Page 27 of A Sudden Romance

And he found himself chuckling. “You just can’t help yourself.”

“Now, that wasn’t so bad.” She deposited her phone into her pocket.

He touched the top of his head, self-conscious in a hat. Too bad he hadn’t brought his phone. It’d be nice to use the excuse to take her photo. He’d need something to look at when she returned to Boston.

“Let me take yours.” He put out his hand, but she waved him off.

A cloud of mist fogged out of her mouth when she eyed the chain saw with a determined look. “You can take mine when I cut down the tree.”

“Have you ever cut down a tree before?” Of course, he knew the answer.

She shrugged, stopping in front of him. Her trimmed eyebrows arched in a cute way. “There’s a first time for everything.” Like him and her together would be a first. “I have to show my siblings I’ve done something they’ve never done before.”

No reason to admit two of her brothers had helped cut Christmas trees in the past. “There’s a small problem about the trees, though.” He pointed out the snow covering the treetops. “Not sure we want to track all that snow in the house.”

A frown crossed her face. Then she jutted up her chin and grabbed the chain saw. “I can’t let my snow gear go to waste. Let’s still go and check it out. Maybe the small trees won’t have snow on them, or maybe we can let it melt off somewhere.”

That still left pine needles trailing the trees inside, but he shrugged. “Well, if we’re going, drop that thing on the sled so you don’t have to carry it.”

“You underestimate my strength.” She started walking, but she carried the chainsaw to the sled.

Ha! Little did she know. She’d never understand. She affected him in the most powerful way. “I don’t underestimate your strength, just so you know.”

“Is that so?” She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes searching his. Soft brown with golden sparks, those eyes gleamed so full of mischief.

Their gazes held, and a magnetic pull to her almost drew him in. His heart lodged in his throat, and he forgot what he was supposed to respond to.

She looked away and started walking, so he fell in step as they trekked through the snow. Iris snapped a few photos, then talked about the sledding hill and fond childhood memories of sledding with her siblings. “Unfortunately, I only sled once or twice whenever I come for Christmas. Not enough time.”

She hadn’t gone sledding the last two years she’d come home. “We didn’t have any snow the last two Christmases. I remember—” Oops. He’d almost revealed that he remembered her being bothered they hadn’t gotten enough snow for snowboarding. “We should have enough snow this Christmas.”

“I have to catch up on the last two years of not sledding.”

As she walked beside him, he felt complete. Whether anything happened between them or not, just talking to her freely was, well, freeing.

She gave him a sideways glance as they followed a bend in their path, a trail of deer hoofprints visible in the snow. “Do you like to ski, snowboard, or sled?”

He went skiing and snowboarding every so often. Living in the mountains and doing none of those activities left you with minimal activities. “I have a membership at the resort.”

She stopped walking, her eyes widening. “You do?”

He shrugged. “Why does that surprise you?”

She pinned him with an unwavering gaze, her cheeks rosy from the cold. Or was she embarrassed? She then poked her gloved finger at his chest. “Does it surprise you that I’m surprised?”

Not exactly, but he longed for her touch once more.

“This week is the most you and I have ever spoken.”

“You’re a little bit”—with her face alight with laughter, his heart felt light as he confessed—“scary.”

She let out a dramatic sigh, and her jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you said that.”

He lifted his shoulder before he resumed walking, expecting her to follow. Then something cold and wet hit his head and splashed onto his neck.

At her squealed laughter, he spun around, and her spark of mischief ignited his. She hurled another snowball right into his face. The shivery sludge dripped down his face, but her priceless smile warmed him.

“How about that for a scary person?” Like a waxwing’s winter song, her voice trilled over the mountain.

---