Risking It All for Love (A Christmas in Snow Valley Romance) (10 page)

Paisley
waited at the soundboard as Clay plugged in his bass. He hit a few cords and
made an adjustment on his amp. A loud squeal echoed off the walls and everyone
covered their ears. Paisley ran over and twisted a knob on the black box. The
squeal was replaced by grumbling, but no one threw a dirty look at Clay. No one
dared. Sawyer tapped on his snare and then twirled his sticks.

Paisley
gave Clay a small smile and lifted her shoulders. He leaned in and she could
smell the deep scent of men’s body wash; a scent she’d recently found a new
interested in. “You’re more than just cookies,” Clay said quietly, brushing his
fingers up her arm.

The
connection happened so fast Paisley wasn’t sure it happened at all, except that
her skin tingled where he’d touched her. She made her way back to the
soundboard, wondering if Clay had adjusted his amp so she’d have to come over
and fix it. She watched Clay out of the corner of her eye for most of practice.
He didn’t act like he’d said a word and she decided the zing was their little
secret.

A
secret she’d kept to this day.

Paisley
absently rubbed her hand up her arm, wondering if he’d thought of her at all
since he left town. Sawyer may have had the authority to warn her off the band
when she was fourteen, but she wasn’t fourteen anymore. If Clay was coming
home, she would gladly chair the welcoming committee.

The
crowd thinned out as Clay listened to Amber and Sawyer’s engagement and wedding
story, asked about Sawyer’s job as an electrician, and met their kids. Clay’s
eyes wandered to Paisley now and again, but Amber and Sawyer’s excitement over
seeing their long-lost band-mate was hard to ignore for long.

Peake
threw a snowball at his dad. Sawyer gave him a stern look followed by a promise
to play later. The kid shrugged and continued packing snow anyway. Paisley
admired his perseverance.

“We
sent you an invite to the wedding,” said Amber, her lower lip pouting out.

Clay
shuffled his feet. “Yeah, I wasn’t making much back then.” He held up both
hands as if weighing his options. “Food or bus ticket? But, I wished you guys
the best. Although, I’m not sure what you did, Amber, to deserve a drummer for
a husband,” he said as he shoved Sawyer. “I guess it’s just bad luck.”

They
joked back and forth, but Paisley’s mind was on Clay’s excuse and she wondered
what other tough decisions he’d had to make in order to become a success in the
music business. Her heart went out to him – alone in a strange city with
hardly any money. She would have ached for Snow Valley, especially after
getting an invitation to two of her best friends’ wedding.

Sawyer
wasn’t sidetracked by the teasing any more than Paisley was. “Was it really
that bad?”

“Sometimes.”
Clay glanced at Paisley and then back to Sawyer. “But things got better. I’m
working in production now. I hope to open my own studio soon.”

“That’s
fantastic.” Sawyer smacked him on the back. “We need to get the band together.
Bill lives in Boulder, but Jeb took over his dad’s place last year. I’m sure we
could set something up. How long are you in town?”

Paisley
caught herself leaning closer, hoping he’d say those magic words, “I’m home.”

“I’ve
got a break between projects; I should be here at least through Christmas.”
Clay looked her way again and this time Paisley turned her back.

Just
like she’d thought. They come, they Christmas, they leave. Clay was no
different than the rest of the holiday tourists in this town and she had no
intention of giving him any more time or thought while he was here.

“Come
on Peake, let’s go build a snowman,” she said, offering her hand.

She
and Peake spent the next fifteen minutes using the snow piled on the sides of
the walkway to build the base.

Amber
interrupted their work and informed Peake it was way past his bedtime.

He
looked at Paisley and they both groaned in protest as they made their way to
the parking lot.

Paisley
found herself scanning the area for Clay. When she didn’t find him, her heart
drooped like a pathetic Christmas bow.

“Looking
for someone?” asked Amber as she struggled to get the stroller through the
snow.

“No.”
Paisley knew she answered too fast. She also knew Amber would pick up on her
defensiveness, so she added, “I just thought he’d say goodbye. You know, for
old times’ sake.”

“His
dad called and needed help getting the cows in. They busted through a fence
when they heard the cannon.”

“Oh.
Well, I guess that’s that.” Paisley reached down and grabbed the front of the
stroller to help lift it over the curb.

Amber
pressed her lips together as she dug in, her high-heel boots, though totally
stylin’, weren’t made for wrestling a stroller through the Montana snowpack.
“Sawyer’s trying to set up a reunion of sorts. Wouldn’t that be a kick?”

“Yep.”
Presley concentrated on traffic. She purposely didn’t ask questions and Amber
was too busy gripping the stroller so she didn’t slip to press the topic.

Between
the two of them, they managed to wrangle their way to Amber and Sawyer’s SUV.
Sawyer arrived a few minutes later as they strapped Journey into the car seat.
Peake slept on his shoulder.

Once
the kids were buckled in, Paisley dashed down the street to her car. It was too
darn cold to stand around chatting without a fire barrel nearby.

Clay’s
disappearance didn’t stop Paisley from thinking about his easy smile and sultry
eyes. She could dismiss his first wave as his attempt to say hi to an old
friend. The second smile, the one that practically melted the snow, was harder
to write off. Instead of being embarrassed when their eyes met, he looked, well
... interested ... and flirty ... and like someone Paisley would have wanted to
spend time with.

She
scraped a film of ice off the windshield before getting in the car. Her
disappointment that Clay hadn’t asked for her number surfaced as she put the
key in the ignition.
It’s for the best.
She shrugged and turned the key
.
The heart can only be broken so many times.