Slow Burn: A Colorado High Country Novel (3 page)

* * *

A
n hour later
, they pulled into the long driveway of the Forest Creek Inn, the historic bed-and-breakfast owned by Lexi’s family. The large, three-story Victorian house with its yellow paint and neat white trim stood proudly against the mountain backdrop and was one of the most photographed spots in town.

But Vic’s gaze wasn’t on the inn. Garment bag in hand, she hopped to the ground, as stunned by the beauty of the mountains as she’d been last year. “God, it’s beautiful.”

Behind her, Eric unloaded her bags. “I grew up with that view, and I can’t say I’ve ever grown tired of it.”

“I don’t think I would either.” She inhaled the fresh air, the scents of pine and sunshine filling her head.

Scarlet Springs—population 1,448, give or take a few—might not have a Starbucks, but what it lacked in lattes, it more than made up for in scenery. The town sat in a valley at 8,936 feet elevation surrounded by the Indian Peaks, the summits of which gleamed white with snow year round. Lexi had taught Vic their names last year, but Vic had forgotten them.

The door of Rose’s New Age Emporium opened, and a woman Vic recognized as Rose stepped out and hurried across the street, all flowy skirts and long silver hair. Austin and Lexi had asked her to officiate at the wedding.

She embraced Vic, kissed her cheek. “It’s so good to see you again, Victoria. I’m glad to see you and Eric together.”

Vic tried to explain. “Oh, well, we’re not—”

“Come by sometime, and I’ll give you a free reading. I’m doing that for everyone in the wedding party.”

“That’s sweet of you. Thanks.”

“Vic!” The back door to the Forest Creek Inn flew open, and Lexi ran out, wearing a tank top and shorts, a bright smile on her face, her long red hair pulled back in a ponytail. She gave Vic a big hug. “Sorry I couldn’t pick you up myself.”

“Eric told me what happened. How’s your dad?”

From inside the house came a man’s raised voice. “Leave me be, woman!”

Lexi rolled her eyes. “He is himself.”

“Too bad the doctors couldn’t cure him of that.” Eric chuckled at his own joke. “Where do you want her bags?”

“We put her in the Matchless Suite,” Lexi answered.

Eric gave a little whistle. “Someone’s getting the special treatment.”

Vic lifted her chin, teasing him. “I
am
the maid of honor.”

She said farewell to Rose, then followed him and Lexi through the door into the Jewell family’s kitchen, where Bob, Lexi’s father, sat at the table glaring up at his wife, Kendra, Lexi’s stepmother, while Britta, Lexi’s younger sister, sliced tomatoes. The three of them looked toward the door, their expressions turning to smiles when they saw her.

“Welcome back, Victoria.” Bob got to his feet. “How was your flight?”

“It was quick. Thanks. How are you?”

“If the females of this family would quit pestering me, I’d be fine.”

“Just ignore my father.” Britta glanced up from her slicing. She looked so much like Lexi that they might have been twins, though her hair was strawberry blond rather than outright red. “He scared the bejesus out of us this morning.”

Kendra stayed where she was—standing, hands on her hips at her husband’s side. “Nice to see you again, Vic. I’m trying to get Bob to lie down, but he won’t budge.”

“The doctor said to rest. He didn’t say to lie down.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Kendra’s eyes narrowed. “And you think that standing on your feet doing dishes counts as resting?”

Bob chuckled, and it was evident to Vic that he was enjoying the attention. “Does that mean you don’t want my help doing dishes?”

“Not today.”

Bob grinned, settled back in his chair. “Okay. If you insist.”

Kendra shook her head. “The man doesn’t have a lick of sense. Lunch will be ready in about ten minutes if you want to get settled.”

The Jewell family’s home was on the bottom floor of the house, while the bed-and-breakfast operated out of the top two floors. Vic had stayed here last year and had no trouble remembering her way around. There were two ways to reach the upper levels—the great staircase just inside the front entrance and a small elevator.

Vic, Lexi, and Eric took the elevator together. If it had just been the three of them without luggage, this would have been easy. But because of Vic’s bags, they had to crowd together. By the time the doors closed, Vic stood with her back pressed against Eric’s chest, his body hard against hers, the spicy scent of his shaving cream or aftershave teasing her.

Her ovaries sighed.

She ignored them. “It looks like those two are getting along.”

Last time she’d been here, Kendra had just filed for divorce and was living somewhere else.

Lexi nodded. “He’s drinking again, but, yeah, it looks that way.”

Eric chuckled. “Are you kidding? They’re crazy about each other.”

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.

Vic had to wait for Lexi to exit first. When it was her turn, she all but ran, following Lexi across the hall to her room.

“The Matchless is our best suite. I hope you’ll be comfortable.” Lexi pulled a key card from the pocket of her shorts. “It’s named after the Matchless Mine, where Horace Tabor made his fortune in silver.”

“And where his wife Baby Doe froze to death, alone and penniless, many years later,” Eric said.

Lexi glared at him. “Nice.”

He shrugged. “Hey, just finishing the story.”

Lexi opened the door and stepped back to let Vic enter.

“It’s …
beautiful
.” Vic had stayed in plenty of five-star hotels in her life. Her father was a wealthy man, and she had traveled the world with him before she’d left home. But nothing could surpass this little suite for comfort or charm.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I thought we could all get dressed here the morning of the wedding,” Lexi said.

“Of course I don’t mind. It will be perfect for that.”

A living area with antique wood furniture led to a bedroom with a fireplace and a king-sized brass bed and, beyond that, a bathroom with modern fixtures, including a tub big enough for two. A large, standing antique mirror stood off to one side, an ornate wooden frame holding silver glass. Everywhere there were beautiful touches that made Vic feel welcome—a bouquet of pink cabbage roses on the coffee table, a coffee mug with a bow on it that said “Keep Scarlet Weird,” and a box of …

“Estes Park taffy! You really do love me.” Vic had tried it during a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park last time she was here. Handmade the old-fashioned way, there was nothing else like it. She unwrapped a pink one, popped it into her mouth, and chewed. “Mmm. Cherry.”

Eric left her bags near the bed. “Why doesn’t the best man get digs like these?”

Lexi looked over at him, straight-faced. “Eric, you live here.”

“Oh. Right.” He took his cell phone out of his pocket, glanced at his text messages. “I need to get going. We’re hitching Moretti’s boat trailer to my truck. I’ll see the two of you at the reservoir in a couple of hours.”

That’s right. Today was Reservoir Day. Tomorrow they were going up to Rocky Mountain National Park, then on Monday they were going horseback riding at the Cimarron Ranch. That would be fun. Tuesday was set aside for a whitewater rafting trip, which Vic was not looking forward to one bit. The idea of getting tossed around on rough water was scary, not fun. Wednesday they were renting the rock gym for a climbing party. Vic didn’t climb, but she would watch. Then on Thursday, it was Casino Night. She had a surprise planned for Lexi and Austin that night and couldn’t wait. Friday was Spa Day and the wedding rehearsal. The wedding was Saturday morning.

“Terrific,” Lexi said. “See you there.”

Eric turned to go.

It took Vic a moment to pry her jaw open, her teeth stuck together by taffy. “Hey, Eric. Thank you.”

He gave her a nod. “Anytime.”

The door shut behind him, leaving Vic and Lexi alone.

“This is amazing, Lexi. Thanks so much.”

“I’m so glad you’re here. How are you? I’ve been so worried about you.”

“I’m okay.” Vic left it at that. There was no way to talk about it without crying, and she didn’t want to open up that emotional Pandora’s box this afternoon.

Lexi’s gaze hardened. “It’s a good thing he’s in prison, or I’d hunt him down.”

Vic didn’t want to think about this. “Let’s just pretend for now that it never happened, okay?”

Lexi reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. “We’ll have lunch as soon as you get settled in. Then we’ll go and have some fun at the res. How does that sound?”

“Can we swing by your new office?”

That made Lexi smile. “Sure. I’d love to show you around.”

Lexi had started her own accounting firm in Scarlet last summer, renovating an old Victorian house to serve as her office. She’d sent photos, but photos weren’t the same as seeing it in person.

“Terrific. I’ve missed you so much.” A rush of bittersweet joy ambushed Vic, leaving a lump in her throat. “Oh, my God, Lexi, you’re getting
married!
”

Lexi gave a little squeal, her face radiant. “I know! Isn’t it amazing?”

E
ric stood
on the deck in his swim trunks and flip-flops, counting and inspecting floatation vests to make certain there would be one for everybody. He probably ought to be looking for a new living situation rather than hanging out at the reservoir. He’d come home to find an email from his landlord. The guy and his wife were selling their house together with all twelve acres of their property, which included Eric’s cabin. They’d wanted him to know in case the new landlord decided to kick him out.

But Eric and Taylor rarely got vacation at the same time. He didn’t want to miss this week’s fun. Besides, the landlord’s house probably cost a couple million. It’s not like the guy was going to find a buyer overnight.

He called to Taylor over his shoulder. “Did you say Sasha is coming, too?”

Sasha Dillon was the youngest member of the Team at twenty-three. She was also a world champion rock climber whose success enabled her to live off sponsorships. Petite with a delicate face and long, blond hair, Sasha attracted men by the dozens. Those who didn’t recognize her thought they’d found a new belay slave or a little woman they could impress—until she roped in and made them look like amateurs.

Taylor dumped ice into a large cooler, covering cans of soda and bottled water. “Sasha, Lexi, Britta, Vic, you, me, and Moretti. That’s seven.”

“Did you have to count that on your fingers?”

Taylor laughed. “Hey, at least I
can
count.”

Eric couldn’t resist. “Hey, Moretti, can this old tub handle seven people?”

You could call Moretti names to his face, but no one insulted his boat.

Moretti’s head popped up from below the helm where he’d been tinkering all morning. “Fuck you, Hawke.”

“You wish.” Eric grinned.

That had been too easy.

One of the newer members of the Team, Jesse Moretti had served as an Army Ranger and had seen combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He’d come to Colorado from Louisiana on vacation, discovered rock climbing, and hadn’t looked back. Still, he missed fishing and boating on the Gulf, so he’d thrown down a bundle for a fancy speedboat.

“They’re here.” Taylor waved, a big grin on his face.

Yeah, the guy had completely lost it over Lexi, and Eric was happy for him. Sure, Eric had had the hots for Lexi, too. He’d been the first one to notice her in junior high, but he’d been too damned shy to say anything to her. Taylor had been state ski champion in high school and had been more confident than Eric. When she’d first come back to Scarlet, Eric had thought he might connect with her, but, nah, man. She and Taylor had gotten back together in a matter of days. Anyone could see they were made for each other. They’d been each other’s first serious relationship and first lover, and now they were finally getting hitched. It was the perfect happy ending, and it couldn’t have happened to better people.

Lexi led her flock of friends toward the pier, the lot of them wearing cover-ups over swimsuits, except for Sasha, who wore a bikini over her slender body as if it were street clothes, wakeboard tucked beneath her arm.

“Hey!” Lexi called to them. “Sorry we’re late. I took Vic to see my office and got a little distracted.”

“We were about to leave without you,” Taylor joked.

He met them at the stern and helped the women aboard, first Lexi, then Vic and Britta, while Sasha climbed onto the starboard gunwale and stuck her wakeboard in the rack before hopping into the boat, a sunny smile on her face.

“
Vamanos!”
she called to Moretti. “Let’s go.”

Lexi introduced Victoria to Moretti. “Vic, this is Jesse Moretti. He’s with the Team. He’s also one of Austin’s groomsmen. Jesse, this is my best friend and maid of honor, Victoria. She and I were roommates in college.”

Moretti looked at Victoria as if she were lunch, puffing out his hairy pecs. “Have you ever been on a boat?”

The big idiot.

She nodded. “My brother owns a boat, and he used to take me out.”

“What kind of lakes do you have around Chicago?”

Dear God. Had he truly just asked that question?

Dude!

A smile tugged at her lips. “Oh, lakes like Lake Michigan.”

“Right. Yeah, I knew that.”

Sure you did.

“Have you gone boating on a
real
lake?” Victoria fired back. “Not that there’s anything wrong with this one. It’s cute.”

Was she flirting with Moretti? And, hey, was she dissing the reservoir? Okay, so it was manmade and wasn’t very big, but not everything could be a Great Lake.

Moretti grinned. “I grew up in a house two miles from Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. Does that count?”

Irritated, Eric walked over to the starboard side and reached for the stern line. “Are we going to get out on the water, or are you going to stand there talking?”

They got down to the business of unmooring the boat, Eric and Austin handling the lines, while Moretti started the motor and maneuvered the boat into open water.

Sasha walked up to Moretti. “This
is
a speed boat, right?”

“You want speed?” He opened the throttle, and they were off.

Wind hit Eric full in the face, clearing his mind, easing his irritation. What did he care if Vic and Moretti connected? It’s not like he had any claim on Vic. She wasn’t his type anyway. He was attracted to sporty women, women who didn’t waste time on makeup and clothes, women who….

Lust hit him square in the chest, derailing his train of thought.

Victoria had taken off the short white dress she’d worn as a cover-up and was making her way toward him in a black bikini, her hair blowing in the wind.

Holy hell.

He’d known she had a knock-out body, but …
damn
. His gaze moved from the swells of her full breasts to her narrow waist to the curve of her hips and her gently rounded belly. He wanted to touch every sweet inch of her, kiss every inch, taste …

She turned and bent down to grab a can of soda, her luscious, round ass barely covered by the fabric of her bikini.

X-rated images flashed through his mind—her bent over just like that, his hands on her hips—

“You might want to close your mouth,” Britta whispered in his ear.

Eric snapped his jaw shut. Okay, so he’d been staring and thinking things he shouldn’t think. But, Jesus, who could blame him?

* * *

V
ic sat
next to Lexi in the stern, cell phone in hand, cheering with the others as Eric did another front flip. “How does he do that?”

“He’s had lots of practice.” Lexi brushed a strand of damp hair from her cheek. “He and Austin have been wakeboarding for years. It’s what they do in the summer when they can’t ski or snowboard.”

Amazed, Vic watched while Eric swung far outside the wake, then cut back toward the center, gaining speed. He launched himself off the wake, did some kind of complicated backward flip, seemed to land on his feet—and wiped out.

“Oh!” they all said, more or less in unison.

“He’s down!” Austin called back to Jesse, a grin on his face.

Jesse cut the throttle to neutral, let the boat drift, then made a slow right turn and idled back toward Eric.

Eric grabbed hold of the tow cable and motioned for Austin to pull him in. When he reached the swim platform, he hoisted himself out of the water, swinging his feet and the board onto the platform in one fluid motion.

Austin stepped back to make room for him. “Humbled by the Whirlybird.”

“Bullshit.” Eric stood, unlaced his boots, and stepped out of them. “I landed it, then caught an edge.”

“Would you listen to this shit? You wiped out, man.”

The two men had been ribbing each other all afternoon, and it was evident to Vic that they enjoyed trading insults almost as much as wakeboarding.

Eric picked up his board and slid it into the rack on the boat’s tower, then unbuckled his floatation vest and tossed it aside. His broad shoulders made his hips look narrow, water running in rivulets down the tanned skin of his chest and belly, his dark nipples tight from the chill.

A thrill shivered through her.

Oh. My. God.

She’d been right, of course. Those pecs did, in fact, come with a six-pack, distinct ridges of muscle bisected by a happy trail of dark curls. Then again, all three of the men on this boat were ripped. The last time she’d seen this many six-packs in one place, she’d been at a liquor store. Not that she cared. She’d made herself a promise. Besides, she was over men.

Sexy is as sexy does.

Eric walked over to her, dripping wet, each step he took in her direction making her pulse pick up. “It’s your turn, city girl.”

“My turn?” She shook her head. “I don’t know how to wakeboard.”

He pinned her with his gaze. “You’re a virgin.”

“What did you all do when you went boating on Lake Michigan?” Austin asked. “Did you just sit in the boat?”

Lexi answered, which was good because Vic hadn’t recovered from hearing Eric call her a virgin. “Vic’s brother, James, steered the boat, while she and I drank margaritas and watched guys.”

Austin laughed. “So that’s what passes for recreation in Chicago.”

Eric’s gaze was still fixed on Vic as if it were just the two of them and the other conversation weren’t happening. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll teach you.”

He was messing with her now, his words and tone of voice deliberately sexual. And, damn it, it was working, because she couldn’t think of a single witty response, blood pulsing way too fast through her veins.

She got to her feet. “I’m not afraid.”

That wasn’t entirely true, but she wasn’t about to admit it.

“You’re going to love it,” Sasha assured her. “It’s no more complicated than learning to ride a bike.”

Vic hoped that was true, though she seemed to remember that learning to ride a bike hadn’t been all that easy.

“You won’t need this.” Eric took her cell phone, handing her a floatation vest instead. He checked it when she was done putting it on, then set her up with Sasha’s boots and board, tightening the laces for her, all the while explaining to her how to get up on the wakeboard. “Are you ready to try it?”

“I think so.” Handle gripped in both hands, Vic dropped butt first into the water the way the others had done, the breath leaving her lungs in a shriek. “It’s cold!”

Eric chuckled. “This water was snow a few weeks ago.”

And she’d thought Lake Michigan was chilly.

He sat down on the swim platform, his blue eyes focused on her with an intensity that made it hard to think. “Remember to keep your knees bent and relaxed. Let the boat do the work. Don’t try to stand up or pull back against the boat, or you’ll fall. If you do fall, no problem. We just stop and start over. Let’s do a few practice tries.”

Holding fast to the cable, he pushed the wakeboard away from the boat with his bare feet until Vic was about six feet off the stern. “I’m going to simulate the motion of the boat, and let’s see how you do. Ready?”

She wasn’t ready, and she probably never would be. “Yes.”

He pulled on the cable, drawing her through the water, lean muscle shifting as he moved. Vic tried to come up onto the board but found herself sinking. How was she supposed to concentrate on anything with a mostly naked man watching her?

“You tried to stand up. Just let the boat bring you up.” He pushed her away from the boat again. “Ready?”

“Yes.” She drew a deep breath, adjusted her position, let her knees relax.

“Point your toes toward the boat,” Britta called out. “That’s what helped me.”

This time when Eric pulled her forward, Vic did her best to let the boat pull her up, staying in the water, toes angled toward the boat.

“Good. Perfect. Just like that. Now let’s try it for real.” He motioned to Jesse, who idled the boat forward and away from Vic. “When you’re up and on your feet, make sure you distribute your weight evenly. Keep your eyes up and on the boat. It will help you keep your balance.”

Oh, shit, was she truly doing this?

She felt the cable go tight, heard the boat’s engine begin to accelerate.

Eric called out to her. “You got this!”

Vic wasn’t so sure. She tried doing what she’d just done and was surprised when the boat slowly drew her out of the water and to her feet. She felt a single moment of triumph before falling backward with a splash.

She sputtered to the surface, still gripping the tow handle.

“Oh, you almost had it!” Lexi shouted.

“That wasn’t bad.” Eric motioned to Jesse again. “You pulled against the boat there. Just hold on to the handle, and keep your arms straight.”

Three more times they tried it, and three more times she got to her feet and then fell, each time going a little bit farther than the last.

“You can do it!” Sasha shouted. “Don’t be afraid.”

Vic wasn’t scared now. She was ticked off.
No way
was she going to be the only person on this boat who couldn’t stand up on a wakeboard.

Pull it together.

Legs relaxed, knees bent, arms straight, weight balanced.

This time when she made it to her feet, she found herself flying along behind the boat. “Woohoo!”