Page 6 of Snow Drift

"Could be worse," Rosa laughs. "Much better than the loud ski bros last year."

"Glad I missed those," Maya murmurs. "Quiet is always best."

I don't tell her that I have mixed feelings about quiet people. To me, sometimes it's better to know what someone is thinking.

Once the kitchen is spotless, the three of us head to our respective rooms to relax. The service hallway branches through one of the additions of the chalet, and my room is at the end of the narrow north corridor.

I think about Moore down in the library, and as soon as I've shut my door, I wish I'd taken another lap of the downstairs to…wait, to what? To spy on Moore? To "check and see how his reading is going"?Ack– that would make me a stalker. No. For so many reasons.

I can't stop thinking about him, though. Can't stop wishing that I could get to know him better and spend some quality timewith him. It's ridiculous. What am I thinking? He seems like a great guy, but there's no chance of a real future between us. Right?

Sprawling across my bed, I grab one of my notebooks to do some sketching. I've already drawn endless combinations of still life arrangements in this small room. A stack of books next to my water glass is not exactly thrilling subject matter, but all practice is good practice.

Some time later, as I'm completely zoned out staring at my sketchbook, I jump at the faint tap on the door. "Hello?"

The door cracks open an inch, just enough for a whisper to come through. "Kallie, it's Moore. May I come in?"

What the…! "S-sure."

He darts in, closing the door behind him quickly and quietly with a sheepish smile. "I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed in here."

A huge grin feels like it's stretching my cheeks. "You havemypermission, but…I know what you mean."

He looks around, then sits in the wooden chair across from me. His eyes grow wide when he spots my sketchbook. "Wow. You're really good."

I shrug. "Thanks. I'm always practicing when I have time."

Moore leans forward to peer more closely. "The shading is incredibly soft. Good job."

A tingle of pride flows through my chest. "In the summer I draw a lot of flowers, but obviously those are hard to come by this month." I flip a few pages, showing him some of the drawings of birds I did last week. "These little models are cute, but they don't stay still for me."

"Are you going to be here this summer?"

An icy dagger runs down my spine. I never tell anyone where I'm going to be in the future. Never let anyone know my plans.

"We'll see," I say with a noncommittal shrug.

Nodding, he reaches out, slowly clasping my fingers on the edge of the bed. "I can understand a young lady living on her own wanting to be cautious," he says gently. "Especially since you're in an industry where people come and go. Tourists and travelers, just cruising by. I'm the kind of person who needs to be planted in one place."

"Like your landscaping?"

"Exactly." He chuckles. "My business is thriving in Oakton, and I don't want to be uprooted."

"Meanwhile I'm a migratory butterfly, fluttering along on the breeze from place to place."

I've never had anyone look into my eyes so deeply, as if they were searching into my soul. "Kallie, do you really want to keep flying around so much? Wouldn't you like a safe place of your own someday?"

My fingers begin to tremble as his thumb traces soft little circles on my skin. "I don't mean to pry," he murmurs. "I just want to get to know everything about you."

"Why?" I can't help blurting out the obvious.

I can almost feel his gentle smile through my body. He stands up, setting my sketchbook and pencil on the dresser. Then he sits on the edge of the bed and pulls me into his lap. "You fascinate me, Kallie. I recently realized that I'm at a spot in my life where I'm ready to settle down with a great woman. Then suddenly, boom – you appear, and I can't stop this crazy flood of feelings."

"Floods are bad for some plants," I whisper, as my fingers trail along the back of his neck, sneaking under his collar to touch his shoulder. "Cacti and other desert plants, for example. They like it dry."

His nose brushes mine, making me giggle. "You're not nearly prickly enough to be a cactus." His lips drift along my cheekbone as he murmurs, "You don't have to tell me everything yet. Youdon't have to tell me why you like moving around so much. Just tell me that you feel this spark between us too."

As soon as I nod, his mouth captures mine. Wow. Just…wow. I've only kissed a few guys, but they were clearly amateurs. Moore kisses me like he's been training his entire life for this moment.

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