“Deal.”
A hint of respect shone in his eyes. That made her feel good, even if sledding had some challenges for her.
She climbed into the truck, buckled her seat belt, and then opened the envelope.
Dustin had the truck idling. “What does it say?”
“Flying fun you’ve had. Now it’s time to glide. No miracle is necessary. Only blades. Will you find your heart on the other side?”
Dustin groaned.
She glanced up from the clue. His face was as white as snow. He appeared crestfallen. “Is something wrong?”
He put the truck into reverse and backed out of the parking spot. “Our next task is ice skating across Miracle Lake.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“I…”
“What?”
He drove out of the parking lot. “I don’t ice skate.”
The confidence and bravado she’d come to expect from him had disappeared. Nevada didn’t understand, but she had to push him to continue because that was what he would do for her. And had. Starting the first night.
“Ice skating isn’t that hard. I learned when I was a little girl.”
Dustin adjusted his hands on the steering wheel. “I know how to skate. I just don’t do it anymore.”
His voice was hesitant, full of uncertainty, and perhaps a touch of fear. That was so unlike the cowboy she’d competed with the past two days.
What was going on? And how could she get the real Dustin Decker back?
Because she owed him that.
If he hadn’t suggested they team together, she likely would have never completed the first task on Friday night.
Who was she kidding?
If he hadn’t come up to her outside Copper Mountain Chocolates, she likely would have never gone inside.
Chapter Eight
Why ice skating? Of all the winter sports, why did it have to be that?
Hands trembling, Dustin tried to calm himself by putting a death grip on the steering wheel as if his pickup could save him. Unfortunately, nothing or no one could.
He’d believed the quest was his to win, but he’d never imagined one of the tasks would involve ice skates and Miracle Lake. Unless the lake lived up to its name, he was screwed.
But he wouldn’t take Nevada down with him.
He sensed her gaze on him, but he didn’t dare look in her direction.
Just drive.
And he did.
Dustin appreciated her silence. She deserved an explanation, and he would give her one, but multitasking wasn’t an option. He needed to concentrate on the road.
He wasn’t worried about black ice, but with the hundred and one thoughts swirling through his head, his goal was to get them to their destination in one piece. Once he accomplished that, they could talk.
The sign for Miracle Lake appeared, and he turned into the parking lot. He took the first open spot, parked, and turned off the engine.
He clutched the keys. “I owe you an explanation, but I wanted to get here first.”
“Talk to me as we walk.” Nevada unbuckled her seat belt. “I see a table with a heart-shaped flag.”
Dustin didn’t want to get out of the truck. This was as close to the frozen lake as he wanted to be.
“Come on,” she urged.
Swearing under his breath, he climbed out of the truck.
“So, what’s going on?” she asked.
Her question was so simple, but his answer wasn’t.
His insides twisted, and his breathing was shallow. He shoved his hands in his jacket pocket. His knee hurt, so he shortened his steps and fell behind. But the pain was just an excuse—if he were being honest with himself.
You’re going to let her down.
Yourself, too.
As if he didn’t know that.
Nevada glanced back at him, but she continued toward the table with the heart-shaped flag.
Rosie Linn stood behind the table. She must have volunteered for shifts at the various events since Portia was needed at the shop and Dakota only worked mid-week. “We meet again.”
He nodded in her direction.
Rosie motioned to the table. “We have socks and skates for you to use during this task.”
“Thanks.” Nevada looked through the skates and picked up a pair. “What size are you?”
“Eleven, but—”
“This pair should fit you,” she interrupted.
Didn’t matter. He wasn’t putting them on.
Rosie pointed to a bench down by the lake. “That’s a good spot to put on your ice skates. You won’t have far to go to reach the ice.”
Nevada headed to the bench without a glance his way.
Begrudgingly, Dustin followed her. Not to put on the skates, but to tell her why he wasn’t doing this task.
By the time he reached her, she was sitting and had removed one snow boot.
He sat next to her on the bench.
She pulled on an ice skate. “So…”
Dustin took a deep breath, and then he exhaled slowly. “When I was eight, I went ice skating with friends. We could have gone to a rink, but everyone wanted to go to the lake instead.”
“Skating outside sounds like more fun.”
He nodded. “My dad had told me not to do that because the temperatures had been too warm. I didn’t listen and went. I ended up falling through the ice.”
Nevada inhaled sharply. She placed her hand on his arm.
Although layers of outerwear separated them, he appreciated the gesture of comfort.
“What happened to you?” she asked.
“There must have been a current or I kicked the wrong way, but I couldn’t find the opening where I’d fallen through. The water was so cold, and I was running out of air.”
She gave a squeeze. “That had to be terrifying.”
The memory shivered through him. He nodded.
More memories washed over him. The fear…
“I thought I was going to die. I could see my friends trying to break through the ice. I don’t remember anything after that, but I ended up with hypothermia.”
“How did you get out?”
“Someone had seen us out by the lake and called the police because they didn’t think it was safe. A police officer saved my life.” Dustin stared at the size eleven skates on the bench. “I haven’t been ice skating since. Not on a lake or at a rink.”
“I understand.”
“My skipping this task won’t affect you. We signed up to compete as individuals.”
“I know, but if you don’t do this, you’ll never be able to catch up. You’ll have no chance of winning.”
He’d entered to win, but that was before. He stared at the frozen lake. “I’m good with that.”
“That’s eight-year-old Dustin talking. The Dustin I know will regret blowing a lead over this.”
“We just met.”
“I’m extrapolating based on what I’ve seen the past two days.” She shoved the skates at him. “Put these on.”
“No.”
“Do you want me to do it for you?”
“No.”
She laced her skate. “Get going. We don’t have all day.”
He hadn’t expected her to act this way. “What happened to sympathy and compassion?”
“You’ll get that, but not until you’re wearing the skates.”
“I was wrong.”
“About?” she asked.
“You’re nothing like your sister.”
“Saying that won’t make me go easier on you.”
“I didn’t think you had this in you.”
“To be honest, neither did I.” She stood.
Cursing and mumbling, he put on the skates and laced them. His fingers hadn’t stopped trembling. “Satisfied?”
“Almost.”
She had to be kidding. “What do you want now?”
“Come with me to the edge of the lake.”
Shivers racked his body. “I
can’t.”
“You can do this.” She extended her arm. “Hold my hand. I promise I won’t let go.”
“Skating won’t be good for my knee.”
“Probably not, but this will be good for your soul.”
“Huh?”
“Time to face your demons.”
“You mean the lake.”
“I’m speaking metaphorically.”
English professors—rather, future ones—weren’t like other people. “Can we metaphorically say I did when I didn’t?”
“Doesn’t work that way.”
“I had a feeling you would say that.”
“Come on.” She held his hand. “Just to the edge.”
Every nerve ending went on alert. “You want me on the ice.”
“Yes, but getting there is the first step. The hardest one.”
No kidding. He walked the short distance to the ice. Each step felt as if he’d fall through the earth even though he knew that wasn’t possible.
“Now what?” he asked.
She stepped onto the ice.
Dustin stiffened. He held out his hands to be ready if she fell. Not that he could move any closer. “Be careful.”
“It’s solid.” Nevada skated out a short distance. “I have zero tolerance for taking risks. I flip out if I see the corner of a page in a book turned down. I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t sure. I’m positive it’s safe because I listen to the weather forecasts each morning and know what the temperatures have been.”
“Dylan Morgan doesn’t make forecasts. He guesses. Some of us think he spins a wheel, rolls dice, or uses a Magic 8 Ball®.”
“His forecasts aren’t accurate, but the temperature readings are real.” She skated to the edge and held out her hand. “Your turn.”
“Go without me.”
“If you get out here and don’t want to continue, I will. But you have to try first.”
“You keep your mean side well hidden.”
“I teach freshmen who are away from home for the first time. Sometimes being nice doesn’t always work, and you have to be hard-nosed.”
“I had no idea your nose was as hard as a diamond.” Her smile made him want to go to her. Until he remembered he was wearing ice skates. “Go.”
“Not until you join me.”
“You’re going to be stubborn about this.”
“Yes.”
He would move closer if only to get her to stop acting like a fool and leave him alone. Every minute she waited for him caused her lead to dwindle.
He made his way to the edge. A dusting of snow covered the ice.
She hit the blade of her skate against the ice. “It’s solid.”
“So you’ve said.” He motioned to where he was standing. “I’m here; now you go.”
“Come onto the ice first.”
“This is stupid.”
“Maybe.” A grin lit up her face. Her skates glided across the ice as if she’d done this her entire life. “Humor me.”
“Fine.” With an unsteady movement, he stepped onto the ice. “I did it. Now go.”
Beaming with pride, Nevada grabbed both of his hands and pulled him forward.
“Stop,” he yelled.
She did, but she kept hold of his hands. “Solid.”
His ankles turned in. The position of his feet added pressure to his bad knee. “I want to go back.”
“The other side isn’t that far.”
“Looks far to me.” Admitting he was hurting both mentally and physically wasn’t easy, but if doing so kept him on this side of the lake… “My knee—”
“I’ll pull you across.” She did some fancy footwork. “It’s been a few years, but I remember how to skate.”
“I see that.”
Her gaze locked on his. “I’m not the strongest or fastest in the quest. Far from it, but I would never do anything to hurt you. Please. Trust me.”
He was far enough from the edge he doubted he could get back on his own. If she was as risk-adverse as she said, and Dustin believed her to be, he should be safe enough. At least he hoped so. But he had no doubt he’d made an alliance with a devil disguised as a graduate student.
“Okay,” he said finally. “But go slow.”
“I will.”
He held onto her hands as if his life depended on her. At this moment, it did.
Skating backward, she pulled him across the lake.
“Look at you.” Excitement filled her voice. “You’re ice skating.”
“No, you are.” Dustin focused on her pretty face. Nothing else, because if he thought too much about what was happening, he would fall. He was a terrible skater. His injuries didn’t help. “But I appreciate the thought.”
He also appreciated Nevada.
He’d faced the meanest, toughest bulls that could have killed him if they tried hard enough, but he’d let frozen water paralyze him. He hadn’t realized how badly he needed to do this.
But Nevada had.
Her smile widened. “We’re almost to the other side.”
He looked over her shoulder. His mouth dropped open. “I…”
Dustin was speechless.
“Do you think you can take a selfie of us skating?” she asked. “If not, I can try.”
“Stop for a minute.”
She did.
With a deep breath, Dustin let go of one of her hands, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his cell phone. He held it up high so he could take two full-length shots of them. “Got it.”
His phone went back into his pocket, and his hand held hers again.
Minutes later, they reached the other side.
Dustin stepped off the ice. Gratitude filled him. “Thank you for pushing me to do this. I apologize for all the name calling.”
“I didn’t hear anything other than hard-nosed, and I called myself that.”
“The names were in my head.”
She laughed. “Apology accepted.”
“There’s the box with our next task.”
“Stay here. I’ll get it.” She grabbed an envelope and handed it to him. “I opened the last one.”
“I skated across the lake. You do it.”
She did. “The good news is the next task is a picture scavenger hunt through town.”
“What’s the bad news?”
“We have to skate back to the other side.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to cross the lake without your help,” he admitted. “If you’re with me on the way back, I can do it.”
“Does that mean I didn’t push you too hard?”
“No, you did, but that’s the only thing that made me get out here, and I’m grateful for that. For you.”
She held his hand. “You’ve got this.”
With her help, Dustin did.
The return trip was easier for him, but the reason was all Nevada. Before they reached the other side, he stopped.
Concern clouded her gaze. Lines creased her forehead. “What?”
“I want to take another picture.”
“For the quest?”
“No, for me.”
Her genuine smile made everything seem right with the world. She leaned forward, and he met her halfway.
Dustin didn’t have to tell her to smile. He hit the button on his phone. “Got it.”
“Can I get a copy of that?”
“I’ll send you all of them.”
“Thanks.”
“No, thank you.” He kissed her. An impromptu act, just a peck on the lips, but he’d felt compelled. “I had no idea how badly I needed to do this, but you did. And I owe you.”
Her face glowed. “You don’t owe me, but if any tasks involve animal organs, weird food, reptiles, or bugs, you’re doing those, okay?”
He laughed, something he never expected to be doing standing on a frozen lake with ice skates on his feet. “Perfectly okay.”
He stepped off the ice.
Four people carried skates and were walking toward the benc
h. Even after her coaxing and his hesitation, they hadn’t lost much time.
Maybe winning this race was meant to be. Meeting Nevada seemed to be.
“Let’s get these skates off and head over to Main Street,” he said.
*
Even without the street lamps or the miniature white lights twinkling on Main Street, Nevada felt as if she were in a theme park, not a real small town. The Valentine decorations played a big role in that, but so did the man walking on her left. A kaleidoscope of emotions flashed inside her—pride, happiness, excitement, anticipation, and attraction.
So much of the latter.
The last thing she’d ever expected was for Dustin to kiss her. Granted, the peck lasted less than a nanosecond, but he’d surprised her and she was… touched. Her lips—and her, too—wanted another kiss, if only to have time to feel it and react, not stand there dumbfounded and trying not to fall.
Dustin glanced at his cell phone. “We’ve got the required pictures on this street.”
He was taking the lead for the photo scavenger hunt. This was his town, and after watching him conquer his fear and skate across the lake, she was ready to concede. This was his race to win, and she’d do what she could to help him. She hoped York would be happy and proud that she’d participated.
She glanced over at Dustin. “Just tell me which way to go.”
Although he was smiling, his expression was one of concentration. “Straight ahead for now.”
A thrill shot through her.
He was back.
The Dustin she’d met a few days ago, the confident, somewhat cocky man with a swagger and a slight limp, had returned.
That made her happy, especially because she’d played a part in that. She worked hard to bring out the best in a student, and that wasn’t easy to do when met with resistance.
Dustin completing the ice skating task, however, had her bursting with pride. The man who’d been afraid of the ice had called to her heart and made her dig down deep, so she could hold her ground and make him overcome his fear of the ice. Pushing him meant pushing herself to make him act.
Miracle Lake had been aptly name, and she would never forget the place.
Or him.
More than once, she’d almost caved and hugged him. The words “we don’t have to do this” had been on the tip of her tongue.
One thing stopped her from saying that.
Dustin himself.
The Valentine Quest (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 5) Page 10
