Page 48 of All I Want For Christmas Is You

“Okay, that’s interesting.” Where Beau’s hair was straight, dark, and brushed his collar, Walker’s was neatly trimmed, wavy, and blond. “If I ran into him in the lobby, I wouldn’t think he was your son.”

“He’s got his mom’s coloring.”

“He’s handsome. Can I see Courtney?”

His mood darkened. “I don’t have any of her.”

“Not one?”

“Nope.”

“Hm.” She tossed the phone onto his lap. “I guess after what she did to you and your daughter, you wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, I’m still salty about it.”

“I don’t blame you. Okay, we’ll forget about your ex. Show me the mine.”

“No, hang on. I can find her on social media.”

As he searched, she admired his profile, his strong features and kissable mouth. She loved the smooth skin of his broad shoulder and the sprinkling of fine hairs across his chest. The way he narrowed his eyes made him look like a movie star in an old western. She could picture him with his hat tugged down low, leaving the focus on those piercing blue eyes and his masculine jaw.

“She’s got everything set to private, but here’s an old one.” He handed the phone over.

A blond-haired, slender woman stared right into the camera. “She’s gorgeous.”

“I’m sure she is, but I haven’t seen her beauty in a very long time.”

“You said she mismanaged your daughter’s career. What does she do?”

“She’s in the music industry.” He quickly scrolled through more images. “Here, let me show you the mine.”

“Wait.” She leaned across his chest. “What’s this?”

“That’s the lodge we built.”

“You own a whole-ass lodge, too?”

“Yeah, I’ve developed the land a bit. I’m trying to bridge it to town.”

“What else do you have? Your own Grand Canyon?”

“Uh, no. That’s not a bad idea, but we’re sticking with a Wild West theme.” He grinned.

“Poor, poor Courtney. She could’ve had her hand in all this.”

“Nah, it’s not her style. She’s more Fashion Week than Gold Prospector. You’d love it, though. The lodge has costumed employees, and we went all-out with the décor. You feel like you’re back in the eighteen hundreds, only it’s all luxury. We’ve even got a place where tourists can pan for gold, and then this…” He skipped ahead until he found an unfinished building. “This is the shopping center. That’s the newest addition.”

“What will it sell?”

“Well, that’s the question. We haven’t hired a commercial realtor yet since we’re still trying to figure that out.”

“You’re a busy man.” Up until this moment, she’d had a spark of hope. Just one, tiny little burning ember that maybe, possibly, something could happen between them.

Because I have nothing going on. Anything’s possible for me.

But not for Beau. He had a full life. And the moment he left Merry Falls, he’d get swallowed up in it, and he’d forget all about her. Sure, a memory might pop up here or there. But it’d be a passing thing.

For her, his scent would linger in the air like a candle. His ghost would flutter through her room as a constant reminder.

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