Chapter 1
Chapter One
RORY
Seven months later
Leaning against the bar, I unlocked my phone and pulled up the dating app I’d spent the better part of a week trying to convince myself to finish setting up.
Every time I told myself today was going to be the day, I’d open the app, stare at the tiny boxes asking for my information, and chicken out.
I always thought that when I met my man, it would happen naturally, here in the bar or maybe while grabbing a coffee at Muffin Top or in the produce section of the grocery store.
I never thought I’d end up on a dating app. But things had changed.
In the past several months, two of my closest friends had gotten engaged, another had gotten married, and the fourth was in a relationship where a ring was sure to come in the very near future.
I loved my girls with all my heart, and I was thrilled beyond belief that they’d all landed the men of their dreams, men who worshipped the ground they walked on and treated them like queens. But there was no denying I was envious. I wanted that for myself.
I was a forty-year-old woman with no man or kids, all because of some insane delusion I’d had all my life that there was one absolutely perfect man out there just for me.
I’d spent far too many years waiting for the day when The One would come walking into my life.
And when he finally did, he’d already belonged to someone else, and it took far too many years to recover from that crushing blow.
After that first night, Cord came into The Tap Room pretty regularly, and every time he walked through the doors, my body reacted to his presence. My skin tingled and grew tight, and when those dark eyes hit me, I found it hard to breathe.
It took me a month of joking and teasing, a month of playful flirting before I finally found the courage to make my move.
I could remember that night with perfect clarity as well.
The sympathy that spread across his gorgeous face.
I could still hear the velvety-smooth cadence of his husky voice as he said, “I’m flattered, dollface, really.
And if I could go there with anyone, it would be you.
But there’s a past I haven’t quite been able to let go of yet. ”
I’d been crushed, but as painful as it was, I pasted on a smile and assured him I understood.
I can wait, I’d told myself. For the man of my dreams, I could definitely wait.
And that was exactly what I did.
For two years I held on to the hope that one day, he’d let go of that past completely, and I’d be there when that happened.
In the meantime, Cord and I developed a relationship stronger than I could ever have imagined. He wasn’t only my best friend, he’d become one of the most important people in my world.
He was kind and thoughtful, fiercely loyal and absolutely hilarious.
It was as if he had a sixth sense when it came to my emotions.
If I was having a bad day, it never failed that he’d show up to make me laugh.
When I was sad, he was the shoulder I leaned on.
He was the first one I sought out to share my good news with, and I could always count on him to take part in my excitement.
He had a gift for making me feel like the most special woman in the world. When he smiled, my whole world lit up.
The more I got to know him, the stronger my feelings for him grew until they had formed into something so much more.
Cord Paulson wasn’t only the man of my dreams.
He was the love of my life. All I had to do was bide my time.
Then his past showed up in my picture-perfect mountain town, and everything changed.
Laurie Dutton came to Hope Valley to seek Cord out, and the instant he laid eyes on her, it became evident that I’d been waiting in vain. There was no way he was letting go of that past. Not now. Not when she’d come here for him.
I didn’t know their story, but whatever they’d had before was rekindled in a heartbeat.
The pain of watching the man I’d fallen for with someone else was something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. There was an ache that came with unrequited love that nothing else could compare to.
Time passed, and I started to convince myself that I was fine with just being his friend, that as long as I had him in my life in some way, everything would be all right. Then I lost that as well.
I hadn’t realized it at the time, but I hadn’t completely let go of the hope that I’d still have my chance one day. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that Cord was the man I’d been waiting all these years for.
Then he kissed me and called me by her name.
I made a decision right then and there in that hospital room. I was done waiting. I was finished with hope and fantasies of Cord one day waking up and realizing he was in love with me. I’d given up on Cord Paulson being my dream man, and I was moving on.
So while I was happy for my friends, watching them settle down with the loves of their lives poked at a wound that had only just started to heal.
“That must be one hell of a dick pic.”
At the unexpected voice, I let out a little squeak and clutched the phone to my chest as I jerked around to face Tammy, a young woman who waitressed at The Tap Room. “Shit. I didn’t hear you walk up.”
“That’s because you’ve been staring at your phone like you’ve got nudes of Henry Cavill on it. So I’ll say again, must be one hell of a dick pic. Don’t know what else would hold my attention like that.”
I quickly closed down my phone and stuffed it into my back pocket as I shot Tammy a scowl and teased, “I’m not looking at dick pics, you perv. And that’s the only thing that could hold your attention because you’re a horndog.”
Tammy’s face split into an unrepentant grin. “Girl, you know it,” she said on a giggle before skipping off to check her tables.
Twisting my wrist, I checked the time on my watch before moving to the switch on the wall at the end of the bar and flickering the lights. “Last call, people,” I shouted over the din of the crowd. “Fifteen minutes to close, so drink ’em if you got ’em.”
Despite it being a quarter to midnight on a Tuesday, there were a few grumbles of protest. But that was always the case.
The Tap Room was a Hope Valley institution and had been since way back in the day when my grandparents opened the place. Now that my folks had retired and it was finally mine, I was thrilled to keep that legacy going.
Moving back down the bar, I stopped in front of one of my regulars. “How’d you get here today, Dusty?”
He drained the last of his beer, setting the glass mug down with a heavy thump before looking at me with glassy, red-rimmed eyes. Years and years of not taking care of himself had made him look at least a decade older than his fifty-five years. “Walked here,” he answered on a mumble.
Dustin Filcher was a lifelong resident of Hope Valley and used to run the most successful real estate company in three counties.
He had a reputation for being fair and always looking out for his clients’ best interests.
How he was in business made him well respected, but it was his kind heart in general that made him well loved by everyone in town.
Then one night, ten years ago, he’d been driving his family home from a vacation during a nasty storm.
Another driver had lost control of his car and smashed into Dusty’s.
His wife and son were killed instantly, and he’d been stuck in the hospital for a better part of a month because of his injuries.
Now, instead of selling houses, he spent his time on a barstool at The Tap Room, drowning his sorrows from noon until close every single day.
I used to get so mad at my father for enabling his problem until Dad put it in perspective for me one day years back.
“Can’t help a man who’s not ready to help himself.
I know because I tried. That man spends every waking moment of every day living in his own personal hell, Rory.
Might not seem right to you, but I see where he’s comin’ from.
Can’t imagine livin’ my life without you and your mama in it, and if drinkin’ the memories away’ll provide him with a few hours of relief from that hell, I’m not gonna be the one to judge that, so long as he’s not puttin’ anyone else at risk. ”
I didn’t necessarily agree with my dad, but I understood, so I stopped riding him about it and instead turned my attention to giving Dusty an ear or shoulder to lean on if he ever needed it.
He was still well respected and well loved, but unfortunately, he was now pitied as well.
“You need me to call you a cab?”
“That’d be appreciated, if you don’t mind.”
Reaching over, I placed my hand on his and gave it a squeeze. “Not at all, sweetie. You just hang tight here, and I’ll get right on that.”
The cab showed a few minutes later, and I rounded the bar to give Dusty a hand. Usually he was able to get himself up and out on his own, but tonight was worse than normal.
“You need help with him?”
I looked up at Dan, my other bartender, and offered him a smile. “Nah, I’ve got him. But if you wouldn’t mind, could you help Tammy and Mona with clearing the floor? I’ll cash you guys out when I get back in.”
He gave me a nod and set about helping my waitresses clean the floor of empties and stack the chairs on the tables. The few people I had on staff were more than efficient, helping me run the bar like a well-oiled machine. I didn’t know how I’d function without any of them.
“Cryin’ shame,” Dusty muttered as I guided him out of the bar, his arm tossed carelessly over my shoulder as he leaned against me.
“What’s that?”
“Pretty girl like you. Sweet as can be. Should have a man and a buncha kids all your own.”
Ignoring the pang that sent through my chest, I tightened my grip on Dusty as he began listing to the side. “I’m good as I am, Dust. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Still think you deserve better, girl.”
One of the benefits of living in a small town was that everyone knew everyone, so the guy who ran the cab company was experienced when it came to these nightly pickups.
When he saw us, he quickly hopped out of the driver seat and jogged around to throw the back door open before coming our way and helping me load Dusty in.
“Thanks, Hal,” I said, smiling up at the man.
“No problem, honey.”
“You mind helping him get inside when you get to his place?” I asked once we had the door closed. “Tonight’s a bad one. I’m not sure he can make it through the door on his own.”
Hal looked to the car, his expression awash with sympathy. “Understandable, given the day.” I nodded in agreement, my heart breaking for poor Dusty. “Don’t worry yourself, darlin’. I’ll get him squared away.”
He returned to the driver’s seat, and I stood in the empty parking lot, watching with a broken heart as the red of the taillights disappeared around the corner.
I was just about to shake off the melancholy and head back inside when a huge, imposing figure I’d recognize anywhere stepped out of the shadows and blocked my path.