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Sam leaned over, tipped her chin up with his fingers and bent to plant a hard, quick kiss on her mouth. While she was flustered from that, he straightened up and announced, “Why don’t you think it over? I’m heading out to meet with the architect. Be back later.”
He left her staring after him. His own heart was thundering in his chest and every square inch of his body was coiled tight as an overwound spring. Just being around her made him want everything he’d once walked away from.
Sam shrugged into his jacket as he left the hotel and headed out into a yard that boasted green splotches of grass where the snow was melting under a steady sun. He took a deep breath, glanced around at the people and realized that it had taken him two years of being away to discover that his place was here.
His life was here.
And he wanted Lacy in his life again. Smiling to himself, Sam decided he was going to romance the hell out of her until he got just what he wanted. That slope he needed for the lodge expansion was going to have to wait, he told himself as he headed for his car. Because if Lacy found out he wanted the property she owned, she would never believe he wanted her for herself.
* * *
Lacy’s nose wrinkled at the rich, dark scent of the latte Kristi carried as the two of them walked along Historic Twenty-Fifth Street in downtown Ogden. The street was narrow with cars parked in front of brick and stone buildings that had been standing for more than a hundred years. Twenty-Fifth Street had begun life as the welcome mat for train travelers, then it morphed into a wild blend of bars and brothels.
But in the 1950s, it had been reborn as a destination for shopping and dining, and today, it retained all of the old-world charm while it boasted eclectic shops and restaurants that drew tourists from all over. And depending on the time of year, Historic Twenty-Fifth hosted farmer’s markets, art festivals, Pioneer Days, Witchstock and even a Christmas village.
Lacy loved it, and usually, strolling along the street and peeking into storefronts cheered her up. But today, she was forcing herself into this trip with Kristi.
“Since when do you say no to coffee?” her friend asked after another sip of her latte.
“Since my stomach’s not so sure it approves of food anymore.” She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and hoped the fresh air would settle her stomach.
“Well, that sucks,” her friend said, shrugging deeper into her jacket as a cold wind shot down the street as if determined to remind everyone that winter wasn’t over yet. “Something you ate?”
“Hopefully,” Lacy murmured. She didn’t want to think about other causes of her less than happy stomach. It had been two weeks since her night with Sam and she couldn’t help but think that her sudden bouts of queasiness had more to do with a nine-month flu than anything else. Still, she didn’t want to share any of this with Kristi yet, so more loudly, she said, “It’s probably the cold pizza I had for dinner last night.”
“That’d do it for me,” Kristi acknowledged with a grimace. “You do know how to use a microwave, right? Now that we’ve struggled out of the caves there is no need to settle for cold pepperoni.”
“I’ll make a note.” They passed a gift store, its front window crowded with pretty pots of flowers, gardening gloves and a barbecue apron that proudly demanded Kiss The Cook, all lovely promises of spring. But the sky was overcast and the wind whistling down from Powder Mountain, looming over the end of the street, made the thought of spring seem like a fairy tale.
Unwell or not, it was good to be away from Snow Vista, wandering down Ogden’s main street where she had absolutely zero chance of running into Sam. The man hadn’t left the mountain since he got back. And for the past two weeks, she’d hardly spoken to him at all. After that wild bout of earth-shattering sex, Lacy had figured he’d be back wanting more—heaven knew she did. But he’d kept his distance and she knew she should be grateful. Instead, she was irritated.
“So you want to tell me what’s going on between you and Sam these days?”
Kristi’s question jolted Lacy and her steps faltered for a second. This woman had been her best friend for years. There was nothing they hadn’t shared with each other, from first kisses to loss of virginity and beyond. Yet, Lacy just didn’t feel comfortable talking about Sam right now. Especially with his little sister.
She gave a deliberate shrug. “Nothing. Why?”
“Please,” Kristi said with a snort. “I’m not speaking to him, either, but you’re not speaking to him really loudly.”
