Promises to Keep

by Vanessa Devereaux

****

  “Do you think this place is haunted?” asked Jon as they sat on the bed and ate the burgers they’d brought back with them. “Maybe that’s why there are only a handful of people staying here.”

  “Dad, make him stop,” said Nina.

  “Jon, quit it because you’re frightening your sister,” said Cole.

  “That’s the idea.”

  Nina stuck her tongue out at him.

  “Okay, you two, time for bed.”

  “It’s Saturday night,” said Jon.

  “Yeah, I forgot. One movie and then it’s lights out.”

  “That means lights out for you too, Dad.”

  Cole had forgotten he was sharing a room with his son.

  Jon settled down on the bed, Nina in a chair, and Cole turned on the TV.

  “Hayley should think about getting flat screen TVs for all the rooms,” said Jon.

  “I don’t think most people stay at these sorts of places to watch TV,” said Cole, unpacking his bag.

  “So what do they do?” asked Nina.

  “They explore the area and…”

  Cole knew most people had romance on their mind. That and sex.

  He looked at Nina who he knew was waiting for him to finish what he’d started.

  “Shopping,” he said.

  The kids found a movie to watch, but he walked to the window and pushed the drapes to one side and looked out. It was snowing again. He had a feeling this winter was going to produce more of the white stuff than usual. Something caught his eye and he realized it was Hayley taking out the garbage. She was wearing a quilted blue coat as she rushed to the dumpster and pulled up the lid.

  She turned around, noticed him, and waved. He waved back and smiled. His face was already beginning to hurt from all the smiling he’d done since she’d wandered into the tree lot. She disappeared out of sight and he pressed his forehead against the coolness of the pane. When he’d figured out they couldn’t stay at the house until the appliances were fixed, he hadn’t phoned one of his sisters to see if he and the kids could stay with one of them for the night. He hadn’t called any work buddies. He hadn’t thought of the Hampton Inn. His first thought had been the Rustic Inn. While he’d driven there, he’d told himself it was because he wanted to help Hayley drum up some business, but that hadn’t been entirely true. He’d wanted to come here so he could see her again.

  The coolness crept over the rest of his head and it felt oh so good, like it was helping him think. He’d been abrupt in turning down her offer to come here and decorate her tree with her. He’d so wanted to. He’d regretted it all the way home.

  He took a deep breath. He had to get his act together, because she probably suspected he had a thing for her. Poor woman was no doubt going crazy wondering why he kept saying no to all her invitations.

  ****

  Hayley sat bolt upright in bed. Someone had screamed, and it hadn’t been in her dreams. She squinted at the clock. She didn’t have her contacts in, so she tapped the bedside table hoping to find her glasses. She slipped them on and saw that it was a few minutes past after one in the morning.

  She got out of bed, pulled on her sweats and t-shirt, and headed out into the hallway where she saw a few guests gathering and then Cole standing with his arms around Nina who had her face buried in her father’s upper stomach.

  She walked toward him. She should have been more concerned about the screams and the cause of it, but all she could focus on was the fact that he was only wearing pajama bottoms and nothing else. His arms had well-defined muscles, and he had a tattoo on his left bicep. His chest and belly looked like he kept in good shape, and she was pretty sure she was drooling.

  “What’s wrong?” she finally asked.

  “Nina had a bad dream, so I’m going to take her into my room for the rest of the night.”

  “Someone was scratching at my window,” sobbed Nina.

  “Oh, honey, I forget the tree outside that room sometimes rubs against the pane when it gets windy. I’ve been meaning to get it trimmed. I’m so sorry,” said Hayley, grabbing her hand. “It probably did sound like someone scratching.”

  “It’s not your fault,” said Cole.

  “Can I get you anything? Some milk or hot chocolate maybe?”

  Nina shook her head.

  “I think she’s just shaken up. She’ll be fine once she gets back to sleep, but thank you,” said Cole.

  “If you change your mind or need anything, I’m just down the hall. Fourth room on the left.”

  Cole nodded and took Nina into his room and closed the door. The other guests had also gone back to their rooms, so Hayley headed back to her own, not able to put the sight of Cole’s gorgeous body out of her mind.

  It was nice having him at the inn but knowing he obviously didn’t want to get involved, even go on a date, was driving her crazy.

  ****

  Nina was fast asleep. Jon was snoring beside Cole. He hadn’t liked the idea of sharing a bed with his father, but Nina now needed his bed as she wouldn’t go back into the other room after the incident with the tree scraping against the window. He put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling, sensing that now that he was awake he’d have a tough time getting back to sleep.

  Hayley had been sweet to Nina, explaining to her what the noise was and taking the blame. Most people would just think his daughter was being stupid over a silly little noise, but not Hayley. He took a deep breath. She was a sweetheart of a person. He’d tried not to focus on her body as she’d stood holding Nina’s hand, but he was only human. Hayley hadn’t been wearing a bra and her nipples had pushed against the thin and flimsy material of her t-shirt.

  He hadn’t thought about a woman in that way for years. He turned over onto his side, hoping the movement didn’t disturb his son. The moon was full and shining into the room where he hadn’t closed the drapes properly when he’d looked out of the window earlier. He rested his face on his hands.

  If he was honest he’d admit that seeing her had stirred something in his groin. Not just in that general area, but in his cock. Not that he’d been erection free since his wife’s passing, but tonight it was different. Tonight he’d known the reason for its twitching. He’d ogled Hayley and his body had acknowledged that he found her very attractive. That, and after all this time, he might be ready to have sex again.

  Sex.

  It had been so long since he’d made love. He hoped it was like riding a bike.

  Why was he thinking about this? The odds of him and Hayley making love were about as good as his chances of winning tonight’s lottery.

  Shit, he wanted to have sex. Not just sex in general, but sex with Hayley. He hadn’t even had the courage to ask her out, but he was thinking about getting her into bed.

  Guess women were right; men only had one thing on their minds.

  Chapter Ten

  He’d been right. He hadn’t been able to sleep for a long time. Thoughts of just about everything had swirled around in his mind. Amanda, the accident, their children, his life, and yes, Hayley too. Cole hadn’t known her long, but he couldn’t seem to shake her out of his head.

  Putting his nose in the air, he detected the smell of something delicious making its way into the room. He opened his eyes to see that he was alone. He blinked a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was eight-thirty already. If he knew the kids as well as he thought, they were probably downstairs eating breakfast without him. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The smell of what he assumed were sausages got more tempting by the minute. He’d eat first, shower and shave after. Quickly pulling on his jeans and sweater, he grabbed the key for the door and headed out into the hallway and then down the stairs. With each step he took, the smell got stronger and his stomach rumbled.

  Hearing voices to the left of the staircase, he turned into a room, almost running straight into a couple who were just leaving.

  “Good mor
ning,” they said.

  “Morning. Looks like it’s going to be a nice one.”

  He saw Nina and Jon sitting eating pancakes and sausages and Hayley sitting on the other side of the table cradling a mug of coffee. She was make-up free, her hair a little wild, but a stunning sight to see this early on a Sunday morning.

  She looked up at him, a smile immediately appearing on her face. She had beautiful lips that in all honesty he’d love to kiss and taste.

  “Glad you decided to join us. Sit down and I’ll get you some breakfast,” she said.

  She stood and walked out through some double swinging doors. He walked over to the table and pulled up a chair opposite his kids.

  “Dad, you have to try these sausages, they’re the best,” said Nina. “Hayley’s going to give us some to take home. I said you can cook them. Oh, and can I have my nails painted like Hayley’s please?”

  Hayley picked that moment to bring him a plate with a stack of three pancakes and four sausage links. She then brought over the coffee pot, turned the mug up the right way, and filled it.

  This all looked so good. Hayley slid into the chair next to him, their arms and legs bumping as she did so. He closed his eyes momentarily. It felt so good to have even that sort of contact with a woman again. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed it before a second ago.

  “Can I?” asked Nina.

  “What, honey?” he asked, reaching for the maple syrup.

  “Can I have my nails painted the same color as Hayley’s?”

  He glanced at Hayley’s pink nails. They were beautiful too.

  “You have school tomorrow but maybe over the holidays okay.”

  “How about I give you the bottle of polish to take home?” asked Hayley.

  “I’d love it, thank you.”

  Cole took a bite of the pancakes. The combination of them and the syrup melted on his tongue. His little girl wanting to wear nail polish. Her noticing the color on Hayley’s. She was growing up and she’d need a woman around soon. He hadn’t thought of that. Jon had him, but Nina didn’t have a mother. Sure she had her grandmothers and aunts, but having a mother was what all girls needed when they went from being a little girl to a woman.

  He swallowed, almost panicking thinking that maybe he’d need to talk to her soon about how her body would be changing and what to expect when she got her first period. Shit, he knew he’d blush, stutter even. Maybe he’d get one of his sisters to do it.

  “So when did you two sneak down here to eat?” he asked them.

  “As soon as we smelled food cooking,” said Jon. “And you were snoring so loud, we needed some peace and quiet.”

  Cole knew he was blushing. He wished his son hadn’t said that in front of Hayley. The reason why he was worried about the comment surprised him the most. Not that he was concerned that she’d learned he snored, but that it might put her off…

  Sleeping with me.

  He quickly downed the coffee, almost choking because he’d swallowed so fast.

  “I guess I should phone and see how the technician’s doing with the repair on the furnace and water heater. The food was wonderful,” he said, standing.

  He quickly exited the dining room and dug into his pocket for his cell phone. Walking outside, knowing the air would be cold and cool his red cheeks, he dialed the number.

  ****

  Hayley slyly watched out of the window as Cole walked by, steam caused by the cold air billowing from his mouth as he spoke into the cell phone.

  He’d looked one hundred percent delicious when she’d first noticed him standing in the doorway of the dining room. He had that just rolled out of bed look that she found so appealing. The slightly tousled hair and the shadow of stubble where he hadn’t shaved.

  Mmm.

  How she wished she’d been in the bed he’d exited. Spending the night making love, cuddling. Yes, she was sure he was the sort of guy who wouldn’t deny a woman a little post coital snuggle.

  Cole turned her way as if he sensed she was watching. Holy shit, if he only knew what she was thinking. She wondered how he’d react. There was something between them, and she knew it wasn’t all in her mind.

  He was heading back inside. The bell over the door tinged and soon he was standing by the table.

  “You look like you’re freezing,” she said, taking his hand before she realized what she’d done.

  It was ice cold, but somehow the best thing she’d held in a long time. He didn’t withdraw it and instead they looked at one another with their eyes locked.

  “They can’t get the parts for the furnace for a few days. Can we stay longer?” he asked.

  “Absolutely,” she said, not believing her luck about having him under her roof even longer.

  “Kids, I think it best you go and stay with Aunt Eileen, because it’s nearer school.” He looked at Hayley again.

  She had no other guests booked for tonight. His children were being shipped off to their aunt, and she had him all to herself under her roof.

  Was this her lucky day or what?

  Chapter Eleven

  Cole headed back to the Rustic Inn after dropping the kids off at his sister’s and picking up some of his work clothes for the morning. When he opened the door, Hayley was dusting the desk at reception.

  “Is that all you do is work?” he asked.

  “Just about. When you run a place like this by yourself, it’s you who does it or it doesn’t get done.”

  “So what do you do for fun?”

  “Read or watch TV.”

  “Have you ever thought of going skiing?”

  “I’m not a skier. You saw me fall on my butt at the tree lot.”

  “You’re living in Wyoming. You have to at least give it a try. You ever heard of Jackson Hole?”

  “Oh yeah, even looked at an inn there, but it was way out of our price range.”

  He might regret this, but she’d been nice to his kids, and okay, yes, this wouldn’t be an official date, but he was going to take her out. Everyone knew about the saying, all work and no play. Hayley deserved some R and R.

  “You want to come with me to the slopes this afternoon? I can give you a lesson.”

  “I don’t have any skis.”

  “No problem, you can rent some. We’ll start off on the bunny slopes.”

  “And what happens if I fall down?”

  “Then I’ll just stand there and laugh.”

  ****

  Was this a date or just two people with nothing else better to do on a Sunday afternoon? Hayley wasn’t sure.

  He held onto her hand and forearm so she didn’t fall over when she put her foot into the ski boot.

  “How does that feel?” he asked.

  Really good. She was referring to the fact that he was continuing to hold her hand despite the fact that the chance of her tipping over had passed.

  “Pretty good,” she said.

  “Not too tight in the toe here?” He pressed on the front of the boot.

  “No, just about right.”

  “Okay, let’s get your snapped onto the skis.”

  This was the bit she was dreading. He showed her how to press down and for the first time in her life she was on skis.

  “Okay, now just slowly push forward through the snow.”

  She hesitated and he must have seen the look of panic on her face.

  “It’s okay, Hayley, I’m here with you. I taught both my kids and they’re better skiers than I am now.”

  She pushed with her right foot and wobbled.

  “Here, I’ll lead you.”

  Cole got in front of here, grabbed both her hands, and skied backwards, pulling her gently through the snow.

  “There you see you’re skiing.”

  “You’re just being nice, because it’s you doing all the work.”

  “You want me to let go to prove that it’s really you?”

  “No, no, I believe you. So how many lessons does it take to learn to ski without any
fear?”

  “Nothing to be frightened about.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “I’m going to let go, so hold onto the poles and give it a try.”

  She panicked and knew she shouldn’t have. She went a few feet and then down she went, snow covering her face and head, her hat now lying by her side.

  “Hey, you okay?” he asked, rushing to her aid.

  She spat out a mouthful of ice.

  “I’m fine, just a bruised ego.”

  “Better than a bruised butt?”

  They both laughed. He had such a nice laugh and it caused dimples to appear in his cheeks.

  She reached up and touched the left one, leaving a wet mark. They looked at one another for a few seconds and then he leaned over and kissed her.

  She thought it was going to be a lingering one, but it was a quick peck on the lips. Despite its brevity, she’d remember it forever.

  “So you feel like watching me do some skiing?” he asked.

  ****

  Cole let the wind and spray from the snow kiss his cheeks as he skied down the slope. He’d left Hayley at the café at the bottom of the mountain. It had a large glass viewing panel so she could see all the action. She’d done okay her first day out here. She hadn’t given up like a lot of people did when they went face down.

  He pushed closer to the base, thinking that his mind would be a bit clearer when he got there. It wasn’t. In fact, he was more confused.

  He’d kissed her. It had come out of nowhere. He’d pulled away like she had some tropical disease. He hadn’t apologized for the kiss, or the sudden movement away from her.

  Cole moved his skis to the left and came to a halt. He leaned over to get his breath back. Amanda had loved to ski. Was that the reason he’d encouraged Hayley to come out here to learn? In the back of his mind was he thinking if he got involved with Hayley, she’d need to be a replica of his late wife?

  He took off his hat and coughed where the cold air had traveled down into his lungs.

  No, that wasn’t it. He just wanted to be with Hayley, but he had those promises to keep. The one that said he’d never love another woman like he’d loved her.

  Someone grabbed him from behind. It was Hayley.