Chapter Thirty-Seven
The Baileys met them at the lodge’s main door as soon as they walked in and surrounded her in affectionate hugs.
“Oh, we were worried sick! The whole town knows about your accident and stay in the cabin, so don’t be surprised when folks ask about it. I think every single church for fifty miles had you two on their prayer chains. Maybe we should put a notice in the paper that they’re alright?” Mrs. Bailey looked over her shoulder and suggested to her husband.
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary. The town grapevine is alive and well. By morning, it will be all over town that they were rescued by these three fine young men,” Mr. Bailey assured, reaching out a hand to the three safety patrols that had entered behind them after storing the machines in the shed .
“You must be frozen through! Come in. I have a steaming pot of hot chocolate going.” Mrs. Bailey ushered everyone over to the café and served hot drinks, fussing over Enrique and Leigh like a mother hen. A few resort guests lounged around, observing the newcomers and whispering in small groups.
After giving a brief account of the last few days, Leigh stood and stretched. “I’m ready to head home to my nice comfy bed. Enrique, let me know what the doctor says tomorrow, and we can make plans from there. Do you need anything before I head out?” Leigh asked, reaching to retrieve her bag from the floor where Allen had placed it along with her ski equipment.
“I’m not sure, but I think I heard them saying something about the roads not being cleared up yet,” he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the safety patrol team who were sitting a little further down the table engrossed in conversation.
“What? Really?” Leigh asked incredulously, turning towards Mr. Bailey. “Are the roads really still closed? I mean, I saw the damage done in the forest on the way down, and I figured the storm dropped a good three feet of snow, but, surely, the main roads have been plowed.”
“The main highways, yes. Main street and the downtown side streets, yes. Do you have any chance of making it up to your brother’s cabin? Unfortunately not. Folks are still good and snowed in and will be for several more days. Even in his four-wheel drive Jeep, you won’t get far. That storm dropped four and a half feet of snow, and the higher you go, the more it got. Up where you guys were, got an easy seven feet,” Mr. Bailey informed her regretfully.
“Well, I guess I’m staying here then. Please tell me you’re not sold out.”
“Afraid so. Everyone in town is. This was a bad one. Folks up high on the mountain came down so they didn’t get snowed in and freeze if something happened. Our house is even filled to the rafters with friends and family who came to town. The only thing I can offer is the couch in the office. I’m sorry, love.” Mrs. Bailey squeezed her fingers gently trying to soften the blow.
“Ugh, another couch. Well, at least this one comes with heating,” Leigh said with a smile, trying not to sound as disappointed as she felt.
“You could always stay with me at the chalet. There are plenty of bedrooms to choose from and heating for everyone. Since my staff brought the bedding with us from home, I can personally attest to its quality. It certainly beats sleeping on another couch or the floor. And I promise not to feed you MREs for the duration of your stay,” Enrique added, nudging her shoulder with his.
His cheeky grin was contagious, and his playfulness tickled her heart. At this point, she was so tired that the couch almost sounded good, but not quite. She agreed to stay with him until the road cleared.
He pulled one hand out of his pocket and stretched it towards her.
“Well, come on then. Good food and warm beds await. ”
His heart leaped when she took his hand, which had been a long shot. He hadn’t really thought about it when he offered it, but they kind of just made a statement in front of her friends and that wormy guy Chris. As unintentional and natural as the act had been, he was excited by the progress. He wondered if she had realized the announcement they had just made. No doubt, by morning, this news would be all over town as well.
Their hands fit together perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle, and his warmth seeped into her. He interlaced their fingers together, strengthening the connection and causing her heart to race even faster. With their hands joined together, they walked out to Enrique’s rented SUV. And it wasn’t until he opened the door for her to get in that she realized she didn’t want him to let go.
He made quick work, stowing her gear in the back, and jumped into the warm driver’s seat.
“How is it warm in here?” Leigh asked, dumbfounded but grateful for the heat surrounding her. The luxurious leather beneath her was working nicely to thaw out the bone chill she had gotten on the ride down the mountain.
“Remote start. I got it heated up while we were talking,” Enrique answered as he pulled out onto the deserted street and headed up the road to the chalet overlooking the slopes.
“Do you always open the door for women who ride with you?” she asked curiously.
“I would like to say yes, but I don’t think so. I’m afraid some women I take places I’m already counting the minutes to get rid of them before the evening even begins. Harsh, I know, but it’s the truth. Anthony is actually the one who taught us boys to open doors for ladies. His mom raised him to be a gentleman, and he did his best to pass that on to me. Unfortunately, it didn’t stick on everything. I haven’t had many opportunities to escort women I respect and enjoy spending time with, but I can say that I opened the door every time for the few I have.”
“Are any of these women that you respect and enjoy spending time with potential candidates for your future wife?” Leigh wasn’t sure where that question came from and feared she didn’t want to know the answer.
“No. Not at all. Like I said, I never saw myself getting married. Each outing was an arrangement for someone’s convenience. Most of those women are happily engaged in long-term relationships. We still see each other and spend time conversing at different events, but their men do not feel threatened by me in any way. Those relationships were purely platonic.”
Enrique smiled when he heard Leigh exhale. He doubted she knew she had been holding her breath over his answer, but he was observant, and that little detail did great things for his confidence. She was really into him, and knowing that reassured him that he was on the right path and they were walking it together.
Within minutes, they had pulled into the heated garage and entered the large, luxurious home through a door leading into the kitchen. A delicious, spicy aroma wafted around them, making her mouth water and stomach growl .
A rotund man stood behind the marble-topped island, skillfully chopping a line of red onions, colorful peppers, large leafy greens, and various other vegetables on a massive chopping block. His white cap dipped when he tilted his head in acknowledgment of their arrival, and his white uniform was spotless, even though he was surrounded by different bowls of sauce.
“This is the kitchen, obviously,” Enrique said, closing the doors behind her as he led her in. “And this is Lorenzo, my personal chef.”
“Good evening, Mr. Rodriguez,” Lorenzo said with a slight bow. Then he turned to Leighann and greeted her with the same courtesy. His English was coated with a strong Italian accent. “Good evening, ma’am.”
Leighann smiled politely at him, but the idea of hiring a personal chef to prepare meals seemed excessive and wasteful. She didn’t have anything against chefs, but she preferred cooking and eating her own meals. So, she definitely didn’t see the need for someone else to do what she was perfectly capable of doing herself.
She knew from her previous visit that staying here was going to be uncomfortable for her. Wealth, especially displays of such extreme wealth, rubbed her wrong and had since she was a child. Keeping her mouth shut about her strong opinions on the subject and appreciating the place to stay while she was here was going to be difficult enough. Biting her tongue on the matter of a chef cooking for her was going to be impossible .
“I know you’re tired; I feel it too,” Enrique said, mistaking the frown on her face as a sign of fatigue, and nodded towards the hallway. “I’ll show you to your room. You can relax and take a shower or a bath while we wait for Lorenzo to finish his masterpiece.”
He led her to a door halfway down a long hallway and opened it for her.
“This is it,” he said as she stepped into the enormous room. “If you need anything, my room’s that way, or you can dial the numbers listed on the phone to reach the housekeeper and kitchen.” He pointed at the other end of the hallway. There was a good distance between their rooms, so she didn’t have to worry about them intruding on each other’s privacy.
“Thank you,” she said. “Really. I appreciate it.”
“It’s nothing.” Then he hesitated a bit. “What do you think of the place?”
“Uh, it’s… nice. Not sure you’re ready for my honest opinion,” she answered with a slight grin to soften her words, but not wanting to mislead him into thinking that she was alright with all of this opulence. “Definitely seems to be your style. Well, not your polished modern industrial style but the over-the-top, look at my riches, kind of style. A topic for another day, I think.” Then, teasingly, she added, “I think it’s a little funny that you can’t even cook for yourself.”
He pretended to look offended. “I can cook!”
“I doubt it,” she said skeptically, “Or you wouldn’t need a chef. ”
“Hiring Lorenzo was a practical decision based on my limited schedule. I like to eat healthy, delicious food and rarely have the time it takes to make such meals. This way, a chef who was tired of running like a rat on someone else’s wheel gets to stay gainfully employed, and I have meals that are tailored to my dietary needs and desires prepared when I need them. If you want to bet who has more skills in the kitchen, that is a wager I will gladly take you up on,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
“I’ll keep that in mind for later. We might just have to have a cooking throw-down sometime. For now, that bath sounds good. I will meet you downstairs in one hour. Don’t be late, or I’ll ask Lorenzo for some Reaper juice.”
There was a mischievous look in her eyes as she smiled, closing the door in his shocked face at her threat. She leaned against it, chuckling at their banter, and took in the room. It was pretty and luxurious, as expected, painted in warm shades of cream, brown, and forest green. A large king-sized bed covered in a fluffy forest green duvet took up the center of one wall, with matching night tables and lamps on either side casting a warm glow around the room. A fireplace with a full sitting area occupied the opposite end of the room. A set of French doors opened onto a snow-covered balcony, which she assumed would have a spectacular view of the mountainside when the sun was up.
The bathroom was a sight to behold. White marble covered every surface with warm grey veins running through it. The faucets, cabinet hardware, and light fixtures were all covered in gold plating. The plush white towels practically begged to wrap around her body. A shower stall with not one but four shower heads took up one wall while a massive soaker tub stood against the opposite wall.
She quickly filled the tub with steaming hot water and added rose-scented bath salts. Climbing in and sinking up to her chin in the almost too-hot-for-comfort water, she could feel her tense muscles begin to loosen. The essential oils in the salts made her skin feel like velvet, and she luxuriated in the water for as long as she could, refusing to think of anything but how good it felt to be warm. When she couldn’t remain any longer, she soaped herself up with the rose-scented body wash laid out on the bamboo side table. She lathered her hair with the same fragranced shampoo, rinsed off using the convenient handheld sprayer, and added leave-in conditioner she found in a basket on the counter to her damp hair before combing through it with a bamboo comb.
Every possible item needed for a beauty routine outside of makeup had been provided. She slathered rose-scented lotion all over her now dry skin, applied facial moisturizer on her wind-chapped cheeks and cherry lip balm on her lips, and then used a green hair tie to wrap her damp hair in a bun on top of her head.
She pulled her dirty clothes back on, having no other options, until she entered the bedroom and found a dark blue lounge set wrapped in plastic on the cream satin-covered bench at the foot of the bed. Well, that’s a pleasant surprise .
Opening the package, she found a long-sleeved top, drawstring boxers, and pants to accommodate multiple sizes, warm fluffy socks, and house slippers. Leigh quickly changed into the clean clothes and headed downstairs.
Dinner was laid out in the formal dining area and smelled heavenly. Enrique was already there, speaking in low tones with his housekeeper when she entered.
“Am I late?” she asked, slightly out of breath from rushing.
“No, not at all. Come, sit down,” Enrique instructed, pulling out her chair. As soon as she was seated he pulled out his chair and sat beside her. They ate quickly and in relative silence both being extremely hungry and enjoying the improved flavors over the MREs they had been surviving on for the last few days.
He inquired how her bath was and if everything was to her liking. This led to a comment on the owner’s or management company’s obsession with roses. He chuckled and admitted that he had brought the vanity basket with him from home and that it came preselected. He solicited her opinion on a better selection, and she suggested fruit over flowers as they tend to smell a little less intensely. Most people ate fruit, whereas not everyone enjoyed sniffing rosebuds. He appreciated her insight and nodded to his housekeeper, who had just entered the room, to make the adjustment.
The meal progressed quickly, and before she knew it, Leigh was tucked into the amazingly soft sheets with freshly brushed teeth, a full belly, and sweet dreams stretching out before her.