by Donya Lynne
She didn’t know a pilot light from a flashlight.
“Is that hard to fix?”
“No. Shouldn’t be.” He faced the furnace again, turned something off—or on, she really didn’t know—then checked his watched as he faced her. “Let’s give this a few minutes and try and relight it.” He settled against the open door. “You were in Pappy’s the other day.”
He remembered. A thrill ran through her. “Yes.”
“You’re not from around here.” He spoke so matter-of-factly. Like a cop who’d taken her in for questioning. Was that a by-product of having been stripped of emotion or just the way he was?
“No.” She squirmed under his intense, scrutinizing stare. Did he recognize who she really was? Was her cover blown? “I drove up from Utah.”
“Just passing through?” He crossed one ankle over the other.
With a shrug, she glanced at the floor and raised her hand to play with her hair, only to drop it when she remembered her long tresses were gone. There was nowhere to hide.
“Just taking a break from life,” she said.
Scott nodded and checked his watch. “How long you plan on staying in Hope Falls?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. Right now, I’m set for a month.”
Regarding her again with a nod, he glanced out the nearby window. “Hope Falls is a good place to take a break.”
“Oh?”
“It’s quiet here. The people are friendly.” He pushed away from the door and glanced at the furnace. “And if you can handle the cold, it’s a pretty place to lose yourself if what you need is to be lost.”
Was he reading her mind or regurgitating his own thoughts? Thoughts that had helped him get through losing his football career before it even started.
“Getting lost sounds about right.” Lacey brushed her hands up and down her arms and hunched forward in an effort to warm herself.
“Complicated life?” His gaze sliced into hers.
“You could say that.” She pulled herself up and hugged her arms around her waist to keep her sweater in place.
“And you think spending time in Hope Falls can uncomplicate it?” His knowing eyes softened as he studied her in such a way that made it clear he thought she was in the right place.
The easy yet truncated conversation felt nice. Like ice breaking kind of stuff that could lead to friendship. “Yeah, I think it can. I drove into town five days ago and knew this was where I needed to be.” At least she could be honest about that.
“How did you know?”
“I had a feeling.” Talking to him was surprisingly easier than she thought it would be.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Was that a smile? For her? Scott gave the impression he didn’t smile much, but she’d gotten two out of him. One at Pappy’s and now this one. Okay, sure, they were tiny smiles. Almost microscopic. But a smile was a smile.
She leaned back in the chair. “When I entered Pappy’s, I felt…” He cocked his head to one side, waiting for her to continue. She felt her cheeks heat. “Never mind, it’s silly.”
“No, tell me. What made you decide to stay?” He appeared almost hopeful.
She blew out a breath. “Pappy’s reminded me of my grandpa. When I was a kid, we’d listen to the oldies together and dance and sing.” Those were such fond memories…from a time before she’d been turned into a brand. “Hearing those old songs at Pappy’s took me back. It was almost like my grandpa was there with me, telling me I should stay here for a while.”
Another smile. Bigger this time. Like he’d let down his shield for a moment.
Scott had a wonderful smile. It completely changed the construction of his face. Instead of a brick wall, he became a window, revealing a piece of his soul. In that instant, his heart and goodness shone through.
“You and your grandpa were close?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Scott nodded then checked his watch again. “Okay, let’s try this.” He turned toward the furnace, manipulated a couple of switches, then struck a match. A flame lit and he stepped back as he blew out the match. “There you go.”
Lacey stood as he closed the door. “That’s it?”
“Yep. Unless it goes back out. If that happens, I’ll need to clean the line. Hopefully that won’t happen, but if it does, just call us back.”
“Thank you.”
“Just doing my job.” He zipped his coat.
“So, you work here then?” What were the odds that she’d seen him at Pappy’s right before randomly choosing to rent a cabin here. Maybe Grandpa had been there. Maybe he had been telling her something.
Scott started for the door. “You could say that. My brother and I own this place.”
“You own it?” She hadn’t seen that coming.
He nodded as he opened the door and stepped onto the porch.
“And you do the maintenance?” Call her silly, but she couldn’t see the owner fixing the breaks.
He adjusted his Oregon Ducks skullcap with its out of character fluffy pom-pom. “Only when the regular maintenance guy calls in sick.”
Lucky me for colds and flu.
She hugged her sweater around her. “Sorry you had to come out. You were probably sleeping, huh?”
He grinned. The biggest he’d shown her yet. “It’s just sleep. I’ll be fine. I couldn’t let you freeze to death.” His grin grew into a smile, and he actually looked like he was about to tell a joke. “That wouldn’t look good for business.”
His gaze lit on hers. She felt like he’d just given her a gift. Like maybe he was flirting with her. But that didn’t coincide with what Shirl had told her. She’d said Scott was a quiet, guarded man. Private. Not interested in “girls.” But his guard sure felt like it had fallen in the last fifteen minutes. Reserved men bent on avoiding romantic entanglements didn’t strike her as the type to joke and flirt with women they didn’t know.
With a soft giggle, her face warmed, and she glanced away. It was hard not to feel enraptured under his attention. “I suppose you’re right. A frozen guest would probably put a kibosh on cabin rentals.”
When she glanced back up at him, his mouth worked as if in amusement, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “Here.” He held it toward her. “If your pilot light goes out again, or if anything else needs fixing, call me direct. That’s my cell.” He pointed to the card as she took it.
“Thanks.” She stared down at it.
Scott McCord, Owner and Chief Financial Officer. So he worked the books, too. Talk about having a hand in every pot.
“I’m available twenty-four seven. You need anything, just call.”
Lacey got the feeling Scott didn’t offer his personal assistance to just anyone.
“I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m sure everything’ll be fine now. Thank you.”
Offering a tight smile, Scott nodded once then turned for his truck. “Night, Mattie.”
“Good night.”
She waved as he backed down her driveway. When she returned inside, heat poured from the vents again.
And as she tucked his business card inside the palm of her hand, heat poured through her body, as well.
Life had just gotten interesting in Hope Falls.
Chapter 6
“Hi, sugar!”
Lacey smiled at Shirl as she took a seat at the counter inside Pappy’s. “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison was playing on the jukebox.
“Hi, Shirl.”
“Coffee?” Shirl held up the decanter as if she could goad her into a cup.
“No thanks. Just tea, please.”
Shirl busied herself behind the counter then returned with a small metal pitcher of hot water and a tea bag. “Thought you’d left us days ago, sugar.”
“Just catching up on some ‘me’ time.” Lacey poured water in her cup then ripped open the packet, pulled out the tea bag, and dunked it.
“Nothing wrong with that, honey.” Shi
rl winked and left her to peruse the menu as she waited on another patron.
Spending time by herself had hit the mark, but after a week tucked inside her cabin, Lacey had begun to go a little stir-crazy. For once, she wanted to get out. Go shopping. Sightsee. When was the last time she’d gone sightseeing without a gaggle of paparazzi and fans tagging along? And she really needed to get a professional haircut to fix the tragedy she’d made of her hair by unceremoniously whacking it off.
“You ready to order, honey?” Shirl held her pad and pencil at the ready.
Lacey ordered a Cobb salad but stopped Shirl before she could scoot away. “Is there a hair salon nearby?”
Shirl’s smile lit up the diner. “Sure is, sugar. You’ll find Marian’s Salon three doors up on the other side of the road. But why do you want to cut your hair? It’s plenty short already.”
That was something no one had ever said about her hair. Then again, it had always been over two feet long. At least for as long as she could remember.
She ran her fingers over the back of her head. “I just want a trim.”
“Well, Marian’ll do you right.” Shirl winked and took off with her order.
Two hours later, Lacey turned her head left and right, inspecting Marian’s handiwork in the mirror. Not only had she shaped up the ends so they weren’t so uneven, she’d also fixed the color so it wasn’t as brassy. The result was a warm, honey-dipped blond with muted highlights.
“I love it.” She’d never thought she’d have short hair, but now that she saw how fun short hair could be, she couldn’t see going back to long.
Marian unsnapped the cape covering her clothes and flipped it to the side. “It’s a new you, dear.” She leaned on the back of the chair and winked at Lacey’s reflection.
What a hoot Marian had been. Only marginally more discreet than Shirl, but clearly part of the heartbeat of Hope Falls, the owner of the salon had regaled Lacey with humorous anecdotes about townsfolk she didn’t even know. Another lady getting her hair cut had laughed as Marian relayed a story about her and how she had fallen off a snowmobile last winter and broken her arm, all because she’d been chasing her cheating husband into the mountains.
“Yeah, well, he nearly lost his big toe to frostbite, so it was worth it!” The lady had said, laughing. “The cheating bastard.”
Lacey had gotten a kick out of the way the women bantered back and forth like old friends, feeling as though they’d welcomed her into the fold without even knowing who she was.
Scott had been right. The people in Hope Falls were very friendly.
After paying, Lacey wandered back out into the lovely weather. It was unseasonably warm for last week of September, so she took off her jacket and tossed it in the passenger seat of her car before driving off in search of adventure.
A few minutes later, she drew in her breath as she turned the corner and saw a skate park. A big one. Kids were enjoying the last gasp of summer, zipping up and down the sloping sides on their skateboards, grabbing air and grinding the rails.
A sign out front read Hastings Skatepark.
The name sounded familiar. She’d heard of this place. Tony Hawk had been there years ago. She’d been just a kid, but in the skateboarding community, news like that made the rounds. And even at ten years old, she knew who Tony Hawk was. After all, she’d gotten her start on a skateboard.
Parking, she plucked her jacket off the seat, made her way into the park, and sat down on a concrete bench.
So many kids. So much laughter. The memories of her own escapades on a skateboard filtered into her mind.
Parents milled the outskirts, some holding up phones to record their kids. One little girl with dark brown hair zoomed fearlessly down the far wall toward a short tunnel. She flew up and around the concave doorway and back toward the wall, arms out, eyes focused. So intense. She couldn’t have been more than nine or ten years old, but she had the practiced focus of a professional.
The little girl reminded Lacey of herself when she was that age. So determined. Hungry. Ready to conquer the world. How things had changed.
“Hey, how’s your heat?”
Lacey tore her gaze from the little girl and looked up, shielding her eyes against the sun. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome was walking toward her, sans the Oregon Ducks coat and skullcap of the other night. Today he was wearing a navy-blue T-shirt and dark-blue jeans that hung just low enough on his hips to make him look like a hipster, even if that hadn’t been his intention.
And wow! Scott had serious arms. Until now, she’d only seen him in long sleeves. In short sleeves, it was clear he took care of his physique. But she didn’t miss the scar slashing his thick biceps. A remnant of the car crash?
He stared at her expectantly. Only then did she realize he’d asked her a question.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I asked how your heat is. You know, in your cabin?” His dark eyebrows raised in amusement as he angled his head curiously.
“Oh, um, yeah. It’s fine. Not that I need it today.” She lifted one arm as if to catch rays of sunshine in her palm.
He glanced toward the blue sky then back to her. “Summer’s last hurrah. It’ll be plenty cold in a couple of days, though. Storm’s coming.”
“How do you know?”
He bent and patted his knee. “My knee says so.”
“Oh.” The reminder of what she’d heard about his accident made her glance away.
Now that she was getting to know him, she hated that Shirl had revealed so much of what had happened to him ten years ago. It put her in a delicate position. She already knew all about his past, which made things awkward. Should she pretend not to know about the car crash that ended his football career? Should she pretend she didn’t know about how his high school girlfriend tricked him by getting pregnant? Or did she fess up and tell him the truth? But doing that would make him think she’d been inquiring about him, even though she hadn’t. Shirl had volunteered everything. Lacey just hadn’t stopped her.
“Your hair’s nice.” He gestured toward her hair.
Her fingers shot up to the back of her head. “Oh, thank you. I had it done.”
“I like it.” He took a seat beside her. “So, what brings you out here?” He nodded toward the skate park, which to non-skateboarders probably looked like an elaborate swimming pool without water.
How much should she tell him? “I used to skateboard. When I was a kid.”
Scott’s eyebrows rose. “Really? I never would have imagined that.”
“It’s true.”
“Were you good?”
Good enough to transition to snowboards and win three X Games and two Olympic gold medals.
“I could hold my own. How about you? Did you ever skateboard?”
He blew out a puff of breath. Lacey imagined that was as close to a laugh as he got. “No. I played football. I wasn’t coordinated enough to skateboard.”
“It takes as much coordination to play football as to skateboard.”
He regarded her with a sideways glance, his hard stare liquefying as one corner of his mouth lifted. God, those tiny smiles felt like precious gifts.
“Maybe,” he said. “But skateboards and I…?” He squinted at the concrete hills and valleys. “We never got along.” He paused. “I think it’s the height.” He looked back at her. “Being six four is a bit of a detriment when it comes to sports that require riding around on something with wheels. I think it’s easier for shorter people to keep their balance on a rolling surfboard. Me? Not so much.”
Was he flirting again?
“I guess you’re right. Six four is a bit tall for a skateboarder.” And was she flirting back? Yes. Yes, she was.
She turned her attention back toward the little girl sailing around the park like a mini-Lacey Moon.
“So, Mattie, what do you do?”
It took her a second to register that he was talking to her again. She wasn’t used to being calling Mattie.
“I�
�m sorry, what?”
“I asked what you do for a living.”
Ice flew down her spine. She hadn’t been prepared to answer questions about herself. “I’m in sales.” The lie flew out of her in a panic. In a way, though, it was true, because didn’t she sell herself to the devil every day as a competitive snowboarder.
“What do you sell?”
“Sporting equipment.” She was a piece of sporting equipment, wasn’t she?
Scott’s face showed his surprise. “You don’t strike me as the sports equipment salesperson type.”
She longed for this line of questioning to end. “Well, I’m not sure I want to do it, anymore. I’m taking some time off to decide whether I want to continue doing this for a living or if I want to try something else.” At least that wasn’t a lie.
“Like what?”
Like continuing to live a lie in Hope Falls for the rest of my life to see if these feelings I have for you will pass or grow stronger.
She knew life would catch up to her sooner or later, though, which meant she needed to tread carefully with Scott.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I used to work as a snowboard instructor in Utah.” It wasn’t a total fib. As a teenager, she’d run a couple of snowboarding workshops for kids out of Park City as part of a community campaign. She’d helped teach some of the local children the basics of snowboarding. “I really enjoyed that,” she said.
“Why’d you stop?”
She shrugged, not able to come up with a good enough lie. And since telling the truth wasn’t an option, keeping her mouth shut seemed the best course of action.
Scott’s head bobbed up and down, anyway, as if he understood completely where Lacey was coming from, despite her lack of an answer. “So, you’re here to figure things out.”
“Yes.”
A faraway look briefly glazed his eyes. “I had to do that once.” His gaze drifted to the skating area. “About ten years ago my whole life did a one-eighty. Hell, maybe you could say it took a three-sixty.” Resigned content washed over him as he drew silent.
But Lacey could tell he was reliving the past in those long, pensive moments.
Then he straightened abruptly as he pressed his palms up his thighs. “At any rate, Hope Falls helped me figure things out. It’s a good place to do that. Maybe it’ll do the same for you.” He glanced at her with eyes so brown they looked almost black. Even so, they held a gentle warmth that wrapped around her like a protective blanket. “You know how you said the other night that you felt your grandpa had given you a sign that this was where you needed to stay?”
