shut the bedroom door.
My forehead dropped against the cool wood, and I took in a long, deep breath, then exhaled. “Oh dear,” I mumbled. “What in the world was that, Timberlynn Holden?”
I walked over to my phone and pulled it out. Candace was the last person I had texted, so I pulled up her message.
Candace: I miss you already. Let me know when you get there!
Maybe Candace was right. I needed to let my guard down some. But a guy like Tanner...handsome, an unbelievable body, someone who wasn’t looking to settle down...I couldn’t open myself up for that let down.
I quickly sent Candace a reply.
Me: Made it safely. It’s cold here, but just as beautiful as I remembered it.
Candace: And Tanner? Is he home?
I sighed as I replied.
Me: Yes. For at least a month.
Candace: Gurl…you better get on that!
Laughing, I almost called her but sent a text instead.
Me: Shut up! I’ll call later tonight or tomorrow.
A light knock at the door had me freezing in place as I placed my phone down. “Come in.”
Kaylee poked her head in and gave me a huge smile. I instantly felt a rush of happiness wash over me. “Is the room okay?” she asked as she stepped in and shut the door behind her.
“Is it okay? Look at that view!” I pointed out the window as Kaylee walked up to me.
She looked out the window and sighed. “Do you see why I left Georgia?”
I laughed. “I thought you left because Lincoln moved here.”
She wrapped her arm around mine. “That was one of the reasons, well, the biggest reason. By the way, I sort of let it slip your birthday was the other day. Stella wants to make you a cake to celebrate. Hope that’s okay.”
Smiling, I looked at her. “That is so sweet of her. And so kind of them to let me stay here.”
Kaylee waved her hand off like it was nothing. “Trust me, you’ll be more comfortable here, and I’m positive Stella loves having another woman in the house.”
“Plus, the newlyweds want their privacy still, I’m sure,” I added with a wink.
My cousin Kaylee never blushed, at least I had never seen her blush, but a light shade of pink splashed over her cheeks and she looked adorable. “I’m not going there. Back to you. Are you still considering Montana as a potential new home?”
With a shrug, I dropped her arm, turned, and picked up one of my suitcases. I tossed it onto the bed. “I am. It’s here or Utah.”
“Utah?” she asked with a shocked voice. “Why would you want to be there when you could be here with me? Has Utah gotten a second visit from you?”
I flashed her a snarky smile. “No, I’ve only been the one time. You do make a good argument, cuz.”
Kaylee let a smile play across her face that screamed she was hiding a secret. Maybe even two. I was dying to ask her if she was pregnant but decided to let her tell me when she was ready. One look at her, though, and I knew she was. She just had a look about her. And her eyes seemed different. Yes, she was madly in love, but there was something else in there. “I have something to show you tomorrow that I think will sway you to pick Hamilton.”
I laughed. “Is that right?”
“Yep. I know you have a job and all.”
I bit into my lip. “Well, actually, I don’t have a job. I sort of quit when they wouldn’t let me off for Christmas to come here.”
“What?!” Kaylee gasped as she sat on the bed and looked at me with a stunned expression. “Timberlynn, that is not like you to do something like that. You’ve always been such a planner. Are you able to simply quit like that?”
I hated when people told me I was a planner. Everyone assumed I had laid out my life when, in fact, everyone else had done it for me. And out of guilt, I had gone along with everything that had been asked of me. I was so tired of always living by a set of rules I never implemented for myself. “More like my life was planned for me.”
Kaylee frowned and looked down at her hands.
“I’m sorry, Kaylee. It’s just that for the first time in my life I’m totally free. No one is hanging anything over my head, and I feel like I’ve finally stepped out of the shadow of my mom.”
“You don’t have to tell