Page 12 of Let it Snow
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lucy
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Amist of powdery whitesprayed up and over Lucy and Max as they made their way down the large sledding hill adjacent to the Inn.Their laughter mingled with that of others who had braved the cold air and icy wind to come out during the break in the storm to enjoy a bit of fun, and fun was what she was definitely having.When Max had told her to change and meet him outside, Lucy hadn’t been certain the simple act of sledding would bring her enough joy to wipe out the pain she had felt when she had cried all over him in the kitchen earlier, but she was wrong.Within seconds of making their way outside, trudging through the almost knee-deep snow that sparkled in the faint light from the setting sun, her lips had lifted into a smile, one that had been plastered there ever since.
Trees flew by as they barreled toward the bottom of the hill.Lucy gripped onto Max’s knees as tightly as she dared while she was cradled between his strong legs.He steered them deftly, avoiding major obstacles like tumbleweeds and snow piles.Unfortunately, he was unable to avoid a lump of snow that could have doubled as a mogul, and the two crashed sideways, the sounds of their merriment bouncing back to them from all corners of the pasture.Lucy took advantage of her position in the snow and started to make a snow angel.The thick pants she wore were nearly soaked through, but she couldn’t muster up the energy to care.She was far too busy enjoying the moment and wanting it to drag on for as long as possible.
Lucy turned her head to the side, smiling when she saw Max had copied her movements and was making an angel of his own.A bright smile lit up his face despite the fact that he, too, was sopping wet.He hadn’t exactly packed for a trip out into the snow, and when she’d pointed that out to him, he’d simply shrugged a shoulder and said, “Don’t care,” then pulled her outside by the hand.It was just another example of how he put aside his own comfort to help her.
After her outburst in the kitchen, he could have disappeared upstairs, not having to deal with the emotional Innkeeper when he was a guest in her house, but he stayed.He stayed and he made her feel a million times better than she had since her mother passed.There was no doubt in Lucy’s mind he was right about the biscuits.She had wanted them to taste like her mother’s so badly.But how could they when her mother wasn’t the one making them, the one pouring all of her love for her daughter into the dough and baking them with care because food was her love language.It was Lucy’s too, so really, it wasn’t surprising she had been plying Max with food and tea since he’d arrived.
Lucy stopped waving her arms against the snow and stared over at Max.He had nothing to cover his head, so she’d made him put on her spare cap.It happened to be one that was bright pink and had a large, sparkling pom-pom on top.On anyone else, it would have looked ridiculous, but on Max it looked adorable.Her eyes moved from the cap down to his face.His expression was filled with happiness, and thinking she may have played even a small part in creating that for him made her feel warm despite the cold surrounding her.His head turned so he could look over at her, and his smile shifted from one of abject joy to one that looked a little more wistful.He reached a gloved hand over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“You making a snow angel is very on brand,” he said to her, rolling until he was peering down from above.His fingers brushed snow away from her face and off her shoulders while she stared up at him.
When his words registered, her brow furrowed in confusion.“What do you mean, on brand?”He was talking nonsense, but she didn’t really care because he was talking to her, and she would listen to all kinds of silly ramblings if they came from him.
Max smiled and leaned closer.“The moment you opened the door last night, I thought I had seen an angel come down from heaven, offering me shelter from the storm,” he whispered.
Lucy’s heartbeat quickened and she licked her lips.“Does that line work on all the girls?”she asked him.Truthfully, she didn’t really want to know, and it didn’t really matter anyway, because no matter what, it was definitely working on her.
Max’s expression turned serious just before he rested his forehead against hers.“I wouldn’t know.You’re the only one I’ve used it on.And it isn’t a line, it’s the truth.”
Swooning internally, Lucy reached up and touched her lips to his.Max groaned and deepened the kiss immediately, licking his way into her mouth.His lips were cool, but warmed quickly as they continued to kiss underneath the large oak tree at the edge of her property.Her hands wound their way around to the back of his neck and pulled him impossibly closer.She wanted the heat from their bodies to melt the snow around them so they could stay like this forever.The thought of that made her shiver with delight, but instead of Max pushing forward as she expected, he lurched back, a remorseful look on his face.
“You’re freezing.We’ve been out here for a while now.”Large flakes started to descend from the clouds above, as if the snow globe they had been existing in was suddenly shaken about.Lucy certainly felt shaken, but in the best possible way.Gone was the shroud of grief and loneliness she had adorned these past months and in its place was a blanket of comfort and love.It had been less than a day and Lucy knew that, logically, it was unlikely what she was feeling for Max was actual love, but if you tried to tell her heart that it would protest passionately, insisting love-at-first-sight does in fact exist.“Let’s get you inside, my darling.”
Max stood and pulled an unsteady Lucy up with him.Her legs barely worked, but not because they were nearly frozen, though they were.No, she wobbled her way along the path back to the Inn because her knees felt like a pad of butter on a hot frying pan.Her whole body felt that way, as if it would melt away each time she heard him call her his “darling.”It wasn’t unusual for her to be called that by any number of people, especially in town and because it was popular among the more overly friendly Brits.But there was something different about the way he said it.When he spoke the word, he did so reverently, like he really meant it and in his eyes the title belonged to no one but her.
When they made it inside, Lucy grabbed the two white, terrycloth robes she had thought to place by the door and handed one to Max.“Here.Get out of those wet clothes, and I’ll hang them on the rack to dry and we can warm up by the fire.”
Max’s fingers brushed hers as he took the robe.When Lucy looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but a heated gaze that warmed her better than any fire could.“Whatever you say, Miss Lucy.”
Lucy watched as he walked to the downstairs water closet and shut the door.With a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold, Lucy went into the laundry room and peeled the sopping-wet clothes from her body.She could go upstairs and change into some dry clothes, but she knew where the evening was heading, and she didn’t want to bother.Between the kisses and the heated looks, there was no doubt in her mind they would be sleeping together.Forgoing clothing seemed like a great idea as the less there was between her and Max, the better as far as she was concerned.It was fairly presumptuous of her, but if the expression on his face before he went to change was any indication, she presumed correctly.
Just as she opened the door, Max appeared on the other side.She jumped slightly and clutched at her chest, noting the way his eyes flicked to where her palm pressed against her flesh and wondering if it was because she was startled or because he could see her cleavage in the vee of the robe.Either way, Lucy did not hate his attention there.“You startled me.”
“Didn’t mean to,” he said, his voice low as he brushed against her and lay his own sodden clothes out over the rack.His eyes went out the window to where the storm seemed to be picking up steam again.“That’s going to dump at least another half foot, if not more.”
