Lucy McConnell's Snow Valley Box Set

by Lucy McConnell

  “You probably didn’t mess it up. We’re the only ones dumb enough to do that.” Carl patted his shoulder and took his seat too.

  “Hey, I got a bite.” Brad jumped for his line and began to reel in the fish. The distraction worked, easing the worry off Grady’s face.

  Troy wished the first catch of the night had done the same for him. He thought he had marriage figured out and knew it wasn’t for him, but seeing the guys turn to mush over their women and their kids told him he’d missed something important. He had the sneaking suspicion that if he was going to be happy with any woman, that woman would be Chloe, and he didn’t like the idea of dropping the ball.

  They’d worked late hours together, doing dirty jobs and going home exhausted. Not once had the shine gone off her smile. Nor his, for that matter. Somehow, a late-night repair job had become one of his favorite emergencies over the last several months. Chloe would order pizza delivery, always getting half meat lovers for him and half veggie for her. He didn’t even care when her green peppers crossed the line. If his pepperoni got on her piece, she picked it off and set it in the box. He’d snatch it up and eat it, just to see her wrinkle her nose at him.

  What if dinner could be like that every night? What if he could tickle her into giggles and then kiss her into the bedroom?

  Brad’s fish splashed its way out of the hole, and everyone cheered. They took a picture and released it back into the water.

  Troy watched its tail swagger side to side before it was gone, and he felt sad. At the end of the week, instead of keeping Chloe as his fiancée, he’d have to let her go. The idea didn’t sit well, and he spent the rest of the night listening to the married men share stories about how great it was to be married—as if being a husband was their crowning glory.

  Maybe it was. And maybe, just maybe, Troy was missing out on the whole point of being engaged.

  Chapter 17

  Chloe

  “Where are we going?” Chloe clenched her teeth together to keep them from chattering. She wore a pair of sweats over a borrowed swimsuit and an unlaced pair of snow boots as they tromped through the snow. Solar landscaping lights lit what must be a path, but Chloe couldn’t see it for the packed white stuff crunching under her feet.

  “You’ll see.” Ronnie grinned. She had a bag of towels over her shoulder. “You’re going to love this.”

  Chloe let her teeth chatter to prove her point. “If this is some kind of hazing into your family, I’m not inviting you two to the wedding.”

  Ronnie and Candace laughed, the sound bouncing over the mounds of fresh snow. The two of them didn’t look a thing alike, but they were on the same wavelength more often than not. A closeness like that may have left Chloe feeling like an outsider, but she didn’t. They made sure she was right there with them all evening long as they ate burgers, fries, and peppermint shakes at Big C’s.

  A quick storm had run through town while they were at the welcome party. The party had gone for four hours. It was only supposed to go for two, but when the people of Snow Valley had the chance to get together, they took advantage of it.

  The other girls in the party scampered ahead, eager and full of giggles. Some of them were Ronnie’s cousins and cousins-in-law; others had gone to high school with the bride.

  Even though Chloe hadn’t grown up with them, they were all really nice and included her. The fact that Ronnie and Candace hung with her helped her feel a part of things. She was struck once again how blessed Troy was to have a tribe so large, and was thankful to be a part of it—even if her part was temporary.

  “I hope the guys are okay.” They’d taken off on snowmobiles an hour before with nothing more than a cooler of drinks and some fishing poles. She hadn’t been ice fishing, but the idea made her nervous. What if one of them fell in? What if it was Troy? Her heart shuddered at the thought. None of the other ladies seemed all that concerned.

  Candace stuck out her tongue. “They’re fine. Mom sent up a batch of rolls and some leftover snacks from the party.”

  “It’s so cold.” Chloe rubbed her gloved hands up and down her arms for emphasis. She was moving and still cold; the guys were sitting in chairs.

  “They have a heater.” Ronnie hooked her arm around Chloe’s neck. “Trust me, they’re happy in their cold tent surrounded by ice and snow.” She broke into a grin. “But we are going to heat things up.” They rounded a bend, and a beautiful sight lay before them.

  Chloe gasped. A warm spring cut a wide path through the snow. The landscape rocks, smooth and flat, were warm enough to be clear of snow and ice too. More landscape rocks outlined the large pool that had been created by a talented landscape artist. There were lanterns and fairy lights hung over the water, giving enough light to see by but not obstructing the blanket of stars in the inky winter sky. The steam from the water mingled with their breath, and the crisp smell of fresh snow hung in the air.

  “Where did this come from?” Chloe grinned.

  Candace shrugged. “It’s owned by the Snow Family but they let us borrow it for the night.”

  Chloe followed the others’ example and stood at the edge of the snow and rocks to remove her boots. She stepped onto the rocks and moaned in pleasure at the warmth that seeped into her bones.

  Carry, a cousin who had come in from college, ran for the water and did a cannonball. The ladies cheered as she surfaced, her cheeks bright red. “Come on.” She waved for everyone else to get in.

  Chloe stripped down to the black one-piece Candace had loaned her. She folded her clothes and set them on the rock, thinking how great it would be to put them on after a swim if they were warmed.

  “Check it!” Ashley, a local girl and friend of the bride, swam to the other side, where trays of goodies had been set up.

  Chloe squinted to make out the small pies, cupcakes, and brownies. “Are these from that bakery I saw on Main Street?” She couldn’t get the stained-glass effect from sugar pieces out of her head.

  Candace shimmied. “You know it.”

  Chloe groaned. “I’ve eaten so much food this weekend I won’t be able to fit into my dress tomorrow.” She stepped gingerly into the warm water and found it not as hot as a hot tub, but warmer than body temp. She crouched down and kicked to the other side.

  “Like you have to worry—you’re stunning,” said Dianne, another cousin, as she chomped into an éclair. “I’m still working off my baby weight from the twins.” Chloe remembered seeing their little family at the welcome dinner. Both parents had zombie expressions and the twins were passed around for everyone to admire and compare. They were too cute, but she could only imagine the effort it took to take care of them. Dianne’s mom and dad were caring for the babies tonight. No one seemed as eager for a night off as Dianne had when she climbed into the van.

  “All diets are off,” declared Ronnie. “I’ll have no one counting calories tonight. Understood?”

  Several ladies saluted while another couple clapped. Chloe found it funny that the bachelor party had ten guys but the bachelorette party had almost three times that.

  Candace stood up on a rock to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, now that we’re settled, I have a surprise.” She pointed a remote to the wall of a treehouse that wasn’t far away. Three seconds passed, and nothing happened … and then the cover for Two Weeks Notice lit up the white paint. The ladies lifted their arms and cheered.

  “Give me some Hugh Grant, baby,” called a girl Chloe hadn’t been introduced to.

  They all giggled as the opening credits started and the music floated through the steam. Candace had done an excellent job planning the evening. It was no wonder she’d snuck out of the welcome party early. She’d obviously taken her role as maid of honor seriously.

  Candace settled next to Chloe on one of the hip-high rocks. “How’s this for initiation into the family?” She grinned lazily, sinking lower and letting her head rest against the boulder behind them.

  “I think I could get used to this.” Chloe copied
her posture and found that the position was quite comfortable.

  Candace floated her hands across the surface of the gently moving water. The current wasn’t strong enough to pull them off the rock. Instead, it cradled them, lifting their knees and arms slightly away from their bodies. The sound of the water, the vast amount of food in her tummy, and the easy acceptance from those around her lulled Chloe into a state of bliss.

  “I wish Troy were here,” she mumbled. He’d love the warm water, and he worked so hard that he deserved a chance to just unwind. Then again, Troy without his shirt on was one temptation she didn’t need.

  Ronnie giggled as she found a place on the rock. “You guys getting tired of the supply closet?”

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “We weren’t making out.”

  She lifted her hands, flicking water over the dry rocks. “Hey, you don’t have to cover up with me. Grady and I can make out in a walk-in freezer. We don’t care.”

  Candace shoved Ronnie. “Stop! You guys are so bad.”

  Ronnie laughed. “Yeah, but we don’t get caught by Natalie Lawson.”

  Candace shoved Chloe. “Of all the people to get caught by—she’s the worst.”

  Chloe wrinkled her forehead in question.

  “She works at Dove’s, so she can get information out fast. Not that she says anything that’s not kind—she just talks to people.”

  Chloe groaned. “It’s not like we had a choice who caught us.”

  “Ha!” Ronnie smacked the top of the water. “So you were making out.”

  Chloe mimed locking her lips. The three of them burst into giggles just as Sandra Bullock appeared on screen.

  Ronnie floated closer and lowered her voice. “I’m glad Troy was smart enough to see how great you are.”

  “Yeah.” Candace leaned in. “We were beginning to wonder about his dating intelligence level. You totally brought up his batting average.”

  Chloe bit back her snarky comment about Amy dropping it down. The heavy silence said more than she could have said out loud, and they all giggled, knowing exactly what—or whom—she was thinking about.

  “Seriously, though, when did you know he was the one?” asked Candace.

  Chloe bit her lip. “So, I totally thought he was cute when we interviewed.” She glanced back and forth between the sisters. “And I sort of crushed on him for a while.” She tipped her head up; the stars were bigger and brighter out here, creating a sense of being very small in a large picture. She took a deep breath. “I don’t think I can pick one moment. Love’s a mash-up of a thousand moments, ya know?” Crap, did she just throw the L-word out there?

  Ronnie nodded sagely. Candace swiped at her lower lashes. “Okay, you’re officially my favorite sister-in-law.”

  “That’s encouraging,” quipped Chloe, “considering I’m your only one.” They shared another giggle.

  “Hey, I can’t hear my Hugh,” complained the lady who had drooled when the movie started.

  “Shh!” added several others. Chloe cleared her throat and focused on the movie. Candace snatched a brownie, and Ronnie moved off to socialize with the other guests—quietly, so everyone could hear her Hugh.

  As the movie played out, Chloe thought about her answer. She hadn’t been in love with Troy when he picked her up on Thursday, but she certainly felt something for him now. The way he made butterflies take flight inside of her stomach was too strong to ignore or put off. She was definitely into Troy. She wasn’t sure what label to put on her emotions, though. And she wasn’t sure labeling anything was a good idea. She was in a hot spring, for the love of Pete, surrounded by fairy lights and chocolate. This was no place to make a rational decision about the way she felt.

  She should wait until she was home and life was back to coveralls and invoices to decide if what she felt was more than being swept away in wedding romance.

  That was it. She’d just put off deciding anything and enjoy the wedding. Having decided not to decide, she reached for a miniature pecan pie and watched Hugh drive Sandra crazy.

  Chapter 18

  Troy

  Troy slowly opened the front door of his parents’ house, reminding him of when he’d sneak in after a Saturday night out with the boys. The house lights were off and he didn’t want to wake anyone. Tomorrow was the wedding, and his mom needed sleep. She had been the most gracious of hosts this afternoon at the party. However, he’d caught her taking Extra Strength Tylenol in the alcove about halfway through. There were bags under her eyes, and the moment before she saw him, she looked fifteen years older.

  He pulled himself through the smallest of openings and locked the door behind him with a sigh. The bachelor party was a success. They’d caught fifteen fish, drunk more soda than was good for them, and devoured all the snacks his mom had so thoughtfully packed. Grady was geared up and ready to get married, looking forward to it, even.

  Someone jiggled the door handle and he jumped back, his hand over his heart. Who …? He yanked the door open quickly and found a surprised Chloe glaring right back at him. Candace was digging through her purse for her keys. Their cheeks were flushed, their skin plump. He’d bet an engine rebuild they’d spent the evening in the hot springs. An image of Chloe lounging in the warm water, her hair floating out around her and her eyes soft with contentment, had him staring.

  “Hey.” Candace shoved past him. “Let us in, will you?” She rubbed her upper arms.

  He stepped aside and motioned for Chloe to come in too. She did, brushing against him in the process and stirring a desire in his chest to hold her.

  Candace turned on her phone flashlight. She hugged Chloe. “Thanks for coming. It was more fun with you there.”

  Chloe hugged her tight. “Thanks for saying that.”

  Candace yawned. “I’m exhausted.” She headed for the hallway. “I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

  “’Night,” they whispered in unison.

  Troy stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for Chloe. All the talk about having someone to hold at night had really done a number on him. “Are you tired?”

  She twisted her mouth. “I was when we were getting out of the pool, but that was a cold ride home.”

  He grinned. “At least you had a car. I was on a snowmobile.”

  She pouted out her lower lip. “Oh, was the big, tough fisherman cold?”

  He scowled. “No. I’m a man. We don’t get cold.”

  She chucked as she pulled off her hat and scarf and hung them on the hooks. She had on a pair of his sweatpants and a hoodie. They hung off her, but he liked seeing her in them nonetheless. He’d never be able to put them on again without remembering the image of her tight curls falling over her shoulder and her eyes bright.

  She headed to the kitchen and started a mug of water for hot chocolate. “Maybe this will help me sleep.”

  “You’re really not tired?”

  “No. You?”

  He wasn’t. Not at all. “Nope.”

  The microwave beeped, and she pulled out her mug. It was barely ten o’clock. They were such a party family. And Chloe fit right in. Even though he’d had a good time tonight, he wished he could have spent the time with her instead. She was warm, her body soft when he pulled her close this afternoon, and the way she teased him—well, it did crazy things to his heartbeat. He wanted more. He wanted her. And that wanting couldn’t be put off any longer.

  “You know what we need?”

  She spun around to face him, her wonderful curls lifting lightly off her back. “What?”

  “A break from the wedding. We’ll be busy all day tomorrow. We should get away tonight.”

  Chloe checked the time on the clock on the stove. “Is there anything open in Snow Valley at this time of night?”

  Troy grinned. “I can think of one place—but we’re going to need to bundle up.”

  Chloe glanced down at her clothes. On closer inspection, there were wet spots coming through. She must have a swimsuit under there. “I’ll hav
e to change.”

  “Meet me back here in five minutes.” Troy took off for his bedroom, not pausing to see if Chloe was moving. She would. She wasn’t the type to stand around when there was something to do. He liked that about her. He liked a lot of things about her, and right now, he wasn’t liking a lot about himself. An evening away from pretending to be engaged would help both of them relax. They only had one more day to get through.

  He stripped out of his fishing clothes and threw on a clean thermal layer before adding his jeans and a long-sleeved tee. His stomach flipped with excitement. Sharing one of his best memories with Chloe was going to be the highlight of this trip; he could feel it all the way down to his bones.

  Chapter 19

  Chloe

  Chloe rubbed her gloves over her eyes and blinked. “This is nuts.” She laughed right out loud.

  Troy’s smile was as wide as she’d ever seen it. He was happy and that made her body tingle.

  “What? You’ve never been to a Christmas carnival?” he teased.

  “Uh, no. I do my carnival attending in the summer—when it’s warm,” she joked. The temperatures were dropping fast, and she was thankful for the foot and hand warmers Troy had thrust at her. Not to mention the insulated coat and the snow pants he’d borrowed from his sister. She wasn’t sure about the ski goggles hanging around her neck, but he’d insisted they were necessary.

  “You’re missing out.” He grinned, that irresistible, totally sexy grin that made her forget it was cold outside. With a wink, he headed for the ticket booth.

  She’d done a lot of things with Troy that she’d never done before. She’d pretended to be engaged, she’d been kissed until her knees were weak, and she’d gotten jealous over another woman. Who apparently wasn’t a threat, despite the fact that she should come with a warning label. One that said: Warning—will flirt with your date.