To Lana, for those twenty-three minutes, that boy was everything.
Then, before Lana left with her mother, he’d given her a copy of the book he’d brought along too. Among all the other things Montgomerys didn’t do, Montgomerys didn’t accept gifts, except from family on Christmas and birthdays. But since it was her birthday—and she’d stuffed the book inside her sweater to hide it from view—Lana kept it. The Two Towers hadn’t even made sense when she hadn’t read the first book in the trilogy, but she’d hugged that book from the boy she’d briefly loved. And every time she picked up a story about adventures in far-off places, she’d felt a warmth of remembrance.
As an adult, whenever she found a spare moment of time, Lana read. And when her time involved puppysitting the most perfect animal in existence, Lana would read to him. After all, the holiday decorations in the resort lobby were exquisite, rustically festive, and utterly on brand with the snowy mountainscape outside. The Christmas songs playing over the radio were relaxing. Her cousins were going to land in the helipad behind the resort anytime now, so it was the perfect moment to steal a chapter or two with Jake.
Jake preferred romance, but he contented himself with Lana’s epic fantasies. Stretched out over her lap, he was the perfect place to rest her book, the broken and well-worn spine balanced on his back as Lana waited in the resort’s lobby. At some point, Silas and Killian would arrive, and she supposed the least she could do was meet them.
“I see Graham talked you into dogsitting for him.”
As soon as he heard Rick’s voice, the dozing border collie’s ears perked. As Rick approached, Jake’s rear end started to wriggle, causing Lana’s book to end up in her lap.
“On the contrary,” she said fondly. “Graham’s allowing me some Jake time. Jake’s a hot commodity in this town.”
Lana patted the seat next to her in welcome. Rick sat, setting a nylon tool bag at his feet.
“Reading during work hours?” His warm baritone was better than her morning coffee.
“I am the product of my environment.” She waggled her book at him. “What can I say?”
“An environment that induces escapism. May I?” At his request, Lana handed the book over, wondering why she suddenly felt shy. Maybe because it was her favorite, and these days, Rick was becoming one of her favorites too.
Rick turned the book over, reading the back cover as if he truly wanted to know what she was reading.
“It’s something I’ve read a few times since I was a kid.” A hundred. At least a hundred and ten times.
“Looks well loved.” Rick tapped a thumb on the spine before handing it back.
“I buy a new copy every couple of years. I try to read the newer stuff, but sometimes you want to open a book and know you’ll be happy with what you read. It’s like…”
“Like an old friend,” Rick said, as if he completely understood the feeling.
“Exactly.”
An old friend who had been there, when it felt like “there” was everywhere, and everywhere was pretty much a life of empty hotel rooms. Their eyes met, and Lana felt a rush of warmth flood through her. Had it only been last night that she’d seen him? For some reason, it felt a whole lot longer.
“I have another copy on my phone. Do you want to read this one?”
If she had been a dog in a bib, rolling a meatball toward him with her nose, Lana couldn’t have possibly felt more awkward. Rick accepted the book, tucking it into a pocket in his heavy winter jacket.
“Thanks. I get a lot of downtime at work. Reading passes the time. Hey, last night…” Rick cleared his throat, and just like that, Lana was twelve again, and their twenty-three minutes were up. It wasn’t safe to let herself too close to him anyway. Last night might have caused a kind of toe curling she hadn’t felt in forever, but Lana was a realist. A “hey baby” between two lonely people just before the holidays was not a promised path to happily ever after.
“It’s all right,” she said. “I understand. No need to explain.”
Maybe Rick would have the decency to leave before her smile slipped and the fact that she was oddly devastated became humiliatingly clear.
“I was going to say last night was the best night I’ve had in years.”
Ah. Well. That was a different story, then.
Lana didn’t trust herself to immediately answer. Her heart pounded in her chest, loud enough that she couldn’t hear, let alone think. Thankfully, Rick was a patient man. He simply waited, resting a strong hand on Jake’s back.
“I had a nice time too,” she finally said.
Only a slight relaxing of his shoulders gave him away. Maybe Lana wasn’t the only one feeling the whiplash, because he took her hand, squeezing gently before saying, “I was hoping so.”
Rick had no idea how little human contact she had in her life or how no one had held her hand in…well…she couldn’t remember. Lana tried very hard not to hold on to his too tight in response.
“Did you catch your moose yet?” he asked, as if—like the book—he truly cared about her mission.
“Tonight’s the night. Zoey and I are on the hunt. Moose will be relocated, peace will be restored, and Christmas decorations everywhere will feel safer. ”
He flashed her a quick grin. “Let me know if you want some backup.”
She almost took him up on it. Before Lana could answer, a message chirped on her phone, breaking the moment between them.
Rick let go of her hand so fast she almost thought he was embarrassed. But the way he was looking at her, his hazel eyes locked on her, it was hard to believe his interest wasn’t real. Real and welcome and amazingly confusing. Unfortunately, this wasn’t something she could take the time to figure out now. Not with a second, more imperious message beeping on her phone.
Taking refuge in a puppy, Lana stood, Jake’s leash in her hand.
“I’m sorry, I have to go meet two of my company’s board of directors,” she said. “I’d invite you, but one of them is fairly annoying.”
Rick nodded, rubbing his hands together. “It’s fine. I should go too. I promised Hannah I’d fix the pool table in the game room. It keeps eating balls.”
“You’re daring me to say something off-color, aren’t you?”
“The thought crossed my mind.” He chuckled, standing.
Lana patted his arm, thinking the muscles beneath his waffle shirt were nice and firm. “It’s hard work being competent.”
He flashed her the sweetest look, making him far handsomer than every other man in town. He probably didn’t even know it. “Have a nice day, sweetheart. I know being our evil overlady is a busy job.”