CHAPTER SEVEN

 

 

“Wow, this place really is pretty.” Rachel tightened her grip on Andrew’s hand as she eyed a snow-covered fallen log in the path. “I didn’t think I’m much of an outdoorsy person, but I can see the beauty here.”

Andrew chuckled, wrapped his arms around her waist, and lifted her up and over the log. “It’s prettier in the springtime.”

“Really?” There were ice crystals on all the rhododendron branches, making McIver’s Mountain look like something out of a fairy tale. “Actually, I’ll bet it is gorgeous.”

He shrugged. “I guess I’m not much of an outdoorsman either. There’s a reason the old homestead is sitting empty while I went to work in Riston, you know.”

Since it was another way in which they were similar, Rachel just sent him a big smile, pleased to be able to enjoy this little bit of nature with him…knowing the warm truck and some hot cocoa were waiting for them!

It was a beautiful November afternoon; the sun was making the snow sparkle, there were birds chirping at one another somewhere, and nature was just generally doing its thing all around them. She supposed there were names for these plants and that bird song, but for now, it was nice to just experience it, and not have to actually know what was going on.

For today’s date, she’d asked to see his home, expecting him to take her to River’s End Ranch or something. Instead, they were here at McIver’s Mountain. They’d visited the old family homestead, which his great-grandfather had built and his parents had lived in, and now sat empty. She’d even met his parents briefly, when she and Andrew had stopped by the larger, more modern home he’d been raised in. Libby and Randall McIver seemed nice enough, but Andrew hadn’t let her stick around long enough to do more than say hello, before he’d whisked her off again.

Judging from the twinkle in his mother’s eyes when she’d looked at their clasped hands, it was probably for the best. Just goes to show; no matter how old a man gets, he can still be teased by his mother.

The last weeks—and their dates—had been just lovely. Per the agreement, Andrew and Rachel were taking things slowly. The dates and the phone calls had been more about getting to know each other better, and they hadn’t attempted to kiss again.

It was getting a little difficult to pretend she didn’t want to kiss him again; she wanted to rather desperately. But that one amazing kiss they’d shared had resulted in disaster…at least, her response to it. She’d held future kisses hostage, and had almost lost Andrew as a result.

So now they were taking things slow, and weren’t kissing, and it made her itchy and jittery because she wanted to be kissing him. But kissing Andrew could be dangerous to his health. Look what ended up happening last time!

Desperate to distract herself from those thoughts—because the icy beauty of the land around her wasn’t exactly working—she wracked her mind for a question.

“Tell me something I don’t know about you yet!” she blurted.

He sent an amused glance her way from under his toque and above his blue woolly muffler. Strolling in nature in Idaho in November was cold! That hot cocoa was sounding better and better.

“What do you want to know?”

They moved around a particularly large bush, and she realized he was leading her back down towards where they’d parked the car. Thank goodness.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s the point!”

He hummed. “You’re going to have to give me some kind of idea.” Without giving her a chance, he began rattling off things. “I haven’t finished a book in years, but I really like listening to podcasts instead. My least favorite vegetable is asparagus, and I don’t see why everyone else seems to like it. I started smoking when I was seventeen—”

She pulled up short. “Whoa, really?”

“Yep.” He tugged her into motion once more. “I think it’s gross, and it makes my pee smell—”

“No!” she interrupted, laughing. “Not the asparagus; I think it’s gross too. I meant about the smoking!”

Shrugging, he nodded. “Well, my father smoked when I was a kid, and I just copied him. Mom sat us both down when I was in my early twenties and read us the riot act.”

“So you quit?”

“We both switched to chewing tobacco, but I quit that a few years later. So now I’m a compulsive gum-chewer, or I snack on sunflower seeds or something. I know it’s not the healthiest habit, but it’s better than the alternative.”

Wow.

She hadn’t expected that. Humming thoughtfully, she followed him down the path. “That’s pretty good. I didn’t know that about you. What else you got?”

“You’re pretty demanding, huh?” he teased. “Okay… When I was in the fourth grade, I went as Davy Crockett for Halloween, and it was my favorite costume ever. I once smashed my kid brother’s thumb with a hammer when I was trying to teach him how to fix his wagon. What else…?”

Chuckling, she tried to imagine Dusty—whom she’d once dated, along with half the female population of Quinn Valley—as a child. “How old was he? How old were you?”

“I’m ten years older—no, eleven. He and Alyssa are twins, and Katie’s a few years older than them. So anyhow, I would’ve been like thirteen or so, and had just gotten really interested in building and fixing stuff with my grandpa.”

Rachel remembered Brooke telling her how close the Quinn cousins were to their grandparents. Did Andrew miss them? She squeezed his hand briefly. “And you thought you were fixing his wagon?”

“I was fixing his wagon. He was the one who wanted to help, so I showed him how to hold the bent pin, and he moved his thumb at the last second. He screamed like he was having his arm cut off or something.”

She chuckled with him, and then again in relief, when she realized how close they were to where they’d parked Andrew’s truck.

“That’s a pretty good story.”

“How about you? Any embarrassing childhood memories?”

She grinned. “Nope, I was perfect.” He already knew she was an only child. “My parents were really young when they had me, so we were kind of Three Musketeery, if that makes sense. We did everything together, and they didn’t put pressure on me to be something I’m not. Once I went away to college, they began to travel all over the world. Lucky for them they had a kid in the hotel industry who could offer discounts on stays!”

“That is lucky.” He helped her over another fallen log. “You don’t get jealous that they’re off having adventures and you’re stuck in Idaho?”

“No way!” she chuckled. “I’ve traveled, and it’s alright, but I’m a homebody. Once I’m comfortable in a place, I really don’t want to leave, and I’m really comfortable in Quinn Valley. It’s warm and welcoming and the people—”

She bit off her praise for his family’s town.

Open mouth, insert foot, you dork.

In the days since that disastrous interview—since his last visit to Quinn Valley—she’d made a point to steer clear of mentioning his home or family, and definitely didn’t suggest he come back. Instead, she’d been happy to come to Riston and visit his favorite haunts, like his family’s mountain. Not just happy, but grateful to be able to have another chance with him.

She had to change the subject and fast. What else could she ask him?

“Umm—any tattoos?” It was a trick she’d learned years ago; people with tattoos liked to talk about them, and people without tattoos usually didn’t mind sharing their opinions about people with tattoos. As someone without any, she could join in the conversation either way.

He shot her a funny look, as if not sure what to make of the change in conversation. Then he shrugged and stopped walking.

“Two,” he said, inhaling deeply in the cold mountain air. “Here.” He lifted his left arm—still holding her hand—and tapped a gloved finger to the inside of his left forearm. “They’re small, but important.”

She nodded. “That’s why you put them there.”

When he raised a brow in question at her, she hurried to explain.

“I mean, if something’s important to you personally, you put it where you can see it. If it was important that everyone else see it, you would’ve put the tattoo on your bicep or something. See?”

“Hmm. You’re pretty smart, you know that?”

She shrugged modestly. “I just like noticing how people think. I’m right, aren’t I? They’re important to you.”

His eyes took on a faraway look as he stared down at the arm of his coat. “Yeah,” he said softly. “They’re just words, nothing fancy. Sean’s name and his birthday, and Sophie’s.”

She knew how much his niece and nephew meant to him, and here was proof. “You love them very much.”

“Yeah.” He was still staring down at his arm. “They’re the most important people in the world to me, and I’d do—I’ve done—anything for them.” He swallowed. “I was thinking about adding to them a little bit, maybe a music note by Sean’s name, and a hockey stick or something beside Sophie’s, but haven’t decided yet. I’m a simple guy; I think I might just leave the words as they are a few more years.”

She loosened her hold on his hand and wrapped her arm through his, pressing close against him. “That’s what I like about you; you think things through. These are important to you, so you’re not going to make any sudden moves.”

He snorted softly as he turned and wrapped his free arm around her so they were pressed chest-to-chest. “You were important to me, and I made a sudden move.”

Oh.

Don’t make any sudden moves. Don’t misinterpret this, missy. Maybe he wants to kiss you, or maybe he’s just cold. Rachel swallowed, wondering if she should push things. Kiss him kiss him kiss him!

No, no, she couldn’t. If they did any more kissing, the move would have to come from Andrew when he was ready. She’d already proven she couldn’t be trusted when it came to the fate of future kisses. So instead, she forced a smile and searched desperately for a topic to distract herself.

“I’m a dork sometimes,” she blurted.

He blinked. “What?”

“That’s something about me you didn’t know. I mean, you didn’t ask, but here you were opening yourself up to me with all these memories and information, and I wasn’t sharing much, so I thought I’d just share that.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I can be a dork.”

A major dork.

But the slow smile which crept across his face—she loved it when he smiled so wide she could see his crooked bottom teeth—told her he wasn’t entirely surprised by this information. And the tender look in his eyes told her he didn’t really mind.

“I don’t think you’re a dork,” he said softly, obviously lying.

She nodded solemnly. “I am. I trip over my own thoughts, and my subconscious is pretty mean to me, and each day I worry if I’m being cool enough.”

Bending slightly, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. It was over in a heartbeat, and felt so natural, but it still left her aching, straining for more.

No. No more kisses until he’s ready.

He smiled down at her. “I think you’re adorable.”

“An adorable dork?” she tried for nonchalance.

“Adorkable.” He nodded in agreement, very seriously.

Which of course, made her giggle. “Okay, I can live with that.”

And I can live with him! Wow!

His smile flashed again “Let’s go warm up with some cocoa?”

She was grateful for the distraction, but honestly, was warm enough in his arms. But she smiled in return. “Yes please!”

And as they stumbled their way through the snow, laughing and teasing like a real couple, Rachel realized the truth: it would be very, very easy to fall in love with this man. She needed to rein in her heart, to take it slow.

Any further steps needed to be on Andrew’s part.

I just hope he does want to take those steps!

 

 

“You sure about this one?” Andrew tapped the answer Sophie was laboriously writing out. “Which word is the subject?”

The girl stopped writing and frowned down at his finger. “Umbrella, yeah?”

“It’s been a while since I took English, but I think the umbrella is what’s being acted upon, right? So the subject is…?”

The ten-year-old sighed. “Elephant, then. Gah, I hate this stuff.”

Tugging on her ponytail, Andrew grinned. “You don’t have to love it, just finish it up, Sunshine.”

“That’s a dumb name, Unca Andrew.”

Knowing she’d used his childhood nickname on purpose, he grinned. “I think it’s fair.”

She giggled, then sighed again. “This is my last one,” she said as she leaned over her homework again.

In the far back of Riston Middle School’s auditorium, Andrew settled back in his chair beside his niece and watched the rehearsal up on stage. He’d offered to take both kids tonight so Heather could go to yoga, and Sophie had brought her homework and tablet with her. She’d breezed through her long division, and once she finished her English, Andrew had promised her all the YouTube Kids videos she could cram in before the end of rehearsal.

Up on stage, Sean had just finished up being coached on his solo. The kid was a pretty good singer, all things considered, and Andrew liked watching him bloom under his theater teacher’s tutelage. Now, most of the cast trooped out on stage to get blocking notes through a song about a lonely goatherd.

In a town as small as Riston, it was impossible not to recognize most of the kids. Kayla was the one playing the female lead, and Sophie had teased her brother that there wasn’t any kissing allowed in this play either. But there was a surprising face up there among the taller kids; Nellie Hardy, Joshua’s daughter. And judging from the way she was making eyes at Sean, it was obvious why she’d chosen this new extracurricular activity.

Interesting.

“Finished!” Sophie whispered loudly just as Andrew’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

He nodded to her, giving her permission to whip out her tablet and plug in her headphones, and he pulled out his phone. The text message icon made him smile as he swiped the app open.

“Hey! Can you chat?”

He glanced over at his niece, already engrossed in her video, and typed out his response to Rachel: “Yeah, gimme a sec.”

Getting up, he moved to the door leading out to the hall. He propped it open so he could hear if anyone needed him in the auditorium, then crossed to the opposite side of the hall and typed in her number.

As he hit “send,” he took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do, and although he wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, he knew it was the right choice.

“Hi,” she said, and the smile in her voice made his heart light.

“Hi, yourself,” he said quietly, and felt himself relax into a sense of rightness. Things had moved so quickly for them at the beginning of their relationship, and he was so grateful she’d been willing to continue dating him. Because this peace which had come over him told him they’d made the correct choice.

As they made small talk—How was your day? What are you up to right now? What was for dinner?—the feeling just intensified. There wasn’t the desperate anxiousness he’d felt during their first date, the need. Instead, this calmness, this certainty, had a wonderful everyday quality to it. Each date they went on, each conversation they had, only solidified the feeling more.

They were both smiling—he could hear it in her voice—when they reached the end of rehearsal. But he wasn’t ready to let her go yet. There was something he needed to say.

“Are you free on Friday?” Thanksgiving was next week, and he knew this was a crazy time for the hospitality industry, but he had the day off and had an idea.

She clucked her tongue slightly, then said, “Yeah, I could take the afternoon off. Bob—I mean, there will be staff on the premises, and I’ll be in on Sunday. Technically I should be off Friday all day, but you know how things are.”

Yeah, he did, and he liked that they both understood the business. He took a deep breath.

“I’d like to spend the afternoon with you, if you can.”

“Sure! I can—”

“In Quinn Valley.”

Silence on the other end of the phone. Then, “Are you sure?” Her question was hesitant. “I don’t mind coming to Riston again—”

“I’m sure.” And he was. “You’ve come to my town for the last four dates, and I want…” What did he want? “Listen, my dad’s family has lived on McIver’s Mountain for generations, so I wasn’t exactly raised in Riston or Quinn Valley. But…Quinn Valley is part of who I am too. I know that,” he added quietly, sure after many hours of soul-searching. He took a deep breath. “I’ve been away a long time, and I still don’t know if I’m ready to go back—”

“We don’t have to!” she was quick to assure him. “I know you feel strongly about this.”

“I do, but…” He swallowed. “I also feel strongly about you. And Quinn Valley is your home. I want to be the one who walks around with you on my arm, showing you off to your friends.” When she snorted with laughter, he grinned. “If this—this thing between us is going to go anywhere, I need to give at least as much as you’re giving.”

And the way things were going, he was afraid he was a few heartbeats away from giving her his heart.

On the other end of the phone, he heard her take a deep breath, then let it out.

“Okay,” she said softly. “If you’re sure, and you’re really willing to come here, then…”

“Yeah?”

Rachel chuckled. “Then I’d really, really like it. Thanks for being okay with it.”

“Of course,” Andrew said softly. “I’d probably walk across coals for you.”

This time she outright laughed. “How about just walking across Second Street for me?”

He joined her in her chuckles. “Deal. Friday, then?”

“Friday. I can’t wait,” she said softly. “Bye.”

It felt weird to not say more, to not tack the perfectly natural I’m falling for you, Rachel on the end. But Andrew just exhaled softly and said, “Goodbye.”