Page 35 of Snow Going Back

Kate turned and realised the milk had been beside him on the island the whole time.

‘Oh. Yes.’ She closed the door and reached over towards it, but Sam scooped it up out of her reach.

Kate frowned. ‘What are youdoing?’

Sam shrugged. ‘I’m picking up my milk.’

Kate’s eyes tightened. ‘Ibought that milk.’

‘But it’s inmyfridge,’ he countered.

Kate glared at him and sucked in a deep breath before replying in a perfectly level tone. ‘Fine. Could you please pass meyourmilk?’

‘This milk?’ Sam asked, pointing at the carton with his free hand.

‘Yes,’ Kate replied, holding on to her patience with great difficulty.

‘For your tea? Don’t you like it black?’ He stared at her expectantly.

Kate considered dropping it and walking away, but after the series of strained conversations she’d already suffered with Lance and her mother, she really did desperately just want to sit and enjoy a nice soothing cup of tea.

‘Yes, I want it for my tea,’ she said flatly. ‘Andno, I don’t like it black.’

Sam shook the carton, bringing attention to the little it had left in the bottom, then looked down at his bowl. She followed his gaze. It was still half full of milk but now had just a couple of stray milk-sodden beige squares floating around the top.

‘Nope,’ he said finally with a tight smile. He opened the milk and tipped what was left into his bowl.

Kate’s mouth dropped open, and she stared at him with pure hatred. That was thefinal straw. The man had clearly never been told how dangerous it was to get between an Englishwoman and her tea, but he was about to find out.

Sam picked up the bowl, put it to his lips and tipped it back, drinking the entire contents without stopping. Kate’s eyes narrowed. She’d never been a vindictive person, but she was creative, so even if it took her all weekend, she’d figure out her revenge.

‘Ahhh…’ Sam put down the empty bowl with a loud sound of satisfaction and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. ‘Ilovea bowl of milk in the morning.’ He laced his fingers together behind his head and leaned back on the stool. ‘All that calcium. Important for building strong bones, my uncle used to say.’ He grinned.

Kate stared back at him coldly. ‘Well, it’s certainly thickened your skull, so I guess he was right,’ she replied.

Sam laughed. ‘O-ho! Touché, lawyer girl.’

Kate stalked over to the sink and poured away her tea, wishing all kinds of hell on him. She took a deep breath and forced herself to think about the day ahead instead, then grittedher teeth, realising she needed to run something by him. ‘I’m sorting stuff in the basement today. There’s a box at the back?—’

‘Wait, hold that thought,’ he said, cutting her off.

She turned to see him answering an incoming call.

‘Hi, Cassie, how’s things?’ he asked in a bright genuine tone. ‘Mhm. Mhm…’

She watched him for a moment with a murderous glare as his face creased into a smile. Without really meaning to, she flicked her gaze down to his bare muscular arms and over the sculpted lines of his chest and torso. As she did, Sam suddenly turned and looked straight at her. He hitched an eyebrow, and his grin widened as Kate’s cheeks flushed red. She turned away, furious with herself. She hadn’t beenlookinglooking. Not like that. But with his level of arrogance, that would be exactly how he’d take it.

‘Oh yeah?’ she heard him say. ‘And how’s that new bed of yours doing?’

Kate rolled her eyes. Cassie must be the Wednesday wine girl.

The chair creaked as Sam stood up. ‘Maybe I should come and just check it over, see if I can sort that out for you.’

‘DearLord,’ Kate mumbled with another eye roll.

‘I’ll see if I have one here and I’ll be straight over.’ Sam walked out and jogged up the stairs.

Kate turned back around as he left and noticed his coat hanging from the back of the stool, and his keys and wallet on the island. She bit the inside of her cheek and glanced into the hallway as the devil on her shoulder grinned and whispered an idea into her ear. Sam was in his room, the floorboards creaking above her as he walked around.

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