Love Locked

by Britney M. Mills

  Colter took pictures, but Hunter was the one who’d been fiddling with wood since he was young, scavenging it from anywhere he could find it and building things. He would be her best bet.

  Lauren pulled up Kassidy’s number and dialed, tapping her leg in the hopes that her friend would answer. To get twenty-five frames made in thirty-six hours was going to be a feat, but she’d run over and do her best to help if that would pull this whole plan together.

  “Hey, Laur. What are you up to today? We missed you last night.” Her voice had that questioning curiosity so prevalent to Kassidy, and Lauren shook it off.

  “Yeah, I got stuck in some traffic coming back from Fort Collins. Did you not get my text?”

  “No, nothing came through last night. I’m just glad you’re okay. I was worried when you weren’t at the dinner and Walker was too agitated to talk. I can only imagine he was worried and mad you weren’t there.”

  Lauren winced. She recalled his face from the night before and pushed it out of her mind before she lost all hope of showing him how much she cared. “Can I get Hunter’s number? I have a big project I need to see if he’ll do for me by tomorrow.”

  “Sure, I’ll text it over. Anything I can help with?”

  Lauren looked at her list. “I think that’s about it for now. Depending on his answer, I might need your help with it too.” She thought for a moment. “If you have time to drive to Jackson with me tonight, I would appreciate the company.”

  “What’s in Jackson?”

  “I’m getting those pictures of Colter’s printed, and I was hoping Hunter could help make the frames for them. I don’t know if Walker will ever forgive me for not showing up last night, but I hope this can be some sort of a peace offering.”

  Silence caused Lauren to pause, and she pulled her phone away to see if she still had service. The call was still connected, and Kassidy finally spoke. “You love him, don’t you?”

  Hearing it from her best friend’s mouth put things into perspective, causing a type of resolve to build inside her. “I do. And I might end up heartbroken for Christmas, but I hope this shows just how much he means to me. Dreams and all.”

  “I hope he listens. If he doesn’t, he’s passing up the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him.”

  Lauren thanked her and hung up. She didn’t have time to dwell on that now. She needed to get moving in order to have everything ready for showtime tomorrow.

  Chapter 28

  Walker moved slower than normal while getting up on Tuesday morning, trying to work the sore muscles in his shoulders and back from the last week of repairs and tension. It had taken longer than he wanted to fall asleep, and every time he closed his eyes, he could see the disappointment on Lauren’s face after he’d told her to leave.

  He’d been so angry at the thought of her leaving that he couldn’t get past it even when she showed up, telling him she was staying in Coldwater Creek. He just wished she’d said something, anything. Because everything he’d gone through over the past few days felt a lot like what he’d gone through before Cara had officially broken things off. But this time, he knew there was no hope of his heart staying intact if it were to happen with Lauren.

  He’d seen a voicemail on his phone the day before, but he hadn’t had time to listen to it as he’d gone to his parents’ home in search of easy but delicious dessert recipes. His mother had worked with him to have six different options. He’d gotten that put onto the menu and sent to the printer, trashing the copies he’d received the Friday before.

  Maybe he should postpone the opening day. So many things seemed to be pulling at his attention, and he wasn’t sure if everything would be finished by that night. He’d heard Lauren working in the lodge the day before, and it seemed like the Christmas décor was ready at the lodge. Everything except a Christmas tree. It was too late to get one before tonight, but he’d have to make a trip to the mountains this weekend. He knew he’d get enough questions from guests asking why he didn’t have a tree next to the large windows in the great room.

  Shaking off the doubts, he got out of bed, knowing he’d have to pick up the food order from the butcher and the grocer today. If he did that this morning, he would have plenty of time to make sure he had everything he needed. But would anyone show up?

  He’d done a lot by word of mouth, and he knew his family was telling everyone about the opening of the new restaurant, but he mentally kicked himself. Why hadn’t he thought to get all that done and ready to go out while he’d been snowed in?

  He knew why. Those eyes that haunted him, that pulled him in and held his interest. But she was just like Cara. Could he count on her to be there for the difficult moments of his life?

  While dressing, he pressed the voicemail button and entered his code, putting it on speaker so he could hear it in his closet. After the automated voice told him the details of the call, he heard Lauren’s voice.

  At first, anger filled him, but then everything began to click, and he realized what a fool he’d been.

  “You are probably the greatest man alive, and I just need to make it through this traffic so I can get back to Coldwater Creek. I’m rooting everything goes smoothly, and I’ll see you when I get—” and then a beep sounded, ending the message.

  He pressed the button to listen to it again, this time sitting on the edge of his bed. He didn’t know how she really felt about him, but piecing together the message with the look of hope and remorse on her face Sunday evening, he knew it was worth taking a chance on her. It wasn’t easy to deny his feelings for her, and he just hoped he wasn’t too late to tell her.

  He dialed her number, hoping she would answer. But after several rings, it went straight to voicemail. He dialed Kassidy next and finally heard her voice when he was sure the message would come on.

  “What’s up, Walker? Are you all ready for tonight?” Kassidy sounded breathless like she’d been running.

  “It will be. Are you at the bank today?”

  “No, I took the day off. I have a, uh, lot to catch up on for, um, this project I’m working on, so I need to get back to it. Was there something you needed?”

  Walker ran his hand through his hair, wondering if he should even hint to his sister that he loved her best friend. But Lauren was also his employee. He could ask about her without any certain suspicions.

  “Have you seen Lauren? I wasn’t sure what time she was coming in today, but she didn’t pick up my call.”

  “She told me she’d be busy getting more Christmas decorations for the lodge.” Kassidy’s words sounded rehearsed, and Walker wondered what would cause that.

  “Okay, well, if you do see her, tell her to give me a call.” He hung up, buttoning the last of his shirt and walking out to grab his coat.

  “Stay here, Bear. I’ll be back in a bit with all the food.” He just hoped he’d have enough room to make it in one trip with his pickup. After this first week, he’d need to look into some type of delivery service so he didn’t have to worry about things like that.

  He took one more glance around the lodge, seeing little touches of Lauren everywhere. They made him smile, and the urge to tell her how he felt rose within him. Some way or another, he would find a moment alone with her and tell her. He may as well know now if she reciprocated his feelings or not, just so he could move on if she didn’t.

  But he couldn’t help but hope she felt the same.

  Chapter 29

  Lauren crumpled into a heap on the old couch out in the McBride’s workshop. She’d gotten only a few hours of sleep between driving up to Jackson and back and then helping Hunter with the frames. She’d worked to help him measure things out, making the cutting go by much faster, but the clock was ticking, and she just hoped she’d be able to pull it off.

  “These look amazing,” Kassidy said, coming through the door. She’d helped a bit the night before but had done some of the errands Lauren had begged her to do, allowing Lauren to help out on this huge task she’d asked of one o
f Walker’s twin brothers.

  “Don’t they? How many have we done, Hunter?”

  A compressed staple gun went off. “This is number twenty-three out of twenty-five. We’re almost there.” He gave them a quick glance before focusing on the next part of the frame. There were several different sizes. Lauren just hoped they’d done them all correctly.

  “Will you help me put the prints in the frames? We’ll have to get Mr. Turner down at the glass company to cut us some after the holidays. I would hate to ruin any of these prints.” Lauren pulled out one picture of a field, the large mountains looming in the background. It was just barely sunup, and the light from the first rays of sun made the scene look magical.

  Kassidy stood next to her, oohing and ahhing about each one as they settled them into the frames. Too bad Lauren hadn’t acted on this plan the day she and Kassidy had talked about it. She could have had them completely finished. But then again, her bank account would be in the red.

  Nerves welled up in her. What if Walker didn’t like them? What if he was really done with her? What would she do?

  She pushed those thoughts away, being only hours away from the opening of the Silver Brook Lodge and Restaurant. She wasn’t going to derail all the work everyone had already put in because of a few doubts. If anything, this just bettered the look of the lodge—and hopefully boosted Colter’s name as a photographer.

  “Walker is going to love these. Sometimes I wonder how I’m related to all these siblings with such talent.” Kassidy’s tone soured, and her face puckered like she’d just tasted a lemon.

  “What are you talking about? You’re just as talented as the rest of the McBrides. We just don’t tell you so you won’t get a big head.” Lauren grinned at her and then jumped out of the way to avoid a swing to the shoulder.

  Hunter laughed so hard that the two of them turned to look at him. “That was a good one, Lauren. It’s good to have you back in Coldwater Creek.”

  Lauren smiled. She had felt more at home than ever these past couple of weeks, and she just hoped it continued. Whether or not she and Walker were together, she just hoped he would let her keep her job.

  Thinking about it more, would she survive seeing him day in and day out, knowing how she felt about him and then seeing him date some other faceless woman? She may as well get a job at the grocery store if she was going to torture herself.

  Breathing out slowly, she ticked off the mental list. All she needed to get done now was to put ribbons around each of the framed prints and get them over to the lodge without any damage. And without Walker knowing anything about it.

  Chapter 30

  Four o’clock came, and Walker’s stomach was a giant ball of nerves. He hadn’t seen any of his family all day, which was unusual since at least one of them had stopped by every day since the snow had been cleared from the roads. This was his big day. Was everyone going to disappoint him?

  He couldn’t remember how many times he’d checked his phone, hoping to see something from Lauren, but he should’ve known better. He was the reason she’d left, and he was the reason she’d been avoiding him at all costs. What would help him convince her that he was sorry?

  Well, it would be nice to see her first, to actually talk to her face-to-face, even though those emerald eyes of hers would probably jumble every word in his brain.

  The cooking and wait staff had shown up, and all of them were preparing for opening night. Several of the ones in the kitchen were chopping and prepping different ingredients, all of which would make it easier to get the food cooked and out to the guests in a reasonable time frame. Walker tried to take his mind off Lauren by making sure several of the desserts he’d made earlier that day had set.

  A door swung open and sounded like it hit a wall, causing Walker to investigate. Preston stood in the doorway, bundled up in what looked like every piece of snow clothes he owned.

  “What are you doing?” Walker asked, more curious than annoyed.

  “I need you to, um, come help me check out my, uh, truck. It’s out back, and it’s been acting kind of funny.” Preston shifted from one foot to the other, looking more uncomfortable than ever.

  Shaking his head and frowning, Walker said, “Preston, you have a brother who’s a mechanic. I have to help with the prep in the kitchen. Can’t you go ask Seth?”

  Preston’s eyebrows merged into one long dark caterpillar. “Well, uh, he’s really busy picking up some girl to bring to dinner tonight, so I can’t right now. And I have to go pick up a few other people. Just help me out, man.”

  Knowing his friend wouldn’t leave him alone until he did it, Walker took off his apron and slung his coat over his shoulders, wondering what could have prompted such an awkward display of acting.

  Slapping Preston on the shoulder, he said, “Just don’t quit your day job.” He grinned, and Preston scowled at him as they walked outside.

  “The things I do for my sister,” Preston muttered under his breath.

  Walker stopped. What could that mean?

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you,” his best friend said, causing Walker’s heart to skip a beat. “Is there anything going on between you two?”

  Walker gulped, trying to swallow the lump of guilt that had formed in his throat. “Well, uh, Preston, I’m not sure.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, suddenly sweating in the chilly air. Telling himself he needed to get this over with, he looked into his friend’s eyes and said, “I love your sister, Preston. You probably shouldn’t be the first one to hear that, but it’s the best way I know how to tell you. I’ve watched you torture and scare off guys she’s dated over the years, but I know I can withstand everything you’ve done to them up to this point. I’m not sure if she feels the same, and that’s why I’ve held back from telling you.”

  Preston’s jaw twitched back and forth a bit, causing Walker’s stomach to clench in anticipation of his reaction. A half-smile surfaced, and Preston hit him on the shoulder. “It’s about dang time you figured that out. I always knew you two would be good together, especially when she would sit and listen to you talk about whatever problems you had going on. Sometimes for what felt like forever.”

  “Wait? You’re okay with it?” Walker wasn’t sure how to feel, but his mind spun with the relief that he wasn’t going to lose his best friend over this.

  “You’re a million times better for her than that Cory guy, and I think she knows it. Tell her how you feel, and go from there.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Walker walked back inside, anxious about helping out in the kitchen. Why he’d let his friend talk him into something ridiculous on one of the biggest nights of his life, he’d never know. But at least he finally had Preston’s blessing on a relationship with Lauren, if he could salvage one. He threw his coat on the rack and changed out his snow boots for tennis shoes before heading down the hall, tying his apron around his waist as he walked.

  What he found in the great room caused him to stop in his tracks. There were at least thirty to forty people standing there, and only a couple of them were his family.

  “What are you all doing here?” he asked, trying to find someone who would speak up.

  “We’re here for the restaurant opening and to congratulate you on rebuilding the lodge,” one woman at the front of the group said. She looked somewhat familiar, but he wasn’t sure of her name.

  Kassidy pushed her way to the front and, with hands on hips, said, “We’ve got a big surprise for you.”

  At her words, the crowd parted, and leaning against his recliner chair were stacks of wood. Moving forward, he walked around to find amazing pictures of the Coldwater Creek valley, some of the spots looking more recognizable than others.

  “These are amazing,” he said, pulling another frame toward him. His family’s ranch at dusk stared back at him, causing emotion to rise to his throat. “Who did these?”

  “Colter took the pictures. Hunter and Lauren put together the frames. She’s put in an order for the glass of each one, b
ut it won’t be done until right before Christmas.” Kassidy grinned at him, and when she raised her eyebrows, he knew she was expecting a response.

  Walker stood, looking through the crowd. Only a few whispers could be heard in the room. No sight of the girl his heart belonged to.

  “Where is Lauren?” he asked, feeling impatience surge within him. He needed to talk to her now, to tell her how much he loved her and that this gift was one of the best things he’d ever been given.

  “She said something about running to the kitchen.”

  Walker turned and left without hesitation, hoping the crowd would understand his sudden departure. He burst through the kitchen doors, pulling the attention of everyone except one form with her back to him. Her long ponytail reached the middle of her back, and she looked like she was trying to cut something.

  “What are you doing in here?” His tone came out gruffer than he’d wanted, but it had the effect of turning the rest of the staff back to what they’d been doing.

  Lauren stilled, her breathing slower as the silence stretched on.

  She finally turned around, a potato and a peeler in her hand. “Well, I missed out on helping cook for the first meal. I didn’t want to miss out on opening night.” Her smile was small, hesitant, as if waiting for his reaction.

  The look on her face was innocent and almost hopeful. Walker just hoped it meant what he wanted it to. That she felt the same way he did.

  He maneuvered around the island to stand before her, placing his hands on her upper arms. Her shoulders relaxed somewhat.

  “You made all those pictures for me?” he asked, his voice quiet. Emotion had finally taken over, and he was finding it hard to swallow around the mound that had formed in his throat.