in you that I find disturbing.”
She nodded. “You aren’t the only one.”
“But once he sees us together...” He reached across the table to take her hand. “I can’t find the words for how I feel this morning.”
Charlie grinned. “Maybe you feel the same way I do. Spectacularly amazing? Are you really going to ski?”
“Snowboard. I took it up a couple of years ago. I could give you a lesson.”
She laughed.
“Did I ever tell you that I love your laugh?”
She laughed again.
“Or I could keep you warm inside the lodge.”
* * *
“I HAVE BEEN dreading this trip,” Charlie admitted. “But the idea of curling up with you in the lodge definitely has its appeal.” That wasn’t all. It would be good to get away from town for a while. Away from the Lindy/Lacey problem.
“They got another ten inches of snow last night,” Shep said. “I’m actually glad that we’re going. I’ll just be glad when the wedding part is over.”
She was having trouble keeping her mind on the wedding. Kat had apparently skipped town with her youngest daughter, just as she said she was going to. And Lacey? No one knew.
“The police aren’t going to do anything, are they?” she said to Shep.
He didn’t seem surprised at the trail her thoughts had taken. “There isn’t a lot they can do. You gave them a photo of Lindy so they’ll be on the lookout for her twin. That’s about all they can do at this point unless she tries to get on a plane.”
“Or until she breaks the law by killing me.”
“Exactly,” Shep said, squeezing her hand. “But she has to kill me first to get to you.”
Charlie grimaced. “Thanks, that makes me feel so much better.” She glanced at her phone. “I should get dressed. According to Amanda’s schedule, we have rehearsal this afternoon, followed by a dinner.” He let go of her hand as she rose and finished her coffee. “But I’m warning you right now. I will need breakfast sooner than Big Sky. I don’t remember having dinner last night, which means I didn’t, and after...” As she met those bottomless blue eyes, she grinned. “I need sustenance.”
* * *
SHEP SEEMED IN a great mood as they drove out of Bozeman toward Big Sky and Charlie found it contagious. She thought about how angry he’d been with Kat, with the police, with the situation. But today, with the sky a brilliant blue, the sun turning the fallen snow to sparkling crystals, he seemed...free. At least for a while.
Lacey was not completely forgotten though. But this two-day wedding retreat had come along at the perfect time. Charlie was sure Shep was feeling it as well. A sense of freedom. Not to mention the exhilaration and buoyancy of being in love. She’d forgotten what that felt like and realized with a start that she hadn’t felt it with Daniel. She’d been happy to have a boyfriend, but they’d never shared this kind of intimacy—let alone love.
She was going to enjoy it. As long as it lasted. Where did that come from?
They stopped at a small café in the Gallatin Canyon and had a late breakfast with a view of the river flowing under a thick sheet of ice. As they drove toward Big Sky, the snow grew deeper. It was clumped on the pines, piled in the parking lot, drifting beside the road. The temperature seemed to drop the closer they got to the ski hill. Ice crystals hung in the air, glittering in the sunlight.
“Beautiful,” she said determined to embrace winter and this weekend.
“Yes, isn’t she,” Shep said and grinned when she turned to mug a face at him. “You are beautiful, Charlie. Inside and out.”
“You’re embarrassing me.”
He laughed. “I know for a fact that it takes more than that to embarrass you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re enjoying this.”
“Being here with you? You’d better believe it.”
“No, I mean this wedding weekend. When I told you about it, I thought you wouldn’t want to go.”
“You knew I was sticking to you until all of this Lindy/Lacey trouble is over. No way I wasn’t coming with you. Anyway, I like weddings.”
She gave him a side-eye. “I’ve never met a man who liked weddings except for the open bar.”
“You have now.” He drove for a moment without looking at her. “I’ve thought about the kind of wedding I’d like to have.”
Charlie raised a brow as her heart took off at a gallop. “Seriously? I can’t wait to hear.”
He relaxed behind the