Page 56 of The Christmas Lodge
Derek’s jaw dropped, his eyes wide with shock. “What in the world brought this on? I thought you couldn’t wait to get back to St. Louis?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” she admitted, then sighed. “I’ve been realizing that the life and business I built back in St. Louis was all about trying to forget about my father and grandfather. Trying to distance my name from theirs as much as I could. Now… well, now that doesn’t seem so important anymore. I think it really hit home for me tonight that I did all that to give myself a sense of worth because I felt like I lost all of that when my grandfather and father left.”
“Oh, Lacy…” Derek pulled her closer, resting his cheek on her hair. “I wish I could go back in time and spare you all of that pain.”
Lacy clung to him. “Me too,” she murmured. “But I’m okay now, I promise. Or, at least, I’m getting there.” She pulled back again so that she could look at him. “Now that these things have been clarified for me, I’ve been thinking that maybe Snowy Pine Ridge could use a seasoned financial and loans consultant like myself on a semi-permanent basis.”
Derek gave her a crooked grin and leaned down to kiss her. “The more permanent the better.”
Lacy laughed. “This town has sort of stolen my heart, you know, so that just might happen.”
“Just the town?” Derek teased, but there was a look in his eyes that made Lacy’s heart race.
Before she could answer, Derek took her hand and tugged it gently, pulling her back through the ballroom, weaving through the couples dancing. Soon he was helping her shrug into her coat and pulling his on as well.
“What are you doing?” Lacy asked, laughing.
Derek pinned her with a look. “I want to get away with you.”
“Get away…?” Lacy asked as Derek pulled her out onto the front porch and down the front steps.
Instead of answering, Derek whistled and, a moment later, she heard the jingling of bells as Derek’s dogsled team trotted up. Lacy gaped, amazed to see the team waiting obediently and turned to stare at Derek.
“You want to leave on a dogsled? The moonlit dogsled rides aren’t supposed to start for another hour!”
“The advantage of being in charge of the dogsled rides,” Derek pointed out, “is that I can change the schedule whenever I want.”
With that, Derek scooped Lacy up and set her on the sled, climbing up behind her as her laughter rang out through the night. Wrapping his arms around her, Derek whistled and called out a command to his team and they plunged forward, taking off into the night. As they flew over the snow, Lacy nestled into Derek’s arms, relishing the wind whipping through her hair. Certainty spread through her as Derek guided the team through the festively-lit town, and she knew deep in her bones that she was exactly where she belonged, especially with Derek by her side.
“Having fun?” Derek asked in her ear.
Lacy twisted a little so she could look up at him, nodding.
“This might just be the best night of my life,” she told him truthfully, hope and love bursting in her chest. “And I can’t wait to see what comes next.”
* * *
