Colorado Cabin in the Pines (Peakview series Book 3) (15 page)

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Luke wandered over to the bar and ordered another beer. He wasn’t sure why he had let Chip, an old friend from high school, talk him into coming to the Apple Creek Saloon. It seemed better than spending another Friday evening at home alone with his dog. While Chip spent most of the night on the dance floor with several different girls, Luke sat at their table nursing his beer. A couple cute girls stopped by and asked him to dance, but he declined. He thought that being out in public might make him feel better about Penny leaving, but the sight of all the happy, laughing couples just made him feel worse. Would he find someone to love him again? He could see himself growing old on that mountain—becoming a sad, lonely hermit.

“Hey buddy, why aren’t you out on the dance floor? You can drink beer at home.” Chip placed his hand on Luke’s shoulder. “This is Samantha.” He smiled at a pretty blonde standing by his side. “Darling, do you have any friends who might like to dance with my friend here?”

The blonde motioned to a petite girl with long, thick brunette hair. “Lucy, this is…. I’m sorry, what was your name?”

Luke set his beer down on the bar. “Luke Walker. Nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand to shake with both of the young women.

“Lucy’d love it, if you’d ask her to dance.”

Despite his misgivings about interacting with members of the opposite sex tonight, he was too polite to decline a direct request. Lucy smiled up at him. The band was playing a two-step, and he was fairly adept at that. At least he and Penny were at one time.

Turning to the girl beside him, he mustered his best smile. What was her name? “Would you like to dance?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” She took his arm and led him onto the floor.

She proved to be a good dancer, and he admitted that moving around the dance floor cheered him up. They danced to two of the upbeat songs, and then paused as a slow one began. Nope, he wasn’t ready to hold another woman close in his arms.

“Let’s take a break. Can I buy you a drink?”

Although disappointment crossed her pretty face, she agreed, and they stopped by the bar to pick up his beer and one for her before returning to the table to join Chip and Samantha. The girls were talkative, no doubt in part due to the beer consumed. Both were born and raised in Aspen Ridge and worked together at the local hair salon. They seemed extremely content with life in the small community. Although neither appeared to have much ambition, they were entertaining, and he found himself laughing in spite of himself. The rest of the evening passed quickly. When the bartender announced last call, it was clear that Chip wasn’t ready to say goodnight to the girl at his side. Why hadn’t Luke brought his own truck?

“Can we give you lovely ladies a lift home?” Chip stood and threw some money on the table for a tip.

“That would be wonderful.” Samantha smiled at him, grabbing his arm. “We live just a couple of miles down the road.”

Once in the parking lot, Chip opened the passenger door to his old pickup. How were they all going to fit in the truck? Samantha climbed in first and slid over as close to the driver’s seat as she could get. Now what?

“You get in, and I’ll sit on your lap.” Lucy smiled.

On top of the fact that this arrangement violated of all the seatbelt laws, Luke wasn’t ready to have a pretty girl in his lap—at least not one who wasn’t Penny. He couldn’t think of a polite way out, so he climbed in and offered his lap. She leaned back against his chest, her soft hair brushing against his face. It smelled like strawberries. As the truck started down the road and she jostled against him, he had to admit this wasn’t all bad. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

Chip stopped in front of a small bungalow and jumped out to help Samantha down from the driver’s side, walking her toward the door. It was clear that he intended on enjoying a nice, long goodnight kiss before leaving. Luke wasn’t ready to kiss anyone, so he sat awkwardly where he was praying Lucy would say goodnight and get out of the truck by herself. Instead she rifled through her purse, and handed him a neon pink business card.

“I had fun tonight. Here’s my number in case you’d like to call me sometime.” She leaned her head down intending to place a kiss on his lips, but he turned his head slightly so it landed on his cheek.

“Goodnight.” He patted her arm and shifted to help her out of his lap. “It was nice to meet you.” Thank goodness, she got the hint and climbed out of the truck not looking back. He watched as she awkwardly squeezed past the other couple—engaged in a passionate embrace—and entered the house.

Luke fastened his seat belt as Chip pulled out of the driveway. His friend looked over at him with a frown. “Not sexy enough for you?”

Luke ran his fingers through his hair. “Just not ready.”

“You need to get over Penny. It’s been four years, man. Time to get on with your life.”

“You’re right. I got Lucy’s number. Maybe I’ll give her a call.”

Back in his cabin, Luke emptied out his pockets onto the nightstand. He picked up the bright pink card and turned it over in his hand. A beautician. Next time he needed a haircut, he’d give her a call. But a possible lifetime partner? He’d keep looking.

Penny awoke to the sounds of her parents downstairs after a fitful night. Her mind would not shut off—even for a second. Looking out her window, stars twinkled in the still dark sky. It was the day of their annual vegetable stand down by the main road, and her father was determined that they’d be ready to set up at first light. She climbed out of bed, grabbed her robe, and called to a sleepy Bandit to follow her down the staircase. The dog gave a weak wag of his tail and obeyed.

“Mornin’, darling. How was your dinner with Ryan and Willow? I didn’t hear you come in last night.”

“Dinner was good. They’re excited about the baby.” She grabbed some coffee and walked out onto the back porch with Bandit. Guilt crept up inside her. She hadn’t said anything, so why did she feel like she was lying to her parents? Because she always shared everything important in her life with them. She just couldn’t tell them about the job offer. Not yet. She didn’t want to let them down, and if they thought there was a possibility that she might stay, they’d get excited. No. She needed to make a decision first. And to do that, she had to talk with Luke. She committed to spending the day at the stand, but once done she’d try again.

She walked into the yard, breathing deeply to take in the pine fragrance in the morning dew. The dark shadows of mountain peaks loomed to the west, as the first rays of sunshine broke the eastern horizon. It was going to be another gorgeous, late summer day. Not a cloud in the sky. How she loved this place—it was home. Maybe she had needed to leave to appreciate what she already had.

The screen door behind her banged signaling her father had joined her. “Let’s get these baskets of produce loaded into the back of the truck and down to the road.”

Her mother followed closed behind, her face lit up like a firefly. She loved getting to show off what she had grown for the year. This day was one of her favorites, rivaling even Christmas. “Be careful Gary. Don’t let any of the bushels fall on each other. We can’t sell damaged produce.”

“Yes dear. I’ve got it under control.” He glanced over at Penny. “You’d think I hadn’t done this every year for 16 years.”

Penny jumped on the back of the flatbed truck with the baskets and promised to watch over them while they drove the short distance to the table they’d set up yesterday. The truck bumped along the rutted path. Her cell phone began to ring, and she pulled it out of her pocket.
Darrell.
She hit the decline button. No, she couldn’t talk to him either, not until she made her decision.

By seven, the stand was up and running. Several early risers had already made purchases. This day was as much of a social event as it was a money-making endeavor. Neighbors stopped by to chat and catch up on the latest local gossip. Apparently, old Mrs. Whittaker, who had taught English at Mountain High School since time began, was becoming senile, and everyone questioned the motives of her niece who arrived recently to be her caretaker. Penny smiled to herself, she thought Old Lady Whittaker (as the students referred to her) was senile long before she endured her for a year of Freshman English.

Of course, everyone asked about her plans, when she was leaving, and her upcoming school year. She tried to answer, staying as non-committal as possible, but the women of Peakview County were relentless. Around noon, a couple of her former classmates from high school stopped by and wanted to hear all about life in Chicago.

“I always thought you’d end up with Luke Walker.” One of them said. “Have you seen him this summer? If it’s possible, he looks even better now than he did in high school.”

“Don’t be silly,” the other said. “They’re ancient history. She moved on years ago. Looks like he has, too. Did you see that cute brunette he left the saloon with last night?”

“Yeah, she’s from Aspen Ridge.” She turned back to Penny. “Do you have a gorgeous city guy waiting for you in Chicago?”

Penny barely heard the question. Her head spun. So that’s where he was last night. What brunette? She prayed it wasn’t too late and changed the subject abruptly.

Over the course of the morning, she received three more calls from Darrell, and eventually turned off her phone and stuck it back in the cab of her father’s truck. Finally, she left the stand all together and busied herself arranging the produce on the back of the truck. As much as she loved all of their friends and neighbors, she was about talked out. The hot Colorado sun combined with her lack of sleep the night before made her want to curl up in a ball and take a nice long nap. She seriously contemplated doing just that when she looked up at the crunch of tires and watched the familiar red pickup pull up alongside.

“Hiding out?” Luke jumped out of the cab, his smooth western drawl making her heart beat faster.

“Taking a break.”

“Get enough gossip for one day?” His bright blue eyes twinkled in amusement.

“For the year.” She laughed. “Need some veggies?”

“Yeah, I need to add something healthy to my normal diet of microwavable meals. I love my cabin, but the food sure isn’t as good as it was down at my parents.” Luke reached up to grab her hand as she brushed off her jeans and jumped down from the truck. His hand lingered a second more than necessary, his fingers caressing the palm of her hand. Shivers danced up and down her spine.

“Well then, you’ve come to the right place.” She led the way to the table and helped him fill a sack with a variety of produce.

“It’s good to see you.” Her mom walked up to give Luke a hug. “Don’t be a stranger, once Penny leaves, we’ll need some young people to stop by and keep us company.”

“I’ll do that. Especially if it happens to be dinnertime.” They all laughed.

Who was he kidding? He really hadn’t come here for vegetables, he’d come by to see Penny. Sure she was leaving next week, but between now and then he’d take any excuse to spend time with her. She looked cute today dressed in overalls and a flannel shirt with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was sexy without any makeup or frills. This was the way he remembered her from junior high school. Natural. When had that all changed?

Ann took his money and handed him a full bag. He didn’t have a reason to linger, so he walked back to his truck where he was greeted by a whining, wiggling Brutus. You’d think he’d been gone for days, not the few minutes he was out of the truck. Placing the bag in the back, he hugged his companion before shoving the ever-growing puppy over out of his seat, and frowned seeing the side window which was completely covered in nose prints. He’d better sign up for some obedience classes before the Brute got much bigger. He loved the dog, but some manners would be nice.

“Sit!” he said in the sternest voice he could muster, pushing the dog’s rear down on the passenger seat. He turned on the engine and reached behind him to roll down the dirty window.

“Hi there, Brutus.”

He startled at the sound of her voice, and turned to find her leaning on his window edge, her face on her elbows looking over at him with big round eyes. His face broke into a grin.

“Hi there, yourself. Did I forget something?”

“Nope. I was just wondering if we could talk?”

“Sure, go ahead. I’m not in a rush. What’s on your mind?” He reached over to turn off the engine.

“Not now. Could I stop by the cabin this evening after we finish up here? That is, if you’re going to be home.”

“Not plannin’ on going anywhere. Stop by whenever. Bring Bandit, someone needs to wear this guy out.” He ruffled the fur on the dog’s neck.

“Okay. See you then.”

She turned and walked away from the truck, her rear looked good in those overalls. And that blonde ponytail flipping in the breeze. How he longed to pull out the rubberband and run his hands through her long locks. Time to drive away. He slowly pulled back onto the highway willing his heartrate to slow down. What did she want to talk to him about? He had no idea. It seemed like everything had been said the other night. Still…. whatever it was, he was happy to get to spend some time her. He wasn’t so sure about his willpower though. He didn’t know how many times he could be alone with her, before he gave in to his urges and made mad passionate love to her—to heck with the consequences.