“Decaf, creamer, two sugars,” I said absently, because Iwasreally watching the interaction of Jack, his brother, and his niece.
It’s sodomestic.
This is a home. A place where people built lives.
Not another landing place in an endless cycle of hospitals and new countries, and lonely, sparse apartments.
I let out a breath and it felt like I had been holding it for years.
Jack
Of course, Perrin’s damn voice is like liquid sex.
Fucking Texas accents, whoknew they were so specifically sexy? It was like I had never even heard that hint of a drawl until I heard it roll off of his tongue. There were what -millionsof people who lived in the Lone Star State? But this guy spoke with just a hint of that cadence and it was like he invented twang. Clearly,I was going to pay more attention to the Spring Break crowdthis year. We had tons of Texans vacation here, so it shouldn’t have been so striking.
I finished cleaning up the snow and water by the time Matt came back in with whatever Piper had asked for.
“I can make you whatever you want, if you are hungry,” Matt told Perrin, and I watched my brother’s eyes dance up and down the new arrival.
Perrin’s stomach growled, but he shook his head to decline.
Piper giggled. “You must behungry,” she said half yawning, but taking in all of Perrin with wide eyes.
Me too, baby girl,I thought, wanting to take him in like that, too.
Perrin gave me a grin, and ranhis hand through his still-damp hair. “How did you guess?”
He slowly sips the coffee I had handed him, as I noticed his smile was slightly higher on one side more than the other. It’s very young Harrison Ford.
“But, no thank you on the food, I ate in Paris. I just need to warm up and get some sleep.”
“Uncle Matt makes the best food, well maybe except for Uncle Quinn,” Piper announced, not even pretending to be sleepy anymore. Matt ruffled her hair in response; his phone was ringing, so he just waved in Perrin’s direction as he stepped away to take the call.
“He’s the chef here?” Perrin quizzed Piper.
“Uncle Matt is. Uncle Quinn has a bar,”Piper said matter-of-factly. She said just about everything that way these days.
“Is that how he makes everyone’s hot chocolate?” Perrin asked Piper, nodding at the fresh whipped cream and sprinkles Matt had added to hers, as if he always had a warm drink with seven-year olds at five in the morning and they were now best friends who knew each other well. This guy must be pretty laid back to roll with all that on how ever little sleep he had making his way from Paris to Bear Valley.
There was no way he meant Paris, Texas, accent or no. The guy had crossed time-zones, clearly, and I knew from the local gossip he lived somewhere abroad before coming here.
Matt turned to disappear down the hallway again, still on the phone. I noticed Perrin’seyes briefly follow Matt as he left the room. Matt was nearly as tall as me, but our coloring was different. Adopted brothers and all.
“Paris?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.
“Yeah,” he said. “This time change is going to be a bit rough for the next few days.”
“Well, it’s pretty quiet here right now, even though we are full. That will change fairly quickly. But, the lifts probably won’t open until at least tomorrow with the wind. I put you in a very quiet spot, but you letwhomever’sat the front desk know if there is a problem. I’m actually not the one usually in charge of check-ins.”
“Thanks, Jack,” he said, gratefully. “I’m taking a position at the hospital, but I have a few weeks before any of that begins.” Before I couldrespond, Perrin gave a low laugh. “I guess you already knew that, huh?”
“Kind of a small town,” I agreed. “And the condo you are moving into in a few weeks is owned by one of my brothers,” I said, feeling a warmth spread through my chest when I realize he would be here, under this roof, for two weeks.
“Another brother? Mann Properties?” He asked, and I tilted my head in agreement. “And the Mann Airport, and Mann Foundation . . .” He continuedwith a laugh. It was true, my family owned this place when it was a ranch with some local ski enthusiasts, and turned it into what it is now. We owned more of the town than we didn’t.
I feel my face redden. “Guilty,” I said.
“Seems beautiful, peaceful,” he said with something in his voice I can’t quite place. “Well, what I could see in the snow,” he smiled. “I did like the sign, though. Nice touch.”
