Chapter Seven
The voice of reason had obviously abandoned Sam North. He was falling even harder for Dina Romano than he expected. He loved her fire and lack of filter, and it didn’t hurt that every curve of her body led his mind to places he wanted to explore.
Now, he only had to figure out what to do about it. He knew he wanted to sleep with her. There was no denying the attraction, but this wasn’t a normal Sam North situation. She didn’t have a plane ticket out of Washington. She lived right here in this little town, and that fact alone had complication written all over it.
Complication no one needed.
Yet, he was the one pressing her to date him. She’d been the one running away from him time and again…
“Hey, you.” Joel North wandered over to Sam, who’d been hunched over blueprints staring at absolutely nothing. “Did you want to grab lunch or not?”
Sam’s gaze flicked to his brother’s and a smile crept across Joel’s expression.
“Was my little brother daydreaming?” Joel’s brow arched, and Sam shook his head.
“I don’t do that.” Sam rolled up the latest project and slid it back into the tube it came out of.
He was overseeing the construction of a new ski run on the backside of the mountain next summer and had a million things he needed to finish up before this winter’s season hit, or he’d never be able to focus on getting the contractors lined up, or the project finished in time.
“But, yeah. Let’s grab lunch. I think I’ll need my energy for later.” Sam grabbed his jacket and followed his brother through the small office area before taking the elevator down to the lodge.
He’d been looking forward to meeting Dina tonight for her indoor ski lesson, but the closer the time came, the more his mind spun into a chaotic mess about what he actually wanted.
And Sam North was a man who always knew what he wanted.
“Want to stay here or go out?” Joel asked as they exited the elevator.
“Let’s go across the street and grab a sandwich. I feel like there are fewer prying eyes and ears.”
Joel gave a wicked grin and a quick nod as they opened the door, feeling the brisk air come over them. Fall was definitely coming on strong, which was exactly what they needed for a strong start to the ski season.
“I heard Catrina is back in town?” It was more of a statement than a question.
Sam eyed his brother and laughed. “Prying eyes and ears. Guess I made the right call about lunch.”
“Oh, come on. You know you give those bartenders plenty to talk about.” Joel winked at his brother before they jogged across the street to the sandwich shop.
The tiny café was bustling, and Joel beelined to one of the last empty tables while Sam stood in line to place their orders.
Had his personal life really become part of the entertainment for Silver Ridge Ski Resort?
He shuddered at the thought and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Apparently, he’d really managed to let the bachelor life take over, so why would he want to burden Dina with his bad habits?
The cashier called him up, and he placed an order for two turkey sandwiches with extra cranberry sauce before wandering over to his brother with two Cokes in hand.
“What are you going to do about her?” Joel asked.
Sam took a seat and shrugged, unsure if his brother was referring to Dina or Catrina. He felt it was a trick question.
“Well, I doubt she came here to go hiking and mountain biking, and that’s about all we’ve got to offer at this time of year.” Joel flashed a wicked grin, and Sam suddenly felt relieved that it wasn’t Dina he had to talk about.
“I don’t know what she’s up to.” Sam shook his head and thought about Catrina. She’d never annoyed him before, but the way she tried to dismiss Dina really irked him. How had he never seen that side of her before?
“I’ve got a hunch.” His brother’s smile didn’t shrink an inch.
The server brought over the two turkey sandwiches and asked if they needed anything else. Joel ordered a peanut butter cookie and turned his attention back to his brother with both brows reaching high.
“I really hope not. I’m not up for anything that could possibly be on her mind.” Sam took a bite of his sandwich. “In fact, I saw a different side of her last night that I really didn’t care for.”
“Is that so?” Joel’s brows settled back down.
“She’s not that nice of a person,” Sam said simply and took a bite of his sandwich.
“You don’t say.” Joel laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think any of us thought Catrina would win any Miss Personality awards, but I didn’t think that was ever a criteria with your—”
Sam shot his brother a look, and Joel slammed his mouth shut while not bothering to hide his smile.
“Anyway,” Joel began again. “It sounds to me like you’re going to leave Catrina very disappointed.”
“She’ll get over whatever it is she had on her mind.” He let out a gruff sigh. “I’m just kind of over it.”
“It as in her…” Joel took another bite. “Or the lifestyle? Because there are a lot of hers in your Rolodex.”
“I’m not that bad.” Sam straightened in his chair as he thought about the women he’d slept with over the years. There weren’t that many. There certainly could have been a lot more. “It’s not like I slept with a different woman every night.”
“Right. Just a different one every season.” Joel’s mouth twisted, and he gave his brother a wink.
“There’s only four seasons in a year so I suddenly don’t sound so bad.” Sam laughed, knowing his brother was letting him off lightly.
“Does this have anything to do with the new girl in town?” Joel scratched his chin and pushed away his empty plate. “You know, like Autumn’s best friend?”
“I don’t know what my sudden disinterest has to do with.” Sam cleared his throat and took a sip of Coke just as the door to the café swung open. “Oh, no.”
“What?” Joel’s brow arched and he turned in his seat to follow Sam’s gaze. “Speak of the devil.”
“Yes, I would say that’s an accurate description at this point,” Sam grumbled under his breath as Catrina came bounding over, red hair bouncing below her shoulders.
“I thought I saw you two head over here for lunch.” She slid into the empty seat next to Joel while never taking her eyes off of Sam. She crumbled a bit of Joel’s peanut butter cookie into her hand and took a bite. “I’m so glad I got you alone.”
“Why’s that?” Sam asked, straightening in his chair. She obviously didn’t care if he was alone since his brother was sitting right next to her. She just didn’t want him with Dina.
“Well, I knew you wanted to escape last night and couldn’t.” A sardonic smile dripped from her bright red lips, which only turned Sam’s stomach. What did he ever see in her? “So I thought I’d see what you’re up to tonight? I’m only in town for a couple days and—”
Sam sucked on his bottom lip as Joel sat silently, still stung that his peanut butter cookie was no longer whole.
“I’m actually busy.” Sam forced a smile. His intention wasn’t to hurt Catrina’s feelings, but he also knew he couldn’t give her an inch.
“With that woman?” Her cool eyes settled on Sam’s.
“Not that it’s your business, but yes.”
“She’s not your type,” Catrina quipped and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I don’t think my brother has a type.” Joel said, glancing between the two of them.
“Oh, he does.” Catrina nodded. “And she’s not it.”
“I’m sorry, Catrina.” Sam rubbed his hands together. “I didn’t know you were coming to town, or I would have told you over the phone. I’m turning over a new leaf, so to speak.”
“I would have called, but it was a last minute trip. Some new bridal shop opened up, and my boss wanted me to see about selling in some overpriced Italian stilettos that all brides would die for.”
Pure delight whipped through Sam as he sat staring at Catrina. She didn’t have a chance at sealing that deal.
“I’m assuming you haven’t been there yet?” Sam asked as his brother stifled a laugh. “To the shop, I mean.”
Catrina rolled her eyes and glanced at her watch. “I don’t have to be there for another hour.”
Sam relaxed in his chair, certain that Dina would have a field day once Catrina showed up for her appointment. He really wanted to be a fly on that wall, but he knew better than to get in the middle unless absolutely necessary.
“We could make good use of those sixty minutes, you know.” Catrina’s eyes stayed on Sam, and for the first time in a long time, he actually realized how awful the sexual dance could be. He usually was so focused on the end result that he must have tuned out how he’d gotten there. And the worst part was that his brother was sitting at the table to witness the entire thing.
Sam shook his head. “I’ve got work to do on the new ski run. In fact, my brother and I were just going over some of the contractor information when—”
Surprise plastered Catrina’s expression and she cut him off. “Whatever Sam North. Your loss.”
“It is. I fully admit that and I’m sorry that—”
Not intending to listen to a second more, she stood and grabbed the rest of Joel’s peanut butter cookie before leaving the table in a huff.
“Well, that went well.” Sam sat back in the chair, suddenly feeling a million times lighter.
“Such a complicated life you lead.” Joel shook his head, staring at his empty cookie plate.
“It does suddenly seem that way.” Sam bobbed his right leg and glanced behind him to make sure she’d really left. “I almost feel sorry for Catrina.”
“Why’s that?” Joel asked.
“She doesn’t have a clue what she’s walking into.” Sam couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.
“So I take it the run-in didn’t go so well last night?” Joel cocked his head.
“Yup, but you already know that because the bartenders, I’m sure, filled you in.” Sam twiddled his thumbs and laughed. “It really goes to show that a person ought to play nice with others.”
“I think that’s a good rule to live by.” Joel glanced back at the bakery counter. “I’m gonna go buy another peanut butter cookie and then we’ll head back?”
“Can you grab me one too?”
Joel nodded, and Sam finally let out the breath he’d been holding in. He had really hoped he wouldn’t run into Catrina again, but he was glad it happened here and not when he was with Dina.
And all this encounter did was solidify how much he liked Dina. She stood on her own two feet, but she also had a softness about her that he found endearing. She was genuine and kind, and he wanted to slug himself for not caring about those qualities before.
Joel slid the cookie in front of Sam and sat back down.
“Are you going to stop by Dina’s store?” He looked at his phone. “Say in about thirty minutes?”
Sam laughed and ate the cookie in three bites. “No. I’m going to show restraint, but I think I’m gonna head out early for the day to get ready for later.”
“Is that so?”
“Seems only fair since I’ve been married to my job for over a decade. Maybe an afternoon off wouldn’t kill me.”
“That’s my motto. Besides, I’m taking Oscar to the vet later.”
“Everything okay?”
Sam loved his brother’s dog. He’d always wanted to bring a puppy into his own life, but he knew how much work they required and as much as he worked, he didn’t think it would be fair, at least not until he tried out some work-life balance.
“Yeah. Just his annual. He’s due for shots. Anyway, I might as well take off now.” Joel stood up and looked at his brother. “And Autumn wanted me to remind you to play fair.”
Sam’s eyes widened. “She was the one warning me about her friend, and now I have to play fair?”
Sam was tempted to turn down the sidewalk in the opposite direction and poke his head inside Dina’s shop, but he knew he didn’t dare. Dina could handle herself, and she certainly would, so instead, he hiked up to the parking lot with his brother.
“I’m just the messenger.” Joel grinned, and Sam smacked his shoulder.
“Sure you are, buddy.” After today’s lunch, Sam realized a couple of things. He was tired of sleeping with women who didn’t offer something more, and he was tired of thinking he might want something more when he knew he wasn’t cut out for it. He couldn’t even make room for a dog in his life, for cryin’ out loud.
“But please let Autumn know that I’ll behave myself. I have absolutely no intention of sleeping with Dina Romano.” But as the words floated through the air, he swore he could still taste the sweetness of her lips from last night.