The Time of Aspen Falls

by Marcia Lynn McClure

  He chuckled, warmed by the sound of her giggle. He wanted to make her giggle again—wanted to be the cause of all her smiles.

  “I’ve got an idea,” he said. And he did. He’d been working something out in his mind ever since they’d left the shop.

  “What’s that?” she asked. “Do you wanna run into Old Navy and do some stripping now?”

  Rake felt his cheeks warm up. She’d actually made him blush.

  “No,” he mumbled. “I want you to bring Gina by the shop tomorrow about five thirty.”

  “Okay. Why?”

  He liked the way she agreed before she even knew why he wanted her to do it.

  “I’ve got an order coming in—via UPS—and Sean usually shows up about five thirty, like he did tonight. The tracking number for the package says it will be here tomorrow.”

  Aspen stopped and turned to face him. “Then what?” she asked.

  “Then we let nature take its course,” he said, smiling at her.

  “You’re gonna play matchmaker?” she giggled. The light in her eyes—the pure joy and excitement—was worth anything.

  “We’re gonna play matchmaker,” he chuckled.

  Aspen squealed and threw her arms around his neck. He inhaled deeply, relishing her sweet, fresh fragrance as he rested his chin on the top of her head. He had her in his arms—he did—and he would never let her go!

  

  Aspen lifted her arm to her face, breathing in the lingering scent of Rake’s cologne. When he’d dropped her off at the Clock Shop parking lot to get her car, she’d asked him if he wanted to take his old torn-up flannel shirt home.

  “Naw,” he’d said. “You keep it. Wear it to bed, and maybe we can make out in your dreams.”

  So, when she’d gotten home and stripped off her clothes, she’d put on Rake’s old flannel shirt instead of her pajamas. At the first touch of the soft flannel to her skin, Aspen knew she would definitely see Rake in her dreams that night. His scent enveloped her—fresh, rich, masculine. She felt more secure somehow. She loved wearing his shirt—knowing that something that had once rested against his skin now caressed hers.

  She stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom, secretly wishing she were lying in her bed wrapped in Rake’s arms instead of just his shirt. She tried to imagine how it would feel—how it would feel to really own him, to be married to him, to sleep in the strength of his arms every night. She sighed, wishing he were there at that moment—knowing she should wish it. She breathed in the scent of his shirt once more—Rake’s shirt against her skin instead of his arms. His shirt would have to do—for now.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “It’s cold today,” Gina said, shivering as she walked with Aspen toward the Clock Shop. “I guess December is really here.”

  “Feels like it,” Aspen said.

  “Are you sure Rake wants me along with you guys tonight?” Gina asked. “It’s always weird…when there’s just the three of us.”

  “It’s not weird,” Aspen assured her. “But if you want to bring a date next time, you can.”

  “A date? Like who?”

  “Like that cute tech you were with right before we left.” Aspen smiled. The giddiness rising in her was almost unbearable! She wondered what would happen when Rake’s friend Sean walked into the shop. She hoped he and Gina would instantly hit it off—feel undeniably drawn to each other. Of course, Gina was already drawn to him—or at least to his UPS uniform. Still, Aspen hoped something would spark in her friend—something to pull her out of the depths of brokenhearted fear Nick Dalley had thrown her into.

  “You mean Eric?” Gina asked. “No way! He’s too soft for me. He goes in about every ten days for a manicure. It wigs me out.”

  Aspen laughed. “Sorry,” she said. “He’s just cute, and I thought—”

  “Don’t worry, Asp. Someday my own Mr. Right will show up…just like Rake did for you.”

  “How do you know Rake is my Mr. Right?” Aspen asked.

  “Are you kidding?” Gina giggled. “You guys are perfect for each other. I can’t wait ’til the wedding! I get to be your maid of honor, right?”

  “Wedding?” Aspen asked, feigning ignorance—even though her arms rippled with goose bumps at the thought of marrying Rake.

  “Oh, don’t play dumb with me, Aspen Falls,” Gina said. “If he dropped to his knees and asked you to marry him the minute we walk into the Clock Shop…you wouldn’t hesitate! You’d marry him tomorrow if he asked.”

  Aspen shrugged as an odd sort of nervous feeling rose in her chest. “I would,” she admitted. “I admit it…but there’s no chance that’s going to happen.”

  “He loves you,” Gina said. “It’s so obvious. Every time he looks at you, his expression turns into this starving panther look. I swear, sometimes he looks like he’s just going to take hold of you and…well, you know…have you.”

  Aspen shook her head and smiled. “You’re so dramatic. He does not look at me like that,” she said.

  “Oh my heck, he does too! The other day, we were at his house helping paint the spare bedroom. I swear…that’s what he was thinking. I can totally read men.”

  “Oh really?” Aspen challenged. They’d reached the shop, and Aspen opened the front door. “You think so?”

  “Totally!” Gina said. “Other than Nick…name one guy we’ve ever known that I haven’t read like a book.”

  Aspen smiled. Gina was a pretty good judge of character. It’s why Nick had destroyed her so completely. He’d been the only guy who had managed to pull a snow job on Gina Wicksoth. Aspen still didn’t know how he’d managed to do it, but he had—tricked her into really believing he was everything he claimed and appeared to be.

  All at once Aspen’s excitement—her anticipatory anxiety—was almost overwhelming. What if Sean walked in and there was nothing more? What if Gina didn’t like him up close as much as she did from a distance? What if it was only the idea of liking him that kept Gina so wound up whenever she happened across him? Worse yet, what if Sean didn’t like Gina? Rejection would be a harsh blow to her cherished friend—Aspen knew it. Suddenly, she wasn’t as certain as she had been before—wasn’t as confident in a happy outcome. Still, Rake had assured her it would work out. He knew Sean—had known him for quite a while—and Rake felt positive Sean and Gina would hit it off.

  Aspen swallowed and tried to buoy her courage. There had to be a reason Sean and Gina were always crossing each other’s paths. There had to be!

  “Well, hello, girls!” Charlotte greeted as Gina and Aspen entered the shop. “What are you up to this evening?”

  “Just meeting Rake for dinner, Mrs. Locker,” Aspen said. Charlotte hurried between the rows of grandfather clocks toward the girls. She hugged Aspen and then Gina. Aspen smiled, warmed by her grandmotherly attention.

  “He’s in the back,” she said. “Rake! The girls are here,” she called. “He’s almost finished, I think.”

  “Thanks,” Aspen said.

  “I’m off to my quilters’ club, honey,” Charlotte told Aspen. “You kids have a good night.”

  “We will,” Aspen said.

  “You too,” Gina added as Charlotte headed to the front door.

  Charlotte nodded and smiled, closing the door behind her.

  “I love this shop,” Gina said, glancing around the room. “Every time I come in here…well…it just makes me want to buy clocks!”

  “I think that’s the idea,” Aspen said.

  Gina nodded, arching two lovely eyebrows. “Oh, yeah…I guess so.” She frowned. “There’s something else too…something that makes me want to go home and read Charles Dickens…or watch medieval-themed movies.”

  Aspen giggled. “I know, me too. I think it’s the thyme. Rake’s grandma keeps it simmering in a slow-cooker behind the counter. She leaves little bundles of it here and there too.”

  “Well, whatever she does…I always want to go home and eat spaghetti after I’ve been here,” Gina said.

 
; “Hey, ladies!” Rake greeted as he entered from the back room.

  At the sight of him, Aspen’s heart began to race. She knew she would never get used to the way she felt when he first entered a room—to the breathless, awed sensation that always washed over her. He smiled, leaning over to place a lingering kiss on her lips.

  “And what have you girls been up to today?” he asked. Aspen smiled when Rake hugged Gina in a friendly greeting before gathering Aspen into his arms and kissing her again.

  “Not much. We just hung out at the humane society and played with some stray puppies, auditioned to be Victoria Secret models, did a little skydiving…the usual stuff,” Gina said.

  Rake chuckled, as ever amused by Gina’s sarcasm. “Sounds like a very fulfilling day.”

  “It was,” Gina said, smiling at him.

  Aspen smiled too. She loved the fact Gina and Rake got along so well. It was important to her that they did.

  “How was work, baby?” he asked Aspen.

  Aspen sighed, shaking her head. “Good…other than Michael was a nightmare…as usual. A little boy had an accident in the children’s section too, and I got to clean it up. But it was good otherwise.”

  Rake smiled. “Same here.”

  “A little boy had an accident in your shop?” Gina teased.

  Rake chuckled. “No…but I did—”

  “Hey, Rake,” Sean greeted as he stepped through the front door of the shop. “Man…I guess you’re popular this week.”

  Aspen smiled with delight—bit her lip as she saw the color drain from Gina’s face.

  “Oh my heck!” she heard Gina exclaim in a whisper.

  What made the moment even better was the expression on Sean’s face. His face seemed to drain of a little of its color too, and his handsome brow puckered in a slight frown.

  “Gina,” Rake began, “this is my friend Sean. Sean…this is Gina.”

  “Sean?” Gina exclaimed. “As in Sean Connery?”

  “Well, more like Sean Kelley,” Sean explained, “but I guess it’s close.”

  Gina looked to Aspen, then back to Sean. At first Aspen was afraid the damage done to Gina by Nick was still too deep—too scarring to allow her friend to take a leap of faith. She wondered if Gina would simply bolt and run—not even give herself a chance to get to know Sean. Yet in the next moment, Aspen smiled and felt her own heart soar as she saw an all too familiar expression wash over Gina’s face—an expression of pure mischief entirely void of any apprehension.

  “I’ve seen you around,” Gina said, walking toward Sean. Aspen watched as Sean set the package he’d been carrying down on the floor and began sauntering toward Gina.

  “And I’ve seen you,” Sean said.

  “You delivered a package to my mom once,” Gina said.

  “You were at the Special Shapes Rodeo,” Sean countered.

  Gina giggled, and Aspen’s heart soared. The mutual attraction between Sean and Gina was like an electric current running through the room.

  “I think I should take you to dinner,” Sean said. His smile was warm and inviting—entirely alluring—and Gina moved closer to him.

  “I think you should too,” Gina said.

  Aspen glanced up to Rake. He was smiling and winked at her, obviously as entertained by the exchange between Gina and Sean as she was. Her heart swelled as she studied his face for a moment. Oh, how she loved him—everything about him! She loved the way he smiled, the way he walked, the sound of his voice. She loved the fact that he used to ride bulls, was a watchmaker, and had the guts to wear the vampire Rochester Darcy costume his sister had made. And now—now she loved the fact he would involve himself in a little matchmaking between Gina and Sean. He was too wonderful, and she knew she would love him forever.

  Aspen’s attention was drawn back to Gina and Sean when she heard Gina say, “I think you’re very handsome,” as she brazenly appraised Sean from head to toe. Aspen grinned. Gina was back in the saddle! She’d seen Gina operate before. There wasn’t a man on earth who could resist Gina Wicksoth when she was on top of her game.

  “I think you’re very beautiful,” Sean said. Aspen bit her lip, delighted by the flirtatious, predatory expression on Sean’s face.

  “I think there’s a reason I’ve been seeing you everywhere I go,” Gina said. She reached out, running an index finger over the name patch on the front of Sean’s shirt.

  “Me too…and I think we’ve wasted enough time,” Sean said.

  Aspen gasped as Sean gathered Gina into his arms and kissed her. Gina didn’t hesitate—simply let her arms go around Sean’s neck, meeting his affectionate advances with the same lack of inhibition with which he offered them.

  “Oh my heck!” Aspen whispered, looking up to see Rake smiling with amused approval. “Rake?” she asked, suddenly worried for Gina—for the safety of her heart as well as her person.

  Rake smiled. “Don’t worry, baby,” he whispered. “I wouldn’t have hooked them up if I didn’t totally trust him. He’s a good guy. And anyway…don’t worry about Gina. You know she can take care of herself.”

  He was right. Gina could take care of herself. Furthermore, Gina Wicksoth would never kiss a stranger unless her soul had prompted her to do so—to trust him—to take a chance with him.

  “Let’s go,” Rake said. “I know Sean. He’ll totally sweep her off her feet.”

  Rake put a strong arm across Aspen’s shoulders and directed her toward the front door. He paused as they reached the couple.

  “You guys go ahead,” Gina said, her face crimson with delight. “I-I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “She won’t be catching up with you later,” Sean said, winking at Aspen. “You two have fun. I’ll take good care of your friend Gina here.”

  Rake smiled and reached into his pocket, dropping a key on the red carpet near Sean’s feet.

  “Lock it up when you leave, man,” Rake chuckled. “And Merry Christmas!”

  “Merry Christmas indeed,” Sean chuckled, returning his attention to Gina.

  Rake smiled as he walked toward the pickup with Aspen. He glanced down at her, noting how good it felt to have his arm around her—to have her arm around his waist. Sean would make Gina happy, and that would make Aspen happy. And when Aspen was happy, Rake was content. He shoved his left hand into his front pocket—let his fingers clasp the little trinket he’d been carrying around for over two weeks. Maybe the time had come at last. With Gina on her way to a wonderful relationship of her own—and Rake knew she was—maybe he could finally take his relationship with Aspen to the next level. Maybe.

  Still, he paused—not because he was uncertain about where he wanted his relationship with Aspen to go next but because of his past. He had to tell her; he knew he did. Mark and Clinton said he didn’t need to tell her—that the past was the past and it didn’t matter. Yet Marissa had urged him to talk to Aspen about it—to make sure there were no secrets between them. The matter ate at him a great deal more than he would’ve liked, and that in itself was a sign he should talk to Aspen about it. Still, he was afraid. What if she didn’t understand? What if she didn’t believe his side of the story? Well, he had proof—proof to support his claims. But he hoped Aspen would take his word for it—that he wouldn’t have to show proof of his integrity to the woman he loved. He did love Aspen—more thoroughly than he’d ever imagined! His love for her kindled a frantic sort of desperation in him—the need to own her, have her, entirely and in every respect imaginable.

  “What are you thinking about?” Aspen asked, jolting him from his thoughts.

  Rake shrugged and let go of the trinket in his pocket. “A lot of stuff,” he said. It was an honest answer—honest without being too revealing. He shook his head and forced an amused-sounding chuckle. “I guess Sean isn’t one to mince words.”

  Aspen giggled. “I guess not,” she said. “I’ve never known Gina to act anything like that before! I mean, she’s her own woman—does whatever she wants and everything—but sh
e always said she would never kiss a guy she didn’t already know really, really well first.”

  “Would you have kissed me without knowing me really, really well?” he teased. He stopped their advance toward the pickup and turned her to face him.

  “I did kiss you before I knew you really, really well,” she told him. He liked the way her cheeks pinked up at the confession.

  “If we’d never gone out—if we’d just seen each other here and there, never spoken before—if I had just walked up to you one day in the park and asked, ‘Hey, baby…can I kiss you?’…would you have let me?”

  He watched her blush deepen to a pretty scarlet. He loved to rattle her this way—to send goose bumps rippling over her arms, the way she sent them racing over his.

  “Yes,” she admitted, shyly glancing away.

  “Why?” he asked, slipping a hand around to the back of her neck.

  “Because you’re so…so…attractive,” she said.

  He chuckled. “You would’ve let me kiss you just because you think I’m cute?”

  “Cute?” she giggled. “Rake, I don’t want to offend you…but you’re far from being just cute. And besides, it’s more than that. It’s you…all of you…the whole package. Everything about you is attractive.”

  He smiled, knowing it was a hard admission for her to make—thrilled that the wonderful girl standing before him thought he was worth bothering with.