Page 45 of Mountain Dreams

How could she explain it without giving herself away? True, he wasn’t a stranger, but she was starting to see him in a whole new light. That worried her because she didn’t want anything to jeopardize their friendship. She was convinced their friendship was the only reason she was with him right now. She highly doubted he’d kept in touch with any of the girls he’d dated in high school, or maybe even since then.

“It’s a small town, and Wyatt will probably find out,” she said in a last-ditch effort to talk herself out of it. “That might put a strain on your friendship.”

“Our friendship is already strained.”

He looked pained, and once again, she wondered what he and Wyatt had discussed that day at his shop. She was just about to ask when he put the truck in drive and pulled back onto the road.

Maybe it was better for her not to know. Whether or not Wyatt had cheated, they weren’t together anymore, and there was no use wasting her time wondering.

“How about some ice cream?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.

They’d completed the loop and were heading back to Townsend.

“Ice cream in the winter?”

He laughed. “Why not?”

The more time she spent with him, the more she appreciated his spontaneity and easygoing nature. In some ways, he was her opposite, but he had a way of bringing out the best in her. She’d never be as free-spirited as him, but if some of his personality rubbed off on her, that was probably a good thing.

Soon they pulled into an ice cream/frozen yogurt shop and went inside. Only two other people were in the shop, and based on the way they were gazing at each other, they were in love. That reminded her it was Valentine’s Day, a lover’s holiday.

“What do you want?” he asked as he perused the menu.

If you only knew! “I’ll have a chocolate cone.”

He ordered a strawberry milkshake, and they sat down at a table for two with their treats.

While she licked her cone, she kept glancing at the couple across the room, noticing how they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. Then she looked up and saw Cody staring at her.

“What? Do I have chocolate on my face?” She reached for a napkin.

“No. I just zoned out for a minute,” he said, but it sounded like he was hiding something.

Maybe he was wishing he were spending the holiday with a lover too.

“You’re starting to drip. Lick around the edges,” he said, pointing at her cone.

She’d been so busy being nosy that she hadn’t been keeping up with her ice cream. She quickly swirled her tongue around the edge of the cone to catch the drips, and then she dabbed her mouth with a napkin.

When she glanced at him again, he was intently sipping his shake, but she thought his cheeks looked flushed. The couple across from them laughed loudly at something, drawing her and Cody’s attention. Then they leaned into each other and kissed like nobody was watching.

“Get a room,” Cody muttered around his straw.

She laughed but felt a twinge of jealousy. The couple stood and walked out of the shop, holding hands. Through the window, Maddie saw the guy open the passenger door of a car, and his girlfriend gave him a sweet smile as she climbed in. Their affection for each other made Maddie smile, but Cody seemed disgruntled.

“Not a fan of PDA?” she teased.

“I prefer to show affection behind closed doors.”

Something about the way he said it gave her a thrill and evoked an image of him showing her affection behind the closed door of his cabin. Her errant thoughts served as another reminder of why she should not move in with him.

A few minutes later, they were back on the road leading to Sawyer’s Ridge. Could this be her new home, at least temporarily? She admired the scenery as the road climbed, and then the sign for Sawyer’s Ridge Resort came into view. It really was an idyllic place, not just to visit but to live. The cabins were well appointed and inviting, and the surroundings serene. It was much more appealing than living in any of the apartments she’d seen or moving in with one of her sisters.

“So, what’s the verdict?” he said as he pulled onto the road to his cabin.

“I’ll do it!”

He stopped the truck with a jerk, and she lurched forward in the seat. “Sorry, but I’m confused. You’ll do what?”