LITMIR.BIZ

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aisle and skidded to a stop in front of the two women.

      “I think Grandma has some ice cream in the freezer,” Tanya said. “If we ask nicely, I’ll bet she’ll share with us.” She stood. “We’d better go. It’s getting late.”

      Angela followed them up the aisle to the lobby. “See you Tuesday, if not before,” she called. Tanya knelt to help Annie zip the denim jacket she wore. Even in June the nights were much cooler here in the mountains than they’d been in California.

      “I can’t wait until it snows,” Annie said, squirming out of her mother’s reach. “Grandpa said he’d take me sledding after school.”

      Tanya smiled, remembering the hours she’d spent on the local sledding hill as a child. Swallowing her pride and moving back in with her parents had been difficult in many ways, but at times like this she was sure she’d done the right thing. Despite all the changes, some of the good things she remembered from her childhood remained, and she wanted Annie to experience them all, to have the kind of memories that had seen Tanya through tough times in California. So what if she was never going to be the local darling again? Annie was the reason she’d come home to Crested Butte—the only reason she needed.

      Chapter Two

      The offices of Crenshaw Construction occupied a soaring cedar-and-glass A-frame in Crested Butte South. The building was less than a year old, and every time Jack entered it, he felt a surge of pride and satisfaction.

      When he’d joined his dad in the family business shortly after graduating from college, it had been a small concern specializing in remodels and the occasional new home build. Now it was a multimillion-dollar concern, one of the leading builders in the area.

      Jack had been at work for more than an hour Friday morning when his father strolled in and settled his big frame into a chair across his son’s desk.

      Jack’s dog, a golden retriever mix aptly named Nugget, trotted from his favorite spot beneath the open window to greet the older man and was rewarded with a scratch behind the ears. Jack had adopted the dog six months before and the pup had the run of the office, though he spent most of his time close by Jack. “Did you get those scrims over to the theater last night?” Andy Crenshaw asked in an accent that betrayed his Minnesota roots. Though he’d officially retired last year as president of the company, he still maintained an office in the building and spent a few hours a week there, helping out as needed. The rest of his time was devoted to fly-fishing in the summer, skiing in the winter and traveling with Jack’s mom, Carrie.

      “I dropped them off on my way home last night,” Jack said.

      “You work too late,” Andy said.

      “There’s a lot to do, Dad.” The exchange was an oft-repeated one between them, with all the comfortable familiarity of a pair of worn boots. Next, his dad would remark that Jack needed a haircut, or that he was letting the construction hands get away with too much by allowing them to stop work an hour early on Fridays.

      But Andy didn’t stick to the script this morning. “You should never let a job get so big it takes over your life,” he said. “That’s why I kept things small when you and your sister were kids. I wanted to be home to have dinner as a family and to coach your softball teams and be in the stands at your basketball games.”

      Worry pinched at the back of Jack’s neck. Why was his dad bringing this up now? “I always appreciated that,” he said. His parents had been his biggest supporters, encouraging him to believe he was capable of anything. A nagging thought pricked at him. “Dad, you don’t think I expanded the business because I didn’t think you did enough, do you?”

      “No, no! I know you did it because it’s what comes natural for you.” Andy smiled, deep creases forming at the corners of his mouth and eyes from years spent working out of doors. “Everything you’ve ever done, you’ve worked hard to be the best, whether it was basketball or construction. I’m proud of you, son, but I’d like to see you with more in your life than work.”

      “I have more in my life, Dad. I have plenty of friends. And I have Nugget.” At the mention of his name, the dog fanned the air with his luxurious tail.

      “I’m talking family.” Andy leaned forward, his bright blue eyes fixed on his son. “If you had a wife and kids to come home to, you wouldn’t be so interested in always working late.” He sat back. “Not that I’m pressuring you or anything—just making an observation.”

      “Dad, what brought this on?” Jack asked. Andy wasn’t inclined to make impromptu lectures on serious subjects.

      Andy looked sheepish. “Aww, Maggie Calloway’s youngest is pregnant with Maggie’s fourth grandchild, and your mother is getting antsy. She asked me to put a bug in your ear.”

      Jack laughed, relieved that the explanation was a familiar one. “Tell Mom I’m sufficiently bugged. And she shouldn’t worry. I plan on getting married one day—when the right woman comes along.”

      Andy nodded, and his gaze shifted to the view of the mountains afforded by the expanse of glass to their right. “See anybody you know at the theater last night?” he asked.

      The tension immediately returned to Jack’s shoulders. Apparently the impending arrival of another grandchild for his mom’s best friend wasn’t the only trigger for this conversation. “Tanya was there,” he said.

      “I hear she’s doing a good job with the theater and the Arts Center,” Andy said. “Folks say we were lucky to get someone with her experience.”

      Tanya’s stint in Hollywood had certainly given her some impressive acting credentials, though from what he could see, her time out there had changed her in other ways he didn’t view as favorably. The brittle, sophisticated woman who had confronted him last night wasn’t the sweet, laughing girl he remembered.

      “I always liked Tanya,” his dad continued. “I was glad to hear she’d come back to town.”

      “Enough, Dad. Tanya and I are not going to get back together.”

      “Who said anything about the two of you getting back together?” His dad tried but failed to master an innocent look. “The two of you were good friends at one time. There’s nothing wrong with renewing an old friendship.”

      He and Tanya had been a lot more than friends. Tanya had practically been part of the Crenshaw family. In fact, everyone had assumed she would be part of the family as soon as a wedding could be arranged. Everyone, apparently, except Tanya herself.

      “Let’s change the subject, okay?” Jack said. “What do you have planned for today?”

      “I thought I’d help the boys get that booth set up for the Humane Society for their fund-raiser tomorrow,” he said.

      Jack nodded. Weeks ago, his dad had volunteered them to donate construction of a booth to house the Humane Society’s display for a festival. Andy had drilled into Jack the importance of giving back to the community. Jack also suspected these projects were yet another effort to encourage him to circulate among eligible females. “That’s great, Dad. I appreciate your help.”

      Andy rose from his chair. “Do me a favor, son. Take off early tonight and go out and have some fun.”

      “Don’t worry, Dad.” He kept a smile on his face until his father left the room, then he let out a breath and collapsed back in his chair. Fun. He had half a dozen major projects under way, bids to prepare for a new condo development, and a leak to fix in his roof, and his dad was concerned he wasn’t having enough fun. Well, there was a time and a place for fun and Jack didn’t think this was it.

      Unbidden, his mind flashed an image of Tanya standing before him last night—arms folded, lips pursed, tension radiating from her like mist from a pond on a frosty morning. She hadn’t looked as if she was enjoying life much at that moment, either.

      The two of them had had a lot of fun at one time. He recalled one evening, not long before

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