Page 278 of Screwged for Christmas

It was that or venture out with reindeer attached to her feet and wearing mistletoe-printed pajamas and a see-through top. Having all of Dixen looking at her nipples didn’t appeal. At least her rain boots didn’t have bells and she managed to grab a bra.

She had packed smart shoes and boots made for snow and ice, but no luggage meant no shoes. She opted for yesterday’s dark jeans with one of Gran’s black sweaters and her own red scarf and gloves. Her other options were her gran’s yoga pants.

She shuddered. Only so many people could pull off candy cane stripes, and she wasn’t one of them.

The inn sat on the edge of town down a half-mile-long drive that wound along the calm lakeshore. On the opposite side, apple trees greeted comers and goers. Now they stood bare, but in the springtime, their sweet smell filled the air and pink blooms made the short drive magical.

At the end of the drive going left led to the mountains and camping grounds. Aspen turned the truck right, which would take them to town with Ms. Lucille’s place positioned in the middle, with only a couple of miles between them according to Aspen.

Even with town so close by, the snow stayed crisp and white and the pine trees stood guard like wooden soldiers over visitors passing through the switchback roads. In the spring and summer, lush green branches bowed over the road and provided a canopy of shade.

In the autumn, pine mingled with the broad oak to turn the mountainsides into gold with dots of red, green and purple. But now everything looked like a winter wonderland. She loved it.

For the first couple of minutes they rode in silence, but she couldn’t stand the unease anymore.

“I see you refurbished your dad’s old truck. I love the tan leather.” She rubbed her gloved hand over the seat. Cars and trucks were not her forte, but she could appreciate the amount of dedication and work it must have taken to make the classic look authentic.

“Dad was going to haul it to the dump. I couldn’t stand to see such a classic thrown away.”

He patted the wheel. “She does good in cold weather.”

Ivy fiddled with a loose string on the cuff of her sweater before turning to Aspen. “I’m sorry about this morning. I don’t know what has gotten into Gran. She’s a little weird right now.”

“You mean more than usual?” He smiled a lazy grin that pulled one from her as well.

“Got me there,” she shrugged. In the small cabin space, Aspen’s masculine scent seeped into her senses.

“Nothing new. She keeps the town on its collective toes and stirs the waters when things start to die down. Last month she hosted a bingo night down at town hall and it ended with everyone singing Copacabana and a conga line from the pictures on Facebook someone must have spiked the punch bowl because a few lost their shirts at some point.”

“You’re kidding!” She turned in her seat.

She felt her shoulders start to relax and she slipped her gloves off since the cabin was toasty warm.

“Nope.”

“I bet Gran planned the whole damn thing.” Laughter bubbled up and she rested a hand on Aspen’s thigh.

“You would be right.”

His came to rest on top of hers as he took a turn in the road. “The next day Dixen’s Facebook page blew up with pictures from the so-called Frat Party Senior Style, as Mrs. Winters labeled it.”

“Did she take responsibility?”

“She didn’t have to. She damn near took the mic from the preacher’s hand the next Sunday to make sure everyone had their Christmas lights up before Dec twentieth rolled around. Their little impromptu shindig resulted in a lot of tourists coming through town.”

“Who knew Gran was a mastermind marketer?”

In light of that, Ivy couldn’t ignore the fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach. No, not fluttery. What she felt from the simple contact was hot. From head to toe. “You don’t think she’s up to something now, do you?” Her gut made her question the entire morning. “She practically pushed us out the door. I barely grabbed my coat in time before losing a finger.”

Ivy slipped her hand from Aspen’s and pressed her hand to the heater vents. The warm blast of air felt heavenly and she wiggled her fingers until she could feel them again, unable to shrug off the awkwardness of the whole morning.

“With her, who knows.” He slowed around a particularly sharp curve that caused her to fall into his lap. Moving fast, he caught her to his chest before she face planted in his lap.

Righting herself, he held her gaze for the briefest of seconds.

Her heart lurched to a stop and she jerked back. Ivy swallowed hard. Sparks, the kind that zinged through the skin and pelted the heart with warm fuzzy feelings shot up her arm in a flash of surprise.

Aspen’s attention swung between the road and her. Had he felt it too?

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