Page 25 of Sugarplum

"I would say that was a great kiss only I'm not sure because I can't feel my mouth or any other parts, for that matter."

"Guess it is kind of cold out here." He helped me up, and with a groan of pain, pushed to his feet. He squinted back at the mound of snow that he'd used for his ill-fated jump. "That was all your fault."

"My fault?" I asked. "How the heck was that crazy stunt my fault?"

"It wasn't a crazy stunt. I fly over that mound every time I ride back to the inn. I've never screwed up the landing. But, there I was, sailing through the air, then without warning, an extremely hot woman appeared in the window of the inn. I lost my focus and boom. Next thing I knew, I was in the snow."

We walked back to his snowmobile which had landed right side up and was still running. "Well, since you used the phrase extremely hot woman, I won't be angry about becoming your excuse for a spectacularly bad jump."

He rested his helmet in his lap and climbed on. I straddled the seat behind him. My plans to cuddle against him for warmth were scrapped by the realization that his clothes were wet with snow.

We chugged back to the inn. Coco was just packing up her car. "I've left the timer on for the chicken pot pies. There's vanilla bean ice cream in the freezer to go with the fudge sauce I left on the stove," she called as she climbed into her car.

"Did she just say fudge sauce?" I asked.

"She did."

"God, I love that woman."

"She's a magical lady, that's for damn sure."

As he said it, my mind went back to the picture, the picture of long ago where Coco looked the same age she looked right now. Maybe she had a great aunt or great grandmother that looked exactly like her. That wasn't unheard of at all. That was it, I decided firmly. It could be the only explanation. Now everything else that had happened—no friggin' clue. I couldn't explain any of it. And frankly, I didn't want to waste a second thinking about it. I had a magnificent man who needed some 'tending' and there were chicken pot pies and fudge sauce. Fudge sauce. Naturally.

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