Sweet Christmas Kisses (78 page)

Cole slammed on the brakes to avoid running a red light and sent the Volvo into a skid. What in the world was he thinking? He couldn’t go down that road. No, no, no. He’d destroyed their romance years ago with the incident on the roller coaster. He’d been so upset by what happened that he couldn’t face her for weeks. By the time he’d worked up the courage to speak to her, she’d wanted nothing to do with him. And he didn’t blame her. He’d been a coward, too afraid of rejection to put her needs before his own, and he wound up losing the only girl he ever really cared about. Now he was just grateful to have her in his life, and he wasn’t about to do anything to screw that up. Besides, he could think of many reasons today why a relationship with Harper would never work. One, she wanted to settle down, and he was far from ready for that. He was happy with his life as a bachelor. Dating different women eliminated the possibility of a messy breakup. And he wanted to keep things that way. Thinking of Harper as anything other than a friend could lead to only one thing. Heartache.

As he pulled up in front of her house, her front door flew open before he’d even put the car in park. She stood in the foyer, waving at him to hurry up. Wow! This seemed more urgent than a stopped-up sink. He quickly turned off the ignition, stepped out of the car, then raced up her walkway toward the front door.

Even in sweats and with no make-up on, she was still gorgeous. Her golden hair was pulled back from her face with a pink headband, and perfect spirals streamed over her shoulders, making her look like a teen rather than a woman of twenty-five. “What’s up? Don’t tell me your toilet overflowed,” he joked as he entered the house.

Harper didn’t laugh. Or even smile. A glazed look of despair began to spread over her face, and then he noticed her puffy eyes. “Have you been crying?”

“Maybe just a little.” She closed the door, then turned her back to him and headed toward the kitchen. “Come on. I just made a pot of coffee.”

“After looking at you, I’m thinking I might need something a little stronger. Got any brandy to put in it?”

Harper didn’t answer. Instead she poured them each a cup of steaming coffee, then plopped onto a chair in front of the table. “Jeffrey broke up with me.” Her voice was low; just barely audible.

“What?” Cole sat next to her. “You’re kidding, right?”

She shook her head slowly. “He said that we weren’t compatible. How could he say that? We never even had an argument. I did everything he asked.”

Cole grimaced. “Maybe that was the problem. You did everything for him, and he did nothing for you. You were trying to be something other than yourself, and that never works.” He pulled Harper’s chair closer to his, then draped his arm across her shoulders. “Besides, he didn’t deserve you.”

The hint of a smile brightened her beautiful face. “Thanks, but that doesn’t make the hurt go away.”

He wanted to take her in his arms to comfort her but knew that would be a mistake. Having her that close, with her sweet, soft skin pressed against him, would set him on fire. Instead, he simply said, “I know, but I’m not sorry he’s out of your life. Someday you’ll meet the right guy, and when you do, you’ll know he’s the one. And you won’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not.”

Her cornflower-blue eyes locked with his. “That’s what Ashley said.”

“I have a very smart sister.”

“That you do, but I’m not sure you’ll think so after I tell you what else she said.” Harper shifted her gaze away as if embarrassed.

His curiosity was definitely piqued. “Really? Why’s that?”

Her cheeks turned pink, and she took a deep breath as if to gather her nerve, then quickly blurted, “Because she wants me to ask you to spend three days with me at Green Mountain Lodge.”

Cole was momentarily speechless in his surprise. “What? The ski resort?”

“Yep,” she said sheepishly.

He gave her a long hard look in utter disbelief. “Why would Ash want you to ask me that?”

Harper blew on her coffee, then took a sip. “Um, because that was my Christmas gift to Jeffrey. We were going to spend the holiday there, but…considering what’s happened, he’s certainly not going now.”

“Can’t you cancel it?”

“I already paid for it, and it’s nonrefundable,” she said sadly.

“That must have cost you a pretty penny.”

“Let’s just say it wasn’t cheap. If I don’t go, aside from it being a waste of money—” Her voice broke off in mid-sentence, but she quickly regained her composure. “I would have let Jeffrey spoil my Christmas on top of everything else.”

She studied him as if trying to draw a response from him, but he remained silent, so she went on to explain, “Ashley suggested I ask you because you like to ski, and since you’re not seeing anyone special right now, maybe…”

“I’d go with you.” Cole got up and began to pace the kitchen. “So you want me to give up whatever plans I have for Christmas and spend it with you at a ski resort?”

“That’s right,” she said with quiet but desperate, firmness.

“Three days. Two nights. And I take it there’s only one room?”

Her mouth dropped open, and the color drained from her face. “Oh gosh. Yes, I hadn’t thought about that.” She drummed her fingers on the table, then smiled widely. “Well, don’t worry, we won’t be sharing a bed. It’s a suite. I’m pretty sure there’s a sofa bed in the living room, and if not, we’ll order a cot.”

He still wasn’t convinced this was such a good idea. “You really want to do this?”

She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze straight on. “I do. Who knows, it might even be fun. Besides, no matter what, it’ll sure beat moping around here, and Ashley said she’ll watch Riley, so I’ve no reason not to go.”

Cole continued to pace for a few seconds longer, then sat back down. “Okay. I’ll do it under one condition. You let me pay my half. Deal?”

She wrinkled her nose distastefully. “Oh, Cole. I couldn’t possibly ask you to pay anything. You’d be doing me such a favor.”

There was no way he was backing down on this. “You didn’t ask. I told you that’s my condition. Deal?”

She took another sip of coffee. “If it’s the only way I’ll get you to go.”

“It is.” His tone was firm.

“Okay. You can pay your half when we get back.”

“That’s fine. When do we leave?”

“Day after tomorrow. Christmas Eve. Check-in’s at noon.”

“It takes about an hour to get there, so I’ll pick you up at eleven. How’s that?”

“Thanks.” Harper leaned over and kissed his cheek.

A tingle shot down his spine. Oh boy! He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake, because if that was what she did to him with a peck on the cheek, he was in for trouble spending three days with her.

****

After Cole left, Harper went into the bedroom to figure out what to pack. The trip might only be three days, but with the outdoor activities offered at Green Mountain, she’d need to pack plenty of warm clothes. She went through her closet and pulled out some sweaters, ski pants, leggings, and jeans. The last item she took out was her white down jacket. As she placed it on the bed, her heart ached. Jeffrey had bought it for her last winter.

She sat on the edge of the bed and sucked in a ragged breath. What had she done wrong in their relationship? Cole said that when she’d been with Jeffrey, she hadn’t been herself. Was that true? She thought back to all the boring Saturday nights they’d ordered takeout and then spent the evening playing chess, when she would have rather gone out to dinner and then to a movie. The more she thought about it, pretty much every aspect of their relationship had been boring. So then why did it hurt so much that he was gone? Maybe it was that she’d just gotten used to having him around, like a habit she wasn’t ready to break. And he did have some good qualities. He was dependable. When he said he was going to do something, he did it. And they had the same goals—marriage and kids—something most of the other guys she’d dated had never wanted or at least not for another ten years. Maybe what attracted her to him was that he was older. He was nearly thirty-one and so much more mature than guys her own age. She pictured Cole’s handsome face, his chestnut hair, deep brown eyes, and hard athletic body. He was a girl magnet. Always had been. Only, when he was young, he didn’t know it. Now he did. Not that he was cocky, but he enjoyed being a bachelor and dating a different girl every few months. And it was guys like that Harper had made a point of staying away from. Getting involved with one could only mean trouble.

Yet Jeffrey was the complete opposite, and that hadn’t worked out either. Could it be she was destined to be alone?

Riley trotted into the room and jumped onto the bed next to her, resting his big head in her lap. “Looks like you’re bound to be the only man in my life.”

He gazed up at her, watching her expression as if trying to determine her mood.

“I’ll be fine. It’s just going to take some time. It wouldn’t be normal not to feel sad after a breakup. At least I know one thing. You love me and will never leave.”

Riley cocked his head to the side, then swiped her face with his tongue.

After wiping his slobber off, she went back over to the closet and pulled out a black silk cocktail dress, a cream cowl-neck sweater, some dress pants, and her green evening gown with the sequined neckline, then she took some sleepwear and undergarments from her dresser and stacked them next to the rest of her clothes.

She stored her suitcase under the bed, and when she pulled it out, it was covered with cobwebs. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d used it. Maybe going away wasn’t such a bad idea. It had been a long, long time since she’d taken a trip.

Harper wiped off the suitcase, then loaded it up with her belongings. When she finished packing, she put her luggage in the hall by the front door, glad to have that out of the way. Tomorrow, she’d need to work all day in order to finish the family portrait she was painting for Charlie Stewart. It was a Christmas gift for his wife, so Harper had to get it done before she left for Green Mountain. Not only had Jeffrey disrupted her personal life, the breakup had impacted her work as well. She hadn’t lifted a brush in two days.

With a sigh, she headed back to the bedroom, hoping tonight she’d be able to sleep all the way through to morning. She’d spent more time than she should wallowing in self-pity. Jeffrey wasn’t worth it. Besides, Mr. Right could walk into her life at any time. She just had to be ready to let him in, and not still be hung up on Mr. Wrong.

Cole arrived a few minutes early to pick up Harper for their trip to Green Mountain Lodge. His sister’s car was in the driveway, so he parked on the street. Ashley must be there to get Riley. He pulled up his coat collar as he walked to the front door to keep the biting winter wind from blowing down his back. After knocking a few times and not getting an answer, he entered the house on his own. It was way too cold to stand outside any longer.

What he found inside explained why no one had answered the door. Harper and Ashley were chasing Riley around the living room. Harper had the dog’s leash in her hand, and his sister had a biscuit in hers.

“Come on, boy. Come get a cookie,” Ashley called. “I’m getting tired of this game.”

“Ever thought of obedience training?” Cole asked.

“Very funny,” Harper puffed, clearly out of breath. “You know he doesn’t usually act like this. He knows something’s up. That’s the problem.”

Cole stepped between Harper and the dog, saying sternly, “Riley, sit!”

The dog hesitated a moment as he eyed Cole, then stopped running and plopped his hind end on the floor.

“See, that’s how you do it.” He took the leash from Harper’s hands, then clipped it to the dog’s collar.

“Do you think I didn’t try that like a gazillion times? Obviously, it didn’t work for me.”

“That’s because you lack authority. He sees you as his playmate.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that you’re a lot bigger that I am, and your voice is a good three octaves lower than mine.”

“You could still—”

“Now that we’ve got the dog lassoed,” Ashley said, cutting Cole off, “I’m gonna get out of here. You kids have a nice time, and try not to argue too much.” She took the leash from Cole’s hands.

But before Ashley could lead the dog out, Harper got down on her knees and hugged his neck. “You be good for Ashley. I won’t be gone long. Love you.”

Cole rolled his eyes. “See, that’s exactly what I meant when I said you’re his—”

Ashley cut him off again by saying, “Bye-bye. We’re leaving now. Come on, Riley.” She tugged on the dog’s leash, and he walked with her to the door.

Harper got up off the floor to hurry after them. “Let me make sure he has everything he needs before you go.” She reached into a large bag on the hall table, but Ashley snatched it out of her hands.

“You’ve already checked it five times. Everything’s in there. Food, bowls, toys. You’re acting a little OCD. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your baby.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Harper pulled a spare key out from the table drawer and handed it to Ashley. “You can bring Riley back any time Wednesday morning. I figure I’ll be home around noon.”

“Okey dokey.” Ashley opened the front door and walked outside with Riley trotting alongside her. A moment later, with his tail wagging, the dog jumped into her car.

Cole chuckled. “See, he’ll be fine. You’ll probably miss him a lot more than he’s going to miss you.” Harper shot him a nasty look, but he ignored it. “Ready to go?”

“Yep. I just have to grab my coat.” She walked over to the hall closet in a huff and yanked a gray wool jacket off a hanger.

He took a step, thinking he’d be a gentleman, and was about to help her put it on when she quickly slipped it on herself and buttoned it up. “Is this what you’re taking?” He pointed to a mustard-colored suitcase in the entryway.

“Yeah, that’s it. Why? Do you think I need another one?” She picked up her purse from off the couch and then took her keys out of the front pocket.

Cole lifted her suitcase and cringed. “No, you’ve probably got three cases’ worth of clothes stuffed into this one.”