Page 4 of Snow Drift

We both laugh, then slip into the sunroom. With three walls of windows running from waist height all the way to the ceiling, the light glinting off the snow and ice comes streaming in. I set her cleaning basket on a table, then grab a blanket from the back of the couch to wrap around her shoulders.

She blinks up at me in surprise, her soft blue eyes practically glowing. "Thank you."

We drift over to the corner facing the snow-covered garden. "I've seen photos of this place in the summer," I say, stepping asclose as I dare, standing beside and slightly behind her. "I like the way they've arranged some of the small trees and shrubs to keep a bit of interest in the winter. Like the Winterberry there."

Kallie follows my finger pointing to a staggered row of shrubs covered in red berries. "Oh, the birds love those – I watch them sometimes."

"I've been working on this with my own designs. We don't get nearly this much snow in Oakton, but it's still good to plan gardens so they still look nice in the winter months."

She leans back, tapping her shoulder against my chest. "You must be the horticultural magazine guy."

My jaw drops open. "My word. Are you telling me that you spy on our reading materials?"

"I may have…dusted my way by." She giggles sweetly. "Come on, you have to admit that with all of those mysteries and thrillers the three of you are reading, a gardening magazine is a bit odd." She turns to face me, clutching the blanket around her like a cape. "Are you a professional landscaper, or just a serious gardening nut?"

"Like the meme says, why not both?" My arms are tense from the need to reach out and hold her in them. "I'm actually looking for a house right now. I need a place with a big back garden so that I can study things for the next ten to fifteen years, really see how they grow."

Something flickers through Kallie's bright eyes. Have I made her sad?

"You must see a lot of different gardens and plant life at the various hotels you work at," I smile, relieved when her face softens again. "What's the prettiest place you've worked at?"

Kallie looks slowly around the room, taking in the thick oak beams around the door, and the wide plank windowsills. "I'm not just saying this to be a suck up in case Mrs. H. is listening, but this chalet really is gorgeous."

"Even though the gardens are covered in snow right now."

Her eyes light up. "Oh! There's also a hotel in Arizona with a cactus garden and walking path filled with little stone sculptures. And a holistic retreat in New Mexico I worked at once where all of the structures were made by hand with reclaimed materials. Those were cool." She laughs lightly. "I didn't exactly clean there, just wiped all the sandy dust off the main surfaces twice a day."

I want to ask her why she moves around so much, but it feels like none of my business. "So you get to travel while you work, and hang out in fancy hotels? Sounds like a pretty good life."

"Oh, there are plenty of sleazy motels that need to be cleaned as well." She breathes a deep sigh. "Thankfully, I have great references now, so I've been getting much better jobs."

"Good." Unable to resist any longer, my hand reaches out to stroke her arm gently, watching her eyes to make sure it's okay. "It's not my place, but I don't like the thought of you in sleazy motels."

Kallie's lips part as if to speak, but then a deep shiver runs through her. This time both my arms wrap around her, pulling her to my chest. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to catch pneumonia here because of me. Should we leave?"

Her delicate hand presses against my shoulder. "You're really warm."

"My body is busy burning off all the delicious, enormous meals I've been gorging on since I got here."

This time when she laughs she presses closer against me, and her cheek lands against my chest as we face the largest window. "Wow," she whispers. "The snow is getting really deep."

I stroke her hair gently, relishing the feeling of her soft, curvy body against me. "All three of us have sturdy trucks with snow tires and all wheel drive. If there was any emergency, we'd never actually be stuck here."

Her chin tips up, eyes glowing. "Oh, I'm not really worried about that. This place is stocked for at least two weeks. But it's sweet of you to think like that."

Her perfect lips are mere inches away. My heart isn't beating, it's racing. Flailing.

"Kallie, have you ever had to slap a guest who got fresh with you?"

"Never." Her eyes sparkle as she grins.

"You realize that this is me saying you should slap me before I kiss you if this isn't what you want, right?"

Her chin tips up and down. "Yeah."

I take her hand, lifting it so that it's three inches from my cheek. "Just in case…"

She begins to laugh, and I catch her open lips against mine.

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