading about a handsome young newsman who was turned into a frog because he got greedy about wishes.”
“How many have I got left?”
“Two.”
“All right, I’ll choose carefully. I wish we were together in your father’s stable right now.”
“You’re wasting one of your wishes on the stable?”
“That’s what I said. It seems as though every time I’m there, you end up in my arms. In fact, I’m looking forward to visiting your father’s horses again soon.”
“That can be arranged. Fury and Princess will be thrilled.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he murmured. Steffie could picture him sprawled comfortably on his sofa, talking to her, a glass of wine in his hand.
“Be warned, you have only one wish left.”
“Give me a moment—I want to make this good. I’ve had two glasses of wine and in case you haven’t noticed, I’m feeling kind of mellow.”
“I noticed.” She smiled to herself.
“Know what I’d like?”
“You tell me,” she teased.
“With my last wish, I’d like to wipe out the past.”
“That one’s easy,” she said, and even though he couldn’t see her, she made a sweeping motion with her hand. “There. It’s gone, forgotten, never to be discussed again.”
“Uh-oh. I think I made a mistake.”
“Why’s that?”
“We can’t sweep it away.”
“Why not?” she asked, striving for a flippant air. “It was one of your wishes, and it’s in my power to grant it, so I have.”
“But I don’t want it wiped out completely. Let’s talk about it now, Stephanie, get this over with once and for all.”
Steffie’s heart jolted. “Sorry, it’s gone, vanished. I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.” Willfully she lowered her voice, half pleading with him, not wanting anything to ruin these moments.
The silence stretched between them. “You’re right, this isn’t something we can discuss over the phone. Certainly not when I’m half drunk and you’re so far away.”
“You’re tired.”
“It’s funny,” Charles told her, and she could hear the satisfaction in his voice. “I’m so exhausted I’m dead on my feet, and at the same time I feel so elated I want to take you in my arms and whirl you around the room.”
“You never once mentioned buying the paper.” She didn’t mean it as a criticism. But he’d managed to keep it a secret not only from her, but from just about everyone in town. When Steffie had mentioned Charles’s news to her father, he’d been as pleasantly surprised as she.
“I couldn’t, but believe me, I was dying to tell you. Negotiations can be tricky. I was prohibited from saying anything until I’d reached an agreement with Dalton Publishing and the financing had been arranged.”
Steffie snuggled down against her pillows. “So much is happening in our lives. First there was Dad’s heart attack, and now Valerie’s wedding. Oh, Charles, I wish you were here to see Valerie. I didn’t know anything in the world could fluster my sister, but I was wrong. Being in love flusters her.
“I was with her Monday when she tried on wedding dresses. My practical, levelheaded older sister would stand in front of a mirror with huge tears running down her cheeks.”
“She was crying?”
Steffie smiled at the memory. “Yes, but these were tears of joy. She never allowed herself to believe that Colby loved her enough to work through the things that stood between them. The two of them are so different, and that’s been the problem all along. But neither of them seems to understand, even now, that it was those very differences that attracted them to each other.”
“We’re different.”
His words gave Steffie pause. “I know but—”
“And I’m attracted to you, Stephanie. Very attracted.”
It was ironic that she’d told him how love had completely unsettled her sister, only to be sitting on her own bed a few minutes later with the phone pressed against her ear and the tears sliding down her cheeks.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“Yes,” she whispered in a trembling voice.
“Stephanie? What’s wrong? You sound like you’re crying.”
“That’s the silliest thing I ever heard,” she rallied, rubbing her eyes with one hand.
“I wish I was there.”
“Sorry,” she said, laughing and crying at once, “you’re flat out of wishes.”
Eight
“More wine?” Charles asked, reaching for the bottle of Chablis in its silver bucket.
“No, thanks,” Steffie said, smiling her appreciation. Their dinner had been delectable. It was one meal she wouldn’t soon forget, although it was Charles’s company that would linger in her mind more than the excellent halibut topped with bay shrimp.
“How about dessert?”
Steffie pressed her hands to her stomach and slowly shook her head. “I couldn’t.”
“Me neither.” He leaned against the back of his chair and gazed out the window to the Columbia River below. The gorge was in one of the most scenic parts of Oregon. Steffie had always loved this view of the mighty river coursing through a rock-bound corridor.
“I’ve looked forward to this evening for a long time,” Charles said, turning back to her.
“I have, too.” Until tonight, Steffie had only dreamed of being with Charles like this. As his equal, an adult…a woman in love.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look more beautiful, Stephanie.”
His words brought a flush of color to her cheeks. Steffie had dressed carefully, choosing an elegant Italian knit dress in a subdued shade of turquoise. Valerie had lent Steffie her pearl necklace and earrings, and Norah had contributed a splash of her most expensive perfume.
Her sisters and her father, too, had put a good deal of stock in this evening’s date. Steffie wasn’t sure what her family was expecting. No doubt some miracle. For herself, she was content just to spend the evening with Charles.
“You look wonderful yourself.” She wasn’t echoing his compliment, but was stating a fact. He’d worn a dark suit with a silk tie of swirling colors against a pale blue shirt.
“Then we must make an attractive couple tonight,” Charles commented, rotating the wine goblet between his fingers.
“We must,” Steffie agreed.
Charles finished off the last of his wine and set the glass aside. “You were generous enough to grant me three wishes the other night, remember?”
Steffie wasn’t likely to forget. She felt warm and shivery inside whenever she thought about their late-night telephone conversation.
“Being the honorable gentleman I am, not to mention talented and handsome, as you so aptly pointed out, it seems only fair that I return the favor. You, my lady, are hereby granted three wishes.”
“Anything I want?” Steffie cocked her head.
“Within reason. I’d be willing to drive you to Multnomah Falls to watch the water by moonlight, but I might have a bit of trouble if you decide you want world peace.”
“The Falls by moonlight?”
“I was hoping you’d ask for that one.”
She blinked at the way he’d turned her question into a pre-approved wish. “Charles,” she said, “you’re a romantic.”
“Don’t sound so shocked.”
“But I am. I’d never have guessed it.”
She was teasing him, and enjoying it and was surprised when he frowned briefly. “That’s because we’ve never discussed what happened—”
“Not tonight,” she said, holding a finger to his lips. “It’s one of my wishes. We’ll discuss nothing unpleasant.”
His frown deepened. “I think we should. There’s a lot we—”
“You’re the one who granted me three wishes,” she reminded him solemnly.
He nodded, his expression somewhat disgruntled. “You’re right, I did, and if you want to squander one of your wishes, then far be it from me to stop you.”
“It’s too lovely a night to dredge up the past, especially when it’s so embarrassing. Let’s just look forward—”
“Fine,” Charles agreed quickly and turned to thank their waiter when he brought two cups of steaming coffee to the table. “We’ll just look ahead. Now, remember you have one remaining wish.”
Steffie hesitated. “Do I have to claim it now?”
“No, but the wishes expire at midnight.”
Steffie laughed softly. “You make me feel like Cinderella.”
“Perhaps that’s because I’d like to be your prince.”
His gaze was dark and unguarded. Steffie lowered her eyes, for fear he’d read all the love that was stored in her heart.
“Do I frighten you?” he asked after a moment.
Steffie’s eyes flew back to his. “No. I thought I frightened you!”
He laughed outright at that. “Not likely.”
They drank their coffee in silence, as though afraid words would destroy the mood. After Charles had paid the bill, he drove toward Multnomah Falls, managing the twisting narrow highway with ease. Steffie had visited the Falls many times, but had always been a bit scared of the drive. However, Charles took the sharp turns in slow, controlled moves, and she relaxed, enjoying the trip.
The rock walls along the road were built of local basalt more than seventy years earlier, during the Depression.
“I love this place,” Charles said as they reached the parking area across the roadway from the waterfall. Because it was a weeknight, there were only a few cars in the lot.
Dusk was settling, and the tall, stately firs bordering the falls were silhouetted against the backdrop of a cloud-dappled sky. The forested slopes were already dark as Steffie and Charles began the gradual, winding ascent to the visitors’ viewpoint.
A chill raced down her arms and Steffie was grateful she’d brought a thin coat with her. Multnomah Falls was Oregon’s highest waterfall, plummeting more than six hundred feet into a swirling pool, then slipping downward in a second, shorter descent. The force of the falling water misted the night.
With his hand at her elbow, Charles guided them to the walkway that wove up the trail. When they got to the footbridge that spanned the falls, Steffie stopped to gaze at the magnificence around her. The sound of falling water roared in her ears.
“If we wait a few minutes, the moon will hit the water,” Charles told her. He stood behind her, shielding her from the wind that whipped across the water’s churning surface.
Steffie closed her eyes. Not to the beauty of the scene before her, but to the sensation she experienced in Charles’s protective embrace.
“I’ve dreamed of holding you like this,” he whispered. “Of wrapping my arms around you and feeling you next to me. I love the way your hair smells. It reminds me of wildflowers and sunshine.”