I was blown away by her audacity. She actually seemed to believe what she was saying and didn’t grasp the damage she’d inflicted on our friendship. “Maybe we were in the past, but not anymore. I’m not even sure we can say we’re still friends at all.”

  Chapter 8

  Gavin

  I wasn’t thrilled that Tory’s former best friend had proven how little she cared for her, but I had no doubt Stephanie would realize how much she’d just thrown away at some point in the future. Tory was a kind and generous woman, someone who found ways to take care of the people she was with—even the guy who’d triggered an avalanche that stranded her in a shack in the middle of a blizzard.

  The little twit had lost the best friend she’d ever have, but she was too foolish to realize it. And in a strange twist of fate, I owed her my gratitude because she shoved the woman of my dreams straight into my arms. “You never said, how did the two of you become friends? She doesn’t strike me as the kind of person you’d choose to hang out with.”

  Tory shook her head as she watched Stephanie walk away without trying to fight for their friendship. Tory most likely would have forgiven everything if she’d offered a sincere apology, but Stephanie didn’t think she’d done anything wrong. “We were paired up as roommates my freshman year of college. She was from Nashville and kind of took me under her wing since I was new to the area. But looking back on our friendship now, I think she only did that because we always did what she wanted.”

  “Her loss is my gain.” And I’d do a better job of looking out for Tory than Stephanie ever had. She was too damn sweet for her own good. No way in hell was anyone going to take advantage of my woman with me at her side.

  “Mine, too.” She shifted in my hold and went up on her toes to brush her lips against mine. “It’s so strange. I never thought I’d be happy to see an almost eight-year friendship come to an end.”

  I gave her a comforting squeeze. “That’s on her, baby. You’re not the one who was in the wrong. Stephanie was.”

  “I know.” She heaved a deep sigh and shook her head. “I can’t believe she seriously thought it was okay to ask me to pay for half of Chuck’s room. That’s beyond ridiculous.”

  “I’m sorely tempted to call Raven and ask her to tag on as many extra charges as she can legally come up with before they check out,” I muttered, pissed off beyond belief on her behalf at the bullshit request Stephanie had made. I’d known the owner of the Snowed Inn and Lodge for years. Raven was a genuinely nice person, but she’d still do what I asked because she was an even better friend.

  Tory grinned up at me. “And I’m sorely tempted to let you.”

  I laughed and shook my head, most of my anger draining away at her cute retort. “Let me know if you change your mind. I’m sure Raven would be willing to do me a solid.”

  “Unfortunately, that wasn’t the last I’m going to see of Stephanie. I’m still going to be stuck with her for the entire plane ride home and the next five months since we still live together.” She buried her face in my chest and mumbled, “Knowing her, I’m already never going to hear the end of it about owing Chuck money for his room. I wouldn’t put it past her to start asking me for extra to cover those additional fees.”

  I hated the possibility of Tory getting pestered. If I had my way, she’d never spend another minute alone with her former friend. At the very least, I could put that confrontation off for another week. “Stay through the rest of your holiday break from school.”

  Her pretty green eyes widened. “Why didn’t I think of that? It shouldn’t be too hard to change my ticket to a later date. Since I’m only doing dissertation hours, I don’t need to be back on a specific day, so I can pick whichever flight is the cheapest option.”

  A surge of relief coursed through my system. I hadn’t been anywhere close to being ready to say goodbye to her. “I’m going to be busy as hell with cleaning up the mess the blizzard left behind on the slopes, but I’d love to get any extra time that I can with you.”

  “I’d like that, too.”

  My arms tightened around her. “If I had my way, you’d never have to leave.”

  Her smile turned shy. “You don’t think things are moving too quickly between us?”

  Tory was a numbers girl, so I did a quick mental calculation that would help me convince her. “If the average date lasts three hours, then we’ve been on at least twenty-six dates already. Early on in relationships, it isn’t unusual for couples to only meet up a couple of times a week, so we’ve basically smashed three months of dating into the past eighty hours.”

  “Three whole months, huh?” Humor shone from her green orbs.

  I shrugged. “I’m not the math expert in this relationship, but I’m pretty sure I got it right.”

  “I’m happy to confirm that after a thorough review of your data, I firmly agree with your conclusion.” She beamed a huge smile at me. “With the way we’re going, our first date could last the rest of our lives.”

  “Damn straight, it will.” I’d do whatever was necessary to make sure Tory stayed by my side. Her love was the best gift I’d ever been given, and I would always treasure her heart.

  Her expression turned serious as she searched my face. She gave a little nod as she seemed to come to some sort of decision before asking, “What if I wanted to stay longer than another week?”

  I was more than willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. If I had my way, that extra week would turn into the rest of our lives. “You’re welcome to stay at my place or continue using the cabin for as long as you’d like. We could fly out to Nashville together after New Year’s Day, rent a truck, and drive your stuff back together.”

  She looked as though she was giving my suggestion serious consideration. “I don’t have a ton of furniture in Tennessee. The place Stephanie and I rent came furnished, and I put the things I wanted to keep from my childhood home in storage until I graduated and figured out where I’d end up.”

  “It sounds as though either place would work for now, and we’ll figure the rest out once you’ve finished your dissertation.”

  “I wouldn’t want to put your team out if another storm blows through before the end of the season. They need somewhere to stay if they get stuck here overnight and there aren’t any vacancies at the inn.” Her nose scrunched while she considered her options. “I guess maybe your condo would be best?”

  Nothing would make me happier than to have her stay in my condo in town, but the only way this would work was if she wanted it, too. “Are you sure?”

  “I think so.” She tilted her head to the side, her eyes filling with worry. “Unless you think we’re rushing into this. I could just stay for the week, and then we could do the long-distance thing until I’m done with school. See how our relationship goes before we make a commitment like that.”

  I shook my head and pulled her against my chest, wrapping my arms around her back to keep her close. “I’ll do long-distance if that’s what you need, but it’s not what I want for us. But I could come stay with you once the ski season ends in April, so at least it would only be for four months.”

  “April seems so very far away,” she sighed.

  She didn’t seem against the idea of staying, just worried we were moving too fast. The depth of my feelings for her was something I’d never experienced before, so I understood where the fear was coming from. But I’d grown up knowing love at first sight happened, which gave me some comfort with what was happening between Tory and me. “The way my dad tells the story, he knew that my mom was the one for him the first time he saw her.”

  “It was the same for my parents.”

  As happy as I was that I’d get the chance to introduce her to my mom and dad, I was sad that she’d never have the same opportunity. “Maybe they’re the reason we bumped into each other again.”

  Her smile was watery as she whispered, “I could totally see my mom trying to fix me up from heaven. She hated that I was wasting my life by spending all of my free time with her. Not that I saw it the same way. I wouldn’t have given up those moments with her for anything. And that was before my path led me straight to you.”

  I was in awe of her ability to look at the bright side through her tremendous loss. Tory was an amazing woman, and I was damn lucky to be the man she’d chosen to be with. She’d taken a leap of faith by bringing up the possibility of moving to Winter Falls and deserved the words I’d never given another woman. “I love you.”

  Her pretty green eyes widened as she gasped, “You do?”

  I brushed my lips against hers before murmuring, “How could I not? You’re perfect for me.”

  “What a lucky coincidence,” she whispered back. “Because I fell head over heels in love with you our first night together in the warming shack.”

  I still didn’t understand why the second avalanche had happened, but I couldn’t argue with the outcome. “Does that mean you’re going to move in with me?”

  “If you really want me to, then yes.”

  “Oh, yeah. You can count on that.” I captured her mouth in a long, passionate kiss. “I will always want you by my side and in my bed. It’s exactly where you belong. Forever.”

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  I absolutely adore reading—always have and always will. When I was growing up, my friends used to tease me when I would trail after them, trying to read and walk at the same time. If I have downtime, odds are you will find me reading or writing.

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  Caleb and Raven

  Elle Christensen

  Copyright © 2021 by Elle Christensen

  Editor: Violet Rae

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Any resemblance to actual persons is accidental.

  This book is a work of fiction.

  Created with Vellum

  Chapter 1

  Caleb

  "Preston likes to ski," my father said from the head of the boardroom table. "He's been to resorts all over the world. See what our VP of acquisitions thinks about the deal."

  Leore, my father's assistant, slid a folder with some force down to me at the other end of the room, since there were at least ten chairs between us on each side—all filled with execs. I stopped it and set it in front of me before flipping it open.

  The Snowed Inn and Lodge was printed at the top of the dossier, with a picture of a small hotel and ski lodge that had the look of a rustic cabin perched on the edge of a beautiful, snowy mountain. It looked like something off a Christmas card, and I wondered if it was as appealing in person as it was on paper. Of course, I would have loved to visit, but the reason for my presence in this meeting was for my father to hand me my next assignment. This resort would have been fun to explore, but it was far too small for the real estate division of Barrington Inc. Except, my father had said something about a deal…

  "You're looking at this place as an investment?" I queried, my brow drawing down.

  My father nodded and tapped his fingers on the table in a restless motion that I'd seen him do all my life. When it came to Barrington Inc, his mind was always jumping ahead to “what's next?” He'd taken over the company from his father, who'd inherited it from his father, and so on, right back to the mid-eighteen hundreds. Being the legacy was a lot of pressure, and he never seemed to be satisfied with the strides he'd made, always searching for the next venture that would build this company into an empire.

  I'd known from the day I was born that I would run this company someday. I was the next "legacy." I'd bucked at it a little in college when I decided I wanted to live on a mountain and do anything that involved skiing for a living. But I quickly saw what a foolish idea that had been and settled into my predetermined path without argument. I was content with my life. Even my non-existent love-life didn't faze me; I counted myself fortunate to avoid any drama in the comfortable, steady life I'd built for myself.

  My father hadn't questioned it for one moment; however, he did take one moment of his life to do something that didn't focus on the business. He finished his bachelor's and master's degrees in business, then took an extended trip backpacking in Europe. One week into his two-month adventure, he met Cossette, the eighteen-year-old daughter of a British diplomat. They fell deeply in love and eloped two weeks later—the most spontaneous thing my dad has ever done—before they traveled together for the remainder of his trip.

  Near the end, they realized Cossette was pregnant—enter me. Preston Barrington III.

  My mother's family lived in the United States, so she was happy to go with my dad to be near both of their families. My grandparents, on both sides, had been ecstatic about the marriage and pregnancy, and even more so when they found out I was a boy. It didn't matter what century we lived in or how ridiculous it was; my family was old school and wanted a son, an heir. It was a shitty spot to put my sister. My dad tried to make up for it by grooming Bess to be the number two in the company, but they couldn’t take away the sting of knowing she'd never be the "golden child," as she lovingly referred to me. Despite the bullshit, we were best friends, and she and my mom were the only women I needed in my life.

  "It's a pretty small acquisition," I murmured as I scanned through the dossier. "What is your plan for it?"

  "The location is picturesque, a perfect tourist trap," one of the execs explained in a bored tone. "It's currently underutilized. The resort has plenty of room to expand on the mountain, and we could easily convert the town at the base into a complex for the resort."

  "The Snowed Inn and Lodge is the first step to owning the resort and town?" My expression remained neutral, but I mentally frowned. From the pictures, I had a feeling that commercializing the whole thing would take away what drew tourists there right now. And, for some reason, I disliked the idea of this pretty little town becoming a corporate machine. It was ridiculous considering I'd never even set foot there or cared about any place we took over in the past.

  "Yes. It's the heart of the resort," another VP answered.

  "So, what's the holdup?" I asked as I closed the folder and folded my hands on the table.

  "The woman who owns The Snowed Inn is refusing to sell. She isn’t even willing to entertain our offers, shutting us out before we get to the numbers. So I want you to take a trip out there and check out the assets. Make sure the deal is as viable as we think. And, while you're at it, look for any weaknesses that might convince the stubborn woman to sell and what her number is."

  "What makes you think she has a number?" I inquired.

  "Everyone has a price, Son."

  I'd known his answer, but I kept asking because I was curious to see if his outlook would ever change. It was a stupid game but amused me nonetheless.

  "You'll leave tomorrow," he announced as he stood and buttoned his suit coat. "The airport is a fair distance away, so you can use the company jet without giving away who you are." He walked toward the glass door to the hallway but paused before opening it. Then, glancing back at me with a stern expression, he said, "You have until Christmas Day. Don't be late for dinner, or your mother will have my ass." With that, he strode from the room and down the hall to his massive corner office.

  I waited for the others to leave before opening the Snowed Inn dossier again. The last pages were a workup on the inn owner, and I started reading to familiarize myself with the woman, so I wasn't going in clueless.

  Raven Ashley. A copy of her driver's license jumped out at me and my breath caught in my throat. No one looked good on a driver's license, so either she knew a secret no one else did, or even a crappy DMV photo couldn't disguise her beauty. She had big, crystal blue eyes and long, straight, platinum blonde hair. I couldn't see much of her body, but she clearly had a…generous chest.

  To my complete and utter shock, my body stirred. I looked down at the growing bulge in my pants and blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. What the hell? I hadn't found a woman who instigated that reaction in…a very, very, long time. Now, I had a hard-on from a damn photo?

  Shaking my head, I closed the file and stood up, then made my way back to my office, walking just a little funny and trying to put Raven Ashley out of my mind.. By the time I reached it, I'd managed to calm my body to a more comfortable level, one that wouldn't embarrass me if someone happened to glance at my package.

  The skies were clear when the jet took off from New York, but considering the area's altitude, I wasn't at all surprised to see it snowing when we landed, although it was barely a flurry. I picked up my rental car, and as I drove into the town of Winter Falls, I surveyed my surroundings, cataloging all the details in my mind to put in my report. I couldn't find a square inch not decorated for the holiday, and everywhere I looked, I spotted people smiling and laughing as they went in and out of the establishments. It was picturesque and full of character, pretty much as I'd described before. It belonged on a Christmas card.