by Debbie Mason
“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 ago.”
“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 his 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 lost. 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.
Adam 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 her 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?”
“Because you’re taking Zeus from me!”
“Adam!” his brother yelled from the lodge.
“Soph, come on. Just give me two minutes.” She ignored him and walked toward the parking lot.
“Adam, get in here now!”
He looked from Sophia to his brother, who appeared to be having a breakdown. “Come on, Zeus.” He gave the whining dog’s collar a light tug. “It’s okay. We won’t be long. She won’t get far.”
By the time he made it inside the lodge, his brother was nowhere to be found, so Adam headed for Logan’s office on the third floor. He opened the door to see his brother standing at the window that overlooked Silver Lake and the mountains. Logan turned, holding up his phone, his face pale, his eyes stricken.
“What’s going on?”
“Someone texted me this.” He walked over to hand Adam the phone. “I don’t know who, but it can’t be true. It can’t be. Bryce would never do this.”
Adam knew before he even looked at the screen what the message would read. It didn’t make sense though, not after all this time. Two people knew about his brother’s suicide, though the coroner might have guessed.
Adam looked at the screen. He was wrong; he hadn’t expected this. “This is bull
shit. Sophia is not to blame for Bryce committing suicide. She did nothing wrong.”
His brother stared at him. “But Bryce…Are you saying it’s true? It wasn’t an accident? Bryce took his own life?”
Adam nodded and then proceeded to tell his brother everything he knew about their baby brother’s state of mind leading up to the suicide.
Logan sank into a chair. With his elbows on his knees, he lowered his face into his hands. “I knew he shouldn’t have married her. I knew she’d bring him down. Things were great when he was riding high, when the royalties were coming in from the endorsements, but after the accident, when the money dried up—”
“Stop. Just stop. Bryce was self-medicating for the pain. He got hooked on opioids.”
“Whose fault is that? She wanted him back in the game, and she didn’t care how hard she pushed him. She—”
“Isn’t to blame. Sophia—” Adam broke off as the office door opened.
“Sorry. Am I interrupting something?” Autumn’s smile faded when she got a better look at his brother. “Logan, what—”
His brother lifted his head to look at her, his eyes accusing. “Did you know?”
“Know what? What’s going on?”
“My brother’s death wasn’t an accident. Bryce killed himself. He killed himself because your best friend didn’t get him the help he needed.”
“Don’t start with that again, Logan. I—” Adam began, but Logan was beside himself with grief and anger and kept going.
“Because she couldn’t stand that he was no longer earning the big bucks, she pushed him, and when they wouldn’t let him back on the circuit, he killed himself. He killed himself because of her!”
Autumn stared at her fiancé as if she couldn’t believe he was the same man she loved. “How dare you! How dare you speak about Sophia that way. You have no idea what you’re talking about. She did everything she could to help Bryce. She loved him, and he loved her.”