Page 17 of Christmas In Love

“Well.” She sighed. She’d already asked three people today and she was running out of daylight. “You don’t happen to have a truck, do you?”

His face visibly fell. “No, I don’t.”

Relief warred with disappointment. Dumb emotions. “No problem then. I’m just looking for someone with a truck to help me pick up supplies for this display.”

He folded his arms, and his eyes narrowed in thought. “Actually, my dad has a truck. I could probably borrow it for the day.”

Oh? That would be helpful, but also risky—spending more time with Cade. Plus, did she really want to see his family? They must hate her.

Reading at least one of her thoughts, he quickly added, “I can go grab it and pick you back up in a half hour?”

She hesitated for half a second, tapping a pencil against the desk. She needed to get these supplies today, and part of her selfishly wanted a little time in Cade’s company, even if she wasn’t about to ask him on the date. A quick errand couldn’t hurt. “Sure. That would be great, thank you.”

He smiled, a devastatingly handsome smile that made his eyes crinkle and her heart do a tap dance, and said he’d be back soon.

While he was gone, she finished up the spreadsheets and grabbed a coat. She’d been working furiously since waking up late, and the upcoming break was more appealing than she’d admit. He walked back into the entry at the same moment she came in from the kitchen.

“Ready to go?” he asked. He looked a bit uncomfortable. Maybe he was finally regretting helping her.

“Almost, let me just lock up and call my neighbor to keep an eye on the place.” She made the call, put the sign in the window, and locked the door. “Alright,” she said as she stepped through the small courtyard in front of the B&B to join Cade on the sidewalk. Instinctively, she reached for his hand, only to jerk her own back hard enough she stumbled.

“Careful, it’s pretty icy,” he warned.

Yeah, icy. That was the problem.

He led her to a truck parked on the curb and opened the passenger’s side door. Freaky déjà vu of their dating years came back to her. She muttered a thanks, but she was pretty sure it sounded more like “Shpanks.”

The truck was lifted, but had a running board for her to use to step up into it.

Apparently, it was also a bit icy. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize that until she’d put all her weight on it. And slipped. The ground was coming to meet her fast when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders. Cade steadied her, not letting go until she had stopped tilting back.

“You okay?” he asked.

She couldn’t even manage a shpanks this time. She was torn between mortification and… distraction. Because her shoulders weremuchwarmer than the rest of her now. Her shoulders that had several inches of parka padding. But she felt like one of those heroines in a romance novel whose love interest had just caught her around the waist.

Why hadn’t Cade grabbed her by the waist?

“Nat?”

“Oh, sorry, yes. Yes, I’m fine.”My shoulders are in no way incinerating, thank you.

Then she sat in the cab—stepping up more carefully this time—and forcibly stopped herself from hitting her forehead in disgust while he walked around the truck.

“Okay, where to?”

“The place is in Woodcastle. Here, I’ll set a route.” She typed the address into her phone.

He nodded and turned the car on.

It was dead silent for a full minute. She knew because she counted. Sixty full seconds that felt like an eternity. Thankfully, he turned the radio on when she got to sixty-five. The chorus ofAll I Want for Christmasflooded the car at an excessive volume, making her jolt in surprise. With a sheepish smile, he adjusted the volume to bemuchlower. “Sorry, guess my dad really loves Christmas music.”

She laughed a little. “Who can blame him?”

He gave her an indecipherable look but didn’t say anything. The mini-concert seemed to have thawed some of the ice between them though, and he spoke without much discomfort. “The carnival seems to be coming along nicely.”

“Yeah, it was a great idea, thank you.”

“No problem.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel while they waited at a stoplight. A car careened through the intersection in front of them, way faster than it should with the road in its condition.

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