Free Promises to Keep by Vanessa Devereaux

stubble where he hadn’t shaved.
    Mmm.
    How she wished she’d been in the bed he’d exited.
Spending the night making love, cuddling. Yes, she was sure he was the sort of
guy who wouldn’t deny a woman a little post coital snuggle .
    Cole turned her way as if he sensed she was
watching. Holy shit, if he only knew what she was thinking. She wondered how
he’d react. There was something between them, and she knew it wasn’t all in her
mind.
    He was heading back inside. The bell over the door tinged
and soon he was standing by the table.
    “You look like you’re freezing,” she said, taking
his hand before she realized what she’d done.
    It was ice cold, but somehow the best thing she’d
held in a long time. He didn’t withdraw it and instead they looked at one
another with their eyes locked.
    “They can’t get the parts for the furnace for a few days.
Can we stay longer?” he asked.
    “Absolutely,” she said, not believing her luck about
having him under her roof even longer.
    “Kids, I think it best you go and stay with Aunt
Eileen, because it’s nearer school.” He looked at Hayley again.
    She had no other guests booked for tonight. His
children were being shipped off to their aunt, and she had him all to herself
under her roof.
    Was this her lucky day or what?

 
     
    Chapter
Eleven
     
    Cole headed back to the Rustic Inn after dropping
the kids off at his sister’s and picking up some of his work clothes for the
morning. When he opened the door, Hayley was dusting the desk at reception.
    “Is that all you do is work?” he asked.
    “Just about. When
you run a place like this by yourself, it’s you who does it or it doesn’t get
done.”
    “So what do you do for fun?”
    “Read or watch TV.”
    “Have you ever thought of going skiing?”
    “I’m not a skier. You saw me fall on my butt at the
tree lot.”
    “You’re living in Wyoming. You have to at least give
it a try. You ever heard of Jackson Hole?”
    “Oh yeah, even looked at an inn there, but it was
way out of our price range.”
    He might regret this, but she’d been nice to his
kids, and okay, yes, this wouldn’t be an official date, but he was going to
take her out. Everyone knew about the saying, all work and no play. Hayley
deserved some R and R.
    “You want to come with me to the slopes this afternoon?
I can give you a lesson.”
    “I don’t have any skis.”
    “No problem, you can rent some. We’ll start off on
the bunny slopes.”
    “And what happens if I fall down?”
    “Then I’ll just stand there and laugh.”
    ****
    Was this a date or just two people with nothing else
better to do on a Sunday afternoon? Hayley wasn’t sure.
    He held onto her hand and forearm so she didn’t fall
over when she put her foot into the ski boot.
    “How does that feel?” he asked.
    Really
good . She
was referring to the fact that he was continuing to hold her hand despite the fact
that the chance of her tipping over had passed.
    “Pretty good,” she said.
    “Not too tight in the toe here?” He pressed on the
front of the boot.
    “No, just about right.”
    “Okay, let’s get your snapped onto the skis.”
    This was the bit she was dreading. He showed her how
to press down and for the first time in her life she was on skis.
    “Okay, now just slowly push forward through the
snow.”
    She hesitated and he must have seen the look of
panic on her face.
    “ It’s okay, Hayley, I’m
here with you. I taught both my kids and they’re better skiers than I am now.”
    She pushed with her right foot and wobbled.
    “Here, I’ll lead you.”
    Cole got in front of here, grabbed both her hands,
and skied backwards, pulling her gently through the snow.
    “There you see you’re skiing.”
    “You’re just being nice, because it’s you doing all
the work.”
    “You want me to let go to prove that it’s really
you?”
    “No, no, I believe you. So how many lessons does it
take to learn to ski without any fear?”
    “Nothing to be