Chapter Nine
A few minutes later, Rachel emerged wearing the green hooded cape and a pair of tall, fur-lined boots. Her dark hair was in a high ponytail and her face looked scrubbed clean in the moonlight. He knew he hadn’t woken her though, because he’d seen her shadow moving around in the uppermost window of Teeny Elf’s place. And yeah, he’d watched her for longer than he had a right to.
He’d been thinking about her all night, his preoccupation making him a fairly poor bachelor party host. Still, he’d done it because Luke was his buddy. Now, however, Gavin was very ready to see Rachel. Their talk the night before had ended too abruptly and left too many questions between them unanswered.
“You’re insane,” she accused in a soft grumble, snow muffling her steps as she moved toward him silently. “I thought you were supposed to be leading your friends in a raucous party before Luke ties the knot.”
“I did all the raucous partying I cared to do.” He shrugged. “I’m in training for one thing.” He didn’t take his performance lightly. “And for another, I knew all day that I wanted to try and see you tonight.”
She stared up at him with wide blue eyes, her dark bangs brushing the tops of her eyebrows. “The traditional approach is to arrange a meeting day ahead of time.”
“Which isn’t easy when you don’t answer my calls or texts.”
“So you pelt my windows with snowballs?” She shivered, hugging the cape tighter.
“You used to like sneaking out at night,” he reasoned. “I did it for old time’s sake.” Taking one of her hands, he threaded her fingers through his and huffed a warm breath over her cool skin. “Why don’t we talk in my kitchen so you can warm up? I make a mean hot cocoa.”
She glanced at his house just a few steps away. Thinking.
“You can tell me how I should lay out the first floor when I pitch the revamped house to the town council.” He did have to write the proposal soon so he could start work on the house in the new year.
“I did want to share a crazy idea of my mom’s.” She looked to where he held her hand close to his lips.
He lowered it, not wanting to scare her off. “I have a lot of things I want to talk to you about too, Rachel. And I promise to be a total gentleman.”
She nodded, flustered. Even in the moonlight he could see her blushing. “Of course. I wasn’t worried about that.”
“Good.” Willing himself to let go of her completely, he forced his fingers to uncurl from around hers. “Because I have some of those homemade marshmallows they sell at the bakery. That’s my secret ingredient for the cocoa.”
“Now you’re just not fighting fair,” she accused softly, but she smiled at him in a way that made his chest squeeze tight. “I’d better have a taste or I’ll be dreaming about—” She slid a glance his way. “Er. That. The marshmallows, I mean.”
Something about that charged look she gave him let him know he wasn’t alone in thinking about her all day. Rachel Chambers had been contemplating him, too.
“Come on.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked the side door of his place, determined to stick to the gentleman agenda.
A promise was a promise, after all.
A half an hour later, they were seated on the floor in front of the fireplace in the living room. She’d been the one to wander out of the kitchen—where he’d had every intention of staying—to bring her hot chocolate in front of the hearth. He’d stirred the blaze to life easily since he’d left a thick hickory log to burn earlier in the day. The thing hadn’t been all the way dry at the time, but after a slow burn for hours, it threw more heat with a little coaxing.
“And you can’t talk her out of it?” Gavin asked about the plan of her mother’s that Rachel was worrying about.
“I’ve tried. She’s adamant. And that’s a lot of money for her.”
“That’s a lot of money for most people.” He didn’t like the idea at all. Molly had been blameless in her husband’s theft. “But I worry if she makes a public act of donating the money, it will be difficult for the town to refuse. The council will be under a certain amount of pressure to accept it.”
Rachel leaned back against the leather wingback, setting aside her empty mug. “When’s the next meeting?”
“The last meeting of the year is on Monday—after the wedding but before Christmas.” His gaze lingered on her in spite of himself. She looked so pretty in a lightweight white sweater and dark jeans. One leg was covered in embroidered roses. “But I won’t be able to be there.”
“You need to return to your team,” she guessed. “I could extend my trip, but what if Mom tried to hand over the money to the mayor before that? She sees all the council members often enough.”
“The mayor and all the council members will be at the wedding, too. Don’t forget that Scott Malek is Luke’s cousin.” The Harris family was proud to have regained control of the town once Rachel’s dad fled.
“You think I should try and speak to one of them there? Ask the mayor privately to refuse the money?” She bit her lip, sending his thoughts wandering down a path that would only lead to kissing her again if he wasn’t careful.
“You could. I’m definitely going to confront him about his plans for the cross-country course. Let him know I consider it his tacit approval for my charity event.”
“Someone needs to push them to start making decisions with the town’s mission statement in mind. Spreading joy and cheer to visitors wasn’t just supposed to be a marketing ploy.” She tucked her knees closer to her chin and wrapped her arms around them.
“Someone should,” he agreed. “The focus on profit, by the way, has actually decreased the overall profitability of the town. But I think the more they focus on making money, the less they’re going to connect with people who want to experience the warmth and beauty of the season.”
He let her think about that for a moment, because he couldn’t help reminding her that her father’s creation was failing without a dynamic leader at the helm. When she was quiet for a moment, he continued.
“I know you don’t want to talk about that though. And I actually wanted to speak to you about something else tonight.”
“You do?” There was a hopeful light in her eyes. Or maybe it was simple relief that he wasn’t going to try and persuade her to stay in Yuletide again.
He didn’t let that sway him from his agenda though, knowing this conversation needed to happen.
“Yes.” He shifted on the floor so he could see her better, anchoring an arm on the couch as he turned more fully toward her. “I think we owe it to ourselves to talk about what happened the other night before the bachelorette party.”
Understanding lit her gaze. Her lips worked soundlessly for a moment before they snapped shut. He waited until she tried again.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Her voice had a throaty quality to it all the time. Now? The sudden, heated awareness in the room made it sound all the more sultry.
“I just think there was more to that kiss than we’ve acknowledged.” He didn’t take it lightly. And he knew her well enough to know that she didn’t either. “I don’t think we’re doing each other any favors by pretending it didn’t happen.”
“I’m not pretending.” She shook her head fast, her ponytail swishing against the leather wingback. “It’s just not a conversation that needs to happen right now.” She pursed her lips. Frowned. “Or ever.”
“Rachel.” He tried again. How could he leave this weekend without knowing if there was a chance between them? She’d been in his thoughts nonstop. “Think about this. We already parted ways once without knowing where things could lead between us. We just shut it down and moved on. And look what happened. We’re right back where we left off eight years ago.”
“I know where it could lead,” she informed him flatly, frustration evident in her tense shoulders. “Of course I know. That’s why I’m so careful to leave well enough alone, Gavin. I don’t want my heart broken.”
Her words pulled at something inside him. He understood what she was saying all too well. He felt the same way. At least she finally acknowledged the attraction openly.
“I don’t want my heart trounced either, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to go through life in bubble wrap just to keep it safe.”
“You’re a snowboard cross racer. You embrace risk every day.” She gesticulated with her hands, growing animated and making him realize she’d been thinking about it every bit as much as him. “I do not. I don’t like living on the edge.”
“That’s different.” He was surprised by a fierce need to convince her. “I don’t approach personal relationships with the same mindset I use when I race.”
She seemed to weigh the merits of the argument for a moment before some of the tension leaked out of her shoulders. She sagged against the wingback again. “But we can’t possibly have answers about where a relationship could go when you’re leaving town right after the wedding.”
“A lot can happen before then.” Realistically, he should just probably just let her go, for all of the reasons she’d articulated so well. But he couldn’t seem to make himself accept it. “You haven’t even seen Luke yet. You might make peace with him, with all of Yuletide, and be a hit at the wedding.”
Her half smile was troubled. “I’ve left messages for him. He knows I want to speak to him. But I’ll try again when I deliver the bridesmaid dress to his sister. If he’s avoiding me, however, there’s only so much I can do.” She shook her head, dark ponytail swinging. “I can’t go to the wedding if I haven’t patched things up with him first.”
“I could drag him here.” He didn’t understand why Luke was being so damn obstinate. “He’d have to talk to you then.”
“I’m not making trouble between friends for a second time.” She stared into the crackling flames.
“All I’m asking is that you give us one real date. One more evening together. Go to the rehearsal dinner with me and see what happens.” He would personally make certain that Luke found time to see her tomorrow. As a best man, his role was to ensure the wedding went smoothly, and he figured that gave him license to steer the groom toward decisions that would make his bride happy.
Rachel’s gaze narrowed, a dubious expression pursing her lips. “That’s it?”
“You don’t know how awesome of an evening I can make it.” He hoped. Mostly, he wanted to be with her every second until they had to leave town. Just to see what might happen.
For once, he couldn’t scavenge up the will to think about the upcoming race. All he could think about was her.
“Fine.” She nodded, unfolding herself from where she sat on the floor and getting to her feet. “I’ll go to the rehearsal party with you.”
“But if you can make peace with Luke, you’ll go to the wedding too?” he pressed, knowing that had been the bride’s hope from the beginning.
He rose as well, standing with her in front of the fireplace while the blaze flickered golden shadows over her pretty face.
“Can we just take it one day at a time for now?” she asked, her fingers resting lightly on his chest for a too-brief moment.
His heart thudded faster. Hope, almost too much, tumbled through him hard.
“I can do that.” He wanted her to touch him again. Wanted to touch her too.
“Okay.” She nodded, extending her hand to seal the bargain. “You have yourself a deal.”
He wrapped his fingers around hers and tugged the knuckles to his lips, his eyes never leaving her startled gaze.
He kissed her there because that was all he would allow himself. For tonight, at least.
*
Taking a deep breath, Rachel knocked on the front door of the Harris house, a sprawling suburban mansion set back from the main road on the outskirts of Yuletide. A detached, double garage sat on the far side of the brick driveway. Centered in the peak of the garage someone had hung the old sign that used to welcome visitors to “Harristown.”
Now, it simply welcomed their company, but she guessed that didn’t include her. Luke’s parents had never been overly warm toward her even when she and Luke had been happily dating. At the time, she’d told herself it was because her father had been instrumental in changing the town’s name, but that was only a guess.
Emma still lived with her parents, so it made sense to drop off her revamped bridesmaid dress here. And, as luck would have it, Luke’s truck sat in the driveway. Or at least, Rachel guessed it was his based on the Army bumper sticker and the wealth of other vehicles parked in the double driveway.
A moment later the door swept open to reveal Emma herself.
“Oh. Hi.” The girl’s greeting was less than enthusiastic as she glanced backward over her shoulder. With her long, tawny hair clipped back in sections around her head, she wore a leopard print plastic apron printed with the name of a local beauty salon. “I’m just getting my hair done for tonight.”
She closed the door a little behind her, as if to shield Rachel from view from anyone else who might be inside. A television blared nearby and there was a group of people talking in a room close to the front door. Rachel wished she could simply hand over the gown and leave. But her promise to herself—and her girlfriends—wouldn’t be fulfilled until she’d made peace with her ex-boyfriend.
Besides, she couldn’t deny a part of her was excited about the prospect of being Gavin’s date tonight, even if she was nervous, too. What if he was right? What if there was a connection there that they couldn’t walk away from?
“I just brought your dress over so you’d have it tomorrow.” Rachel handed her the gown, then—before she lost her nerve—she rushed to add, “But I was hoping to speak to Luke, too.”
Emma’s gaze darted from the garment to Rachel. “Seriously?” She lowered her voice and stepped closer to the threshold. “Now?”
“Is it a bad time?” Memories of the way Kiersten’s father greeted her at the karaoke party returned. Would the Harrises be as adamant that she stay away?
Emma’s expression turned pained. “It’s just the whole family is here. And—”
“You’re letting cold air in the house, Emma,” a familiar male voice said from inside the house, just as the door flung open the rest of the way. “Who’s here?”
The groom stood beside his sister, tall and imposing. His expression shifted from curious to cool as he saw Rachel. No matter what Kiersten and Gavin tried to tell her about Luke wanting to heal the old rift between them, Rachel knew for certain that he’d clung to some facet of the grudge for reasons she didn’t understand.
But that’s precisely why she’d come back home this week.
“Hi.” Rachel acknowledged him with a nod, aware of the room behind him going quiet. Watching. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
The crowd behind him shifted. His family and some guests seemed to be watching a sporting event on television in the family room while, in the kitchen beyond that, Emma’s hair stylist held a paintbrush in one hand and a pot in the other. Now, Luke’s mother stood from her spot on the couch and headed toward the door.
Rachel wasn’t prepared to do battle with the whole family. She took an involuntary step backward on the snowy front step, her boot heel slipping off the stair so she had to make a quick grab for the handrail.
Emma intercepted her mother, however, taking both of the smaller woman’s shoulders in her hands. “Mom, it’s fine.” Emma held up the dress Rachel dropped off. “Let’s try out my gown while Luke handles this, okay?”
Mrs. Harris stared at Rachel for a long moment, her dark eyes similar to her son’s. Thankfully, Luke stepped into a pair of boots by the doorway. “I’ve got this, Mom. I’ll be back in a minute.”
As he exited the house and closed the door behind him, Rachel couldn’t decide if she felt relieved not to have to enter the Harris domain, or offended that she hadn’t been invited. Remembering that she was trying to let go of her old grudge against Yuletide, she went with the former. At least she could breathe freely away from his family.
“Do you mind if we talk out here?” Luke gestured toward a circle of holiday inflatables on the front lawn—Frosty pirouetted on a pair of ice skates, Rudolph leaped over a moon, and Santa waved a bell from his sleigh. In the middle of the huge, lit figures, a wooden bench sat under an arbor draped with plastic poinsettias.
“Sure.” She followed him to the bench, but when he didn’t take a seat, she didn’t either. “Listen, I won’t keep you from your family. I know it’s a big weekend. Congratulations, by the way.”
“Thank you.” He nodded, folding his arms. Listening.
But would he be receptive to her message? Everything about his posture suggested he was skeptical. Frankly, it seemed silly and unfair.
“I miss Kiersten,” she began, not knowing where else to start since she didn’t feel the need to apologize for anything. “She’s important to me, and I wish I could spend more time with her. But I think it’s awkward for her since you and I have a strained relationship at best.”
Still he said nothing, but at least he acknowledged her words with a nod. Perhaps, she realized, that was one of the reasons they hadn’t made a good couple. They both tended to retreat after a disagreement, whereas Gavin and Kiersten were more outgoing and willing to discuss the difficult topics, like their feelings.
“So,” she pressed onward, needing closure. That was the whole reason she’d come here. To make peace. “I want to see if there’s any way you and I can move forward. Put the past behind us and be…if not friends, maybe we could at least be friendly? We were all friends long before that day you proposed.”
Snow fell on Luke’s head and shoulders, matting down the top of his hair. He looked thoughtful. “Can I ask you a question?”
“I wish you would. I’m here to clear the air.” Her gaze wandered over him, and while she could see, on an intellectual level, that he was still a good-looking man, she didn’t feel any of the spark she felt whenever Gavin was around.
“Do you know where your father went when he left Yuletide?”
“Until two days ago, I had no earthly clue. But the other night, my mother told me that she gave the police his phone records that showed he’d been calling a Caribbean island in the weeks before he left.” She shrugged, grateful for the hood of her voluminous cape as the snow fell harder.
“The Caribbean? Do you know where?” Luke straightened, eyes narrowed.
“I didn’t ask her. She told the police about it, however. They knew.”
Luke nodded, looking thoughtful.
“Anyhow, while his defection hit the town hard financially, it hurt my mother and I on every other imaginable level. If I spoke sharply to you afterward, and I’m sure I did, I am sorry about that. But my mind wasn’t on you or Gavin. Losing my father that way really devastated me.”
A weight seemed to lift off her as she shared the truth. Her father’s betrayal had hurt her deeply and always would. At least she’d finally had a chance to confide that to Luke since she’d been too upset to articulate it at the time.
Luke nodded. “I understand that,” he acknowledged before his gaze snapped up. “My parents might not have liked your father, but I always admired the way he treated Gavin. Going to races and stuff. That was very cool of him.”
Toward the driveway. She turned to follow his glance and spotted Gavin’s pickup, the headlights cutting a path through the snowfall even though it was still daylight. The grayness of winter and the precipitation limited visibility.
Rachel’s heartbeat quickened as he stepped out of the truck, lifting his hand to wave at them. Those sparks stirred inside her.
“So do you think we can move forward without all this awkwardness between us?” she pressed Luke, wanting to finish the conversation she’d come home to have.
“I want to trust you, Rachel,” he said, his dark eyes on her again. “Because two people who are important to me care about you a whole lot. And I don’t want to see either of them hurt.”
Her chest tightened at the implication that Gavin cared about her. That he hadn’t hesitated to let Luke know as much. But then again, Luke wanting to trust her wasn’t the same as trusting her. Or forgiving her.
But by the time she processed that, Gavin had reached them, his gray down vest and blue ski cap as impervious to the snow as the rest of him. He grinned widely.
“You two make my day, having an actual conversation.” He slung an arm around both of them.
If he sensed the tension between them, he was opting to ignore it.
And for now, Rachel didn’t see the need to press Luke about what he meant. She cared about Kiersten too.
And yes, Gavin.
She certainly wasn’t planning on hurting anyone. Her heart was the one most at risk.
Luke was the first to speak. “I couldn’t very well hold a grudge against the best man’s date for the wedding, could I?”
Rachel smiled at Luke’s attempt to extend an olive branch, even if it wasn’t the heartfelt forgiveness and fresh start she had hoped for. For now, it would have to be enough. She could attend the wedding without animosity, and she was finally going to have a real date with Gavin Blake. Funny how that eclipsed something she’d thought was most important—being accepted by the town again. But every nerve tingled at the prospect of this date. It was eight years later than she’d first hoped, and it was only going to be for one night. Well, one night plus the wedding day.
She had a rehearsal dinner and a wedding to attend with Gavin, and the next twenty-four hours played out in every romantic way possible in her mind. As Gavin and Luke argued about who had the hottest date for the rehearsal party tonight, Rachel reminded herself to keep her expectations in check. But after the emotional roller coaster of the past week, she figured it was okay to feel happy for the moment.
Besides, she had a party to get ready for.