He burst into the front room and turned on the light. Amber yelled and threw her arm over her face to block it out.

  Rym let out a giant sigh of relief to see her alone and looking like she’d just woken up from a deep sleep. “Sorry,” he whispered loudly as he dimmed the lights.

  Amber sat up and asked, “What time is it?”

  “Six-thirty.”

  “Oh man.” She ran her hand over her hair, which hung in a braid over her shoulder; made a face; and took out the elastic so she could finger-comb it. “It feels like the middle of the night.”

  Rym made his way over to the couch and sat next to her. His heart was still beating fast from the fear that she’d been hurt or kidnapped or any of the hundred other horrible scenarios he’d tried not to think about on the drive over. “I texted you.”

  Amber looked around like she’d just realized she was in the living room. “I must have left my phone in the car. Sorry.”

  “No worries.” He may have acted like a raving lunatic, practically driven out of his mind with worry over her, but she didn’t need to know that.

  “Are you hungry? There’s some chicken marinating in the fridge.” Amber stood up and cried out in pain.

  Rym caught her as she fell across his lap. “What? Are you okay?”

  “No.” Amber leaned against his chest and took shallow breaths. “I can’t walk.”

  Rym ran his hand over her arms and then down the front of her legs, gently squeezing each ankle to check for swelling. “Did you fall skiing?”

  “No. I stayed up.” She looked pretty proud of herself for that one, but the pain was still in her eyes. “My calf muscles are too tight. It’s like a charley horse that won’t quit. Ow!” She pulled her legs up to her chest.

  Rym racked his brain. “Did you ski in a wedge or parallel?”

  “A wedge.”

  “How tight were your boots?”

  “Not bad.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Were they uncomfortable to put on?”

  “No, they were fine. Why?”

  He took her foot between his hands and gently pressed his thumb in the middle of her arch.

  She howled and pulled her foot away, scooting to the end of the couch as fast as she could. “Why would you do that?”

  “I’m guessing your boots were too big and you had to grip with your toes to turn.”

  Amber lowered her eyebrows and thought for a minute. “I do remember gripping with my toes.”

  Rym jumped to his feet. “Wait here.” He ran through his room and opened the doors that went to his private patio. In a few short minutes he had everything ready and went back to the front room. Amber had lain back down, and her eyes glistened. He couldn’t stand the thought of her crying, so he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into his room and out the door, where he dropped her in the hot tub.

  “My clothes!” She was in her black base layer, which was like insulated, fitted long underwear and a long-sleeved shirt.

  “They’ll wash, and if not I’ll buy you more.” He yanked off his shirt and jeans, feeling just as covered in his shorter version of black base layers as he would in a swimsuit.

  As he climbed in, she stripped off her long sleeved shirt to reveal a black tank top.

  “Dare I ask how many layers you had on today?” He smirked, grateful his voice didn’t betray any of the thoughts pulsing through his brain.

  She smirked right back. “I told you, I hate to be cold.”

  He reached under the water and picked up her foot. She tried to pull it away, but he held just tight enough that she quickly gave up the fight. “Let me help you.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “What are you going to do?”

  “Hopefully, we’ll get some of the acid out of your muscles so you can walk.”

  She closed her eyes, cringing away from him, and nodded.

  He began kneading her foot, using a light touch. The wet heat would do most of the work, but for some reason, he wanted to be the one to ease her pain. Once he was able to run the heel of his hand down the bottom of her foot without her cringing, he moved up to her calf, where he had to start back at a feather touch. Finding a giant knot in the middle of her calf muscle, he increased the pressure as he said, “Take a deep breath and hold it.” He counted to twenty-five before saying, “Now let it out.”

  Amber moaned as her breath escaped, causing Rym’s breath to catch in his chest. His hands slowed down and he quickly moved to start on her other leg.

  Amber no longer cringed away from him. Her head lay back against the padded seat and her hair floated out around her bare shoulders. Instead of a pained expression, she looked completely content. As she moistened her lips, Rym allowed himself to wonder for the thousandth time what it would be like to kiss lips that full, and then he wondered what it would be like if she kissed him back.

  A new type of tension built inside him as he ran his hand over her sore muscles. His heart rate increased as he dared himself to pull her closer. He wasn’t prepared for the lazy admiration in her eyes when she lifted her head.

  Rym climbed out of the hot tub and reached down to lift Amber. “We’d better get you inside before you melt.”

  “Too late,” she whispered.

  Amber was all softness, as if the hot tub had liquefied her, and she slid into his arms with her palm on his bare chest. Next to her, he felt like a brick wall, mortared together by the intense control he wielded against his desire to kiss her. She nestled under his chin, her breath warm against his skin, and for a moment he lost all ability to think. Wrapping his arms tighter around her, he pulled back so she would look at him. When she did, her eyes were soft and welcoming. Before he could think himself out of it, he leaned in and kissed her quickly, pulling back to gauge her reaction.

  Her eyes were still closed and she moaned softly, as if she’d tasted the sweetest chocolate truffle at the buffet. Rym gently set her on her feet, still holding his arm around her back to steady her. When he was sure she didn’t hurt, he gently cupped the back of her head and lowered his lips to hers.

  This time, when their lips met, Amber leaned into him, allowing him to savor her pouty bottom lip. She sighed. “Rym,” she whispered, and he could no longer hold in his feelings for her. He was raw, exposing his heart and sending his love out to her, becoming vulnerable in a way that scared him and thrilled him at the same time. Amber ran her hands up his shoulders and linked them behind his head, matching him kiss for kiss.

  When they pulled apart to catch their breath, she looked down shyly and traced her finger over his shoulder. He tucked a wet piece of hair behind her ear, and she shivered in his arms.

  “Are you cold?”

  She shook her head and swallowed. “This is the warmest I’ve been since I got here.”

  His arm swooped under her legs and cradled her against his chest, careful to make sure he didn’t jostle her calves too much. She finally looked at him, moving her hand to his cheek and feeling his beard under her fingertips. Now it was his turn to shiver.

  She grinned and bit her lip, as if she was pleased at his reaction. If she only knew what holding her close was doing to his insides. He grinned back and kissed her again, not as deep and a bit more playful. They kissed and smiled and laughed and kissed again. Rym shut off all the warning bells and enjoyed the moment, something he hadn’t done in as long as he could remember.

  It was a frightening kind of freedom, like skiing out of a ravine and getting major air. The lift was amazing, but if you didn’t land right, you could be in a world of hurt. He needed to find a way to land in this marriage so that neither he nor Amber got hurt. Hopefully it would also mean many more evenings spent kissing her.

  Chapter 2 2 3

  REJECTED.

  The big red stamp glared up at Rym, mocking him. February twenty-seventh, the day before the water right renewal was due, and it had been rejected. Rym scanned through the fifty pages, looking for a red mark or some other indicator that he’d missed something.

  Shaking the envelope caused a small note the size of a business card to fall out. Failure to provide proof of death.

  That was it?! He dialed Mr. McGraw. “Hey, we’ve got a problem with the water rights. How soon can you get here?”

  Amber knocked on Rym’s door, and he motioned her inside.

  “I’m close. I’ll swing by and see you in five,” replied McGraw.

  Amber moved gingerly in her high heels. She insisted that they felt better than flats, and dang, they looked good, even if she didn’t have the normal spring in her step that he’d grown used to. Another night or two in the hot tub should help.

  Rym ran his hands through his hair. Now was not the time to spend reminiscing about kissing Amber. It was also not the time to try it out again.

  “I need some help.”

  “Oh?” Amber pressed her palm to his forehead. “You don’t feel feverish.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I thought for sure the day Rym Hoagland asked for help, he’d be delirious with fever.”

  She slid her hand down to his cheek, and Rym pecked a kiss to her palm. “Maybe I found the right person to ask.”

  Amber feigned innocence. “McGraw?”

  Rym snagged her around the waist and puller her onto his lap. Nuzzling her neck with his chin, something Rym had been delighted to discover tickled Amber to no end, he growled at her. “You’re being deliberately obtuse.”

  “I believe it’s called flirting,” replied Amber.

  “When it ends up like this, I believe the court would rule it flirting as well,” said McGraw from the doorway.

  Amber jumped off his lap like Rym had pinched her, which he didn’t, but now that he thought about it …

  “From your tone, I assumed this was an urgent matter,” said McGraw.

  Rym cleared his head and Amber took a step back. Her face was still red with embarrassment, but Rym caught a glint of mischief and knew they’d finish their discussion later.

  “It is.” Rym picked up the paper with the giant red stamp and turned it to face Mr. McGraw. “My application for renewal has been rejected.”

  “What?!” Mr. McGraw bolted across the room and snatched the papers from Rym.

  While he flipped through them angrily, Amber tapped Rym on the shoulder. “What’s this about?”

  Rym explained the issue of water rights.

  Amber’s lips narrowed into a thin line. “Why didn’t I know about this?”

  Rym felt his hackles rise at the question. “I thought we had it taken care of.” Rym gestured between himself and Mr. McGraw.

  “As did I,” confirmed Mr. McGraw. “Here it is.” He laid the papers on the desk, and Rym and Amber leaned over to read it at the same time. Mr. McGraw pointed to a tiny red x next to a paragraph about bequeathing the rights to an heir. The heir must provide proof of death in the form of a certified death certificate.

  Amber yanked open Rym’s bottom drawer, thumbed through the files, and finally pulled out the envelope McGraw had given him after the funeral. He hadn’t thought about it since that day and he would have been at a loss as to where to find it.

  “Here’s the certificate.” She slid it onto the desk. “You have two hours before the office closes.”

  “I’ll drive,” said McGraw.

  “I’ll cover for you here,” said Amber.

  McGraw was out the door. Rym stopped to grab his coat off the back of his chair. He paused, watching Amber straighten his desk.

  “Amber.” Rym struggled against his pride. It was hard for him to admit he needed someone. “I should have asked you to look over the papers. Then we wouldn’t be in this crunch.”

  Amber shrugged. “I’m sure it will work out.”

  “I want you to know …” He paused. He wanted to gather her into his arms, but it didn’t seem right. He wanted her to understand that what he was about to say didn’t have anything to do with the way his heart beat faster when she was near or how being around her was better than shooting down a black diamond run in fresh powder. “You’re valuable around here.”

  Amber hugged a file to her chest, ducked her head, and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Rym. That means a lot to me.”

  The air grew thick with the emotions passing between them. Though pleasurable, it was too much for Rym. He wasn’t used to feeling something so strongly for anyone that it could easily consume him. “I’d better get going.” He stepped back, struggling to break eye contact with Amber. Tripping over a chair, he turned and stumbled out of the room.

  Adjusting his shirt, he hurried to the front of the lodge, where he could see McGraw’s car idling. Rym’s hands shook as he pulled open the door. His stomach churned and he struggled to maintain steady breathing.

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll get this worked out.”

  “Yeah.”

  McGraw took a quick left and Rym grabbed for the door handle. He wasn’t really worried about the water rights. He should have been; not getting those rights transferred over could mean the end of Iron Mountain. What had his whole body in an uproar was the certain knowledge that he’d fallen in love with Amber.

  Rym had never been in love before. His only example of a couple in love had been his parents, and as his mom said, that wasn’t a great example. What if he screwed this all up? And, even more terrifying, what if he offered Amber his heart and she didn’t want it? He was husband number four, after all. She could pack up and leave at the end of the year and never look back. For all he knew, she was already counting down the days until she could move out of Utah and back to sunnier weather.

  They pulled into the parking lot, and Rym slammed his door as he got out of the car. This is why he didn’t open up to people. When you loved someone, you placed a lot of trust that they would love you back. And even if they loved you, there was no guarantee you would be happy with them.

  McGraw placed a hand on Rym’s shoulder to stop him from barreling through the front doors. “Let’s go in with a there-seems-to-be-a-mistake attitude and tone down the frustration.”

  Rym shook off McGraw’s hand. He was right. Rym needed to focus on the water rights if he was to have any future with Iron Mountain—or with Amber. What he needed to do was take the training she’d given him and put it to good use. He copied the professional smile he’d seen Amber use so many times when she was upset at him and opened the doors. He could do this. He could be calm and collected on the outside, even though his insides were scrambled.

  Chapter 2 4 3

  Rym was surprised at how cooperative Patrick was when he caught sight of Mr. McGraw. They were in and out of the office in less than forty-five minutes. Rym thought about Amber’s advice to hire smart people. His grandpa certainly followed that path, and it had served him well.

  “Thanks for your help. I appreciate what you did back there.” It was the second time in one day that Rym had thanked someone for helping him. A warm feeling grew inside his chest. Though he didn’t consider McGraw a friend, he trusted him. First Amber and now McGraw.

  For the longest time, Rym had believed he had to do it all on his own or else it wouldn’t get done. Now he leaned on Amber, and when the rejected application arrived, he hadn’t hesitated to call McGraw. If managing the resort meant knowing who to call and how to get things done, then it seemed to Rym that he was learning how to take care of the place.

  “No problem. I’m glad I could help.” McGraw drove much slower on the way back to the resort. “Are you going to celebrate tonight? Maybe take Amber out for a nice dinner.”

  Rym considered it. They’d been to most of the restaurants in town. Besides, he’d grown to love Amber’s cooking. “Why?”

  “Isn’t it your anniversary? Two months, I believe.”

  Rym scoffed. “Who celebrates a two-month anniversary?”

  McGraw shrugged. “Fine. Celebrate the water rights. You’ve saved enough money today to deserve a nice dinner. My wife and I went to the seafood buffet at the upper lodge last week. It was amazing. Amber would love it.”

  Would she? She probably would. Amber loved to try new foods, and since she was from California, she liked cooking different types of fish. Maybe she’d like a fresh lobster. “That’s a good idea.” Rym pulled out his phone and searched for the number. “Are you going to celebrate?”

  McGraw shook his head. “This is all in a day’s work for me,” he said with a smile.

  “Well, have a great night.”

  Rym got out of the car and pressed connect to make his reservations. This love he felt for Amber scared him, but the fear wasn’t strong enough to keep him away from her. Being with Amber was the best part of his day. She made even small moments happier, and man, could she kiss. Her full lips were every bit as luscious as he’d imagined they would be.

  Amber was pleased that everything worked out, and she was excited when he asked her to dinner. It didn’t take long for them to get home, and he was in and out of the shower in record time.

  He’d just started running some gel through his hair when Amber walked into his room, fastening a bracelet. She’d changed into a black dress that hugged her hips. Her hair was sleek and looked as shiny as blond ribbons. For the evening out, she’d darkened the makeup around her eyes, increasing the exotic appearance already created by her full lips. Suddenly, he understood why people said, “She looked stunning,” because she’d certainly stunned him enough that he stood there like an idiot with his hands stuck in his hair and elbows hanging out until she looked up from the bracelet she was fastening.

  “You look nice,” she said.

  Rym looked down at his slacks and dress shirt. “Trish picked it out.”

  Amber smiled as if she had an inside joke. Had they discussed the way he outgrew his old clothes? If so, did Amber like the changes? Rym tugged at his shirt sleeve.

  Amber ran her hand down the front of his shirt, smoothing it out. “Trish is amazing.” She smiled appreciatively before sauntering away.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17