by Debbie Mason
She’d added a pink fur hat to her outfit and looked so adorable that all he could do was smile back at her like an idiot. Well, he was smiling until Ty decided his brother didn’t fit the Diva theme and sprinkled him with pink glitter.
Autumn yelped and ran over to save the day, but not Adam and Sophia’s plan. At least not the part in which his brother and Sophia became lifelong friends. Autumn suggested she and her fiancé change teams.
Logan managed to crack a smile when Team Diva came barreling down the hill, Zeus in the front of the pink cardboard car with what could only be described as a doggie grin, while Autumn, Ty, and Sophia were hugging one another and laughing hysterically behind him. They didn’t win for best-looking car or fastest down the bunny hill, but that didn’t stop them from celebrating as if they had.
Logan wasn’t smiling several hours later as they stood by the outdoor bar, watching Sophia, Autumn, and about ten of their girlfriends, including Ty, dance to live music under the stars.
Adam had finally had enough. “I don’t get it. What is it about Sophia that you don’t like?”
“Everything,” his brother muttered, and Adam wanted to punch him.
Instead, he tightened his grip on his glass of soda. He was the designated driver tonight.
Logan must have sensed Adam was ticked because he rolled his eyes. “Start thinking with your other head and put yourself in my shoes for a change. I’ve loved Autumn since we were in grade school. There was no one else for me but her, and she’d always felt the same. Until she went off to college and met Sophia. Every weekend she came home, Sophia tagged along with her. So instead of hanging out together like we used to, the two of them were the life of every party.”
They were the life of the party again, Adam thought. He glanced at Zeus, who paced the perimeter of the outdoor dance floor, keeping a watchful eye on Sophia.
“But you married her, so obviously you guys worked through it.”
“I thought we had. And then about a week after Bryce died, I got the offer for my dream job. Travel, great money, everything we had talked about, but she wouldn’t go. She wouldn’t leave Sophia.”
“So you left her.”
“I was tired of coming in second.” He glanced at Sophia and Ty, who were now performing in the circle of their clapping and laughing friends. “Soon I won’t have to.” His brow furrowed, and then he pointed at the man videoing the women on the dance floor. “What’s Rick doing here?”
He’d had a feeling today might be a bust and had a backup plan. “You’re leaving, and like I’ve been trying to tell you, I’m not taking your place. Which means, if Gramps won’t step in, Rick will.”
He wouldn’t let it go that far, and he certainly hadn’t broached the idea with Rick. His cousin had come to him the morning after the engagement party with a business proposition. Rick had once owned the town’s local newspaper and had an interest in photography and videography. He’d proposed offering it as a service to the lodge’s guests. Adam had been impressed that Rick had gotten his ego in check and wasn’t asking for a handout. He also believed in second chances and that family should help out family when they could. So he’d decided to give him a trial run, albeit with security keeping an eye on him.
“Good try, but I know you too well. And this is an offer of a lifetime that I can’t afford to pass up. It’ll be good for the kids. It’s the chance for a new beginning for the four of us. Please don’t stand in my way, brother.” He looked at the two women hugging and laughing on the dance floor. “And maybe you can make Sophia understand that if she loves Autumn, she has to let her go.”
“Maybe if you gave her a chance and sat down and talked to her, explained where you’re coming from, she would. But from where she’s standing, her best friend, business partner, and co–home owner is moving to the other side of the world with a man who is an asshat.”
“I’m not an asshat.”
“No, not to most people, but you are to Sophia, and it ends now.”
“That’s how it is, is it? Can’t say I’m surprised. I always thought you’d end up with her. But then you went to California and Bryce came home.” He looked up at Blue Mountain. “If he were still here, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. He was always Gramps’s first choice to manage the lodge.”
Sophia’s too, he thought, no matter what his brother said. No matter what he once believed.
“I’m going to take Autumn home. You mind sticking around?”
“No. I’ll look after things here. Soph’s with me, so you’ll have a couple hours before she gets to the house.”
“You’re a big boy, so I won’t warn you to be careful. Besides, if anyone can handle her, it’s you. She was too much woman for our little brother.” He raised his hand. “Okay, I’ll shut up.”
“Yeah, you do that. And for the record, Bryce loved her, and she loved him. You know it, and so do I.”
“You weren’t around. Things weren’t good after the accident. Bryce—” His brother glanced at the people waiting for drinks and must have realized it wasn’t the time or place for this conversation. Adam would be just as glad to never talk about it again. “I better go get Autumn. Appreciate you closing up for me, Adam,” Logan said before walking toward the dance floor.
Adam was keeping an eye on Sophia when he felt someone watching him from the other side of the bar.
The guy was about six foot one with dark hair and tattoo sleeves. “You Adam Dane? US Marshal who got shot in San Fran?”
“I am. Who’s asking?”
“Jake Callahan. Callahan Automotive.”
“Ah, the man who keeps an open bay just for Sophia.” He smiled and offered his hand as he sized up her Valentine’s date.
“Right, and you’re the guy who ruined my shot with the woman of my dreams.” He grinned. “So, you heard of me. Good. At least it’s not one-sided.”
“You’ve lost me, man.”
“She’s in love with you. Thought she might be when she called me Adam a couple times during our date. Knew it for sure when she got word you were shot.” He glanced to where Sophia danced by herself. “You going to stand here all night, or are you going to dance with the woman?”
Adam moved to put his glass on the bar and then clapped the other man on the shoulder. “I’m going to do something I should have done a long time ago.”
Jake lifted his beer bottle. “Good luck.”
Adam thought he might need it when Sophia saw him coming and stopped dancing. “It didn’t work, did it? Your brother still hates me.”
“We have Sunday. But I don’t want to talk about Autumn and Logan right now.”
“No.” She looked down when he put his hands on either side of her waist and drew her toward him. “What are you doing?”
“I was hoping to dance with you.”
She smiled like she used to, and he smiled in return, fighting the urge to kiss her adorable dimples.
“I didn’t think you could dance. You never did. All you did was watch,” she said as she moved into his arms, looping hers around his neck.
“You were fun to watch, but I don’t want to watch anymore. I’m tired of sitting on the sidelines.” He glanced over his shoulder at Jake, who saluted him with his beer bottle, and then Adam looked into Sophia’s eyes. “I’m afraid if I do, someone else will come along, and I’ll lose out on my chance with you.”
“That would never happen.”
“It did, Soph. It happened more than a decade before.”
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. It’s time to let go of the past. Nothing we do or say will change anything.”
“I can think of something that will change everything.”
“What’s that?”
“Dance with me, and then kiss me.”
“Happy to.” But as they began to move to “The Keeper of the Stars” by Tracy Byrd, Adam knew he couldn’t wait and bent his head to kiss her. Almost from the moment h
is mouth closed over hers, he knew it was nothing like the kiss they’d shared at New Year’s. It wasn’t friendly, and it wasn’t brief. It was deep, and it was real and hot and tinged with regret for all the years wasted. There was also a hint of nerves, because this kiss felt like a promise.
Chapter Eleven
The first real kiss Sophia shared with Adam would be a moment she’d never forget. The kisses that followed in the past twenty-four hours were equally memorable and wonderful. So wonderful that they changed everything, just like she’d predicted.
Only she didn’t know what to do about it. If Operation HEA in Christmas succeeded, her life would stay pretty much the same. She’d have her best friend in town, their business partnership would remain intact, which would enable Sophia to work out a deal for the house, and Adam would return to San Francisco and his job as a US Marshal.
But if Operation HEA in Christmas failed, Autumn, Logan, and the children would jet off to Switzerland. And not only would she lose her best friend, the house would have to be sold, and eventually her business unless she found another partner. Only in this scenario, Adam would remain in town to run the lodge or risk losing it to Rick, something she knew he would never do no matter how much he might want to. Either way she lost, and she didn’t want to choose.
She stood at the top of the bunny hill on Easter morning, watching Autumn help Logan’s children hunt for the hidden plastic eggs. Last night, Sophia had volunteered to help fill the colorful eggs—all twenty-five hundred of them—with chocolate and candy. It was their biggest hunt ever, and half the town had shown up.
Her volunteerism seemed to have won her some brownie points with Logan. Though having Adam at her side might have been the reason Logan hadn’t sent his usual pointed barbs her way.
Sophia spotted one of the special giant eggs with prizes inside that had been donated by local businesses. As Chloe and Madison McBride arrived with their children in tow, Sophia texted Autumn the location of the giant egg in an effort to win her best friend some brownie points with Logan’s children. With that done, she decided the McBride women needed a distraction. “Madison! Chloe! There are lots of eggs under the deck.” Both women looked from her to Autumn. “Follow Autumn,” Chloe said.
“Go! Ski, ski!” Sophia cheered Autumn and the kids on.
Logan, who’d been talking to Madison’s husband, turned. Immediately catching on, he sprinted toward his family, scooped up his kids, and followed Autumn’s pointed finger to the egg. His daughter scooped it up seconds before Chloe swooped in. The egg was filled with Easter treats from Sugar and Spice. As Sophia had known they would, the Dane family generously shared their winnings.
And while Sophia stood on the hill watching her best friend and her new family-to-be, it hit her that Autumn was the one person who would understand exactly how it felt to be torn between your best friend and the man you loved. Though she might also be a little ticked if she heard about Operation HEA in Christmas. Sophia wouldn’t blame her.
She wanted the best for Autumn. And as she continued watching them together, she noticed something. Her best friend looked different. She looked…happy, really and truly happy. She looked like the girl who used to talk endlessly about her boyfriend back home. The boy she wanted to marry. Sophia was just about to shout Go, go and be happy to her best friend when a man wrapped his arms around Sophia’s waist from behind.
“Why are you looking so sad, beautiful?” Adam nuzzled her neck, poles in his hands, his skis on either side of hers. He’d never raced professionally like Bryce, but he was an excellent skier and volunteered with ski patrol whenever he’d been home.
She turned her head and kissed him, wondering what he’d say if she told him. They’d known each other for what seemed like forever, and it felt like they’d had feelings for each other for almost as long. And maybe that's why she said “I love you” without meaning to.
She closed her eyes, wanting to cry. She did love him. Some part of her always had. But she hadn’t meant to tell him. Not yet. Not now. Not here. And from the expression on his face, she thought maybe he wished she hadn’t told him either.
“Is that what’s making you sad?”
She nodded and blurted out how torn up she was about him and about Autumn. She didn’t want anything between them. She’d kept her secrets about Bryce, and she’d made herself a promise at New Year’s. No more secrets or lies, to herself or anyone else.
He didn’t say anything, just wrapped an arm around her waist and skied her to the bottom of the hill. He didn’t have to. She knew his answer. Which was why, when Zeus bounded over, she crouched to give him a hug, burying her face in his fur so no one would see her tears.
“Soph, don’t cry.” Adam released his boots from his skis and then hers, drawing her to her feet. “Come on. I’ll grab us a couple hot chocolates. We’ll go for a walk.”
“I can’t. I promised Nell I’d help with the baby bunny race.”
“Okay.” He wiped away her tears and then gave her a tender kiss. “This doesn’t have anything to do with you. I want to be with you, but I don’t want to take over management of the lodge. I love my job, Soph. I’ve put down roots in San Francisco. I’ve got a great place, and I’ve got really good friends.”
“I understand.” She wished she didn’t, but she did.
“No, I don’t think you do.” He framed her face with his cold hands. “I love you too. I do. But the idea of moving here—”
“Sophia!” Nell waved her over to the front of the lodge.
“I’d better go.” Zeus went to follow her. “Stay, Zeus. I’m sorry. I’d take you if I could, but there will be babies crawling in the snow.” And no matter what Adam said, Zeus should probably get used to not seeing her. Adam was returning to work in less than a week.
When she reached Nell, the older woman’s eyes narrowed at her. “Maddie and Chloe, do me a favor and get the parents and babies in a line. You, come with me.” She took Sophia by the arm, stopping at a secluded spot near a fir tree decorated with brightly painted Easter eggs.
“All right, what did my step-grandson say to make you cry?”
“It wasn’t him. It’s me, Nell. I thought…” She lifted a shoulder. “It’s okay.”
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” She waved a hand when Sophia didn’t answer. “You can tell me. Despite what everyone thinks, I can keep a secret. But if you don’t think everyone knows how you feel about Adam after Spring Fling, you’re mistaken.”
“I thought you and Calder might be upset because he’s Bryce’s brother.”
“You’ve been on your own for too darn long, if you ask me. Both you girls have. Get your happy wherever you can find it, and don’t let anyone stand in your way.”
“Like I’m standing in Autumn’s?”
“I figured it’d take you a week or two to come around, but in the end, I knew you’d do what’s best for your girl. You don’t have to worry about her. He loves her. It’ll be good for them, being on their own, having to depend on each other. And it might be good for you too.”
“I don’t see how. I have to sell the house, and I have to find someone to partner with or I’ll lose the business too. I—” Spotting Rick Dane a few feet away with his camera, she hurriedly wiped her eyes.
Nell followed her gaze and waved Rick away. Then she said to Sophia, “Don’t work yourself into a tizzy. I know it’s a lot to take in, but you don’t have to do it alone. We’re all here for you, girlie. We’ll put our heads together and figure something out.” A slow smile spread across her face. “I think I’ve just come up with the perfect solution for everyone. Bryce might have died, but you’re still Calder’s granddaughter by marriage. How would you feel about managing the lodge? You’ve got a degree in business and lots of experience.”
“Yes, but I love my store and…”
“So, move Naughty and Nice and Sugar and Spice into the lodge. You should be able to get a good price on your place downtown. Enough to buy Autumn out of
the house, I’d imagine.” She put her hands on Sophia’s shoulders. “Change isn’t always easy, but it’s good.”
Chapter Twelve
Adam grabbed two hot chocolates and went outside looking for Sophia. The baby bunny races had ended five minutes ago in a tie. Madison’s son and Chloe’s daughter were the official winners. Adam walked over to the ski rack and set the hot chocolate on the nearby bench, pulling a cookie for Zeus from his jacket pocket as well as his phone. Just as he was about to call Sophia, he spotted her on the deck with Autumn.
After watching their heartfelt and tearful exchange, he sat heavily on the bench. “That’s it, boy. Sophia just threw herself on the sword for her best friend’s happiness.” There was a swoosh of an incoming text, and he looked at the screen. Good news travels fast, he thought. Logan wanted to see him in his office. “This day keeps getting better and better,” he murmured, thinking about Sophia. In the early days, if they’d admitted they loved each other, it would have been a whole lot less complicated than it was now.
Catching sight of Sophia leaving the lodge at the same time Adam did, Zeus shot off in her direction, his cookie forgotten. She offered the dog a weak smile and gave him some love before continuing on her way without giving Adam a passing glance.
He stared after her. What the…? “Soph, hold up. Where are you going?”
“Back to town. I have things to do.”
“You don’t have a car.” His cell rang. It was his brother. “Just give me a minute. I have to see what Logan wants, and then I’ll take you home. We need to talk.” He was pretty sure he knew what his brother wanted, so the conversation would be brief.
“It’s all right, Adam. I can’t get into it now, but Nell has come up with a solution to your problem. If Calder agrees, no one will expect you to leave the job, town, and people you love. Least of all me. I’ll be too busy building a wonderful life.”
“If it’s so wonderful, why do you look like you’re holding back tears?”