“It didn’t.”
“No? How come?” Luke took out a roll and began to butter it with his knife.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind. I had to let the dog out and the realtor had clearly been waiting for me to arrive for a while and I don’t know…there was just something overly intimidating about her. I can’t put my finger on it.”
“I find it hard to believe you could ever be intimidated by any woman. Seems like it should be the other way around.”
“She was stunning, Luke. Like one of those women who belonged on a magazine spread. All polished and gorgeous.”
“Like the one sitting across from me right now?”
Jolene took a bite of bread and laughed. “A line from another movie?”
“Nope, that’s a genuine Luke Handley quote right there.”
She liked flirting with Luke, and they continued these little back and forth exchanges all the way until their main course arrived. When the two heaping plates of meat and potatoes were settled in front of them, Jolene rubbed her stomach in appreciation, the smell both mouthwatering and delectable. She might’ve even smacked her lips, but if she did, that was completely unintentional.
“This looks and smells amazing.” She picked up her knife and fork, ready to dig in.
“Sure does.” Luke reached out for her hand. “Mind if I say grace for us first?”
Jolene set her utensils back down and took Luke’s hand in hers, bowing her head as he gave thanks for their meal and their friendship. As Luke prayed over their meal, everything felt right, calm and just as it should be.
Fluttering her eyes open, Jolene glanced across the table, so grateful for the man opposite her, and so thankful for his kind and thoughtful heart. She knew her look reflected that appreciation so she felt a sudden, hollow and bottoming-out sensation in her stomach when she saw the exact opposite reflected in Luke’s eyes.
16
Luke
LUKE HAD TO BLINK multiple times just to be sure he wasn’t seeing things. Sometimes his mind did that—played tricks on him at the most inopportune times. It happened once as a teenager back on the ranch. He’d just finished work and was heading back to the barn to put his gelding in the stall when he swore he saw a lone mare up on the ridge, separated from the rest of the herd. He’d squinted and strained, but couldn’t make out that it was just a craggily old boulder until he was nearly on top of it. He always figured he probably needed glasses, and this moment in the restaurant only solidified that inkling.
“Luke?” Jolene dipped her chin to search out his eyes. “You okay?”
A sudden chiming came from under the table, the digital sound of bells jingling. Jolene ducked down and scooped up her black leather purse. “Phone. Sorry.” She looked at the screen. “Oh! It’s the realtor. I should probably take this. Excuse me for a moment?” She covered the mouthpiece and pushed back from the table. “I’ll just be a second. Hello? Yes, this is Jolene.”
Luke’s breath hissed out between his lips as soon as Jolene was out of earshot. Everything in his body felt tense, like a rubber band stretched to capacity. There was an uneasy feeling churning in his gut and he clamped his eyes shut, hoping when he opened them, the scene before him would be a different one.
That particular Christmas wish was not granted.
Kiara’s eyes met his from across the room.
“Luke,” he could see her mouth just above the rim of a martini glass held to her lips. She smiled at him like she hadn’t been the one to break his heart just six months ago.
Kiara set her glass down, rose to her feet and slid out from behind the bar, making her way across the room with measured strides.
“Luke,” she said again when he stood from his seat in greeting, as he was accustomed to do whenever a lady came to into the room. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his cheek.
Luke drew back instantly.
“Kiara? What are you doing here?” He put his hands on her waist to push her back, creating distance between them. “In Merrylark?”
Her smile fell from her lips and eyes. “We’ve had this on the calendar for almost a year, Luke.”
There was no logic in her statement. Luke grit his teeth. “So was our wedding, but that didn’t stop you from changing those plans.”
“Luke,” she said again, her tone pleading. She always said his name like it was the preface to a question. “Luke, we need to talk.”
“Not right now.” He sat back down at the table and placed his napkin on his lap.
Kiara followed suit and slid into Jolene’s chair.
“That seat’s already taken.”
Her lips pressed together tightly. She stood to collect a chair from the empty table next to them and then lowered into it. “Luke, I’m sorry.”
Luke tore into the prime rib, sawing it with his knife. He shoved a huge bite into his mouth. It was delicious but he had trouble enjoying it.
“Luke, will you listen to me?” Kiara’s hand reached across the table to touch his arm. Luke recoiled, his eyes widening. “Luke, please.”
“Can’t you see I’m busy, Kiara? I’m here…” He lowered his voice. “On a date.”
For a split second, Luke felt guilt over the brief display of hurt that flitted over Kiara’s face. While he’d been irreparably hurt by Kiara’s decision to call off their wedding, he didn’t want to hurt her. He’d lived enough life to know that an eye for an eye just left everyone blind, unable to see things for what they really were.
“We can talk,” he relented. “But it’ll have to be later. This night is supposed to be a special one and having my ex-fiancé show up was not in the original plans.”
“Thank you, Luke. So much.” Kiara wrapped her hands over Luke’s once more. He hated the way it reminded him of the years they’d spent together and a time in their relationship when a gesture of this sort brought him joy. All it made him want to do now was wash his hands, like he could wash away their past. “We can chat when you get back to the house. I’ll be sure to wait up.”
“Wait.” His eyes flashed. “You’re staying at the lake house?”
“The neighbor woman let me in this afternoon. Don’t worry, I’m planning to sleep on the couch, but I’ll have to find a few extra blankets to keep warm. That pellet stove doesn’t seem like it’ll be enough to heat the entire place—”
“We both can’t stay at the lake house, Kiara.”
She smirked like he’d said something foolish. “Luke, it’ll be fine. It is supposed to be our honeymoon week.”
He set his glass on the table harder than he’d intended. Water sloshed over the rim onto the white tablecloth. “Please stop saying that, Kiara. I know what week it is.”
“I’ll see you back at the house. We’ll talk things over. Enjoy your dinner, Luke. It’s really good to see you again. Really good.”
With that Kiara stood from her borrowed chair and retraced her steps through the restaurant, brushing shoulders with Jolene whose eyes were fixed on her phone as she scurried over to their table.
“Sorry!” Jolene said when she returned, obviously flustered. “That was so strange. It was the realtor apologizing for not making it by the house this afternoon. Said her daughter came down with a terrible case of the stomach flu and that she’d have to reschedule for sometime next week.” Jolene kept staring at her phone like she could find the answers written on the screen. “But I swear I let her in. I let someone in, at least.” Her eyes rounded. “Oh gosh, Luke! What if I let a robber into the lake house?”
“You didn’t let a robber in, Jolene.”
“But I let someone in. Someone who looked like a woman with a purpose. She had a big bag and seemed like she was really supposed to be there.”
“That’s because she was supposed to be there.”
Jolene’s face took on a puzzled expression.
“It was Kiara. My ex-fiancé.”
“Oh.” All color drained from Jolene’s cheeks and her body slumped in her ch
air. “I see.”
“No, you don’t because I don’t even see, to be truthful. All I know is that Kiara is in Merrylark and wants to talk to me about something. She was just here.” He glanced to the extra chair at their table like it was an elephant in the room. Jolene traced the path of his eyes, understanding. “I don’t know what she could possibly want to talk about, Jolene. Everything between us was settled long ago. Over and done with.”
“Luke, you don’t have to explain anything to me. It’s okay. I’ll be sure to give you two your space—”
“There is no ‘us two.’ I’m serious when I say I have no feelings left for Kiara. In fact, seeing her here tonight only made me realize just how wrong we were for each other. It feels like another life altogether; one I don’t want to relive any time soon.”
A trace of a smile lifted the corner of Jolene’s mouth.
“I don’t want to think about her anymore this evening.” With his foot, he pushed the unwelcome chair away from their table. “I just want to enjoy this delicious meal and the incredible company.”
“I think I can arrange that.” Cutting a forkful from her prime rib, she lifted it into the air as a salute. “To the best steak dinner in Merrylark!” Luke raised his fork and clinked it against Jolene’s. “In fairness, it’s the only steak dinner even offered in Merrylark, but it still feels worthy of toasting.” She lowered her fork to her plate, a contemplative look on her face. “Luke, I’m sorry for the things I said earlier about Kiara, back when I thought she was the realtor. I shouldn’t have judged her so quickly and even though you’re not together now, you obviously cared for her at one point, and for her to be worthy of that, she must be a good person.”
Luke chuckled. “You give my teenage hormones too much credit.”
“You’ve known her since you were a teenager?” Jolene gaped. “I didn’t realize your history together was so long.”
Sighing, Luke said, “That’s exactly what it is, though. History. Not the present. Speaking of which, I got you a little present today.” Reaching down, Luke pulled out a small, red box adorned with a glittering gold bow. He placed it on the table between them.
“That was the best segue I’ve ever heard, Luke. Super impressive.”
“I’m trying really hard over here. Gotta give a guy some credit.” He slid the box closer to her. “Go ahead. Open it.”
Taking the delicately wrapped package in her hands, Jolene slid off the bow and opened the lid. “Well, this one I can definitely handle!” Hooking it over her finger, Jolene lifted a small ornament of a Clydesdale from the box. “If only they came in this size in real life!”
“There is actually such a thing as a miniature horse, you know. Totally different than a pony.”
“No kidding?”
“Yep.” Luke tipped his head. “Just a shrunken down version of the big horses, but most of the time triple the attitude. Little man complex or something. We’ve got a mini pinto back at the ranch named Gus Gus. He thinks he runs the place, little devil.”
“I’d sure love to meet him sometime.”
The hope of taking Jolene home someday to meet his family and see his ranch was one Luke could latch onto. But while he wanted more than anything to make future plans, he had a past waiting for him back at the lake house that he needed to deal with first.
17
Jolene
THE WOMAN SHE thought was the realtor was actually Luke’s ex-fiancé. That truth kept spinning in Jolene’s head like a pirouetting Sugar Plum fairy. She couldn’t keep from envisioning Kiara in a stunning white gown, her handsome groom waiting under an arbor of evergreen and sprigs of holly. She’d pictured poinsettia topiaries flanking the church pews, a path of white rose petals sprinkled up the aisle that led to Kiara’s fairytale future.
It was a weird thing to do, to imagine the details of a wedding for the man she’d been on a date with just earlier that evening, but she just couldn’t help it. Luke and Kiara were stunning together, like the ceramic bride and groom figurines that adorned the top tier of a wedding cake.
Jolene had a far easier time picturing Kiara and Luke together than she did placing herself in that wedding day scenario.
Her entire mood had shifted once back at her home. Their car ride from Shanley’s was nice—quiet, but the kind of quiet that felt restful. And when Luke had taken Jolene’s hand in his, she felt a swarm of butterflies take flight in her stomach. He’d stroked the back of her hand lightly with his thumb and though his hands were calloused and rough from ranch work, it was such a gentle gesture that Jolene felt it warm her entire body.
There was no question she was falling in love with this man. Pretend as she might, she knew without a doubt he held the keys to her heart. Unfortunately, she had a feeling she wasn’t the only woman to make that assertion.
After cozying up in her reindeer-printed flannel pants and fuzzy red sweatshirt, Jolene warmed a cup of cocoa and snuggled onto the couch with Ace to begin a marathon of holiday romance movies. She loved that she could find a Christmas movie on all hours of the day or night beginning in mid-November. It always helped her get in the mood for the upcoming holiday. Tonight, however, sweet romances all tied in neat bows did little to offer any solace. They just reminded her of how unraveled everything suddenly felt now that Luke’s ex was in Merrylark.
When the final credits for the first movie began rolling on the screen, Jolene walked to the kitchen to refill her mug. She grabbed a treat for Ace from the glass jar on the counter and, though she didn’t mean to, her gaze drifted out the window and into that of the lake house next door. It was pitch black inside, apart from a few twinkling pillar candles placed sporadically within the home, glowing a warm golden light.
Jolene’s heart sank.
“Sure didn’t take any time to rekindle the romance,” she said to Ace who came to her side the moment he heard the treat jar open. She dropped a doggie biscuit into his mouth and ruffled the thick fur on his head. “Looks like it’s back to just the two of us, Ace.”
Lifting his paw, he placed it on Jolene’s slipper clad foot. She dipped down and wrapped her arms around Ace, her constant companion throughout the last few years. That dog always knew when she needed a hug and Jolene swore he gave the best hugs around.
“Why did I let myself get so caught up in the idea of not being alone for the holidays for once?” she spoke into his fur. “At least I’ve always got you, buddy. We’re a good team, right?”
Ace barked.
“That’s right. Just you and me. BFF’s forever.” Barking again, Ace bolted for the front door. “Well that didn’t last long, either. Thanks a lot.” Jolene pushed up to stand. A knock on the door sent Ace into another barking fit, this time complete with tail chasing and spinning circles. “Okay boy. Scooch on over.”
Jolene opened the door. On the other side of the threshold stood Kiara, her nose red and cheeks splotchy with cold.
“Hi. Jolene, is it? We met briefly this afternoon.” She lifted her hand in a cordial wave. “I’m Kiara. I’m staying next door. I hate to bother you, but it looks like the power’s gone out. It’s like an ice box in there. Completely freezing.”
“Oh goodness, I’m so sorry—”
“I’m assuming a refund will be issued for today’s portion of the reservation, but even that won’t magically make the place heat up. It’s unlivable.”
Taken aback at Kiara’s assertive tone, Jolene was at a loss for words. Her tongue tied in her mouth.
“For the time being, I assume you can put me up in the nearest hotel? One with a working heater.”
Ace sneered, making Jolene chuckle.
“I’m sorry.” Kiara’s brow tightened. “Is there something funny I’m missing?”
“Only that Merrylark doesn’t have a hotel.”
“An inn, then. Bed and breakfast.”
“Don’t have one of those either.”
Eyes rolling, Kiara huffed an audible groan. “Fine. Just find me a suitable place to stay wh
ere I don’t have to worry that I’ll get hypothermia or frostbite in my sleep.”
“The only place I can offer you is my spare guest room, but there’s a good chance you’ll be sharing it with this guy.” Jolene pointed to Ace. “He likes to curl up on the quilt on cold nights. He’s a terrific snuggler, though. You’ll be thankful for the extra warmth.”
“Well isn’t this evening going just swimmingly?” Kiara muttered loud enough for Jolene to hear. She threw two hands into the air. “Fine. I suppose that will have to do. I’ll be back over after I gather my things from the house.” She turned to go.
“Don’t forget to blow out the candles.”
“How did you know I had candles burning?”
Jolene’s cheeks went hot, realizing her slip-up. “My kitchen window overlooks the lake house. I saw them glowing.”
“Fantastic.” Kiara’s eyes rolled. “The online description said it was a ‘quaint and private oasis.’ I can see that was a gross misrepresentation. Just like everything else.”
Jolene just smiled. “See you soon, roomie!”
Closing the door behind Kiara, she raced to the kitchen to get her phone from its charging station. She dialed quickly.
“Pick up. Pick up.”
“Hey sis.” Rose’s cheery voice answered on the other end of the line. “What’s up?”
“Oh, you know, same ol’, same ol’. Except for the fact I’ve suddenly got Luke’s ex bunking with me for the night.”
A laugh erupted through the phone. “Seriously? You can’t make this stuff up! Only you, my dear, only you.”
“That’s not super encouraging, Rosie. I called you because I need a pep talk. A big one.”
“Let me think.” There was a long pause. “Sorry, Jojo. I don’t seem to have ‘how to survive a slumber party with current boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend’ in my pep talk repertoire.”
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