Page 25 of Snow Kisses

The smile faded, and she felt a deep sadness for what might have been if she hadn’t been so crazy to go to New York and break into modeling.

“In a hay stall?” she teased halfheartedly.

“Anywhere. As long as it was with you, and I could feel you…all of you…under my body.”

She turned away from the hunger in his eyes with a tiny little sound, and he hit the steering wheel with his hand and stared blindly out the windshield, cursing under his breath.

“I’m sorry,” he ground out. “That was a damned stupid thing to say…!”

“Don’t handle me with kid gloves,” she said, looking back at him. “Melly was right, and so were you. I can’t run away from the memory of the attack, and I can’t runaway from life. I’m going to have to learn to deal with…relationships, physical relationships.” Her eyes met his bravely. “Help me.”

“I’ve already told you that I will.”

She studied the worn mat on the floorboard. “And don’t get angry when I react…predictably.”

“Like just now?” he asked, and managed a smile.

She nodded, smiling back. “Like just now.” Her eyes searched his, looking for reassurance. “It frightens me, still, the…the weight of a man’s body,” she whispered shakily, and only realized much later that she’d confessed that to no one else.

“In that case,” he said gently, “I’ll have to let you push me down in the hay, won’t I?”

Tears misted in her eyes. “Oh, Cade…”

“Will you get out of my truck?” he asked pleasantly, preventing her, probably intentionally, from showing any gratitude. “I think I did mention about a half hour ago that I was in a flaming hurry.”

“Some hurry,” she scoffed. “If you were really in a hurry,” she added, nodding toward the snow, “you’d walk.”

“That’s an idea. But I left my snowshoes in the attic. Out! Go let Melly show you how to work the computer. You do realize that somebody’s going to have to do her job while she’s on her honeymoon?”

“Me? But, Cade, I don’t know anything about computers….”

“What a great time for you to learn,” he advised. He searched her flushed face, seeing a new purpose in it, aslackening of the fear, and he nodded. “Don’t rush off to New York after the wedding. Stay with me.”

“I’d like to stay with you,” she said in a soft, gentle tone as she looked into his dark eyes.

He held her gaze for a long, warm moment before he averted his eyes to the gearshift. “Now I’m going,” he said firmly. “Either you skedaddle or you come with me.”

“I’d like to come with you,” she said with a sigh, “but I’d just get in the way, wouldn’t I?”

“Sure,” he said with a flash of white teeth. Then his eyes narrowed. “Do you want to come, really? Because I’m going to let you, and to hell with getting in the way, if you say yes.”

She took a deep, slow breath, and shrugged. “Better not, I suppose,” she said regretfully. “Melly’s wedding dress…I have to get started.”

“Okay. How about fabric?”

“Calla bought it for me. It’s just a matter of deciding what to use,” she told him. “Don’t get sick, okay?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Why? Afraid you’d have to nurse me?”

“I’d stay up all night for weeks if you needed me. Don’t be silly,” she chided, reaching for the door handle.

“Tell Calla not to keep supper, honey, it’s going to be another long night.”

She nodded as she held the door ajar. “Want me to bring your supper down to you?”

He smiled. “On your snowshoes? Better not, it’s damned cold out here. I’ll have a bite later. See you.”

“See you.”

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