She nodded.“I’m almost sure he does.”Almost.He’d indicated he did at first, even though beyond that one comment he hadn’t said anything.
“Do you have feelings for him?”
“Of course I do.I don’t sleep with men I have no feelings for.”Well, unless she was trying to forget, like the night Riley dragged her out of the bar.
“Would it be so bad if you changed your mind?”
Would it?Could she let their relationship develop into more than a fling?If it did, she’d fall in love with him.Letty was under no illusion about Riley’s appeal to her.She realized unhappily that while she’d gone on with her life and been perfectly content without Riley, a part of her was still that young girl who’d thought he hung the moon.Who’d wanted him madly.And now that she’d had him…he was just as wonderful as she’d always imagined he would be.He was sweet and thoughtful, and so damned sexy it made her nuts.
“Yes.I’m not ready for a long-term relationship.I don’t know if I ever will be.I tried it once with a guy I should have known wouldn’t work.”
“Sounds like you’re scared.”
“You’re damn right I’m scared.I don’t want to fall in love.Love hurts.”Losing her parents had taught her that when she was seventeen years old.How much worse would it be if she fell for Riley and it didn’t work out?Or worse, if something happened to him?
“What are you going to do?”Cici asked.
“What we agreed on.We’re having a fling and come New Year’s we’ll be done.”Cici looked skeptical, as if she didn’t believe for a minute that Letty meant it, but she didn’t call her on it.
*
Much as hewanted to, Riley couldn’t get away for the next few days.He talked to Letty on the phone but that wasn’t the same as seeing her.It didn’t seem to bother her that he couldn’t see her every night.He wondered if that was because she didn’t want to see him every night and that was part of her insistence that they keep things casual.
Yeah, that already frustrated the hell out of him.But he’d realized from the first that pursuing Letty wouldn’t be easy.Well, he’d sure as shit realized it when she’d put a time limit on their ‘fling.’A time limit that was rapidly disappearing, damn it.
At any rate, when he finally arranged to have the night free, he called Letty.
“Hey, are you free tonight?”
“I was going to sing Christmas carols with a group of people.Why don’t you come with?”
That wasn’t exactly what he had planned, but if that’s what she wanted he was game.“Sure.What time?”
“Can you get here around six and we’ll have a quick bite to eat and then go?”
“I can do that.See you later.”
After they had a burger at the Main Street Diner, they went to meet people for caroling.There was quite a group of people waiting there.Riley remembered going when he was a kid.His mom had always enjoyed it and had dragged Riley and Val along.Val wasn’t crazy about it but Riley had always secretly enjoyed it.Singing Christmas carols made him remember simpler times.Times when he was too young to have any worries beyond whether his dad would let them buy the new horse he wanted so badly.
It was cold and clear tonight.His breath hung in the air whenever he breathed heavily.The stars were out, and Copper Mountain rose behind the town, its peak covered in snow, bathed in moonlight.A peaceful, beautiful sight, it reminded him of some of the best things about living in Marietta.
Letty was bundled up with a ski jacket, a hat, a muffler, gloves, and boots.He wore a flannel shirt, his shearling jacket, gloves, and his cowboy hat.“Can you move all bundled up like that?”he asked her.
“Are you kidding?I wish I had more clothes on.”
“I’ll warm you up,” he said, wrapping an arm around her.A bit to his surprise she snuggled against him.
They sang a couple of classics as they moved along Main Street.Then they sang ‘O, Holy Night,’ one of his all-time favorites.
As the carol ended, he found Letty staring at him.“What?”
“I had no idea you had such a beautiful voice.”
He frowned.“It’s nothing special.I like to sing though.Usually country western songs.”
“Why did I never know this?”
“It wasn’t something I advertised, especially when I was younger.”
