Page 7 of Mistletoed with the Mountain Man
"By what?" She secures the garland, then glances down at me with a grin. "Please tell me you weren't chasing perps in your head. We're making Christmas magic here, Deputy.”
"I wasn't." I was picturing you in this exact position, but naked and in my bed.
Man, I need help.
"Just thinking," I add.
"About your family and how much they’re going to love this?"
She’s too much. "Yeah, this will be the first time our parents won’t be here for Christmas, and I wanted to make sure we still had a great time. We’re bummed Jayce won’t be able to make it since he’s training at Quantico. But sometimes life gets busy, you know."
“Yet you make time." She climbs down the ladder, landing beside me with a soft thud.
“Yep, every Sunday we do a video call.” I steady the ladder as she moves it to the next section. "It started after Harlon, our older brother, got his first park ranger position in Wyoming. We didn't want to lose touch."
"That's really sweet." She pauses, pulling another section of garland from its box. "You're close with them."
"Yeah. Sadie's my baby sister—drives me insane half the time, but I'd do anything for her. Jayce is next, the run-straight-into-danger one, then Harlon’s the strong, silent type." I smile despite myself. "They're my people."
"That must be nice." Something flickers across her face…sadness, longing, I'm not sure. But it's there and gone before I can identify it.
"You have your aunt, right?”
"I do." She climbs back up the ladder, focusing intently on the gold ribbon. "She's been amazing. Especially after—" She stops. "Anyway. She's great."
I recognize deflection when I see it. Fifteen years in law enforcement has taught me to spot when someone's avoiding a topic. But pushing now would cross a line to something more personal.
Even though every instinct I have wants to pull her down from that ladder, sit her down on my lap, and find out what put that sudden shadow in her eyes.
Instead, I hand her another section. "You're really good at this."
"At decorating?" She looks down, and her smile is back—bright enough to light up the whole cabin. "Thanks. I love it. Making spaces feel warm and magical. It's like..." She trails off, searching for words. "Like wrapping people up in a warm blanket of holiday happiness."
Interesting. "That's a great image."
She blushes a little and my heart beats a little faster.
We continue working for a while, and it’s surprisingly easy. Despite trying to keep myself in check, I find I'm enjoying this.
The process.
Her company.
"So what's your secret guilty pleasure?” she asks, gathering fasteners. “Everyone has one. Mine's those cheesy Hallmark movies."
"That's not much of a secret. Half of America watches those."
"Deflecting already, Deputy?" She grins. "Come on. Spill."
I hesitate, then figure there's no harm in honesty. "I actually love Christmas. All of it. The music, the decorations, and even the hideous sweaters."
Her eyes light up. "Oh my god, do you have an ugly Christmas sweater?"
"Three."
She nearly falls off the ladder laughing. I reach up to steady her automatically, my hands on her waist.
She's warm under my palms. Soft, like I imagined. And she's looking down at me with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, and I need to let go right now.
