Found In Lost Valley

“For what?”

He scooped her up as if she weighed next to nothing. “Dinner,” he replied.

He carried her down the hall to her sitting room. Three different kinds of pizza were there, along with a smaller platter of fresh vegetables and fruits. Before she could question this bounty, the back door opened.

“Hi, did I see boxes of pizza arriving a few minutes ago?” Honey asked. “Zack’s on his way. He said to tell you he was starved.”

“We’re having company,” Seth explained when Amelia raised a questioning gaze to his.

He put her in the rocking chair and moved a stool close so she could prop her foot up. After checking his watch, he decided it was time for another ice pack and headed for the kitchen, leaving the two women alone.

“How’s your ankle?” Honey asked.

When Zack Dalton, on an official trip to Las Vegas as a deputy sheriff earlier that summer, had brought home this mysterious stranger, gossip had sizzled through the local grapevine. It was further fueled by a to-do involving Honey and the cops. Then there’d been a quick marriage—family only—in Los Angeles, where Honey’s brother apparently worked in some unknown but hazardous occupation. Rumor had it he was with the FBI or CIA or something like that.

Since then, the busybodies had watched Honey’s waistline to see if it was increasing. It wasn’t. She now crossed the room and took a seat on the sofa near Amelia, her movements supple and smooth as befitted a trained professional dancer. Honey held classes in the carriage house behind the B and B, an arrangement that benefited both of them.

Amelia grimaced. “Fine…as long as I don’t forget and try to move it.”

From the hall came greetings from a variety of voices. She recognized Seth’s deep baritone and Zack’s. They greeted Beau, the doctor, and Shelby, his nurse and fiancée.

The Dalton men seemed of a marrying mind of late, she mused. The group entered her sitting room, bringing the crispness of the autumn air with them.

“I can’t believe how cold it’s getting, and it was so warm today—sixty-five by the thermometer on the porch at the clinic,” Shelby was saying. She gave Amelia a sympathetic smile and handed her a gift bag.

Amelia removed two novels from the colorful bag and thanked Shelby for her thoughtfulness.

“So how are you doing?” Shelby asked, gesturing toward the injured foot.

“It’s fine, really. Seth hasn’t let me lift a finger all day. I may get used to a life of leisure,” she said, tossing a warning glance his way.

“Beau said you tripped over Seth’s shoes, which he’d left by the bed.” Shelby raised her eyebrows, then grinned.

“What?” Zack interjected. He eyed Seth, Amelia, then Seth again. “Something going on that y’all want to tell us about, cuz?”

“No.” Seth passed out paper plates, then started the pizza boxes moving. “Amelia doesn’t approve of paper plates, but since I’m the one doing the dishes, I decided to use them, anyway.”

“Good thinking,” Beau murmured, struggling with laughter. He and Zack winked at each other while the other two women looked at Amelia with interest.

She could feel the heat rising to her face and hoped she didn’t resemble a ripe cranberry.

“You guys knock it off,” Seth ordered, but in amused tones. He placed a plastic bag filled with crushed ice on her ankle, then told Zack how he happened to be at the B and B and about the accident early that morning.

“I’ve spoken to Marta about help,” he said to Amelia, taking the chair next to the rocker. “She says her cousin can come in next week and take care of the rooms. All you’ll have to do is handle the phone. You can do that from the sofa, can’t you?”

Five pairs of eyes turned to her.

Amelia could only nod. Decisions were being made, she was being consulted, but for some odd reason, she felt as if she were sinking in a quagmire. It scared her. Which was totally insane.

“Thank you,” she said briskly. “That should take care of everything until I’m back on my feet.”

Seth asked about her preferences, then placed slices of warm pizza on her plate. He and Zack went to the kitchen and returned with beer and sodas for everyone. She wondered how he knew she liked ginger ale rather than cola.

A chill ran over her, causing a slight shiver. Goose bumps sprang up on her arms.

“You’re cold,” Seth said. He covered her legs with the blanket and settled into the chair beside her again.

For the next two and a half hours, the three couples chatted about all the projects they were doing. Zack assured Honey he would have time to help her with insulating the carriage house for winter. Seth and Beau agreed the new law office would be completed within six weeks. They would plan for a grand opening next month.

Work was continuing on a lodge the Daltons were building on the shore of the Lost Valley reservoir. Shelby and Beau had plans to remodel a cottage next door to the lodge, while Zack and Honey had bought a piece of property north of them, also on the lake, complete with an old farmhouse that needed restoration.

“You’ve done a wonderful job here,” Honey complimented Amelia, indicating the B and B. “Perhaps you could help us with the plans for our house.”

“If we ever get started,” Zack added wryly. “With so many projects going on and the horse sale coming up, it’ll be next year before we can even think about it.”

Honey agreed. “I love staying at the ranch,” she told Amelia. “Zack lets me help exercise his precious cow ponies, so I’ve come a long way with my riding skills. I’ll probably cry when they’re sold next month.”

The Dalton ranch was known for its cutting horses. The upcoming sale would draw ranchers from several states, all seeking a chance to bid on the well-trained ponies. Amelia knew Zack and his twin brothers, Trevor and Travis, were instrumental in that expert training and that sale attendance was by invitation only, a sort of black-tie affair among ranchers, only they wore boots and ten-gallon hats as their formal attire.

“You’ve never been to a sale, have you?” Seth asked.

Amelia shook her head.

“You’ll have to spend the weekend with us at the ranch. There’ll be games like horseshoes, plus roping, a shooting competition and the cutting horse trials. I personally enjoy the spitting contest the most, although Trevor is the best and always wins.”

The three men laughed, while the women looked dubious.

“When is Trevor due back from the rodeo circuit?” Seth continued. “He’s been gone longer than usual.”

“He called last night,” Zack replied. “He stove in a rib, so he’s going to a stock sale in Texas, then will come on home after that.”

They discussed changes to the beef herd and the problems of ranching, then of business in general, given the economic difficulties of the times.

Later, after the two couples left, Amelia yawned and stared dreamily into the fire. It had been a wonderful evening. Once upon a time she’d imagined life could be like that—

“Here,” Seth said.

She took two pills from him and a glass of water. “What are they?”

“Painkillers. Beau left them for you.”

She took them gratefully. “Was I groaning or something, so that everyone knew my ankle was hurting?”

“No, but you became more and more silent. I figured that was a good indication. Not that you tend to chatter at any time,” he added.

She wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not, so she simply nodded, took another drink of water and carefully stood. Checking the clock, she was surprised to find it was well after ten.

“My, how time flies,” she murmured.