Love Fast

I’m wrestling with the key to my cabin, trying to pull it out of the lock, when my cell rings. I pull it out of the deep pocket in my extra-warm coat, which I might never take off it’s so cozy. A chill shudders down my spine. I’m not exactly fielding calls left and right at the moment.

Since Frank and I traded messages when I arrived, I haven’t heard a word from anyone in Oregon. Not from him, my mom, or any of my sisters.

It’s like I’m on some kind of pre-booked vacation and they’ll see me when I’m back. No big deal.

But the caller isn’t a number I recognize, so I answer.

“Rosey, it’s Sally. It was so good to meet you this afternoon. I’m excited to say we want to offer you a job.”

I hold my breath, worried that if I let it out, I might squeal with excitement.

When I arrived at the Colorado Club, I wasn’t sure what job I’d be applying for. Without a résumé or a personal recommendation, I didn’t have much going for me. But I explained that I was traveling through town and hadn’t thought about staying until I heard about the Club. Sally was more than understanding and said I could be considered for a waitressing position. The pay is a little more than I earned at Frank’s garage, and I can live onsite in staff housing at half the price of the rent Mom charged me. It feels like the perfect opportunity just landed in my lap.

Why wouldn’t I say yes?

A car pulls up behind me. I spin on the porch and see Byron in his truck. He’s been so kind—letting me stay in the cabin, lending me his clothes. I don’t know if it’s his kindness or something about the evening light, but he’s even more attractive than he was when I first laid eyes on him. Which is saying something, because last night I was pretty sure he was the best-looking man in America. With his face framed by the car window, he looks like a movie star or a tortured poet. He pushes his hands through his hair, giving emphasis to his natural pout. I let out a small sigh.

“Rosey? Is everything okay?”

Sally’s voice on the line brings me back to myself. “Oh, yes, thanks so much. When do I start?”

I can’t help staring as Byron emerges from his car. He’s tall and broad and perfectly proportioned. Whenever I looked at Frank, his shoulders seemed too narrow for the rest of his body, but there’s nothing about Byron that doesn’t fit. His legs are covered in dark denim, and his long fingers close around the keys to his truck in a tight grip I can almost feel around my wrists. My nipples tighten against the fabric of my bra.

Our eyes lock and my stomach tumbles like his gaze has caused some kind of internal earthquake. All of a sudden, any doubts I had about saying yes to the job I just got offered melt away. I want to stay in Star Falls awhile.

“Tomorrow at nine thirty? Staff housing won’t be available for another week. Will that be a problem?”

I can’t tear my eyes from Byron. He’s come home just at the right time. I need to ask him if I can extend my stay.

“I’ll figure something out, no problem. See you tomorrow at nine thirty. And thanks, Sally,” I say hurriedly and hang up.

I take the four steps down from the porch as Byron heads back to his cabin. “Hey,” I say, holding up a brown paper bag from Marty’s Market. “I have celebratory hot chocolate. You want to join me?”

He turns, a look of uncertainty on his face. All of a sudden, I’m self-conscious that I’ve asked a perfect stranger over for hot chocolate. It’s not just because he’s so handsome and… magnetic or something, but I kind of don’t know how to be outside of my old life in Oregon. Am I being too friendly? Too enthusiastic? He’s the only person I know in Star Falls. And he’s a good guy. He’s been good to me and the least I can do is offer him a drink. Right?

Maybe that’s not how things work. Mom never allowed anyone in our trailer, so I’m not exactly practiced when it comes to extending invitations. Then again, I’m not in Oregon anymore.

He shrugs. “Sure. What are you celebrating?”

We take the steps up to my cabin.

“I got a job today. At the Colorado Club,” I say, excitement flooding back. I don’t know if it’s the job or Byron saying yes to the hot chocolate. There’s a lot to be excited about.

“Huh,” he says. “Well, congratulations.” He doesn’t sound impressed, but that doesn’t dull my happiness.

We head inside and it’s a little awkward, since I’ve essentially just invited Byron over to his own house.

“You never did tell me why you rented two cabins,” I say. I take a saucepan from the cupboard and fill it with milk before putting it on the stove.

“Thought I might need both.”

Is he being deliberately vague? What would he need two cabins for? But I shouldn’t pry.

“So, are you like me? Just passing through?” I ask, trying to get the conversation started.

Byron’s not a big talker. But based on the fact I survived last night without him taking an axe to my neck, I figure he’s at least not a murderer.

“I’m back here for work,” he says. “But I also grew up here.”

I grab a wooden spoon from the drawer and lean back against the sink while the milk heats. I don’t unzip my coat because I can almost see my breath in front of me, it’s so cold in here. “That’s cool. You can see family when you’re not working, then.”

He winces at my words. I’ve obviously said something wrong. I’m not good at this entertaining-friends-at-home thing, but I want to be. I start switching on the heaters to try and warm the place up. “I wish these things were on a timer. I hope it doesn’t take long to heat up.”

“We should take the hot chocolate on the porch,” he says. “Then you’ll feel the difference when you go back inside.”

“Sounds like you’ve done that before. I guess you know all the tricks, growing up in a place like this.”

He winces again. How many times can I put my foot in my mouth before the milk comes to a boil? I pull my beanie back on and resolve not to be so nosey. I grab mugs, heap a few spoonfuls of cocoa mix into each one.

“I have a favor to ask you, actually,” I say. “Well, at least, I think it’s you I need to ask.”

“I see. The hot chocolate’s a bribe, is it?”

I snap my head around, horrified. “No! Of course not,” I say.

He smiles at me. “It would take more than a mug of hot chocolate to bribe me.”

I narrow my eyes, thinking what I could add to sweeten the deal. “What if I told you I have marshmallows?”

“Damn,” he says, fisting his hands. “I thought I could resist. Whatever you need, Rosey. It’s yours.”

I laugh, partly because the tension between us seems to have dissolved, and partly because he’s funny. I wasn’t expecting that. I pour out the milk into both waiting mugs. The way he said my name replays in my head, and my smile stays planted on my face as I sprinkle each mug with marshmallows. Our fingers touch as he accepts the mug from me, and our eyes meet. If this was a different place and I hadn’t just ditched Frank at the altar yesterday, I’d think we were flirting. But that can’t be what this is.

My cheeks heat and I turn away to collect my mug so he doesn’t see.

He holds the cabin door open for me and we head outside.

A handmade wooden bench-swing hangs from the roof of the porch. Byron takes a seat, propping his crossed legs up on the porch railing, like he’s lived in this cabin his entire life. He fits. The colors of his clothes melt into the surrounding trees and mountains. The scruff of his beard looks like it’s been there ten years rather than the two days the length suggests. He looks solid and part of this place in a way that makes me feel safe—like I can stay for a while.

“Tell me what you need, Rosey.” He’s looking over the tops of the pine trees on the other side of the road, out into the dark. The humor in his tone has gone, replaced with an intensity that feels more natural.

I realize I’m staring at him, at his chiseled jaw and the turtleneck sweater that ends just where his beard begins.

“Oh yes. The cabin. You… I’m not sure if it’s your decision, but I’d like to stay for another week if that’s possible. The Colorado Club has housing for staff members, but it won’t be ready for a week. I don’t know if you needed this place or⁠—”

“You can stay,” he says. “That’s not a problem.”

Everything just seems to be slotting into place. This cabin. The job. As soon as I need something, it drops in my lap—like Star Falls is magic or something.

“That’s great. Thank you. And you never did tell me how much it costs per night. I can pay you in advance if that works better for you.”

“You don’t need to pay me. It was going to be empty anyway.”

“What? I have to pay you. I’m going to be here a week.”

“Seriously,” he says, still facing forward, almost like he doesn’t want to look at me. “It’s not a big deal. I just thought I might need the place. But in the end, I didn’t. You did.”

“I have to pay you. This conversation isn’t over.”

He huffs out a laugh. “If you say so.” He takes a sip of his hot chocolate and makes a humming noise that reverberates over my skin and echoes between my thighs. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it almost sounds like a growl. A sexy, powerful growl, rather than a growl where I think a limb might be in danger of being gnawed off.

“You approve?” I ask.

“The marshmallows make all the difference,” he says. “Otherwise, I might have charged you rent.” His tone is serious, but his humor is back. Maybe this is him—a mixture of stoicism and humor. He lays his head back like he hasn’t a care in the world. It’s the first time I’ve seen him relax. In the bar last night and even when he pulled up tonight, it seemed like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. With a little hot chocolate and a porch swing, Atlas has set down the heavens and earth.

We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Byron speaks first. “My dad died when I was a kid. My mom remarried, moved away and sorta reinvented herself. So coming back to Star Falls is… tricky. There’s no family to visit.”

While I’ve been trying to start inane chitchat, Byron has gone bone-deep straight off the bat. It’s intense but not awkward. “I’m so sorry,” I reply. “I just assumed you’d be visiting family. That was insensitive.”

He glances across at me and shakes his head slightly. “It’s different than I thought it would be.” A couple of beats pass and I can tell he’s thinking. “I hadn’t been in town at all before last night at Grizzly’s. I’ve been keeping myself to myself.”

If he had stayed away last night, we wouldn’t have met. Marv and I might have occupied the same stretch of Main Street for the night. “Too busy?” I ask.

“Maybe,” he says, pulling in a breath it feels like he’s needed all day.noveldrama

“Or maybe you’ve been avoiding people?”

He turns to look at me. “Says the woman who rode into town in a wedding dress.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Yeah. I’m definitely avoiding a lot of people right now. Just not in this particular town.”

“Did something happen?” he asks. The question’s open-ended on purpose, I suspect, but I know he’s asking about the reason I called off the wedding.

He went deep, so I’m going to dive right in.

“It took standing in the white dress with minutes to go until the ceremony for the reality of the situation to sink in. I thought I could marry a man I didn’t love to make my family happy.” I don’t know why I’m telling him this. He wasn’t prying. But he’s sharing his secrets, so I don’t mind so much telling him mine.

He doesn’t say anything but I don’t feel any judgement from him.

“He’s a good, decent man, and I know I’ve hurt him,” I say. “But he deserves someone who loves him back.”

“We all deserve that,” Byron says on a whisper.

“I should have realized sooner.” I don’t know if I’m talking to Byron or myself. Both of us, maybe. “I caused a lot of hurt feelings and wasted money. Hopefully, one day, he’ll see it’s for the best.”

“No regrets?” he asks.

“None.” I sound resolute, because I am. Calling off the wedding was the right thing to do. I’m just not sure whether running away was.

“So what now?” he asks. “You start fresh in Star Falls?”

“Maybe,” I say. “I don’t have a plan figured out right now.”

“But you have a job,” he reminds me.

“Yes. I have some breathing room to strategize.”

“Ahh,” he says sagely. “So you’re pre-plan.”

I grin. “Pre-plan. Yeah, I like that.” I take a sip of hot chocolate. “What about you? Are you mid-plan?”

He nods slowly. “Yes, definitely mid-plan.”

“That’s vague,” I reply, wanting more detail.

“I’m also pre-sharing my plan.” A smile curls at the corners of his mouth. It makes him look younger, more carefree.

When I laugh, there’s a howl in the distance in response.

“You’ve got the wolves’ attention,” he says. Our gazes meet, and there’s heat in his eyes I wasn’t expecting. “As well as mine.”

My stomach flips and I look away. There’s no doubt now Byron’s flirting with me, and the flutters in my stomach say I don’t mind a bit. Why would I? The last two years with Frank have been… disheartening. There was no flirting. No flutters. No love between us.

“Is having your attention a good thing?” I ask.

He pushes out a breath. “God only knows. You just jilted a man at the altar and I… I have stuff going on.” A grin slowly unfurls on his face. “But you make a great hot chocolate. That’s for damn sure.”