The Christmas Match: Castle Ridge Small Town Romance

by Burton, Allie

  “In the resort ski locker room when I was picking up Brianna.”

  Parker took another sip. “Does Luke know about Brianna?”

  “No.” She’d tried to tell him. Sent a letter to his fancy French hotel room, and he’d never responded. Called early one morning, trying to catch him before he hit the slopes, and his agent had answered, telling her that Luke had moved on and didn’t want to hear from her again.

  “Good.” Parker’s brow furrowed and the lines on his forehead deepened. He was an attractive man, just not the rugged-type she’d always been attracted to. “We need to keep it that way.”

  “We?” She’d involved him in her plot as a teen and had felt awful about it. She wasn’t going to involve him again.

  He slammed the drink down and sat beside her on the couch. “I know Luke broke your heart in high school. I’d hate to see that happen again.”

  “It won’t.” Sure, she found Luke attractive, but she could resist him. She was more worried about her daughter’s heart.

  Her decision thirteen years ago wavered in her head, making her feel dizzy. Then, he’d wanted nothing to do with them. But he’d matured, hadn’t he? Was it still the right thing, keeping Luke and Brianna apart?

  “I’ve got an idea.” Parker’s strong manicured hand took hold of Danielle’s. “Why don’t we start dating again?”

  Her skin crawled. She didn’t jerk her hand away, but slid it from his grasp. He’d been her rock during her roughest time. When she’d broken their engagement, realizing she didn’t want to ruin both their lives with a marriage of convenience, he’d taken it well. He’d gone on with his life, finished college, and married. After his divorce, he’d moved back to Castle Ridge, and now owned the resort. They’d rekindled their friendship. She hoped he didn’t have deeper feelings.

  “I really don’t think that will be necessary.” She forced herself to sound light, positive. “I’m not the same scared sixteen-year-old. I can handle Luke Logan. If I even see him again.”

  “What about Brianna?” Parker’s voice held real concern.

  Danielle’s past decision solidified in her mind. “She never needs to know that Luke Logan is her dad.”

  * * *

  “Good job today, Luke.” The overly-muscled, male physical therapist wiped down the equipment. “Just ice your knee for twenty minutes before heading out.”

  Bull.

  His rehabilitation was not going well. The recovery was taking longer. The physical therapy was more painful. The progress was slow.

  Frustration built into anger, with each repetition of the exercise. How many times could he flex and stretch his leg? How many hours of therapy had he endured already? How many days left? He didn’t feel like he was making progress. He felt like he was standing still, or even moving backward.

  “Got it, doc.” Luke stripped off his shirt and shorts, and climbed into the metal tub of water and ice. Sinking into the tub, the frozen water burned against his sweaty skin.

  But the ice wasn’t as frosty as the glare Dani had shot at him when they’d met for the first time in thirteen years.

  Her face had paled, and he’d thought she was going to faint. Then, she’d stiffened, as if she’d been the injured party. She was the one who’d gone off and gotten herself engaged the second he’d left town. Had a child with Williamson.

  She sure looked gorgeous for a woman with a kid. Become even more beautiful. Her figure had rounded a bit, a real woman’s shape. Her shiny brown hair was cut in a short, easy style. Her creamy skin looked as soft as silk. He’d wanted to reach out and caress her cheek.

  The ever-present frustration focused on Dani. He pulled his hand into a slow fist.

  Interesting that she hadn’t taken her ex’s last name, and neither had their daughter.

  She must’ve gotten pregnant fairly quickly after he’d left town, though. She’d fooled around and gotten in trouble and decided to marry Williamson.

  Even in the cold tub, his anger flared. He and Dani had dated for years before making love the one and only time. Maybe once she’d tried sex she’d decided she enjoyed it. Yet today, she hadn’t been open to the idea of a short flirtation with him.

  The anger heated his body causing the ice to melt faster and making him think of other things that caused heat. Dani’s hot kisses. Her naked body against his. The hot glances they’d shared in the past. Going after her, wearing her resistance down, would be fun during his rehabilitation. Then, when he was healthy he’d leave her just like she’d left him. Revenge cooled his anger and his hurt. Because hurt was the overwhelming feeling.

  The ringing of his cellphone pulled him out of his fantasy. He dried off his hand, reached over the tub, and answered.

  “Luke, darling.” Vivienne Tucker, his agent, purred on the other end of the line. When she used that tone she wanted something. “How’s your holiday?”

  “This isn’t a vacation.” Disgust had him shaking his head in the negative even though she couldn’t see his response. “What do you need, Vivienne?”

  “Only what’s best for you.” She’d been a good agent over the last few years. So much better than the slimeball he’d signed with originally.

  Digging deep, she’d found him contracts and sponsorships that other professional skiers hadn’t been offered. She was a trailblazer, and it worked to his benefit, but it was always about pleasing the sponsors, acting how they wanted, and always winning, winning, winning. He’d loved it at the beginning. Now all he wanted to do was ski. His mouth soured. Impatience to be healthy left an aftertaste.

  “How’s the knee?” There was no real concern in her voice. She didn’t care about him and his health, only cared about when he could start fulfilling his contracts and earning her more money.

  Which was fine with him. They had a business relationship.

  “Just finished physical therapy for the day.” He’d worked up to two sessions a day, plus exercising on his own. The way his muscles ached, all he could think about was relaxing and drinking a cold beer.

  “Good to hear. I told Akio you’d be good to go sooner than expected.”

  He didn’t want her to make promises his body couldn’t keep. “Vivienne, I don’t know—”

  “Listen to me, the new Japanese ski manufacturer wants you.” Her shrill tone showed him she was stoked. “They’re talking about an extended tour. Asia, Australia, Europe, South America…”

  Why had the deal sounded so great when Vivienne had first told him about it? Before he’d returned to Castle Ridge. Before he’d seen Dani.

  His anger flared again. No, this wasn’t about Dani. This was about coming home to heal and re-find his passion.

  The pro ski circuit was getting tiring, or he was getting old. His muscles had ached even before the injury, and his fans still expected him to be out and about, partying in whatever ski town they were competing. He’d planned on a few more years, and then…

  And then, he hadn’t a clue.

  “Yeah, yeah. Sounds great.” He was too tired to argue with Vivienne.

  “You don’t sound excited.” Amazing how she picked up on things. “You’re living the good life. The golden boy of professional skiing. Enjoy it.”

  He harrumphed. He had enjoyed it. Maybe a little too much. He’d forced himself to enjoy the challenges and the attention at the beginning of his career. He’d taken things for granted until now.

  Now, he realized professional skiing had a short shelf life, and he was going to expire sooner than expected.

  * * *

  Danielle’s fingers slipped on the computer keyboard for the millionth time. Still concerned about her discussion with Parker, she tried to focus on her job. Luke Logan could not become a distraction.

  Isabel O’Donnell, Danielle’s best friend since high school, strolled from the back of the hotel. A streak of flour smeared her cheek and the smell of cinnamon wafted in with her. “You’ll never believe who checked into the lodge the other day.” She wiggled her eyebrows sugges
tively over wide green eyes.

  Danielle huffed out a breath, knowing how her friend’s mind worked. “Luke Logan.”

  “How did you know?” Her friend’s tone tried to dig deeper. She straightened her messy reddish-gold topknot under her chef’s hat. “I mean, I know you two dated for years in high school, but what, are you psychic about him? Do you have some type of telepathic connection?”

  If they’d had a connection like that, and she’d known Luke was coming to town, she would’ve been running for the hills with her daughter.

  Danielle’s stomach twisted. She didn’t know who, or how much to confess. “I saw him in the team locker room when I was picking up Brianna.”

  “What did he say? Do?” Isabel snatched her hand off the keyboard and squeezed. She bent low to whisper. “Oh, my God. Can you imagine running into your teenage daughter for the first time?”

  Danielle yanked her hand back. She schooled her expression. “He doesn’t know.”

  “What?” Her friend’s jaw dropped to the ground. “You never told him?”

  “No.” She stood and moved to the filing cabinets, avoiding Isabel’s glare. Avoiding the accusation. “I tried to tell him when I first found out I was pregnant. He didn’t respond.”

  Isabel flopped against the front desk, her chef’s hat puffing with the movement. “He ignored the fact you were pregnant.”

  Bristling, Danielle shoved a file into the cabinet. “I never got around to telling him.”

  “What?”

  “I mailed him a letter that we needed to talk. He didn’t respond.” She slammed the cabinet drawer closed. “Then, I called his hotel early in the morning and…and…” Renewed pain slashed in her chest. She didn’t want to keep reliving his rejection. “His female agent answered, and told me Luke had moved on, and I needed to quit harassing her star or she would file a restraining order.”

  “Did you demand to speak to Luke?”

  “No.” She’d been emotional, probably blubbering. The woman involved in Luke’s life didn’t need to know her devastation. Fury spiked, remembering. “A restraining order. Against me!”

  Isabel marched over and grabbed her arm, twisting Danielle around. “You have to tell him like you didn’t tell me.”

  The fierceness in her voice was like a whiplash to bare skin. The words slashed and burned. Danielle hadn’t told her best friend about being pregnant in high school, and thirteen years later, Isabel was still angry.

  Isabel was a year older, and graduated with Luke. She’d gone off to college by the time Danielle had discovered her predicament. How could her friend help? Danielle had turned to Parker, who’d suggested the engagement. He’d insisted no one else know the real reason. And because he’d been so kind and helpful, she’d agreed. She’d never told her best friend who the biological father was, until years later.

  Remembering the hurt, the feeling of abandonment, the embarrassment, Danielle dug her fingers into the file cabinet as if it were Luke’s skin. “I don’t have to tell Luke anything. The only name on Brianna’s birth certificate is mine.”

  “He needs to know.”

  Frantic, her lungs shredded. “Why? So he can break her heart like he did mine?” Danielle would do anything to protect her daughter from pain.

  “You’re the one who got engaged to…” Isabel glanced around. “Parker Williamson.”

  “I was pregnant and desperate.” Her insides heaved at the memories. Memories that had been buried for years. Memories she didn’t want to relive now that Luke was back in town. “And Parker’s idea to get engaged had been a good one.”

  “Yeah, because he’s been in love with you since eighth grade.”

  The town of Castle Ridge wasn’t very large. Danielle had known most kids since grammar school. In high school, a lot of kids had gone out with each other and then their best friends. The dating pool wasn’t large. But Danielle had only ever dated Luke.

  Parker had always been there, though. A good friend. A school tutor. A shoulder to cry on.

  She cringed at her thoughtless actions. “I realized my mistake the second Parker put an engagement ring on my finger.”

  “I know.” Isabel rubbed her shoulder in a comforting gesture. “You’d just lost your mom, and Luke had left town, and you found out you were pregnant.”

  Each memory assaulted Danielle. Her eyes prickled and her chest ached. Pain convulsed in her body and her brain. That had been the worst time of her life. And yet, it had been the best, too. She’d survived, and now she had a wonderful daughter.

  “Exactly.” It didn’t justify her actions. She shouldn’t have used Parker, but she’d been young and afraid. She should’ve told Isabel, but she didn’t want her worrying during her first semester of college. She probably should’ve tried more than twice to contact Luke, but getting past his bulldog agent would’ve been difficult, and she didn’t have the motivation. Plus, she didn’t want him to quit skiing professionally and always resent her and their child.

  “Did Luke meet Brianna? Did they talk?” Isabel’s light tone urged confidences.

  “Yes.”

  “Their eye color is the same. Brianna’s hair is a mix of yours and his.” Isabel leaned in. “Did he act weird? What did he say?”

  “He said Brianna had—” Danielle choked “—natural skiing talent.”

  “Oh, my God.” Isabel dropped into the chair. “You better tell him he’s her father before he figures it out on his own.”

  Chapter Three

  Early the next morning, Danielle’s sleep was interrupted by an early-morning phone call from her brother Michael.

  She quickly ran through the normal expectations: Bri’s school and skiing, Danielle’s school and work, and then, steeling herself, she hit the hard topic. Her brother had become her biggest advisor and cheerleader over the years. She wanted his take on the situation.

  “Luke is back in town.” Saying the words caused her heart to palpitate. “Just for a while. He’s recovering from the knee injury he got in the European Championships.”

  “And?”

  She pictured her brother’s brown eyebrows rising in a challenge. She felt like she was confessing to a priest or a psychiatrist. Luke and Michael had been friends in high school. She hadn’t told her brother who the real father was until after she and Parker had split.

  “Well, Luke has met Brianna.” Danielle drew her response out, trying to delay. “And he’s seen her ski.” She clutched the phone, her knuckles turning white. “And he told her she has natural talent.”

  “Shit. Did he recognize Brianna? Ask about her?”

  “No.” Danielle blew out a breath. Maybe Luke never would.

  “You need to tell him.” Michael sounded like Isabel.

  The two fought like cats and dogs whenever they were together. Of course, they’d agree with each other this time.

  “No!” Panic frizzled down Danielle’s spine before turning her backbone to steel. “He has no right to Brianna.”

  “He’s her father.” Michael’s tone told her he wouldn’t be swayed. “I thought you should’ve found a way to tell him when she was born.”

  “I tried.” Her hand fisted tighter around the phone. “Luke’s career was taking off,” as well as his love life, “and he wouldn’t have wanted—”

  “You don’t know that.” The exasperation in Michael’s voice came through the line. “If I had a daughter, especially one as great as Brianna, I’d want to know.”

  “You? The playboy of the century?”

  Her brother was known as the love ’em and leave ’em type.

  “I’m not as bad as the gossip sounds.”

  Danielle knew he cooked in and out of the kitchen. His status as a celebrity chef with his own cooking show had brought him hordes of female fans.

  “What if Luke rejects Brianna?” Hurts her.

  Danielle’s throat went dry. She understood the risk. Luke had broken her heart before he’d become famous. Imagine what he’d do to her teenage daug
hter.

  “What if he’s thrilled?”

  “What if he’s angry I never told him to begin with?” Fear trembled through her, causing her insides to quiver and shake. Fear he’d be furious. Fear he’d think all she wanted was his money. Before, he’d been a poor skier trying to win medals. Now, he had fame and contracts and women.

  She didn’t fear Luke would want custody. A teenage daughter would cramp his style.

  “You tried to tell him. That’s a risk you need to take.” Michael softened his tone. “Danielle, you have to tell Luke now that he’s back in town. He might’ve ignored a letter or not taken your call, but he can’t ignore you in person. He has a right to know.”

  She wished Michael was in Castle Ridge instead of Los Angeles. He’d guide and support her. She wished he’d been around thirteen years ago, when she’d made the decision. He’d vote to tell Luke.

  But the most important vote—Danielle’s vote—was the one that counted.

  Harsh winds of change whipped her. The pelting snow of reality pummeled her from the inside. Her body temperature dropped to below freezing. Her own personal blizzard.

  A blizzard of epic proportions swirling around in her head. A blizzard that would only get worse.

  * * *

  Sitting through classes that day, Danielle’s thoughts were not on Hospitality Management and upcoming finals. Indecision swirled in her head, making her dizzy. Her stomach fluttered, imagining telling Luke the truth about Brianna and his response.

  His justified angry reaction.

  Maybe it’s for the best he never finds out. You can’t miss what you don’t know.

  The flutters in her stomach increased, the blizzard picking up speed again. The snow blew in two different directions, whistling in her ear.

  Tell him. Don’t tell him.

  Others knew the truth. Michael, Isabel, and Parker knew. They were sworn to secrecy, but it could slip out.

  There’d always been gossip. People had known how close she and Luke were, and then for her to get engaged to Parker so quickly had gotten tongues wagging. People thought she’d been heartbroken at Luke leaving and glommed on to someone new and then gotten pregnant. That had been correct, in a way. Then, she’d come back to town with a baby, and without Parker or his last name. What if Luke heard the recharged gossip?