Grand Lake Colorado Series: A Complete Small Town Contemporary Romance Collection

by Alexis Winter

  “Bryce, you were the best officer Denver had ever seen. You know when to be tough and strong, but you also know when it’s time to be soft and caring. The world needs more people like you.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  He nods. “Which brings me to my next point. I’m retiring next month, and I’d love it if you came back and took my spot. I mean, surely you’d make way more than what you’re making here.” He gestures around the room.

  “That’s a pretty big promotion, sir.”

  “It is, but there’s no one else I’d rather leave it to. I know I can trust my city in your hands. What do you say?”

  I sit back, thinking everything over. “I don’t know what to say. I mean, this comes as a shock.”

  He laughs. “I thought you’d think so. I mean, what do you have here besides that old cruiser out there?”

  “I have a life here, sir. I met a woman, and I plan on asking her to marry me.”

  “Well, bring her with you. If she’s as great as you think, surely she’d move, right?”

  I bite the inside of my cheek. “I’m sure she would if I asked her to, but I won’t ask that of her. She’s a week away from opening a youth center in town that she’s been working on for years. This is her dream. Her big accomplishment. I won’t ask her to leave it behind before it even gets going.”

  He presses his lips together and makes a “hmmm” sound. “Well, Denver isn’t that far. You could stay there during the week and come home on the weekends.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t want to be away from her that much. We’re going to get married one day. We’re going to start a family, and no offense, sir, but I’d rather raise them here than in the city. Not only that, but I came here to get out of the city. It’s too dangerous, too loud. With all due respect, sir, I like where I’m at. I like my life now.”

  He nods his head, clearly upset. This was supposed to be a big surprise, something I’d take in a heartbeat. He’s always been like a father to me, and here I am, turning down what he considers to be his legacy. “Do me a favor, will ya?”

  “Anything,” I say with a nod in return.

  “Just think about it. If you’re as serious as you say about this woman and starting a family, you could really use the extra money coming in. And once you get used to it, you won’t even realize you’re missing time with them. They’ll be well taken care of with your income. Don’t turn it down yet. Just think about it. Can you do that for me?”

  I nod. “I will think about it, sir.”

  He stands and holds out his hand to shake. I clap my hand against his before pulling him in for a hug. As I walk him out, I say, “It was good to see you again. Don’t be a stranger.”

  “Call me next week, Bryce. I can’t sit on this for too long.”

  “Okay, sir. Safe travels.”

  “Sheriff Moore?” Claire says from behind her desk.

  “Yes?” I spin in her direction.

  “Nina left lunch for you. She didn’t want to interrupt your meeting.”

  “Okay, thank you,” I say, taking the bag back to my office.

  Upon opening it, I find two burgers and two fries. Clearly, she was going to sit and have lunch with me. I wonder why she left so abruptly. That meeting wasn’t anything formal, and I would have loved to introduce her to Dan. She had no way of knowing that, though.

  I kick back and eat my lunch, thinking about his offer, but not seriously. I like my job. I like my life. And I especially love being with Nina. And we’ve been talking so much about planning our future together. I never once considered going back to the city. But he is right. Taking that job would pay a lot more, giving us more money to expand the house and raise the kids we want to have. It could help pay for their first cars, college, weddings, even a down payment on a house when they’re grown up. I know Nina comes from money, but she’s never given me the specifics. I know she’s put a lot of it into the youth center, but I don’t know how much she has left. Plus, I’m a man. I want to pull my own weight, support her and our children.

  And Dan is right. Staying away four nights a week isn’t that bad. I could come home every weekend, and I get all holidays off. Not to mention being the boss and taking off whenever I need to simply because I can. I don’t know exactly how Nina would feel about it, though. I know me being sheriff in our small town causes her enough stress. I’m sure me working in the big city wouldn’t help matters, not to mention the long drive there and back.

  Even though I never considered going back, I have some serious thinking to do. I won’t mention anything to Nina until I know for sure what I want. Once I decide, I’ll sit down with her and lay everything out. If she’s cool with it, and I decide on my own to go, I’ll go. If I decide to go through with it, but she isn’t on board, I’ll give it up and happily stay here. I just don’t feel it needs to be discussed until I know for myself what I want.

  Ben pops his head into my office, he came back to town to tie up a few loose ends before officially moving to Denver. “Well, I’m off.” He’s wearing a big smile.

  I stand and walk across my office, holding out my hand. “Take care of yourself out there.”

  He nods once. “Yes, sir.”

  “And you’ll always have a place to come back to if you need it.”

  This makes him smile wider. “Thank you, sir. I know we’ve only known each other for a short time, but I can’t explain the difference you’ve made in my life.”

  I pull him in for a hug and say a quick prayer, hoping he finds what he’s looking for and remains healthy and safe.

  “Get on out of here. Your future is waiting for you,” I tell him, releasing his hand.

  I leave the office and head home at five o’clock. Nina isn’t home yet, which isn’t a surprise. She’s been pouring every ounce of strength and energy she has into getting the center ready for the grand opening. There have been many times when I’ve had to drive into town and drag her out of there. It’s like once she starts, she just keeps going, losing track of time and the fact that she hasn’t eaten. She’s a hard worker, and I’m happy she’s finally fulfilling her dream, but she needs to learn when to slow down. I keep telling her she won’t be able to work this much when we decide to start that big family she wants.

  Since she’s not home yet, I get to work on making dinner. There’s a pound of ground beef sitting in the fridge, so I quickly brown it while the water boils for the noodles. I throw some garlic bread into the oven, and twenty minutes later, dinner is ready. I pour the spaghetti into a big bowl and put it on the table with the basket full of steaming hot garlic bread. I mix up a salad and pop open a bottle of wine. I’m sure she’ll wonder what the special occasion is, but the truth is that every day with her is a special occasion. I don’t need an excuse.

  She makes it home a little while later, and as I thought, she’s surprised by the dinner already waiting for her on the table. I take her things from her hands and sit her down at the table.

  “Wow. You did all of this?” she asks, taking a sip of wine.

  I nod as I spoon out some pasta onto her plate. “I did. I missed one meal with you today. I didn’t want to miss another.”

  “So, you got your lunch then?”

  “I did. Thank you. I was starving. I wish you would’ve waited, though. I would have liked to introduce you to Dan.”

  “I didn’t want to interrupt. It looked like you were in the middle of an important conversation.”

  I nod. “It was important, but it wasn’t formal. Dan was my boss back in the city. He was my mentor, and like a father to me.”

  “Oh, well, I’m sorry I missed it. What did he want? Just catching up?”

  I take a deep breath. I know I said I wasn’t going to tell her yet, but I can’t lie. “He was here because he’s retiring next month, and he wants me to take his place.”

  “In Denver?” she asks, wide-eyed.

  I nod. “Yep. This job would have us set for life. It comes with great benefits, a pension;
you name it.”

  “So, you’d have to move?”

  “Or I could stay in the city throughout the week and come home on the weekends.”

  “What about when we have kids? I’ll just be here raising them alone all week?”

  “It’s just something to think about. I didn’t take the job. He wants me to call him next week and let him know what I…what we decide. But this job, it would set us up for life. It could pay for the kids’ first cars, weddings, colleges, everything.”

  Her mouth drops open as she tucks her chin to her chest, and I watch as she moves the food around her plate. “Well, I think if you want the job, you should take it.”

  “What do you want?”

  She shrugs. “I just want you to be happy.”

  I reach out and take her hand in mine. “This isn’t just about me anymore, Nina. It’s about both of us and our future together. I would really like your input.”

  “Well,” she breathes out, “in my mind, we stay where we are. We have our jobs and our newly built house, and we start a family and live happily ever after. I want a husband who will be with me through thick and thin, someone to help around the house, help with the kids. Someone who will be around when they say their first word and take their first steps. If you’re in the city, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll miss all that. These are the moments I want to share with the one I love.”

  “So, you don’t want me to take the job?”

  “Of course I don’t, Bryce. I want you here with me, with us…when there is an us. I don’t want to be up at night wondering if you’re going to make it home, or how I’ll tell the kids that you’ve been killed on duty. But again, this isn’t just about me. It’s about us, and I want you to be happy. If taking this job will make you happy, that’s what you need to do, and I’ll just have to get used to it.”

  “If I take this job, you’re on board? All the way? We won’t break up? We’re not changing our plans to marry and have kids, right?”

  “I love you, Bryce. And I know there is no other man I could possibly love more or who could love me better. So, no. This isn’t the end of us, and I’ll support you in your career just as you’ve done for me. But I do want you to think it through.”

  I nod and offer her the biggest smile I can muster, which isn’t really all that big. “I will think more about it.”

  She nods, and even though she looks nervous, she starts eating. Instead of dwelling on the news, she tells me about her day and how she spent her time at the youth center. She’s a nervous wreck about opening day, but I think it’s excited nervousness. She’s finally face-to-face with her dream, and no matter my decision, I’m going to be right there beside her on the day of the opening.

  I’m not surprised she’s willing to give up her vision of our future to see me happy. I’ve always supported her in this dream of hers. A lot of people wouldn’t do the same, but it’s the kind of person she is. She’s selfless, caring, giving, and loving. She’s perfect, and no matter where we end up, I know it will be together.

  Fifteen

  Nina

  The week passes by both unbelievably fast and unbelievably slowly. I stay busy with all the final things to do before the opening, but when I think about Bryce’s decision looming over our heads, it almost feels like time is standing still or moving backward. I don’t want him to go. I want him by my side, always. When I think about our children and all the things we’ll do with them—school plays, football games, summer vacations—I see him right there beside me. But the fact of the matter is that he may not be. And if he chooses to take this job, I will let him and support him because it’s what he’d do for me. I know how bad it will hurt to watch him drive away and not see him for a week—not knowing if I’ll ever see him again—but I’ll have the strength to do it if that’s what it takes.

  Today is finally the grand opening of the youth center, and while I’m excited, I’m also filled with nerves. What if I forgot something? What if something goes wrong and the whole town sees me fail?

  “Stop overthinking,” Bryce says, pressing a kiss to my forehead as I stare at myself in the mirror.

  I smile at his words. He knows me too well. “I think I’m ready to go.”

  “Me too.” He holds out his hand, and I slide mine into it as he pulls me toward the door.

  “Wait, did you pack the—”

  “Already got it,” he says, cutting me off.

  “What about the—”

  “Yep, done.”

  “And the—”

  He spins me around so that I’m facing him and then he places his hands on my shoulders while looking me in the eye. “We have everything. You’re ready. This is going to be your day. Okay? Everything will be perfect. Just calm down and enjoy it. When you look back on this day years from now, do you want to see yourself running around and wearing yourself out with worry, or do you want to remember the excitement, the look on all the kids’ faces when they walk in for the first time, and the way everyone in town looks at you like you’re a real-life superhero?”

  I laugh. “I pick option number two.”

  “Good girl,” he says, pulling me against him for a kiss.

  We make the drive to town, and it seems like everyone has already arrived and is excited. We park, and he leads me up to the front doors. There’s a red ribbon tied across the front, and the mayor is giving a speech. I can’t believe we almost missed it.

  A giant pair of scissors are handed my way. I have to use both hands to hold them. I have been waiting for this moment for such a long time. Giddy with excitement, I hold them up to the ribbon, smile for the camera, and cut through it. Finally, the youth center is officially open.

  The doors open, and as everyone starts pouring in, I get swept up in the commotion. Today is an open house, so everyone can come in and see all that we have going on. They wander from room to room, taking in all my hard work. It seems as though when one person walks away, another walks up to me, ready to tell me how great of a job I’ve done and what this means to the town. I cry more than I care to admit, but I’m feeling so many emotions right now. Everything from happiness and excitement about finally having the place open to nervousness and worry about what Bryce is saying on the phone right now.

  It feels like there are a million chattering people between us, and I can’t hear over all of them. I wish he’d come and tell me his decision right this instant, but knowing him, he’s going to make me wait, not wanting to distract me from my day.

  Hours pass by in a blur. My feet hurt from standing all day, and my throat hurts from all the talking, laughing, and crying. As much as I’m enjoying the moment, I feel exhausted from all the overwhelming emotions running through my body. As things begin to wind down, everyone makes their way outside, where there are party tables set up with food and drinks.

  It was a way to get everyone out so the staff can start cleaning up and getting ready for a full day of operation tomorrow. Everyone goes their separate ways, finding seats and getting food. I find myself overwhelmed by it all and need a few minutes to myself. I step away to the lake that runs along the back half of the building. The night is beginning to get chilly, and the breeze from the water whips around me.

  I wrap my arms around myself as I gaze out over the water at the darkening sky filled with diamonds. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I turn and look at the center and all the people here to support it. It means the world to me that the whole town is here to show their support. Already, there are kids using the skate ramps and basketball courts. It makes me smile to see everyone enjoying my little vision.

  I turn back to the water and look up at the sky, sending a silent thank you to my parents for making this all possible. To my surprise, strong arms wrap around me, and Bryce’s scent hits my nose. I lean my back against his chest, and we both stare out over the water.

  “You did it,” he whispers in my ear as he presses a kiss to my head.

  “I couldn’t have done it without
you and your support, which is why I’m ready to hear your decision. No matter what it is, we’ll handle it, and we’ll make it. We’ll fight for one another, right?” I turn to face him.

  “Right,” he agrees, falling to one knee in front of me.

  It feels like the whole world freezes in time as I take him in, him in the gray suit he’s wearing that fits him perfectly. He pulls a box out of his pocket. “Nina, there’s no place I’d rather be than right here with you. I don’t need a fancy job in the city to be happy. I need you. I need this place. I need our family. I’m not taking that job. I can’t stand the thought of missing a single minute living this life with you. Will you please marry me?” He opens the box, and the lights from the party shine off the big diamond.

  I gasp at its beauty and cover my mouth. “Are you sure? I don’t want you putting your life on hold for me, Bryce.”

  He shakes his head as he takes the ring out of the box. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I want you. I want this town. I want my job. And I want you to marry me. Will you marry me?”

  Tears fill my eyes and flow down my face as I nod my head up and down. He slides the ring onto my finger, then quickly stands and pulls me against his strong chest before pressing his mouth to mine in a deep kiss.

  He kisses me long and hard, and I know without a doubt that he was right about us. He’s a gift sent to me by my parents. We’re written in the stars, and together, we can take on anything the world throws our way. Together.

  When he pulls away, he’s wearing a wide smile. “Now, where can we be alone in this building? I need to make my fiancée remember why she fell in love with me to begin with.”

  I laugh but take his hand and pull him into my office. It’s surrounded by windows so I can see out in all directions, but I lower the blinds.

  “From the moment this couch arrived, all I could think about was breaking it in with you.”

  He smirks as he tugs off his jacket. “Really? Because I got my eye on that desk.”