by Carmen Cook
“Well, we can’t all have the fairy tale,” Bethany said. Regan laughed at that, wrapping her arm—the one not holding the coffee cup—around herself to ward off the chill of the air. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that her stomach was doing somersaults at the sight of him again. A grin started to pull at her lips. She couldn’t even lie to herself with a straight face.
“Hey.” Gavin’s voice was low and rough, like he hadn’t used it yet that morning.
“Hey yourself.” Regan cut her gaze to Bethany, who was happily standing there, sipping her own coffee, not even pretending she wasn’t avidly watching. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay after everything that happened.” His eyes went to his sister-in-law, who still hadn’t moved. “I’m going to leave the truck with you while you figure everything out with your insurance. That way, you won’t be housebound.”
Regan’s heart lurched when she thought about her precious Mini. “You don’t think my car can be fixed?”
The very corner of Gavin’s mouth quirked up at her question. “I’m not sure why you’d want to fix that toy car. You need something a bit more solid than that if you’re staying.”
“But I’m not.” Her words seemed louder than she’d meant them to be in the quiet morning, but she didn’t back away from them. “I’m not staying in Sapphire Creek. Not for long, anyway.” She wasn’t sure why saying it out loud made her want to squirm. It wasn’t like staying here had ever been her long-term plan. Sapphire Creek was a pit stop while she figured out what to do next. Where to go and start over.
Gavin’s eyes were hidden behind his dark glasses, but the part of his face she could see didn’t give anything away as he nodded. “I guess we never got to that part during our date, did we?”
“I guess not.”
“So we’ll hit it tonight.”
Regan’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Our second official date. I’ll pick you up at seven.” Before Regan could think what to say, Gavin gave her a quick kiss, dropping his keys in her hand. She stared after him as he shot her a smile, sent a wave in Bethany’s direction and walked back to where his brother awaited.
“See,” Bethany said, a mischievous grin on her face once Gavin and Connor had driven away. “Secrets. You’ve been back in Sapphire Creek for all of three minutes and you’ve already been on a date with Gavin. And worse, I had to hear about it from Connor. Did you forget about the code? Sisters before misters. Now spill. And don’t leave out any details.”
Laughing, Regan pushed her friend into the house and firmly closed the door behind them. Her head was spinning again, but for a completely different reason this time. She firmly shoved her conflicted emotions aside and followed Bethany toward the kitchen, which was bathed in a warm morning glow. “It’s not a secret, or it wasn’t meant to be, anyway. Becca was babysitting and got sick, so I stepped in.”
“Because Chloe couldn’t do it.” Bethany nodded, sipping her coffee while she shoved one of the boxes out of the way so she could sit on the old bench that was currently being used instead of chairs. “You should have seen the fireworks after they caught her having sex with her boyfriend on the sofa. I thought Kathy was going to have kittens, she was so upset. Don’t get me wrong, Gavin was plenty ticked off too, but she was carrying on like they’d filmed a porno right there in her living room.”
Bethany finally paused and took a sip of her coffee, making Regan smile. She’d missed her friends more than she’d realized. The events of the past few days—hell, the past few months—had overwhelmed her. When she got back to Chicago, Todd had bombarded her with a plethora of apologies and excuses. He’d begged her to hear him out, but she’d once again refused. He’d argued the time she’d spent working in the remote villages in Central America had given him the perspective he’d needed to realize how much she meant to him. Regan had laughed in his face.
The divorce had been finalized relatively quickly and there was no going backward. She’d purchased the Mini the next day, given her resignation at the clinic she’d been on sabbatical from and focused on driving to Montana. To Sapphire Creek.
Home.
It was funny how she hadn’t thought of it that way for so long, but now it was the only place she wanted to be.
At least for a while. Until she figured out what to do next.
She eyed the stack of applications she’d managed to rescue from the Mini last night, sitting in the middle of the table. There was plenty time to go through them and make some decisions.
“Are you going to tell me how stepping in as a babysitter led to a dinner date? And a crushed car? Come on,” Bethany pleaded in a cajoling tone, flopping herself dramatically against the back of the bench, “you need to spill. I need some excitement.”
“Your husband is the chief of police. That’s not exciting enough for you?”
Bethany smiled, a dreamy little smile. The same one she’d had ever since she’d met Connor when they were fifteen, Regan remembered. “He’s awesome, isn’t he? I’m so glad he’s home.”
“I bet you are.” Regan’s heart gave a little lurch. Her friend hadn’t had an easy journey, but she’d stayed the path, no matter how hard things got. More than anything, that was what Regan wanted.
“You’re not going to sidetrack me,” Bethany told her, pulling her back to the present. “And it’s either talk to me, or I’m going to call Gwen and have her come help with the interrogation.”
Regan shook her head. “Fine,” she said, clearing off a chair and settling in across from Bethany. She tried not to leave anything out during the retelling. She was interrupted often with Bethany’s laughter and questions. By the end, the strawberry blonde was on the edge of her seat, her eyes wide.
“So you didn’t get a chance to ask any questions at all before Jason showed up? What a letdown.”
“Sorry I wasn’t more entertaining,” Regan responded wryly. “I didn’t exactly plan anything that happened yesterday. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse than it was.”
“You can bet the Mom Squad is going to be buzzing about your car being crushed in front of Gavin’s house,” Bethany told her, propping her feet up on one of the boxes. “He’s been one of the prime targets of the single-mom set since he and Kathy broke up.”
Regan frowned at the idea of Gavin being hunted by a pack of single women. “I can imagine.”
“I’m so glad you’re back,” Bethany exclaimed. “Things have been so boring around here.”
“I’ll be gone before long, so things can go back to being as boring as ever.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Bethany objected. “You’re stuck with us for a while. You said you’re going to fix up your grandparents’ house which, no offense to your handyman skills, isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Besides, Erin will be back in the next couple of days to start rehearsing for her tour and Gwen will never forgive you if she doesn’t hear this story directly from you. I’m surprised she hasn’t shown up already. She must not have checked her messages this morning.”
Their old friend Erin Chase had left Sapphire Creek when they were in middle school for the wilds of Los Angeles. She’d gone from star of their school musicals to climbing the charts and starring in a popular television show practically overnight. Having her come to Sapphire Creek while Regan was here too was a fun surprise.
Regan held back a grin. “I’m not planning on running away again. I’m here while I figure out my next step.” Uncertainty filled her at the thought of telling Gwen. Her night with Gavin was the only secret she’d ever kept from her best friend. Now that she was here and there was this thing between them, she would be sure to find out. How would she react? Would it matter?
Bethany’s next question pulled her from her thoughts.
“What happened with the World Care nursing thing? You were down in Central America, right?”
“I completed my contract.”
Bethany was shaking her head before Regan had even fi
nished speaking. “Helping people is in your soul, Regan. World Care was a symptom of something else. An easy answer for whatever you were going through. You never were the adventurer, never said anything about wanting to see the world. What sent you down there?”
Memories flooded Regan. Rumors of infidelity. The whispers in the breakroom, conversations that came to an abrupt end as soon as she’d walk into a room. The pain of realizing her husband wasn’t even pretending to be faithful, nor was he being discreet about it. She’d applied for World Care to sort through her thoughts. Her emotions.
The bizarre sense of freedom she felt when she’d accepted that her marriage was over had been a surprise. Not yet ready to admit that she’d been played for a fool, Regan simply shrugged and changed the subject. “How’s Andy?”
Bethany and Connor had beaten the odds. When sixteen-year-old Bethany had turned up pregnant, they’d stuck together. It hadn’t even been a discussion as far as Regan knew. They’d just dealt with the unexpected pregnancy and altered their plans. Instead of accepting the football scholarship to the University of Montana, Connor had enlisted in the Army. Bethany finished high school in a special program that aided teen parents and taught them the necessary skills to be an adult, despite their age. Their families had rallied around them as well, welcoming baby Andy as a blessing. Regan had secretly been envious of the warm family that little boy had landed in. She hoped he realized how lucky he was.
“Have you heard anything I’ve said?” Bethany sounded amused.
“Sorry, no.”
“Dreaming of a certain brother-in-law of mine, I’m sure. Listen, don’t make any decisions about anything until you’ve been here for a while. Whatever’s going on with you doesn’t need to be figured out right away, right? Let us help you.”
Warmed by her friend’s concern, Regan nodded. It would be nice to have a bit of down time.
Chapter Seven
The air was crisp, burning his lungs as they climbed the mountain path, dodging icy patches and frozen ruts as they navigated the trail down the side of the mountain. The trail was a little worse for wear after the storm but not impassable. It would have been better if it had been, because then the dumbass who’d gotten lost somewhere on this mountain wouldn’t have managed to get as far as he had.
Gavin’s nerves were on edge, the mountain not soothing him like it normally did. Luckily, Search and Rescue had found the idiot on one of the other paths with only some minor injuries, so they didn’t have to worry about that. Unfortunately, that left Jason with nothing to do but talk.
“So you had no idea she was back in town until you walked into your house. And then you told Kathy you guys were dating?” Laughing, Jason threw a pinecone off to the side of the trail. “You know Kathy’s going to figure out you lied to her. She always could.”
Gavin’s jaws ached from clenching it so tightly. He’d been doing that all morning. He already knew how he’d stepped in a pile with his ex-wife, so he didn’t need Jason telling him how much of a mess he made. Kathy wasn’t his main concern, though. He’d deal with the fallout of his story later.
“Focus,” he instructed his partner. “What did Erin’s people say when they called this morning? Did they say what type of trouble she was in?”
Jason shrugged. “Nothing specific. Some stalker was getting a little too close to home, made some threats, so she’s heading north a few days sooner than advertised to rehearse for her tour.”
Possibilities raced through Gavin’s mind. “We’re going to need a few extra guys to patrol.”
Jason shook his head. “She’s bringing some men from her fancy personal security firm.”
“Skyhawk?”
“You’ve heard of them?” Jason stopped walking and turned to look at him.
Gavin was taken aback by the hostility in his tone. “You’ve heard of them too. They do personal security for half of our clients. We’ve worked with some of their guys before, coordinated a lot of the location cameras to their headquarters so they can monitor when their clients are on site.” One of those guys was their silent partner, but Jason didn’t know that.
“Oh, yeah. The macho guys who think they’re better than us.” It was a long-standing complaint Jason had every time they had to work with anyone else.
Gavin pinched the bridge of his nose. There were limitations in what they could do in offering property security, but he wasn’t going to mention that. Not again. They’d had this fight plenty of times before and there wasn’t anything new to add. “Do you know who’s coming with her?”
“Logan something. Mitchell someone. They’re set to arrive later today.”
“Staying with her grandfather?”
Jason nodded, shoving a hand through his hair, mussing it even more than the wind. Something was eating at him today. Something Gavin didn’t have the patience to deal with. “Okay, we need to make sure her grandfather’s place is secure. Add more cameras to the fence line. More motion-activated lights.”
“He’s not going to like it,” Jason warned.
“But he’ll do it to make sure Erin stays safe.”
“And that would be why I told Deanna to pull the specs for his place so we can review it as soon as we get back.”
Gavin turned, incredulous that Jason had given the order before bringing him up to speed, but Jason didn’t give him the opportunity to object. “You need to give her a chance.”
The pain shooting through Gavin’s head intensified and he shoved the heel of his hand against his forehead, doing what he could to ease the throbbing. Jason had hired Deanna two months ago without consulting Gavin. Since then, it had become painfully clear that their office manager didn’t have a lick of experience in managing an office. How she managed her own life was beyond him. “She’s had plenty of chances.”
“I didn’t expect you to hold someone’s past against them the way you have with her.”
Gavin couldn’t believe his ears. “I’m not holding her past against her. I have nothing against her except the fact that she’s only shown up for work some of the time and when she is there, she can barely keep it together to do her job. People’s safety depends on our ability to do our jobs, Jason. You know this. We have to have good support or we’re going to make a mistake that gets someone hurt.”
Gavin couldn’t believe he was having to explain this again, to his own partner, of all people. He turned away and continued down the path, only to come to an abrupt stop.
There, at the bend in the trail looking out over the edge of the cliff stood Regan. Hands shoved deep into her pockets, icy wind blew her hair around her face. Her gaze was transfixed on the horizon.
Without thinking about where she was headed, Regan found herself on the same trail she’d hiked all those years ago. It must have been because of her proximity to Gavin the night before. There was no other reason for her to go hiking when it was barely above freezing. The Indian summer the area had been enjoying departed with her arrival in Montana, but she didn’t mind. Compared to Chicago, this was nothing.
She sucked in a breath, enjoying the way the air burned her lungs with its chill. It was the same way her legs burned with exertion as she navigated the slick trail. She felt exhilarated, burning off the restlessness that she hadn’t been able to shake since making the decisions to leave Chicago and then hightailing it west. Even with her parents being unhappy with the circumstances of her return, Regan felt good about being back. Not that she’d admit that to anyone. Sapphire Creek had felt like a prison while she was growing up here, an hour away from the biggest city—by Montana standards—and she’d been restless and anxious to see the rest of the world. She never would have guessed that someday it would become a haven. It had grown a bit since she’d left, but it still had the flavor of a small Montana town. And compared to the rest of the world, it was uniquely quaint. A mix of old mining and forestry buildings dotted the area, old and new mixing with a charm not found elsewhere.
At the moment, it was offering her
time and space. She felt a little guilty she hadn’t decided what to do next with her life yet. Having a career was ingrained. Sinclairs worked. They worked hard. And here she hadn’t given quitting her job and packing up a second of consideration. Her mind kept wandering as she reviewed the pamphlets she’d collected. Did she want to stay in medicine? Maybe make her parents’ dreams come true and go to medical school? In truth, the only thing she’d been thinking about this morning was spending more time with Gavin. He was a distraction. She’d never allowed herself to be distracted before, not even when she and Todd first got together.
The one thing she’d decided after Bethany left was that she was due a major fling to help her get back on track, to get her head on right. A fling was the answer.
A fling with Gavin.
Her breath hitched at the thought. Doubts were standing sentry at the edge of her mind, ready to remind her she’d never seduced anyone before, wouldn’t have any idea how to go about it.
Regan shoved those warnings aside. She’d figure it out. The man was drop-dead gorgeous. How hard could it be to seduce him? Men thought about sex every three seconds, right? Or was that food?
It had to be sex.
Her gaze scanned the horizon, taking in the breathtaking view of the jagged mountain over the near-frozen falls. Peace seeped into her as she soaked in the gorgeous vistas. She’d taken them for granted. For years she’d taken so much for granted.
That was the first thing that was going to change.
“What are you doing here?”
The deep voice had her whirling around and promptly sliding, her feet flying out from under her. Before she could hit the frozen ground, Gavin had hauled her up, straight into his solid chest. A chest she desperately wanted to explore.
Regan slid her hands around his lean waist, unable to resist leaning against him. “I was just going for a walk.”
“Up the side of a mountain?” Humor laced his words as he set her away from him, not enough for her to let go, but so they were no longer plastered together, just as another man turned the corner.
