revealing a fisherman’s chunky-knit cardigan underneath, and hung them on the rack near the door. “John. What did you make for dinner?” He made his way over to the stove and groaned with dismay. “Aw, stroganoff again?”
“Bunny made it. It’s simple. The kids love it,” John explained, then teased his friend. “You don’t like it, I got some kibble you could help yourself to.”
Dan dismissed the mock threat. “I’ll take the strog.” He picked up a fork, ate a bite of stroganoff straight out of the pot, and chewed contemplatively.
When John finished cleaning the kitchen, they adjourned to the backgammon table in the next room. Dan carried the pot with him and continued eating while they played.
“Double sixes!” John said, putting down the dice cup. “Again.”
“For the love of Pete,” Dan groused good-naturedly around a mouthful of stroganoff. “So how’d things go with what’s-her-name?”
“Oh,” John said. “Well, she force-fed me tofu.”
“Ew,” Dan commiserated.
“Yeah, it wasn’t a good fit,” John replied. “I don’t really like being set up, anyway, to tell you the truth. I think these things should happen naturally and organically, come together easily, like two pieces of a puzzle.”
He and Julie had fit together from the start. He had been working in a training clinic one morning when a petite blonde girl walked in carrying an injured seventy-pound yellow Labrador retriever.
“Pixie’s been hit by a car,” she’d explained. Throughout the examination, Julie had refused to leave Pixie’s side, obviously terrified her pet would not recover.
John’s heart had contracted with pain for her. His instincts had always been to ease suffering, which was one reason he had gone into veterinary medicine. But he’d felt a particularly urgent need to help Julie.
To keep her mind off her fear, he’d struck up a conversation with her. During X-rays and blood analysis and various other tests, they’d talked for more than an hour. He’d learned she was an undergrad studying for a business degree and lived at home with her parents to save money. That had led to a discussion about family and animals and what an important part their pets played in their families.
Finally, John had been able to assure Julie that Pixie’s injuries were limited to torn ligaments and a broken leg, which he could repair surgically.
Julie had cried with relief and hugged John. He had already been drawn to her, and her love for her dog had made the attraction even stronger.
Pixie had come through the surgery with flying colors. Afterward, John had offered to come by and check on her for the first week, and Julie had gladly accepted. John and Julie had gradually gotten to know each other and had begun to date.
Because they’d been students, most of their dates were simple. They had studied together, ridden horses, hiked, and gone on picnics. After Pixie’s leg had improved, they’d taken her hiking with them. And they’d talked, always talked. Everything about being with her had felt so natural, so right.
John wondered if he’d ever love like that again.
Dan rattled the backgammon dice in the cup and rolled them, pulling John back to the present. Dan gave a satisfied grunt. “Double fives. I’ll take it.” He moved his checker and took another bite of stroganoff. “Your turn.”
John rolled the dice.
Chapter 6
Jennifer looked forward to the drive from Denver International Airport up to Aspen. Taught by her mom, she’d gotten her driver’s license during high school, like Meredith and most of her other friends in New Jersey had. Jennifer was a good driver, but living in New York, she didn’t get to do it very often anymore. She missed it. Long drives alone refreshed her and helped clear her mind.
Her travel day hadn’t started out well. Her flight to Denver had been delayed. Then it had been canceled altogether, and all of the people on her plane had been rebooked on flights later in the day. She’d ended up in a middle seat toward the back of the plane.
In Denver, after waiting at the baggage carousel for half an hour, she’d discovered that her luggage had been put on an earlier flight and was in a holding area. By the time she reached the car rental counter, she was frustrated and in a hurry. She hadn’t even considered spending a night in Denver, especially since she had intended to arrive much earlier in the day. And a posh, private chalet awaited her. At this point, she didn’t want to waste another minute of the luxurious vacation Paula had promised her.
“Jennifer Wade,” the car rental agent said. He gave her a questioning look.
“Yes, that Jennifer Wade, yes,” she acknowledged. She was used to being recognized in New York.
But the rental agent’s face did not register any recognition. Maybe she wasn’t as recognizable here as she was in New York, where her likeness was plastered on billboards. He consulted his computer terminal. “Yup, we’ve got a nice four-wheel-drive SUV for you.”
That didn’t sound very fun to Jennifer at all. A clunky old SUV? She’d been hoping for something a bit more luxurious or sleek to start off her vacation. “Ooh, do you have anything a little faster?” she asked. “I was hoping I could get there before it’s too dark.”
The clerk hesitated. “An SUV would be a great choice in this weather.”
She smiled one of her patented Jennifer Wade smiles that always got her what she wanted. It was an expression of friendly determination with a flash of challenge in her eyes. Paula called that smile “velvet over steel.”
The rental agent sighed. “Well, there are a couple of options I could show you. Will you be needing to rent a GPS today?”
Jennifer held up her smartphone for him to see. “Everything I need is in here.”
The clerk smiled wanly and clicked something on his computer. He printed out her rental agreement, and it took an exasperating amount of time to complete it—sheesh, there was a waiver for turning down the GPS?
It was late afternoon and snowing by the time she pulled out of the rental car lot. The weather had turned the skies gloomy. And it was rush hour. The silver sports coupe she had chosen crawled along I-70 heading west through Denver. The sun was low on the horizon, nearly blinding her. She flipped down her visor and put on a pair of sunglasses.
“What time does the sun set today?” she asked the electronic assistant on her telephone.
“The sun will set at 4:38 pm today,” the electronic voice answered.
She blew out an annoyed breath. The last thing she wanted was to be wandering around in the dark looking for an unfamiliar place. When she had asked the car rental agent for directions, he had told her, “It’s a straight shot on I-70 for hours. Then there are lots of signs—you can’t miss it.”
But she might miss it, especially if it was dark and snowing. Well, at least no one was at the chalet waiting for her. There were no engagements, no deadlines, nothing to do but
