“You can be.” The mayor took the shiny, paper snowflake his daughter handed to him, whispering something in her ear before the girl ran off again in a streak of giggles, trailing glitter from her art project. “I just wanted to do some fact gathering before we gave it the green light.”
For a moment, the sight of father and daughter reminded Gavin of Rachel and her father. He’d met them both when Rachel was a bit older than that, but Gavin had envied them their closeness. Unfortunately, relationships that appeared loving from the outside weren’t necessarily relationships that could be trusted. Rachel had learned that in a painful way. Gavin had seen the pattern repeated often enough—from his own superficial family bonds to the dynamic he witnessed between the Chambers—that he wasn’t sure how much he bought into love of the everlasting variety.
Better to savor the moment.
“In that case, I look forward to sharing some ideas with the council.” Gavin turned to retrieve the champagne flutes, but a server must have whisked them away.
The mayor’s expression turned wry as he retrieved his buzzing phone from his jacket pocket again. “Your date already made several good suggestions, including using your charity event as the grand opening of the cross-country course.”
Impressed with Rachel’s intervention on his behalf, Gavin let the mayor check his incoming message. Watched him put the phone back in his pocket.
“I believe Rachel has a lot to offer this town. It’s a shame she hasn’t felt welcome in her own home for a long time.” Gavin figured she’d gone to bat for him tonight; he would do the same for her. “Luke has forgiven her. That ought to be good enough for your family.”
Malek looked thoughtful. “I spoke to Luke earlier tonight about that and he shared some interesting information that was new to both of us about Chris Chambers’ disappearance—something he learned from talking to Rachel. I don’t mind telling you that we’re going to ask the police to reopen the investigation.”
“Seriously?” Gavin couldn’t imagine why. It had been a long time. “Does Rachel know?”
“You can tell her, if you like. It was Luke who insisted we take a closer look at a new angle—see if someone might have been pressuring Chambers to leave town.” The mayor clapped him on the shoulder. “It might not lead to anything, but it sure sounded to me like Luke wants to make amends.”
That much was good news. As for reopening the investigation, Gavin just hoped it didn’t raise hopes or cause more hurt. Nearby, the pianist slowed the tempo of the holiday tunes while couples moved to the dance floor. Gavin spotted Rachel backing away from Kiersten’s mother, Katie Garrett, and moved quickly to intervene before trouble broke out between them. But the women parted without any harsh words, if a little stiffly.
“May I have this dance?” Gavin asked over Rachel’s shoulder, sliding a possessive hand along the small of her back.
She looked incredible in an ice-blue cocktail dress with a white lace jacket over her bare shoulders. Her dark hair was pinned up with tiny white and blue flowers dotting the topknot. He felt the shiver that went through her, the sensation leaping from her to him like an electric pulse.
Pivoting toward him, she gazed up at him with her magnetic blue eyes.
“I’ve been hoping you’d ask.” Her sultry-sweet voice wound around him as easily as her arms. “It sounds like the perfect ending to a surprisingly perfect evening.”
Gavin wasn’t anywhere near ready to let the night end. As his time with Rachel ticked steadily away, the need to hold her tight only grew stronger. For now, however, the dance allowed him to keep her in his arms a little while longer. So he waltzed her backward, around the floor, his eyes on her alone.
He felt the rest of the party stare, too. Couples backed away to give them space. To watch. They fell under the spell of Rachel Chambers, just like him. She’d won over some people this week, for sure. Yuletide was thawing, warming to her bit by bit. Luke was trying to make things right. And as for Gavin…
He was definitely warming to Rachel too. The romance was only temporary, he reminded himself. But right now, it looked and felt like the realest moment he’d ever known.
*
Time stopped on the dance floor.
Rachel could almost feel when it happened as Gavin swept her around the ballroom in his strong arms. Everyone at the rehearsal party seemed to see it too, the invisible thread that drew her and Gavin back together after all this time apart.
She shouldn’t trust it. She knew he was leaving to return to his life careening down mountains at high speed. But there was a magic in the air tonight that tempted her to forget everything but the pull of romance and a compelling man in a black suit and sleek gray tie.
Or maybe it was simply the thrill of having finally fulfilled the pact with her girlfriends making her feel like all things were possible tonight. She’d shaken hands with Luke Harris, ending a long, uncomfortable awkwardness between them. He’d told her tonight that he was going to look into her father’s disappearance again, concerned that someone in his family might know more than they were saying. The news of having the past dragged back up was worrisome, but something in Luke’s manner made her wonder if her father could have been just a little bit less to blame than they’d all once believed.
Either way, Rachel would take it. Kiersten was happy. Emma had told her twice tonight how perfectly the revamped bridesmaid gown fit. Even Katie Garrett seemed ready to put the past behind her, offering Rachel a stilted compliment on her dress.
Needing to say something to break the spell at work between her and Gavin, Rachel remembered some of the other things that had happened at the party. Something she wanted to share.
“I spoke to the mayor,” she began, ducking under Gavin’s arm as he spun her through a turn.
His green eyes contained a warmth that made her want to move closer to him. “He told me you had some good suggestions for the ski event.”
His hand shifted along her back, the warmth of his fingers brushing bare skin through the decorative cut-outs in the fine lace jacket she wore.
“I did.” She couldn’t help a smile at the memory of bombarding Scott Malek with a list of things she thought would help the town right itself. He hadn’t been as resistant as she’d feared, inviting her to a future meeting. “But that’s not all. I warned him about my mother’s future donation, and he agreed not to accept the money.”
“Congratulations.” His gaze never left hers, making her feel like the only woman in the room. “You’ve accomplished a lot this week.”
“I’m excited to attend Kiersten and Luke’s wedding,” she admitted. “I know I still have a long way to go with Luke’s family, but at least they didn’t bar me at the door tonight.” She glanced over to the table full of the groom’s closest relations.