Page 8 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

“Steph was just telling us that it was Travis’s job to build a fence around the entire perimeter of her property without even letting her know so that he could install a state-of-the-art security system that he researched all on his own.” Faith crossed her arms, a smug look on her face.

Levi looked between the women and chuckled. “I thought it was Travis’s job to fix up the cabins out there?”

“It was.”

“And it’s done now?”

“It is.” Steph avoided her brother-in-law’s gaze.

“Oh.” He drew out the word. “I see.”

“Right?”

“Exactly!”

“See what?”

The women all spoke at the same time and Levi laughed again. “He totally has the hots for you.”

“That’s whatwe’vebeen saying.” Hope laughed.

But Stephanie didn’t see the humor in the situation. She groaned, got to her feet, and handed Levi the baby. “He doesnothave the hots for me.” They didn’t know the half of it. If any of them knew the way Travis went out of his way to avoid her, to keep his distance. To tease her and—kiss her.The kiss. Oh, what a kiss. It was the kind of toe-curling, strip off your clothes, and make poor decisions kind of kiss.

Which was exactly why they could never go back to beingjust friends.

“It’s not a bad thing, Steph,” Hope said, pulling her attention back. “Travis is hot and—”

“Hey.”

“Not as hot as you, babe.” Hope winked at Stephanie, and she laughed.

“I’m done talking about it. You guys must be gearing up for a busy wedding season.” Stephanie changed the subject. If there was one thing she knew this group liked to talk about, it was their wedding business, Ever After. “Any fun ones coming up?”

Just as she hoped, the conversation dissolved into the upcoming bookings, including the event for later that week involving a bride who was currently not speaking to her maid of honor because she’d cut off her hair and dyed it platinum blonde with pink tips, which clashed with the red bridesmaid dresses.

Stephanie took a peek at her cell phone and the email Travis had sent her with the details on the security system. She tapped a quick reply, authorizing it to be installed at once. The Ever After Ranch was cozy with her family, but it was small. And as much as she loved her sisters, it was time that she got back to her cabin and her own space.

Travis had been working on the plans for his own house for years. Although the drawings had only started to come together in the past year or two, the idea for his own cabin in the woods had been percolating since he was a boy and his grandfather had first taken him fishing at the camp that had now become the Lynx Creek cabins owned by Hollywood’s sweetheart.

He didn’t see that coming.

There’d been a time when Travis thought he might end up buying the old defunct fishing camp himself. But when it finally came up for sale, he’d had a sudden change of heart and instead bought the piece of land across the river. At the time, he told himself it had been because the old camp was too much work, but that wasn’t true. Demonstrated in full by the fact that he himself had just renovated all the old buildings after Stephanie bought it.

No.

The real reason was because there were too many memories at Lynx Creek. All good ones. Summers spent fishing with his grandfather. Hearing all his stories. Learning how to tie flies on the line. How to cast. Feeling loved. Like he belonged.

His grandfather had been the only family he’d ever had. The only place he’d really felt at home.

After he died, nothing had been the same, and as far as Travis was concerned, it never would be.

If he bought Lynx Creek, it wouldn’t be the same either. He’d be surrounded by memories and the ghosts of a better time.

And that was the last thing he needed.

Although, he had to admit, spending as much time as he had over at Lynx Creek hadn’t been that bad. An image of Stephanie flashed through his head.Not bad at all.

Still, it was time to start thinking seriously about his own house. Which was why he’d spent the afternoon at Howard’s Hardware ordering the materials he needed to get started. Just as soon as he found the time. Between the Lynx Creek cabins, the renovation of Nick Newton’s place in town that had wrapped up a few weeks earlier, and the work he’d been called in to help out with on the new hotel that was being built after the Big Rock Inn had burned down a few months earlier, he was busy.Reallybusy. It was a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless, if he hoped to be into his new house by the time the snow came.

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