by Liz Isaacson
“Summer? Fall? It’ll be in Vegas, I’m assuming.”
“Yes,” she said. “Here. I’ll be moving, and I’m not looking forward to that, let me tell you.”
“But it’ll be worth it,” Elise said.
“Yeah,” her mother said, a hint of sadness entering her voice. “You’ll come, right?”
“Mom,” Elise said. “Of course I will. I think I should come meet Henry really soon, too. Don’t you think?”
“I would love that,” her mother said. She’d invited Elise over Christmas too, after the disastrous date with Gray, but Elise hadn’t gone. When her mother had questioned her later, Elise had admitted she couldn’t afford the plane ticket. So she wasn’t surprised when her mom said, “I’ll get you a ticket. Any day that works? I know you don’t have a lot of work in the winter.”
“Let me talk to Graham,” she said. “I’ll get back to you.” Who she really needed to talk to was Patsy, so she congratulated her mother one more time. Added, “I love you, Mom. I’m so happy for you,” and ended the call.
She immediately texted Patsy to ask her when she absolutely needed Elise at the lodge for over the next couple of weeks.
Are you going somewhere? Patsy asked.
My mom got engaged, Elise told her. I need to go to Vegas to meet him.
Her stepfather. Elise shook her head, the thought entirely wild. Henry wouldn’t really be her stepfather anyway. She didn’t live at home, and she didn’t spend much time with her mother, not since coming to the US, at least.
But her mom would be in the US now, and perhaps Elise should make a better attempt to see her more often. They talked a lot, and that seemed to be enough for the both of them.
Wow, that’s amazing. Good for her. A moment later, Elise got another text from her friend. Anytime will be fine, Elise. There’s nothing on the calendar until Valentine’s Day.
Right, Elise sent back, and she got out of the car, circling it to collect the pizza. Her thoughts rotated around Valentine’s Day at Whiskey Mountain Lodge, which was quite the affair. Nothing like Christmastime, that was for sure. But Patsy had designed a “romantic retreat” this year, and she needed everyone to make the weekend what she’d advertised it to be. They’d sold out their rooms in fifteen minutes, which had prompted Patsy to start thinking of other special events she could do at the lodge, especially in the winter.
Elise hadn’t been looking forward to the Valentine’s Day celebrations at the lodge, but she wondered now if she should—or even could—invite Gray back to Coral Canyon in a month’s time to go to dinner with her.
The idea bit into her brain and started to grow. She let it do that while she rang the doorbell, and as she smiled at Gray when he opened the door. “Hey,” she said, handing him the pizza boxes. “Smells like Annie’s been baking.”
“All morning,” he said. “And let me tell you, I need to get back to my regular life. All this banana bread for breakfast and pizza for lunch is really going to slow me down.”
Elise could only smile at him. “I’ll bet. You still have four months before the marathon.” He’d told her in depth about his desire to run the Boston Marathon next year, and that meant he had to qualify and apply. He was running his first qualifying marathon in May, and he had until September, when applications were due for Boston, to get a qualifying time.
She suspected he’d qualify on his first try, and she’d already started thinking of how she could congratulate him.
She stepped past him and into the house, slightly nervous to be spending the day with Colton and Annie. They were married, after all, and Elise wasn’t even sure if Gray was her boyfriend. He hadn’t kissed her, and Elise started to panic a little bit.
Did she want him to kiss her before he left tomorrow morning? Would it make things harder or easier for them going forward with a long-distance relationship?
“Did you run already this morning?”
“I did hill training this morning,” he said. “There are great hills here.”
“He almost killed me,” Colton said, and Elise turned toward her best friend. “Hey, friend.” He hugged her, and she expected him to whisper something about his brother. So when he didn’t, she stepped back in surprise.
“Hey, Annie.” She hugged her friend too and sighed as she settled onto a barstool in the kitchen.
“How are things up at the lodge?”
“Busy, funnily enough,” Elise said. “I think the lack of snow this year has people traveling more.”
“Lack of snow?” Annie laughed and looked out the back windows. “There’s tons of snow.”
“But it’s already on the ground,” Elise said. “And people love skiing and snowshoeing, and they’re coming here to do it.” Elise shrugged. “All I know is what Patsy tells me, and she says our bookings are up.”
“It’s good for me,” Annie said. “I send Donna up on the weekends.”
“Yes, I saw her this morning. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about planning something for Bree.”
“Oh?” Annie looked at her and then focused back on chopping the lettuce for a salad.
“Yeah, not a bachelorette party or anything, but a celebration for her and Wes.”
“Wes has already talked to my mom about doing something in Ivory Peaks,” Colton said, joining Annie on the other side of the island. “So we’ll have to go down there at some point for that.”
“Do you know any details?”
“Not even one,” Colton said. “Only that Wes called yesterday to say he wanted to have a family party to celebrate his wedding once he and Bree got back.”
Elise was glad that would happen, but that didn’t include Bree’s friends here in Coral Canyon. She had friends at the employment office where she’d worked last year, and all of her friends at lodge.
But she didn’t want to intrude on the Hammond family plans, and perhaps she could just talk to Bree about having a girl’s night once she and Wes returned to Coral Canyon and their lives settled down.
She glanced around to find Gray, but he’d disappeared. She’d spent plenty of time with Colton and Annie, so she wasn’t nervous. At least not until Annie said, “Colton tells me precious little about you and Gray. What’s going on there?”
Elise stared at her, quickly switching her gaze to Colton’s. “Hey, you heard her. I say precious little.”
“That’s because Gray doesn’t tell you anything.”
“Sure,” Colton said, his smile never wavering.
Elise didn’t know what that meant, and she really hoped it meant Gray didn’t tell his brother anything. Everything suddenly seemed knotted, and she couldn’t believe she’d gotten involved with Gray. She’d known it would be messy and could potentially impact her friendship with Colton. And she didn’t want to lose his friendship. He felt like a brother to her, and she needed that here in Coral Canyon, especially now that Bree had gotten married.
In that moment, Elise realized that Bree getting married, while wonderful, was going to be very hard for her. She felt like she’d lost her best friend already.
“We’re ready,” Annie said. “If you’re not going to say anything about Gray.”
“Nothing to say,” Elise said. “We’re getting to know each other. That’s all.”
“Do you like what you’ve learned so far?” Annie asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Elise said, deciding she could admit that. She couldn’t quite look at Colton though, and while she’d been nervous to spend the day as a couple of couples, she really wished Gray were here so these questions would stop.
“I’m glad,” Annie said, smiling at Elise. “Now, Colt, we need to talk about Valentine’s Day, because I’m almost positive Mitchell is going to propose to Em, and I don’t want to miss it.”
“On Valentine’s Day?” he asked. “We’re going on that cruise.”
“I know, that’s why I’m bringing it up.”
“Maybe I should talk to him,” Colton said.
“Maybe they should come
on the cruise with us.”
Elise could tell they’d had this conversation before, because Colton’s eyes flashed but he said nothing.
“Sorry,” Gray said, breezing back into the kitchen. “That was Hunt.”
“Is he surviving Ames?” Colton asked, not the only one grabbing onto Gray’s appearance.
“Barely,” Gray said with a wry smile. Elise remembered the more eccentric younger brother, who’d worn a top hat to Colton’s wedding. “But no. Ames and Hunter get along great.”
“Everyone gets along great with Hunter,” Colton said, and Elise watched the two brothers enter a staring contest, neither of them blinking.
“Enough,” Annie said, but Elise had obviously missed something. A new kind of awkwardness descended on the kitchen, and Annie elbowed Colton. “Say grace, Colt, and let’s eat.”
“All right,” he said, finally looking away from Gray. Elise watched him, but he didn’t look at her at all. He didn’t wear his cowboy hat that day, so he didn’t need to remove it to say grace, and Elise closed her eyes while Colton said a quick prayer.
Thankfully, lunch was a much easier affair, without cryptic conversations she didn’t understand. Still, when Gray asked, “Would you like to take a walk with me?” Elise practically jumped to her feet.
“Sure.” She got bundled up again, making sure she had her hat, gloves, scarf, and coat before following Gray out the front door. He took her hand in his before he even went down the steps, and she heard a soft sigh come from his mouth.
She enjoyed being with him, even on a chilly afternoon. He made her feel warm from the inside out, and she finally said, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Other than my nosy brother.”
Elise smiled, but she didn’t argue with him. “He can ask some point-blank questions, that’s for sure.” She squeezed his hand. “Oh, I have some news.”
“Oh?”
“My mother got engaged,” she said. “So that’s exciting.”
“Wow, good for her,” he said. “Are you really excited?”
“I haven’t met him yet,” Elise said. “But yes, I’m excited for her. She’s been dating him for a long time.”
“How long?”
“Just over two years.”
“And they’re in the long-distance relationship, right?”
“Right.”
“So maybe there’s hope,” Gray said.
“There’s always hope.” She looked up at him. “Right? I sometimes feel like I live by hope alone.”
“I feel like that a lot too,” he said.
Elise turned the corner with him at her side and strolling with him on a Saturday after lunch felt so right. So perfect. So peaceful.
The idea she’d let take root in her mind before she’d gone inside Colton’s house grew and swelled, and she took a breath. “What do you think about coming back up here for Valentine’s Day?”
“Valentine’s Day?”
“There’s a big thing at the lodge,” she said. “That weekend. So I have to work, but maybe a couple of days before. Or after. I don’t know.” She wished she’d given herself more time to think this through. “I know you have Hunter, and it’s fine. I was just thinking out loud, and you know, Colton and Annie’s house will be empty, and I thought it would be an easy time to come.”
“Breathe, Elise,” Gray said with a chuckle.
Elise knew he didn’t mean for the comment to hurt her feelings, but a sting still moved through her. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Thinking out loud is fine.” He looked at her, and he was easily the best-looking and kindest man she’d ever been out with. And not really a cowboy, despite the hat and boots he seemed to wear everywhere.
Not when he’s running, she thought, and she wondered what he looked like when he ran. In the summer, did he wear a shirt?
An image of his naked torso flashed through her mind, because she’d seen him standing in Colton’s house, shirtless, months and months ago.
“I’ll look at what’s going on with things in Colorado, okay?” He glanced at her, and Elise felt her time with him slipping through her fingers like smoke.
“Can’t ask for more than that,” she said, but she wanted more.
She wanted to kiss him. “Gray?” She slowed and paused, and he did too.
“Mm?” He seemed distracted, and she waited for his attention to come back to her.
When he finally looked fully at her, Elise employed all of her bravery. She smiled up at him and slid her hands up the front of his coat. She wasn’t sure if she should ask to kiss him or if he would get the hint, and her heart pounded in her throat, then against the back of her tongue.
“Elise?”
“What time are you leaving in the morning?” she asked.
“Early,” he said. “It’s a rest day, but I’d love to be home in the afternoon so I can get Hunter, see my parents, and still be home early, as Hunt has school the next day.”
“So I won’t see you.”
“I don’t think so.”
“So maybe you—maybe I could kiss you goodbye right now?” Her whole head throbbed with her pulse, and that only amplified with every second Gray looked down at her.
She’d never felt so foolish, and her calves started to scream at her to settle back onto her feet fully. She did, saying, “It’s fine, Gray. I feel so stupid.”
She’d taken one step when he pulled her back, swept her into his arms, and leaned down to kiss her.
A squeak came out of her mouth, and then she melted into his touch, the taste of him, the absolute strength of his arms as he held her on the street and kissed her.
Chapter Nine
Gray hadn’t kissed a woman in years, and as he did so with Elise, he sure hoped he remembered how. She didn’t complain or pull away, and Gray figured he was doing a decent job.
Kissing Elise only increased the magic between them, and while he’d definitely thought about kissing her, he hadn’t planned to do it before he left tomorrow. Now he wondered why. Now he wondered how he could’ve driven all the way home without this memory securely in his mind.
He could’ve kept kissing her, but something in his mind told him he was standing at the end of the street where his brother lived, and he better get control of himself. He hadn’t been aware of the hammering of his heart until he pulled back, and he opened his eyes, hoping to get a favorable response from Elise.
She still had her eyes closed, a small smile on those very kissable lips. Those eyes opened and met his, and she giggled.
He didn’t know what to say either, so he tucked her against his side and headed back to Colton’s. He’d needed an escape, because Colton could annoy him with a simple statement—like the one he’d made about Hunter getting along with everyone.
“Wanna go to a movie this afternoon?” he asked.
“That would be great,” Elise said. “I don’t know why, but I feel kind of weird hanging out with Annie and Colton.”
“Praise the Lord,” Gray said. “I feel the exact same way.” They laughed together, and Gray felt lighter than he had since Sheila had walked out on him and Hunter, making him a single dad and the subject of gossip around Denver for a good solid year.
“Why is that?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe because they’re not really agreeing about their cruise right now. Maybe because Colton says stuff he shouldn’t. Maybe because they’re married and we’re….”
“Not,” Elise supplied for him, and Gray thought that fit pretty well.
“Yeah,” he said. “Not.” He wanted to ask her what they were, but he decided he didn’t need a label right now. In fact, it might make things more complicated for him. So he kept his mouth shut and went back to Colton’s, where he told his brother that he and Elise were going to the movies for the afternoon.
“Wait, what?” Colton looked up from his phone. “The movies?”
“You’re not invited,” Gray said.
&nbs
p; “Gray,” Elise said quietly, and he glanced at her. She wore compassion in her eyes, and Gray looked back at his brother.
“No offense,” he said. “But Elise and I just want to spend our last few hours together alone.” He knew that would appease his brother, and sure enough, a smile spread across Colton’s face.
“Oh, all right,” he said. “I see how you are.”
“Sure, you do,” Gray said, grinning at Colton. He’d been talking with Colton a little bit at the end of every night, but he knew he wouldn’t be admitting to the kiss that had just happened down the street. Oh, no, he would not.
“Hey, I’m here,” Gray called the next afternoon, after many long hours of driving.
“Dad!” Hunter came tearing around the corner from the kitchen of Ames’s house, followed by Ames himself.
Joy burst through Gray, and he received his son into his arms with a smile and a laugh. Even a couple of years ago, Gray would’ve been able to scoop the boy right into the air and hold him on his hip. But Hunter really was getting older now, and Gray just hugged him tight.
“Were you good for Uncle Ames?”
“He was practically perfect in every way,” Ames said, waiting his turn a few paces away. Gray released his son and stepped over to his brother. Ames grinned as he hugged Gray, patting him on the back.
“Thank you,” Gray said, and he needed to find something to do for his brother. Because this would not be the last weekend Gray asked him to take Hunter. He’d often relied on his parents if Gray had to go out of town for work or to watch the boy while he went out on a date. But the dates had dried up years ago, and Gray was worried about his parents’ age and leaving Hunter with them.
But he didn’t need to bring up a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend with Elise with his brother right now. Maybe things would disintegrate between him and Elise in the next few weeks, and he wouldn’t have to mention it at all.
As he stepped away from Ames, a replay of the kiss he’d shared with her yesterday blared in his mind. He’d definitely do what he could to keep the relationship going, and that meant another long drive north in just a few weeks.