Only For Tonight: Chapter One

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Preston

“Don’t move!” I shouted, already dropping over the edge of the trail before the kid could look up. His sneaker slid over the loose shale, and he slipped again. For one terrifying second, I was sure I was about to watch him fall.

But that wasn’t going to happen. Not on my watch.

Again, he slipped; his arms pinwheeled as he worked to stay balanced on the ledge that was barely wide enough for a mountain goat, let alone a lanky teenager and his dog.

“I said don’t move,” I repeated, working hard to keep my voice calm and controlled the way I’d been trained. “I’m going to get you out of there, but you have to stay still.”

“I’m trying!” he called back, his voice cracking. He gripped onto a thin root jutting from the hill.

I lowered myself as fast as I could against the cold rock. The sky had started to spit snow that wasn’t in the forecast. Not that I was surprised. The only thing predictable about spring weather in the mountains was…nothing.

“You’re doing great,” I called down as I fed the rope through the belay device as I reached him. “What’s your name?”

“Pete.” His shoulders sagged in relief at my presence. The dog, a fluffy mutt, pressed so close to the kid’s legs that it looked as if he were trying to crawl into them.

“Rough day, Pete?” I anchored myself as I spoke, subtly checking the ledge to determine how stable it was. It would hold. For now. But the wind was starting to pick up, and we were way too exposed to linger for long. We needed to move.

“I was just going for a walk to clear my head after Susie…it doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “I just…I slipped and now…”

The kid couldn’t have been much older than sixteen, but scared as he was, he looked a lot younger in that moment. On top of that, he clearly had girl problems. I couldn’t help but feel for him.

“Shit happens,” I said as casually as I could. “That’s why I’m here.” I clipped an improvised sling around his waist, noting that not only was he completely inappropriately dressed for a trek in the mountains, but he didn’t even have a pack with him. At least he’d had his phone to call for help. Lucky for him, there was enough service out here to get a signal. I bit my tongue. A lecture could wait. “What’s your dog’s name?”

Pete shook his head. “He’s not mine. I got him for Susie, but…”

“Let me guess.” I bent to pat the pup’s head. “She didn’t accept your apology?”

Pete nodded glumly. “I’m sorry. I never should have—”

“Don’t worry about it.” I nodded toward the rope. “You’re going up first. Keep your weight against the rope and do what I say, okay?”

He gripped the rope as if his life depended on it—which, in this case, it did—and with my encouragement, started to climb.

I heaved on the rope, helping him up as I kept up a continuous encouraging stream of chatter until Pete reached the top, and then it was my turn.

I grabbed the puppy, tucking him as best I could into my jacket and zipping it up tight so only his little head poked out. He didn’t fight me, which honestly worried me more than anything else. Poor thing was petrified.

It was harder to climb with the weight of the pup, but we managed. By the time we reached the top, the wind had picked up, whipping the building snow into my face. The kid was shaking, and not just from the cold.

“I can’t believe that happened…what would have…I mean, if you weren’t—”

“But I was.” I tossed him an extra sweater and an emergency blanket from my pack. “Put these on and let’s get out of here, kid.”

“My mom’s gonna kill me.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Probably. But at least you’ll be alive for the lecture.”

I kept the pup in my jacket. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get out, and I figured it would be easier to get off the mountain quickly if I didn’t have to worry about him, too.

I took a moment to radio our location and status to the Search and Rescue office, letting them know we were on our way out before we headed down the trail.

“If you want to learn how to be better prepared, and do these things safely,” I said to Pete as we walked, “come to my Saturday adventure skills sessions. You can bring your dog, too.”

As if on cue, the little fur ball burrowed deeper into my jacket.

“I told you,” Pete said quickly. “He’s not mine. A guy was giving away puppies in Glacier Falls. I thought maybe Susie would forgive me for going out with Taylor if I…well, it doesn’t matter. She didn’t. And I can’t keep him. My mom’s allergic.”

I glanced down at the dog who was watching me with deep-brown eyes. He was pretty cute. I scratched his head. “We’ll figure out what to do with him. I’m sure we can find him a good home.” The pup whined and licked my hand.

We hiked down the trailhead where my oldest brother, Brody, was already leaning against his truck, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“You need to stop playing hero alone, Pres,” he said when we got closer.

“Nice to see you too, brother.” I slipped my pack off. “This is Pete. He got himself into a little trouble on the trail, but we sorted it, didn’t we, Pete?”

The kid nodded as he looked uncertainly between us.

“You should have waited for—”

“And this here is…Summit.” The name occurred to me as I pulled the puppy out of my coat and set the mostly white fur ball down on the ground, where he immediately started to attack the laces of my boots. Apparently, his near-death experience hadn’t affected him too much.

I bent to scratch his ears before I looked up at my brother, ready to deflect the lecture he’d been waiting to give me.

“You know better, Preston. There are protocols for a reason.”

“I was already out here,” I said. “It took me half the time it would have if I’d waited for the team. Besides, it was an easy one. In and out.”

Brody groaned and shook his head. As the oldest of five brothers, he was used to trying, and failing, to keep us in line. Especially me.

I had plenty of experience dealing with Brody’s bluster. He’d let it go. He always did.

“Besides,” I said, pushing my luck. “If I hadn’t been there, Pete here might have frozen to death. Looks like a storm is coming in.”

He muttered a few more things about teamwork and procedures, but I ignored most of it as I dug through my pack in search of a snack for the pup.

“Can you at least promise to try to wait for the team next time?”

I produced a piece of beef jerky from my pack, but took a moment to look at my big brother. “I promise,” I told him seriously. “Despite what you might believe, I understand why we have procedures and protocols, Brody. I don’t go out of my way to break the rules.”

He snorted, and even I had to admit it didn’t sound super convincing.

“How old’s your puppy?” He directed the question to Pete, who’d been standing by, watching the exchange, as I knelt and gave Summit the treat.

“He’s not mine.” Pete held up his hands and backed away.

Brody shot me a look as the fur ball gobbled up his snack.

“It’s a long story,” I told him. “Involves a girl.”

“Ah.” Brody nodded and glanced at the kid who, now that he was safe, looked as if he might burst into tears. I had no idea whether it was because of his near-death experience or the girl he’d screwed things up with.

Given his age, it was probably the girl.

“Come on, Pete.” I put an arm around his shoulders. “Let’s get you home.” I guided him to my truck and settled him into the passenger seat before I climbed into the driver’s seat.

Summit hopped straight up into my lap, like he’d already made himself at home.

“Oh no,” I said. “This is temporary.”

He licked my cheek.

“Very temporary,” I tried again, but the puppy only settled into my lap.

In the seat next to me, Pete chuckled, but I shot him a look.

On the drive down the mountain, a splash of color caught my eye. A brand-new development sign was hammered into a pine tree.

Future Site of Timberstone Homes

I pulled over, and Brody pulled up next to me.

“Oh, come on,” I groaned as I unrolled my window. “I thought this wasn’t approved yet?”

“It’s not,” Brody confirmed. “At least not yet.”

And not ever, if I had anything to say about it. I shook my head, and the puppy in my lap whined. The problem was that I had no idea how to stop the development from coming in and destroying a big part of the trail system we enjoyed in Trickle Creek.

I’d only recently learned that not all the trails sat on donated land that belonged to the Trickle Creek Trail Society, and that included the first few kilometers that had been lent to the society by a private owner. An owner who had recently sold to a development company from the city.

I didn’t like it. Not even a little bit.

“Before you get all worked up, take the kid home,” Brody said, reminding me of my passenger. “And then meet me at Peaks & Brews.”

It sounded like a good idea to me. A damn good one.

I jerked my head in a nod and started to roll up my window again before Brody’s voice stopped me.

“Try not to jump off any more cliffs or pick up any more strays on your way over.”

Jess

It was big. And bright. And purple. Never mind the gold accents splashed all over it.

Nothing about the garish sign announcing Timberstone Homes looked like it belonged in a cute mountain town like Trickle Creek. Yet, here it was, hanging over the vacant storefront in the plaza that had been temporarily leased as office space for the new development.

I took a step back and tilted my head to the left as if a new angle might make it look different.

It didn’t.

“Isn’t it perfect?” Trevor Burton stepped up beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. “The colors really pop, don’t they?”

“They definitely do that.” He was so excited, I couldn’t bring myself to criticize the signage too much, so I chose my words carefully. “I’m actually really surprised by the branding for this project. I thought maybe we’d go with something a bit more natural. Some earthy colors and pictures of trees, or maybe a bear. Even a…mountain.”

After all, it was a development in the mountains.

“Are you kidding?” Trevor spun me and took a step back so he could look in my eyes.

I wasn’t, but I didn’t have a chance to tell him so before he continued.

“This development needs to feel rich and regal. Purple and gold are the colors of royalty.”

“But it’s affordable housing, not luxury housing.”

“There’s some affordable housing,” he corrected me. “Don’t forget, this is a multi-dimensional project. There will be other lots available as well.”

Still.

I’d been a real estate agent in town my entire professional life. I liked to think I had my finger on the pulse of what the people of Trickle Creek were looking for. And besides, wasn’t that why Trevor had wanted me involved in this project in the first place?

Of course, there was that, and the fact that we were getting married in a few months. We were going to be a team in life as well as business. Which was why I needed to speak up about this branding on what was going to be the biggest development project in our town’s history.

“I just think that maybe the people of Trickle Creek would—”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re going wrong, darling.” He cut me off smoothly. “We’re not trying to appeal to the people who already live here.” He took a step back and held out his arm, turning in a slow circle in the plaza. “Our job with Timberstone is to attract people to town. We’re about growth and development.”

I took a step toward him. “And that’s why I think—”

“You’re so cute.” He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me and pressing a kiss to my forehead. “But your job isn’t to think about the business side of things.”

I bit back a sharp retort. I didn’t want to fight with him—again. Not on what should be a happy day. We’d been doing far too much arguing lately. I was exhausted.

“Your job is to sell the people of Trickle Creek on what a good idea this is,” Trevor continued. “And how much it will benefit the town. And then, you can sell the lots and units themselves.” His smile dazzled me. “After all, that’s your area of specialty, isn’t it?”

He released me, and I swallowed down my concerns the way I’d been doing more and more of lately, and lifted my left hand to look at the huge diamond on it.

I still couldn’t believe I was engaged to be married. It had all happened quite quickly and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have my doubts. But Trevor was a good man, and we did make a good team—most of the time.

Even if I wasn’t feeling the explosive fireworks and butterflies that I thought I should be. That didn’t mean it wasn’t right. That only meant it wasn’t a fairy tale or some romance novel.

“Come on, Jess.” Trevor grabbed my hand. “We need to celebrate. This is a big deal. Now that we have a proper sales office, we can—”

“But the development hasn’t even passed the council vote yet,” I said as he tugged me along. “Shouldn’t we—”

“Nonsense. That’s just a formality.” Trevor pressed his lips into a thin line. “There’s no way it won’t pass. After all, you’re a born and raised local, and you’re on our side. That carries a lot of weight in places like this. I’m not worried.”

I was. But I didn’t bother telling him that. I had been born and raised in this town, but that didn’t mean I could change the minds of people who were firmly against new developments moving in.

As if I’d conjured him with my line of thought, my eyes caught on the one man in town who was the most actively against the development my fiancé was currently so excited about.

Preston Lyons.

He was on the far side of the plaza, walking toward us. Dressed in his red SAR puffy jacket, with a charcoal-gray toque on his head, he looked as if he’d just come straight off the mountain, which he likely had.

As long as I’d known Preston, he was either in the mountains, talking about being in the mountains, or dreaming about being in the mountains.

Even when we were kids, Preston preferred to spend his time climbing trees, rolling in the dirt, and scaling boulders. The exact opposite of how I’d like to spend my time back then.

And now.

Of course, you couldn’t grow up in a town like Trickle Creek and not develop a healthy love of outdoor activities. While Preston had only become more feral as we’d grown up, my tastes had become more refined. A day on the slopes, or swinging a nine iron on the tenth hole, was more my speed.

Sure, I enjoyed a hike that rewarded me with stunning views. But then I’d happily go home to my cozy bed and a warm bubble bath. Preston’s idea of a good time was bedding down under a tree on a pile of pine needles, leaving himself exposed for whatever bear or wolf happened to wander by.

No thanks.

When Preston glanced in our direction, I raised my hand in greeting. But if he saw me, he didn’t return the wave. Instead, I saw him shake his head and could almost imagine the string of curse words he was likely muttering under his breath at the sight of the development sign.

“Are you ready?” Trevor slipped his arm around me and pulled me back to the moment.

I stared at him blankly. “For what?”

“To celebrate.” He laughed. “This is a big day. I made us reservations at Creekside.”

Preston

“Seriously?” I tugged the toque off my head and slammed it down on the bar with more force than was necessary. “They have an office? A fucking office?” I tugged my zipper down roughly and pulled my parka off before dropping onto a stool.

The puppy curled around my feet and, exhausted from his adventures, promptly fell asleep.

My brother lifted his brows and gestured in the direction of the dog, but I had bigger problems. “It’s right here in the plaza, Ethan.”

He sighed and calmly lifted my wet toque and swiped his cloth over the shiny surface of the bar before dropping a coaster down in front of me. “I assume you’re talking about the Timberstone sales office?” He put a freshly poured pint in front of me. “You’ll like this one. It’s a new IPA I’ve been working on. I know you like them hoppy.”

He was trying to calm me down. I lifted the glass and took a sip of the delicious brew. My brother was an excellent brewmaster, and the opening of his brewery, Peaks & Brews, had been the best kind of addition to town and the pedestrian-only plaza that was the heart of Trickle Creek.

Unlike the garishly ugly sales office I’d just seen.

“This is good.” I wiped my mouth and set the beer down. “But yes, I’m talking about that monstrosity of a sign outside. Did you see it?”

“I did.” He nodded.

“See what?”

I turned as Brody joined us.

“You didn’t see the sign?” I stared at him, open-mouthed. “How could you miss it?”

“Oh. That.” He accepted a beer from Ethan with a nod of thanks.

“Yes, that.” I looked between my brothers in a mixture of shock and disgust.

“I see you kept the dog.” Brody lifted a questioning brow as he took the seat next to me.

I ignored him, too, and continued my train of thought. “You’re both business owners in town. How can you be okay with this?”

Ethan sighed and leaned back against the bar, his arms over his chest. “Developments are hard to stop, Pres. Besides, there’s going to be affordable housing, and we need that in town. Badly. I can’t tell you how many stories I hear of people who can’t afford to make their rent or whose landlords are moving to a short-term rental model, and they have to move out.”

“It’s true.” Brody jumped in. “The increase in tourism is great,” he said. “But all of those tourists create a few new problems for our town, like making sure everyone can afford to live here with the increasing prices.”

I hadn’t thought of any of that. I’d been fortunate to have a stable place to live. Years ago, I bought a small cabin on the edge of town for next to nothing and fixed it up. I’d never considered what my situation would be like if I were still renting.

“Okay,” I said after a moment. “I agree. We need affordable housing. But I still think there’s a better way to do it that doesn’t involve destroying such a big part of our trail system.” I lifted my beer and drained half the glass before setting it down again.

Damn, it really was good.

“You know the part that really pisses me off?” My brothers both stared at me. Brody’s lips twitched up in a smirk, as if he already knew what I was going to say. I ignored him and continued, “I don’t understand how someone who was born and raised here, and understands how special our trail systems are, could possibly support a development that would destroy them.” I shook my head in disgust.

“Uh-huh.”

“I knew it.”

My brothers spoke at the same time.

“You knew what?” I looked at Brody. “Because you don’t know shit.”

He didn’t even bother to hide his amusement. “I know you have a thing for Jess Anderson.”

“Always have,” Ethan joined in. “Too bad she’s never felt the same.”

I could feel my face heating. There was nothing worse than big brothers who thought they understood something they had no idea about.

“That’s what really fires you up, isn’t it?” Brody continued. “That she’s the one—”

“I told you.” I stopped him. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Right.” Both brothers broke out in laughter, but there was nothing funny about the situation.

“You two smart-asses think you’re so smart, but unlike the two of you, I don’t base my decisions on a woman.”

“Hey, that’s—”

“When have I—”

“Don’t even try to deny it.” I stopped them both, but focused my gaze on Ethan, who’d recently based many of his decisions on his new fiancée, Delaney, who owned the bookstore next door. In his case, I actually agreed with all his decisions because Delaney was fantastic, and they were super happy together.

Ethan shrugged, and Brody spoke up. “Okay, fair enough for him. But I don’t—”

“Lauren?”

“Is a friend.”

“Right.” It was my turn to laugh. “Keep telling yourself that, brother.”

Ethan turned and gave me a fist bump, joining in with my laughter. It wasn’t a secret that our big brother and his best friend had been playing a game of push and pull for way too long. As far as everyone in town was concerned, it wasn’t a matter of if they would get over themselves and finally be together, but when.

“So, are we going to talk about this dog?” Ethan handed me a fresh beer. “Is he yours? And why is he in my brewery?”

Both brothers looked at me expectantly. I hadn’t thought much about the pup besides the fact that I couldn’t leave him in the truck, and when I’d dropped Pete off at his house earlier and spoken briefly with his mother, it was clear the puppy couldn’t stay there.

“His name is Summit.” I shrugged.

At the sound of his name, which he couldn’t possibly know yet, he looked up at me with big, brown eyes. He was a cute little guy. “I guess he’s my new adventure buddy.”

“Quinn’s going to love him.” Ethan laughed.

Brody nodded. “He is a pretty cute little guy.”

The conversation officially shifted, and we moved easily into talking about my niece Quinn and the rest of our big, crazy family.

I was happy to talk about anything as long as the focus was off me and how I may or may not have felt about Jess Anderson. Because it didn’t matter whether I’d once, a very long time ago, had a crush on her. Those days were long gone.

Now, the only thing I felt about Jess was anger and annoyance. As far as I was concerned, she was the enemy trying to ruin my town. And if she thought I was going to sit back and let her do it, she was sorely mistaken.

Jess

The diamond on my finger sparkled in the candlelight as I spun it around. I had to admit, it was beautiful. Even if it was much larger and flashier than anything I would have chosen for myself.

But Trevor had been so proud of the ring he’d given me.

“We make such a good team, Jess.”

He handed me the little box across the table, almost causing me to choke on my wine. We’d only been seeing each other for a few months. We hadn’t even talked about a future together. I took the box and carefully opened the lid, almost snapping it shut again, when the diamond flashed out from the velvet lining.

“Oh.” I blinked once or twice, sure I was seeing things. “This is—”

“I guess this means we’re getting married then.”

As far as proposals went, it wasn’t the most romantic one I’d ever heard of, and some of my girlfriends had been appalled when I told them, but ultimately, I was okay with it.

Mostly.

Trevor was a good man. He was stable and solid financially. He was ambitious, and he recognized that in me, too. As a woman who’d always put her career first, it could be challenging to find a man who not only appreciated that but encouraged it, too.

Sure, we didn’t have a wild, passionate love affair, but he treated me well, and maybe that was more important than the fairy-tale romance I’d read about and seen in the movies. And more recently, seen firsthand in a few of my friends.

I looked across the table at my fiancé, and not for the first time, wondered whether maybe I was missing something or rushing into things with him.

“Hello.” With his roll in hand, Trevor waved his hand up and down. “Earth to Jess.”

I shook my head and took a sip of water to clear my head of the thoughts before I could let them take hold. “Sorry. I was just…” My gaze dropped to the diamond on my left hand again.

“Were you thinking about the wedding?” His handsome face lit up. “It’s going to be the event of the year,” he said. “Everyone will be talking about it.”

“Oh, I don’t know if everyone will be talking about it.” I picked at my Caesar salad. “It’s not like it’s going to be huge or anything. I’m sure no one will—”

“Everyone will know I’m a force to be recognized. And when I finally get back to the city full time with my beautiful wife on my arm—”

“The city?” I set my fork down and stared at him. “But I thought we were going to live here?”

“Of course, we’ll keep a place here. But the city is where it all happens. And once Timberstone takes off, there’ll be so many more opportunities to take advantage of. Oh, that reminds me.” Trevor dropped his bun, dusted his hands together and reached for his phone. “We need to add a few more people to the guest list. I’ll just send myself a little note.”

“Who are you adding?” I tilted my head, waiting for him to finish on his phone. “I think we should keep an eye on the guest list, Trevor. Last time I looked, it was starting to creep up.”

“We can afford it.” He waved a hand, dismissing my concern. “After all, Timberstone is going to make us very, very wealthy.” He set his phone next to his plate and raised his glass. “And we should toast to that. Doesn’t the sales office look good? Having a physical presence in the plaza will be huge this summer. The tourists are going to be able to stop right in while they’re on vacation, and before they even know what hit them, you’ll be selling them their own little piece of mountain paradise.”

He laughed and drained his glass of wine.

I put my own glass down without drinking. “But it’s mostly affordable housing,” I reminded him. “We’re not focusing on the out-of-town market.”

“No, of course not.” Again, he waved away my concern and picked up his phone. “But we’re not not targeting it. I’m sure we’ll have more than a few out-of-towners take advantage of the location and the opportunity to get a foothold in Trickle Creek.” He took a drink of his wine. “Besides, this is just the first phase. Once we get going, there will be lots of opportunities.”

I opened my mouth to object, but before I could, he cut me off.

“And, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He leaned in conspiratorially, and reflexively, I moved too. “Selling a handful of units to tourists at higher prices is how we can manage to keep the majority of the development as an affordable housing project. It’s simple math. And really, it’s win-win for everyone. And that’s exactly what you want, isn’t it?”

I hadn’t thought of it that way. Of course, this was the first development project I’d been involved in, so I did have a lot to learn. Trevor had taken the lead on almost a dozen projects before coming into Trickle Creek with his Timberstone project.

That’s actually how we’d met. He’d knocked on my office door with his plans in hand and a proposal for a partnership and the investment opportunity of a lifetime. Little did I know how quickly that partnership would grow into a lifelong commitment. Things had an odd way of working out.

My lips curled up into a smile as I sat back and listened to Trevor talk about how things would progress once we got the all clear from the town, and I couldn’t help but be caught up in his excitement as he spoke.

It was going to be fantastic.

How could it not be?

Only For Tonight: Chapter Two

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Preston

“Okay,” I said to the puppy as I stepped back from the makeshift bed I’d made him under the front desk. “You can hang out here while I’m working, okay?”

Dutifully, Summit pounced onto the flannel blanket I’d set up for him and immediately spun in circles before flopping down and looking at me expectantly.

“You’re a cutie.” I laughed and pulled a piece of beef jerky from my pocket.

I’d picked up a bag of kibble from the grocery store the night before, but I still needed to find time to stop by Mountain Mutts, the local pet store, to grab proper supplies. I didn’t know much about dogs, but I was pretty sure beef jerky wasn’t a suitable treat.

“Thanks, brother. I am feeling pretty cute today.”

My head shot up to see Brody, his laptop in his arms, laughing at me. At the sound of his voice, Summit burst out from behind the counter and ran to Brody, where he immediately started to nip at his jeans, looking for attention.

So much for lying down quietly while I worked.

“He’s going to be a shop dog, huh?” Brody crouched down to let the puppy lick his face and greet him properly. “That could get interesting.”

It sure would. I didn’t know the first thing about having a puppy. Let alone one in the shop. But Summit was here to stay. After less than twenty-four hours with him, I’d already grown pretty attached to the fluff ball.

“It’ll work out,” I said. “Besides, you know I don’t plan on being in the shop much anymore.”

Brody rolled his eyes. “Don’t I know it.”

A few years back, when Brody had approached me about the idea of going into business to open Peak to Path, an outdoor shop that specialized in mountain bikes in the summer and ski equipment in the winter, I’d been a little wary.

Not because it wasn’t a good idea. It was. Trickle Creek desperately needed a shop to serve locals and the growing number of tourists with all their adventure equipment needs. I was nervous because I didn’t have any experience in running a business, and I wasn’t convinced I’d be any good at it.

But I did have a sizeable savings account, and we’d worked out a deal that meant I’d mostly be a silent partner in the shop, so I’d agreed. It turned out to be an excellent decision, almost exclusively thanks to Brody, who knew exactly what he was doing. And even when he didn’t, he figured it out.

My involvement was mostly in the back shop, tuning up bikes and skis, stocking inventory, doing other grunt work, and filling in for the front-end staff during shoulder season when things got temporarily quieter in town, and our seasonal staff moved on.

“Is there anything pressing you need me to take care of today, brother?” I asked Brody as he extracted himself from puppy kisses and got up off the floor. “Or do you just need a body up front?”

“I need a body until at least three,” he said. “But if you can start tagging the clearance ski equipment and moving it to the far side, we can start bringing the bikes out and gearing up for the summer season.”

“I think we can handle that, can’t we, Summit?”

The puppy wagged his tail, happy to be included.

Brody rolled his eyes. “Try to keep your assistant from chewing on the inventory, okay?”

“I make no promises.”

“I’ll be in the back working on the books.” Brody gave Summit one last pat. “If he’s getting in the way too badly, send him back to hang with me.”

Jess

I didn’t even recognize myself when Kat Carlson spun me around, and I faced myself in the salon mirror.

My hand moved as if on its own accord and gingerly patted the elaborate twist of curls she’d magically worked my curly auburn hair into. “How did you…what did you…” I looked over my shoulder at her beaming face. “I swear, you’re a magician. Is this all really my own hair?”

“Of course it is. Your hair is amazing.” Kat tucked a piece into a bobby pin and brushed an imaginary strand off my face before once more stepping back and assessing her handiwork. “Do you like it? Seriously? You have to be honest with me because if you were thinking of something else, or had a different vision at all, it’s important you let me know. This is the most important day of your life.”

Most important day of your life.

Her words reverberated in my skull. I swallowed hard and nodded. “It’s perfect. I honestly didn’t have any vision for what it would look like. I just wanted it to look bridal.”

“Well, you’ve definitely achieved that.” My friend Lauren’s reflection appeared in the mirror. “You look freakin’ amazing, Jess.”

“You really do.” Kat nodded. “And I’m not just saying that because I did it.” She laughed at herself and spun my chair around. Kat and I had grown up together, and she was one of my oldest friends in Trickle Creek. Lucky for me, she was also an amazing hairstylist.

“What about your makeup?” Lauren asked, giving me a once-over. “Not that you’re not gorgeous without it,” she added quickly. “Because you are.”

“But wedding makeup is different,” Kat agreed. “I can help you out, but you know who’s really good at it?”

“That would be me.” We all spun to see Noa, Kat’s sister-in-law-to-be, burst through the door of Strands, Kat’s hair salon. “And lucky for you, Jess, I love a blank canvas.”

We all laughed, and Lauren moved to pour more prosecco in our glasses. I hadn’t been sure about even bothering with a hair and makeup trial, but now that I was surrounded by my friends, I was glad I’d let them talk me into it. It was nice to spend time together.

Noa pulled up a little table and started to unpack her supplies. “Your skin is so perfect, Jess. I really don’t think we’ll need much,” she said as she smeared something she said was a primer on my face. “And we definitely don’t want to cover those gorgeous freckles.”

I offered her a genuine smile. It had taken me a long time to accept my freckly face. It didn’t help that some of the boys growing up—okay, one boy—had given me an annoying nickname.

But just as I’d come to love my curly hair, I also loved my freckles. They were all a part of me.

“I think we should focus on the eyes,” Noa said. “Just enough to make them pop in the photos.”

“Pop?”

“You definitely need to pop,” Kat agreed. “It might seem like too much up close, but in the photos, it will be perfect. Who is doing your photos?”

My brain immediately started to spiral as I tried to remember the notebook with details and prices scribbled in it. “I don’t even know if I’ve booked a photographer yet,” I confessed. “It’s on my list.”

Noa froze, brush in hand, her mouth open. “You haven’t booked one yet?” She spoke slowly, pausing on every word.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so, but maybe Trevor’s organized something. He has all sorts of contacts from the city, and if I’m being honest, there are a lot of details he’s taken care of. He has a bit of a vision, I think.”

“That’s sweet,” Kat said with a dreamy smile. “I don’t think Andy would know the first thing about planning a wedding. It’s super cute that Trevor wants to be so involved.”

I bit my bottom lip. I didn’t want to burst Kat’s illusion that my fiancé was sweet or cute. And it’s not that he wasn’t. But Trevor’s involvement in the wedding had a whole lot less to do with our day being perfect for the two of us and a whole lot more to do with how it all looked.

It was a familiar thought I’d been having more and more over the last few weeks, as everything got closer and what was supposed to be a small, intimate ceremony got bigger and bigger. Last time I’d checked, I didn’t even recognize most of the names on the guest list.

Trevor assured me they were important contacts and investors who would be insulted if they didn’t get invited. I couldn’t shake the feeling that what was supposed to be the most special day of my life was nothing more than a business arrangement to him.

I shook my head and reached for my mimosa as I rejoined the conversation, and immediately wished I hadn’t. The girls were all talking about caterers, flower arrangements, and cake flavors. All the things that were usually so exciting when it came to planning a wedding.

Only, instead of feeling excited, the only thing I could feel was my anxiety growing. I tried to focus on my friends as Noa expertly applied layers of makeup on my face.

“What kind of cake did you decide on?”

“Oh…I think we’ll just go with vanilla.” It was a guess, because Trevor and I hadn’t discussed flavors at all.

Judging by the odd look Kat and Noa exchanged, I couldn’t help but think I guessed wrong.

“And flowers?” Lauren asked. “I assume Charli is doing them?”

I nodded, confident in that much. Of course, Charli, Kat’s sister, was doing our flowers. The owner of Alpenglow Flowers, no one did a better job than Charli. “I haven’t met with her yet, but—”

“Do you have pictures of what you want?”

I stared at Lauren. Was I supposed to have pictures?

“I’ll take that as a no.” My friend laughed. “What about centerpieces?”

I shook my head in response.

“Favors?” Kat asked hopefully.

“Do people still do that?”

She shrugged.

“Seating arrangements?”

“Music?”

I squeezed my eyes shut and blew out a breath, trying not to let my friends’ questions incite a full-blown panic attack. After all, this kind of thing was normal, right?

Preston

Two hours later, I did end up sending Summit back to hang out with Brody. Not because the puppy had been getting in the way, but because I figured my brother could use the company. I appreciated that he handled the shitty business tasks for the shop, and if a cute little fur ball made that task a little bit easier, I’d gladly lend him out.

Besides, it gave me a chance to print out the flyers I’d been working on for the Teens in the Trails group. I’d started up the group a few months earlier, when the Search and Rescue team started noticing more and more young people getting in trouble in the out-of-bounds areas of the ski hill.

There was obviously a growing interest for adventure in the teenagers in town, but paired with a total lack of training, it was a recipe for disaster. I’d come up with the idea to put together a group where we could offer some basic training and knowledge sessions, as well as give the kids a chance to participate in some of the activities they wanted to try out in a safer environment.

So far, it had been a hit. But we were always recruiting more members, and now that winter was finally loosening its grip on the mountains, and we could get out for some more hikes and backcountry camping opportunities, I was sure we’d get some more members.

At three, when our full time employee, came into the shop, I left the dog in the back with Brody, took my stack of flyers, and headed out into the plaza to hang them.

I’d hung about half my posters by the time I got to Plot Twist, the bookstore next to the brewery. The bells over the door announced my presence, and Delaney called out a greeting from the back.

“It’s just me,” I called back. “Take your time.”

“Uncle Pres!” Ethan’s daughter, who spent most of her free time hanging out in her stepmom-to-be’s bookshop, ran through the shop toward me.

“How’s my favorite niece?” I stopped short of offering her a hug. At thirteen now, Quinn bounced between being a little girl and being a too-cool-for-her-uncles, or anyone else, teenager. I never knew what version I was going to get.

“I’m your only niece.” She wrapped her arms around me, and I happily accepted the hug. “Where’s the puppy? Dad said you got a puppy.”

“I did. He’s super cute, and you’re going to love him. But I left him at the shop with Brody for a bit.”

Her face fell. “Man. I wanted to meet him.”

“You can,” I told her. “He’s literally across the plaza.” I pointed behind me and laughed. “But first, you can help me find a spot to hang this.” I handed her one of the posters I’d been carrying around.

“Teens in the Trails?” She scrunched up her nose as she read the information. “Like, you hang out in the trails?”

“That’s exactly what we do.” I chuckled. “You should come check it out. I think you’d like it.”

“Yeah.” She gave me the kind of look that only a thirteen-year-old girl could give an uncle who clearly had no idea what he was talking about. “I don’t think that’s going to happen, Uncle Pres.”

“And why not? You might like it.” I knew I was pushing my luck, but I also knew that Ethan would love it if Quinn got involved with something like my group. She was a great kid, and she stayed out of trouble more than any other teenager I knew. Certainly more than her dad and uncles had at her age. But spending time outdoors was good for any kid.

“Do you read books?” She lifted the paperback she held in her hand.

“We do, actually.” Her eyes widened and immediately lowered into a scowl when I added, “Map books and guides to identify different types of edible plants.”

“Pass.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What are we passing on?” Delaney joined us from the back room, her arms full of books that she balanced around her growing belly.

I rushed to relieve her of the books and set them on the front desk that Ethan had commissioned our brother Reid to make especially for her. “Quinn here has decided that, without even checking it out, my Teens in the Trails group isn’t for her.”

“It’s not happening, Uncle Pres.” She grabbed the roll of tape from the counter and moved to the window, where she quickly slapped up the poster. “But I am going to go meet your puppy.”

I waved her away and waited until she flew out the shop door, headed straight across the plaza, before turning to Delaney.

“I heard you adopted a puppy,” she said. “Summit?”

I nodded. “I don’t know about adopted. It’s more like I saved him. But either way, it does look like I have a dog now.”

“Right.” Delaney moved to the other side of the counter and started to organize the books she’d brought from the back. “I heard something about how you went rogue on a rescue mission.”

I didn’t bother responding to that. It wouldn’t matter. Instead, I turned to look out the shop windows at the plaza, my eyes catching immediately on the garish purple and gold signage. “Can you believe that?” I hooked a thumb in the direction of the offending sales office. “It’s like they’re trying to be obnoxious.”

Delaney shook her head. “Do you really think affordable housing is a bad idea in this town, though?”

“I don’t.” I sighed. “But I think there are about a million ways they could go about it without being obnoxious or destroying the best trail access we have.”

She left the books and looked up at me. “So, is your main objection how obnoxious it is? Or the location?”

“I just can’t believe that Jess would—”

“Or is it Jess?” I shot her a look, and she laughed. “Ethan mentioned you two have history.”

“I wouldn’t call it history,” I grunted. “We were twelve. And she…well, it doesn’t matter.”

Annoyed all over again, I shook my head and looked out the window at Jess’s new office space. With a snort, I looked away.

“Look, Preston. If you’re really upset about it, why don’t you come to the community meeting and present an official objection?”

That was the first reasonable thing I’d heard. “You can do that?”

She laughed. “Have you never been to a community meeting?”

I shook my head. “Brody always goes to represent the shop.”

“Well then, I’d say it’s long past time you attended,” Delaney said. “It just happens to be tonight. The new development is already on the agenda.”

“It is?”

“Of course.” Delaney nodded. “If you feel passionately about it, this is your best opportunity to have your voice heard.”

“Tonight, huh?” I grabbed up the rest of my posters, already thinking about what I’d say at the meeting. She was right. I needed to have my voice heard. “Thanks, Delaney. I’ll be there.”

Jess

“Breathe, Jess.” Lauren’s voice filtered through my growing panic. “Just breathe. It’ll be okay.”

I let my eyes flutter open. I was still sitting in the chair at the salon. Noa, Kat, and Lauren all hovered around me, matching looks of concern on their faces.

“Are you okay?”

“I think so.” I accepted a glass of water from Kat. “Did I…”

“You didn’t pass out or anything,” she assured me. “But you looked like you kind of disappeared a little bit.”

“Like a panic attack,” Noa said. “Do you normally have panic attacks?”

I shook my head. But then again, I wasn’t usually getting married to a man whom I hardly knew and… “No. I think it just all felt like a little much all at once.”

Noa nodded knowingly. “I get that feeling very well.”

“That’s right.” I looked at her. “You got married at the lodge, too.”

“Correction.” She held up a hand. “I ran out on my wedding at the lodge.”

“I wish I’d been there to see it.” Next to her, Kat laughed. “From what I understand, it was all very dramatic. You running down the stairs in your gown, and my brother almost running over you.” She shook her head. “A true runaway bride.”

“That’s right.” I stared at Noa. “I can’t believe I forgot about that until right now.” In my head, Noa and Asher had been together forever. They were such a perfect couple, it was hard to remember that they’d met when Asher more or less kidnapped her moments before Noa was supposed to say her vows to someone else.

“Never forget.” Noa laughed. “But seriously, I get it. Weddings can be stressful, especially if you’re having second thoughts.” Her voice softened. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you, Jess?”

“It’s okay if you are,” Lauren chimed in. “From what I understand, it’s totally normal, and you and Trevor are moving so quickly, I wouldn’t be surprised if…well, I’m just saying…if you need to talk about anything, Jess…we’re here.”

I looked around at all three faces of my friends, who had nothing but concern for me. But I wasn’t having second thoughts, was I? This was just normal. These questions, and the stress…it was all normal.

I turned my chair around so I was once again facing the mirror and assessed my beautiful hair, trying to picture how the veil would be clipped into the top.

“There’s just a lot going on right now,” I said after a moment. “It feels like a bit much with the new development and everything all at the same time. But no, I’m not having second thoughts.”

I looked myself in the eyes as I spoke, as if it were really myself I was trying to convince. And maybe it was.

All three of them stared at me for another moment before Lauren finally nodded and said, “Weddings are so stressful. That’s why I’ve decided not to worry about the husband thing at all.”

“Excuse me?” I spun around in the chair to stare at her.

“What do you mean, you’re not going to worry about the husband thing?” Kat asked pointedly.

“I thought you were enjoying the dating scene,” Noa said. “Didn’t you just go on another date last Friday?”

“What about Brody?” Lauren shot Kat a look.

Noa and I just raised a brow.

Brody and Lauren were best friends and spent almost all their free time together. Anyone could see that there was more than friendship going on between the two of them, but for some reason, they couldn’t see it. Or if they could, they were steadfastly ignoring their connection.

“Okay, wait.” I pulled Lauren’s attention back to the topic at hand. “What do you mean, you’re not going to worry about it? I thought you were on a mission to find a partner. Isn’t that what all this dating has been about?”

Lauren was a beautiful, successful woman who owned and operated the local health store in the plaza. About six months ago, she declared that she was ready to meet someone and settle down. She’d really thrown herself into dating, and as her friends, we’d been nothing but supportive.

Even when some of her matches weren’t even remotely good enough for her.

“I’m over it.” Lauren waved her hand. “I’m not getting any younger,” she continued. “I can’t afford to waste time anymore. Not if I want kids.”

“Kids?” I thought Kat was going to choke at the sharp pivot the conversation had taken. “So, you’re just going to have kids?”

It was my turn to choke when Lauren nodded and said simply, “Yup. Why not? I can get a donor and do it on my own. I don’t need a man to have a family.”

Noa, Kat, and I all exchanged glances. None of us had seen this coming from Lauren, but then again, it probably wasn’t all that surprising. After all, Lauren was a strong, independent woman. But still…

“Wow,” was all I could manage. “That’s…well, that’s unexpected, Lauren.”

She laughed. “I know. I’m still getting used to the idea myself, but honestly, I just thought…choosing to have children with someone is the biggest decision you will ever make. Bigger even than getting married. Because even if your marriage doesn’t work out, you will still have kids with that person, right?”

We all nodded.

“So, if you don’t choose right, you’re stuck with him forever. And not only that, the pressure to choose a man good enough to be the father of your children is intense. I mean, I’m sure all of you can imagine your guys as amazing fathers, right?” She looked at Kat and smiled. “I mean, Andy is an amazing father. And you probably knew that long before you got pregnant.”

Kat didn’t hesitate. “I always knew Andy would be an amazing father. I had no hesitations, even though our little one wasn’t planned.”

Noa nodded, a small smile creeping up over her face. “I know Asher can come off as all business first,” she said. “But the softer side of him with his nieces and nephews is incredible. I can’t wait until he’s a father himself. He’ll be amazing.”

All three of my friends turned to look at me, waiting for my answer.

“We’re not in a hurry to have kids.” It was a partial truth. “Trevor thinks it’s important to have a solid financial base before we bring children into the world. We decided to focus on our careers first, and when we have some savings put aside, we can—”

“There’s never enough money to have kids,” Kat interrupted with a laugh. “But seriously, if you wait for the perfect time…”

“There’ll never be a perfect time,” Noa finished for her.

“I get that.” I nodded. “But right now, the focus is very much on this development and the investment we’ve both made. I’m sure once that gets off the ground, we’ll be able to think a little bit more about the future.”

My friends exchanged a glance I pretended not to see, and I turned my attention back to my reflection in the mirror.

The longer I looked, the harder it got to recognize myself at all.

Only For Tonight: Chapter Three

​

Preston

The community hall was packed when I finally slipped through the doors.

Half the town must have come out to the town meeting. I had no idea what I’d expected, but it wasn’t so many people.

I scanned the crowd and found Ethan and Grayson halfway toward the front on the right with a few empty chairs next to them. I muttered greetings and apologies to people as I squeezed past them to get through to my brothers.

“I thought I told you to be here at six thirty,” Ethan said the moment he saw me.

“Hello to you, too, brother.” I picked up the paper agenda that had been placed on an empty seat and sank into it. “I didn’t see the point in coming so early but…”

“Now you get it?” Grayson chuckled. “These meetings are pretty popular. If you want to get a seat, you need to come early.”

“Or, have brothers who come early.” Reid took the other empty seat next to me. “Hey, Pres. I heard a rumor you were coming tonight. I couldn’t miss it.”

“You don’t usually come to these things?”

Reid used to run a handyman service in town, but after marrying Avery in what turned out to be a marriage of convenience so she could keep her inheritance of the old inn, he had pivoted to a business of custom furniture building. And he’d also fallen in love for real.

Reid shook his head. “No way. This is Avery’s area. But she was tired tonight. Besides, I couldn’t believe it when I heard you were actually coming. I had to see it with my own eyes.”

My brothers all laughed, but I didn’t join in. “You think I don’t care about the town?”

“No,” Ethan said. “We think you don’t care about meetings and structure.”

“You’re not really the agenda type of guy,” Grayson agreed. “I’m pretty sure there’s a good reason why Brody takes care of the logistics in your shop.”

“Yeah.” I scanned the meeting agenda. “He’s better with people. Give me the backcountry any day over this chaos.” I spun around in my chair to take another look at the growing crowd. “Are all the meetings like this?”

Grayson nodded but didn’t have a chance to say anything else as Asher Carlson dropped down into the empty seat next to him. “Hey, Lyons. Huge turnout tonight.” His gaze locked on me. “Preston Lyons. What had to go sideways in your life for you to end up here tonight? I must admit, you are the last person I expected to see.”

“You and me both, man.” I shook my head, laughing. We’d grown up with the Carlson siblings, but Asher and I were about as opposite as you could get.

When we were kids, we all ran around the mountain together, but as we got older, Asher had spent most of his life working in the family business and eventually when his father passed away, he took over the running of Carlson Corporation, which owned and operated the lodge at the ski hill, a series of condos, and the world-class golf course.

When the mines shut down in Trickle Creek, years earlier, Michael Carlson had been responsible for saving the town by seeing the future in tourism, and thanks to his foresight, our quiet little town was now thriving.

Both a good and a bad thing, considering the reason I was currently sitting in the community meeting.

“You’re here about the new development, I take it?”

“Here to stop it.”

He nodded as if he understood, but I’d be very surprised if he did, considering everything Asher Carlson stood for was development and growth. “It’ll bring in another good tax base,” he said, his voice low. “But the proposal they showed me?” He shook his head. “Taking out so much of our trail system? It’s not a proposal I’ll support.”

My mouth dropped open. “Really? You’re not in favor?”

“Don’t look so surprised. I’m all for growth, but not at the detriment of our trails.” He crossed his arms over his chest and sat back. “That’s part of what makes this town so special.”

“I agree. And I’m really glad you feel the same way.”

I sat back in my chair as Asher started up a conversation with Ethan. For the first time since agreeing to come to the meeting, I felt a flicker of hope that there were more allies in the room and I might just have a chance at stopping things.

“Pres. Stop vibrating.” Reid glared at me. “Go get a snack or something if you can’t sit still.”

“There are snacks?” I spun around, and sure enough, through the throng of people at the back of the room, there was a table with platters and urns of coffee laid out. Never one to turn up free snacks, I was up and out of my seat. “Anybody want anything?”

I didn’t wait for an answer before making my way across the room, focused on what looked to me like a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that were disappearing quickly.

I reached out to grab one of the last cookies left, right as a woman bumped into me. “Excuse me, I—oh.”

I swallowed hard to see Jess Anderson, standing next to me, holding a plate as she reached for one of the last cookies. I almost didn’t recognize her with her hair twisted up into an elaborate style and wearing thick eye makeup. She looked…well, she looked even more city than usual.

I looked from the plate in her hand, already with a cookie on it, back to the table.

“Go ahead,” she said with a little wave.

I didn’t hesitate, plucking up the baked good and wrapping it in my napkin. “A little dressed up for a community meeting, aren’t you?” I didn’t mean for my words to sound as harsh as they did, and I instantly regretted them. At least, until she fired back.

“How would you know?” She pressed her lips into a thin line. “I don’t think you’ve ever been to a meeting before, Preston.”

“Keeping tabs on me, Dots?” I pulled out the old nickname from childhood that never failed to piss her off.

Her face flushed. She swallowed hard, and her eyes narrowed.

Before she could say anything, I doubled down. “I didn’t realize I was so important to you, Jess.” I knew I was winding her up, and that was dangerous considering pissing off the enemy wasn’t likely to help my situation, but I couldn’t stop myself. Something about this woman just got under my skin.

“Right. Well, I hope you enjoy your first meeting,” she fired back. “If you can keep up, that is.”

Even if I could come up with something to say in return, I didn’t get the chance as she spun on her heel and slipped away through the crowd right as Tilley Beckett gave a five-minute warning from her spot on the stage and asked everyone to find a seat.

I was still fuming as I made my way back to my seat, the cookie crumbled in the napkin I’d clenched in my hand.

Our whole life, Jess Anderson had made me feel like a piece of shit who wasn’t good enough, but we weren’t kids anymore. And I wasn’t trying to impress her anymore.

I was trying to save what was important. And she wasn’t only part of the problem. She was the problem.

Jess

The community hall was packed. I’d attended a lot of community meetings over the years, and it felt unusual to have so many people packing the seats for a regular meeting.

“I can’t believe how many people are here,” I said to Trevor as I slid into the seat next to him.

“Not much else to do in this place.” He didn’t bother to glance up from his phone and whatever he was frantically typing.

“Do you want some cookie?” I held up the one chocolate chip cookie I’d managed to grab. Still, without looking up from his phone, Trevor snatched the cookie and, before I could say anything about sharing it, stuffed it in his mouth. I instantly regretted letting Preston Lyons have the other one.

Especially considering he’d been such a dick to me. Not that I was surprised. There’d never been any love lost between us. Even as kids, he’d had it out for me. I’d never forget the day he rode his bike through a mud puddle, covering me in mud and ruining the dress my grandmother had bought me for the spring concert at school.

He hadn’t even looked backward at me when I shrieked. It wasn’t until I screamed his name that he bothered to turn around at all. I’d run home completely devastated and insisting that I couldn’t possibly participate in the concert with my ruined dress. But my mom wouldn’t let me stay home, and made me wear an old dress that was too small and clung to the tops of my arms oddly.

I’d been so mortified to stand on the risers with all my friends in their beautiful new dresses. It was the worst day of my young life. Especially when I saw Preston and the other boys laughing about it.

Replaying the memory from so long ago, my hand drifted to my hair and the fancy twists and curls Kat had piled on top of my head.

“A little dressed up for a community meeting, aren’t you?”

Maybe I should have pulled the pins out and tugged my hair into a ponytail before the meeting, but it seemed like such a shame to destroy all her hard work. Besides, I didn’t get dolled up very often, and I’d hoped Trevor would notice and let me know what he thought.

Of course, he’d have to look up from his phone for a minute. Another flicker of uncertainty flashed through me, but I pushed it away. I needed to focus.

“You don’t think all these people are here to object to the development, do you?” I put my hand gently on his arm, urging him to tuck his phone away and pay attention.

With a sigh, he got the message and clicked his screen off before looking at me.

“I’m not concerned,” he said. “People always tend to panic before progress. Especially small-town people,” he continued. “They don’t seem to understand the benefits of a project like ours. They can only see the negatives, and don’t stop to think about all the good it will bring. That’s our job.”

I bristled at the way Trevor always seemed to subtly put down the people of Trickle Creek, and by extension, me. “I don’t think that,” I said. “I mean, the people here aren’t sheltered or—”

“Don’t get defensive, honey. I didn’t mean it to sound that way.” He flashed his bright smile at me. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little distracted. I think the people of Trickle Creek are all very smart. After all, you’re from Trickle Creek, and you’re pretty smart.” He pressed his lips to my cheek, and my irritation with him slipped a little.

“This is all just a formality anyway.” Trevor picked up the printed agenda. “I’m sure we’ll just need to answer a few questions, have a vote, and we can move on with our plans. Get ready, Jess. Your sales office is going to be a busy place tomorrow. I hope you’re prepared for all the extra commissions you’ll be bringing in.”

Before I could respond, Tilley Beckett banged her gavel on the lectern at the front of the room. Whoever had thought it was a good idea to give that woman a gavel clearly hadn’t attended any of these meetings before. She took her responsibility as the head of the town festival committee a little too seriously. Apparently, that role extended to self-appointing herself in charge of community meetings, too.

I settled into my seat and tried to ignore my growling stomach as Tilley moved through the agenda. I had to admit, she did run a pretty efficient meeting, even if most of the time had been allocated to the upcoming festival. Then again, Trickle Creek did take their celebrations very seriously.

Finally, Tilley announced the next order of business, and it was our turn. I sat up straight when she spoke. “Next on the agenda, we have the vote for Timberstone Homes,” she said, reading from a paper on her ever-present clipboard. “The proposed development will be at the end of Granite Street on the land that has been previously lent to the trail society for access to the forest and trail system. We’ll hear first from Trevor Burton.”

I watched as my fiancé cleared his throat and stood up with a practiced smile. He looked around the room, making eye contact with as many people as possible as he spoke. I watched while townspeople returned his smile; some of the women even blushed a little. I knew the power of Trevor’s attention. He was very smooth and charismatic. The man knew how to butter up a crowd, and by the time he was done talking and explaining the proposed development, including all the benefits it would bring to Trickle Creek, multiple people clapped, and even a few cheers came up from the gathered crowd.

“That was amazing,” I said as he returned to his seat and gave me a satisfied smirk. He didn’t need me to tell him what a good job he’d done; he was a pro.

“Thank you, Mr. Burton,” Tilley said from her lectern. “Now we can all go ahead and vote on the project.”

Trevor leaned over and whispered in my ear. “What did I tell you? This was only a—”

“Not so fast! I object.”

The smile fell off Trevor’s face as we both spun around to see where the voice had come from. But I didn’t need to look to know who’d objected.

Preston Lyons.

Preston

“Not so fast! I object!”

“This isn’t a wedding, Preston Lyons.” Tilley’s comment got a few titters of laughter, but I wasn’t smiling.

They were really going to vote on this damn development without even hearing the other side.

And there was no way I was going to sit back and let that happen. “Yeah, well, this feels a hell of a lot more permanent than most weddings.”

That earned me a few more giggles, but I wasn’t there for the laughs.

Every head in the place had turned to stare at me, including Jess Anderson. Maybe I could have picked a better way to ease myself into my very first community meeting, but it was too late for that now.

“We can’t allow a vote until both sides have been presented.”

I didn’t actually know that, but I was hoping Tilley would agree with me.

“I think you’ll find that—”

“Excuse me.” Jess’s fiancé, Trevor something or other, stood up. “We just presented all the—”

“You presented your side of things.” I stopped him. “But there are other people here who use those trails every day. Or hike on the ridge. Or care about what your development will do to the forest and the natural habitat,” I said confidently. “And wouldn’t you agree that those are all important points that should be presented?” I let my gaze sweep the room. “Because those people deserve a say in things before you bulldoze half the mountain to put up condos.”

“Affordable—”

“Doesn’t matter.” I shot Trevor a look and tried to avoid meeting Jess’s eye.

A few murmurs rippled through the crowd. There were a few people who nodded, and I was pretty sure I heard someone mutter, Damn right.

Confident that I had at least some support, I nodded and looked to the front of the room, where Mayor Susan Whitaker lifted a hand to call for order.

“Okay, everyone, let’s all settle down.” She turned to me. “Mr. Lyons, welcome to your first meeting.”

Why did everyone care so much about pointing that out? There must be hundreds of people who don’t bother coming to these things.

“While objections are allowed,” Mayor Whitaker continued, “we do need to follow procedure.”

More people called out, trying to have their opinions heard.

Tilley Beckett banged her gavel like she’d been waiting her entire life for this moment. “One at a time. One at a time.”

Ignoring everyone, Trevor forced a polished smile. “With all due respect, Mayor. We’ve already followed the process. The vote is the next step and—”

“And with respect,” I said before I could stop myself, “the town hasn’t heard anything about the user impact and what the trail closures will mean to the people of this town.”

More murmurs. Stronger this time.

Trevor sat down again and leaned over to Jess, muttering something in her ear. I obviously couldn’t hear what he said, but judging by the way Jess shifted in her seat and twisted that ridiculously large engagement ring on her finger, it wasn’t positive. I tried not to notice her frown, but I did anyway.

Mayor Whitaker cleared her throat, and once more, Tilley Beckett banged her gavel to call the room to attention. “It sounds like there are concerns on both sides,” she said once the buzz quieted a little. “And since this project will significantly impact the community, I think it’s only prudent that we pause the vote for now and—”

Trevor shot to his feet again. “Pause? But that’s—”

“Yes,” the mayor said, unbothered. “Pause, Mr. Burton. I suggest that we form a committee that will evaluate the proposal and measure the impact on the community as a whole. We’ll need community representation as well as members on both sides of the matter at hand.”

Tilley nodded, already scribbling on her clipboard.

“Are there any volunteers?” Mayor Whitaker looked out at the crowd.

Chase Carlson was the first to stand up. “I’ll do it.” His voice was calm and steady. “I grew up on those trails, and I enjoy them almost daily,” he said. “But I’m also a businessman. I think I can be fair and objective.”

I couldn’t help but agree with that. I nodded my approval even though no one asked my opinion.

A middle-aged woman in a fleece vest raised her hand. “I hike the ridge every Sunday. I’d be happy to help.”

Tilley pointed at her before scribbling some details on her clipboard. The neutral voices were accounted for.

“Is there anyone else who would like to volunteer?”

“Me!” Tilley raised her arm in the air and waved wildly. “I have extensive organizational experience, as you know. I think the committee could benefit from my ability to keep things on track.”

More like, she had to be involved in everything that went on in this town. Not that it mattered. Mayor Whitaker agreed with Tilley’s involvement before pointing across the room at me.

“Mr. Lyons?”

I tilted my head in question.

“I assume you will want to be involved in this committee.”

If I were being honest, it was the last thing I wanted to do. But there was no one better to protect our trails, so there wasn’t really another choice.

“Of course,” I said without hesitation.

“Wonderful. And Mr. Burton, would you like to represent your interests in this matter?”

Surprisingly, Trevor, the jackass, shook his head. “As much as I’d love to help everyone understand how beneficial the Timberstone development will be, my commitments in the city will keep me from being a good committee member.”

Before the mayor or anyone else could object, he waved his hands toward Jess. “But my beautiful fiancée will step in to represent our side. She knows the land well, she understands the benefits of a project of this magnitude, and she’s an excellent communicator. She’ll be a tremendous asset.”

Next to him, Jess blinked and opened her mouth to object, but before she could, Tilley interjected.

“That’s wonderful. I’ll add her name to the list. It will be a balanced committee.”

Balanced. Right.

My jaw tightened. And not because Jess was involved.

Well, maybe a little bit because Jess was involved. But the fact that her fiancé just volunteered her as if she were another bullet point on his checklist was beyond irritating.

“That settles it,” the mayor said. “The trail committee will consist of Chase Carlson, Becky Harding, Tilley Beckett, Preston Lyons, and Jess Anderson. Please meet after we adjourn to discuss your first meeting time and location. The council will expect an update and a recommendation in two months’ time.”

Two months?

I could handle eight weeks of committee meetings and agendas.

Maybe.

There were a few more things on the agenda, but none of them took very long, and soon the meeting had been adjourned and chairs started scraping across the floor. People burst into conversation all around me, and the room buzzed with new energy.

I glanced across the room in time to see Jess pull her arm out of Trevor’s grasp. Her expression was caught between annoyance and resignation.

Was there trouble in paradise?

Not that I cared.

I didn’t.