Chapter 21
NOLAN
Ileft the house before Val woke up. Why? Because I was afraid of what I’d do if she walked into the kitchen barefoot, sleepy-eyed, clad in sweatpants with her hair in a messy bun, looking sexy as fuck. Even just thinking of it now, the need for her burned through my veins like liquid fire.
Since getting snowed in together at Summit’s Edge a few nights ago, I’d been holding onto my restraint by a thin thread.
Val needed time, and I would give it to her.
But my mind had other ideas. The vision of her, brazen and beautiful in that California king, had me laying awake for hours night after night, wondering if she was touching herself and thinking of me down the hall in her own room.
Because I certainly was.
The pinging cash register pulled me back to the present moment and I grabbed my coffee, nodding at the barista, then took a seat at a high-top table in the lodge’s café. An idea popped into my head, and I pondered it for less than two seconds before texting Val.
Cancel your plans for us today. We’re going into town. Meet me at the café in an hour.
A few minutes later, I received a reply.
There’d better be coffee and bagels.
I smirked and pocketed my phone as a woman in her forties with a pile of curly red hair slid into the seat across from me. “Tess Mackey?” I asked.
She offered her hand and I took it in a firm shake. “Mr. Keller. Phil said you wanted to speak with me?”
I flashed one of my charming smiles, but Tess merely crossed her arms. Immune to my flattery. I respected her more for it. “You’ve worked here for a long time?”
“I guess.” But then her eagle eyes zeroed in on me with a harsh glare, and I knew I was in for it—whatever it was. “Pardon my frankness, sir, but what exactly are your intentions with Val?”
I blinked, taken aback. “My intentions?”
“You bought her that board she’s been dreaming about for years.
And don’t think I don’t see the way she looks at you when you two are off on your excursions.
You’ve got that pretty head of hers spinning like a pinwheel in a hurricane.
” Tess tossed her curls over her shoulder with a huff.
“You’re an engaged man, Mr. Keller. Am I right? ”
I picked a nonexistent piece of lint off my sleeve.
“I am. And I’ve done nothing untoward.” That you know of.
“I have no intentions with Val.” The lie tasted bitter, but this was none of Tess’s business.
One thing, though, was clear—I needed to watch my fucking step with Val in public.
If Tess noticed our effect on each other, who else had?
“Does she know that?” Tess asked.
“I’m not having this discussion because there is nothing to discuss.” Tess’s lips formed a thin line and her gaze hardened. Great. I’m antagonizing the witness. “I do, however, have a few questions about January 2004.”
Tess’s face remained shuttered. “What about it?”
“Do you remember anything unusual preceding my mother’s accident? Or anything noteworthy after?”
At the mention of my mother, Tess’s expression softened. “That’s what this is about? Nolan, the police deemed there was no foul play. It was a freak accident. I wish I could give you whatever answers you seek, but I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” I said, adjusting my already perfectly straight cuff links.
“What’s going on? Did they find new evidence?”
I gritted my teeth. “There’s no new evidence.” Except for those fucking letters.
“That season, the Alistairs were interested in buying the property,” Tess said. “They were around a lot, but Arthur always chased them off. Was always dead set against selling the place, even back then. Maybe you could ask Anton or his father if they noticed anything amiss.”
Tess’s words reminded me of the impending sale looming over my head like a guillotine, and my mood became stormy.
And goddamn fucking Anton. That arrogant asshole was the last person I wanted to involve in this.
“The Alistairs are always lurking around to rip off our ideas. We can’t outright ban them, but they’re never left unsupervised.
Interesting that they’d been here during that January but likely irrelevant. ”
With a shrug, Tess said, “That’s the only thing I remember causing any kind of stir. Everything else was business as usual. Might be worth looking into, if you’re at a dead end.”
I gave her my CEO smile, curt and empty. “Thanks for your time.”
“Sure thing.” But as Tess reached for her coat, she turned to me, frowning. “You should be careful with Val. She’s a good person.”
Holding her stern gaze, I said, “I know she is.”
With a firm nod, Tess weaved her way through the spectators gathering to watch the athletes practice.
There was a competition at a neighboring resort this weekend, and Hale’s Peak occasionally caught some of the spillover crowd.
Val and I would have to take extra care, which meant I’d probably spend the majority of the day trying not to ogle her.
Shortly after, a burst of cold air smacked me in the face as Val blustered through the door. When she saw me, she gave me a bright, but tentative, smile.
“Feeling shy?” I asked in a low voice only for her. “Even after that streak of boldness I saw the other night?”
Her eyes widened briefly, but then she surprised me by snatching the brown paper bag and to-go cup of coffee from my hands.
“How’s that for bold?” she asked, taking a sip of coffee as she peeked in the bag, nodding her approval.
She looked so fucking cute with her curly hair tucked under a knit cap and a vintage ski jacket devouring her curves.
I wanted to cart her off right then and there, but Val reminded me of my purpose.
“So you want to tell me why you canceled my plans for us again? Or are you not done staring at me yet?”
Bold, indeed. And damn, did I fucking love seeing her come out of her shell for me. “You keep ranting about how much you love the town, so I thought I’d go see it for myself. But I knew if I went without you and your expert itinerary, there’d be hell to pay. ”
Eying me over the top of her coffee cup, she said, “All right. It is the first bluebird day we’ve had in a week. But tomorrow, we’re doing whatever I say.”
God, that harmless statement shouldn’t have gone straight to my cock, but it did. I gave her an easy smile as I discreetly adjusted myself. “I’m willing to negotiate. Come on, Stan is waiting.”
We piled in the Escalade and headed down the mountain road into the town of Hale’s Peak. During the ride, Val kept her eyes glued to the scenery. I would have thought she was daydreaming had it not been for her knuckles turning white as she gripped her coffee cup.
“Sleep well?” I asked.
She darted a look at me and twisted the cardboard sleeve around her cup. “Yep.”
I suppressed a fiendish grin. “I was pleased to see that Cressida’s sleepover didn’t burn the entire edifice to the ground.”
“Cora and Frankie definitely tried. Those two are going to be a nightmare together,” Val noted.
“Sabrina Spellman and Wednesday Addams. Quite the dynamic duo.”
When Val tossed her head back in a laugh, it echoed in my bones. Christ, I have it bad for this woman. Taking things slow was becoming even more of an impossible task, especially with Val’s imposed deadline limiting our time together to the skiing season.
A few minutes later, Stan dropped us off in front of a wooden building with a sign that said “Market & General Store.” A few photographers clustered on the opposite side of the street, snapping photos of some VIP coming out of a coffee shop, and I ushered Val away. Vultures.
At the market door, an older woman with a smile-creased face and white-gold hair greeted us. “Val! It’s so nice to see you. That jacket looks great on you. Tess’s old one, right? I’d recognize it anywhere.”
Val beamed as she hugged the woman. “Yeah, a gift for opening day. Good to see you too, Mrs. Medford. How’s it going having Frankie and Hugh as your roommates?”
“How many times have I told you? I’m Helene, not Mrs. Medford. And it’s great having those two around. Keeps me and Harris young,” she said, elbowing the jolly man beside her.
“I really appreciate you taking them in,” I said. “These repairs are taking longer than anticipated.”
Helene waved away my thanks. “It’s no trouble. Come on in.”
The room was a cacophony of sounds, smells, and colors pulling my attention in every direction.
Merchant stands outlined the large space and a grid of shelves and tables stood in organized aisles, housing all manner of goods: fresh roasted coffee, homemade preserves, muffins and pastries, craft beer and wine, as well as handcrafted wares like vegan leather bags, soaps and candles, photography, artwork.
Frankie stood at a jewelry stand that also had—
“Is Frankie selling swords?” I asked, baffled by the dichotomy.
With a chuckle, Val said, “Yeah, she makes them for a local D and D group. The tourists eat that stuff up too.”
I tossed Frankie a wave, impressed at her handiwork. “And I thought I was terrified of her before,” I said, surveying the other stands. “The farmers market is here too?” I couldn’t imagine where they’d have space for it—the room was full to bursting.
“There’s a separate pavilion out back, although it gets tough in the winter when the snow is too high,” Val explained.
“And we’ve had to cut the hours for the whole market recently,” said Helene with a chagrined look.
“The building is old and overused. Faulty wiring, and the structure itself can’t hold up to the wear and tear.
But there’s nowhere else big enough to house everyone, and we don’t want to cut the number of vendors.
Would be great to have a bigger indoor space to accommodate more local farmers too.
Maybe one day, if we can raise enough funds. ”