Page 63 of Wedding Bells in Silverwood

She crouched to gather more snow, but before she could track him, Jonas charged, and frosty flakes splattered all over her face. As she blinked the white powder out of her eyes, he caught her by the waist with both arms and slammed into her, driving her backward. They landed in a blanket of thick snow with Jonas on top.

Viola mustered enough energy to grab a fresh handful and smash it into Jonas’s hair. He rolled off her, letting out a gasp. When he brushed the snow out of his mane, Viola laughed. Of course he would be worried about his hair in a moment like this.

He narrowed his eyes, but there was still a dazzling grin on his face. “What?”

She sat up. “I got you.”

As his eyes roamed over her features, she sobered, getting lost in his stare.

“Yeah,” he responded softly. “You did.”

He reached toward her, but she didn’t flinch. Something about the way he looked at her caused a flutter in her stomach. He pushed away a strand of hair that had clung to her cheek.

Was he leaning in closer?

“Mr. Brickman, I’m sorry to interrupt.”

Viola looked past him to see Susan standing near the barely decorated Christmas tree. Her red coat was open, which implied Susan wouldn’t stay outside one minute longer than she had to.

“It’s Billings on the line,” Susan said. “They said they couldn’t reach you on your cell.”

Jonas cleared his throat as he jumped up. “Thank you. I’ll be right there.”

Susan nodded and headed back into the building, rubbing her arms.

Jonas straightened his coat and held out a hand to Viola. For some reason, she felt a tightness in her chest. All at once, the cold was unbearable. Was she disappointed that the moment had passed? What had it even meant? It had just been a playful snowball fight. But if that were true, why did her stomach feel like it was tied up in knots at the thought of him leaving?

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

“I need to take this call.” He brushed the white powder off his coat. “Not sure how long it will be, but I’ll try to hurry back and help you finish the decorations.”

She moved her hair away from her cheeks. “Don’t even worry about it. Go take care of business.”

His smile was timid and gone in a flash as he turned and strolled into the chateau.

Viola watched him go, brushing stray snowflakes from her hair. A cool breeze rushed by, and she stretched her neck, taking in the enormous structure of the building and the massive sky above it. Twinkling stars stared back at her. She followed the panorama down to the snow-covered mountains in the distance. Moonlight reflected on the lake. She could just make out the glass-enclosed winter garden where Holly and Nick’s ceremony would take place. Their wedding arch already stood there, minus the fresh flowers.

Jonas certainly has a beautiful building.

She supposed he had to be tenacious with his business to keep everything running professionally. He was a busy man, and Viola wasn’t positive there was room in his life for her.

Her gaze went back to the tree. Somehow, she doubted he would be back anytime soon. With a sigh, she resolved to finish decorating alone.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Holly smoothed down her dress and triple-checked her hair in the mirror. She wasn’t even sure what went on at a bachelorette party anymore. All she knew was that Kim had told her she’d take care of everything and that Holly should wear her little black dress and be ready to dance.

“You look nice.” Vivian appeared in the doorway.

“Thanks, Mom. So do you.”

Vivian did a twirl in her yellow outfit. “I haven’t been out dancing in a long time. I wonder if I’ve got any moves left.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t know if I’ve got any moves, either.”

A car horn caused them both to turn.

“Is that her?” Holly furrowed her brow. “Does she want us to get in her Uber or …”

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