“There you go,” I said as she began to glide across the ice on her own. I tried to slip my hands free of her grasp, but she wouldn’t relinquish her hold.

“Don’t you dare.”

Laughing, I continued to skate backward as I pulled her along.

“You really love hockey, don’t you?” she asked as we made our first loop.

“I do. I may not play the way I used to, but I’ll always be a hockey player.”

“And one of the greats if the articles I’ve read are anything to go on.”

I had the decency to blush at her statement. I was ranked alongside some of the most well-known players in history and the notion was surreal.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” she added as she slipped a bit on the ice. I grabbed her arm as she righted herself.

“Think you can do this on your own?”

“No freaking way. If you let me go, I’ll kill you.”

“But you’d have to get off the ice first,” I joked in return.

“Who knew Colton Crawford was a comedian? I think you’ve found your next journey in life.”

“Actually, you’re not too far off,” I said as I pushed off with my skates, moving us faster around the rink. The wind forced her hair away from her face and her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink that reminded me of the impatiens that lined the Chisolm’s flower bed.

“What do you mean?”

“My agent called and he has a few projects he wants me to work on. I’ll be in New York and maybe LA this weekend.”

“Oh.”

“It’s just for the weekend. I have a house to finish, after all.” I tried to reassure her, but the look of shock and weariness in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed by me. She may be able to put on a tough exterior for everyone else, but those beautiful irises gave her away.

“How far along is it now?”

“Well, they’ve finished staining the first floor and have moved onto the second. Most of the woodwork around the stairs has been stained too.”

“Wow, they sure moved fast.”

“Money is a great motivator. And what good was it doing just sitting in my bank account? My financial advisor said property was a good investment.”

“Have you decided what you plan on doing with the house when it’s done?”

I let her question linger in the air because I still hadn’t a clue what I wanted to do yet. It would be hard to give it up, but I hadn’t thrown out the idea of using it as a vacation spot.

In the back of my mind, I wondered what Autumn would say if she knew that a lot of my decision was resting on her.

“Don’t forget, I still need you to look at the things the workers found in the attic.”

“Oh yeah. I’d forgotten about that.”

Finally, I was able to slip my hands free of her grasp and skate away.

“Colton!” she shrieked, her high-pitched squeal echoing in the empty arena.

“You can do it. I believe in you.”

She wobbled at first as she moved her feet in slow steps. I encouraged her as I skated figure eights across the ice.

“I’m doing it! Colton, I’m doing it!” she declared enthusiastically, which only caused her feet to slip out from underneath her.

“Shit,” I whispered as I jetted over to her, catching her body on top of mine as we fell on the cold surface. “Got you.” It had been a long time since I fell on the ice, but it was worth it to hold Autumn against my body.

When she slipped away Friday evening, I tried not to let it get to me because it was the same thing I’d done in the past. I blamed it on her nerves and did my best to let it go and move on.

“I think I made the right choice in deciding not to become a figure skater.” She giggled as I sat us up on the ice.

“I think you’re right on that one. You hungry?” I asked as I yanked her up into my arms and carried her to the exit of the rink.

“Don’t drop me,” she exclaimed as she wound her arms tightly around my neck.

“I won’t. Trust me.”

Once we were safely off the ice, I kneeled on the floor and began unlacing her skates.

“I was thinking pizza.”

“Angelo’s? Man, I haven’t been there in ages. They seriously have the best pizza around. My friends and I used to go there three or four times a week.”

It was strange how she mentioned friends, but I’d yet to see her with anyone in town, not that I got out much either. From what Lily had told me, most of the townspeople were steering clear of Autumn because she’d been walking around with a scowl since she arrived. I was hopeful that I could help change that. I’d noticed she smiled more when I was around and even more so with her sisters.

“Well, let’s see if it’s as legendary as you say.”

I finished hauling off my skates and tossed them into my duffle bag with my practice clothes and then hurried Autumn’s skates back to the rental booth.

The drive to the restaurant was quick and we found a spot to park across the street. The sign for Angelo’s blinked a few times before illuminating. I could see through the windows that the place was packed, even though it was late, just around eight in the evening.

When we stepped inside the place conversations continued to flow, but I noticed the watchful eyes taking us in. Autumn didn’t seem to as she stepped up to the counter to place our order. In the car, we’d already decided on a large pepperoni pizza and two beers. The eyes of the teen working behind the counter widened as I handed him my black American Express card.

“I’ll have your order right out, Colton. . .er. . . Mr. Crawford. . .er,” the boy squeaked.

“Thanks.” I chuckled as I guided Autumn to the only available table in the middle of the restaurant. I’d really hoped for a bit of privacy so the chance of being interrupted would be minimal.

“To our first official date,” I explained as I held out my beer.

Autumn repeated my statement and we clinked our bottles together before taking a pull of the cold liquid.

As the people around us chattered away, Autumn asked me questions about hockey and then if I’d heard anything more about my potential sister.