Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
R onnie’s cheeks ached from smiling.
Or…more like they ached from suppressing a smile.
The other women in the bridal shop probably didn’t even realize she wasn’t swooning like an idiot over here.
And she wasn’t swooning.
Ronnie gave her head a shake and tucked her phone in her back pocket just as Bailey reached her. “You’re up, lady.”
Bailey handed Ronnie a pale pink gown that looked like something straight out of the Barbie movie.
Bailey winked. “Just your style.”
“Right? I love pink. And heels.” She managed to keep a straight face.
Bailey studied the dress critically. “It’s just missing some sequins.”
They both burst out laughing, but Margot rushed over with wide eyes. “What are you doing? You’re supposed to be trying on your dress!”
Ronnie smothered her smile and shared one last look with Bailey before following Margot toward the dressing rooms.
Margot shoved her into a narrow stall and closed the door shut behind her. It was so small, and the skirt of the dress was sooo big. “I feel like I’m in a tomb.”
She heard a snort come from the other side of the thin door, and then Bailey’s voice followed. “If getting in and out of that sucker is a life-or-death matter, just give me a holler.”
Ronnie grinned and started shedding her clothes. “Thanks. And thanks for coming today. I appreciate it.”
“Are you kidding? This is good practice.”
Ronnie stilled. “Wait a sec. Did you and Drew?—”
“No!” Bailey sounded like she was trying not to laugh. “Not yet. But…we’ve been talking.”
“Wow. That’s big.”
Bailey murmured an agreement. “It is, but it also…feels right, you know?”
Now it was Ronnie’s turn to murmur something vague. Did she know? Not really. Not personally. She’d never even had a proper boyfriend, let alone considered attaching herself to a dude for the rest of her life.
And then…
Just like that.
There he was. Dallas freakin’ King with his smirk and his sexy beard and his broad shoulders and?—
Ugh. She slapped a hand over her eyes.
This was stupid. And so not like her. She clearly had too much time on her hands if her brain was going all soft and gooey over a guy who she couldn’t possibly have a crush on.
She couldn’t. For many reasons, not the least of which was that she didn’t have time for that sort of thing.
Not with her career, which kept her traveling and training all year round.
It was no wonder she’d never had a serious relationship.
How could she with the kind of life she led?
There wasn’t room to commit to another person the way she needed to. It was just easier to stay single.
And not only that—this was Dallas. Bailey’s twin. A guy she’d known all her life. Talk about complicated.
And then there was the fact that she was so not the kind of woman he’d want. She remembered hearing all about his ex. The woman he almost married by the sounds of it.
The way Bailey had described her…
It had been instantly clear that if Dallas were to choose between her and, say…Margot, her sister would be the winner in a landslide.
And then there was Bailey. Her friend. Friends were something she didn’t have many of in her life, and it was something she wasn’t willing to lose.
She could only imagine the fallout if she told Bailey, “By the way, I’ve fallen for your brother. No, not the one you adore, not the one you never see, but the one who drives you absolutely crazy. Yeah, him. We cool?”
Ugh! Bailey would so not be cool.
Which means there would be no falling of any kind.
She grunted as she tugged up the zipper.
“You okay in there?” Bailey called.
“I’m…” She wheezed. “Getting there.”
Bailey snickered. But then she was the one grunting.
Ronnie paused in her struggle. “Is everything okay out there?”
Bailey’s sigh was loud enough to hear through the door. “Yes. Just Dallas.”
Ronnie froze. Again. At this rate she’d never get the dang zipper up. “What did he do now?”
“Nothing.” Bailey said this with annoyance. Like she was frustrated that she didn’t have something to complain about.
The thought made Ronnie grin. She’d always found their relationship fascinating. They so clearly loved each other. And yet…
They acted like they hated each other.
“He’s coming this weekend to help out.”
Ronnie kept quiet. No need to mention that she already knew he was coming back to Paradise Springs. “That’s nice of him.”
“Yeah.” Bailey sighed again. “It is.”
Ronnie wanted to ask what the problem was, but she kept her lips shut as she finished dressing, then threw open the door.
“Oh, Ronnie!” Bailey drank her in, then made her do a spin, which was awkward with the puffy skirt. But Ronnie did as she was told, then came back full circle to find her friend fighting tears.
What?
“You’re beautiful.” Bailey sniffed, her lips wobbling into a smile. “You look like a pink marshmallow, but you’re so freaking beautiful.”
Ronnie let a laugh slip free and pulled her friend into a quick hug before having to step back and show off the dress to Margot and her friends too.
Everyone was oohing and aahing, and Ronnie played the role of big sister to perfection. Saying everything Margot needed to hear, even when all she wanted to do was rip off the dress and run out the door.
She wished she could be anywhere else…and her mind immediately took her back to those moments in high school when she was stuck in the classroom and hating whatever lesson she was enduring.
Back then, she’d play a little game called “Escape to the Slopes.” In her mind, she’d disappear to the mountains, feeling the board beneath her feet, the flow and rush as she careened down the hill. She knew the routes so well, she could ride all the way down from memory.
Her breath caught as she realized she was playing the game without thinking…
And she actually wanted to be playing it.
She wanted to be on the slopes.
As her sister droned on about the trials of finding the perfect bridesmaids dresses, Ronnie closed her eyes and let herself go. She imagined the rush of cold air, that flow state she felt when she was on her board, and all that mattered was her body and the mountain and the feel of the snow, and?—
That was what she wanted.
To be back on the mountain again.
A flood of emotions hit her square in the chest, muddled and confusing. She ached to feel that freedom. That rush.
Which was ridiculous, because she trained year-round. That rush was hers for the taking.
But when she was competing, it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t just her and the board and the slopes.
And that was what she missed.
She took a deep breath and forced her eyes back open, forced herself to engage in Margot’s story and laugh when the other girls did.
She even nodded when her little sister looked at her with those big, expectant eyes.
“You did good, kid.” She winked, just the way her mom would have done, and Margot grinned like she’d just won first prize. “I’m gonna go…” She pointed at the changing room door.
“Do you need a hand with the zipper?” Margot followed her in, not even waiting for a response.
Squishing into the space, she helped Ronnie unzip. And Ronnie let her fuss and swoon over the fabric without complaint, because her mind was back on those slopes again. A yearning burned inside her with an intensity she hadn’t felt in a really long time.
She needed to get back on the mountain.
Not to compete.
Just to board. To fall in love with the sport all over again.
The local ski lodge was opening for the season this weekend, and she wanted to go.
She actually wanted to go.
And there was only one guy she wanted to go with.