specialty was women. While his colleagues on rescue patrol could attest he was a remarkably skilled skier, it was his expertise with females that made him infamous throughout Cielo Peak, Colorado. He may have set a town record with the number of women he’d dated, but he also used his powers for good. When a neighbor had been hell-bent on running over her unfaithful husband, it was Justin who’d charmed her into relinquishing her car keys. Over the summer, when his sister, Arden, had been in the clutches of pregnancy mood swings, it was Justin who’d had the most success calming her.
So when he heard an outraged female shriek, “Justin Cade, you heartless ass!” across the sporting goods shop, he wasn’t too worried. His first reaction was gratitude that she’d momentarily drowned out the incessant Christmas music. Retailers had barely waited for Halloween to pass before bombarding shoppers with holiday tunes. There were still two weeks before Christmas, but Justin had hit his limit on fa-la-las and rum-pa-pum-pums.
Preparing to face his accuser, he turned from the shelf of ski wax, a conciliatory smile in place. It faltered when he caught a glimpse of red hair. Elisabeth? Conflicting feelings swirled through him, and his pulse had already accelerated in the split second it took him to realize his mistake. It wasn’t Elisabeth Donnelly. Stupid to think it might have been—she was far too poised to shout across a store.
No, it was her twin sister, Evangeline, better known as Lina, barreling toward him. What did I do to rile her? When it came to the Donnellys, he’d tried to keep a low profile since breaking up with Elisabeth five months ago.
Lina skipped the traditional “hello” in favor of threatening him. “If I weren’t a foot shorter than you, I’d tear you limb from limb. It’s kismet, running into you after what I learned this morning. The universe wants you to know this is your fault.”
He ducked his head in agreement. “You’re probably right. Unfortunately, my sins are so numerous, I’m not sure which one you mean.”
“Elisabeth.” Her voice was ice. “You remember her, don’t you?”
Vividly.
The Donnelly twins, though they shared the same height and build, were not identical. Impulsive Lina, with her strawberry-blond ponytail, was cute. Elisabeth was striking. Her hair was a deeper red, cut in a silky bob that perfectly framed her features and moss-green eyes. Because Lina was more outspoken, people considered her the more fiery of the two. Anyone foolish enough to believe that had never kissed Elisabeth. She’d been like live flame in his arms.
He cleared his throat. “What about your sister? Is she okay?”
“No, she’s lost her ever-loving mind! She told us over brunch that she and Kaylee...” Lina trailed off, blinking furiously. “They’re leaving Cielo Peak. And I blame you.”
Leaving? But Elisabeth had spent her entire life here. She helped run the family-owned Donnelly Ski Lodge. Her father had been grooming her to take over since she was a teenager. And Justin couldn’t imagine her uprooting Kaylee Truitt. He’d only met Elisabeth’s goddaughter a handful of times, but even he understood how traumatic the past year had been for the little girl.
“Are you sure they’re leaving?” he asked. “Maybe you mis—”
“Would I be this upset if I wasn’t sure?”
He still didn’t see what this had to do with him, but he reluctantly empathized with her agitation. Justin’s own sister was preparing to move away, and he hadn’t seen his older brother in over a month. Soon, Justin would be alone.
Shaking off that melancholy thought, he refocused on Lina. “I know you’ll miss her. The two of you have always been close, but—”
“Spare me the faux sensitivity! I don’t want sympathy from someone who acts like people are disposable. You have a different woman on your arm every week.”
“Be that as it may,” he countered in a low, tight voice, “I know a little something about losing family.” He hadn’t meant to say anything so personal. This damn season was getting to him. If time healed all wounds, why wasn’t December ever any easier?
“I’m sorry. I forgot about your sister-in-law’s crash.” Lina’s pale cheeks flushed with shame. “And your parents—”
“Died a long time ago. No need to dredge it up now.” He couldn’t. He couldn’t stand in the middle of the store and discuss his mom and dad with a casual acquaintance while some ridiculous song about wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas played overhead. With effort, he relaxed his clenched jaw. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make my purchase and forget this charming encounter ever took place.”
He grabbed a container of ski wax and moved to pass her.
She touched his arm. “Elisabeth is about to make the biggest mistake of her life.”
What did Lina expect him to do? Justin could barely be trusted to handle his own life. He shrugged. “Maybe she needs a temporary change of pace. It doesn’t have to be a permanent, forever-and-ever decision.”
“Actually...we aren’t just talking about a change of scenery. It’s way worse. Being on the rebound from you made my normally brilliant sister stupid.”
Not possible. Elisabeth was the sharpest person he knew. She had a mind like a computer.
“After you broke her heart,” Lina continued, “she met a software developer from Albuquerque. Justin, she’s getting married.”
* * *
AM I DOING THIS WRONG? It was a question Elisabeth Donnelly had begun asking herself daily since becoming guardian to her six-year-old goddaughter. Despite the months that had passed, there were still moments she couldn’t believe she was a parent, couldn’t believe that her friend and former college roommate, Michelle, was gone.
Right now, Kaylee was staring back across the kitchen table with brown eyes that were exactly like her late mother’s. From her curly dark hair to her freckles, the kindergartener was a mini-Michelle. Similarities between mother and daughter weren’t just physical, either. They had being orphaned in common. Former foster child Michelle Truitt had gone to college on a state scholarship and had no known relatives. She’d been a single mom. Elisabeth couldn’t predict how Kaylee would feel about having a father figure for the first time in her life.
“You understand everything I’m telling you?” Elisabeth asked cautiously. Earlier that Sunday, while Kaylee had gone with a classmate to a holiday puppet show, Elisabeth had taken the opportunity to tell her parents and sister about her engagement. Their reactions had been immediate and dramatic. In comparison, Kaylee’s unblinking expression revealed nothing.
The little girl nodded. “You’re marrying Mr. Steven. We’re all gonna live together.”
“Right. But you don’t have to say ‘mister,’ honey. You can just say Steven, like you do Elisabeth.” At the funeral, her heart had squeezed into a painful knot when Kaylee asked between sobs, “Do I hafta call you Mommy now?” Elisabeth had blurted no so quickly she’d worried about making the child feel unwanted. To soften the refusal, she’d clarified that it was Kaylee’s choice.
Choices. Since August, it felt as if Elisabeth had been constantly second-guessing hers. While she’d never been as brashly confident as her sister, the former prom queen, Elisabeth had been sure of herself in other, less outspoken ways. That steady self-assurance
