Chapter Twenty-Five
AFTER A FUN Saturday on the slopes, during which Birdie got one free ride down the mountain on Crew’s back, for no reason other than the exhilaration of it, they headed into town.
Evening came early in the high country. By five thirty, the sun had already dipped behind the mountains, leaving a pale sky and the last smudge of gold, painting Timber Crest in a romantic glow.
Crew’s arm tightened around Birdie’s shoulders, pulling her in for another kiss as they walked along the main strip.
Timber Crest was a charming small town, with a beautiful park, early holiday displays in shop windows, and planters overflowing with fall flowers.
It had been snowing on and off all day, and everything was covered in a few powdery inches.
The crisp November air nipped at Birdie’s cheeks, but nestled against Crew’s side, she felt warm all the way down to her toes.
He smiled down at her. “Worth the drive?”
They’d driven separately to his cabin in case anyone stopped by her place and saw her car in her driveway. They’d worry if she didn’t answer the door. “Worth every mile.”
She’d drive a million miles to be with him.
Before they’d met, she’d felt like a radio stuck between stations.
Now, for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel like she was racing toward the next thing or juggling ten thoughts at once.
Nothing could compete for her attention when they were together.
This must be what it felt like to feel settled.
Mostly, anyway.
She rested her head against him, wishing they could be this free with each other every day.
But they were two hours from Hope Valley.
Two hours from friends and family who knew nothing of the beautiful bond they shared or the bubble of happiness they were creating.
She had a phone full of pictures with Crew.
Pictures she wanted to share on social media and gush over with the people she loved.
Instead, they were hidden from view, like they were illegal.
It was such a strange feeling to be happier than she’d ever been and, at the same time, sad and frustrated by their circumstances. But there was no way she’d let those thoughts dim their happiness this weekend.
They wandered in and out of cute shops, holding hands and kissing. In a candle shop, she insisted he smell three different woodsy—but not murder-cabin woodsy—scents. He laughed at her description but still bought two of them.
As they meandered through a bookstore, she found a Halloween-themed recipe for caramel apple nachos and showed it to him.
“Apples and nachos?” He made a face like it sounded gross. “I don’t know, Trouble.”
“I do,” she said. “It’s going to be life-changing!”
His deep laughter rolled over her as he hauled her into his arms and kissed her senseless.
She came away a little dizzy and said, “I need to find more life-changing recipes,” earning more of the kisses she’d hoped for.
Crew took her hand as they left the store with the life-changing cookbook and guided her out of the path of a couple walking by, sweeping her into the circle of his arms again.
He gazed down at her with the biggest smile she’d ever seen on him.
The serious eyes she was falling so hard for glimmered with the kind of warmth she wanted to tie a bow around and tuck into his back pocket for him to draw upon on the hard days when Dare iced him out.
“You make everything better,” he said, rough with emotion.
Her heart tripped up. “Everything?”
“Everything.”
He lowered his lips to hers in a deep, unhurried kiss, like he meant every word and wanted her to feel it. When he pulled back, he brushed his thumb over her cheek and said, “Come on. Let’s see what trouble we can get into at the general store.”
The bell over the door jingled as they stepped inside and were greeted by the faint scent of baked bread and soft lighting that made everything look antique.
Drawn to a display of brightly colored metal mugs with flowers on them, Birdie headed straight for them. “Look how cute these are.”
“Everything in the store is made locally,” a gentleman said from behind the register.
“That’s my favorite kind of store,” Birdie said, picking up a sunshine-yellow mug. She handed a red one to Crew and tapped hers to it. “Hear that? Perfection.”
He huffed a soft laugh. “Are we judging mugs by their musical ability?”
“Obviously. It’s a very advanced system.”
He set the mug down and reached for a heavy cast-iron skillet on the shelf below, testing the weight of it in his hand like he was sizing up a piece of equipment.
“Weapon or cookware?” she teased.
“What do you think?” He hooked an arm around her waist, tugging her into another kiss.
She’d never tire of that.
She put her hands on his biceps and said, “With guns like these, you don’t need a weapon. How well can you cook with it?”
“Are you planning on grading me?”
“Absolutely. There will be a full evaluation. Possibly with color charts.”
He shook his head and set the skillet back on the shelf.
They wandered a few more steps, pausing at a display of local honey and apple butter in cute jars with ribbons around the tops and handwritten labels.
Birdie lifted a jar of honey, turning it in the light.
“That bow makes me want to buy every one of them. Smart marketing. I’m going to have to remember that. ”
She looked around and said, “This place is dangerous. I could buy everything in here and justify it as supporting local artisans.”
“Isn’t that your usual excuse?” he teased.
“It’s not an excuse if it’s true.”
He reached past her for a jar of whiskey barrel honey. “In that case, we should get the sweetest honey on the shelf.”
Tossing him a playful glance, she said, “Hey, charmer. That’s quite a line.”
“Is it working?” He cocked a brow.
She smiled, bumping him with her hip.
“We’re getting this,” he said.
“Yay!” She turned and gasped. “Oh my gosh, Crew, look!” She hurried down the aisle to a gorgeous glass-domed cake stand.
The base had a red, pink, and white diamond pattern.
The plate was striped with the same colors and had scalloped edges that looked like peppermint and spearmint candies.
The handle on the glass dome was shaped and colored like a candy cane.
“Isn’t this the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? I need this for the shop. It would be a great display for our holiday chocolates.”
“I’m surprised you don’t have one.”
“We have several, but they’re not this cute, and we can’t use the same displays every year.
We have to rotate them to keep things fresh.
” She lifted it higher and looked at the bottom.
“I’m totally buying this. It says, Handcrafted by Sadie Belle.
From my hands to your heart. I’ll be supporting a woman-owned business and a local artisan. That’s a total win.”
Crew was looking at her with the same fondness most people reserved for puppies and babies. That was the kind of look that made a girl forget her own name.
“You’re incredible, you know that?” he said, taking the cake stand from her.
“You’re not going to make fun of me?”
“Not unless you forget to keep the receipt.”
She smiled. “Not only am I not going to forget, but I’m going to write business expense on it before we even leave the store.”
“Attagirl. I’ll put it on the counter with the honey and those mugs you like, so he can box it up while we look around.”
Her surprise bubbled out. “You’re getting the mugs?”
“For the cabin,” he answered. “That way I’ll get to see your eyes light up when you have hot chocolate later with the miniature colored marshmallows I brought.”
She hooked her finger into his waistband, pulling him closer, and said, “I’ve got news for you, Ragnar. You make my eyes, my heart, and every other part of me light up. No mugs or marshmallows necessary.” She went up onto her toes and kissed him.
While he brought their things to the front counter, she checked out a rack of colorful scarves, the soft fabrics swaying as she ran her fingers over them. “Aren’t these pretty?” she said as he came down the aisle.
“Not as pretty as you. Take your time. I’m going to keep looking around.” He patted her ass as he walked past.
Birdie looked at every scarf, choosing two scarves for Christmas presents, and then she went looking for Crew. She found him standing in front of a display of greeting cards, his face a mask of concentration.
“Hey,” she said softly, putting her hand on his back.
He looked down at her, his lips curling up at the edges. “You found a scarf?”
“Two. One for my mom and one for Quinn for Christmas presents.”
He nodded, his expression a little solemn. “I’m thinking about getting this for my mother. What do you think?”
She took the card, admiring the simply drawn pen-and-ink wildflowers on the front. Her throat tightened at the simple sentiment inside. Just a little note to say you’ve been on my mind.
“It’s perfect,” she said softly.
“Good.” He hugged her against his side.
A few minutes later, they left the store, bags in hand. They walked past a darkened bar with paper over the windows and a sign taped to the glass that read Closed for renovations. Mechanical Bull Coming Soon.
Birdie stopped short. “We have to come back here sometime. I’m the queen of riding mechanical bulls.”
Crew laughed. “Is that right?”
“Yes. Dare taught me to ride one when I was six. We were at the Roadhouse for lunch with our family, and my brothers all got turns to ride, but then our lunch came, and we had to go eat. I was upset that I had to wait, and he whispered for me to say I had to go to the bathroom. He was ten, and I could tell he had a plan. So I did, and he snuck me onto the mechanical bull.”
“Your parents didn’t notice?”
“At the time, I would have sworn they didn’t, but of course they did.
I’m sure that’s why Doc and Cowboy appeared two seconds later.
Anyway, I loved riding it so much, I wanted to go back every day.
Obviously, I couldn’t, because my parents had to run the ranch.
So Dare built me this wooden contraption with a saddle and all these ropes hanging off it.
He wrangled Doc and Cowboy into holding the ropes with him.
They’d yank the ropes to make it rock and buck while I rode. ”
“Dare’s a good brother,” Crew said without an ounce of bitterness.
Falling a little harder for Crew for not making her feel like she had to hide those feelings, she said, “He’s the best. But the funniest part is that my mom was afraid I’d get hurt because I was so little, so they bundled me up in a helmet and goggles and put safety pads all over me.
Down my arms and legs, on my elbows and knees. I could barely bend my arms.”
“You must’ve been adorable.”
“I was so bundled up, you could barely tell it was me. I’ll have to find a picture to show you. It’s one of my happiest memories, and it paid off, because I hold the record for riding longer than anyone at the Roadhouse.”
Crew slid an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they strolled down the sidewalk. “With how well you ride me, I should’ve known you were rodeo royalty.” He leaned in for a kiss and said, “We’re definitely coming back.”
A little while later, Birdie spotted a consignment shop with the coolest clothes in the window. “Hey, Ragnar, think you can entertain yourself for a little while?”
His brows slanted. “’Course. Why?”
“I’ve been so busy, I didn’t have a chance to go shopping for something special to wear to dinner tonight, and they have a thrift shop. I can probably find something cute there, but I want to surprise you if I do.”
“You don’t have to dress up for me, sweet one. You always look amazing.”
Sweet one wrapped around her like an embrace.
“Thank you, but this is our first official dinner date out in the open. Maybe I’ll find something that looks special-for-you amazing.
Go wander around. Get coffee. Enjoy some alone time without me hanging all over you, because after this, I’m sticking to you like glue. ”
He grinned. “I look forward to it.” He brushed a kiss over her lips. “I’ll meet you back here in an hour.”
“One hour,” she promised, and headed toward the consignment shop with a bounce in her step.