by Erica Penrod
Kip’s face softened as he stepped closer and touched her arm. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, and he let go.
“I should’ve asked you before I said anything to the boys.” He backed up, giving her distance. “If it’s all right for them to ride, boots are safer with the stirrups and everything.”
She wiped her eyes, feeling just how warm her face was. “I’ll think about it.”
Just then, Skyler and Elle poked their heads in the doorway. “Please, Cassie. You have to let them ride.”
The little scamps must have been listening to their conversation. She felt a smile tug at her lips at seeing them care about her kids.
Skyler walked in and put her arms around Kip’s waist. “We’ll be careful. We’ll go slowly.”
Elle joined her sister on the other side of her big brother. “Little boots will be so cute!”
Cassie became aware of a new issue with this job: she already cared for the Morgan girls as if they were her little sisters. Little sisters who had a special place in her heart. The kind of place that gave their persuasive smiles and hopeful eyes way too much power.
“I guess, but …” She looked around for some backup, and her eyes met Kip’s. Instead of giving her an out, his brown eyes, like deep mountain soil, buried her.
“If it will make you feel better, I’ll talk to Mom, and she can take it out of your paycheck.”
It was a good compromise. She had few expenses living here, and her salary was more than fair.
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” he said, and in that moment, Cassie knew why he was famous—he always got what he wanted.
* * *
Ten minutes later, she sat in the black Escalade, her seat belt tight, wondering just what she’d gotten herself into. She’d been here less than twenty-four hours and had already sparred with Kip and lost. He was tricky, like a magician with a card trick, and she began to wonder what was up the other sleeve.
The cream-colored leather was cool to the touch and felt nice in one way and odd in another. She’d never felt air-conditioned seats before. The boys were in their car seats in the third row, happily watching a movie on the car’s expensive entertainment system. Cassie and Elle sat in the middle row, while Kip drove, and Skyler sat shotgun. Kip intended Cassie to sit in the passenger seat, until she said she’d rather be closer to the boys.
Her decision became the catalyst of a teenage love triangle between two sisters and the front seat. Kip pulled a quarter from his pocket and said, “Let’s flip for it.” Skyler won the toss, but Elle insisted that it was her turn on the way home.
The ride down the mountain took about fifteen minutes and was a lot smoother than the ride up had been.
“I can’t believe how beautiful it is here,” Cassie said. “I never imagined what it would be like to see snowless ski resorts.”
“It’s always pretty here, no matter what time of year, and busy too,” Elle said. “There are a lot of tourists in the summer. There’s some cool trails for cyclists and hikers.”
“Have you ever been skiing before?” Skyler asked her.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then we’re for sure going once the season starts,” Skyler said, looking back at her. She must’ve noticed Cassie’s apprehension. “That is, if you want to.”
Cassie grinned. “I want to, but I have visions of racing down the slopes on two little boards with only poles to guide me, and then I wonder what it feels like to smash into a tree.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. We’ll start you out on the bunny hill with Rhett and Ryder,” Kip said, and she saw his smile in the rearview mirror. He came to a stoplight. A pack of riders on mountain bikes crossed in front of them. “So what do you think of Park City?”
“I saw it on TV during the Olympics, but I never imagined what it’d look like in the summer months. It’s amazing. I can’t believe how green it is and so many the trees.” She leaned forward to look out the front window. She could smell his cologne, and she inhaled, allowing herself this one tummy flutter—since he wasn’t looking. She cleared her throat. “Has this always been a resort town?”
“Funny you should ask,” Kip said, while his voice deepened into a tour guide pitch. “It was a mining town, once home to one of the largest silver mining camps in the country. But after the price of silver dropped, the town turned to skiing to boost the economy. In the early 1960s, the first resorts opened.” The light turned green, and he continued. “But now, there are more tourists than residents, and of course there’s the Sundance Film Festival.”
“So, do celebrities really live here?” Cassie asked, and then remembered her conversation with Stacy. Her cheeks flushed despite the a/c.
Skyler looked back at Cassie. “Well, you are in the car with reality star Mr. Kip Morgan.” She smacked her lips together and made a kissing noise.
“Knock it off,” Kip said, as he rounded a corner. He squirmed in his seat as if he were uncomfortable with the attention.
“But we have a rule,” Elle said. “When he’s home, he’s just our big brother, and he has to muck stalls just like the rest of us low-status creatures.”
“All right, leave it alone,” Kip said, and glanced back at Cassie. Or maybe he was uncomfortable with the fame. Both options piqued her curiosity before she stuffed those thoughts to the back of her mind.
Last night, after her phone call with Stacy, Cassie thought it was weird that no one mentioned anything about the television show. Not her mom, not Grace, not anyone. Maybe one little online Google session wouldn’t hurt…
They passed little houses huddled together along the streets, as if they knew the winters were cold. Many of them were painted in bright colors with contrasting colored doors. Then they turned onto the historic main street. Old Victorian-styled buildings stood in salute across from each other, and they, too, were dressed in a variety of hues. The road was steep in places, and people of every ethnicity crowded the sidewalks, climbing or descending their way to the sundry of gift shops.
“Let’s get ice cream and fudge when we’re done,” Elle said.
Kip was busy keeping the SUV at a steady crawl as he searched for a parking space. “Okay, Kip?”
“Yeah, sure,” he said, as he pulled up next to a white convertible. The Escalade slid smoothly into the space directly behind the car.
“I hate parallel parking,” Cassie said, as she undid her seat belt.
“It’s not so bad; this car basically does it by itself,” Kip replied.
“As a teenager, a reverse camera with parking assistance could’ve been helpful. But then again, my dad wouldn’t have the dings in his garage door to remember me by.” Cassie opened her door and stepped out.
“Your job description doesn’t include driving lessons, does it?” Kip asked, as he closed his door and walked around the front of the car.
“Relax, I’m a much better driver now. Just ask my insurance agent.”
“I’m already a good driver,” Skyler said, as she took Rhett from Elle.
“You’re not legal yet,” Kip said with emphasis.
“That’s not my fault. Mom waited too long to take me to get my learner’s permit.”
“That, and it took you three times to pass the test,” Elle said.
“Shut up!” Skyler said, and stuck her tongue out at her sister.
Cassie helped Ryder onto the sidewalk and took Rhett’s hand from Skyler. Their heads swiveled as they took in the sights. She’d certainly turned their world upside down. Thankfully, they were adventurous little souls.
“So, how long do you have to have a learner’s permit? You’re sixteen, aren’t you?” she asked, as Rhett pulled from her grasp and ran to Kip. He reached down and took the little hand in his own.
Cassie rolled her eyes and hoped the boys’ attraction to Kip would ebb away quickly. They didn’t need another man in their life to disappear. Ryder twisted and turned until he was free from his mother’s grasp and claimed Kip’s
other hand as his own. When Cassie looked down at her sons, each holding on to Kip with big smiles across their rounded cheeks, she thought of them with Danny. Then she remembered the night she saw flashing lights out her front window and heard the knock on her door. The air escaped her lungs, and the swirling motion of nausea settled in her belly.
“Are you okay?” she heard someone ask.
She felt arms around her. “Cassie, are you alright?”
Skyler was on one side of her and Elle on the other. Kip stared at her as though she were a wounded animal.
“I’m fine.” She shrugged away from the girls, taking the boys from Kip. “Where are we going?” she asked no one in particular.
“It’s this way,” Kip said, and she tried to ignore the pity on their faces. She’d hoped to leave the baggage from her husband’s death in Arizona, but that was impossible. She saw Danny all the time in Rhett’s blue eyes and Ryder’s dark curls. She knew she’d never forget the pain, but still, she wanted to black out Danny’s piece of her heart, the part that loved him before she found out she never knew him at all.
She gingerly shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “Okay, we’ll follow you.”
The glass door leading into the boot shop was framed with barn wood, and an old brass knob polished it off. The pane’s clear reflection made Cassie cringe at the thought of tiny twin fingerprints prominently displayed across the glass. Kip pushed the door open, and an intoxicating aroma filled her head.
“I love the smell of new leather,” Skyler said, and helped Cassie get the boys through the door. Shelves of boots lined the wall in a rainbow of colors and sizes, like artwork in a gallery. Beautiful, hand-tooled purses hung from one rack, while exquisite leather jackets filled another. The cascading fringe on a camel-colored jacket beckoned Cassie to run her fingers through the dangling twines. The leather looked soft, like it would mold to her body. The boys beat her to the rack and pawed at the fringe.
“No, no, don’t touch,” she said, feeling guilty for coveting the beautiful jacket that would match practically everything in her closet.
“That would look good on you,” Kip said, with a big grin.
Feeling her face flush, she ignored her thumping heart and focused on pulling the boys away from the merchandise. “I don’t think this is a kid-friendly store.”
Just then, a tall, lanky man with a handlebar mustache and cowboy hat approached. “Howdy, Kip, looks like you brought some friends with you today,” he said, shaking Kip’s hand.
Rhett and Ryder wrapped themselves around her legs, their go-to move when a stranger appeared. They craned their necks to see the man, their little heads spinning with his old-time country swagger and facial hair. His dark hair mingled with gray beneath the wide-brimmed black cowboy hat. His skin was tanned with lifelines running across his face. His blue eyes were shadowed by heavy brows that arched with the vowels in his words. An indistinguishable mouth hid beneath the mustache with perfect curls punctuating both ends. He knelt to face the boys. Cassie felt their grip tighten. She was just about to assure them when Ryder asked, “You a cowboy?”
The mustache stretched into a grin, “Sure am, son.”
He held out his hand. Ryder glanced up at his mother then took the man’s hand. The cowboy shook it. “How about you two? Are you cowboys?”
“Not yet,” Kip interrupted. “That’s why we’re here. We need boots.”
The boys nodded their heads.
“You came to the right place.” He rose up, greeting Cassie on the way. “My name is Robert, miss. It’s nice to meet you. Those are two fine boys you have there.”
“It’s Cassie, and thanks—or at least, they are most of the time.”
Robert turned his attention to Elle and Skyler. “Give me some sugar, girls.” He held his arms out, and both girls went in for a grandfatherly squeeze. “I swear you grow an inch or two every time I see you.”
The girls stepped back, and he smiled; a gold-crowned tooth sparkled for an instant and then disappeared beneath the mustache. “Of course, as long as your feet keep growing, I’m still in business.”
Robert lowered his eyes to the boys. “Let’s go see what we have for two little firecrackers.” He turned around with two little guys following right behind him.
So much for stranger danger.
Maybe they just missed their dad. Not that this guy looked anything like Danny. Whoever or whatever Danny was to her, she knew he’d loved his children and had been good to them. The twins no longer asked when Daddy was coming home or if he was at work. In a way, she was glad to not have to explain in toddler terms and see their disappointment, but part of her felt sad to know that neither one of her children would ever remember Danny as a real person. He’d become just a face in a photograph titled “Dad.”
“Come on, Cassie.” Skyler gestured to her.
She followed the girls, thinking how comfortable she felt with them in such a short amount of time. Grace had introduced her daughters to her only yesterday, and Cassie knew she’d made the right decision to work for the Morgans when she saw how natural the girls were with her boys. She also knew it could be too early to tell, but the Morgan daughters seemed nothing like the dramatic, televised depiction of teenagers. Cassie prayed this was true, but she wasn’t naïve; she knew people weren’t always who they pretended to be.
Cassie stopped in front of the women’s boots and picked up a pair with an intricate inlay of turquoise surrounded by soft, distressed brown leather. She turned one over and ran her fingers along the smooth leather sole, impressed by the craftsmanship. Then she saw the price tag—$598. Those boots were benched faster than high school Cassie at a basketball game.
She couldn’t get to the boys quickly enough; she needed to see the price of the half-pint boots before her first paycheck was worn out the door.
On the other end of the store, Rhett and Ryder wiggled in their seats while Robert and Kip managed to get fat feet into tiny boots. The boys slid off the bench and ran around, stopping only once or twice to pet the new boots.
Robert stood up, folded his arms, and chuckled. “There’s nothing like a new pair of boots.” He smoothed his mustache with his fingers. “That is, unless it’s a horse.”
Cassie chased the boys, who had discovered saddles perched on racks and began to climb. “Sorry, cowboys,” she said, grabbing both boys at once.
“They can sit on them. If it’s all right with you,” Robert said.
She nodded and let go of their hands. Robert scooped Ryder up onto one saddle, and she helped Rhett onto another.
Kip and the girls came over, holding miniature straw cowboy hats. They placed them on the twins, who immediately pulled them down as far as they would go.
Cassie cried out, “No, boys, you’ll ruin them!”
“They’ve got to have hats,” Kip said, as he straightened Ryder’s.
“Let me guess, another safety precaution,” Cassie said.
“Keeps the sun out of their eyes,” he answered.
“You can’t buy their affection,” she said in a serious tone. Rhett and Ryder stopped at the warning in her voice, and she immediately regretted raining on their fun. Silence overflowed into an awkward quiet.
Kip narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t think I had to.”
“Plus, look how cute they are!” Skyler said, trying to defuse the situation.
“They don’t need these.” Cassie lifted the hats off the boys and handed them to Skyler. “If they ride, they wear helmets.”
Robert glanced over at Kip. “Well, it’d be a shame to walk around in those nice boots without a cowboy hat,” he said to Cassie.
“I’m sure they’ll live,” she said.
“Yes, but not in style,” Robert said, exaggerating the “Y.”
Kip helped Ryder down from the saddle. Cassie took Rhett in her arms. “Just put it on our account, Robert,” Kip said.
Cassie glared in contest. “I don’t think any of this is necessary.”
“Maybe not,” Kip said. “But I’m buying the boots.”
“I can provide for my children all on my own,” Cassie said.
“I have no doubt about that, but you’re making too big of a deal about it.”
Cassie fumed. She was about to let Kip have it when Robert put his arm around her shoulder. “Take it from me, miss,” Robert said. “If you’re living with the Morgans, you better get used to their generosity.” He let go. “That’s just who they are.”
“That’s fine, but I don’t need anything I don’t earn,” she said directly to Kip.
Robert smiled, and Kip shook his head with a smile.
“Cassie.” Skyler lifted her shoulders. “Mom says you’re family.” Her eyes went to the boys. “They’re family.” She shrugged again. “Our family wears boots.”
Some of the stubbornness gave way. But only enough that she bit back her protest.
They all walked to the front of the store.
“Be sure to tell your folks ‘hello’ for me,” Robert said.
“Will do,” Kip said, and pushed the door open.
Cassie rolled her eyes, still appalled by his audacity. She was their mother, and he needed to respect that. But she was smart enough to pick her battles.
Kip turned back around and winked at her as he stepped outside.
“Thanks, Robert, see you later,” the girls said.
Cassie was the last to pass through the door.
“That’s a great family you’re working for,” Robert said.
She nodded her head in defeat, feeling as though she’d just lost a gunfight at the OK Corral.
3
Cassie stood at the copper sink in Grace’s kitchen, with a few dishes stacked to the side. The centerpiece was a custom island of distressed blue topped with sand-colored granite that sparkled in the morning sunlight. She’d wiped away her sons’ mosaic of fingerprints and cereal pieces just seconds ago. They toddled off to the playroom while she finished cleaning up.
Skyler and Elle had finished breakfast and were getting dressed, which meant fifteen minutes to fifteen hours, depending on the day and the weather. It had been a couple months since she and the boys started their new life in Park City, and she could breathe easier now; her chest no longer compounded her every attempt for air. Cassie didn’t know if it was the environment or her boys adjusting better than she ever hoped, which she attributed to the girls. They loved them like brothers.
