“Yes.”
“Then she most likely wanted photos of the Mine Shack, too.”
“The Mine Shack? I’d have expected something more like ‘Hidden Grotto.’”
Max gestured toward a shadowed far wall. “You can’t see it from the pool, but there’s a door on that back wall. Go through it, and you’ll understand. In the meantime, you might as well sink down and enjoy your soak. There’s a ledge on the opposite side of the pool that makes an excellent little sitting spot.”
“When in Rome,” she said with a casual shrug that once again drew his gaze to her breasts.
And here he thought he’d been hot while he soaked in the one-hundred-and-six-degree hot springs.
“Okay, then. I’ll be right back.” He scooped up his jeans, shirt, and boots and headed into the tunnel with Barney on his heels as usual. After dressing, Max quickly made his way to the storage room where he’d spent so much of his morning. He located the costume trunks and, in short order, found a dress he judged would fit her and a pair of furry white moccasins for her feet.
When he returned to the grotto, he found Ali Lovejoy seated on the sunken ledge in water up to her chin with her head tilted back and her eyes closed. A dreamy smile stretched across her face.
Max was tempted to join her in the pool. However, he doubted she’d appreciate his stripping down again to do so. He hadn’t brought a change of clothes with him to Mistletoe Mine this morning. Guess I could go back and grab that Santa suit from the costume trunk.
Barney’s tags jangled, and Ali opened her eyes and blinked. “You found something?”
“Yes, I believe so. It’s a costume from one of the holiday events here at Mistletoe Mine. I think it’ll fit you okay, and it should keep you warm until we can get you back to Aspenglow Place.”
“Thank you, although I’ll admit I’m in no rush to get dry. This is the most fabulous hot springs ever. It’s the first one I’ve ever been around that doesn’t stink like rotten eggs.”
“That’s sulfur. You don’t get sulfur here. Too demonic.” He grinned crookedly as he added, “Our resident angel Celeste wouldn’t hear of it.”
“She’s very good with branding, isn’t she? Lots of angel wings.”
“They’re everywhere.”
“Does she add something to the water? These springs smell like mint. I’ve never heard of hot springs that smell like mint. Mint isn’t a mineral.”
“Yeah, well, at Christmastime, it smells like cinnamon in here.”
“You’re kidding.” When Max shook his head, she asked, “But this is a real cavern. Inside a real mountain. I didn’t take a wrong turn into Disneyland, did I? Or tumble into Wonderland?”
“You’re in Eternity Springs, Colorado, Ms. Lovejoy.“
“Ali,” she hastened to say. “Call me Ali.”
“I’m Max, and consider this fair warning. Here in Eternity Springs, the extraordinary sometimes seems downright run-of-the-mill. A minty hot spring is pretty par for the course.”
“Well, I love it. I can just feel the stiffness from traveling and the stress seeping away. It’s almost worth the price of a new phone. I’m overdue on an upgrade anyway.”
Max carried the dress and shoes to the bench near the wall where Celeste kept a basket of towels. “If you want to soak a little longer, no need to rush. I still have some work to do setting up the scene for your photographs. Want me to come back in, say, half an hour? Or I could tell you how to find me. You only took one wrong turn.”
“Why don’t you tell me how to find you, but if I don’t show up in half an hour, you can come looking for me?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Max gave her precise and detailed instructions on how to find Mistletoe Mine’s Beloved Chamber. Then, picking up his damp towel from where he’d dropped it, he gestured toward a doorway that blended in with the surrounding walls, making it virtually hidden. “The Mine Shack is through there. If you want to shower before you dress, make yourself at home. Celeste won’t mind. The door to the bathroom is the blue one. The cream-colored door leads to the Mine Shack’s main entrance. We entered the grotto by the back way.”
“There’s a shower here, too?”
Max nodded. “Yes, and it’s some shower. I’m sure you’ll want to get a shot or two of it while you are snapping photos for Celeste. So, anything else before I go?”
“I don’t believe so.”
“All right, then. I’ll see you in half an hour.” Max turned to leave, determined to steer his mind away from devilish fantasies about Ali Lovejoy standing naked beneath the Mine Shack’s waterfall shower and turn his attention toward the angelic.
CHAPTER 5
“Red and white,” Ali muttered. Scowling, she wrapped the luxurious Turkish cotton bath sheet around her torso. She eyed the garment Max Romano had left for her to wear. Ali didn’t wear red and white or pink and white during February. How fitting that he’d bring her Valentine’s colors to wear.
But then she picked up the folded fabric and took a good look at it. “Oh wow.”
It was a heavy dress made from red velvet, red silk charmeuse, and trimmed with soft white fur. As Ali unfolded it, she spied red sequins. Then something furry and white dropped from within its pleats.
“Eek!” She squealed as it fell at her feet.
Immediately, she realized the thing wasn’t alive, thank goodness. “A muff. It’s a muff.”
The girl who’d loved to play dress-up while growing up was delighted.
Understanding dawned. And this was a costume. As she gave it a thorough look, delight spread through her. This was one of the gowns from the final scene in White Christmas—Ali’s all-time favorite Christmas movie. She watched it every year on Thanksgiving weekend to start her holidays off right. Was it Rosemary Clooney’s dress or Vera-Ellen’s?
She held it by the shoulders. It had a turtleneck and belted waist. It was Vera-Ellen’s. “Gorgeous. It’s gorgeous.”
Ali decided that she didn’t dare wear a costume of this beauty without showering first.
Gathering up the items Max had left for her, she reflected on the crazy turn this day had taken. First meeting a naked and angry Adonis in the middle of a mountain, and now the opportunity to wear a quality reproduction of one of her favorite costumes of all time—forget her aversion to wearing Valentine’s colors in February. If ever there was a time for an exception, it was now.
She carried the costume toward the hidden door. A short tunnel led to another entrance, green with a white plaque that read The Mine Shack. Ali opened the door, and her eyes went wide.
It was like stepping into a combination theme park and Four Season’s Hotel. A king-sized bed sat atop a plush Turkish rug and dominated the space. An overstuffed chair and ottoman positioned in front of a fireplace provided a perfect place to read or simply watch the flames from the gas logs dance. Opposite the bed stood a cabinet containing a small refrigerator, a coffee maker, snacks, and a fully stocked bar.
Ali scanned a framed, handwritten letter from Celeste Blessing placed on the nightstand beside the bed. It welcomed VIP visitors to Angel’s Rest’s Mine Shack—the most private accommodations in Eternity Springs.