Playing for Keeps (Christmas in Redemption Ridge #15)

Prologue

Caroline

Thirteen Years Ago

Caroline bounded up the steps leading onto Skye’s front porch, swishing the flowy skirt of her dress. The Christmas Barn Dance officially kicked off the holiday festivities in town, and she’d be spending the evening dancing with her two best friends.

She knocked on the door and bounced in her heeled boots—not from the chill in the air, but from pure excitement.

Skye groaned as she opened the door, with her hair a matted mess bunched on the top of her head.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t go anywhere tonight,” Skye rasped before falling into a coughing fit. “I can barely hold my head up.”

Caroline pressed her palm to Skye’s head. Skye never got sick—she had as much energy as a curious toddler, and very few things slowed her down. “Cake and cookies, you’re burning up.”

Skye swatted in Caroline’s general direction, but missed completely. “I’m fine. I just want to sleep it off.”

“Where is your purse? I’ll take you to the doctor.” Caroline pushed her way past Skye and into her friend’s living room. Bottles of water, throat spray, and fever reducers stood at attention on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“No, Mom is taking me. There’s no sense in you getting sick too.” Skye reached for Caroline and missed again. The purple crescents under her eyes were a striking contrast against her pale skin. “Will you please leave? I don’t have the energy to chase you.”

“Are you sure she’s taking you? I can go with you.”

Seeing Skye so unwell had every nerve ending in Caroline’s body sparking. She needed to act. She had to do something. She’d miss the Christmas barn dance, but she could always go next year.

“Yes, she’s calling Dad, then we’ll leave.”

“I’ll bring you brownies,” Caroline said. “What else do you want? I’ll go make them now.”

“No,” Skye croaked as she flopped onto the couch like a thin string of royal icing. “I want you to go to the dance. One of us should get to have fun.”

“I won’t have fun without you.” Caroline propped her hands on her hips, determined to stand by her friend like a statue if necessary.

“Nora is home this weekend, and she thinks we’re meeting her there. We can’t both stand her up. You never get to see her anymore.”

Oh. Right. Their friend, Nora, was visiting from college. They hadn’t seen her since August.

“Nora is my neighbor. I can walk to her house if I want to see her,” Caroline said. “And you could probably use a friend.”

“I could probably use sleep. I’m going to watch the back of my eyelids, and that’s all. I’ll be terrible company. Please go,” Skye begged.

Caroline hung her head. Could she really leave Skye in this condition? Was that a yellow icing smear on the front of her green dress? She scratched at the dried smudge. Definitely icing. She couldn’t bring herself to care. The barn dance usually had low lighting.

“Get out,” Skye whined. “I’m closing my eyes, and I don’t want you to be here when I open them.”

Caroline huffed. “Fine, but I’m stopping by on my way home.”

“I love you,” Skye whispered with closed eyes. “You’re the sweetest. Literally.”

Caroline chuckled. Her dreams of being a baker had only grown since she made the big life decision as a seven-year-old.

She’d promised everyone in town she’d be the best baker they’d ever seen, and thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Burrows, the owners of The Cakery downtown, she was well on her way to fulfilling her promise.

“I love you too. Get some rest. Drink lots of fluids. Call me if you get bored.”

Skye lifted a lazy hand and let it fall back to the couch beside her. “Already sleeping.”

Caroline slipped out the door and closed it behind her. The darkness enveloped her as soon as she stepped off Skye’s porch. She typed out a text to Nora when she settled in the car.

Caroline: Skye is sick, but I’m on my way. See you soon!

There. She wasn’t on her own, but it was weird to go anywhere without Skye.

Donut holes. She’d spent more time than she’d intended at Skye’s, and the parking around the barn at the ranch looked like someone had thrown car sprinkles all over the field. Would it kill them to hire traffic control for the evening?

Lights from inside the barn streaked through the dark night, and Caroline slowed to watch for bumps on the gravel path as her headlights illuminated the way. Most people were already inside, and she’d have to wind through all of the rows to find an open spot.

Headlights from behind blinded her as they reflected off her rear-view mirror. She wasn’t the only one coming in late.

The truck followed her through the rows, slowly weaving through the field-turned-parking-lot. When she found an open spot and parked, the truck stopped behind her.

“Caroline!”

“Fudge!” she whispered before opening her door and craning her neck to face the guy.

Patrick Fondren was the worst of the worst. He walked around thinking that he was king of the castle because he was a big-shot football star in a tiny town.

Too bad that looks and athletics didn’t equal brains.

The guy thought “no” was a silly joke. Caroline based that observation off the many times she’d told him to ooze away like molasses.

She was all out of friendly hints, and he hadn’t gotten the message.

“What?” she shouted as he turned on the cab light in his truck.

Patrick rested a forearm on the steering wheel and propped an elbow on the open window. “You’re dancing with me tonight.”

Rude! “No, I’m not.”

There. That was plain enough.

Patrick laughed, and the sound grated on Caroline’s nerves like she was being turned into zest. “Don’t move. I’ll be back to get you.”

Caroline’s jaw hung open as his loud truck revved and left her behind.

The nerve of that guy! There was no way on God’s beautiful earth she was dancing with that creep.

Her blood ran cold every time he rested his arm over her shoulders in the hallway or tried to grab her hand in class.

A guy who wouldn’t take no for an answer to dancing would have a tough time accepting no as an answer for other things, and she was too smart to stick around and let that happen.

Grabbing her keys, phone, and credit card, she shoved them into her coat pockets and hopped out of the car. If he wanted to confront her about a dance, he’d have to catch her first.

Her ankles grew colder as she wound her way through the maze of vehicles. If she could get inside, Nora would know how to get the guy off Caroline’s back.

The phone in her pocket dinged, and she pulled it out, continuing toward her escape as she read the message.

Nora: I’m so sorry. I have to stay home with Dad tonight. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

No! Caroline whipped around to see how far she’d come. Could she make it back to her car before Patrick caught up to her?

Nope. The lumbering sleazeball was gaining on her by the second.

She wasn’t thinking quickly enough, and her feet still hadn’t decided which way to run. When she turned back toward the barn entrance, a man stood off to the side, leaning against the wall.

She knew him. Correction: she knew of him and recognized his face. Justin McKinnon was the one guy she was supposed to stay away from, but despite the things his awful dad did to terrorize her parents on a regular basis, Justin seemed like more of the strong, silent type.

At least, that was the impression she’d gotten when he’d been in school with her a few years ago. She hadn’t heard anything about him since he graduated two years ago.

With handsy Patrick nipping at her heels, mysterious Justin looked like the lesser of two evils. Was he the kind of guy who would help a stranger in a moment’s notice?

Patrick shouted at her. A curse followed by a barking command. “Slow down.”

Yep. Her decision was made. She just had to hope Justin would play along. Heavens to biscuits, her heart was beating faster than the mixer at the bakery. Could she really do this?

It was Justin or Patrick, and one of those would talk over her and make disgusting innuendos all night.

Justin lifted his chin from the phone in his hands as she jogged his way. She skidded to a stop in front of him, toe-to-toe, and whispered, “Will you please act like we’re together for just a few seconds?”

Justin’s brow lowered over stormy, dark eyes. “What do you mean? Why?”

Oh, wow. His voice was lower than she’d expected.

After a second to process that initial shock, she stormed on, talking quickly without stopping to take a breath. “That guy wants me to dance with him, but I’ve already told him no, and he won’t leave me alone. Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

Justin slowly lifted his head to look over her shoulder. Patrick’s rhythmic footsteps were getting closer, and Caroline clasped her hands in front of her chest as she silently begged him to go with the flow.

Justin turned his piercing eyes back to her and wrapped his strong arm around her waist.

Oh, boy. Every inch of her skin hummed at his touch as he pulled her flush against him.

Her hands released from each other, and her palms pressed to his solid chest. She was weightless, hovering in an alternate universe where this man was a more powerful force than gravity.

The air was barely thirty degrees, but her insides were flaming hot.

Justin leaned down until his lips grazed the shell of her ear to whisper, “Can I kiss you?”

Sweet buttercream, her knees were melting, and her reason was off on vacation. She’d kissed a couple of guys, but she’d never experienced this kind of physical reaction, even after the fact.

Patrick’s steps hadn’t slowed behind her, so if he was watching, the loving embrace wasn’t deterring him.

“Yes.” It was barely a whisper in the wind, but she’d gotten it out.

Then Justin’s mouth was on hers, pressing and skimming in a dance that was too close to perfect. Forcing herself to breathe, Caroline lifted onto her toes and leaned into him. His embrace tightened around her, and her hands slid up his shoulders and into the short hair at the nape of his neck.