Falling for Denver (Restless Hearts)

by Hunter J. Keane

His eyes snapped to my face. “No one visited me.”

  “Yes, they did. I remember because I had to go to a wedding that weekend and Jared was supposed to go with me, but he came out here instead.”

  “Emma, Jared has never visited me,” Luke said softly.

  It was until then that I realized the Utah trip had been just another one of Jared’s lies. He had probably been spending a romantic weekend with Claudia. “Oh, right. I’m thinking of something else.”

  I could tell from the awkward silence that Luke had figured it out at the same time as me.

  “When did you guys break up?” he asked.

  “A few days before I reached out to you about moving here.” I hated to admit it because I knew it made me sound pathetic. It looked like I couldn’t handle the break-up and that was why I had moved so far away. Which wasn’t exactly untrue.

  Luke nodded at the bartender again and I realized that we had both almost finished our beers already.

  “He cheated on you, didn’t he?” Luke said with bitterness in his voice.

  I was surprised at how easily he had been able to guess the truth. Was I the only one that hadn’t believed Jared was capable of being such a big jerk?

  “For three years, apparently.” I sounded equally bitter. “You don’t seem surprised.”

  Luke gave me a long look. “I don’t like to talk bad about people that aren’t around to defend themselves, but Jared was an asshole.”

  I was shocked by how strongly he said that word.

  “What do you mean? I thought you guys were friends.”

  He scoffed. “We were fraternity brothers. There’s a big difference.”

  “Fine. But you never acted like you had a problem with him back then.” In fact, Luke had spent a lot of time with us whenever I visited Jared. That seemed strange if he really hadn’t liked Jared.

  “I tolerated him because I had to.”

  “Because of the fraternity?”

  His eyes were icy. “Because of you.”

  My breath hitched in my throat and I flushed warmly. Had I heard him right?

  “Because of me? What does that mean?”

  “I liked being around you. You were funny and nerdy, like me. Not stupid and shallow like most of the people in college. But if I wanted to be around you, I had to put up with Jared.” He waited for the bartender to sit down our new drinks and take away the empties. “That guy never treated you right. He didn’t appreciate you.”

  I swallowed hard. “I had no idea you felt that way. You never said anything.”

  “You were in love,” he said with a wry smile. “Would it have made any difference?”

  That was a good question. I had been pretty focused on Jared in college. Would I have been receptive to Luke’s thoughts on the matter? Probably not.

  “I don’t know,” I said with a shake of my head. “It’s not an issue anymore.”

  “I guess not.” His smile became more relaxed. “You’re here with me now.”

  I don’t know why those words made me so flustered, but my hand shook as I reached for my beer. “I’m ready for a fresh start.”

  “I’m ready for another drink. You?”

  I looked at my half-empty glass. “Bring it on.”

  We wisely decided to stop after beer number three. Luke got one of the employees to take me back up the mountain while he hurried off to take care of a ski lift emergency. My chauffeur’s name was Gary and he was quite the chatterbox. By the time he dropped me off, I’d learned all about his background. If I hadn’t been borderline drunk, I might’ve tried harder to remember some of it.

  It was only early evening and I wasn’t ready for bed yet. I decided to tackle the boxes in my entryway. It took some time, and quite of bit of stair climbing, but I eventually was completely unpacked. In the process, I became more familiar with my new home and discovered a fridge and pantry stocked with food. Apparently, Luke had thought to stock up for me. It was such a sweet gesture that I nearly cried, which might also have had something to do with how much I’d had to drink.

  Once I was settled, I took a long, hot bath. The tub was big enough for two people and the jets loosened my sore muscles. I was already spoiled.

  After bathing, I dressed in warm clothes and busted out the teapot. While the water heated up, I got a fire going in the bedroom fireplace. After a cup of hot tea and two chapters in a cozy mystery, I fell right asleep and stayed that way until morning.

  Luke had to go into the city on Sunday for some errands so I was left to my own devices. I drove down to the Ground and walked around, getting acquainted. The sun was shining brilliantly, lighting up the snow. I had already started to get used to the snow and cold, but the fresh air was still surprising to me. It was probably part of the reason I had slept so deeply.

  When I had seen all there was to see, I got back in my car and drove further down the mountain. I found a small little town about fifteen minutes from the resort. It had a market, a diner, and a bookstore. It was perfect.

  I ate lunch in the diner, enjoying the small town atmosphere and the way everyone knew each other by name. The food was pretty darn good, too. I left the diner and headed to the bookstore next. I hadn’t felt like paying to ship my books from Chicago so I had donated them instead. Now I needed to start building my library again. And based on my experience so far, I knew I was going to have a lot of time to read in the mountains.

  The bookstore had a surprisingly good selection and they were cheap. I was willing to bet they got a lot of business because of their close proximity to the resort. After selecting a half-dozen books, I made a final stop by the market for a few perishable items. It took me less than two hours to complete everything and return home. I remembered how it often took me an entire day to run errands in Chicago.

  Even after making dinner and finishing an entire book, I was still in bed early. Mountain life was turning me into an old lady.

  The next morning I officially started work. Luke was waiting for me at the shop and he introduced me to the other employees.

  “You remember Gary?” He pointed to my friendly driver. “This is Elsie. The two of them have been working here for over a year so they can help get you up to speed.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Elsie said. She was a pretty girl, probably the same age as me. I noticed how she blushed whenever Luke looked in her direction.

  “I’ll come by later this afternoon to go over the books.” Luke winked at me. “Don’t worry. You are in good hands here.”

  The store hadn’t opened yet so Gary and Elsie took the opportunity to bombard me with questions. First, they wanted to know about me. When they learned that I was old friends with the boss, they wanted to know all about him.

  “Did you guys date?” Elsie asked excitedly. “I bet you did.”

  “No. We didn’t.” I tried not to make it sound like I was protesting too much. “We were just friends.”

  “Friends… with benefits?” Gary asked with a smirk.

  “I used to date his fraternity brother,” I said by way of explanation, hoping they wouldn’t dig into that.

  They both looked at me like they didn’t believe me.

  “Well, you should rectify that just friends business.” Elsie waggled her eyebrows. “There isn’t a female in a 100 mile radius of the resort that isn’t in love with that man.”

  “Luke?”

  She gaped at me. “Duh. Have you looked at him?”

  Okay, she had a point.

  “I just got out of a relationship and I’m not looking to get right back into another one.” I hoped that would be enough information for them. “Now, can you guys please show me what I’m supposed to do?”

  I spent my entire first week learning the ins and outs of running the store. It had been a long time since I’d worked retail, but it was a bit like riding a bike. Soon I was running the register like a pro, stocking shelves like I had been doing it my whole life. Gary gave me a stack of magazines to start studying up on winter spor
ts and Luke came by for a couple of hours each day to take me through payroll, balancing the register, and ordering inventory.

  By the end of the week, I felt like I was in over my head. Eventually, I would feel comfortable with running the store, but I wasn’t sure I would ever be comfortable recommending skis when I had never even attempted to ski myself.

  Luke didn’t seem as concerned as me, but he volunteered to help me learn over the weekend. I tried not to think of it as a date, but after a week of flirtatious chatter and sly looks over snow shoes, my heart raced every time I thought of him.

  I woke up early on Saturday morning and wrapped myself in a warm blanket before taking my coffee out on the deck. I had gotten into the habit of having my coffee outside so that I could watch the sun rise over the mountain. The mornings were so peaceful, I started to wonder why I had ever enjoyed living in a busy city.

  “Got any coffee for me?”

  Alarmed, I looked down. Luke was standing below, smiling up at me adorably. There was no way I could say no to that smile.

  “I’ll be right down.”

  When I let him in the front door, I noticed that he was weighed down by bags. “For you,” he said, dumping them on the floor.

  “Me? Christmas is two weeks away.” I eyed them suspiciously.

  “Snow gear,” he explained. “I assumed you would need something to wear besides your weak city girl clothes.”

  “Fair enough. But you have to let me pay for them.”

  He waved away my offer. “Don’t worry about it. I just took them from the store. You’re inventory numbers might be off now, by the way.”

  “You can’t just take things from the store!” I pretended to be horrified.

  “I’m the owner,” he reminded me. “Now where’s that coffee I was promised?”

  I poured him a cup and refilled my own. We took them outside, Luke joining me comfortably on the wooden bench. He laughed at me as I bundled myself in the blanket.

  “Wimp,” he teased.

  “Not everyone can be as amazing as you,” I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

  “Wait until you see me on the slopes.” He grinned smugly. “So you’ve been here a week now. What do you think? Be honest.”

  It was a valid question. “I think I like it so far. We’ll see if I still feel that way after I break my leg skiing.”

  “Stop. You’ll be fine.” He leaned a few inches closer to me. “I’m an excellent teacher.”

  “Yeah, but I’m a terrible student,” I joked.

  Luke looked at me for several seconds, like he was debating saying something that I might not like. After a quick headshake, he said, “Let’s head out. We should get you up there before it gets busy.”

  I dressed quickly in the gear Luke had brought and realized that I would’ve been very unprepared if he hadn’t thought ahead. Luke had his own skis, but we had to stop at the rental shop to get a pair for me.

  “Just push your foot down,” Luke instructed for the fifth time as I tried to get my skis in place.

  “I’m pushing,” I snapped. “It’s not working. Maybe they are broken.”

  He groaned and bent down, taking my boot in his hand and pushing it in place. It snapped easily. “Broken?”

  “Show off,” I hissed. “I’m a city girl. I’m not supposed to know how to work these things.”

  “Not anymore. You’re a Denver girl now. Everyone that works here at least knows how to put on skis.” He finished getting the second ski locked and then stood up. “Okay, let’s go over your form.”

  Luke hadn’t been lying; he was a really good teacher. I wasn’t the best student, but even I was able to pick up most of what he said. It wasn’t long before I was slowly gliding down the kiddie run. I would’ve been proud if I wasn’t also being passed by six-year-olds.

  “I’m pretty awesome at this,” I said, pushing off with my poles to pick up speed. I started to turn toward Luke, but I lost my balance, falling on my butt.

  “Really awesome,” he teased.

  “My rear-end is going to be sore tonight,” I moaned before I had a chance to think about my choice of words.

  Luke’s lips twitched. “No comment.”

  “I’m shocked.”

  “It was too easy.” He reached out a hand to help me up. “At this rate, we’ll get you on a real slope in about five years.”

  I yanked hard, catching him off balance and bringing him down next to me. While I laughed, he threw a handful of snow at me.

  “Very funny. You’re worse than a child.”

  “You love my sparkling personality,” I teased. I managed to unhook my boots from my skis. “You could say I literally just swept you off your feet.”

  “I could, but I won’t.” He watched me lie back in the snow. “What are you doing, weirdo?”

  I spread my arms wide and began to sweep them in the snow. “Making a snow angel.”

  He shook his head as he watched me, but eventually he smiled. “I used to think you were kind of cool back when we were in college. I’ve definitely changed my mind about that.”

  This time I was the one to scoop up snow and throw it at him, nailing him in the face. “I’m the coolest girl you’ll ever know.”

  “That may be true.” He got quiet again, just like he had back at my house.

  “You keep doing that,” I said.

  “What?”

  I sat up and brushed snow from my coat. “You keep looking at me like you have something to say, but you’re afraid of telling me.”

  Luke unhooked his own skis, obviously avoiding looking at me. “You’re imagining things.”

  “Hey.” I grabbed his arm and waited for him to look at me. “You can tell me. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

  “Go out with me,” he said abruptly, staring directly into my eyes. “Tonight.”

  “Go out?” My mouth dropped open and I stuttered over the words. “Like a date?”

  “Well, yeah.” He smiled uncertainly. “I like you, Emma. Unless I’m completely misreading everything, I think you like me, too.”

  Even though I was sitting in the snow, I felt very warm under his watchful gaze. “I do like you, Luke.”

  “Good. Then say yes.”

  “I’m not ready to date anyone right now,” I said after looking away. I didn’t want to see the disappointment in his eyes. “I came to Utah to figure out my life.”

  “And your life can’t include me?” He didn’t wait for me to answer as he stood. “We should get back.”

  “Luke, wait.” I scrambled to my feet, but he was already walking away, skis in hand.

  It took me a few attempts to get my own skis settled under my arm. I hurried as quickly as I could to catch up to him, but he was more surefooted than me on the snow. He reached the rental shop and went inside without waiting for me.

  I left my skis with the attendant and found Luke waiting for me at the door. He wouldn’t look at me.

  “I’m sorry,” I said as we walked to his car. “I’m not saying no forever, Luke. Just no for now.”

  “I’ve been waiting for years to have a chance to date you, Emma.” He opened the passenger door for me. “I’m not sure how much longer I can wait.”

  It was one of the quietest and most awkward car rides of my life. Luke had taken a chance, asked me out after I basically forced it out of him, and I had rejected him. And as I thought about the reasons why, I realized that I had been wrong. It wasn’t that I wasn’t ready to date again.

  “I don’t want to get hurt again,” I said abruptly, just as Luke parked in front of my house.

  He looked at me for the first time. “What?”

  “I said that I wasn’t ready to date, but that’s not really why I’m saying no. I don’t want to get hurt again. I don’t think I could handle it.”

  “I would never hurt you, Emma,” he said urgently.

  He reached over, taking my hand. We were both wearing gloves, but it still felt electric. “How do I know I can
trust you?”

  “Because I’m not Jared.” He squeezed my hand. “I’ve never lied to you in my life and I don’t intend to start now.”

  I realized that he was right. It wasn’t fair of me to project Jared’s faults onto him. He’d never done anything that would lead me to believe he couldn’t be trusted. In fact, in the last few weeks he’d done more to help me than Jared ever had.

  “Pick me up at seven,” I said decisively.

  “Really?” He smiled shyly. “What do you want to do?”

  “You decide.” I corrected my statement. “No skiing.”

  He laughed. “Deal.”

  Getting ready for our date, I began to have second thoughts. Not because I didn’t want to go out with Luke, but because I had no idea how to date. Jared had been my only boyfriend and we had started dating when we were just teenagers. My last first date had been over seven years ago.

  Finding something to wear that would be both cute and warm was a challenge. It helped a little bit when Luke texted me that I should wear a lot of layers. Apparently, whatever he had planned involved the outdoors. Looking cute pretty much wasn’t an option once I was covered by three separate layers of clothes.

  I was waiting at the door when he knocked.

  “You look… warm,” he said, eyeing my ensemble.

  “You told me to!” I protested.

  He laughed. “I’m kidding. You look perfect.”

  “What are we doing tonight?” I asked, still a little concerned.

  After I locked the door, I turned to walk to his car and realized that he hadn’t brought it.

  “What is that?”

  It was a stupid question, really. I was acting like I had never seen a horse-drawn carriage.

  “Our transportation, my lady,” he said, offering his hand.

  Stunned, I took it. “A white horse?”

  “I convinced you to go out with me. Now I have to convince you that you made the right choice.”

  He helped me over the snow and climbed into the carriage first, turning back to help me in. Once I was seated on the bench, he placed a blanket on my lap and another one over my shoulders.

  “Good?” he asked.

  “Sure.” I was still in awe. “Is this yours?”

  “It belongs to the resort. Guests can rent it out. We have a regular driver but I gave him the night off.” Luke handed me a thermos. “Spiked hot chocolate.”