Page 18 of Snowed in with My Pucking Ex
“Mm,” she sips, her eyes closing as she savors the first drink.
I shouldn’t be imagining her having that look for other reasons, but I can’t help which direction my mind goes. Thewoman is smoking hot, and to witness her dancing around in a pair of tight leggings, shaking her booty, well, let’s just say my mind definitely went there, and I can’t get the image out of my mind.
“If you keep this up, I may become a little spoiled,” she admits, gazing at me through her lashes.
“I’m counting on it,” I disclose, and watch with rapt attention as her breath catches.
Chapter Eleven
Sean
Her expression softens a touch as she stares at me for a beat before the trance is broken up by one of the horses nickering, and another snorting. The commercial currently on the holiday playlist she’s been listening to ends, and then another carol begins to play.
“I’m guessing they’re fans of the Christmas tunes?”
She nods, grinning. “Oh, absolutely. This is a Christmas farm in case you missed all the decorations. We’ve all got it bad, even the horses.”
I shake my head, smiling like a fool.A fool for her.“How can I help? Put me to work,Boss.”
“Mm, boss.Yeah, I like the sound of that. You can start by screwing the lids on each of these jars after I put the plastic protector thingy on.”
“Plastic protector thingy, got it.” I nod and step up beside her at the counter.
I’ll admit I’m feeling a bit relieved she’s not throwing the hot cappuccino at me and chasing me out of here for taking care of her car for her. If her dad knew it was me, then there’s no way she hasn’t figured it out as well. Doug probably caved and told her two minutes into the delivery that I was the one responsible. I know I should’ve asked her first about doing anything to the vehicle, and I would’ve, but I also know she’s stubborn enough to have told me no. It’s one of those situations where I decided it was better to act first and then apologize if needed, versus asking permission ahead of time.
“Dad had your games on. We saw them both. Are you okay after that hit yesterday?”
Mom already mentioned that Winter had said she watched my game, but I didn’t think she’d pay close enough attention to catch the hit. It feels good knowing she saw me play and watched enough of the game to be comfortable asking questions.
“You like hockey?” I find myself asking instead of answering her right away.
She watched me play when we were younger, but the whole village showed up to my games, it seemed, whenever they had the chance. The community is probably a little too involved with school activities around here, but they find joy in it. The kids benefit the most from it in the end with all of the added support. Our bake sales were legendary back then, with all the older ladies wanting to pitch in.
“Of course, I like hockey. I like several sports, that hasn’t changed over time. If anything, I enjoy them even more than when you used to know me.”
“When Iusedto know you…” I repeat, trailing off, before moving forward. I don’t like the idea of not knowing her for any amount of time we’ve been a part. I can’t stop asking myself why I waited this long to see her again in the first place. I feel like I’ve wasted so much time we could’ve had together. I was an idiot to ever let this stunning woman out of my grasp. “I’m okay. The team doc checked me over and said no concussion, so I can still play.”
“Your head may be okay, but what about the rest of you? I’m not worried if you can play; I’m concerned about whether you’re injured.” She pauses in her task, meeting my gaze, and I find true apprehension in hers. “You obviously didn’t break anything because you still played in the game, but you must be sore?”
I decide to just be honest about it and lift my jacket, along with the layered thin shirts underneath it, so she can see for herself. “I had enough time to sit in an ice bath before my flight last night and then again this morning.”
She draws in a swift, shocked gasp as her hands fly to her face, covering her mouth. Her eyes roam across my exposed skin for a few moments, taking it in. She can see where it’s already peppered in a couple of large dark bruises. We have protectivegear, which usually helps with this sort of thing, but the way I was hit, and then when the guy landed on me, he was able to get me pretty good.
“Oh my God! You shouldn’t be out here right now. You need to be inside with ice and heat on that. Or at the clinic, so my mom can give you something for the pain. How can you even walk right now? I’d be doubled over in pain.”
I shrug and continue to screw the lids on her jars. “I’ve been playing through pain since I was a kid. It’s just something you do, especially when you want to win games. I’ve gotten so used to it over the years that this is nothing compared to some of the injuries I’ve had in the past. I’m fine, really. I just want to help you and not worry about my next game until I go to practice tomorrow afternoon.”
She nods, busying herself by going behind me to wipe the jars down with a clean cloth before setting them in neat little stacks. We get them all boxed up with bows or put in various baskets where she wants. Before I know it, we’re done with at least one item on her list she had been stressing over.
“I need to head up to the cabin. I want to chop down a tree to donate to the church, and then I’m going to grab some supplies we keep up there. We usually make the candy at the cabin since it’s out of the way, but I don’t want to be far from Dad with his injuries. I’m going to use the kitchen at home and store everything in the dining room until it’s packaged and put into boxes, then it can come out to the barn until festival time. Next week, I’ll work on the candles, and should be done with everything just in time for setup.”
“Sounds like a good idea, let’s go.” I grab the closest chainsaw and follow her back outside to her father’s truck. I place the chainsaw in the bed of David’s truck and then hurry to open her driver’s side door for her.
“Thank you,” Winter shoots me a surprised glance, wearing a sweet smile, and my stomach flips. I’m relieved she’s no longer attempting to completely ignore me like she was trying to before. She actually seems happy to have me here, and I keep getting butterflies in my gut nearly every time she glances in my direction.
The truck rumbles to life as I get in the passenger side. I slide onto the bench seat and quickly close my door to keep the cold out. I’m glad I still have some coffee left because this old pickup is like an ice box in the cab. I should’ve worn some warmer clothes, but in my defense, I thought we’d be in the barn or her parents’ house all day when we weren’t checking on the animals. Taking in the woman beside me, it looks like she wasn’t planning on traipsing through the woods to get a tree today either.
“So you’re donating a tree? Does your family do that every year?”
