Once again, he questioned what he was doing. Kiss or no kiss, taking her home with him was pure insanity. Eight bedrooms and six bathrooms aside wouldn’t be enough space with her in the house. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a choice. The words had flown out of his mouth before he could stop them. An instinctive reaction. A way of changing what couldn’t be changed.
I’ll rent a car.
Sara had said those same words to him over the telephone eight years ago. They’d had a long-distance marriage while she was in graduate school. She’d flown home and arrived on time, but his flight from a business trip had been delayed. Not meeting him at the airport had dampened her spirits, but only for a moment. She was too excited about being finished with finals and spending an entire week with him. She’d offered to rent the car and leave his at the airport so he could make it home to her that much sooner. But a patch of black ice had changed everything. Ice had sent her rental sliding into oncoming traffic. Ice had taken her young life and ruined his.
Feeling the familiar tightening of his heart, Will flicked on the turn signal to make a right and turned off the emotion welling within him. He pulled into the long driveway and parked in front of his house.
Only two weeks and Kelsey would be gone.
Facing her, he pasted on his my-home-is-your-home resort-owner smile. “This is my house.”
She stared at the house. “It’s lovely. I expected to see a smaller version of the Starr Lake Inn, not a Victorian.”
Across the wide expanse of the front porch, the golden hue of interior lights shining through the pane-glass windows radiated warmth. “My grandparents originally owned the house, then gave it to my parents for a wedding present. My mom and dad turned it into a B and B. The humble beginnings of Starr Properties.”
“You grew up in this house?”
“Yes. My parents had another house built a few years ago and, following tradition, passed this house down to the firstborn. Traditions are big in my family.”
“I'm beginning to see that.” She smiled. “With all this snow, it looks like a winter wonderland. Something from a Thomas Kinkade painting. You know, your house would be a charming site for a wedding.”
“This one isn’t part of our deal.”
“I meant Faith’s wedding. Imagine if the bride and groom left in a horse-drawn sleigh.”
“And you say you’re not a romantic.”
“I design weddings. By definition, weddings should be romantic. That doesn’t mean I have to be.”
One tough cookie. Will felt sorry for Kelsey. She didn’t know what she was missing.
He slid out of the SUV and removed her bag from the back. A breeze blew through the trees, sending more snow to the ground. Will walked next to Kelsey along the path.
“Be careful.” Snow covering the walkway crunched beneath his feet. “You don’t want to slip.”
“I won’t slip.” Confidence laced each of her words. He wouldn’t have expected any less from her. “I’ve spent lots of time in cold-weather country.”
He shortened his stride to match hers. Just in case. “Do you ski?”
“Excuse me?”
“You said you’ve spent time in cold-weather country. That usually means you ski or snowshoe or ice fish. You don’t look like an ice-fishing enthusiast or snowshoer.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not. I ski.”
“Cross-country or downhill?”
“Downhill. My family, the Armstrong side, spends part of the holidays skiing in Colorado. Every other year, my brother and I join them.”
“And the alternate years?”
She pursed her lips. “We spend it with my father’s side of the family.”
“Have you skied recently?”
“To be honest, it’s been a while. Work keeps me busy. People get married all year round.”
“Thanks again for giving up your vacation to help us out.”
