Spring in Snow Valley

by Cindy Roland Anderson

  Jake leaned close to her. His dark hair still wet from the shower and smelling of the gel he liked to spike it with. “Everything okay? Your face is red.”

  “It’s hot in here,” she managed, refusing to look at her parents.

  Jake laughed softly, but didn’t refute her comment. Most of the women in the congregation would claim that the church was always cold and usually Missy agreed with them. She snuck another glance at Porter as the organist played prelude music. He was sitting at the end of the row with his mom, Rebecca, his brother, Luke, and Luke’s fiancé, Annie. Crazy how last summer Missy had been so jealous of Luke and Annie’s relationship but today she could only see Porter. He caught her eye and winked. He didn’t look away so she had to. Darn him.

  Her mom, Susannah, pinched Missy’s leg with her bony fingers and gave her a withering look. Susannah demanded the image of perfection everywhere they went. It was a complete fraud, an illusion, but at home they suffered much worse than in public. Susannah had been afflicted with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and anxiety her entire life, but refused to take medication or meet with anyone who could help. So Missy, Jake, and their dad, Paul, tried night and day to keep up the standard of flawlessness and then were belittled when they didn’t measure up. It was one of the reasons Missy had run away with Tate. She regretted her decision to marry Tate almost immediately and it had only worsened when he cheated on her and then beat her for trying to stand up to him.

  Thank heavens Jake was a senior at The University of Great Falls and for the past four years only had to deal with the stress of their mother on weeks off such as Spring Break, which was the reason he was here now. Missy felt a load of guilt for deserting her dad and brother for those eight years. If only she’d escaped from Tate sooner. Living with her mother was purgatory, but nothing compared to the misery Tate had inflicted. Her dad gave Missy a kind smile over her mom’s head. He always tried to smooth things over and make life good for her and Jake, but it was nearly impossible with her mom around.

  Pastor James reminded everyone to pray for the family of the recently departed Sophie Morris. Missy cringed as her mother’s icy glare swung her way. Her mother was still peeved because Missy arrived at the funeral late. She barely made it on time as she needed to complete an article that was past due for Ladies’ Home and Garden and answer over a dozen advice questions. She would’ve had plenty of time, but after being screamed at and called a lazy waste, she’d finally given up writing and washed all the second story windows. Her mother had then demanded she redo them because they were a “half-butt job”. Missy had ignored her and worked on her articles, but still hadn’t made it on time to the funeral, hence the censure and frustration now.

  Missy thought of Aunt Sophie—as she was known to family and friends alike—who had been loved by the entire town, her included. She’d gone to visit Aunt Sophie last week and the wisdom and kindness in that little body amazed her as always. A tear slid out as she realized she wouldn’t have Aunt Sophie to confide in anymore. She’d been one of the few people in Missy’s life who’d known what Missy’s home life was like and though she’d urged Missy to do something about it, she’d loved her unconditionally and never judged Missy for running from Snow Valley.

  Thoughts of loving brought her back around to Porter and that amazing kiss. Her cheeks reddened. The final prayer was uttered and Missy wanted to get out of the building as quickly as possible. She couldn’t face Porter until she’d had some time to process that kiss and the fact that all she could think about for the past hour was him. The first kiss she’d had since the divorce. She hadn’t thought it would be romantic to kiss in the church in front of a room of teenagers, but that kiss turned out to be a lot more than she bargained for.

  She didn’t even say goodbye to her family, but strode toward the outer door. She made the mistake of looking back. Meredith Rock, a beautiful brunette who taught at the grade school, had Porter cornered against a bench. From the smile on Porter’s face, he didn’t mind at all. In fact, he seemed downright happy about it.

  “Ugh!” Missy muttered. She stomped out of the church, swearing to herself that she’d stay far, far away from him. Dang womanizer. Why had she let herself kiss him and then enjoyed it more than any kiss on record? She was just setting herself up for heartbreak she didn’t need. The only solution was to avoid Porter Wilson at all costs.

  Chapter 2

  Porter came home from church with a grin on his face. He’d driven separately from his family so he could teach the youth class and had loitered after church hoping to talk to Missy. Unfortunately, Meredith, who he’d dated a few times since she moved to town last year, had caught him to chat and when he felt he could disengage without being rude, Missy was already gone.

  His mom, Luke, and Annie had dinner on the table when he arrived. He loved this huge log cabin he’d built with his dad as a teenager. The ache over his dad’s death was more manageable as the years went on. His mom was the type that was born with a smile and never seemed to falter in her optimism. Porter knew she missed his dad, but she didn’t complain about it. The rest of his family seemed happy and well-adjusted. His sister, Kazlyn, was finishing her master’s degree at Utah State University, but even when she graduated she wouldn’t be coming back home to stay. She was marrying one of Utah State’s assistant basketball coaches, Tyrese, and they were as happy and nauseating as Luke and Annie.

  Porter needed to tell his mom that he was going to design and build his own cabin a mile away on their ranch, but hadn’t found the right time yet. Even if he hadn’t found someone to marry and be annoyingly cute with, he still needed to have his own life and spot.

  The smell of a well-cooked roast and homemade rolls made his mouth water. Thoughts of Missy made his mouth water for another reason.

  “Does that crap-eating grin have anything to do with Missy being unable to look away from our bench this morning?” Luke asked right after the blessing on the food, his bright blue eyes boring into Porter.

  “M-missy?” Luke’s fiancé, Annie, tilted her head and her curly brown hair bounced. Her brown gaze was interested but a little wary.

  Porter grimaced. When Missy had first returned to town, she’d made a play for Luke. The timing had been horrible as Luke had just met and already fallen in love with Annie. Missy had bowed out gracefully, but would it be awkward if he started dating her? He smiled to himself. If he could convince her to date him. You’d think after a kiss like that she wouldn’t take any convincing, but Missy was different. He’d tried to break down her barriers the past few months but his usual techniques with women didn’t work with her. Missy was leery around him at best, and he’d overheard her tell her friend Tracie who worked at Dove’s Grocery Store, that Porter “flirted with any half-decent looking thing that had eyelashes.”

  “She’s going to help me teach the youth Sunday school class for a while. Guess Pastor James thought I wasn’t quite up for it.”

  Annie shook her head. “I h-heard you’re a gr-great t-t-teacher.”

  “Thanks, Annie.” Porter snagged a roll from the basket and broke it open. Annie was as sweet as a cinnamon roll and he was happy for her and Luke. He inhaled the yeasty goodness before using his knife to spread some butter on it. “It should be fun teaching with her.”

  “I remember you having a bit of a crush on her in high school,” Luke said. “Any of those feelings coming back?”

  Porter swallowed, not sure if he should lie to his brother or not. He’d tried to capture Missy’s attention when they were younger, but she was a year older than him and only seemed to see Luke. “I already asked her out and she said no.”

  His small but feisty mother shook her head. “If you want to date her, don’t give up too soon. From what I hear her ex was horrible.”

  “Plus, your reputation of dating everyone and everything isn’t going to help,” Luke said with a smirk on his face.

  Dang. Porter wanted to smack Luke, but he knew there was a lot of truth to the statem
ent. He had his work cut out convincing Missy he was so much more than a shallow flirt. He’d dated a lot of different girls, it was true, but he tried not to hurt anyone’s feelings or just date to date. He was looking for what his parents used to have and what Luke and Kazlyn had found and he’d never experienced a kiss like the one this morning with Missy. He’d completely forgotten they were in the church with an audience of teenagers and apparently the pastor too. Luckily, their pastor was close to Porter’s age and extremely easy-going.

  “Guess I’m going to have to be extra charming to get a date with her. She did seem to respond pretty well to my kiss.” Porter knew as soon as the words were out he’d made a mistake.

  “You kissed her?” Luke’s growl.

  “In the Lord’s House?” His mother asked in high-pitched surprise.

  “P-p-porter. Th-that’s n-no way t-to gain h-h-her tr-trust,” Annie stammered out. She’d had a stutter her entire life, but it always got worse when she was upset.

  “I know.” Porter hung his head. “It wasn’t all my fault. There was a bet. The kids made me do it.” He winced at the lie and ignored his mom and Luke’s glares as he focused on Annie. “Can you help me figure out how to get her to trust me?”

  Annie studied him for a few seconds, her dark eyes thoughtful. She pursed her lips and then finally nodded.

  “Thanks, Annie.” Porter’s excitement ratcheted up. Annie was amazing at observing and knowing people. She’d be able to give him insight on how to hook Missy. This was a contest he knew he had to win.

  Chapter 3

  Missy sauntered through the annual Easter egg hunt. She didn’t really want to be here but any place where her mother wasn’t was a good time. She really needed to move out or at least find an office away from home but she felt so awful leaving her dad alone with her monster of a mother again.

  She talked with Kevin and Molly Snow, loving the glow those two still had even though they’d been married a year. They seemed so young to her, but she’d been much younger when she’d married Tate. Eventually she made it to the field where the football game was in full swing. Jake and Porter were on the same team with Chase Moon as their quarterback and—her eyes narrowed—Fancy Darling draping herself over all the boys. She’d heard Fancy had a thing for Chance, but maybe she was trying to make him jealous.

  Adam Moon was the quarterback for the other team. Missy hadn’t seen him play in this game before, even though he and Chase were both star quarterbacks throughout high school. It looked like they were both trying to prove a point today.

  As the game progressed, Porter looked in Missy’s direction and winked or grinned several times. She tried to look away, but the short-sleeved T-shirt he wore showcased the nice definition in his arms. She was a sucker for beautiful biceps. Missy wiped at a trickle of sweat on her forehead. It was a nice spring day, but not warm enough to be feeling this flushed. Porter was definitely a working man.

  The game was intense and only become more so when Chase’s brother, Adam, made a touchdown and tied it up. On the next play Chase got knocked out by his own brother. Everyone gasped and Adam seemed to be in shock. Silence descended throughout the crowd until the whir of sirens and the EMTs arrived. Paisley Hackett and her brother, Sawyer, hurried to the scene as people quickly moved out of their way so they could get to Chase. Missy’s gaze found Porter and she saw Fancy had her arm around his waist. He looked very concerned about her. Missy rolled her eyes in disgust and turned away.

  Pushing her way through the crowd, she was almost to the sidewalk when she heard her name. She turned and her heart rate immediately ratcheted up when she saw Porter running toward her. Unsure whether to stop and wait for him or run away and pretend she hadn’t seen him, she tilted her body one direction and then another like a bobble head doll.

  Porter reached her before she could force herself to make a break for it. “Hey,” he said, giving her a warm look.

  Missy sucked in air, unable to deal with the effects of those green eyes right now. “Is-is Chase okay?”

  His brow furrowed. “I don’t know. The EMTs are saying a concussion.”

  They both turned as the sirens’ volume increased and the ambulance made its way out of the park toward the hospital.

  “That’s too bad,” Missy said.

  “Yeah, it is.” Porter pushed a hand through his wavy hair. “Are you up for a shake at Big C’s or something?”

  She opened her mouth to explain she wasn’t ready to date and sadly might never be. Porter interrupted her with, “Just to talk about the Sunday School class.”

  Missy exhaled slowly. The reminder of Sunday School had her thinking about that kiss. The kiss had her thinking about Porter’s lips. Thinking about Porter’s lips had her heart pounding in her chest. Her heart pounding in her chest had her hands reaching for him. Oh, wow. She could not think about that and remain calm and collected. She clasped her hands together to keep a semblance of control.

  “Please,” he said, his voice coming out low and husky. He held out his hand, waiting for her. She liked the way he didn’t just grab her hand, but simply held his in the air, giving her a chance to meet him halfway.

  “Okay,” Missy whispered. She placed her hand in his. Porter gently closed his fingers around hers and Missy felt this odd sense of belonging and a tingly excitement that made her eager to be with him and wary of him at the same time. Tate, her ex, had made her tingle too, until he broke her heart and then thrashed her whenever she stood up to him.

  Porter’s warm smile erased the memory of Tate’s cruelty. They walked slowly away from the park and Missy enjoyed the beautiful spring day and the sweet way Porter walked next to her, not marching ahead and dragging her, but staying close by her side like she was important and he was thrilled to be with her. Neither of them said anything as they walked, but every time she snuck a glance at Porter, she caught him looking at her.

  They entered the huge brick building that housed the diner. Big C’s wasn’t crowded as most of the town was at the park today. It smelled of greasy hamburgers and didn’t look much different from high school—an open area with vinyl-covered booths, faded yellow tables, and not much decoration. Missy loved it.

  They walked to the counter to order their shakes and the twenty-something redhead lit up. “Porter Wilson! I haven’t seen you in weeks. How are you, handsome?”

  Porter grinned and winked. “Better now.” He turned to Missy. “I’m taking this beautiful woman out for shakes, how could I not be great?”

  Missy tried to force a smile, but she wasn’t sure if Porter was “better now” because he was flirting with the girl at the counter or because he was with Missy. She quickly ordered a mint chocolate chip shake then walked to a table, leaving Porter to order and flirt if he wanted. She supposed she should’ve offered to pay for her own, but he had asked her and she couldn’t handle that redhead eyeing him like he was a hot cowboy dipped in chocolate much longer.

  The redhead’s tinkling laughter floated to her as Porter gave her his signature grin before handing over some cash. He made his way to Missy and she schooled her expression, not wanting him to realize she was feeling jealous and petty. She had no claim on Porter. He could flirt with whomever he wanted. She told herself that her reaction was only because it reminded her of Tate blatantly flirting in front of her and never hiding the fact that he cheated on her. That was why she was upset. Not because she had, or wanted, any claim on Porter Wilson.

  Porter sat across from her. “Are you happy being back in Snow Valley?” he asked.

  Missy’s eyes widened, most of Snow Valley wanted to know why she’d come back, but no one seemed to care if she was happy. She shrugged, not ready to reveal to anyone how messed up her home life was. “It’s fine. I like the slower pace.”

  Porter grinned. “Me too.”

  “Why didn’t you ever go away?”

  He splayed his hands. “It just didn’t fit, you know?”

  “No, I don’t know.” She’d run away a
s fast as she could, but that had very little to do with not liking her hometown and everything to do with hating her home.

  “I liked college and especially the engineering and architectural classes, but I found out I could get a drafting degree online and when my dad died, I had the chance to come home and do what I really loved, be on the ranch.” Porter shook his head. “I just never was one for sitting inside all day long.”

  “Wait. You got a drafting degree?”

  “Yeah. A couple summers ago. Luke was my first client. He was a bit too opinionated though, knew exactly what he wanted so I just basically made everything work so his house doesn’t fall down.”

  “Hold up. Luke has a house?”

  Porter laughed easily. “We built him a great cabin. In the boxed canyon above my parent’s property.”

  “And you’ve designed other homes?”

  “Ten in the past couple years.” He shrugged. “It’s not a huge career or anything, but it’s a nice supplement to the ranch and I really enjoy it.”

  The redhead brought their shakes, giving Porter a sly wink. She was really too young for Porter, but Missy didn’t think it was her place to point that out.

  “Let me know if you need anything else.” She drawled out the anything, darting her tongue over her lips.

  Missy looked away so she didn’t have to witness appreciation or lust or whatever would be in Porter’s eyes.

  “Thanks,” he said. He waited until Missy took a bite of the creamy shake and looked up at him again before asking, “But you didn’t answer my question. Are you happy here? Is this where you want to be?”