Read Online Love in the Morning by Meg Benjamin - Free Book Online Page B

“Getting snow is lucky?”
    â€œIn a ski area, getting snow is more than lucky. It’s a blessing. Particularly if we get a decent amount before Christmas. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is one of our busiest times.”
    â€œOh.” She hunched a little, wrapping her arms around herself. “Maybe I should pick up a heavier jacket. I don’t have anything that would work in snow.”
    For a brief moment, he thought about putting an arm around her shoulders. For warmth, strictly for warmth. He rejected the idea quickly. Too easy to misinterpret. “The western wear shop down on Main should be able to fix you up. They’ve got a lot of cold weather gear.”
    She glanced up at him. “Did you grow up here?”
    He shook his head. “I grew up in the east, but I went to college in Boulder. I came up here to Salt Box around ten years ago.”
    She frowned slightly. “I guess it would figure that most of the people in a town like this didn’t start out here.”
    â€œTrue.” He shrugged. “You’ve got a few natives, though. Nona, for example. She and her son own a garage that’s been in the Monteith family for a couple of generations.”
    â€œWhat about Dick? Is he a native?”
    Clark grinned—his first real grin since leaving the Blarney Stone. “Dick is a transplant. A relatively recent one. He was some kind of big deal in Hollywood for a long time until he brought his whole operation up here a couple of years ago. Only he doesn’t do that much as far as I can see. He’s got an assistant, Monica, who really runs things for him.”
    Lizzy stared up at him with suddenly wide eyes. “He worked in Hollywood? Like in movies? And television?”
    Clark frowned. She looked more anxious than impressed. Why would Dick’s profession be such a shock? “Yeah, I guess. He’s got some kind of production company—both TV and movies. Only like I say, his assistant does most of the work these days.”
    She licked her lips, turning back to stare up the road again. “That’s interesting,” she muttered.
    â€œI guess,” he repeated. The Praeger House appeared out of the darkness ahead of them, glowing at the end of the drive like the Emerald City.
    They trudged up the drive in silence, Lizzy still hugging her arms around her waist.
    He held the door open for her to walk through. “Hope I didn’t keep you out too late.”
    She shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ll start going over those invoices and the stock tomorrow. I should have some orders ready by tomorrow afternoon.”
    â€œNo hurry.”
    â€œOkay, well thanks. I’d better get some rest. I have to get up early tomorrow.” She gave him a smile that was more like a lip flex, then turned and practically trotted toward her room at the end of the hall.
    He stood watching her with narrowed eyes. All in all an interesting evening. A good meal in congenial company. But some real questions were clear—what was it about Dick Sonnenfeld and his Hollywood connections that had Lizzy Apodaca so worried? And why had she taken the job at Praeger House in the first place?

Chapter Six
    Lizzy stayed out of Clark’s way for the next couple of days. She’d seen that slightly suspicious look in his eyes as they’d walked back to the hotel. It was just the shock of finding out that Dick Sonnenfeld was somebody connected to Hollywood. Worse, that he was somebody connected to a television production company. She’d been amazingly lucky so far—nobody had recognized her as far as she could tell. She’d begun to think she could relax.
    But dinner at the Blarney Stone had reminded her of just how much she had to lose. Things at Praeger House were working. She was turning out good food in a great environment. Now was not the time for careless revelations.
    In their few hours of down time, she showed