Page 6 of Christmas In Love

Or at least, she rolled over and lay motionless for a long time. In the dark of her room, she couldn’t help but worry. Sure, the initial awkwardness might fade between her and Cade, but if the way her heart was still pounding a little harder than usual was any indication, her attraction to him hadnotfaded. Not a bit.

And that was dangerous. Because although she had broken up with him four years before… she’d never told him why. And while she could admit the immaturity she’d shown then, that didn’t change the outcome and it didn’t change her decision. So no new sparks could go flying this time around. She didn’t have any desire to warm her cold little heart. Not this Christmas—not ever.

Also—she shifted in bed, staring up at the ceiling at the creak in the floorboards above—she really shouldn’t have offered the Mountain Room to him. It just so happened to be right above her own bedroom. And when every slight shift of the historic house had her thinking about him walking around up there, getting ready for bed, or already asleep and shifting around… well, she didn’t know how much sleepshe’dbe getting that night.

Chapter 3

Cade

Themountainsseemedtobe closing in on Cade by the time he was dressed to leave his room the next morning. When he’d chosen the mountain room, he’d thought there might be a couple of nice pictures of mountains.

He’d been very, very wrong.

There were pictures, yes, but also so much more. One wall had an entire mural of a mountain scene. It wasn’t bad, but when paired with the triangular headboard, fake trees reaching to the ceiling, and the looming bear statue in the corner, Cade was beginning to imagine mosquitos flying around his head. He could have sworn the roomsmelledlike a pine forest.

He shut the door firmly behind him and turned to lock it. Even the plaque with the room name was mountain-themed. It was fashioned to look like a trailhead marker. Cade grimaced. He liked the outdoors as much as anyone, but he didn’t like suffocating in them.

It might just be worth it, though. Sometime during the night spent tossing and turning in the wilderness, he’d come to a decision. Fate was handing him a second chance at finding out what had happened with Natalie four years ago, and he was taking it. The question ofwhyshe’d broken up with him had hung in the back of his mind, unanswered, for all that time. It was like an itch he couldn’t reach. And he’d finally be able to figure it out.

The smell of pine vacated his nose as delicious fumes of sugar and yeast wafted up the stairs. He followed the scent to a dining room off the entry.

The second he stepped through the door, four sets of eyes landed on him, but one set was noticeably absent.

“Good morning!” One of the patrons, a hearty man with a large smile, stopped him from stepping back out in search of Natalie. The man sat with the other couples at a large, rectangular table, enjoying a pastry and gesturing to Cade to sit.

He hesitated only a moment. “Morning.” Cade nodded to the man and his wife, then sat at the substantial table and grabbed a cinnamon roll from one of the platters in the center. The room was a decent size, larger than a standard dining room would be, but smaller than a hotel’s dining room. A subtle wallpaper covered the top half of the walls, and a sort of paneling lined the bottom. And there were no mountains anywhere on the walls or in the decor, so he immediately liked it.

“Here for the holidays, then?” The older man asked once Cade was settled. He and his wife both had round, cheery faces and white hair. Cade tucked away a smile—with the snow falling in the window behind them and the wife’s bright red sweater, they could easily be mistaken for Santa and Mrs. Claus.

“Yes, and you?” Cade took a bite from the cinnamon roll and almost moaned. It was still warm, and the perfect balance of sweet mixed with the slightly spicy cinnamon flavor.

“Visiting the grandkids.” Mrs. Claus smiled at her husband and then back at Cade. “We have seven grandkids, but we always spend Christmas with sweet Darla and her family. They have the most kiddos, you see, and this town is just the cutest Christmas town, wouldn’t you say?”

“Definitely.” Cade took another bite. He liked small talk. It was noncommittal and came easily to him since it was practically part of his job. The parents of his patients always wanted to share their kid’s latest escapade, or at least talk about how nice the weather had been lately. Cade only needed to offer one or two-word responses.

“So, tell us about yourself.”

Cade blinked. This wasn’t how small talk was supposed to go.

“Um, well…”

“I have eggs! And bacon!” Natalie stepped into the room, inadvertently saving him from the conversation.

Cade had a hard time swallowing his bite of cinnamon roll. Knowing he’d likely see her that day hadn’t prepared him for it. Her auburn hair was no longer pulled back but curled softly around her shoulders. She had light makeup on, and her blue eyes drew him in as if the last four years hadn’t happened.

But they couldn’t draw him in anymore. Not after the way she’d left him.

“Do you need any help, darlin’?” Mrs. Claus started to stand.

“Oh no, Mrs. Clarke, I’m quite alright, but thank you.” Natalie offered the woman one of her broad smiles, and Cade grabbed for another roll so he’d have somewhere else to look. At least there was entertainment to be had in the fact that the Claus’s actual last name was fairly similar to the nickname he’d fashioned.

With skill far more advanced than her bumbling attempts at checking him in last night, Natalie placed several plates of steaming food onto the table. Then, she stepped back and looked up. Her eyes caught Cade’s and, for a second, he couldn’t look away. Old attraction flared in the air between them, unseen by their breakfast companions.

Natalie cleared her throat and stepped back. “Well, enjoy everyone!” She started to back out of the room.

“Oh, darlin’, aren’t you going to eat with us?” Mrs. Claus—err, Clarke, asked.

Natalie smiled again, though it seemed a little tighter this time, as her gaze darted to Cade and then back to the older lady. “I have a plate in the kitchen and some files to go through. You all enjoy. If any of you need anything, I’ll be back at the desk in a quarter-hour.” Before she could be caught again, she stepped from the room.

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