Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska #2) - Sarah Morgenthaler Page 0,18
realized what he said, but before he could backtrack, Lana gave him a wry look. “I learned that particular lesson when I was a child. My closest companions were always the housekeeping staff and the concierge attendants. They were always the best at hide-and-seek.”
“Sounds lonely.”
“I had friends, but most of them fit in my back pocket and had to be replaced when their bindings gave way.”
Rick chuckled. “They were probably more loyal than most.”
The last game was tougher because her break was excellent. Lana sank her first three balls, then she barely missed her fourth. Rick needed that extension, so even though he would have loved to draw the game out—if just for a few extra moments of her time—he didn’t have the luxury. He ran the table with the quick, clean shots that had earned him enough money to open the pool hall in the first place.
“Your win, Rick.” She offered him the cue ball. Lana’s voice was softer, richer, and so sexy the sound of it was already seared into his brain. “The extension is all yours.”
Staying where he was, Rick held her eyes. “What do you get out of it?”
“The knowledge that one more thing is right with the world tonight. A good man catches a break.”
His hand brushed against hers as he accepted the cue ball. Every week, people handed him back sets of billiards without it being a problem. But when her fingertips lingered against his, neither of them pulled away. She was tall enough that he wasn’t looming over her but near enough that the scent of her filled his nostrils. He’d never met a woman who could steal his breath away by shifting forward a critical inch. And suddenly, her head was tilted back to hold his eyes, and Rick was fairly sure he wanted to kiss her.
If she closed one more inch between them, he might even be convinced she wanted him to kiss her too.
He shouldn’t. There was more than unpaid back rent standing between them. Lana was used to a whole hell of a lot more than Rick could ever give anyone. He’d learned the hard way his life wasn’t enough to make a woman happy. So Rick stepped back…even though he would have much rather stepped much closer. Lana blinked as if coming out of a daze, then she stepped back too, reaching for her coat. She shrugged it on, belting the soft leather at her waist.
“Sometimes people deserve a break,” Lana said. “And maybe I wanted the fun of almost beating a handsome semiprofessional at his game of choice.” The playful tone in her voice gave her away.
“You did Google me, didn’t you?”
“I’ll admit to doing my research,” she said. “You’re welcome to return the favor.”
As she walked toward the door, her jacket hugging her hips, Rick had to admit that he might take her up on that.
“Oh, and, Rick?” Lana paused at the door, smiling at him over her shoulder. “If I don’t see you before then, have a merry Christmas.”
It was looking better already.
* * *
After Lana left, only one customer came in to play a round. One. Between that and the meager daytime business, today wouldn’t even cover keeping the lights on. Rick stayed until he knew there wasn’t a point anymore, then he locked up and headed home.
Home was a modest ranch on a few acres of land, butted up against the far side of the Lockett property. Even though the bulk of the landscape didn’t belong to Rick, there was a feeling of solitude and privacy to the property he loved. Since he worked a lot of hours, often until late in the evenings, he’d installed solar-powered flood lamps outside the house.
With the days shortening to fewer hours of sunlight, those solar-powered lamps wouldn’t get the power they needed much longer. He’d have to double-check the backup batteries. Mentally adding that to his to-do list, Rick parked under the empty metal carport next to the house, even though Diego’s car was already in the drive. Diego had the run of the place—and had since he’d come to live with them as a teenager—but he’d never truly settled in. And he never took the place under the carport, no matter how many times Rick reminded him that he was welcome to it.
Life hadn’t been easy on the kid. He’d survived a car accident that had killed his whole immediate family. Jen had promised Diego that he had a place with them, but then Jen