Love Storm Page 3

  You and Ben are back together, Brooklyn guessed, rolling her eyes skyward and shaking her head from side to side. “What?”

  “Ben and I are back together.”

  “Really?” She tried to sound both surprised and upbeat at the same time. “Hey Jules that’s great.”

  “Isn’t it? Ben apologized and sent me the most beautiful roses this afternoon, and as soon as he finishes his shift we’re going to go out for a late dinner to talk things out.”

  “Order the lobster,” Brooklyn teased. “Just to make sure he’s really sorry.”

  “Good idea,” Julia giggled.

  Personally Brooklyn thought that Julia could do a lot better than Ben Shaner, but she knew better than to say anything. They’d had that talk on more than one occasion, and she knew that it was up to Julia to make her own decisions now.

  “So where were you when I called? I was afraid you might have gotten stuck somewhere in the storm.”

  “No, the roads were terrible, but I made it to the cabin a while ago. I was eating dinner when you called.”

  “Since when don’t you take my calls when you’re eating?” Julia asked, sounding slightly offended.

  “Um, when I’m sitting across the table from Ryan Landry.”

  “Excuse me?” Julia demanded, her voice raising at least two octaves. “Did you just say you were having dinner with Ryan Landry?”

  “I know right. How crazy is that?” Julia was the one person who knew just how hard she’d fallen for Ryan way back when, and the only person, aside from Ryan of course, who knew what she’d done the night of Wade’s birthday party.

  “Ryan Landry is at Kate and Wade’s cabin? Are you kidding me?”

  “No, I’m not kidding. I swear. When I talked to Kate about coming up here for the week she didn’t realize that Wade had already offered to let Ryan stay here while he’s out on injured reserve. I guess he’s having some work done on his house in Denver or something and he wanted to get away.”

  “Oh my gosh, Brook. What are you going to do?”

  “Unfortunately there’s not much I can do. It doesn’t look like the storm is going to let up anytime soon, so I’m pretty much stuck here until the weather clears.”

  “Oh wow! I can’t believe it.”

  “I know.”

  “So has he said anything? You know, about the last time you two saw each other?”

  “No, thank goodness.” Clearly he was too much of a gentleman to bring it up. “But you are never going to believe what happened when I first got here.”

  Fifteen minutes later she had completely filled Julia in on all that had happened since she’d arrived at the cabin, and then for the next ten minutes she listened in incredulity as Julia tried to convince her to give it another shot with Ryan. “Forget it Jules, it’s not going to happen! There is no way I am going to humiliate myself like that ever again.”

  “Come on, Brooke. I didn’t say you have to try and seduce him, just flirt with him a little bit and see what happens.”

  “You’re crazy. I know exactly what will happen, absolutely nothing. Well actually, not nothing, he’ll just think that I’m the same pathetic loser I was four years ago and reject me all over again.”

  “Brooklyn, you are not now, nor were you ever a pathetic loser,” Julia stated adamantly. “Besides, like I’ve already told you a hundred times, I’m sure that he was interested, just like every other guy you’ve ever met,” she added wryly, “he just didn’t act on it because of his friendship with Wade.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She hesitated. “Maybe you’re right,” she said, not because she believed it, but rather to placate Julia.

  “I know I’m right, so listen up. “You’re not eighteen anymore Brooke. You are a beautiful, confident woman now, and Ryan Landry would be darn lucky to have you. So if you still want him, I say go for it. Go get him.”

  “Jules-”

  Come on, now that you and Mr. No-Sex-Before-Marriage aren’t together anymore, don’t you think it’s about time you started living a little, you know, take a few risks. Get out there and have a little fun for pete’s sake.”

  “Oh no, please don’t start,” Brooklyn groaned, knowing exactly where the conversation was headed if she let it, to the fact that she was twenty-two years old and still a virgin.

  “Hey, I’m just saying.”

  “I know, I know. Give me a break already, would you.” When she’d started dating Kevin Robertson during her sophomore year of college she’d known that he was devoted to his Mormon faith, but what she hadn’t realized at the time was just how strongly opposed he was to pre-marital sex, and that he had absolutely no intention of deviating from his long-held beliefs, no matter how long they dated. Just over two years to be precise. Finally, just a few weeks before they’d graduated, their relationship had come to the point where they either needed to move forward and get engaged, or go their separate ways. Though a part of her would always love Kevin, for he was one of the sweetest guys she’d ever met, she just hadn’t been ready to take that next step with him. Fortunately however, they had managed to part as friends.

  “Fine, I’ll stop,” Julia said with a huff.

  “Thank you!” Although she had absolutely no intention of following her friend’s advice, talking to Julia had been entertaining, if nothing else.

  When Brooklyn made her way back downstairs several minutes later, she found Ryan comfortably seated on the reclining leather sofa in the large family room, the television remote in his right hand pointed at the sixty inch plasma mounted within the room’s massive entertainment center. “Anything good on?” she asked.

  “Nah, I think the storm is messing with the satellite reception,” he said turning toward her.

  “Well if you’re looking for something to watch, Wade’s got a ton of movies in there,” she said, pointing toward one of the tall cabinets that flanked the entertainment center.

  “I’m up for a movie,” he said with a nod. “How about you?”

  “Sure.”

  “Tell you what, I’ll even let you pick.”

  “Okay. Comedy, or action-adventure?” she asked, as she walked toward the movie cabinet and opened one of the narrow doors.

  “Surprise me.”

  She quickly decided on comedy, and after a quick perusal of the available choices, she grabbed one of her brother-in-law’s all-time favorites. Slipping it into the DVD player, she turned around and walked to the sofa, taking the seat on the opposite end from where Ryan sat. Grabbing the plush throw that was draped over the back of the couch, she reclined her seat and then tossed the blanket over her legs as Ryan began pushing buttons on the enormous remote control.

  “Okay, let’s see how you did,” he said teasingly, as he reached over to the end table and switched off the lamp.

  As the theme music to Caddyshack began, and the opening scene showing the automatic sprinklers spraying the lush green fairways of Bushwood Country Club’s sprawling golf course began to roll, Brooklyn cast a tentative sidelong glance toward Ryan.

  Ryan turned toward her, smiling widely in approval. “You’ve gotta love the classics.”

  She couldn’t help grinning in return. “I’m glad you approve.”

  As they settled in to watch Chevy Chase and Bill Murray do their thing, the atmosphere between her and Ryan was surprisingly relaxed. They didn’t talk much, other than commenting on the movie once in a while, and the nervous tension Brooklyn had been feeling since her arrival at the cabin had just about faded away completely.

  By the end of the show, she almost felt comfortable sitting on the sofa just a few feet away from Ryan Landry, almost.

  “Are you up for another one?” Ryan asked, turning to look at Brooklyn as the end credits began to scroll along the screen.

  Glancing toward the large wall-clock, Brooklyn saw that it was still early, just a few minutes past eight-thirty. “Sure, why not. But you pick this time.”r />
  She wasn’t overly surprised when the first Terminator movie lit up the screen a few minutes later. It was another of Wade’s favorites. Clearly he and Ryan had similar taste in movies.

  Nearly two hours later, when Arnold Schwarzenegger had finally been reduced to a red-eyed pile of scrap metal, Brooklyn was ready to call it a night. She’d gotten up extra early that morning and it was finally catching up with her; she’d been fighting her droopy eyelids for the past half hour. “Well, that’s it for me. I think I’m going to call it a night,” she said, pulling the warm blanket from her legs and tossing it over the back of the sofa cushion as she stood up.

  “Yeah, I think I’ll turn in too.” Ryan pushed the footrest back into the sofa with his heels and switched the power button off on the remote. “Oops, sorry,” he said as the room went dark. Fortunately, the faint glow of the moon’s reflection bouncing off of the freshly fallen snow, shown through the uncovered two-story windows and cast enough light into the room for them to be able to see.

  “That’s alright. I’ve got it,” Brooklyn said with a tiny laugh as she moved to the nearby staircase and flipped on the hallway light.

  “Thanks,” he said, moving in Brooklyn’s direction. He stopped just a few feet from where she stood at the foot of the stairs. “So are you going to be okay up there?” he asked politely. “You can take the master bedroom if you’d like. I don’t mind moving my stuff upstairs.”

  “No, it’s fine really. I usually stay in one of the upstairs bedrooms anyway.”

  “Okay,” he nodded slightly. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning then.”

  “Okay.” She gave him a slight smile. “Good night, Ryan.”

  “Good night.”

  She started up the steps as Ryan turned toward the master bedroom, but on the third step she hesitated. “Ryan.”

  He turned.

  “Um, I just wanted to say thanks.”

  He cocked his head to the side, eying her curiously.

  “For tonight I mean, for being so nice about…everything. And well, you know….” She trailed off, assuming he would know what she meant. For not bringing up the huge elephant in the room. His eyes widened slightly as he seemed to grasp what she was implying, and for a split second she wanted to kick herself for saying anything at all. But then, as she watched, he smiled slightly and his expression grew warm, almost tender.

  Knowing exactly what she was referring to, Ryan smiled understandingly and then gave her a playful wink to lighten the moment.

  Brooklyn smiled back shyly, feeling an almost overwhelming sense of relief flood through her. Then, turning away, she continued slowly up the stairs.

  He told himself not to do it, but after hesitating for a few seconds, he did it anyway. “Brooklyn.”

  His voice stopped her just a few feet from the upper landing, and as she glanced over the smooth wooden railing, she saw him still standing there below, looking up at her.

  “Just so you know,” he began softly, his eyes locked on hers, “sending you away that night…was one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do.” Then, with a rueful smile, he turned and slowly walked away.

  She stood there for several seconds after he’d gone, and for several more seconds after she heard the latch click into place on the master bedroom door, unable to move, her heart in her throat. Then, moments later, when she was finally able to unlock her frozen limbs, she climbed the last few steps. In a daze, she walked into the bedroom and quietly shut the door behind her. Without turning on the light, she moved to the bed and sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress, replaying Ryan’s words over and over in her mind. Had he meant what she thought he meant? Was it possible that Julia had been right all along? Had he rejected her, not because he hadn’t been attracted to her, but because of his friendship with her over-protective brother-in-law? Could it be, or was he just trying to make her feel better?

  Lying back on the bed, Brooklyn stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts suddenly spinning in a crazy whirl.

  Chapter 3

  When Brooklyn entered the kitchen the following morning, she found Ryan sitting at the kitchen table holding a steaming cup of coffee. He was watching the morning news on the flat-panel television mounted on the opposite wall, but turned toward her as she walked in. Apparently the satellite dish was working again, she noted.

  “Good morning,” he greeted. “Did you sleep well?”

  After his parting comment the night before? No she hadn’t slept well. “Yeah, I slept great. You?” She eyed Ryan’s light blue, long-sleeved button front shirt, wishing she’d had something nicer to wear than jeans and a pullover sweatshirt, but unfortunately her options had been limited. If she’d known she would be spending the next several days with a drop-dead gorgeous football stud, she would have packed differently.

  “Like a rock,” he lied. He wondered what she would think if she had even the slightest idea that he had been secretly hoping she would show up in his room last night, like she had four years ago. Unfortunately, he knew exactly what Wade would think. Then again, it wasn’t as if Brooklyn was a teenager anymore, he thought. Especially now, with her hair falling around her face in long, lustrous blonde waves, free of the previous day’s youthful ponytail, she looked every inch a woman full grown. And truth be told, he wasn’t the same person he’d been four years ago either.

  “I made coffee. The pot’s full if you’d like some.”

  “Thanks. It smells good,” she replied, as she walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a large coffee mug. Glancing out the kitchen window, she saw that the snow was lightly falling once again, and then she shifted her gaze to the ground. “Wow, we must have gotten at least eight inches last night and it’s still coming down.” She doubted that the roads had been cleared.

  “Yeah I know,” Ryan replied, grabbing the TV remote and turning down the volume. “It looks like you’re going to be stuck with me a while longer. I hope you don’t mind.” His voice was light and playful.

  Fortunately her back was to him as she filled her coffee cup, so he couldn’t see the tiny smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. “I don’t mind if you don’t”

  “To be perfectly honest, I’m enjoying the company,” he admitted.

  Schooling her features into a composed façade, she tried to keep the satisfaction from showing on her face as she turned around and moved to the table, cup in hand. She’d done a lot of thinking last night, and she’d finally made a decision. She certainly wasn’t going to throw herself at him again, but if he made the first move, well then, she was definitely going to consider taking Julia’s advice. She was a woman now, and she might as well live a little. She wasn’t naïve enough to think that she had a future with someone like Ryan Landry, but if she kept her head about her, and her emotions in check, what was wrong with having a little fun? She supposed she was just going to have to wait and see how things played out.

  “Did you catch the weather forecast?” she asked, glancing toward the television as she set her cup down and took a seat at the table.

  “Yep. It looks like we’re probably going to get several more inches between today and tomorrow.”

  “Oh.” She lifted the coffee cup to her lips to hide her smile, and then took a small sip.

  “So what’s on the agenda for today?” Ryan asked.

  “Hmm, I’m not really sure.” She sat her cup back on the table. “Any thoughts?”

  “Well, if you’re up for it, I was thinking we could take the snowmobiles out,” Ryan suggested. “The wind seems to have died down, and Wade mentioned that there are some pretty good trails not too far from here.”

  “There are.” There were only about a dozen or so cabins situated along this particular section of the road, but there was a small ski resort located several miles to the east, and the surrounding public lands were popular with both cross-country skiers and snowmobile enthusiasts alike. She knew that Wade kept four top-of-the-line machines out in the garage, along with seve
ral sets of skis and snowboards, for whenever their family got together at the cabin, skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling were always some of their favorite pastimes. “And sure, I’d love to,” she nodded. “But are you sure it’s okay,” she motioned to his head, “with your recent head injury?”

  “Don’t worry,” Ryan assured her. “It was only a mild concussion. As long as I don’t crash into any tress I’ll be fine.”

  She eyed him speculatively.

  “I’ll take it easy, I promise.”

  “Alright then, it sounds like fun.” She’d just have to make sure to keep them away from the more rugged trails.

  “Great. I’ll whip us up a little breakfast and then we can head out.”

  “You’re making breakfast?”

  “I was thinking ham and cheese omelets.”

  “Yum. Do you want some help?”

  “Nope,” Ryan said, as he pushed back his chair and stood up. “Enjoy your coffee. You can make lunch if you want.”

  “Deal,” she agreed.

  Once they finished their omelets, which were delicious and just another point in Ryan’s favor, Brooklyn quickly washed the dishes as Ryan headed out to the garage. When she joined him a few minutes later, he’d already gotten Wade and Kate’s snow gear from the storage locker and had it set out atop two of the snow machines, along with helmets, boots and gloves. Fortunately, she and her sister were about the same size, but Ryan was sure to be dwarfed in Wade’s outer garments.

  Sure enough, as soon as he slipped into Wade’s one piece blue and grey snowsuit, Ryan looked like a slightly more colorful version of the Michelin Man, the well-known symbol of the Michelin tire company.

  “No laughing,” he said, glancing toward Brooklyn with a mock scowl as he pulled the zipper up to his chin.

  “Sorry.” She immediately put her gloved hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles as she turned to grab the smaller of the two helmets.

  As soon as they were suited up, he and Brooklyn got the snowmobiles out to the driveway and started them up. They both roared to life with little effort, and Ryan was glad to see that they each had a full tank of gas. “Looks like we’re all set,” he shouted through the thickly padded helmet, then went to the keypad and shut the garage door before jumping onto the larger of the two sleds. Moments later they were off, with Brooklyn being familiar with the area leading the way.