Deciding that she was going to attend Elizabeth’s wedding even if she had to go by herself, she took a shower and dressed in the outfit she’d bought for the occasion. It was a wool dress with a high neck and narrow sleeves. It had looked good the first time she’d tried it on in the store, but now she’d had her hair cut it looked fantastic.
Ethan appeared as she was wrapping the gift she’d bought.
From the way he was dressed, it seemed that he’d been skiing.
“I’m sorry I disappeared early—” He closed the door against the blast of cold air and she smiled at him, forcing down all the emotions that tumbled inside her. Those emotions weren’t his problem. They were hers.
“It’s your vacation,” she said. “Of course you want to ski. Was it fabulous out there?”
He shrugged off his coat, his gaze fixed on her face as if he was trying to work out what was going on. “Perfect powder. And now I have less than eight minutes to get ready for the wedding.”
Which gave them no time for conversation.
And maybe that had been his plan.
Harriet looked at the snow clinging to his dark hair, the roughness of his jaw, the incredible blue of his eyes. She loved him so much it was hard to look at him and not want to tell him.
“It’s the perfect day for a wedding, and it’s not like we have far to go.” The wedding was taking place at Snow Crystal. A small wedding with family and friends in one of the barns on the resort.
It was a five-minute drive away, but they made it in good time.
Elizabeth and Tom stood side by side, hand in hand, exchanging vows they’d written themselves.
Watching them together, Harriet thought about all the time she’d wasted wishing her family could have been different. Her family would never have been any different. To build something strong, you needed solid foundations and her parents had lacked that solid foundation of love.
It didn’t matter what she felt for Ethan. It didn’t matter how much she loved him. If he didn’t return those feelings, then that was the end of it.
She wouldn’t build a future on anything less than solid foundations. She didn’t want that.
Back in the cabin, she packed her things, vowing that she’d come back to this beautiful place again one day, even though Ethan wouldn’t be there.
She’d bring Fliss, and maybe Daniel and Molly. Maybe they could book a few cabins and invite her friends Matilda and Chase. Maybe Susan would come.
And they’d definitely go dogsledding.
Her love might not have a future, but life hadn’t ended.
As she dragged her case into the living room, she saw Ethan standing there.
“Have you been waiting for me?” She let go of the case. “I’m all done. Ready whenever you are.”
His gaze held hers. “We didn’t get much of a chance to talk today.”
“It was a wonderful day. I’ve never seen two people so happy.”
“I wanted to talk about us. About last night.”
She could have pretended not to know what he meant, but what was the point of that? “It’s okay, Ethan. We don’t have to talk about it.”
“It’s not okay.” He spoke softly. “I didn’t say what you wanted me to say, I know that. You’re a wonderful person, Harriet—”
Oh no, not that!
Horror rippled through her. “Please—” She lifted her hand. “Spare us both the awkwardness. We do not have to discuss this.”
“I think we do.”
“Discussing it is a choice, and I choose not to.”