CHAPTER 14

If someone had told Avery a few months ago that she’d be tromping through the Massachusetts woods at night to go ice-skating on a frozen pond in the middle of winter, she would have said that person was crazy. After spending the last eight years in Boston, she considered herself a city girl. Emma had gotten the winter-sport genes in the family, which wasn’t saying much. Neither of them could ski and the one time Avery had gone sledding, she’d gotten a face full of snow and a twisted ankle.

After driving her car down Harper’s Pond Road, she followed the directions Emma had given her and parked near what had to be Lexie’s small cottage. Then she followed torchlights that bordered the small path to Harper’s Pond. Kate had told her it would be freezing, so Avery had dressed in layers. Not counting her jeans, she was wearing four: a tank, a long-sleeved thermal tee, a wool sweater, and one of Emma’s fleece coats. Avery was thrilled with the garment she’d borrowed. The slim fleece was less bulky than her down coat, and much more comfortable. She had better range of movement, too, and she vowed to purchase one of the coats for herself as soon as she got the chance. She’d topped her outfit with a warm pair of fuzzy earmuffs. She’d left her hair down, mostly for the warmth it provided her neck. Mostly.

Thankfully, the path to the pond had been worn down by others who’d made the trek before her. Still, she had to push a few large branches out of her way to move forward. Laughter sounded ahead, and when she caught a whiff of the smoke from the bonfire, she knew she was close. It was a short walk, yet by the time she reached the pond she was breathless, not so much from the exertion of hiking in the snow but from the cold air that filled her lungs. She stepped out into a clearing, eyes widening as she took in the spectacle before her.

Harper’s Pond was huge, and in the moonlight, it appeared to stretch out for a thousand feet. The pond seemed to have fully iced over, and someone had cordoned off a large area—maybe a few hundred feet wide—for skating. Large spotlights had been arranged at the pond’s edge to strategically light the area. Already, a few brave souls were twirling, turning, and sliding out there, while others relaxed on plastic chairs under the boughs of a huge, bare oak tree. Several folks were roasting marshmallows on long sticks over the bonfire, which was contained in a makeshift stone pit away from the brush line.

Avery spied Lexie Meyers standing near a folding table that had been set up beneath the trees and she walked over to join her. Lexie was wearing a wool hat with a big white pom-pom on top, her curls peeking out from beneath the edges. It was hilariously large, but undoubtedly warm.

“Hi, Avery,” Lexie said, giving her a hug. “Good to see you. Want some hot chocolate?”

“Yes, please.”

Lexie filled a disposable cup from a portable beverage dispenser and handed it to her. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” she said, taking a sip. The warm drink slid down her throat and heated her from the inside out. Just then, a huge man came up to Lexie and grabbed her around the waist, burying his face in her neck. When she saw Avery staring, Lexie elbowed the giant in the side. “Quit it, Seb. You have to say hello to Avery. And you should thank her. She’s the one who convinced me to take some time off.”

“Avery Newbridge?” the man growled, lifting his face from Lexie’s neck and giving her an appraising look. “Haven’t seen you since Jimmy’s wedding. How are you?” His gaze pierced hers as surely as Theo’s did.

“F-fine,” she said, her voice sounding breathless to her own ears.

“But better now that I’m here?” a deep voice spoke from behind her. She didn’t need to turn to know that it was Theo. He came up beside her and flung a long arm over her shoulders. He smiled at her before turning to his brother. “Good to see you, bro,” he said, nodding at his twin. “Glad you’re back.”

“I’ll be here only for another day,” Seb said. “I’m going to make the most of the time I have here tonight.” He smiled down at Lexie and she smiled back at him, warmth lighting up her face.

Avery hadn’t really had the chance to study Seb at her sister’s wedding. Not with the craziness of that weekend. But now, looking back and forth between him and his brother, she could see how they would look the same to a casual observer—after all, they were identical twins. From their black-as-night hair to the unusual color of their eyes, to their long, lean legs, they looked remarkably alike. Still, there were subtle differences between the two men. The way they parted their hair, for one—Theo’s on the left and Seb’s on the right. Theo wore glasses, while his brother didn’t. And of course, their noses were different. How had Theo broken his? She’d have to ask.

They also wore different clothes. Living in New York City must have rubbed off on Seb because he was clad entirely in black. Theo, on the other hand, favored jeans and shirts in muted shades of blue, green, and brown. True to form, he was dressed in his navy-blue pea coat tonight and light-brown corduroy pants. As if he realized she was sizing him up, he gave her arm a light squeeze. She braved a look at his face, only to find that he was watching her intently. She experienced that familiar flutter in her stomach. What did it mean that she was growing used to that feeling whenever he was around? That she’d almost come to expect it whenever he looked at her? He gave her a small smile, tiny brackets appearing around the corners of his mouth. For a moment, the whole scene seemed to fade away, her focus only on him.

“So,” Seb said to her, “how long will you be in town?”

“Yes,” Theo said, still staring at her, but suddenly very interested in the conversation. “How long are you going to stay?”

She sucked in a breath and turned back to Seb and Lexie. “Ah, I’m not entirely sure yet. My leave from Back Bay lasts another month. That aside, I’ll definitely be in Star Harbor for the next couple of weeks. I promised to perform with the chamber music group right before Christmas, so there’s no point in me leaving before the end of that week.”

“Avery plays the violin,” Theo said with pride. “And from what Luke told me, quite well.”

Avery blushed. “Everyone in this town gossips too much,” she muttered.

“Welcome to Star Harbor,” Lexie hooted. “More hot chocolate?”

“No,” said Theo, taking Avery’s cup from her hand and placing it on the table. “We’re going to skate now. But we’ll be back for more later.”

“Skate?” Avery’s voice rose a pitch.

“Sure. It’ll be fun.”

“B-but Jimmy isn’t here.”

Theo laughed. “You don’t need Jimmy when you have me. Come on.” He led her away from Lexie and Seb, who were watching them with barely contained amusement.

“I don’t have skates,” she said. They were at the edge of the pond now, near a small log surrounded by a pile of shoes that had been abandoned by the other skaters.

“I brought an extra pair for you. Here.” He slung two pairs of skates off his broad shoulder and set them on the ground. She’d been so focused on the weight of his arm around her that she hadn’t even noticed he was carrying them. “Yours are the white ones.”

She almost laughed aloud. The white skates looked like they were just her size, but the black ones were hockey skates and they were so big she could have fit both of her feet inside one of them. Then she sobered and her eyes narrowed. “How did you know my shoe size?” He was silent. “Emma is going to get it.”

“You’re always so quick to blame your sister,” he said bemusedly. “Why?”

“She thinks she’s helping, but oftentimes, she’s not.”

“That’s your thing, isn’t it? Helping people.”

“I suppose.”

“Both you and Emma work in public service jobs,” he pointed out.

Avery cleared her throat. “I think it was hereditary. Our mom was a nurse.”

“And your dad?”

“Military. Died in combat when we were really little.” She shook her head, trying to erase the sudden surge of sadness. She’d worshipped her dad and her whole world had crumbled when he was killed. It had taken her mom and Emma months to draw her out again. Now she realized that she’d been too young to really know him. All she had left were hazy memories. “I really don’t know how to skate,” she said, changing the subject abruptly.

“I know,” he said patiently. “That’s why I’m going to teach you.”

“And when I fall all over you—”

His lip curled up. “This is sounding better and better.”

“I mean when I’m so bad at skating that I fall down on the ice, bringing you with me.”

“Mmm, no. That’s not going to happen. Why don’t you put on your skates and I’ll show you?”

“Theo—” she said in warning.

“Avery,” he responded, taking one of her hands in his. “You must have known that skating was part of the deal when you came out tonight. If you didn’t want to skate, you wouldn’t have come. Am I right?”

“Right,” she grudgingly admitted. Emma had made it clear that it was a skating party. She’d look pretty pathetic if she backed out now. So she’d bruise her backside and her pride. That would be the worst of it. She hoped.

“So,” he said gently, “get your skates on.”

Sighing, Avery realized there was no way out of this. She sank onto the log, removed her shoes, and slipped her feet into the ice skates. The unfamiliar feel of the skates made her even more jittery. The fear that she’d pushed to the back of her mind reemerged. She was going to slip and knock her head on the ice. She’d incur a concussion, memory loss, and long-term brain damage for sure. Maybe even break an arm or a leg. The possibilities of injury were seemingly endless.

Theo knelt in front of her. “I already have mine laced up,” he said. “Let me help.” He gently brushed her hand away and started lacing her boots himself. He looked up at her and grinned, showing his perfect white teeth. The lump in her throat didn’t go away; instead it was joined by a knot in her stomach.

A little voice inside her head kept screaming for help, but she ignored it. When he was done with her boots, Theo pulled off her thick plastic blade guards, then stood and held out his hand.

At that moment, a huge crack sounded from the farthest reaches of the pond and reverberated through the woods. Her eyes widened. Skating couldn’t possibly be safe. “What if I fall through the ice?” she said, trying to stall.

“You won’t. It’s early in the season, but it’s been cold. The pond’s only a couple feet deep at its lowest point, and it’s frozen thick. We won’t go near the middle, where it’s a little thinner.”

Just then, a little girl of about six or seven clomped over and plopped down on the log next to Avery. She was wearing stiff, new ice skates and a cute skating dress, but she didn’t look happy.

“Come on, honey,” her mom said. “We only have an hour before I have to take you home to bed.”

“I don’t want to skate. I’ll fall like I did last time,” the girl said, crossing her arms and pouting.

“Look, I know you’re scared, but I’ll be with you the whole time. I won’t let you go. And it’ll be fun. See? Your brothers are already out there having a good time.” She pointed at two older boys who were whizzing around the ice.

“No.” The little girl looked close to tears. “You can’t make me.”

Avery cleared her throat. “Hi,” she said to the girl. “I’m Avery. What’s your name?”

The girl eyed her suspiciously and then glanced up at her mom. When her mom gave her a slight nod, she responded. “Bethanne.”

“Bethanne, it’s my first time skating.”

Bethanne’s eyes widened. “But you’re so old. Even I’ve been skating two times before.”

Avery laughed. “That’s right. I am old. And I’m scared. But I trust him.” She pointed at Theo. “Do you trust your mom?” The little girl nodded. “Good. Then we’ll do this together.”

Though her nerves were still raw, she held her hand out to Theo.

“Stand up slowly. I’ll be here every step of the way,” he murmured.

“You mean every slip of the way,” she said wryly.

He laughed heartily. “Good one. Now come on. There, that’s it.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “Okay, you’re standing. How are your ankles feeling?”

She tried to wiggle them. “Tight.”

“Good. We don’t want any give there. Now we’re going to step onto the ice.”

Deliberately stepping onto the slippery ice wearing only a boot with a sharp blade on the bottom—a blade that was designed to slide around—seemed like utter insanity, but Avery had to put on a good face for Bethanne. She turned to the little girl and gave a broad smile, then left the rest up to fate.

Of course, she slipped the moment she stepped onto the ice, but Theo caught her and held her there, immobile. Her feet skittered around and she nearly lost her balance a few times, but he didn’t let go. After a few moments, Avery stopped panicking, realizing she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Okay?” he asked softly.

“Okay,” she whispered. She looked back at Bethanne, who was watching her with wide eyes. “See? I’m okay!” The girl gave her a shaky smile. “Now it’s your turn.”

“I can do it. Watch.” With her mother’s help, Bethanne rose and inched onto the ice. She slipped and slid just like Avery had, but her mom had a good grip on her, and she didn’t let go. When she finally took a few shaky steps, the girl was a lot less frightened. “I’m doing it! I’m doing it!” she cried.

“That’s right, honey. Now let me lead you over to your brothers. See? It’s easy.” The woman mouthed a grateful “thank you” to Avery before gliding away, her little daughter in tow. Avery smiled back before glancing up at Theo.

His eyes were warm. “That was really nice.”

“It was nothing.” Avery shrugged.

“It was something,” he said firmly. “All right. Now it’s your turn. I’m going to show you a few moves. Watch my feet. When you want to move forward, push out with one skate like this.” He made a side sweeping motion with his foot. “Then do the same thing on the other side.”

“And what if I want to stop?”

“You won’t need to worry about that for today since I’m not going to let you go, but in the future, you can do the snowplow, like this.” He pointed his toes together and made a wedge shape with his feet.

Avery indicated another woman who’d just come to an elegant halt. “She didn’t use the snowplow.”

“It’s a beginner move. There are a bunch of other ways to stop, too. When you get comfortable on the ice, I’ll show you some more.” Avery gave a delicate snort. “What, you don’t think you can learn?”

“No one’s that good of a teacher. You’ve seen yourself that I can’t even walk on the sidewalk in my regular shoes without slipping.”

“If you follow my lead, I promise you’ll be skating like a pro by the end of the night.”

Avery shook her head. Now that Bethanne wasn’t around anymore, she didn’t have to pretend. “No way.” Her body gave a little wobble. “See?”

“Patience, Avie. We just got started. Now watch and learn.” He swung his body out from hers and stood directly in front of her, holding her hands tightly. “Ready? Here we go.” He skated backward and she skated forward. Or tried to. “Remember the movement that I taught you. Sweep your foot out. Good. That’s it.”

Slowly, jerkily, she began to move, taking baby steps on the ice. She tried the gliding motion and slid about a foot and a half before losing her balance. “Oh!” she gasped as her feet went out from under her.

“Gotcha,” he said, catching her under the arms and pulling her to a standing position. Once she was steady, he took her hands in his. “Again.”

She swept her foot out and got a bit farther this time before losing her footing. He caught her again, this time pulling her slightly closer before righting her. Avery’s heart rate sped up. Over and over they practiced, until she was finally able to go a few yards without slipping too much.

“You’re getting the hang of it,” he said. “Want to try it a different way?”

“Okay,” she said. Now that she had a bit more confidence, she realized it was kind of fun. It was all about the balance, the careful glide and release. And she didn’t have to worry about bruising her body on the cold, hard ice. Not with Theodore Grayson there to catch her if she so much as wobbled.

He skated to her side and wrapped a hand around her waist. “We’re going to take this nice and slow. Ready? Here we go.” He kicked out with his own foot and she did the same.

His body was so firm that nothing, not even a full-body wipeout—or the threat of it—could cause him to waver in the slightest. He never let her fall. Not once. Not even when her feet went out from under her, so wobbly that they were like the tentacles of an octopus floating in the water without resistance. He simply held on, let her flail, and then pulled her upright when she was ready.

“H-how do you not fall?” she asked in amazement after one of her particularly close calls.

He looked down at her and grinned. “Ice hockey.”

“Did you have to practice a lot?”

“No. It came naturally to me.”

“Lucky.” What other talents did he possess? “Why aren’t you wearing your glasses tonight? Don’t you need them to see?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I do. I put in my contacts when I do anything athletic.”

“Oh, smart.”

“You say that now, but I wasn’t always smart about it. That’s how I broke my nose. Came out to play hockey one day when I was ten, realized I still had my glasses on, took them off to play, and wham! Got a puck right in the face.”

“Ouch!”

“You said it. Seb thought it was hilarious, of course. Said it would be a great way for people to tell us apart. I wanted to break his nose out of spite.”

“But you didn’t.”

Theo looked down at her. “You know me better than to think I’d ever do something like that.”

He was right. Though they’d spent only a short time together, Avery had let him in closer than she had any other man. Sure, she’d had relationships, but not very satisfying ones. Because of her. She was always the one to hold men at bay.

But she didn’t want to think about that now. Now, she only wanted to skate, wrapped in Theo’s arms, where she could forget about her past and her future and only focus on the present.

After they’d been out on the ice for a while, he led her to the side. “You must be ready for a break. You did well. Really well.” He looked pleased. “We can go out again later after we get you some hot chocolate.”

When they reached the bank of the pond, Theo helped her step off. “Put these back on,” he said, handing her the blade guards. “That way we don’t have to take off our skates.”

Avery slipped the guards on and then she and Theo plodded over to the gathered group of people who were talking near the edge of the pond. Lexie and Sebastian were nowhere in sight, but Emma, Jimmy, and Kate walked up to them, greeting her with enthusiasm.

“You looked great out there, Avery,” Kate said, reaching up to give her a hug, her enormous knitted hat dwarfing her head.

“Thanks,” she said, hugging her aunt back.

“Let me know if you still need any help out there, Avery,” Jimmy said with a grin. “I’m a great skater.” Wearing a large winter coat, the blond man looked even larger than he usually did. She had no doubt that he’d be as solid as Theo on the ice.

“She’s getting a private lesson,” Theo said, giving him a look.

Jimmy wrapped a big paw around Emma, “I guess it’s just you and me, babe.”

His wife looked up at him with a smile. “Sounds wonderful.”

Kate coughed. “I think I’ll have some tea,” she said, moving away from them and toward the snack table where Andy Neiman and some others were standing. “Enjoy yourselves, my dears.”

“Is she all right?” Avery asked, immediately concerned.

“This is the first time I’ve heard her coughing all night, but if it gets any worse, we’ll take her right home.”

“Okay,” Avery agreed.

“Let’s go, Emma,” Jimmy said. “I’ll show you some of my hockey moves.”

“Reliving your glory days?” Emma asked, laughing.

“These are my glory days,” he responded, kissing her soundly before leading her to the pond.

Avery waved as they left, and she watched them skate around for a few moments. Jimmy was really quite graceful for his size. Emma was better on the ice than she was, but she was still a bit wobbly. Jimmy kept her hand wrapped in his the entire time. When Avery turned back to Theo, he had an unreadable expression on his face. “He makes her really happy,” she said.

“And she him. It’s exactly the way it should be. Now,” he said, steering her toward the table. “Let’s get you something warm before we get back out there.”

“All right,” Avery agreed. She was beginning to trust him. The intense physical connection between them hadn’t waned, not by a long shot, but he wasn’t pushing her past her comfort zone.

After some hot chocolate, which she gratefully drank, they returned to the ice. Avery moved a bit more confidently, so she and Theo did a few turns around the entire makeshift rink. She slowly released her inhibitions, her fear about sliding around on two narrow blades.

She was really moving fast now, Theo encouraging her by lengthening his own strides. Friends and family passed by in a blur and her hair whipped in the wind. The exhilaration was incredible and, brave enough to finally stop staring at the ice in front of her, she flashed Theo a wide smile. He responded by tightening his arm around her waist and her stomach did a funny flip-flop. She felt safe with him. Secure. And desired.

He wanted her and she wanted him right back. Did she want him enough to take what he offered? A little voice inside her whispered yes. Yes, she did.

As they swung by the edge of the pond, Emma called out to her.

“James and I are going to take Kate home.”

“I’ll come.”

“No,” Emma said, waving her on. “Stay and enjoy. Don’t worry about Kate. We’ll take care of her tonight.”

“Okay,” Avery called back. She was having fun, and Kate would be in good hands. She waved goodbye as Theo took her back around the pond.

It was late when they finally got off the ice. The fire had gone out and the smell of wood smoke was growing stale. Buster Quigley and a few others were dismantling the huge spotlights. Slowly she and Theo trekked back through the woods, Theo flicking on a large flashlight so that they could see the path underfoot. When they reached the road, he walked her to her car.

“You did well out there,” he said, his voice sounding hollow in the chill air. “You were really steady on your feet in that last hour.”

There was a slight tic in his jaw as he spoke, as if he were holding himself in check. His voice was calm, but his eyes sparked fire. “Yes, well,” she said, feeling heat creep up her cheeks. “I had a good teacher.”

“See you back at the Inn?” he asked casually. It wasn’t a demand. He was testing her, seeing how she’d respond to him.

Still dizzy with excitement from the skating, she was flying high. Feeling riskier than she ever had. She nodded her assent. “Sure. Maybe we could play that game of Scrabble.” Maybe. Or maybe not.

The fire in his eyes blazed hotter and he treated her to a devilishly sexy smile. “I’d like that.” Immediately and unexpectedly, desire slammed through her. She had felt so comfortable with Theo tonight, so peaceful, that she had almost forgotten his effect on her. Before she had a chance to process her feelings, she was in her car, driving back to the Inn. He waited until she was on the move before hopping into his own camouflage-green Jeep.

It was a dark night and she drove carefully down the narrow road toward town. Confusion muddled her brain now that she had some distance from him.

Did she really want to give in to her attraction to Theo? It wasn’t too late to change her mind, was it? She was in her car and he was in his. She didn’t have to go back to the Inn. Not tonight, at any rate. She could make her excuses tomorrow, after she’d had the chance to cool off.

But maybe she’d never cool off. Maybe the heat would keep burning hotter and hotter until it consumed her.

Maybe she should just get him out of her system now.