on her face? The important part was a willingness to get back up.
Her heart pounded as she laced on the skates Dylan rented. The rink was perfect with the plywood sides, a colorful backdrop of cheery holiday scenes painted by her students at the high school. They might not have real snow in Magnolia, but she’d put her town’s holiday spirit up against any winter wonderland.
She waved to Sam, who skated around the rink with a group of teens, several of whom she recognized from her art club.
They were good kids, and it made her happy to see the boy finding his way in Magnolia. The whole scene in front of her made her happy. She’d done this. She and her sisters had brought this town together in a way that seemed impossible a few months earlier.
Her breath caught in her throat as she watched Dylan talking to the man deejaying inside the rink’s ticket booth. Was it possible her life in Magnolia felt complete because of his return?
She hadn’t been pining for the past decade, but now that she’d opened her heart to the possibility of happiness with Dylan again, it was difficult to imagine her life without him in it.
The fact that he’d pitched in to help make the festival a success despite his reservations meant something. He’d brought Sam here when he needed the boy to have a sense of home. That meant something, too.
Dylan might think he needed to change everything about this town, but he was the one changing, which would give them a chance together. If she admitted the truth to herself, she wanted that more than anything.
He winked as he turned back to her, and she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. He’d been handsome as a young man, all attitude and swagger with movie-star looks that made girls of all ages swoon.
When he’d picked Carrie, she hadn’t been able to believe it. Dylan had a reputation that was the polar opposite of hers. She’d been the consummate good girl while he was known by everyone and either revered or vilified depending on whether a person appreciated or hated his brand of rebellion. Now it seemed almost comical that their lives had gone in such different directions.
He’d made his mark on the world, become a success despite his troubled youth. His face and body had matured into strong planes and angles, the fine lines fanning from his eyes only making him more attractive. It was unfair how men so often got better-looking with age.
She’d stayed at home, her life small in many ways. But despite the resentment she had for her father, she still loved this town. Now Dylan did, too. He might not admit it yet, but she could tell. This place was important. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought Sam here.
That boy meant the world to him.
Both of them meant something to Carrie.
They were coming to another crossroads, and this time she had to believe they’d end up on the same side.
“They’re playing our song,” he said as he skated back to her.
“It’s wrong that you look hot in roller skates.” She stood up, wobbling a bit as she tried to balance.
“I need a comb for my back pocket,” he told her with a laugh.
She let out a yelp as her legs almost went out from under her.
Before she could fall, Dylan wrapped an arm around her waist. “Got you.”
“This is a terrible idea.” She did her best to stand. “I have no balance.”
“But you skated as a kid. It will come back to you.”
“I didn’t.” She shook her head. “Not once.”
“Everyone in town skated at the old rink before they tore it down.”
“Not me. Mom didn’t think it was dignified.”
“Do you have some tie to the royal family you’ve forgotten to mention?”
“She was a snob.”
“I remember that.”
Carrie tried to push away from him. “I’ll watch from the side.”
“This is the sweetheart skate.” He gripped her arms at the elbows and began to skate backward toward the rink’s entrance. “I need a partner.”
“Dylan, I can’t.” She locked her knees to keep them from shaking. Why was the thought of falling in front of an audience almost as scary as hanging her paintings in the gallery for everyone to see? “I thought I could, but it won’t work. It just—”
“I’ve got you,” he repeated against her ear. “Remember, we stay upright or go down together.”
She swallowed back her nerves and followed him out. Truly, when the man looked at her with that