Rocky Mountain High Pt. 01

The water had gone cold again when she turned the faucet handle and she jumped from the shock. "Oh!"

Ryan cracked the door open. "Mom, are you okay? What's the matter?"

She smiled to herself, her voice low and husky behind the shower curtain, "Mmm, no Sweetheart, nothing's the matter, nothing at all. No, I was just thinking about..."

"About what?"

"About last night."

"Oh. I, ah, I see. Okay." He cleared his throat, felt his cheeks turn hot.

"I haven't upset you, have I?"

"No. No, it's all good. Are you upset? I mean, about last night?"

"I am exactly the opposite of upset, Hon. We'll talk about it later, ok?"

He quietly closed the door and waited. Diana's panties and stockings were still a little damp when she put them on again but she felt so much better now after her shower. She was relieved to hear Ryan say he was okay with what had happened between them in the cabin. She knew they needed some time to talk it over, to let what had happened sink in, become real; she was impatient to be alone with him again, actually hopeful that there might be a repeat of the night before. She found her lipstick at the bottom of her handbag and made a couple of quick swipes across her lips, smoothed a little daub under her cheeks, then ran the towel through her hair, straightened her dress and opened the door.

"Better?"

The back of Ryan's neck tingled as he gave her a quick inspection. Her hair was tousled and framed her face, accentuating her large eyes, her high cheeks and full lips. Without her usual make-up he could see the faintest constellation of freckles across her fine, straight nose. Her dress was wrinkled but the figure underneath it, as well as her long silky legs and high heels certainly made up for that.

"Wow. Mom, you look great."

She flashed a broad smile and turned her back to him. "Zip me up, please, Hon?"

They switched places and Diana waited in the empty hallway while Ryan gave his face a quick wash and ran damp fingers through his hair. He straightened his collar and pulled his jacket back on, then stepped out into the hallway. She took his hand as they walked back to the lobby, Ryan carrying the lamp. Before they turned the corner she stopped, touched his cheek and kissed him. "I love you," she whispered, wiping her lipstick from his mouth. He followed her into the pub. The room went quiet and once again all heads turned and watched her return to the table beside the fireplace. Ryan scanned the room: ten, maybe twelve guys, all about sixty or so, some maybe a little younger, some older. Dave came to the table, two cups of coffee in hand as they sat down. "So, how'd that go, Diana? All better now?"

She dropped her handbag onto the table. "You know, I had to wait almost half a year for this bag and now that I have it, I have barely anything useful in it. Such is life, I guess. Anyway - to answer your question - yes, much better. Thank you, Dave," she smiled.

"Good, glad to hear it. Can I get you two something to eat? We ain't got much electricity but we got a big gas stove back there. What can I get ya?" Diana asked for an egg and toast; Ryan opted for the hearty 'Pine Haven' breakfast. They settled back into their chairs, enjoying the hot coffee and the fire crackling in the hearth beside them. Dave soon returned from the kitchen, carrying their plates.

"Thank you so much. It smells heavenly."

They sat quietly, the breakfast aromas reminding them of how hungry they were. They chatted with Dave, asking questions about the town, the area, how he came to be the owner of the lodge. Ryan asked about the weather situation, how long they could expect to be stranded. Dave explained that the worst of it was over, things should soon be back to normal but it might take a few hours or so for the road to open up again. As soon as the wind settled down he planned to fire up the snowblower to clear the parking lot. As long as they could coax old George back out into his truck, they ought to be on their way that night. Diana thanked him again for putting them up in the cabin, for letting her use the shower. She felt much more presentable after such a long night. She missed having her suitcase, her make-up bag was in it, but she'd survive.

"Diana, if you got any better-lookin' than ya do right now, you'd give me a heart attack, I swear."

She laughed, touched his arm. "Dave, you are such a flatterer but thank you, it's kind of you to say."

As they continued their quiet conversation, Diana suddenly sat up straight and unconsciously took hold of Ryan's arm. A tall elderly man walked toward them, staring hard at Diana as he came closer. "Excuse me, folks, sorry to interrupt." Ryan and Dave turned to him. "I've been telling my buddies over there that I'm pretty sure I recognise you, but they don't believe me. If you don't mind my asking, would you happen to be Diana Westlake?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Well, yes, actually I am. How could you possibly know that?"

He called back to the other table, "Ha! I told you so! Now you believe me?" He grinned at her, "How do I know? I used to work in the display department of a big downtown store. Back then you were everywhere. We always kept the old posters, had them all up around the storeroom. Man, oh man, the guys back home are going to be mad as hell when they find out I was snowed-in with Diana Westlake."

Dave sat there, eyes darting back and forth between Diana and the man, his eyebrows rising higher and higher. He interrupted the man, "Wait a sec, you're sayin' she's famous or somethin'?" He looked at Diana. "What's he talkin' about, you were everywhere?"

Diana squirmed in her chair, unhappy about all of the attention in the room focusing on her again. This was exactly what she didn't want to have happen. "I... well, you see..."

The older man interrupted, "Diana's one of those famous models from a few years back. You had a big cosmetics contract," he turned to her again, "and if I remember right, one of the lingerie lines too, didn't you?" She felt her cheeks burn bright red, realizing every eye in the room was on her. She squirmed in her seat. He snapped his fingers, "Yes, I remember now, you did a lot of work for Vict..."

"I'd appreciate it if we not talk about that right now, thank you," she quickly interupted, "and anyway, that was a very long time ago. My modeling days are well behind me."

Dave sat back and gave a low whistle, "No kiddin'? Well, I'll be damned, I knew you were somethin' special. And I made you sleep out in that old cabin? I shoulda kicked some of this bunch out there, give you one of their rooms."

"Dave, I've never expected any special favours from anyone. You've treated us very well, thank you."

"Miss Westlake, would you mind?" the man was holding up a small camera, "Can I get a picture of us together? They won't believe me back home unless..."

"Oh my goodness, they won't believe you even with a photo, not the state I'm in." She brushed a loose strand of hair from her face and bit her bottom lip. She shifted in her chair and looked at Ryan. The last thing she wanted was to be put on the spot in front of a group of men, especially after everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. She was going to beg off but the poor man looked so crestfallen that she gave in. "Alright, let me try to pull myself together a little." She passed her fingers through her hair, pinched her cheeks and turned to Ryan. He smiled and nodded. She stood up and straightened her dress, trying to flatten the wrinkles. Lord, I must look a wreck!

"Oh, this is fantastic. Thank you, Diana." The man was grinning from ear to ear. He stood close to her, arm extended, pointing the camera toward them. He quickly wrapped his other arm around her and pressed the shutter. The flash dazzled her eyes. She stepped away, blinking, while the man inspected the image on the back of his camera. "Wow. That's super. Thanks!"

"You're welcome, Mr...?" she held out her hand.

"Harold. Just call me Harold." He gripped her hand, shaking it hard.

She winced. "Harold it is, then. Tell me: what brought your group up into the mountains last night?"

"Us? Oh, it's just something we do every year. The bunch of us hire a tour bus to take us around places we've never been before. Got more than we bargained for this time, eh?" he chuckled. "Well, I'll leave you folks be." He held out his hand again. "It's been a real pleasure."

Diana smiled, sat down again and checked the time. Only eleven-thirty. My god, how long is this going to last? I can't imagine spending an entire day in this room.

Dave saw her look at her watch. "Gonna be a long day, Diana. We gotta just sit it out, make the best of it." He pointed toward the windows. "The wind's dyin'. I bet it'll be all over in a few hours. Then we'll have to kick George outa here, get him and his plow back on the road." They all looked over at George, his feet up on a chair, fast asleep. "If we can wake him up, that is." Dave stood up. "I'm gonna get busy in the kitchen. You folks want anything?"

Diana laughed. "How about a whiskey and cigar?" Dave looked a little shocked, then laughed out loud. "Haha! Good one, Diana. If I thought you was serious I'd get it for ya right now. I got a nice stash out back."

"Dave, if we're not back on the road tonight, I'll be taking you up on that."

Dave fell quiet and stared at her. "Diana, I gotta tell ya, you ain't like any woman I've ever known, that's for damn sure." He headed for the kitchen, shaking his head. "Nothin' like ya, ever."

The hours dragged by, men came and went, heading for the bathroom or bedrooms. Some played cards or read, a few stopped by Diana and Ryan's table to introduce themselves, some shy or nervous, some acting as if they had been best friends all their lives. Ryan watched his mother graciously respond to each one who spoke to her. At one point she joined a small group for a photo but otherwise she sat quietly, sometimes with her chin in hand, eyes closed. Ryan was really struggling with the lack of sleep, the jet lag, the stress. He could barely keep his eyes open. Every once in awhile, when he shifted impatiently in his seat or got up to look out the window, she would reach out, pat his hand and smile. He desperately wanted to take her back to the little cabin behind the lodge, climb into bed with her and make love, then sleep the rest of the day away. He was convinced that, as a virtue, patience was highly overrated...

It was early evening now. The wind had gradually died as the afternoon wore on; golden light sparkled on the snow in the tops of the trees as the sun slipped behind the mountains. Ryan heard a telephone ring, back in the kitchen, then watched Dave and George as they stood in the lobby, pulling on heavy sweaters and parkas. Dave murmured something to George and laughed, patted him on the shoulder and pushed him out the door. Ryan nudged Diana's arm. She sat up straight, blinking, as Dave came back into the room.

"Well, folks, I got some good news for ya. George got the O.K. to head back out on the road, he'll have a lane open between here and town in a half hour or so. I'm headin' out now to clean up the lot. Ya's welcome to stay the night if ya want or I can get ya on your way. Just lemme know."

Ryan looked at Diana. "Well, what do you think, stay or go?"

"You can't be serious!" she laughed.

"I'll take that as a 'go' will I?"

She stood up immediately and headed for the lobby. The other guests were standing in a group, talking, apparently trying to decide their own plan. She caught up to Dave as he was heading out the door. "Dave, if we can, Ryan and I have decided to head out tonight. Do you think we'll be able to make it to town?"

He looked disappointed, then laughed. "Aww, Diana, and here I thought you might stay the week. Sure, you'll have no problem gettin' home. Gimme a little while, I'll clear your car, get it cleaned off."

Ryan pulled a handful of bills from his wallet and tucked them discretely under the guest ledger in the lobby. The two of them waited impatiently, pacing the room, sitting near the fire, standing at the window, watching Dave move the mountain of snow from their car. He soon had it clear and clean, saw them watching him and gave the thumbs-up. Ryan pressed the remote start and the car roared to life. They stood near the front door, Diana with her arms wrapped tightly around herself while Ryan hit the unlock button again. Dave pulled on the passenger door - still frozen. He shrugged. "Gonna have to leave the way ya came, I guess," he called out. They hurried out, Diana walking carefully to avoid a repeat of the morning's events, Ryan's arm wrapped tightly around her waist. He pulled the door open and motioned for her to get in.

"No. You're more tired than I am, Ryan. I'll drive."

Dave laughed, "You know how to drive one of these things?"

"Of course. I have one just like it at home."

His eyebrows shot up. "Jeezus, Diana," he shook his head, "you're sure you can't stay longer?"

She took a step toward him, motioning for him to come to her. She reached around and gave him a big hug, then a big kiss on the cheek. She left the lipstick stain there for him to find later. "I have a very tired son I need to get home. Thank you so much for all you've done. We won't forget it."

She eased the car back out onto the road and headed for the highway. George was on the job - the snow was piled high on either side, a clear path leading toward their destination. She caught a last glimpse of Dave in her side mirror as she turned the corner, standing there in his big red coat, waving. She shifted up into fifth, then reached over and squeezed Ryan's hand. "Close your eyes, Hon. We'll be at Claire's before you know it."

She felt the back of her neck tingle - and she knew it wasn't from the cold.