by A. K. Evans
Break the Ice
Road Trip Romance Series: Utah
A.K. Evans
Copyright © 2021 by A.K. Evans
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Cover Artist
Cover artwork © Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations
www.okaycreations.com
Editing & Proofreading
Mackenzie Letson, Nice Girl Naughty Edits
www.nicegirlnaughtyedits.com
Table of Contents
Author’s Note
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Epilogue
Preview of In Plain Sight
Also by A.K. Evans
About the Author
Author’s Note
In case this is your first Road Trip Romance read, I wanted to offer a bit of an explanation about the inspiration behind this series. Some readers have come into the series expecting the couple to be on a road trip, and that’s not the case.
If you’ve read my bio, you might have seen mention of how my husband and I are in the process of taking road trips across the United States with our two sons. Our goal is to visit all 50 states.
It was when we were getting ready to head out one of our trips when I was inspired to write this series. How cool would it be to take my readers on a road trip with me?!?! So, when you read the series title, Road Trip Romance, it’s all about you. I’m taking you on a road trip with me, and together, we’re going to find a happy ending in every state across the United States of America.
My plan is to wait to write a book set in a particular state after I’ve visited it with my family. In the end, I’m hoping to have delivered 50 unique love stories that capture some of the best things about each individual state.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey across the country in search of some happily-ever-after endings. And if you’re looking for a book about a couple on a road trip, I’m sorry, this isn’t that book.
Prologue
Marley
It was rare for me to find myself feeling surprised these days.
Over the last few years, there’d been little that truly captivated me or captured my attention in a way that felt meaningful.
I didn’t exactly know where it stemmed from; maybe I’d simply become jaded.
But right now, as I stared out at the view before me through the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, I was in complete awe.
The beauty before me was absolutely breathtaking, and it blew my mind to think that this place had been here all these years. I never knew it existed.
Actually, that isn’t entirely true.
I knew about this place; I just didn’t know that it was like this. I didn’t know it was this beautiful.
Only a few minutes ago, I’d walked through the door and into this gorgeous home at the peak of the mountain. My friends and I had planned a snowboarding and skiing trip at Hidden Lake Ski Resort, a resort in the Wasatch Mountain range about four hours north of where we all lived in Lily Canyon, Utah.
Every year, for as long as I could remember, my friends and I always made the effort to have regular gatherings. When the discussion of it came up over the summer when we’d all spent a long weekend at Lake Powell, it was decided that we’d take a longer vacation together and take two weeks to snowboard and ski at one of the best resorts in all of Utah this January.
Clearly, we’d made a good choice.
Not only was the view spectacular, an indication that we’d be in for a real treat when we were out on the mountain, but the accommodations were also incredible.
There were eight of us: Faye, Dakota, Bethany, Easton, Ben, Ryder, Mack, and me. We’d managed to make reservations at a private ski-in/ski-out home that could sleep ten people. I’d yet to explore the rest of the home because I had been too mesmerized by the scenery outside the windows.
As I stood there, I was merely grateful for the fact that I’d left home when I did. There was a single road into the resort, and it was a treacherous road under the best of circumstances. It was steep—a fifteen percent grade—and had numerous switchbacks over the nearly twelve-mile stretch of road. The storm we were expected to get had already started, and I was barely able to drive ten miles per hour up to the house.
But I’d made it.
And now I was watching the snow fall, blanketing more of the terrain my friends and I would be exploring over the next two weeks. I couldn’t wait.
I was pulled from my thoughts of the fun I’d have when my phone rang in my purse—the only bag I’d carried into the house so far.
Turning away from the window, I took a few steps back toward the coffee table that was set in the front corner of the house and surrounded by a couch and two chairs where I dropped my purse when I arrived a few minutes ago.
I looked at the display, saw it was Bethany calling, and answered, “Hey. Are you guys almost here?”
The last I knew, Beth, Faye, and Easton were driving up together.
“No. Well, yes, but Marley, we’re stuck.”
Crap.
Bad weather. But they knew what was required to navigate the roads here.
“Whose car are you driving?” I asked.
“We’re in Easton’s SUV,” she answered.
“And you got stuck?” I questioned her. That made no sense, because Easton was very particular about his vehicle. There was no doubt he had put snow tires on and probably even chains.
“No. We’re not physically stuck in the snow, but the highway is shut down. From what we’re hearing, there’s a massive pile-up a couple of miles ahead, and we’re at a standstill,” Beth explained.
Well, that was going to suck.
“So, you have no idea how long you’re going to be there,” I surmised.
“We haven’t moved for the last hour.”
“That’s horrible,” I replied. “I just got here a little while ago, and let me tell you, the place is incredible. If nothing else, I can promise you the wait is going to be worth it.”
I listened while Beth relayed my words to Faye and Easton. Then she said, “Let’s hope we get moving soon. I can’t wait for this vacation. After the way work has been for the last month, I’ve been dying for this trip.”
I let out a laugh. “I’ll keep the place warm for you. Have you talked to anyone else?”
I did my best to keep my voice neutral and indifferent, but Beth knew where I was going with it.
“I talked to Dakota a few minutes ago to let her know our status, but she said that she and Ben hadn’t left yet. They’ll probably be late, as usual.”
Dakota and Ben were the two in our group who were dating one another. For years, they’d just been friends like the rest of us, but about a year ago, they took things to the next level. Ever since, they never showed up anywhere on time. We had
all sort of figured out the reason for that had everything to do with their newfound physical relationship.
Following a brief pause, Beth continued, “Faye reached out to Ryder when I was on with Dakota. He said he was about two hours into his journey. He hasn’t gotten quite as far as us, so he’s going to try to find another route.”
“Right. And he and Mack are traveling together, right?” I confirmed.
“As far as I know,” she returned. “He didn’t say they weren’t, and that had been the plan all along.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
At least Ryder would be here if the rest of the crew didn’t show up first.
That was probably the only surprising thing in my life lately. I had a group of friends that I saw regularly, yet there was one I only managed to be around simply because we had the same group of friends.
But he and I weren’t friends.
Not anymore.
Mack Slater.
The man who used to be my friend until he betrayed me in the worst way imaginable.
For a long time after I learned the truth about what he’d done to me, I stayed away. I didn’t talk to him about it; he didn’t deserve my time.
I didn’t share it with anyone else, either. They asked, but I couldn’t do it. Maybe that was because I was embarrassed by it. Maybe it was because it hurt too much to know a friend could do what he did. Or maybe it was something else entirely.
Maybe it was that I’d fallen in love with him all those years ago, and just when I built up the courage to share my feelings with him, I realized I’d fallen for a man who would never love me back.
Everything about our friendship had been a fraud.
Our mutual friends knew that there was something awkward and tense between us. They’d asked me about it, the girls wondering how they could help and the guys clearly seeking answers for Mack.
I didn’t know why he played stupid. He knew what he did.
That was probably why I eventually found a way to not stay away. Everyone else in the crew was my friend. I wasn’t going to let Mack be the reason I didn’t see them any longer. He might have been successful in destroying the friendship I thought we had, but he wasn’t going to take away the rest of my friends.
So, I put up with him being present when we were all together. I didn’t speak to him, and he eventually realized it was best to steer clear of me.
It wouldn’t exactly be easy with just Ryder here with us—assuming they arrived before everyone else—but it was infinitely better than being alone with Mack. That was something that hadn’t happened since we were in high school.
“Alright, well, I guess I’m going to go check out the rest of the place, attempt to drag my suitcase in, and wait for all of you to arrive,” I said. “Keep me posted on your progress.”
“I will. Hope to see you soon,” Beth replied.
I disconnected the call with her, dropped my phone back into my purse, and went about exploring the rest of the house.
The place we were staying wasn’t the typical house. From the exterior, it could only be described as a contemporary cabin. That look continued on the inside of the home. It had knotty pine tongue-and-groove ceilings, and any wall that wasn’t a window also had that same finish. The floors were stained concrete, and the floor plan on the main level could only be described as open concept. There was a fireplace on one wall with cozy couches surrounding it. A wooden table with a wooden bench on one side, three seats on the other, and a chair at either end fit in the open space just off to the left-hand side of the kitchen that had more counter space than I would ever know what to do with. I was immediately in love with it.
Rounding out the main living space was a cozy corner that seemed slightly separated from the rest of the area and had several bean bag chairs on the floor, a television hung on the wall, and a bunch of board games on the shelving unit beneath the television.
With the exception of the half bathroom I’d passed when I walked through the front door, the only additional space on the main level was the covered deck with the gas firepit. It looked like the perfect place to cozy up after a long day on the mountain.
Having finished my perusal of the main floor, I took the steps downstairs to the bedrooms. It only made sense to put the bedrooms on the bottom floor. The views from the main floor were just too impressive.
Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t any windows on the lower level. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the first of the bedrooms to find an impressive wall of picture windows. The lower level consisted of two bedrooms with king-sized beds and full bathrooms. The third and fourth bedrooms had twin bunks and full bathrooms as well.
I was sure that Dakota and Ben would end up in one of the king beds, so it would just be a matter of figuring out where everyone else would sleep once the rest of the crew arrived. As I walked down the hall to check out the second king bedroom, I stopped in my tracks.
A suitcase was there.
It wasn’t a suitcase that had been tucked to the side or in a closet.
This suitcase indicated that someone was here.
Either that, or someone had checked out of the place and left a suitcase behind. But I knew that didn’t make sense. The place had been cleaned. There was no way they would have left someone else’s belongings here.
Just then, I heard the front door open above me.
Shit.
Did I come to the wrong house?
I didn’t want to think I’d walked up to the wrong one—there were several luxury homes at the summit of Hidden Lake, so it was entirely possible I’d made a mistake. But that didn’t make sense either. This home had keyless entry. I’d entered the code to get in.
Worried that something was wrong, I quickly moved back to the stairs and climbed them. Nothing could have prepared me for what, or better yet, who, I saw when I reached the top.
Mack was standing in the kitchen. His eyes came to mine, and the two of us stood there in silence, simply staring at one another.
How was he even here? Where was Ryder?
I tore my attention away from Mack, walked toward the front door, and looked out. Maybe Ryder was coming behind him.
In the back of my mind, there was that voice telling me it was wishful thinking. Beth had just shared that Ryder hadn’t gotten as far as they had. There was no way he’d made it here yet.
This made no sense, and I started to panic.
I didn’t know how he knew what I was up to, but the next three words that came out of Mack’s mouth were absolutely not what I wanted to hear.
“It’s just me.”
Those were the first words Mack had spoken directly to me in years. I hated each and every one of them.
One
Marley
Five years ago
Practice makes perfect.
That’s how the saying goes. And I couldn’t agree more with that sentiment.
I only wished I knew it to be so accurate because I’d honed some incredible skill. Like juggling. I always envied people who could juggle. I was lucky if I could toss one ball up in the air and catch it, let alone three of four. Juggling would have been something much more enjoyable to practice. At least the frustration I’d feel when I didn’t succeed would be justified.
While there were certain things I’d practiced over the years that came easily, especially with regard to my career, there was one thing in particular that didn’t.
And I’d been practicing for years. It wasn’t easy, not at all. I’m not sure I’d done anything more difficult than this.
I practiced so hard, though. Eventually, practice made perfect.
Finally.
I’d finally perfected the art of pretending.
Pretending I didn’t care that I had no choice. Pretending like it didn’t still cut me like a knife every time I saw him. Pretending to be unaffected.
It had been ten years now, and boy, I struggled in the beginning.
God, it was hard.
In fact, I’d spent several months completely avoiding everyone because I’d been so hurt by what he’d done. If I could no longer trust him after all those years, how could I possibly trust that anybody else would stick by my side?
But once I got through the depressing and sad state of being immediately after he’d betrayed me, I got angry. And getting angry was way better. Once I’d reached that stage, I was finally able to see that I deserved more. He might have destroyed our friendship, but he wasn’t going to take all my friends away from me. After all that I’d experienced up until the point it became clear to me just what kind of person Mack was, I knew just how important it was to hold on to the people who’d proved how loyal they were to me.
So, with fury and rage fueling me, I had a newfound sense of determination. That’s when I started pretending. Or, that was when I started practicing how to pretend.
The unfortunate truth was that with the same group of friends, completely avoiding him wasn’t an option.
That would have been nice. It would have been so much easier if I didn’t need to pretend at all. Not only could I have fully immersed myself from the beginning in so many more activities with my true friends, but I also might have had a fighting chance of finding a way to heal.
But some wounds were just too deep. And even if I put all the care and attention into attempting to heal those wounds, I’d never be successful. The pain was always going to be there, even if nobody else knew it existed.
