‘I didn’t rent it. I own it.’
He saw, with bitter satisfaction, that that stopped her.
Her eyes widened. ‘You own North Mountain?’ she said incredulously.
‘Damn right I do. I’m going to build a resort right here, where this cabin stands, that’ll dwarf anything you’ve ever imagined.’
‘You mean…you mean, you’re going to take down this cabin?’
No. Hell, no! He knew it instantly. He wasn’t. That was the reason he’d come to the mountain, to admit to himself that he’d never tear the cabin down…
Holly wrenched free of his hands. ‘Good. That’s wonderful news.’
‘Holly, wait—’
‘Burn it down, why don’t you?’ Her heart felt as if it were breaking in pieces, but she’d be damned if she’d let him know that. ‘That’s the best way I know of to get rid of ghosts.’
‘Ghosts?’ he said in bewilderment.
‘That’s why I came here, Nick. Because, lately, I was plagued with memories. I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about us. About our marriage.’
‘I know. Holly—’
‘No. You don’t know. You never knew.’ She spoke quickly, running her words together, despising herself for letting herself think she still loved him, knowing she’d despise herself even more if she let him see her cry. ‘Our marriage was a mistake. I always knew that but I guess I just needed reminding.’ She lifted her chin and forced a smile to her lips. ‘Thank you for providing it.’
Her words knifed through his heart. ‘No.’ He pulled her into his arms, though her body was stiff and unyielding. ‘You don’t mean that. Think of how it was between us, just a little while ago. The things we said, the things we did…’
‘Sex,’ she said. Her voice trembled, but her eyes were steady on his. ‘That’s what it was, Nick. And it’s not enough. It doesn’t make up for a lack of love.’
Nick’s face whitened. His hands slid from Holly’s arms and fell to his sides.
‘Closure,’ he said softly.
‘What?’
He didn’t bother answering. What was there to say, when the woman you loved confirmed your most painful suspicions? She’d never said she didn’t love him before, not even when they’d agreed to divorce. But he’d always known there’d come a time she’d look at him and realize that their marriage, that he had been a mistake.
That time had finally arrived, and there was nothing more to say.
He made his way into the living room, unplugged his computer, snapped it shut and tucked it under his arm. Then he slung on his jacket, stuffed his cellphone and the fax into his pocket and glanced up the stairs. His suitcase was up there, but he didn’t give a damn about something so trivial. A couple of more minutes in this place and, despite his pain, he’d do something stupid, like telling Holly that he still loved her, would always love her, whether or not she’d ever loved him.
He heard Holly’s slow footsteps behind him.
‘Nick.’ Her voice was low and shaky. ‘Nick, I’m sorry…’
‘Yeah.’ He pulled the door open. ‘Me, too.’
The door swung shut, and Holly was alone.
CHAPTER NINE
NICK took a hard right as he came down off the mountain and swung into the gas station with tyres squealing.
The station looked deserted. He got out of the Explorer and put his hands on his hips.
‘What kind of a place is this?’ he growled. ‘You can’t sell much gas if you’re never open for business.’
A bell jingled behind him. Nick spun around and his mouth dropped open. An old man was coming down the steps from the office. But it wasn’t the owner of the station. Hell, no. This bozo had white hair down to his shoulders, a big moustache and a bushy white beard. His red cap was trimmed with a perky white tassel; he had on shiny black boots and a bright red suit. ‘Santa Claus?’ Nick said, with an I-don’t-believe-it laugh.
‘Aye-up.’ The old guy swaggered towards Nick. ‘It’s Christmas Eve, you know.’
‘Is it?’ Nick shrugged. ‘I guess I forgot.’ He looked the old man over from head to toe. Just went to prove that you could never trust anything. Who’d have figured this character would go in for Christmas hype? ‘What’s with the outfit?’
‘Been doin’ it for near onto twenty years. You want this thing filled up?’
‘No, the gas is fine. But I’ve got a long drive ahead of me and the light on my dash says my oil’s running low.’
‘Don’t want that to happen, especially with a new storm comin’ in.’