So how about it? she purred. Dance with me?
As different as the Donnelly twins were, he knew they were as loyal to each other as he was to his own siblings. There was absolutely no way Lina would hit on her sisters ex-boyfriend, especially not right in front of Elisabeth. So what was going on?
Curiosity more than anything else prompted him to agree. One dance.
The music was mostly masked by the cacophony of a packed bar, but buried beneath the ambient noise was a discernible bass line. He let her lead the way onto the floor, rolling his eyes when she tottered in a pair of high heels that were ridiculous for December. Youre going to sprain an ankle in those, he predicted.
Nonsense. Theyre new. Ill be fine once theyre broken in. She shimmied and wriggled to the beat. Besides, they make my legs look fabulous. Pausing expectantly, she gave him a chance to agree, but he was unwilling to engage in the pseudo-flirting.
He retreated a step. What are you up to?
She sighed. When I saw you at the ski shop, Id just found out about Elisabeths engagement and my emotions got the best of me.
So you wanted to apologize?
Hell, no. Dancing with you serves a two-fold purpose. Elisabeth recently claimed she didnt give a rodents butt who you date, and Im challenging that assertion. Lets see if my dancing with you bothers her.
Its bothering me, he muttered.
Also, I never got around to what I actually meant to ask you on Sunday. I want you to talk to her.
What? He froze, abandoning even the halfhearted attempt at dancing. Bad idea. She doesnt want advice from me.
She doesnt want advice from anyone. I think shes trying to prove something about having control of her life and making savvy decisions but, Justin, I know my sister. Shell regret this. Steven gets here Thursday nightthats her fiancé.
The word scraped across his nerves like the sharp, unexpected sting of a paper cut.
Promise me youll talk to her before he arrives? Lina cajoled. Its a long shot, but maybe if you seem sorry you ended things
Im not. And I wont lie to her. Justin was not a great boyfriend. But he was, at the very least, honest with the women in his life.
Then just ask her if shes happy. Shes had years of practice managing me and our parents, and she keeps deflecting us. Maybe if youre the one who confronts her, youll catch her off guard enough to make her think about it. Call her, and Ill never bother you again.
Im telling you, she wont listen to anything I say.
Maybe, maybe not. How will you know if you dont try? I dont think youre prepared for how focused I am when I want something. She put her hands on her hips. This is my hometown, too, Justin. We could run into each other a lot in the next few weeks.
He really, really should have gone straight home tonight. Your parents are decent people. Do they know youre out threatening the populace?
Not the populace, slick, just you. Think Im an unstable pain in the ass now? Wait until the person whos always been the steadying influence in my life moves to California.
That far away? The information thudded to the pit of his stomach. Ill call her before Thursday night. Even if Elisabeth hung up on him, he would have fulfilled his end of the bargain. But the next time you spot me in a public place, Miss Donnelly? Forget you know me.
* * *
SINCE NONE OF the patrollers had seen their waitress in half an hour, Justin volunteered to go to the bar for a couple of waters and a coffee for Grainger. Trying to get through the crowd gave him some appreciation for what salmon had to endure to swim upstream. For the most part, all he could do was move when the crush of people around him did and try not to knock anyone over whenever movement haltednot that there was enough room for someone to actually fall in this throng.
The teeming mass thinned out slightly near the restrooms as some reached their destination, but others entered the fray, trying to return to their tables. He found himself face-to-face, body to body, with Elisabeth. Recognition burned through him, the visceral acknowledgment of this woman as his lover.
Ex-lover.
Very ex. But his five senses didnt register the change of status. Her dress reminded him of a trench coat, buttoned down the front and belted with a knotted sash. He wanted to tug it, to unwrap her. Unlike her sisters crazy five-inch heels, Elisabeth wore a pair of leather boots that disappeared beneath the hem of her dress. It suddenly seemed urgent to find out how high up those boots went.
Aware that her startled expression was blossoming into one of disapproval, he tried not to picture her wearing nothing but the boots.
Color climbed in her cheeks. Youre in my way.
Or youre in mine, he countered with a grin. Depends on how you look at it.
She huffed out a frustrated breath and angled her body sideways, wiggling so that she had room to pass between him and the wall to his left.
Follow the beautiful redhead or continue his trip to the bar? He changed direction before he even finished the thought. The bar could wait. I dont know if you saw me on the dance floor with Lina whod certainly been doing her part to sell the spectacle but nothing happened between us.
Thats why youre stalking me? Elisabeth cast a quelling glance over her shoulder. To clarify a meaningless dance with my mule-headed sister? Because I was deeply concerned about your publicly seducing her in the span of a three-minute song. Thank God youve cleared up the matter or I never wouldve been able to sleep tonight.
Her waspish sarcasm was invigorating. Everyone thought of Elisabeth Donnelly as levelheaded and reserved. It was a perverse point of pride that he could ruffle her feathers.
Now that they were farther from both the bar and the restrooms, there was more open space around them. He took advantage of the opportunity, gently steering her toward a recessed indentation in the wall. It was the kind of alcove that had probably housed a pay phone in the days before everyone carried a cell.
She swatted his hand away from her shoulder. I have friends waiting for me. The light caught the diamond ring she wore.
Its true, then. Seeing the proof of her engagement was different than hearing about it from Lina. Something unpleasant rippled through him, like the chills hed experienced last time he had the flu. Youre getting married.
She met his gaze, her expression challenging. Yes, I am.
And moving away?
Not that its any of your business, but yes. Heading to California, trading snowboards for surfboards. Her words had a rehearsed quality, as if shed made the same crack to others. Her pinched expression didnt reveal any eagerness for the relocation.
Hows Kaylee feel about it? he asked softly. Justin knew what it was like to lose a parent. He couldnt imagine how much worse it would have been for him as a kid if his aunt had uprooted him and his siblings, removing them from the warm support of the community.
Fury sparked in Elisabeths eyes. Dont you dare ask about her like some concerned friend or kindly uncle. You made it pretty clear you dont give a damn about either of us, or about anyone else but yourself.
The unexpected words wounded him. She couldnt really believe that, could she? Now wait a
The unexpected words wounded him. She couldnt really believe that, could she? Now wait a
But shed already twisted away and was merging back into the press of happily tipsy patrons. Justins instincts screamed at him to follow, to plead his case, but the rational part of him knew it was smarter to let her go.
Letting her go had always been the right choice.
Chapter Three
Wednesday was a busy day on the mountain. Justin had reported for work at seven-thirty in the morning, starting with a rundown on the days weather conditions and post assignments. Shortly after tourists began hitting the slopes, a skier had broken her wrist. Justin took her by toboggan to get medical attention. After an early lunch, he assisted with some training and taught a CPR class. The entire day felt like one fast-paced blur of activity, and before he knew it, he was in his SUV headed to Ardens for dinner.
His sister, like his ex-girlfriend, was also engaged to be married. Soon Arden would become Mrs. Garrett Frost. Garrett spent as much time in Cielo Peak as he could, but his familys ranch a couple of hours to the east required his attention. Whenever Garrett couldnt be in town, Justin made it a point to check in on Arden and two-month-old Hope. Plus, Arden was a terrific cook. It was no hardship to exchange the occasional night of his bachelor lifestyle for one of her home-cooked meals and the chance to cuddle his niece.
As much as Justin loved baby Hope, the day shed been born had been one of the scariest of his life. Arden and Garrett had been temporarily estranged, and the cowboy hadnt been anywhere near Cielo Peak when Arden went into premature labor. Justin had been with her at the hospital while doctors explained the complications and dangers she faced. Hed been terrified he was about to lose another loved one.
When he was ten, his mom had died the week after Thanksgiving; his father passed away a few years later. Justin and Arden had been raised in part by an elderly aunt but mostly by their older brother, Colin. The Cade siblings had banded together in a tight family unit, which had expanded when Colin married. Tragedy lashed out at them again when a car accident took Colins wife and toddler son. If anything had happened to Arden...
But she was fine, Justin reminded himself. His niece was a healthy, beautiful baby, and his sister was ecstatic about her February wedding. She made frequent jokes about how she and Garrett had approached their relationship backward, but Justin privately doubted shed change a thing that had brought them to this point. Shed never been happier.
When he turned onto Ardens street, Justins mouth fell open in disbelief. Her entire house was outlined in twinkling white lights. The trees in the yard were adorned with red and green bulbs that blinked in a frenetic pattern. A spotlight shone on an inflatable polar bear that seemed nearly as tall as Justins six-foot-two height. A moving train circled the bear. Justin practically needed sunglasses to park in the driveway.
Since Arden was expecting him and he never knew when the baby might be asleep, he let himself in without knocking. Its me, he called softly. He followed the mouthwatering smell of roast beef and the rhythmic sound of a mechanized baby swing to the kitchen.
Hope was safely harnessed into the reclining swing, watching the mobile of brightly colored animals above her head. Her eyelids were beginning to droop, though. She had the Cade eyes, the same deep blue-green that Justin and his siblings shared. Her hair was black like her fathers, a much darker shade than Ardens or Justins brown hair.
Justin dropped a quick kiss on his sisters forehead, then jerked his thumb toward the front of the house. Dont you think your cowboy got a little carried away? Its like the freaking Vegas Strip out there.
Isnt it great? Arden beamed at him. I admit, we probably went overboard, but...this is Hopes first Christmas. We want to make it special.
And special was synonymous with able to see the house from space? He bit back the reminder that Hope was only two months old and wouldnt even remember the seizure-inducing light show when she was older. Why allow his bah-humbug tendencies to ruin other peoples joy?
Ardens smile faded, and her voice took on an audible ache. Speaking of Christmas...our brother is dodging me.
Left him a message a couple of weeks ago. He didnt return my call, either, Justin commiserated.
She banged a wooden spoon down next to the stove. Thanksgiving was bad enough! Colin didnt come to town, and you took the holiday shift at the ambulance station.
I didnt mind, he assured her. I wouldve been in the way here. You and Garrett were still adjusting to the baby, and you needed the bonding time with your future in-laws.
She wasnt mollified. No ones Thanksgiving should be limited to a couple of turkey slices on nutritionally bankrupt white bread! You only got away with it because in November, I was exhausted and recovering from the C-section. I was in no condition to pitch a fit. But I swear, if you and Colin arent both here for Christmas, I will throw an unholy tantrum the likes of which youve never seen. Its more than Hopes first Christmas. Its my last one as a Cade. As much as I cant wait to marry Garrett, moving to the ranch will change things.
Its not your last anything. He hugged her. Youll always be a Cade.
Will you try to talk to Colin? For me?
Justin stifled a sigh. She was asking himthe guy who wanted to rip December off the calendar and skip straight into the New Yearto be her ambassador for a big family celebration? All right. Ill get him here even if I have to track him down and toss him into the trunk of my SUV.
Thank you. With that settled, she handed him a platter of roasted carrots and potatoes to carry to the table.
Throughout the meal, they chatted about their jobs. Arden, a professional photographer, regaled him with anecdotes of her afternoon trying to take a four-generation family portrait.
There were twenty-eight of them! They wouldnt fit in my studio, and its too cold to shoot outside. We got to use the Cielo Peak performance hall because the family makes annual contributions and one of the sisters plays in the jazz ensemble. The great-grandfather nodded off twice while I was trying to arrange everyone. Between trying to keep him awake and trying to keep the toddler from fussing, it was the most challenging job Ive had since the Cavanaugh wedding where the bride wanted a picture with her biological parentsa divorced couple who hadnt set foot in the same room in seventeen years.
That led into a discussion of Ardens own wedding plans, and Justin was happy to listen as he polished off the last of his roast beef. Or, at least, half listen. He would take a bullet for his sister, but he wasnt cut out for conversations about the color of pew-bows. So it took him by surprise when conversation halted, his sister peering at him as if awaiting a reply.
He stalled brilliantly. Um...
You men can talk trivial sports statistics until the cows come home, but cant sit through five minutes of wedding updates! I asked if you thought you might bring a date to the ceremony. While its customary to allow guests a plus-one, its not like youre dating
Untrue. I date all the time.
She rolled her eyes. My point exactly. You dont have a girlfriend, and God knows Colin will come alone. Assuming he even attends.