It's In His Forever (A Red River Valley Novel Book 5) Page 2

  She shifted from one foot to the other. “We can’t work closely together. It’s over, Langston,” she whispered.

  The backs of her eyes stung. She needed to get out of there before she made an ass of herself. Before she let the growing storm of emotions she’d been holding back flow like a rushing river. Before she caved and threw herself into his arms.

  She cleared her throat. “Excuse me.” She raised her voice to get the council’s attention.

  Their chatter didn’t subside in the least.

  “Have it your way, Sans.” Langston chuckled under his breath.

  The tension between Sandra’s shoulders subsided. Whew. Finally, he was going to be reasonable about their…their…ack! She didn’t even know what to call it.

  “Madam Chairperson,” he said several decibels louder than normal.

  The council quieted, and Clydelle batted eyelashes at Langston once more.

  Sandra’s eyes rolled so far back in her head her vision blurred.

  Well, at least Langston was going to help stop this nonsense once and for all, and now she could get on with finding a replacement.

  “I’m grateful for the council’s consideration.” He lifted his mug.

  Sandra waited for Langston’s “but.” That one beautiful little word that would close the meeting so she could get back to work. Thank gawd.

  “I humbly accept the position as safety officer for the extreme snowboarding championship, if you’ll entrust it to me.”

  What? Sandra’s head whiplashed toward Langston.

  Speechless, she glared at him.

  He took a long drink of coffee from his mug, winking at her over the rim.

  “No!” Her eyes slid shut for a beat. “No,” she said again, trying to sound calm. Unfortunately, her heart thundered against her chest so loud the next county probably heard it. “I mean, Mr. Brooks…”

  One of his silky brows arched high in that sexy way, which usually had her sighing like a high school girl with a crush.

  She tried to ignore it. Really, she did.

  Her uterus still did a dance.

  “Mr. Brooks already has a critical job that may be needed during the event.” Sandra’s words tumbled out all at once. “What if someone gets lost in the wilderness? What if someone gets hurt so badly, they need to be lifted out by helicopter? Mr. Brooks is the best flight medic in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.” She couldn’t work with him. Not when she was so close to finally escaping her past.

  “I can easily line up another flight medic to cover my shifts during the event,” he said to the council, as though she wasn’t standing right there. “I’ve covered for several people in both states. They’ll do the same for me.”

  “Then our fire department might need him,” she blurted. “Lang…I mean, Mr. Brooks still works as a paramedic here in Red River when they need him, and when he’s not on call for a helo flight.” Something she probably shouldn’t readily admit to knowing. Their past relationship, which she’d insisted be publicly acknowledged as nothing more than a few one-night stands, could hurt his reputation if it ever came to light. Plus, she was rambling. “And with so many tourists in town…” She sputtered with laughter to turn the tide back in her favor. “…and hello, so many extreme snowboarders barreling down the slopes, we’re likely to need a lot of paramedics. Look what happened to Coop just last night.”

  So much rambling.

  The cup in Sandra’s hand shook, and the brown liquid sloshed over the side.

  Jeez.

  “I move to name Langston Brooks as the event’s new safety officer,” said Councilwoman Maureen, as though she hadn’t heard a word Sandra said.

  “I second the motion,” said Councilman Flaps.

  Chairperson Clydelle banged her pen against the scarred table. “It’s official. We’re adjourned!”

  Chairs scrapped against the floor as the council stood and gathered up their coats and belongings without actually putting the motion to a final vote.

  Seriously?

  Stunned, Sandra’s mouth fell open. She’d called the meeting as a courtesy to keep the peace with the council. The final decision didn’t actually need the council’s approval. “What the heck just happened?” Wait. Had she said that out loud?

  Langston shifted his large frame, closing the space between them. “I think I just became an important part of your event staff.”

  Dammit. She had said it out loud.

  She spun to face him, steam practically billowing from her ears. “Why did you do that? You undermined my authority, not to mention the fact that you know this is a bad idea.” Her head snapped around to make sure no one was listening. Thank goodness the council was already filtering toward the door. “You know how people in this town are. If we spend a lot of time together, which we will with you as the safety officer, they’ll start talking.”

  “So let them talk.” He shrugged.

  So angry she was at a loss for words, she simply let out a frustrated huff.

  Langston stared at his mug, the muscle in his jaw ticking. Finally, he said, “Hell, Sans. If you don’t want people to talk about us, then maybe we shouldn’t have been sleeping together the past ten years.”

  Twelve years. If the two years of hot and heavy making out in high school counted.

  “That’s over, remember?” How could he not? She’d told him to his face so he could finally move on without her dragging him down like an anchor sinking a ship.

  Langston leaned closer. “If it makes you feel better, then keep telling yourself that.” He placed his mug on the table. “But you and I both know it’s never going to be over between us.” He turned to leave but hesitated. “Mr. Brooks? Really, Sans? I know you’ve always wanted to keep our relationship a secret, but calling me Mr. Brooks when I’ve seen you naked…” His gaze slid down her length. Even though she was clothed in full winter gear, his eyes darkened as if he was picturing her with nothing on at all.

  Her skin prickled, and the room suddenly grew warm. Heat slid through her, settling between her thighs. She clenched every muscle from the waist down.

  “Yes, well…” She hugged her papers to her chest. “It was fun, but it’s time to move on. This will be nothing more than work between us.” She smiled, realizing she did have a card to play. “And as far as the snowboarding event is concerned, I’m your boss.”

  A slow, naughty smile spread across his face. “That makes it all the more interesting.” He strolled through the front door, leaving Sandra staring after him.

  Leaving her more determined than ever to keep their working relationship purely professional.

  Leaving her wanting him more than ever.

  Chapter Two

  The second the door to Cotton Eyed Joe’s closed at Langston’s back and the frigid February air engulfed him, he dropped his cool I’m an alpha dude who’s always in control of my emotions act and clenched his gloved hands into fists.

  How could Sandra let him go so easily? He’d gone along with her ridiculous plan to keep their relationship a secret for years. And don’t get him started on her obnoxious flirtations with every eligible guy in town just so the locals wouldn’t get suspicious and figure out she and Langston had been a couple for a decade.

  He’d had to restrain himself more than once from teaching intoxicated male patrons at Joe’s some manners when they’d gotten into Sandra’s personal space. Taken the liberty of stroking her long, silky, caramel colored hair. Let their eyes settle too long on her gorgeous rack, with cleavage as deep as the Grand Canyon. Even though Langston knew she was putting on a show to hide their relationship, he’d still wanted to take a few guys out back and show them who their daddy was.

  Instead, he’d waited patiently for her to finally come to her senses and either tell the truth about her father or stop caring what people thought.

  Langston sure as hell didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, Sandra came first. Everyone else could either get on board with their relationship or
piss off. Still, she insisted on keeping their affair a closely guarded secret, afraid he’d lose his friends and family if the truth came out. The more he pushed to out themselves, the more Sandra backed away from him.

  Until he’d finally insisted that she make an honest man out of him. At which point she’d refused the black velvet box that housed the gigantic diamond rock he’d tried to give her. Then she broke up with him.

  Obviously, he didn’t get women.

  But he knew someone who did, and he desperately needed some advice.

  He jammed both fisted hands into the pockets of his gray down coat and trudged along the nicely shoveled sidewalks of Main Street toward his parents’ real estate office. His sister, Lorenda, had gone back to school to finish her degree in music education, but still showed houses when she wasn’t attending classes. During the winter, real estate moved slow in a small vacation town like Red River, so Lorenda spent most of her time in the office studying, and their parents spent most of their time traveling like the semi-retired folks they were.

  The fact that Langston was about to ask his sister to help figure out his love life wasn’t something he was proud of, especially since he was still carrying the damn ring box in his pocket, even after she’d rejected his proposal. He was even less proud of sneaking around and pretending not to care about Sandra. They were grown ass adults, and he was tired of hiding.

  He lengthened his strides.

  A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

  At the intersection, he stepped off the curb onto the icy street.

  And sank into the banked snow up to the middle of his calves.

  Cold slush poured over the tops of his winter boots, soaking his insulated socks.

  He let the frigid air fill his hollow chest.

  Life couldn’t suck any worse at a time in his life when he should be enjoying it to the fullest. He’d paid his dues. Built a great career he loved. Waited patiently for the woman he wanted.

  Yet here he was—standing in a crossroads, alone, wet, and cold as hell.

  For the first few years, sneaking around with Sandra had been fun. Exciting. Eventually, though, hiding got old and tiring. Especially as his friends and sister found their soulmates, one by one.

  Which was why he needed advice.

  He crossed the intersection, feet squishing in his boots, and sidestepped an icy patch in the center of the road. He veered left toward the Red River Police Department SUV that was parked along the curb in front of Brooks Real Estate.

  Score.

  That meant his buddy since high school, who was now his brother-in-law and Red River’s newest deputy, was there, too, and Langston could use another guy’s perspective. He’d get a two-fer, and he trusted no one more than Lorenda and Mitchell.

  The way Langston saw it, he had two choices. Keep trying to convince Sandra that their relationship didn’t depend on anyone else other than themselves. Not family, not friends, and certainly not town gossip over something that happened well over a decade ago. And even though everyone in town still thought Sandra was guilty, it shouldn’t matter. She’d paid her debt to society, and she deserved to move past it. Or walk away and give Sandra what she said she wanted—to be left alone.

  He’d waited a long time for her, but maybe she was right. Maybe their time together was over. Maybe he should start dating other women. Try to find someone who wanted to settle down. Hell, at this point, he’d be happy with someone who’d just hold his hand in public instead of pretending they barely knew each other except in the occasional biblical sense.

  Problem was there was no other woman for him. Only Sandra.

  A bell jingled as Langston stepped inside and pushed the door closed to keep out the winter cold.

  The front office was empty.

  He stomped snow off his feet on the mat and pulled off his thick, insulated gloves. “Hello?” he called out. His sister and no-account husband—who Langston loved like a brother but had to constantly razz because razzing was number one in the Man Rules…plus, it was fun as hell—could’ve walked to one of the diners for breakfast.

  The door was unlocked, but that didn’t mean much. Crime had always been low in Red River, but had dropped to as close to zero as possible once Mitchell joined the police department.

  Langston reached inside his coat, retrieved his phone, and called Lorenda. A phone went off from the depths of the back offices, and his call went directly to voicemail. A text message dinged, and he looked at the screen.

  In the middle of something, I’ll call you back.

  Huh. What could be so important during Brooks Real Estate’s slow season that his sister wouldn’t come out of the back offices to say a quick hello?

  Langston dialed Mitchell’s number.

  Another phone blared to life from somewhere in the back offices, and Langston’s head snapped up.

  Ah, hell. Obviously, Mitchell was in the middle of the same something as Lorenda.

  Langston turned to leave, but then he stopped short. As much as he didn’t want to picture his sister in the middle of something, she was with her husband. In broad daylight, at work, without locking the door. Because that’s what married folks could do.

  That’s what Langston wanted. And he wanted it with Sandra.

  He jerked the door open and the bell jingled to life again.

  A door to the back office opened, and Langston glanced over a shoulder to see his brother-in-law’s head jutting through the small crack.

  His hair was tousled, and his khaki deputy’s shirt was all messed up. “What’s up, buddy? Anything wrong?” He kept his voice casual, as though he hadn’t just been interrupted in the middle of…something.

  “Nothing wrong.” Not true, but that was about to change.

  “Did you need something?” asked Mitchell.

  “Not anymore.” Langston had just figured out the answer himself. He waved off Mitchell. “Go back to what you were doing. Sorry I, uh, interrupted.”

  Mitchell gave him an innocent look. Which told Langston that his buddy was guilty as hell.

  “Who says I was doing anything that couldn’t be interrupted?”

  Langston smirked, pointing to Mitchell’s shirt. “Your shirt buttons aren’t lined up right.”

  Mitchell looked down at his misaligned shirt, and his eyes flew wide.

  “I’ll catch up with you later, dude.” Langston flipped the lock on the inside doorknob to give his sister and brother-in-law some privacy, and stepped out into the cold again to go talk some long overdue sense into his woman.

  She was stuck with him until the snowboarding championship was over, and he wasn’t giving up until she listened to reason.

  But first, he had to make a couple of stops to gather the ammo he’d need when he confronted Sandra. He would run by his house a few blocks off Main Street to get Zeus because she couldn’t resist that dog’s big droopy eyes and loveable personality. Then Langston would stop by the Ostergaard’s German bakery. Mrs. O’s cranberry pecan scones were Sandra’s favorite treat. A secret weapon, and he wasn’t going to bring a knife to a gun fight. He was bringing something much more powerful. Pastries.

  He smiled to himself and headed down the street toward his house.

  He was in the fight of his life. A life that wouldn’t be complete without Sans.

  So he wasn’t above fighting dirty.

  Chapter Three

  Sandra was going to stroke out if she didn’t calm the earthquake of panic rocking her insides.

  The flash flood of heated attraction that still hadn’t receded after seeing Langston at the council meeting didn’t help either. Since high school, it had been that way between them.

  At the rear of her shop—Up To Snow Good, Winter Sports and More—she racked a snowboard and started sanding the nicked up edges for a customer who was scheduled to pick it up soon. When she was done, she’d wax it to a fine shine.

  “Who does Langston Brooks think he is?” she mumbled to herself, picking up the di
amond sanding block. Absently, she worked on the edges of the board again, picking up speed with each swipe along the edge of the snowboard.

  Who was she kidding?

  Langston knew exactly who he was, and so did everyone else in Red River.

  Town hotshot. Town hero. Town hottie.

  A confident man who was fearless, selfless, and desirable as hell.

  Which was why she’d vowed to avoid him when she’d rejected his absurd marriage proposal and broken things off for good. The pull was too strong. The chemistry was too intense.

  The cost was too high.

  Her life had been hard enough, filled with so much regret. She couldn’t bear more if his family and friends turned on him because of her. Or if he lost the respect he’d earned from saving countless lives and thinking of others before he thought of himself. Always.

  So she’d done him the favor—not that he would call it that—of thinking of him first by turning him down and ending their relationship. Even though what she’d really wanted to do was scream YES! from the rooftops for everyone to hear. Then she’d wanted to jump into his arms, wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his lean waist, and kiss the stuffing out of him.

  Dear Lord, how was she going to get through this event with him filling one of the most important jobs? Working closely with her every day, as she’d been doing with the event staff from day one.

  Swipe, swipe, swipe.

  A bead of perspiration rose across her forehead as she took out her annoyance on the board.

  “You’re gonna file it into a sewing needle if you don’t stop.” The rich timbre of Langston’s voice slid through her like fine wine.

  She whirled, stumbling back into a round sale rack of winter snowsuits. Before she could fully recover her balance, Langston’s Great Dane, Zeus, bounded in her direction. Zeus adored her. Unfortunately, he also adored rough housing with her, as though he were the size of a Chihuahua. She hadn’t seen him since the breakup. In his excitement, he reared up and put his front paws against her shoulders, knocking her backwards.