Page 35 of Bad Boy Bachelor Christmas
He turned with a concerned expression. “What is it? Did you hear something?”
I shook my head, smiled, and tilted my head back. “Look. It’s snowing.”
He looked up at the sky, and we stood amongst the rows of hundreds of trees as the tiny flurries grew into bigger flakes and dusted our shoulders and the tops of our heads. I breathed in the smell of cold, sharp air, liking the way it made my nostrils burn.
“Christmas is coming,” I whispered.
“Come.” North glanced around, eyes flicking from low tree branch to low tree branch. “Let’s get you back to the cabin.”
He led the way and I followed, sticking close to him for comfort. He didn’t say a word when I accidentally bumped into his elbow over and over. I wondered if he sensed my unease about being out here after seeing the coyote. If he did, he never took the opportunity to make fun of me.
The cabin came into view, and he walked me right up to the front door. The porch creaked under his weight.
I shouldered the door open and stood in the warmth of the doorway. “I’m shocked you’re actually standing on my porch right now,” I teased. “Usually you scurry away before your boots hit the wood.”
He looked away almost bashfully. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Uh huh.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Will you be okay spending the night out here alone after what happened?”
“Unless coyotes have found out how to pick deadbolts and turn doorhandles, yes, I’ll be okay.”
He gave me a smile that almost knocked me on my ass. Had I not seen him smile in earnest yet? He had dazzling white teeth, and his smile made the corners of his eyes crinkle almost joyfully. I soaked in the sight, trying to commit it to memory before it was gone as quickly as it appeared.
He tipped his head in the direction of the main house. “I’d better head back. I’ll come get you in the morning.”
“Okay.” I felt myself pulled toward him as he descended one of the porch steps, like there was a piece of invisible thread tying us together. “Or you could stay a bit? I could put on some tea?”
Tea.I cringed.A man like this doesn’t drink tea, you idiot.
He stopped, turned back, and studied me. For a moment I thought he was going to call me out for trying to buy more time with him. For what purpose, I still wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I didn’t want him to go, and it wasn’t because I was afraid of a skinny coyote getting comfy on my porch.
“Tea?” he grunted.
I fidgeted with my hands and bit my bottom lip. “Yes, you don’t have to. I just thought it might warm you up before you had to make the walk back.” I shook my head. “Never mind. Another time, maybe.”
“Tea sounds nice.”
“It does?”
“Doesn’t it?” He stepped back up onto the porch. “You’re the one who offered.”
We did a little cupid’s shuffle on the porch as I tried to make room for him to come inside while holding the door open. It didn’t work. He was too broad, and when I got haphazardly stuck between him and the doorframe, he smirked, stepped back, andpicked me upto set me inside the cabin before coming in after me. He had to duck under the frame before he closed the door behind him and locked it.
I stood there staring like a dazed idiot before snapping to attention and hurrying to put the kettle on and brew us some tea.
Because that was why I’d invited him in.
Right?
For tea?
You’re walking on thin ice, Winter. Tread carefully. Tread. Carefully.
North moved around my cabin, his head dangerously close to the ceiling, and began building a fire for me. It wasn’t all that warm inside, and I hadn’t quite perfected the art of fire building, so I watched him work. He saw me staring and invited me over to show me some tips and tricks while the tea steeped.
I took a knee beside him and listened as he gave me thorough instructions. Unable to help myself, I watched his hands as he worked to effortlessly build kindling, snap smaller pieces of wood apart, and build a frame. He struck it with a match, and seconds later a small flame went up.
