Forsaking All Others. Linda Hudson-Smith

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      Jessica and Weston planned to go sledding later since she had chickened out on skiing. She had to take things slow. She had already conquered her fears enough to get up the mountain. Jumping on a ski lift? She wasn’t there, though proud of what she had already accomplished.

      Both sets of parents had requested Jessica and Weston’s presence when they went into town to pick out the Christmas tree. It was a family tradition in both households to pick out the tree together—and later to trim it.

      The warmth on the back of Jessica’s neck caused her to look up. Her heart leaped at the beautiful smile on Weston’s face.

      “I heated my hands by the fire. Did they warm you?”

      Jessica smiled and nodded. “Sure did. Where is the fireplace?”

      “A cozy room in back of the place.” Weston took a seat. “Lots of tables for dining, but the room is empty. Want me to ask if we can eat back there?”

      “I’d like that. The employees likely fill up the outer rooms first.”

      “You’re probably right, but it won’t hurt to ask. I can be pretty persuasive.”

      Jessica didn’t doubt that. “Go for it.”

      Jessica looked after Weston as he walked away. She could hear his fine body screaming out her name. She loved the beautiful black-and-white Italian knit sweater he wore with a pair of dark wool pants, casual in style. He had earlier complimented Jessica on her navy-blue wool sweater and slacks, and a crisp white shirt. Her thick-soled winter boots were burgundy in color.

      Weston had yet another huge smile on his face as he winked at Jessica. “I’m good, girl. You have no idea.”

      Jessica laughed. “Oh, I think I do. Incredible charm runs in your family.”

      “Come with me. The hostess said to take any table we want. She also said we might be the only ones dining there. As you can see, they’re not busy this morning. Are you okay with that?”

      Shrugging, her mouth turned down at the corners, Jessica said, “Fine by me.”

      Weston picked up the menus off the table and carried them into what appeared to Jessica as a cozy alcove. The space was very intimate and she liked the feel of it.

      The waiter showed up within a few minutes of the couple taking seats, bringing along with him a carafe of hot coffee. Jessica wasn’t big on coffee, but she did drink it occasionally. She let the waiter know she preferred a small pot of chamomile tea when he took their breakfast orders.

      Weston’s order indicated to Jessica that he was a hungry man again this morning. She wasn’t that surprised by the amount of food he ordered, considering the size of the meal he had practically inhaled last evening.

      Jessica’s order consisted of two boiled eggs, a turkey sausage patty and a small order of home-fried potatoes. Instead of toast, she ordered a freshly baked blueberry muffin, and then orange juice as an afterthought.

      “How did you sleep last night, Jess?”

      “Once I managed to get there, I knocked out completely.”

      “Did you have as hard a time getting to sleep as I did?”

      “I wasn’t able to fall right off. Had quite a few things on my mind.” Mainly you.

      “Sure you don’t want a cup of coffee? It’s pretty good stuff.”

      “No, thanks. I’ll wait for the tea.” She looked out the window. “It’s such a beautiful morning. I can’t get over the magnificent view from our town house. I’ve heard so much about Aspen. I’m glad to actually experience it. It’s like another world.”

      “You haven’t seen the half of it. This place is amazing. I read somewhere that Mariah Carey’s been living here for a couple of years.”

      “I read that, too. Quite a few celebrities live here in Aspen, either full-time or part-time.”

      “A wonderful place to visit, but I don’t want to live here.”

      “Yeah, I know. Nowhere for Wes but NYC.”

      Weston leveled curious eyes on Jessica. Something about the way she had snapped out her last remark had him wondering. She had sounded a bit annoyed. He quickly dismissed the thought since it made no sense at all.

      The waiter came and dropped off Jessica’s tea and immediately took off again.

      The couple got into a conversation about how the real-estate market had boomed in California. It was unbelievable the way it had suddenly shot through the roof.

      Jessica mentioned that the folks who had taken out interest-only or arm home loans were in for a rude awakening. Weston figured they could beat the odds if they could refinance at a fixed rate before the bad stuff happened. A lot of people had also opted for balloon payments, all just to own a piece of hot California property. Shanties and fixer-uppers were even selling for indecent amounts. Things were now starting to cool off a bit. Both Jessica and Weston expected a lot of home foreclosures to occur in the very near future.

      “New York real estate has been high for a long time. I’m sure you do well.”

      “Extremely. That’s why I don’t understand why my parents want to up and move to L.A.”

      “Maybe because your father was born and raised there.”

      “I guess. They’re financially set, so they don’t have to worry about money. Dad does complain about the harsh winters in New York.”

      Jessica faked a believable shiver. “If it’s anywhere near as cold in New York as it is here, I can’t blame them for wanting to move to California. Don’t think I could brave winter weather like this year after year. The roads are frightening. Seeing the snowstorms on television is enough for me.”

      “If you grew up in winters like this, it’d be just a way of life. People manage it all the time.”

      The return of the waiter kept Jessica from responding to Weston’s comments. Not wanting to get into the subject of living so far apart, she saw the interruption in conversation as a good thing. The very idea of it bothered her to no end, no matter how much she didn’t want to make it an issue. Sticking to the plan she had laid out for herself last night was hard to execute. Denying her wild attraction for Weston wasn’t happening. Jessica wanted him in the worst way.

      There were far too many beautiful Christmas trees to make it easy for the visiting families to choose quickly. They had been on the tree lot for nearly an hour when Jessica had spotted the perfect tree, its branches full, long and sweeping. After a couple of minutes of deliberation, everyone had agreed it was indeed the one. The men had taken care of the hard work to load the tree onto the top of one of the vans.

      Once the ideal tree had been deposited back at the Harrington’s town house, Jessica and Weston had promised to return home in time to help with the trimmings. The group had decided to order food to be brought in for the evening meal before the younger generation had left to go snowmobiling. Weston thought Jessica might enjoy riding a snowmobile more than sledding. Samuel also preferred СКАЧАТЬ