Chapter Fourteen
Late Thursday afternoon as Willow stepped into the gallery to see where Greg had put the last four paintings, her phone rang. It was Cooper. Again.
How Greg had done it, she had no idea, but apparently the four paintings he’d sent for had been delivered and were already up on the walls.
She walked toward the big window before she answered. “Hi, Coop.”
“You could’ve returned my calls.”
“You’re here tomorrow.”
“You know why I’m calling. I saw the two portraits you made of Hunter. Even the cowboy on the horse is him. They’re good. Really, really good, and it’s clear to me you’re in love with him. Aren’t you?”
“Oh, Coop, it doesn’t matter …”
“Of course it does. Tell him how you feel.”
Before she could answer him, he’d ended the call—in typical Cooper style.
Tell Hunter how she felt. Easier said than done.
Sighing, she put her phone away. If it were that easy, she’d never have left Hunter on Sunday morning. Even if she’d told him she loved him, she didn’t know how he felt.
Images of his indigo blue eyes, dark with need, flashed through her mind. This wasn’t helping, damn it. He wanted her, he’d made no secret about that but wanting her wasn’t love. And then there was the other big problem—they lived in different states.
Grimacing, she walked to Greg’s office. The irony. She hadn’t wanted to get married because she didn’t want to deal with anyone else’s drama. Now she’d fallen in love with someone whose feelings she couldn’t read, but they couldn’t be together anyway.
She found Greg and Eden in front of the last painting she’d done of Hunter.
Eden noticed her first. Her eyes were bright with tears.
“Willow, I don’t know what to say—the portraits you’ve done are simply breathtaking.
This one is remarkable. The simple title of ‘Spring’ is spot on.
The sparkle in his eyes and the emotion conveyed with the tilt of his head, indeed promises eternal spring.
” She grinned. “He’s a gorgeous specimen of a man, of course, but that’s not what makes this painting so extraordinary.
It’s looking at him through your eyes that does that. ”
Willow turned her eyes to the portrait. Just looking at it left her short of breath.
This was the one she’d painted after the Christmas Stroll, after their first kiss.
Although … she frowned, now that she thought about it, this was actually how she remembered him from her dreams, way before their lips had actually met.
Which meant she’d fallen for him way before.
Probably a year ago on the night he’d taken her home and cleaned her up.
How could she not fall in love with someone like that?
“And this one,” Eden sighed. “The one you titled ‘Summer’ is clearly a very deeply personal one.” Eden pointed to the painting of Hunter without his hat, the one Willow had made the previous Friday after Hunter had found her in just a towel and had taken her to heights she hadn’t known existed.
“One can get lost in the depth of those eyes,” Eden continued.
“Both of these are the ex-fiancé, I presume?”
Willow nodded. “Yes, it’s Hunter.”
“Well, Willow,” Greg interrupted her thoughts, “you were right. This is very different to your usual work, but as we were unwrapping the paintings earlier, my first look at what you’ve done literally took my breath away.
It’s a pity you don’t want to sell them; portraits are very sought after at the moment. ”
Willow shook her head adamantly. “Nope, not for all the money in the world.”
“And what about this one?” Greg asked as he walked toward the painting she’d done of Hunter on his horse. “I noticed you simply called it ‘Untitled.’ Let me know if you want to change it.”
Willow joined him in front of the painting.
Her heart sighed. When she’d finished this one, her heart had already known what she hadn’t had figured out at that point yet—she’d already fallen in love with the cowboy The discerning eye would pick it up—her love for her subject was in every stroke of the brush.
“Leave it like that, I think,” Willow said.
“I may consider selling it. Let’s see if anyone is interested.
” Checking her watch, she turned to Greg.
“Thanks for going the extra mile, Greg. I appreciate your help, but I have to go. I have one more interview.” She smiled.
You’ve really kept me busy this week, thanks so much for all your help. ”
Grinning, Greg rubbed his hands together.
“You know we love you to bits, but I’m also in this business to make money and I can feel in my bones this exhibition will be sold out.
Yes, the interviews help to spread the word, but social media is also a powerful tool.
I’ve advertised on a few platforms. I see you have as well. ”
Willow groaned out loud. “I’m so bad at that. I should do more, but there never seems to be time.”
“In the end these paintings will sell themselves, mark my words. There is just something very special about each and every one, you know?”
As Willow left the gallery, Greg’s words followed her.
She’d been working on paintings for this exhibition for a long time.
Halfway through, she’d been struggling, she still couldn’t decide on a specific theme.
The idea of seasons as a theme had only begun simmering in her subconscious earlier this year.
That had been when magic finally happened—ideas had simply flooded her mind.
Her mind racing, she tried to remember the time frame.
When had the idea first popped into her head?
She’d met Greg in Bozeman once to talk about the exhibition, but at that point she still hadn’t known, or had she?
For another few moments, she struggled to recall what had happened when but out of nowhere Hunter’s face flashed before her and she remembered.
The seed for the idea had been sown way back at the Winter Ball, the first time she’d danced with the tall cowboy.
She’d still been so mad at him because he’d undressed her on the night he’d taken her home, she didn’t even wanted to talk to him, let alone dance with him.
Beguiled by the expression on his face, she’d agreed—against everything she’d decided before that time—to dance with him.
During those few minutes in his arms something had happened—she’d fallen in love with him.
A block before the restaurant where she was to meet a reporter she looked down at the ring in her hand, again aware of a strange restlessness. What was this constant niggling? Quickly she got out her phone and called her mother. If she knew her family was fine, she could hopefully relax.
“I’m packing for our trip,” her mom said as she answered.
“I’m so looking forward to seeing all of you. Is everyone okay?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“I don’t know, it’s just … something. A feeling, But if you’re all fine, it’s probably …”
“Hunter?” her mom interrupted her. “Have you spoken to him yet?”
Willow sighed. “There’s no point, Mom, he’s in Colorado. Besides, I … I somehow … I can’t read him.”
“Now that is interesting,” her mom said. “Maybe you needed to be away from him for you to know his heart? I’m sure you’ll figure it out. We’ll see you tomorrow. How does everything look?”
“I’m very happy with what Greg and Eden have done, I can’t wait for all of you to see it. I’ve booked a table for all of us at a new restaurant for dinner after the opening. Greg and Eden are raving about the place.”
“Sounds fabulous. And Willow?”
“Yes, Mom?”
“You do know what Hunter is feeling even though you don’t want to know. Listen with your heart, the way you always do. See you tomorrow!”
Exasperated, Willow put her phone away as she quickly moved toward the restaurant.
Where her heart was supposed to be was a huge hole.
How could she listen with it if it had been shattered in a million little pieces?
Oh, damn, she didn’t have to be quite so dramatic now, did she?
She needed a good cry, that was all, but when she was back home there would be enough time for that.
A lifetime, really.
*
Hunter’s plane was late, and he arrived in Seattle with very little time to spare until the opening of the exhibition. He still had to get to his hotel room, shower and change but he should be able to make it in time.
He was anxious to see Willow. She had to feel something for him, he’d convinced himself, but now that he was here, he wasn’t so sure. Maybe he’d imagined the whole thing because he was so desperately in love with her.
As he stepped from the ride-share car, images of the night he’d spend with Willow ran through his mind.
No, damn it, she felt something for him.
He didn’t have her sixth sense, but he’d held her in his arms, heard her moans, been the recipient of one of her thousand-watt smiles as she’d straddled him. He knew.
Somehow, he had to convince her they should try a long-distance relationship. It wouldn’t be easy but if it was what they both wanted, surely they could make it work?
Checking into the hotel went smoothly, thank goodness.
As he closed the door behind him, his phone rang.
It was the realtor in Marietta he’d spoken to a couple of times, Tod Styles.
He hadn’t been too impressed with the guy and had actually thought of contacting someone else, but then he’d left, and it didn’t really matter anymore.
With everything that had happened over the last two weeks, he hadn’t even thought about letting Tod know he’d left Marietta.
Besides, he’d have thought the town gossip mill would’ve already circulated the news of the broken engagement.
Surely Aurelia Hill, self-appointed president of the gossip mill, hadn’t lost her touch?
“Hi, Hunter,” Tod greeted. “Rumor has it you’ve left the Westons?”
“Yes, it was time to return to Colorado. What can I do for you?”
“A beautiful ranch not far from the Weston ranch is for sale, we’ve just heard about it but if you’re back in Colorado, you obviously won’t be interested.”
“Send the details to me anyway,” slipped out before Hunter could stop himself.
“Will do. I don’t think it will be available for much longer; it’s a beautiful place.”
Hunter had a few more questions, and by the time they ended the call, his head was spinning.
Within seconds though, reality crashed over him.
He couldn’t let his dad down. Period. As he’d seen over the last few days, even though his dad was fitter than most men his age, it was clear it wasn’t as easy for him to keep up with the daily chores as it had been for most of his life.
He still enjoyed getting on his horse, riding out with the cowboys, but his movements were noticeably slower than the previous time Hunter had been home.
Shaking his head, he opened his suitcase before heading to the bathroom. Family came first; he needed to make another plan.
That was of course if Willow was prepared to acknowledge she felt something for him. A more stubborn woman was yet to be born.
While he was getting dressed his phone rang again. It was Jade, his sister. She hadn’t been home when he’d left, that was probably why she was phoning.
“Hi, sis. I don’t have time to talk right now …”
“Neither have I. Wilder and I have just arrived at the airport, we’ll see you later.”
“What airport?”
She giggled. “Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, if you are insisting on the name.”
“What? You mean you’re here in Seattle?”
“Of course. You need backup. Wilder and I are it. We may be late, but we’ll be there.”
Before he could say anything, she’d ended the call. Groaning, Hunter shook his head. The evening was not turning out as he’d hoped. He loved his sister to bits, but she was not going to take any nonsense from the Westons.