she mused. “Interesting name.”
Entranced by her smile, he froze. But then the rest of what Vanessa Fisher had said dawned on him. It sounded like Seth had dumped her. Which meant what?
He started to ask, but his befuddled thoughts must have shown on his face because she shook her head before he even got the words out.
“It’s not like that.” She touched him again, this time on his jacket arm. Remy normally wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of person, but for whatever reason he didn’t mind her touch. “I’m the one that broke things off,” she continued. “Seth and I haven’t spoken since.”
Cocking his head, he considered her. He’d never once in his life envied his younger brother, but for the first time, he did. Something about this woman knocked him off his feet. While he knew none of this was his damn business, he asked, anyway. “And you’re now here because…?”
She met his gaze directly. “That’s personal. Now can you tell me where to find Seth or not?”
Since he was meeting Seth a few doors down in the trendy faux-Western bar called The Saloon, he shrugged. Hopefully, his brother wouldn’t kill him when he walked in with this woman. “Come with me.”
They walked along the snowy sidewalks, mingling in with the happy tourists. This time of year, everyone in Roaring Springs seemed to be in a celebratory mood. They came, they skied, they shopped and ate and drank. Since the townspeople earned seventy-five percent of their income in the winter, the locals were grateful for the crowds.
When they reached The Saloon, the line that had formed spilled out onto the sidewalk. Despite this, those waiting laughed and chatted without the typical impatience that moneyed people often exhibited.
“Excuse me,” he said, taking Vanessa’s arm as he soldiered through the crowd. “I’m meeting someone inside.”
The harried hostess working the front desk recognized him and smiled. “Hey, Remy. Your brother’s got a booth in the bar,” she murmured. “Go ahead back and join him.”
“Thanks.” Remy glanced at Vanessa, again feeling a strong sense of attraction. She unzipped her parka, then removed her gloves and shoved them into her pocket. As they walked, he leaned in close, taking in her scent, which, unbelievably, seemed to be a holiday mix of peppermint and chocolate—two of his favorite things this time of the year. “Promise me you’re not here to make a scene,” he said, taking hold of her elbow.
One corner of her lush mouth quirked up in the beginning of a smile as she glanced back at him. “I promise. I’m not the scene-making type.”
He spotted Seth in the corner booth, intent on scrolling through his phone. He barely looked up when Remy slid into the seat across from him. “Um, Seth?”
His brother raised his head, his gaze skittering right past Remy to Vanessa. His mouth fell open. Seth had never been good at hiding his emotions, Remy thought. Surprise first, and then anger crossed his face, which finally changed to a sort of sullen resignation. “Vanessa. What are you doing in town? I thought you always skied Winter Park.”
“Do you mind if I sit?” she asked instead of answering the question.
“Go ahead.” Seth waved his hand, finally eying his brother. “I’m guessing you and Remy have already met.”
“We did.” Sliding in next to Remy, Vanessa placed her elegant, long-fingered hand on his arm. “Thank you so much for escorting me here.”
When she pulled her fingers away from him, he exhaled, wondering why he felt like leaning into her touch. Predictably, the skin-to-shirt contact, however brief, made him ache for more. Damn. His brother’s former fiancée.
Remy let out a breath, suddenly feeling like a third wheel. “I’m guessing I should go,” he offered, half-hoping Seth would refuse. “It seems you two have a lot to talk about.”
“We do,” Vanessa replied softly, barely glancing at him. “Thanks for understanding.”
Avoiding looking at anyone, Seth simply nodded, then took a long drink from his beer.
Though Remy hadn’t eaten dinner yet—that being the reason he’d been meeting Seth here—he started to slide back out of the booth. Vanessa stood and stepped aside to let him pass, her cool, direct gaze revealing nothing.
Again, envy shot through him, along with shame at feeling this way. Remy loved his troubled half brother and would never do anything to hurt him. He’d spent the last several years trying to forge a family relationship with a sibling he hadn’t even known he had and wouldn’t jeopardize it for anything, especially not for a woman. He might not be able to explain the strength of his attraction to Vanessa Fisher, but he definitely could refuse to act on it. Staying as far away as possible from her would be a great way to start. Assuming she was even here for long. Knowing Seth, he’d send her packing as quickly as possible.
As he made his way through the crowded pub away from the booth, a stool opened up at the bar just as he reached it. Moving instinctively, Remy took it. After all, he needed to eat. He ordered a draft beer, glad he had his back to his brother’s booth. Watching Seth and Vanessa would be a form of slow torture. Which made zero sense. He barely knew her, after all.
When Gary, the bartender on duty, tried to hand him a menu, Remy waved it away. He knew what he wanted. “I’ll just have the buffalo burger and sweet-potato fries,” he said. “Medium well on the cook.”
Gary grinned. “I almost went ahead and put in the order the second I saw you sit down, but there’s always a chance you might want something different.”
“Not today.” Remy smiled back, then took a long swig of his beer.
“Who’s the babe with Seth?” Gary asked. “I’ve seen her up on the slopes over at Sunlight Mountain a few times, though I haven’t seen her ski here. She’s a real pro.”
“She is?” Unable to keep from glancing back over his shoulder, he observed his brother and Vanessa engaged in what appeared to be an intense conversation. “Maybe that’s how the two of them met. Skiing.”
“You don’t know her?” Gary raised his brow, eying the two in the booth. “She’s not Seth’s usual type.”
Since he’d had the exact same thought himself, Remy simply nodded.
“Be right back,” the bartender said. “Looks like Seth wants another beer. And I need to see if his lady friend needs anything to drink.”
Remy couldn’t help but turn and watch as Gary headed over to his brother’s booth. Seth had his back to him but Vanessa looked up and met his gaze. Again, he felt that undeniable sizzle of awareness and wondered if she did, too. If so, she did nothing to reveal it. Instead, she dipped her chin in a quick nod, before returning her attention to Gary and Seth.
And just like before, he felt that unfamiliar twinge of jealousy, combined with a longing so fierce it stunned him. What the hell? He forced himself to turn around and focus on his beer.
Vanessa hadn’t expected the butterflies in her stomach upon meeting Seth’s charismatic and sexy-as-hell brother.
