Page 4 of Wedding Bells in Silverwood

She flashed him a coy smile. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Aha. My plan worked.”

As Nick leaned in for a kiss, the fire he’d started released a loud crackle. Cupid jumped back and barked at the flames.

“How’s your head?” Holly stretched to give the spot that got whacked by the pole a gentle stroke.

“It’s fine. I’m just glad the poles aren’t steel.” He reached for her hand. “How’s your cut?”

“I barely noticed it until now. The cold air helps.” She entwined her fingers with his.

“Good. Now that we’ve survived our injuries, we can concentrate on this glorious fire I created with my bare hands.”

Holly chuckled at Nick’s over-the-top muscleman poses. “Quit it. Please.” She grabbed his biceps. “You’ve already won me over with your prowess as an outdoorsman.”

Nick adopted a caveman dialect. “But fire big. Scary. Impressive.”

“Yes. Impressive.” Holly roped her arms around his waist and set her head on his arm. “And romantic.”

His warm breath caressed her forehead as he leaned in and kissed her temple.

Campfire smoke wafted up into the night sky. The flames cast dancing shadows across Nick’s face, playing with the scruff on his jawline. Holly flattened out her insulated mat and sat, a chill of excitement bubbling through her.

“Have you seen them before?” she asked. “The Northern Lights?”

“Yeah, once when I was a kid. My mom and dad brought me and Rachel out here. Rachel was in a bad mood at the beginning of the trip because she didn’t want to be away from her friends. I remember my mom being so patient with her, just letting Rachel’s complaints roll off her back. And then the lights appeared, and Rachel couldn’t stop talking about them. My mom had this knowing smirk, and I felt then that she was the smartest woman in the universe.”

“Sounds like she was very wise.”

“Rachel wanted to come up here every year after that, but it didn’t quite work out.”

Holly put a hand on his. “Is that when your mom got sick?”

Nick bit his lip and nodded.

She stared at their joined hands. Her heart swelled, feeling even closer to Nick. One of the things that they’d had in common and bonded over was losing a parent—Holly’s father and Nick’s mother.

A cool breeze swept through, and Holly shivered. Nick wrapped an arm around her, and she breathed in the woodsy scent of his cologne.

Holly nuzzled into him. “Well, I’ve never really been the outdoorsy, sleep-under-the-stars type, but maybe that’s just because I didn’t have the right camping partner.”

“It does improve the experience altogether.”

When she shivered this time, it wasn’t from the chilly wind but Nick’s intense gaze.

“Hey.” He raised his brows. “I’ve got marshmallows.”

“Now you’re speaking my language.”

Nick retrieved the packet and extendable roasting sticks while the hot chocolate was warming on the grate above the fire. To keep the bag from being swept up by the cold wind, Nick set a rock on it. He slid a marshmallow on each of his and Holly’s sticks and handed one to her.

“I haven’t done this since I was a kid.” Holly held out her stick, hovering her sugary treat over the flames. Nick’s marshmallow was soon beside hers.

“All we’re missing now are some spooky stories.” Nick waggled his brows.

“If you want to hear some scary stories, I can tell you more about when I lived in New York.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad.”

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