Dead of Winter_Aspen Falls Novel Read online

  Blaine didn’t have an answer for that. He still hadn’t been able to come up with a truly plausible reason for not moving in. Erin had been asking for months, and he had to keep coming up with excuses not to. Erin had an argument for every single one of them.

  “I like the AFPD.”

  “Oh, please. You don’t want to be a small-town cop all your life. You’re worth more than that.”

  “I don’t want to be too far from my dad.”

  “You lived away from him when you were at the academy and it didn’t dent your relationship. It’s only an hour away. Seriously, it’s not that far.”

  The excuses were getting more and more lame the longer he put her off. He was running out of reasons, yet her arguments kept getting stronger.

  Thing was, he really loved living on his own, and he loved small-town life. As much as he cared about Erin, he wasn’t ready to make that next big step.

  Something was holding him back.

  Rosie’s sweet face flashed through his mind and he frowned. Okay, it wasn’t her. He’d barely spoken to the heart-stealer.

  She was a fantasy. The girl he’d studied every chance he got during the four years of hell that constituted high school.

  He’d always remember the way she crossed her legs at the cafeteria table. Her foot would bob up and down while she talked to her pretty friends. It was like she couldn’t sit still even if she wanted to.

  Her head would tip back when she laughed. Her nose would wrinkle when she didn’t like what people around her were saying. She wasn’t the type to go against her friends when they were bullying someone, but she never joined in.

  She did slap Taylor on the arm once when he said something really mean to poor Penny Briggs. Blaine had watched from the sidelines as she whisper-barked to never hassle a girl about her weight.

  It proved to him that Rosie had some fight in her. She may not have had the courage to walk away from the popular crowd, but she’d shown a spark of something then…and in the woods that day.

  But she’d never spoken to him after that, which made her a fantasy.

  A fantasy that was back in town.

  He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject before he accidentally blurted something to Lucas. “So, you got a case right now?”

  His friend gave a reluctant nod and finished munching before licking his lips. “Yeah, I just started a new one today.”

  Blaine arched an eyebrow. “Is it a good one?”

  Lucas had started up his own PI business a while ago, and it had been hard to get things off the ground. He’d had a couple of good cases to motivate him, but pickings were slim, especially in Aspen Falls. It wasn’t like the town was a hotbed of criminal activity, but moving to Minneapolis or St. Paul, or any of the surrounding suburbs that had more need for PIs, hadn’t really interested him.

  Lucas shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m tailing one of the students at the community college. She found herself some dicey new friends last year and followed them here to go to school with them. Her parents are worried, and they don’t live close enough to keep an eye on her.”

  “You were hired by helicopter parents to keep tabs on their daughter?” Blaine balked.

  “Hey, bills have to be paid, man.” Lucas frowned.

  “So, shouldn’t you be out there right now, following her every move?”

  “Ha-ha.” Lucas took a swig of beer before pulling out his phone. A few beeps later and he was holding up his device. “She’s currently in her dorm room, hopefully studying.”

  “You tracked her phone.”

  “With her parents’ permission.”

  “Can’t they just do that?”

  “Dude, stop coming up with excuses for me to not get paid! It’s a job!” His brown eyes bored into him and Blaine immediately shut up.

  Lucas used to be a cop, just like him, until he was injured and the only offer of police work after that was a desk job. Whether it was to spite the police force and the powers that be who made the decision to take him off the streets, Blaine would never be sure, but Lucas became a PI and had been struggling to make ends meet ever since.

  Blaine knew things would be easier if his friend would just up and move. But Lucas wanted to stay in Aspen Falls. Some people didn’t get it, but Blaine did.

  Aspen Falls was home.

  A sharp tap on the door made Blaine jerk up straight.

  “Babe, it’s me. Hurry up and let me in.” Erin’s sharp command made Blaine leap from the couch.

  Lucas scoffed and shook his head while Blaine flashed him a look of warning.

  “Hey, sweetie.” Blaine greeted his redhead girlfriend with a smile and leaned down to kiss her.

  Her lips hurriedly brushed his as she stepped into his apartment.

  “It’s frickin’ freezing today,” she complained while shrugging out of her jacket and dumping it over the couch. Her hat and scarf followed suit. “Oh, hi, Lucas.”

  Her enthusiasm was minimal. She’d never really warmed to Blaine’s best buddy. Probably because he was always around when she didn’t want him to be.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Blaine rubbed her shoulders while she scraped her fingers through her hair.

  Her muscles were taut with stress, and he readied himself for an interesting evening.

  “Yeah, that’d be great. I’m starving too. I didn’t even get to stop for lunch today. Work is insane right now. One case after another, and even though I’m just assisting on half of them, I feel like I’m doing all the leg work!”

  “So, why’d you come back for the weekend, then?” Lucas asked with a smile. “You know, if you’re so busy.”

  From the way Lucas snickered, Erin must have been giving him one of her laser glares. Her voice was tight and unyielding when she answered. “Because I have a boyfriend, dipshit, and since he doesn’t live in Minneapolis with me, I have to come out here to see him.”

  Blaine winced behind her back.

  Yeah, it was definitely going to be a long, “interesting” evening.

  It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle high-maintenance, and Erin wasn’t always hard work. If anything, it made him feel good that he could ease her tension and be the guy she needed.

  But some nights he just didn’t feel like it.

  Guilt singed him as he gazed longingly at his couch and pictured an evening of beer drinking, takeout and a hockey game with his buddy.

  That wasn’t going to happen anymore.

  He caught Lucas’s eye and was disappointed to see his friend nod and lean forward to start packing up his mess. “Well, I better head out. Let you guys have a little quality time.”

  Erin’s shoulders sagged with relief.

  “Sweetie, why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll make us some dinner, and you can sit down and relax.”

  “Oh, thank you.” She spun to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Blaine smiled and pecked her lips before letting her go.

  When she disappeared into the bathroom, Lucas headed for the door.

  “Sorry you won’t get to see the end of the game.” Blaine gave him an apologetic smile.

  “Yeah I will. I’ll head to Shorty’s.” Shorty’s Tavern was the local bar for most of the Aspen Falls PD. They ate lunch at Lulu’s and drank beer at Shorty’s. The place was designed for loud conversation and raving sports fans.

  “Say hi to Mick for me,” Blaine said.

  “You know I will.” They grinned at each other as Lucas opened the door. “Good luck cooling off the dragon.”

  “Get out of here.” Blaine lightly punched his arm with a laugh before he closed the door behind his friend.

  Leaning against the wood, he tried to decide what to cook for dinner. Erin was on a low-carb, gluten-free diet, so it’d probably be some kind of stir-fry.

  Walking to the kitchen, he started pulling vegetables out of the refrigerator while his mind hummed with images of Rosie.<
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  He knew she’d made it to Lulu’s. He’d driven past to make sure her car was parked outside and it was, the little Escort pulled up against the curb, squeezed between a shiny SUV and a battered pickup truck.

  He’d wanted to stop but knew it would’ve been pushing it to go in, even if he’d bought a coffee or something. He didn’t want to spy on her.

  But he wondered what kind of reaction she’d gotten when she walked through the door.

  All he could hope was that Louanne had wrapped Rosie in a tight hug and promised that everything was going to be okay.

  6

  Friday, February 16th

  9:15pm

  Louanne’s arms held Rosie tight. Her shirt smelled like lilacs, and the soft fabric soaked up Rosie’s tears.

  “It’s alright, now. You just let it out.” Louanne rubbed circles on her back and hushed her like she was a child.

  Rosie sniffled and hiccupped against the woman, embarrassed by the way she was falling apart.

  She hadn’t told Louanne the whole story. When she’d first arrived at the coffee shop, Louanne hadn’t even been there. Rosie nearly split until the kind girl behind the counter told her that Louanne would be back in just a few minutes.

  Rosie ordered a coffee and managed to find just enough cash in her purse to pay for it. She then sat at a corner table, fighting tears and shivering while she waited for her drink to arrive.

  Odd looks were thrown her way, but she turned her back on them, studying the pictures on the walls instead. Lulu’s was an eclectic display of art and secondhand furniture. Every table was different, and no chairs matched. The sofas and armchairs were well-loved—the leather shiny, the fabric of the cushions fraying around the seams. The pictures on the wall were everything from Van Gogh to a poster of Audrey Hepburn. It was like Louanne had taken every piece of junk she’d stored in that double garage of hers and brought it to the coffee shop.

  Rosie’s lips had quivered into a smile as memories of sneaking over to Louanne’s house flooded her.

  And there she was again…sitting at Louanne’s mahogany dining table, the thick Persian carpet soft underneath her feet, crying over one of her asshole boyfriends. History was repeating itself, though on a much larger scale.

  Rosie sniffled against Louanne’s shirt. The last time she’d cried this hard was after she lost her virginity to Alan Stanmore. She’d only been fifteen and realized halfway through the act that she hadn’t been ready, but she didn’t have the courage to stop him. She gritted her teeth and let him finish, but with no foreplay, it’d been a painful experience. He’d dropped her home, but not before kissing her good night and casually mentioning that maybe they were too young to be seriously dating.

  It’d been like a punch to the stomach, and Rosie couldn’t bear the thought of seeing her parents at that moment, so she’d run to Louanne’s instead. The blonde woman with a heart to match her size had comforted her like the pro she was, and reminded her that she was more than just a pretty face.

  “Rosie Sweet, one day you’re going to meet a man who will love you with his whole heart and treat you the way you deserve. Don’t you settle for less, you hear me?”

  She’d been looking for that man ever since but had yet to find him. Much to her chagrin, she’d done nothing but settle for less…time and time again.

  “Why do I always fall for the assholes, Louanne?” Rosie asked, her voice choked with tears, her head still nestled against Louanne’s shirt.

  “Maybe you just rush in too fast is all.”

  “But they seem so nice at first. And I like having someone take care of me. It feels good.”

  “Until you end up here.” The older woman sighed and pulled back, tucking the hair behind Rosie’s ear. “I know you’re desperate for someone to look after you, but you’ve got to realize that you are strong enough to handle this life on your own. You don’t need some guy.” She brushed her hand through the air and made a face to emphasize her point. “And you know what, when you finally get to that point, the perfect man will appear. That’s what happened to me. As soon as I decided I was just fine on my own, Bertie showed up and made everything a million times better. That’s the best part about it.” Rosie blinked and took in Louanne’s bright smile. “My Bert was a bonus, not a necessity.”

  Rosie dipped her head and swallowed. “You must miss him.”

  “Of course I do. Why’d you think I started up Lulu’s? I needed something to distract myself, keep me out of this big ol’ house.” She looked around her. “It’s so much bigger without him. But like I said, I was fine before he came along and yes, I was happier when he was around, but I don’t need him. So I’m just fine now too.”

  As usual, Louanne was right. Rosie had jumped from one guy to the next, searching for something she couldn’t find.

  Louanne laid her hands over Rosie’s. “You know what you have to do?”

  “Get myself some money so I can move to…I don’t know, Mexico or something?”

  A loud laugh burst from Louanne’s mouth. “Oh, sweetie, life won’t be any easier there than here. You can’t run from this.”

  “So what should I do? Go to Florida and beg my parents for a loan?”

  “No.” Louanne shook her head. “They’ve never understood you, and they aren’t about to start now. You need to sort this out on your own. You need a place to live and a job. You need to get yourself some decent savings, and then you can think about what you want to do with your life.”

  Rosie knew Louanne was right.

  “Sounds good…and terrifying,” she admitted.

  Louanne gave her a tender smile. “Think of it as a chance to stand on your own two feet and do it right this time.”

  Rosie nodded. But she still hesitated.

  “How am I supposed to get a job?” Her gaze dropped to the floor. “I’ve told you the trouble I had after college. No one wants me.”

  There was a moment of silence. Rosie’s words hung in the air and fresh tears filled her eyes.

  Louanne cleared her throat. “I want you.”

  Rosie stilled. She slowly looked up at her friend. “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, come on now, you can work in a coffee shop, can’t you?” Louanne grinned. “You don’t need to be a scientist to handle a coffee machine or a till. Now, if you’d be willing to be my floater at work, I can hire you on the spot.”

  “Floater?”

  “Yeah, fill in the spaces—make coffees, do dishes, waitress, do whatever I need you to.”

  Rosie worried her lip. “Are you…are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. Now, it’s not the greatest pay, but I can offer you a little extra too.” She winked at Rosie. “There’s a little apartment upstairs, right above the shop. I haven’t done a thing to it, and it definitely needs some work, but it’s yours if you want it.”

  Rosie was speechless. This woman, whom she hadn’t seen in years, was willing to give her a job and a place to stay, no questions asked. There was no hidden agenda, no implication that she would expect something in return. Louanne truly just wanted to help her.

  “O-okay,” Rosie finally managed. “I guess, I mean…”

  “I would offer to let you live with me, but…” She cupped Rosie’s cheek. “I think you need to live on your own for a bit. You need to see for yourself that you’re strong enough to do it. To do anything, as long as you set your mind to it.”

  Rosie’s eyes welled with yet more tears. “I don’t feel very strong right now,” she murmured.

  “But you are.” Louanne’s smile was filled with the kind of affection Rosie had always wanted from her mother. “I’ve always believed in you, Rosie Sweet. We’re going to get some meat on those bones of yours, and we’re going to prove that you are every bit as capable as your sister, your parents and anyone who has ever doubted you in the past. It’s time for a fresh start.”

  Rosie’s throat was too swollen to speak, but the idea of a fresh start sounded pretty damn awesome.


  Maybe she could do it.

  Maybe she could stay in Aspen Falls and for once in her life not screw it up.

  7

  Monday, February 19th

  6:45am

  Blaine parked behind the station and pocketed his keys while walking into the Aspen Falls police station. He waved at Brent Higginson as he held the door open for Jessica Claret, a fellow cop.

  She murmured a swift thanks before heading to the women’s locker room. She’d been at the AFPD for nearly two years, but still acted like the nervous rookie. She was the kind of cop that wanted to get it right, which Blaine appreciated. It was a far cry from the new rookie who drove his poor training officer insane with his lack of finesse and blundering enthusiasm.

  Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Blaine headed for the locker room first and got suited up. He felt pretty good after a weekend off. He hadn’t done much. On Saturday, the snow had kept him indoors. Erin had spent the morning in bed with him, but then had felt too stressed out to take the weekend off so she’d headed back to the city. It meant he could spend the day reading, just the way he’d wanted to. In the late afternoon he’d been persuaded out by Lucas. They met Ollie at Shorty’s for a few beers and to spend some time catching up. Sunday was the usual lunch with his old man.

  He’d been tempted multiple times to swing past Lulu’s and check to see if Rosie was staying with Louanne. The coffee shop owner had always had a soft spot for him and would more often than not tell him more than he wanted to know.

  He chuckled, picturing the large southern woman with her fantastic accent and country charm.

  As tempting as it would’ve been to find out Rosie’s news, he resisted the urge.

  Rosie Sweet was a fantasy.

  And Blaine had a girlfriend.

  He finished getting dressed and said hi to a few work buddies before heading out into the main office space.

  It was bustling as usual. The static noise of keyboards clicking, papers shuffling and murmured conversations would be interrupted by phones ringing and the odd swear word when the coffee machine stopped working again or the milk carton had run dry.