Free A Very Crimson Christmas (Crimson, Colorado 4) by Michelle Major

influence with town council, Jase.”
    “I mean with Liam.”
    “Oh.” Now it was her turn to avoid eye contact. “I’m not sure I have any influence with Liam.”
    “You used to.”
    “A long time ago,” she said softly. “You know how that ended.”
    Jase nodded, looking as if he wanted the sidewalk to swallow him whole. “I’m sorry, Nat. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’d never take advantage of our friendship or put you in a bad situation. It’s just that I don’t want Liam’s old feelings about Crimson to color his decision about the future.”
    “It’s okay.” Natalie took her hand out of her pocket to pat his arm. “You’ve helped me out of a lot of bad situations. I owe you, way more than money.”
    “You don’t,” Jase told her. “Again, I’m sorry. There are so many things I want to see happen in this town, but it’s hard to convince some of the old guard that change can be good. LifeMap coming here could help get the ball rolling. But I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
    “If it comes up, I’ll encourage Liam,” Natalie offered. She really did owe Jase a lot. “Not that he cares about my opinion, but I’ll try.”
    Jase let out a huge breath, his hazel eyes shining behind his glasses. “Thanks, Natalie. That would be a huge help.” He wrapped her in a quick hug. “I hope Liam can put the past behind him. And we’re going to take care of your more recent past, too. We’ll find a way to get Brad out of your life for good.”
    “Thank you,” she whispered, disconcerted to hear Liam’s name brought up along with her ex-husband’s. Two of her biggest mistakes in life. No, that wasn’t exactly true. Her marriage to Brad had been a mistake. Liam was simply a regret. Regret that she hadn’t been enough to hold him and in some deep, secret place that she’d let him walk away so easily.
    * * *
    Liam eased his SUV down the driveway of Ruth’s small farm Saturday morning. Nerves skittered through his stomach and he shook his head. With all he’d accomplished in his life, why did taking his ex-girlfriend and her son snowmobiling make him edgy?
    Natalie had always had that effect on him, from the moment he’d caught sight of her in the hall his first day at the local high school. Even then, she’d been totally self-contained, sure of herself and who she was. Natalie never seemed to need anyone, which had made Liam want her all the more. He’d wanted to break down her walls and know the person behind the tough-girl mask she always wore.
    For a while he thought he had. He’d thought their connection, their love, would be one for the ages, would fill up all the misaligned pieces in his own heart. But like most everyone else he’d let himself love, she’d rejected him. Liam had been a master of disappointing the people around him, then pushing them away.
    That was old news. He’d moved on, made a success of his life and had returned to Crimson able to hold his head high. He wasn’t the rich-boy goof-off so many people had thought. Now the town was courting him. Whether he ended up moving his company here didn’t even matter, not to him. What counted was that finally he was wanted in this small corner of the world.
    He knew the moment Natalie realized that it was him and not Jase picking up her and Austin for the day. Her body went rigid. Even under her thick parka and ski pants he could see the tension. Austin waved and threw a handful of snow into the air. The kid’s innocent excitement made Liam smile, despite Natalie’s obvious reaction.
    He lowered the window on the passenger side as he pulled to a stop in front of them. “Are you two ready to go?”
    “I can’t wait.” Austin opened the back door and jumped into the car. “How fast do the snowmobiles go? Can I drive? We won’t roll over, right?”
    Liam tipped his head to the backseat. “As fast as your mom thinks is safe. No, you can’t drive, and no one is going to roll today.”
    Natalie came closer