exactly what was happening inside Shannon’s body. Something had gone wrong with her blood’s ability to clot. Patrick was so shocked when he heard she was in the ICU, he didn’t really remember the details. Suffice it to say, Shannon died on the very day she should have graduated from high school.
Patrick went through hell for several months, but it was nothing compared to what Colleen, Mark, and Abigail were still going through. No way could he ever withstand that kind of personal loss, hence his desire to stay single and kid-free. He knuckled away an unshed tear and parked the Hummer in his assigned parking place. He slid out of the driver’s seat into the bitter early-morning air and jammed his hands in his pockets. His heavy boots crunched against the slush and ice as he walked across the parking lot to the employee entrance of Snow Zone. Damn it’s cold!
Heavy snow was in the forecast for the weekend. He smiled. Fresh white powder would have skiers waiting in the lift lines for hours. The resort would be especially jam-packed that night as well. It was the night for the Christmas tree-lighting extravaganza. Patrick usually got a big kick out of it, but this year his heart wasn’t really into the holiday spirit. His thoughts always returned to Colleen and Shannon. This would be the second year without her.
His parents had retired to Florida after Shannon’s death. Claire remained in California, unmarried, a workaholic. She had a successful law firm that took up her every waking moment. She’d flown in for Shannon’s memorial service and left immediately after. The rest of the family living in Colorado had gathered at the oldest sibling’s house. Last Christmas, his four brothers, Connor, Aidan, Ronan, and Michael, all of whom had married only within the last ten years, and their wives and kids had made a half-hearted attempt at a celebration, for the sake of the kids, but none of their hearts were into the holidays either. Since they were an extremely close-knit Irish family, Shannon’s loss had devastated them all. Shannon had been the first grandchild, the first niece. Nothing would ever be the same again.
Patrick pushed all thoughts of sadness aside. There would be time for those memories later. Before opening the employee door, he scraped the ice and brown slush from his boots on the boot scraper beside the door. He could have gone in through the store’s public entrance; he had keys and knew the security code, but he wanted to make a surprise visit. It was his way of checking up on his employees. They never knew when to expect him, kept them on their toes. Max didn’t approve of this tactic but allowed it since Patrick ran the entire operation. He’d already spied dozens of early birds waiting patiently in their heated vehicles in the parking lot. Patrick hoped Candy Lee and Stephanie were prepared for the rush.
Entering through the back door, he was greeted by the pleasing scent of coffee and a hint of cinnamon. Before Stephanie or Candy Lee saw him, he made his way up and down the aisles, inspecting the shelves piled high with sweaters, hats, scarves, and a dozen other varieties of clothing that promised to keep their wearers warm. Personally, he never hit the slopes without wearing his Hot Chillys, long johns that truly stood up to the test. He saw that the Hot Chillys display was stocked in all colors and sizes for men, women, and children. Satisfied that there was enough stock to keep the shoppers shopping, Patrick weaved his way through the narrow aisles to the front of the shop. Stephanie and Candy Lee were both sipping from forest green mugs and munching on donuts. Damn, what did they think this was? Snack time? They should be…working, not smiling and eating.
C’mon, Patrick, they have to eat!
He shook his head, hoping to clear his thoughts of any negativity. Today called for a positive attitude. Optimism, his mother always advised, when faced with negativity. Growing up, she’d taught him and his brothers and sisters that they were the masters of their lives, and always had the power to choose between optimism or pessimism. Since Shannon’s death, more often than not, he’d chosen pessimism. Maybe it was time to turn over a new leaf? Wasn’t Christmastime considered to be a time of goodwill and charity? With his mood suddenly shifting to buoyant while he watched Stephanie laugh as she conversed with Candy Lee, he decided he would choose to be optimistic that day. And it had nothing to do with the image in front of him either. At least that’s what he wanted to believe. But deep down, he couldn’t deny the simple joy just being in her presence gave him. He felt warm all over as he continued to watch and, yes, admire her. Any man would admire those long legs encased in tight black ski pants that accentuated every curve of her body. A moss-colored Hot Chillys thermal turtleneck clung attractively to her petite frame. She definitely had curves in all the right places. Add the warm brown eyes and hair the color of nutmeg, and Patrick couldn’t find a single thing he didn’t like about her physical appearance. Hell, he couldn’t think of anything he didn’t like about her period except for the fact that she was the mother of two young daughters. Amanda and Ashley were as sweet as sugarplums, too. They’d pounced all over him when Stephanie had introduced them. They were very much in need of a father, but he was not willing to play that role.
Before he had a chance to make his presence known, Stephanie spied him lingering in the center aisle opposite the front registers.
“Patrick, I had no idea you were coming in this early. Come and have some coffee and donuts before they’re all gone. Candy Lee and I concluded that shopping makes you extremely hungry.” She smiled at him as though he were the greatest thing since sliced bread. His heart flip-flopped, then did a backward somersault.
“No thanks. I’m only here for a minute. Just wanted to make sure you were prepared for the onslaught.” Patrick crammed his hands in his pockets for fear he’d reach out to smooth the unruly curl that clung to Stephanie’s peach-colored cheek.
Stephanie placed her mug on the counter and wiped her mouth with a paper napkin covered with snowmen and reindeer. “I think we’re more than ready. Between the two of us, we should be able to handle the rush. If we get too swamped, Melanie said she would help out. She’s bringing the girls over to ski today.”
Patrick wasn’t sure how to reply, so he just nodded. Damn this woman. She made him feel like an inexperienced teenager. All clumsy and unsure of himself. He hated the loss of control.
Stephanie stared at him, the smile leaving her face. “Is that all right? If not, I can tell her to forget it. She said she would stop in before they hit the slopes.”
Patrick heard the words, but couldn’t have repeated what they were if his life depended on it.
“Patrick! Are you listening to anything she’s saying?” Candy Lee asked, her voice several octaves higher than normal.
He blinked his eyes, then shook his head. “Uh, yes, I was thinking.”
Candy Lee, never one to mince words with Patrick and always getting away with it because she was not much younger than the age Shannon would’ve been had she lived, came out from behind the counter to stand beside him. She cupped his elbow in her small hand, guiding him to a stool behind the counter. She put a small finger to his lips. She poured coffee, a large portion of Half and Half, and three scoops of sugar into a white mug decorated with Santas. She plated three donuts from the box beneath the counter. A chocolate-covered glazed, a cream-filled, and a French cruller. “Get some sugar and caffeine into your system. You sound really stupid, Patrick. And I don’t believe you were thinking either,” she added, squinting her bright blue eyes into slits.
Patrick took a sip of the hot coffee, then took a huge bite of the chocolate-covered confection. Damn, maybe Candy Lee was onto something. This was decadent, almost pure bliss. “Stupid, huh?” he said, then finished off the rest of the donut.
“Well, yes. You have that off look on your face, you know, like you’re off in another world or something,” Candy Lee explained.
Patrick took a sip of coffee, then bit into the French cruller. He finished it off in three bites before attacking the cream-filled donut. He would have
