Page 39 of Tinsel in Telluride

“So what are you going to do about it?”

“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”

Going into the weekend, I was so sure I had the perfect plan. Now—not so much.

Holt presses his lips together, a signature move he does when he’s trying to figure out how to let you down easy. “You aren’t going to like what I’m about to say.”

And there it is.

“If you tell me you’ll fight me for her, I’ll knock you off that horse and make it look like an accident when you break your neck.”

Holt tips his head back and laughs. It’s loud enough that Zach and Leigh turn around to see what the commotion is. She arches a brow but goes back to talking to Brad or Chad, or whatever the pretty cowboy said his name was.

“Maybe if she was my type, but we both know that’s not the case.”

No, Holt might not discriminate against the sexes when it comes to people in his bed, but he tends to like them without a single thought between their ears. The last guy he kept around for more than a few weeks thought they painted the yellow down lines on the football field between each play.

“What I was going to say is she’s one of the good ones.”

I snort and fist the reins in frustration. “You’d know better than me. It’s not like we did a lot of talking the last time she spent more than five minutes in my presence.”

“Your asshole is showing,” he says, rolling his eyes.

He’s right. It’s a deflection. I know she’s exactly the kind of woman I’d share the rest of my life with. It’s true that I don’t know who she is now, but I can’t believe she’s fundamentally a different person. The problem is, if I’m not Zach’s father, it might be a moot point because she still hates me.

Aside from Enzo, Holt probably knows me better than any of the guys in the group.

“All I’m saying is don’t let it or your past blind you to what’s right in front of you.”

“Next thing you know, you’re going to be speaking ass backwards like Yoda.”

“There is no try, only do.”

I grab the rolled blanket behind my saddle and chuck it at him. For a moment, I regret it, considering we’re on horses and I’m pretty sure it’s not advisable to spook them. Thankfully, Holt catches it and neither of the horses seems bothered by my antics. They keep following the sleigh like it’s their only job in the world.

We make the rest of the ride in silence, and I get lost in replaying every interaction with Leigh since she arrived.

It’s short-lived because as we round the next bend in the trail, the forest gives way to an open meadow nestled at the foot of a range of mountains. In the center is a cabin with whitesmoke billowing from the chimney. It’s like something straight out of a fairytale.

But that’s not what snags my attention.

It’s the smile on the gorgeous blonde in the sleigh and the single tear dripping down her face.

It’s the twinkle in Zach’s eyes as he watches Bash and Enzo gallop ahead with our guide.

It’s a feeling I can’t explain. But somehow, I know this is where I’m supposed to be.

And it’s right then I realize just how fucking screwed I am.

Because it’s not just a possibility of wanting this with Leigh.

It’s an absolute.

Now I just have to convince her to give me a chance to prove I can be everything Zach needs.

And hopefully something she needs too.

CHAPTER TEN

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