Promises to Keep (5 page)

He swallowed, realizing that he’d not only taken a
really taken a good look at another woman since Amanda had passed, but his
brain had also registered that she was cute.

Cole watched in total fascination now as she weaved
in and out of the trees, pulling on few branches as she inspected them. She
walked out of sight. He stood and walked to the door, wondering how he could
possibly be checking out a member of the opposite sex when he’d vowed never to
look at another woman in that way ever again. He’d made a silent promise to
Amanda. And promises were meant to be kept. He leaned against the door jamb, at
first not seeing the young woman, but then she turned the corner and stopped
suddenly, now looking back at him.

 
Cole was sure
his heart had skipped a beat. He needed to sit down, but he couldn’t because
his feet wouldn’t move. Maybe he was on the verge of a panic attack. He’d had a
few shortly after Amanda’s funeral, but hadn’t told anyone in case they made
him see a shrink. However, this time, the rapid heartbeat felt very different.
He was scared but in a different sort of way, like he was about to do
everything he’d vowed not to.

She walked closer to him. Then all of a sudden, she
must have stepped on some ice, because down she went, butt first on the ground.
Luckily his feet could move again and he ran toward her.

Cole saw her just sitting on the snow and wondered
if she was hurt, but then he heard her laughing. She sat there, legs sprawled
apart, giggling. He had to laugh too, not because she’d fallen, but because she
sounded happy and it was almost infectious. He couldn’t remember the last time
he’d laughed like this. His facial muscles hardly recalled what it felt like.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” She laughed again. “It’s my own fault
for trying to be fashionable in these shoes.”

He glanced at them. Black pumps that looked great on
her, but she was right, they weren’t the ideal footwear for shopping for a tree
on icy ground.

“You need some help getting up?” He held out his
hand to her.

“Thank you that would be great.”

She took it and although they were both wearing
gloves he could feel the outline of her hand as she pulled herself up to her
feet.

“Thank you,” she said. They looked into one
another’s eyes, almost like two people who had met before and were
reconnecting.

“Sure you’re all right, nothing broken?” he asked.

“No, just a wet coat, and probably a sore butt
tomorrow.”

She turned around and he noticed some wet snow still
clung to her.

Without thinking he smacked it off her coat,
touching her butt in the process.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…I mean I wasn’t trying
to…”

This time they both laughed at the same time.

“I’m Cole True.”

He took off his glove and offered her his hand again.

She pulled off hers and stuck her hand into his.

“Hayley Ward.
Nice to meet you.”

Despite the cold, her hand was warm, soft, and how
come he wanted to continue holding it?

“So you’re looking for a tree?” he asked.

They finally let go of one another’s hands.

“Yes, thought I’d get one up and decorated while I’m
in the mood.”

“Any particular size you’re thinking about?”

“One of the taller ones.
It’s
for the reception area. I own the Rustic Inn. It’s the B and B on the edge of
town.”

He hadn’t heard of it, but the name sounded quaint.
“You run it with your husband?”

Why
did I ask her that?

She shook her head. “It’s just me.”

He noticed she was shivering and that the back of
her coat was still wet.

“You want to come into the hut and warm up before
you continue looking around the tree lot?”

She clapped her hands together and then blew into
them. “Could I?”

“Sure, follow me.”

He led her into the hut and turned the heater up
another notch to get the heat kicking around.

“So are you a fireman?” she asked.

“Volunteer. My real job’s working on a ranch.”

“That’s great, I mean volunteering to help the fire
department.”

He didn’t want to tell her how that came about. In
fact, right now it was the farthest thing from his mind.

“Can I offer you some hot chocolate?”

He lifted up the thermos he’d brought with him.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, plenty to go
around.”

He found another cup sitting by the window and
poured some into it for her.

“Sorry I don’t have any marshmallows,” he said
handing it over.

“Oh, I love those.”

Amanda had too.

“Maybe when you’re warmed up I can find you the
perfect tree out there,” said Cole, taking a sip of the hot chocolate. He
looked over the cup at her. She even had a few freckles across the bridge of
her nose.

“That would be great. Not that I have many guests
booked who will see it.”

“Business is slow?” asked Cole.

“Afraid so.”

“Do you have a business card, because I could put
one up on the notice board at the fire station?”

“In fact, I do.”

She dug through her purse and pulled out a couple of
them. He took them and saw an outline of the inn with her name, telephone
number, and e-mail address beside it.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“And if you and your wife ever want to stay I’d be
happy to offer you a discount.”

“I’m a widower.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

He raised his hand. “Not your fault. You want some
more hot chocolate?”

“Thanks, but no. In fact, I should get the tree
picked out before your lot closes.”

“Okay, let’s go see what we can find for you.”

****

Hayley watched as he brushed his hand along the
branches of the trees.
A ranch hand and a fireman.
He
looked the part on both accounts. Tall, broad shouldered, and yes, handsome
too. His wavy brown hair curled slightly underneath his hat.

“This one looks to be the best one for its size,” he
said. His voice jarred her. Until he’d spoken, she hadn’t realized she was
staring with her mouth slightly open.

She looked up at the tree in question. In fact, she
had to strain her neck to see the top. She certainly couldn’t strap that to the
roof of her car. It had to be at least seven feet tall, but it was beautiful.
The most perfect tree she’d ever seen.

“I love it, but I’m not sure how I can get something
that size home.”

“I have a flatbed truck. I can do it for you.”

“Are you sure? I’d pay for your gas and your time,
too.”

He shook his head. “I’d rather you give a donation
to the fireman’s fund.”

“I can certainly do that.”

“Okay, if you give me directions to your inn, and
once I close up this place, I can drop it off for you.”

Hayley smiled. She liked the idea that she’d be
seeing him again and so soon after they’d met.

****

Cole turned up the heater in the truck as he headed
north. Rustic Inn sounded nice. It sounded romantic, too.
Just what the hell made me think of that adjective?

Tapping his fingers on the wheel to keep in time
with the music, and also to keep them warm, he thought about Hayley and her
cute roar of laughter when she’d fallen on the snow. He laughed out loud, too.
Second time he’d done that tonight. What a surprise that his face and its
muscles remembered how to get in that position. He rubbed the side of his jaw,
already feeling it ache from the unfamiliarity.

He glanced in the rearview mirror. It was dark inside
the truck, but he could see his face well enough. Smiling suited him. And now
he found himself singing along with the radio as he turned onto the road where
the inn was located. It was uphill and a little icy, so he put the truck into a
lower gear so it grabbed the road. The inn sat up on the top, looking down at
him. Snow adorned its roofline and
porch, making it look
like something on a Christmas card.

Cole pulled into one of the parking spaces and then
backed up across the lot so he could get the rear of the truck as close to the
walkway as possible. Hayley must have been watching out for him, because she
opened the inn door and peeked out. He got out and around walked behind it.

“I’ll just get my coat and gloves and I can help you
bring it in,” she shouted.

“Okay, but don’t wear those nice pumps this time.”

“No, I have my boots ready and waiting.”

He took off the bungee cords he’d strapped across
the tree to secure it, and placed them on the bed of the truck. The tree was
certainly a beauty.

By the time he got everything unhooked, Hayley stood
by the back of the truck, a red hat and matching scarf adorning the coat she’d
worn earlier at the lot. A snowflake or two had fallen on her eyelashes. It was
adorable and he was tempted to ever so gently flick them away, but the
fluttering of her lids did that.

“How about I lower the tree down to the ground and
then we can carry it in. You take the lighter end,” said Cole.

“What you don’t think I’m tough enough?” she said.
She smiled. She had dimples. They were cute too. He winked at her. Only one
other woman he’d done that to, and that was Amanda. Normally thinking of her
and someone doing something that reminded him of her made him sad, but right
now it didn’t. Instead it gave him a warm, relaxed feeling.

“Maybe we can arm wrestle later and I’ll see just
how strong you really are,” said Cole.

She laughed again. He lifted the tree down and
Hayley grabbed the pointed top. Together they headed up the walkway toward the
inn.

“Hope I’m not keeping you from something important,”
said Hayley as they made their way inside.

“No, my kids are with one of my sisters, and I was
just going home to see if there was anything good to watch on TV.”

“How old are your children?”

“Jon’s almost thirteen, and Nina’s nine. So where
were you thinking of placing this?”

“Close to the armchairs by the
reception desk.
I guess not near the fire, though.”

“No, I’d hate to be called out because your inn’s
burning down. Okay, if you turn a little to your left, I can place it right on
that spot.”

Best thing was it already had a stand made out of
two pieces of plywood, so placing it was a piece of cake.

“So what do you think about that?” asked Cole.

Hayley stepped back to look.

“I think it’s the most perfect looking tree I’ve
seen.”

“I do, too. She’s quite a beauty, and a home gown
Wyoming spruce.”

“Now all I need to do is shop for decorations.”

Decorations.
It
suddenly reminded him of the ones in the attic. The ones that had set there unused
and now he was thinking of donating them.

“I have some if you don’t mind slightly used ones.”

“Really, I’d buy them from you.”

He shook his head. “I was planning on donating them
anyway, so at least I’d know someone put them to good use.”

“Thank you.”

“I can drop them off after I finish work tomorrow…I
mean if that’s okay with you?”

“It’s fine with me. I’m here most of the time.”

“That’s settled then. I’ll bring them by tomorrow.”

“Thanks once again for bringing the tree home for
me.”

“Anytime.
Just
glad I could help.”

She walked him to the door and he opened it back,
the cold air hitting his cheeks. He turned one last time to face her before he
headed out. “And it was nice meeting you, too.”

“Same here.”

****

Hayley stood in the window and watched as Cole
headed down the driveway, got in his truck, and then drove out of the parking
lot.
 
She’d accepted the decorations not
just because she needed some to brighten up the tree, but by saying yes to his
offer it would mean she’d get to see him again.

Yeah, she liked him.
Had in fact
taken an instant liking to him while she’d been at the lot.
She’d told
herself to stay away from men after what happened with Nick, but a girl could
only keep a promise for so long.

She let the drapes fall back against the window,
turned, and walked back to take one more look at the tree. Hayley couldn’t wait
to see it twinkling with lights and ornaments. Maybe she should invite Cole for
a meal and an official tree lighting evening.