Chapter 5
FIVE
CASPER
Hattie feels like a dream I want to disappear in. But I know if I hold on too tight, she’ll slip right past me and be gone forever.
Lunch with her family went better than expected. Brad seems like less of a chump, and for most of the afternoon, Stella had been subdued.
Which means she’ll be back with a vengeance and something to hurt Hattie with.
And this time, I’ll actually be prepared for it.
The office is quiet for the first time in days with the guys gone, picking up the new horses. Calder is training the ones we have, and I’m impatiently waiting for Hattie to tell me what’s next on the agenda.
A hellish dinner? Some sort of wedding thing?
I expect to feel nervous, maybe a little sick at the idea of having to…show off as a fake boyfriend. But I don’t. Anticipation swells within me; I don’t feel anything but excitement for what’s to come.
As if wishing her into existence, Hattie’s name appears on the screen of my cell. The buzzing of my phone almost makes me jump, but I grab it and answer, heart pounding.
“Hey,” I say, stiffening in my seat.
“Hi.” She clears her throat, music playing in the background. “Am I disturbing you?”
I look down at the logbook that’s been untouched since I came into the office an hour ago to start on paperwork for the transfer. “Nah.” I rise and move to the small window overlooking the ranch. “Where are you?”
“Still at the inn,” she replies, sighing. “Mom wants brunch, you included. But I told her you have actual work to do and can’t drop everything for her whims.”
“But I can,” I point out. “I’m your boyfriend.”
“Fake.” I can almost imagine her rolling her eyes. “And no, you shouldn’t have to. She knows that. She’s just pushing because she wants us to slip up. It would be too convenient if you did drop everything.”
I shift, a wave of protectiveness washing over me. “Except now she can claim I don’t care enough about you to be with you at brunch.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not going either,” Hattie snorts. “I was actually thinking about going out to see what’s changed over the years.”
“Is that an invitation?” I ask, moving away from the window and reaching for my keys. “Because I can be there in ten. Show you everything you’ve missed.”
Hattie is quiet for a long moment, her breathing slow. My entire body locks up with uncertainty, but I had made a deal with her, a promise to give her reasons to stay.
“It’ll make the fake relationship even more real if the locals catch us together,” I add. “Throw in a few photos for social media, and we’ll have all of Willow Ridge believing us—and not your mother.”
When she sighs, I shove my keys into my pocket and leave the office. “Fine, I’ll be waiting outside for you.”
“Good.” I make my way from the barn towards the lot where we leave the trucks. “See you in ten, shortcake.”
Before she can tell me how much she hates the pet name, I hang up, grinning like I’ve won something. Like I’ve been given a real chance. And I fully intend on taking it.
The inn sits at the end of a street full of older historical buildings, and waiting for me outside is Hattie, looking like she just stepped off a flight from New York.
She looks almost out of place with her knee high boots, leather skirt, and turtleneck sweater.
Her dark hair has been straightened, giving her a look that leaves me feeling…
Fuck, I don’t know how I feel, other than a little turned on. I imagine what it might be like to see her in nothing but the damned boots, which has me going hard.
I pull in, shaking my head. Before I can get out and be a damned gentleman—and give the cold air a chance to undo what those boots have done to me—Hattie slides into the truck with a huff.
“I forgot how cold it gets here,” she says, glancing at me. There’s a pink flush to her cheeks from the chill air, but the discomfort from yesterday is gone.
I clear my throat. “There’s a hell of a lot of snow coming,” I reply, leaving the inn’s parking lot and taking us past the historic homes. “It’s predicted to only get worse.”
From the corner of my eye, I catch her shuddering. “I don’t know why I’m surprised,” she admits. “But damn.”
My gaze strays to the edge of her skirt, which is tight around her thick thighs. Thighs I wouldn’t mind wrapped around my—
I stop that thought before it can make this moment any worse. “What do you want to see first?” I ask, shifting so I’m not as obvious.
“Might sound morbid,” she says, turning to me, “but I want to go up the mountain. See the lodge.”
“I don’t think many go up that way now that it’s burned down. Maybe a few tourists because the lookout is decent there.” I spare her a glance, one I manage to keep on her face. The flush has died down with the warmth of the truck, but the sparkle in her eyes is still there.
“The last time I was there,” she replies, sitting back, “it was our graduation party.”
I stiffen at the reminder. It was the day she’d shared she was leaving—and that she had no intention of coming back. It’d also been the night Stella and I finally broke up—and I’d sworn off love for good.
I’d been an idiot that night, losing the only good thing in my life besides the ranch. My best friend, who I betrayed, had finally had enough of being the punching bag for her family.
I swallow hard but give Hattie a nod. “I’ll take you up there. Not much to see, though. And a lot has been blocked off.”
“Thanks.” Her eyes are on me, the weight of her stare almost too much, but I don’t say anything else as I take the winding road up the mountain towards the lodge. Once, it’d brought a world of business to the town; tourism, jobs, unwanted attention sometimes.
But the fire ended all of that. Took lives, stole careers, and closed the door on a whole lot of opportunities for the people of Willow Ridge.
We’re quiet the entire drive up the mountain. I leave Hattie to soak it all in, but every so often, I check her expression. There’s sadness in her eyes, like she’s realising what she’s missed, but also awe, as if she’s seeing it all for the first time.
We pass the hidden driveways for cabins hidden deep in the forest and mountain, each mile feeling like a gentle shift of energy between us.
“Have you been up here since?” she asks quietly.
I shake my head. “Since the fire, or since you left?”
Hattie freezes, but she doesn’t look at me. “Both.”
My hands tighten on the steering wheel, knuckles white. “The night you left was the last time I went to the lodge,” I admit. “It was the night everything changed, and I realised how fucking badly I failed you.”
From the corner of my eye, she sighs and shakes her head. “You didn’t fail me, Casper,” she replies, voice soft. “I should have stood up for myself more around my mom and Stella. That had nothing to do with you.”
A lump forms in my throat. I want to tell her why I’d done it, but the words won’t leave my lips. “I could have done more,” is all I manage as we pass beneath the once grand sign for Jade Mountain Ski Lodge. The paint is chipped, and someone spray painted a skull over the words.
Ahead, a tall chain link fence keeps us from going any further.
The ruins of the lodge lay beyond covered in snow, hiding some of the damage.
The ski lift hangs in disarray, the multi-storey resort open to the elements, one half blackened by the fire.
There are cabins hidden further away that got hit hard, and the restaurant was totally destroyed.
Beside me, Hattie blows out a harsh breath. “Wow.”
I put the truck in park and sit back. “The fire station has pretty much been abandoned,” I tell her. “After Jason’s death, they just…couldn’t do it.”
Jason Rhodes, one of the fire fighters who died, had been a year ahead of us at school. His sister, who now has custody of his kid, was in our graduating class.
“I was going to come to the funeral,” Hattie says quietly. “But just felt…I don’t know. Like I’d be intruding.”
I understand that. It’d been strange, but everyone had been there. The entire town, I think.
For a moment, we say nothing. But then she grabs something out of her purse before opening the truck door.
“What are you doing?” I ask, unbuckling.
Hattie doesn’t look at me as she slips out of the car. “Taking a few photos.” She holds up her camera. “You can wait here if you want.”
Like hell I will.
I get out of the truck and round the hood before she can take more than a few steps. Her brows scrunch in surprise, but she purses her lips, giving me a gentle shake of her head.
“You don’t have to pretend to be my fake boyfriend out here,” she says. “We’re alone. No Mom or Stella to impress.”
“This isn’t me pretending to be your fake boyfriend, Hattie,” I reply, stepping in front of her.
Her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink, but I’m not sure if it’s because of the cold, or something else.
“It’s dangerous out here. Don’t know how many times the rangers have called in the rescue team over the last year because people were dumb enough to want to explore the lodge. ”
Hattie cocks her head, lips twitching with a smile. “I’m not one of those people.” Her eyes darken, but she shakes her head. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. Even out here.”
“I know you can.” I take another step towards her. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t have your back.”
Her eyes flicker away from mine, back to the ruins of the old lodge. For a moment, she’s quiet, but I can’t take my eyes off her.
Can’t ignore the way my heart races with how close we are.
Every breath I take is laced with her perfume, sweet vanilla filling my lungs. It makes me want more of her.
When her eyes meet mine again, it feels like something within me is being dragged towards her. I’ve always felt a pull to Hattie Simms, but only now do I feel man enough to accept it.
Hattie sucks in a breath when I close the distance between us. Warmth radiates from her, the frigid air gone, replaced by her.
“Casper…” she whispers, her eyes widening.
“Yeah, shortcake?” I ask.
Her lashes flutter, eyes dancing between mine and my lips. “What are you doing?”
“Giving you a reason to stay.”
Before I can let logic—or her—stop me, I capture her flushed cheeks between my hands and close the gap between us. Everything within me stops at the first touch of our mouths before a fire is lit within me. Flames lick at the iciness in my chest that’s only started to thaw since she came home.
My girl leans into the kiss, letting out a soft sound that makes me feral for more.
I want to hear her whimper when I take her completely.
I want her to scream my name when she comes.
Hattie Simms has owned every part of me for a decade.
And now, I’m going to make her mine.