Kat couldn’t believe she’d spent the morning at Jack’s rather than racing to Penny’s with the answer to the riddle. To think, she could be holding the brooch in her hands right now.
Perhaps she’d even be on her way back to Starcross Cove.
Instead, she found herself hiding behind a stout tree trunk clutching a perfectly packed snowball in her gloved hand. And she didn’t regret her decision for a second.
Peeking around the scratchy bark, she squinted through the thicket of redwood trees behind Jack’s cabin hoping to glimpse his bright blue jacket. Although his large, muscular frame and choice in snow gear was anything but subtle, she couldn’t spot him anywhere.
While she stood watch, she absentmindedly smoothed the puffy down filling of the trendy Moncler ski jacket that belonged to Jack’s sister, Lucy. Kat didn’t think she’d ever worn anything so expensive in all her life. The coat itself probably cost more than her entire wardrobe back home. Not to mention the luxury of leaving behind snow gear for one visit a year.
Kat briefly wondered what Lucy was like. From Jack’s description, she seemed his opposite in every way. And yet, he clearly adored her. Curiously, whenever he spoke of his little sister, a hint of melancholy hid behind his affectionate expression and Kat longed to know what it meant.
A cheerful bark interrupted her musings as Fitz bounded through the snow toward her. The pup had enjoyed the morning almost as much as she had, racing behind their sleds and rollicking in the soft white powder as they made snow angels, occasionally licking Jack’s face.
“What is it, boy?” She bent down to pet the thick, bushy fur around his neck.
Whack!
A snowball splattered against the tree trunk inches from her head, scattering icy flecks down the collar of her jacket. She whirled around to face her attacker, laughter in her eyes. “Ha! You missed!”
“Only because Fitz warned you, the traitor.”
Fitz wagged his tail in response.
“Good boy,” she cooed, patting the top of his head.
“We’ll discuss this later,” Jack told the dog with mock sternness.
“You’re out of ammunition. What are you going to do now?” she asked, her hand poised, ready to fire.
An impish smile curled his lips and his eyes narrowed like a scope zeroing in on its target. “It’s time for guerrilla warfare.”
Kat shrieked gleefully as he ran toward her with a look that said he had every intention of tackling her into a snowdrift. She sprinted for the open field, laughter trailing behind her.
Fitz joined in the fun by nipping at Jack’s heels, his excited bark echoing through the trees.
Still several yards from the cabin, Kat quickly planned her attack as Jack’s long strides spanned the distance between them. In a matter of seconds, he’d reach her.
Gently tossing the snowball nearby, Kat waited for Jack to close the gap, and in a deft, fluid movement that befit her years of training, she flipped him onto his back in a dense mound of snow.
He stared up at her, wide-eyed and winded.
Plucking the snowball from its resting place, she knelt over him, armed and ready. “Do you surrender?”
His gaze fell to her mouth, stealing the smirk from her lips.
Something about the way he looked at her—both soft and intense—left her momentarily breathless. Was he about to kiss her?
Before she knew what was happening, he’d rolled over, pinning her on her back.
“Do you?” he asked, his face mere centimeters from her own.
Overcome with the sudden urge to press her lips against his, Kat did the only thing she could—she kneed him in the side and wriggled to safety.
“Oof!” Jack clutched his stomach as he toppled over.
Scrambling to her feet, Kat blurted, “I’m so sorry!” as her pulse pounded in her ears.
“Don’t tell me,” he moaned. “Your instincts kicked in?”
She offered a sheepish smile as she helped him to his feet. “After a decade of training, it’s a hard habit to break.” She decided not to mention the part about her unsettling attraction. Or her desperate need to escape before she did something impulsive and possibly regrettable.
“I might need some hot chocolate to soothe the pain.”
“I think I can manage that.”
What she couldn’t manage were her growing feelings for Jack.
Or how deeply her heart would break when it came time to say goodbye.
As Jack watched Kat prepare the hot chocolate with such delicate, graceful movements, he marveled at how only moments ago she’d dropped him in a snowdrift like a sack of potatoes.
If he were honest, he found it impressive and incredibly attractive.
“You’re quite the expert at—what did you call it?”
“Krav Maga?”
“Yeah, that’s it. Have you thought about going into law enforcement or something? With skills like that, you’d be a real asset. I’d trust you to have my back, that’s for sure.”
“Thanks.”
Jack caught her pleased smile before she reached into the cupboard for two mugs. Although she’d been inside his cabin for less than forty-eight hours, she already seemed to know where he kept everything. And she moved about the space as effortlessly as if she were in her own home—a realization that secretly thrilled him.
“But I’d never leave Hope Hideaway,” she added, instantly deflating his elation. “Fern needs me.”
He slouched on the barstool, his heart sinking. How could he argue with that? He admired her loyalty. And yet, he couldn’t help grasping for straws. “In another life, where would you live? What would you want to do?”
She hesitated as though his line of questioning made her uncomfortable. “In another life?” she repeated slowly.
“Purely hypothetical.”
“Well…” With a contemplative expression, she poured the rich, silky liquid into two stoneware mugs. “I always thought it would be fun to own an inn.”
“Like the Morning Glory Inn?”
“Yes, only with more rooms and enough space to hold workshops and art classes and even have its own restaurant.”
As she spoke, her entire face illuminated from within, and her passion was almost palpable.
“Any idea where you’d want the inn to be located?” he asked, praying she’d say Poppy Creek. Although, he knew his wish was ridiculous.
“Not really. The fantasy never evolved to logistics.”
“When did you first have the idea?”
She settled on the barstool beside him, but faced the living room where Fitz lounged on the couch, chewing his antler. Just like Kat, the pup had made himself at home. And for a brief moment, Jack basked in the glow of what it felt like to have a family again.
“Honestly,” Kat continued, “the thought first came to me during a conversation with my friend Maxine. She’d been staying at Hope Hideaway for a few months, trying to get back on her feet after rehab. She told me the shelter was the closest thing she’d had to a vacation in her entire life.”
“Really?” Jack responded in surprise. “Not even a weekend trip somewhere?”
“She didn’t have the most glamorous life.”
He nodded in understanding, appreciating that she couldn’t go into the details.
She took a long sip before confessing, “It made me realize how many people don’t have the opportunity to stay somewhere nice—to sleep in a luxurious bed, eat delicious food, and spend a few days away from it all.”
His heart melted at the compassion coating her every word.
“I know it wouldn’t change the world or anything, but I’d like to own a place where the best room is reserved for people like Maxine. Which, I realize, might sound frivolous when there are bigger problems to solve.”
“It’s not frivolous,” he said in earnest.
A look passed between them that stopped his heart from beating, but she abruptly shrugged and averted her gaze. “It’s just a silly dream, though. It’ll never happen.”
“Why not?” He leaned forward, suddenly desperate to make her dream come true.
“For starters, I’d never have the means for something like that. And secondly, as I mentioned earlier, I couldn’t leave Fern.”
As Jack let the reality of her words sink in, an idea began to take shape.
While he couldn’t solve the second problem, he might have a solution to the first one.