Chapter 4 #2
The only relationship experience Breely had with a man had been limited to a brief clandestine fling with one of the young cowboys on her father’s ranch.
She’d fancied herself in love with the man.
But after a few awkward romps in the hay—which she wouldn’t recommend to anyone—she’d lost her virginity and hadn’t thought much of sex.
On more than one occasion, she'd wondered if all the hype about making love was just that…
hype. For her, it had been painful the first time and uncomfortable the others.
Though her cowboy had seemed to like it at the time, it hadn’t been enough to keep him there. He’d disappeared to go to work at a ranch in Texas, claiming Montana was far too cold. Looking back, Breely wondered if her father had had anything to do with the man’s decision to leave.
Had she really loved the cowboy and he loved her, Breely might have gone with him.
However, he hadn’t declared his love at any point in their time together, and she’d promised herself that she wouldn’t declare herself until he had.
After a few weeks, Breely had gotten over him and was lonelier than ever.
Surrounded by her family, the housekeeper, cook and ranch staff, she’d been alone and craving a chance to explore the world and people outside the Rocky Ridge Ranch.
“Ready?” Moe asked.
Breely had been so caught up in the rush of memories she hadn’t realized Moe was now facing her with humor tugging at the corners of his lips.
She nodded, heat rising up her neck into her cheeks. “I am.”
Moe led the way out of the building to a parking lot. He hit the unlock button on the key fob, and lights flashed from a black SUV. Moe opened the passenger door and handed Breely into the seat.
His hand on her arm sent electric shocks blasting through her body and heat simmering low in her belly.
She’d felt something similar, if not as intense when she’d been with the cowboy.
Moe settled in the driver’s seat, keyed the address into his cell phone’s map application and connected his phone to the vehicle. After buckling his seatbelt, he started the engine and left the airport.
A clear sky allowed the stars overhead to light the landscape. On the outskirts of the city, Denver’s airport was surrounded by flat, dry land. Breely would consider it a desert. City lights glowed to the west of the airport, and beyond them was the ghostly glow of snow-capped peaks.
They were as beautiful from the ground as they’d been from the sky, flying into the airport.
Breely sat forward in her seat, eager to take it all in. A different city in a state other than Montana… She sighed, a smile automatically curling her lips.
Moe chuckled. “I take it you’ve never been to Denver.”
“Never,” she admitted. “I’ve seen so many places on the television or the internet, but I’ve only visited a few. The only time I left the ranch was to go to annual doctors’ visits or a few family vacations.”
“Where did you go on those vacations?”
“We went to a ranch in Canada, an exclusive resort in Hawaii and an island resort in the Bahamas. Each time, we were isolated from the locals, and the only people we came into contact with were members of the staff. We had our own pool, chef and stretch of beach.” She stared at the city ahead.
“When we were in the Bahamas, I remember hearing music from a nearby festival. I tried to sneak out and see what it was all about, but I set off the intruder alarm system on the grounds, and a dozen armed bodyguards converged on me.” She laughed.
“My father was mad.” Breely shrugged. “I could deal with that, but my mother…she was shaking. The thought of her only child leaving the security of the resort made her physically ill. I didn’t try to escape after that. I hated seeing her so worried.”
“But you did escape to Bozeman,” Moe pointed out.
Breely nodded. “Eleven years later. My mother takes anti-anxiety medication now. And they know I’m okay because I’ve continued to manage my responsibilities relating to the Brantt philanthropies.
I do video conferences with my staff and video interviews with the press.
And I’ve emailed them every day since I left to let them know I’m doing well. ”
“How did they respond to your disappearance?” he asked.
“They weren’t happy that I left. I think that because I didn’t ghost them, they didn’t send out a search party to find me.”
“As close as you say they guarded you, I’m surprised they didn’t launch an all-out missing persons alert.”
She laughed. “I thought for sure my father would call out every law enforcement organization and the national guard. I left a note telling them I was leaving and not to do that. I guess the note helped.”
“Do you miss them?” he asked.
Breely’s chest tightened. “It’s hard not to. After spending twenty-eight years with them, it was an adjustment to be on my own.” She shook her head from side to side. “But I had to do it. I know it sounds cliché, but I needed to find myself.”
“And have you?” Moe asked.
“I’ve only been out for two months. But I was getting there,” she said.
“As Bea Smith, working at the tavern, people didn’t see me as the only child of Robert Brantt.
They saw Bea, the waitress. It was liberating.
Stan didn’t treat me any differently than any other waitress.
” She glanced his way. “He’s gruff but a big teddy bear with a soft heart.
He gave me a job no one else would. I didn’t have a resume or any job experience. ”
“Didn’t you have to have a Social Security Number and a driver’s license?”
“He paid me under the table. I think he knew I was on my last dollar, with no gas in my car and no food. I had just enough cash for my apartment deposit and first month’s rent—which is more than a lot of homeless people have.
If he hadn’t given me the job, I would have had to beg for food and join the ranks of the homeless. ”
“Or go home,” Moe said.
Breely’s jaw hardened as she stared at the road ahead. “Not an option. It took a lot for me to leave. I wasn’t going back until I went on my terms. For a visit. Not for good.”
Moe turned off the interstate and headed into downtown Denver.
Excitement rippled through Breely as she stared up at the tall buildings. Though it was night, people walked along the streets. Couples held hands, passing beneath the softly glowing streetlights.
Moe pulled up to the front of their hotel, shifted into park and got out.
A valet stepped off the curb. “Checking in?”
“Yes, sir,” Moe said.
The valet opened the passenger door and held it as Breely climbed out.
Staring up at the marble columns and polished glass doors, she wished she was dressed more appropriately.
The short denim skirt, midriff T-shirt advertising Tumbleweed Tavern and oversized puffy jacket didn’t seem appropriate for the posh hotel.
She looked more like a hooker than someone the establishment would want staying the night in their building.
When Moe joined her on the curb, Breely leaned close to him. “I’m not dressed for this place.” She frowned. “And I doubt I have enough cash in my purse to stay a night here.”
“Let’s see what they have. If you need a bit more, I’ll loan you the amount.”
“I didn’t leave my parents’ home to rely on others to bail me out. Can you take me to a less expensive place?” She turned around in time to see the rental SUV being driven off by the valet. Her heart sank into her tennis shoes.
Moe hooked her arm. “Let’s see what they have. Then, if you still want to leave, I can get them to bring the car around.”
Too tired to argue, Breely let Moe escort her into the lobby, where they stood in a line of people checking in.
By the time the people in front of them made it to the reception desk, they were close enough to overhear the clerk say, “I’m sorry, sir, we’re fully booked.
I’ve called around to some of the hotels close by, and they’re full as well.
I even checked as far as the airport hotels.
It’s a big night in Denver. Every hotel I’ve called is at capacity. ”