Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley (23 page)

“Uh, I don't know, I might be busy.”

“What would keep you so busy on the Saturday between Christmas and New Year's? Oh, probably plans with your family.”

“No family,” he said, scanning the menu as if it didn't matter.

“I'm sorry.”

He looked at her like she was nuts. “Why? It's not your problem.”

“I know, it's just . . . I bet holidays can be hard without family.”

He shrugged. “I'm used to it. I'll take the striped bass.”

As she wrote down the rest of his order, he volunteered, “Did you know striped bass were originally brought to Colorado to feed the alligators on a farm?”

“No! How interesting.” She couldn't believe she was getting this guy to actually talk to her.

“Yep. And the bass multiplied like crazy, and became more popular to eat than the alligators.”

“Thanks for the info. You never know when a customer would like to hear that story. Can I share?”

“Sure.”

She went to enter her order in the POS.

Tony came and leaned a hip on the counter next to her. “What was Vince so talkative about?”

“A Colorado striped bass farm. You must know about it.”

“Yeah. But I have to tell you, you're the first person in here to get him to stay off his phone, let alone talk.”

She grinned. “I'm irresistible.”

He looked at her mouth. “I can agree.”

She felt herself blush and glanced around. “Sorry, I didn't mean to make that seem like I was flirting.”

“I know.”

They looked at each other for a long moment, and she remembered Lyndsay's warnings.
Was
she letting herself fall back in love with him? Was she making a terrible mistake? Was it even a mistake? Oh, that was too much to contemplate right now.

“Vince has no family,” she said, quickly looking back at the POS.

“I know. His wife and kid died in a car accident about five years ago.”

She gasped. “Oh, how terrible!”

“Don't tell him you know—he doesn't like to talk about it.”

“How do
you
know?”

“He used to be a regular, had a good time every Saturday night drinking. That changed after his family's death. All he does is work—he's in insurance—and he only recently started coming here again for a meal.”

“Maybe he thought he lost time with them by coming here regularly.”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Poor guy had lost all his family—and she'd practically given hers away without doing everything possible to save it. Almost immediately, her throat closed with the threat of tears.

“Are you okay?” Tony asked with concern.

“Yeah, sure, Vince's story just got to me. Thanks for letting me know.”

When she eventually delivered Vince's striped bass, she spent a few minutes talking about Double Cyn, and felt . . . content.

An hour later, she was running food to a table near the front door when it opened.

“Kate!”

It took her a moment to recognize Cal Carpenter, an Aspen lawyer who'd semi-retired to open a small law firm in Valentine Valley. She'd spent a couple of summers interning for him in high school and college, and she used to sit in on his trials, which had fascinated her. He'd shown her the competitiveness of their career, had made her see that every day on the job could be different and exciting. He was a little grayer than she remembered, but he was still handsome and fit, with a great early-season goggle tan.

“Hi, Cal,” she said. “Give me a sec.”

When she'd delivered her food, she came to him and was surprised by a big bear hug.

“Look at the famous lawyer,” Cal said, holding her upper arms and smiling at her. “To think I knew you when.” And then he squinted and looked around. “But you're working here . . . ?”

“I'm on a family sabbatical for a couple months,” she said, trying to suppress a mortified blush. “Tony's my ex-husband, and what started out as a joke challenge between us sort of turned into a way to pass the time while our son is in school.”

“Oh, I get it,” he said.

Though he looked like he might not really get it—or maybe he did. Kate was starting to think the heat was on too high, and she wanted to fan herself. It had been a while since people had pointed and whispered while she'd worked, but Cal's scrutiny almost felt the same.

“Can I sit at one of your tables?” Cal asked.

“Sure, right this way. You have your pick. It's a slow night. I think people are relaxing at home after a crazy weekend shopping.” Oh, God, now she was babbling.

Cal just smiled at her as he sat down.

“Are you waiting for someone else?” Kate asked.

“Nope, I'm here alone tonight. The wife is off in Aspen—you guessed it—shopping.”

“When we have such great stores here?” she teased.

He eyed her. “Since when did you have such a crush on Valentine Valley? I seem to remember you couldn't wait to escape.”

“I didn't want to escape the town so much as I wanted the powerful big-city law firm,” she said ruefully.

“And did that work out for you?”

She opened her mouth, hesitated, then said, “For a long while it has. I'll be right back with a menu.”

She left a menu and water but kept on moving, though she wasn't all that busy. Tony occasionally eyed her with amusement, which only made her feel more flustered.

At last she couldn't delay anymore and went to take Cal's order.

He put down his menu. “I'll have the fried chicken sandwich and coleslaw. And whatever you have on tap.”

“Well, we have—”

“Just pick me out something dark. Then come back and talk to me.”

She took her time inputting his order and kept clicking the wrong button. She was relieved Tony was suddenly busy at the bar.

She put Cal's beer on the table in front of him.

“Kate, don't be offended, but I have to say this. I've always held a place for you in my tiny firm.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, Cal—”

“Your talents go way beyond our little town, I know, but you'd be surprised how much work there really is in a town like Valentine. And I still have a lot of connections in Aspen, and I steer business this way. I've called myself semi-retired for a long time, but there's always been too much work for that to be true. I'd like it to start being true, but the only person I'd trust to do the job right is you.”

“Cal, I'm still working for Clements, Lebowitz, and Yang.”

“Okay, but you're taking a lot of time off, which means something's going on. Is someone in your family sick?”

“No, but—”

“Sorry, you don't owe me any explanations or excuses. It's none of my business, as long as everyone is healthy. But I can't hold out forever.”

“Thanks for the generous offer, Cal.”

She escaped, only to see Tony watching her curiously. She hadn't out and out refused Cal. She really should have; just because she believed her senior partners should have trusted her more didn't mean she should throw away her career with one of Denver's most prestigious law firms. She had something to prove, after all.

But hadn't she spent her twenties proving herself, and what had it gotten her? Her son only on the weekends, and her weekdays crammed with work. And alone—she was alone. So what if she commanded the respect of fellow lawyers? She'd thought it would mean so much more than a pat on the back, but sometimes that's all it felt like.

But not these last couple of weeks. She'd been back with family and friends, rediscovered some things about herself that she'd given up, music and hobbies and just having fun, all because she thought she hadn't deserved them—not when she'd given up on her marriage.

“Yoo hoo,” Ted Ferguson said from his customary place at the bar.

Ned waved his hand in front of her eyes. “Control to Kate Fenelli.”

She shook her head and smiled. “Sorry, guys, I thought Tony was taking care of you. Is he shirking his duties?”

“Naw, just getting ready for Desantis's bachelor party tomorrow night,” Ted said. “He's closing the back room and everything. Since you seem to be doin' so many jobs around here, maybe you're gonna be the dancin' girl.”

She laughed aloud. “Now that would be a terrible bachelor party.”

Ned whistled. “I don't think so.”

She leaned toward him. “You are very sweet.”

“I don't mean to be sweet,” he grumbled to his brother.

“These guys giving you a tough time?” Tony asked as he entered the room and walked the length of the bar.

“Not at all. Seems I've disappointed them by not being the main attraction at the bachelor party. Sorry, guys, but I'm heading off to see a band perform, the last one to firm up for the festival.”

“Where are they performing?” Tony asked.

“Aspen.”

“Who's going with you?”

“Nobody. I'm on my own. It's hard for people to get away at Christmas.”

“That doesn't seem smart.”

“You think I'm in danger in that tough town?” She glanced at the twin plumbers. “Or maybe he wants me to serve the men at the bachelor party.”

The twins chuckled as Tony said, “Uh, no.”

“I think he won't enjoy having his ex around while he ogles a stripper,” Kate said as an aside.

“Who says there's a stripper?” Tony asked.

“You'll have to let me know.”

Teasing Tony was fun, but it didn't distract her from Cal Carpenter and his surprising offer. As she went back to Cal's table to bring his food or get him another beer, he never mentioned it again. She told herself he was being polite, but she couldn't stop wondering if everything that had happened to her the last few weeks was leading to something inevitable.

And it was scary and exhilarating all at once.

T
ony didn't go over to Kate's Sunday night. It had been three days since they'd been alone together, but he reminded himself it was just for fun, and it wasn't like he was desperate. Hell, he'd gone a year without sex after their divorce.

But his house was empty when he got home, and he found himself wandering from room to room aimlessly. He tried to go to bed, but his thoughts were full of Kate. Almost angrily, he went down to his workshop, but even that project was about her. He couldn't escape.

When he got to work midmorning the next day, he was glad she wasn't working until the dinner shift. He was able to concentrate on scheduling, the bane of his existence, and calling the linen company. But he kept getting phone calls about the festival, and he gradually realized it was getting bigger than he'd imagined. She'd lined up at least five bands and multiple sponsors. Tony's Tavern had never done anything like this before, and much as he knew this would definitely increase his business, he didn't like feeling beholden to her.

She'd always been ambitious, and he'd learned it was just a part of her. She could never slack off on anything. When the festival had gone from being four hours in the evening to six or seven hours, starting in the afternoon, he'd accepted it, because he knew how she was.

But . . . maybe letting her take over meant that at last he'd really forgiven her, that he could let go of the past. Coordinating the event honestly seemed to be fun for her, and he couldn't change who she was.

And then she came in before four, and every thought in his head faded away as his blood rushed south. She was wearing a cropped top, short skirt over tights and high boots, and her short blond hair was wild about her head, styled to look like she'd just gotten out of bed. Was she doing this just to tease him?

And then he remembered the bachelor party and the concert.

“No, you're not serving or dancing or whatever at the bachelor party,” he said when he was finally able to talk.

Her throaty laugh almost made him shiver.

“Don't worry. I just want to fit in at the concert. The Dead Can Sing play to a young crowd. I'm kind of old, but—”

“You're not old,” Ted Ferguson said reverently, before holding up a mug of beer to salute her.

She kissed his cheek. “Aw, thanks, Ted.”

“We might be needing a lawyer soon,” Ned told her.

“You guys just give me a call.”

When the bachelor party guests started arriving to play poker, they demanded that Kate be one of their servers. Tony saw her blushing, and he didn't have to say anything as she held up a hand.

“No, no, guys, I'm out of here soon.”

Adam Desantis, the groom, shook his head. “Damn, Tony, you're crazy to have her here. She must drive you wild.”

Will snorted and put an arm around Tony's neck. “We can only imagine.” For Tony's ears alone, he added, “When you're done with her just—”

Without thinking about it, Tony shoved him a little too hard, and Will almost stumbled over an empty chair. Voices died as people turned to see what was going on. Adam looked curiously at Tony, and even Kate frowned from the table she was waiting on.

Will grinned. “Sorry, stupid joke, my fault.”

Adam exchanged a glance with his future brothers-in-law, Nate and Josh, but didn't say anything.

Tony felt like an idiot. “Go on in, guys. The tables are all set up for poker. I'll get the pitchers of beer.”

As the others left, Will put out a hand and, as his smile dimmed, said, “Sorry, Tony.”

Tony took it. “Don't apologize. I'm distracted. I wasn't thinking.”

Will hesitated, as if he was going to say something else, then ambled into the back room.

Tony went into his office and sat down, staring at the computer screen blankly.

“Are you okay?”

He turned to see Kate leaning in the doorway, her expression one of concern.

“I didn't exactly see what happened . . .” she continued.

“It was nothing, Will and I just fooling around.”

“Glad you shook on it then,” she said, her smile crooked.

She started to leave, but he called her back. “So where is this concert?”

“At Chameleon in Aspen. Why?”

“Just want to know where you are if you don't come home. Ethan might worry.”

She eyed him curiously. “Thanks.”

In between all the poker playing and pool challenges, Tony heard his bartender Lamar say that Kate had left. He thought of her driving in winter weather conditions to Aspen. She was a mountain pro; she had a Range Rover. And then he thought of her alone in a bar, looking hot and available, and he lost card game after card game, to the delight of the Sweet brothers. Even the dancer—she was a little too tame to be called a stripper—didn't interest him. After a word to Lamar, he left the party and headed for Aspen.

He knew where the bar was, of course, though he had to park blocks away and walk through a windy snowfall to reach it. Inside, it wasn't hard to find Kate. There were a lot of flashing lights and too-loud music, and she didn't hear him approach as she sat at the bar, leaning over it to say something to the bartender.

Tony got jostled up against her by other patrons, and she started, looking swiftly over her shoulder.

Her eyes widened. “Tony.”

The guys on either side of her looked pissed off. For the first time since he and Kate had started sleeping together, he was able to put his arms around her neck from behind in public and lean in to kiss her cheek.

“Hey, babe, sorry I'm late.”

She glanced sideways at him, her smile slow and knowing. He could smell her perfume, and he wanted to bury his face in her neck—but not in a bar. When he straightened, she swiveled on the stool and looked up at him, elbows back on the bar in a provocative pose. The guys on either side of her gave Tony a last reproving glance and turned away.

“I'm so glad you could make it,” she teased. “Couldn't resist hearing The Dead Can Sing?”

No, I couldn't resist being with you
. But he wasn't saying that aloud. It was hard to even admit to himself. He leaned down so she could hear him over the music. “It's the last band on the list, right? I'll be happy to have it finalized. I got a lot of calls about the festival today, by the way.”

She looked sheepish. “Hope you didn't mind too much. But I think it'll be a success.”

“I don't doubt it, not with you in charge.”

“What a lovely compliment.”

“It's the truth.”

She angled her head toward the back of the bar, where the band was playing and the fans crowded against each other. “What do you think?”

He listened for a while. “Not bad. Ethan has mentioned them before.”

She stood up and took his hand. “Then let's dance.”

Dragged along in her wake, he watched heads turn to stare at her as she walked by. It was hard to even think of her as the elegantly garbed, steely-eyed lawyer she also was. But there were a lot of sides to Kate Fenelli.

They danced without touching, he kind of just moving side to side, watching her as she danced with her arms over her head, her body gyrating, her eyes closed as she felt the music. God, she was incredible. He wished there'd be a slow song soon so he could feel her against him, but no such luck with this band. But the next song was a little slower in beat, and she stepped up against him, moving her hips against his in time to the music, holding onto his waist as she arched back. He let his fingers caress her exposed midriff, and it took everything in him not to make out with her right on the dance floor. It was freeing to know they knew nobody and didn't have to keep secrets or pretend that they weren't really hot for each other.

They didn't last long. Before he knew it, she was grabbing her coat and pulling him out the door.

“Where's your truck?” she asked. “It's got bigger seats.”

God, she turned him on. They both started to run through the snow, holding hands and laughing.

Once in his truck, they didn't speak after she said, “Find someplace deserted. Quick.”

He knew a road not too far outside of town that dead-ended near the Roaring Fork River. He was barely in park before she was out of her seat belt and wiggling out of her underwear. He slid over on the bench beneath her, and she did another little dance on top of him, swaying to silent music, moving her hips to a beat he didn't have to hear to understand. His hands roamed her body, sliding along her bare skin at her waist, then under her skirt and between her legs. He mouthed her breasts through her clothes.

She moaned and said breathlessly, “Don't make me wait.”

He unbuckled and unzipped as fast as he could. And when at last he was inside her, encased in her moist heat, everything in his world was all about her, tasting her, touching her, never being able to get enough of her.

But afterward, when they were both perspiring and panting and grinning at each other, he felt his smile die as he looked into her beautiful face. He cupped it, letting his thumb rub her lower lip gently. They stared into each other's eyes, and he couldn't help thinking,
What am I doing?

Everything Lyndsay had warned him about was coming true. It wasn't just sex anymore for him—Kate was rocking his world. He couldn't stop himself from being with her, having her. He was getting obsessed all over again, like he was still in high school.

He wasn't sure what she could read from his expression, but she slid off his lap, tugged on her underwear, and readjusted her clothing.

In a slightly forced teasing tone, she said, “Good thing I found my underwear, or with our luck, Ethan would have.”

He nodded, then zipped and buckled himself back up. As he started the truck, he asked, “Can you drive home okay? I'm not sure how much you had to drink.”

“Just a glass of wine. I'll be fine. I'll show you where my car is.”

On the drive back into Aspen, she chatted on about plans for a Christmas cookie bake-off she'd concocted with the widows and a bake sale to raise funds for the school, all to be held at the band festival. He nodded at the right moments but didn't really have a lot to say. His mind was in panic mode.

He let her off a block from the Chameleon, just past her Range Rover.

She waved. “You don't have to follow me home. I'm a big girl.”

“Good night, Kate.”

As he drove away, he hoped she would still be a big girl when he broke things off with her. Because it was over—it
had
to be over, before it went too far and someone got hurt. But he hadn't been about to drop her right after sex. He might be an obsessed idiot, but he wasn't a jerk. He would find a better time to tell her.

I
t was only a couple of days until Christmas, so Tuesday after work, Kate headed to her mom's house for dinner and to help bake cookies. She texted Ethan to let him know what she was doing, but she wasn't going to force him to help. Although she always loved how he could take a simple cookie-cutter cookie and make it look different—like turning a gingerbread man upside down and painting it to look like a reindeer with antlers.

She beat her mom home, let a grateful Barney outside, found the meat loaf in the fridge, and put it in the oven before starting to mix cut-out cookie dough. Back inside, Barney patiently sat on the kitchen throw rug in front of the sink, waiting for scraps. Kate put the dough in the fridge and started to glance through more recipes, wondering which looked easiest, when her mom came through the door, out of breath, carrying packages. Her keys dropped to the floor.

“Damn,” Christina said.

“Let me help, Mom.” Kate grabbed bags and set them on her mom's small corner desk.

Christina dropped her purse on the counter, then slowly began to unwind her scarf, still breathing raggedly. “I wish winter was over.” She absently petted Barney, who'd trotted over to greet her.

“Mom, that's blasphemous around here, you know that.” Kate picked up the keys and set them near her mom's purse. She frowned. “You okay? You're really out of breath.”

“I'm just tired. The restaurant has been packed with people too overwhelmed to do their own cooking. Though we appreciate their business, it's getting harder and harder for me to play the jovial hostess. And don't say I'm getting old,” she added sharply.

Kate held up both hands. “I would never dream of it. But maybe you're not getting enough sleep.”

“Yeah, there's that.” She took off her coat and draped it over a chair. “Maybe I should lose some weight, too. That would help.” She sagged into a chair. “And exercise more. I guess bustling around Carmina's isn't exactly exercise.”

“I'll go walking with you. Or there's snowshoeing. Tony introduced me to that. It's fun.”

Christina gave her a sudden shrewd look. “When did he do that?”

Kate knew better than to look away. And she was used to hiding her emotions, with the work she did. “Last week. He let me borrow some when I complained one too many times about hating to run.” And none of that was a lie; she'd just left out some facts.

The back door opened, and Kate was relieved when her dad trooped in, followed by Joe and Ethan.

“Hey, Grandma,” Ethan called. “Dad said I should come hang out here, since he has to work. Something about cookies needing to be baked?”

Kate grinned and felt all mushy looking at her son. And then he noticed her, and his happy expression faded a bit.

“Hi, Mom.”

He could have stabbed her and it might have hurt less. She was done wondering what was going on, waiting for him to open up. First chance she got, she was going to ask him.

They ate meat loaf and baked potatoes and peas, a favorite childhood menu of hers. The talk ranged from the holidays, to Joe's next basketball game, to a snowboarding slalom competition Ethan was thinking of entering.