Page 19 of A Season for Christmas

“What is it?” The sleepy voice behind him made him turn. Catherine, deliciously rumpled, was sitting up in the bed, pulling the sheets up around her as she shivered.

“Old Maude was right.” The confusion in her expression made him grin. “It snowed last night. I will have to speak with Klaus, but I feel it unlikely we will be leaving this morning. Possibly this afternoon, but that might not be possible, either.”

“Oh.” She blinked, assimilating the information, then tilted her head as she looked at him, as if she was trying to figure out how he felt about the news. He kept smiling at her, and a returning smile spread on her lips. “Well then. Isuppose we shall have to find something to keep us occupied while we’re here.”

“I suppose we shall.” He turned. “First, though, I am going to get the fire going again.”

Freezing his bloody balls off was not the way he wanted to start his day.

He thought that, then two hours later, he was in the snow with all the other patrons of the inn, freezing his bloody balls off and having the time of his life. Lords, ladies, maids, grooms, footmen, local farmers—it did not matter their status, the inn had almost emptied out to engage in a massive snowball fight.

Exactly how it had started, he was not sure. The courtyard had been cleared, and Klaus’ people had dug out to the road, but the road itself was still covered. Eventually, a crew would be along to clear it, but who knew when. Klaus had given his people a break. Samuel and Catherine had gone outside to walk about and enjoy the snow-covered scenery, stretching their legs and spending some time together without the knowing eyes of her maid and his groom upon them.

Neither of them said a word, of course, but Catherine’s maid, at least, had to know her mistress had not spent the night in her own bed. He was certain Whittaker, his driver, suspected as well. They seemed to have their own flirtation going on to distract them, thankfully.

They had also come outside to walk about, Whittaker escorting the maid in much the same manner Samuel was doing with Catherine.

Someone had thrown the first snowball. Another one must have been flung back. Then, somehow, everyone who was outside had gotten in on the fun, and more people hadcome running out of the inn to join in, likely having seen the fracas from the windows.

Laughing so hard, she could barely throw her snowballs, Catherine was clearly having the time of her life. Her cheeks were bright pink from the cold, despite the thick pelisse she was wearing and the black wool shawl wrapped around her neck. Samuel chuckled as she barely managed to duck a snowball thrown by one of the stableboys.

Hearing him, she turned her head, eyes gleaming with amusement as she packed another snowball between her gloved hands.

“Were you hoping that would hit me?”

“Of course not, my lady.” He grinned back at her. “Though if it had, I would certainly have defended your honor.”

That got another laugh out of her.

“What if it is your honor that needs defending?” Without giving him time to answer, she lobbed the snowball she’d just packed right at him. He was too startled and the distance between them too short for him to react appropriately. Though he backed up a step, he did not dodge, and the snowball hit him squarely in the middle of his chest, some of the icy droplets exploding upward to sting the lower half of his face.

Laughing even harder now, Catherine was already darting away, running to get away from him.

Growling through his own chuckles, Samuel went after her, both of them dodging around people and snowballs. Though she was long legged and surprisingly fast, as well as having a head start, he was faster. It only took him a minute to catch up to her, just as she was passing by one of the largest snow drifts.

Catching her around the waist as she was taking anotherstep, they both spun, his arms going around her, their feet tangling together, and they went tumbling into the snowdrift—her atop of him. Her back was to his chest, and he cushioned her fall as the freezing snow wrapped around both of them.

He could not hear her giggles, but he could feel them against his arms as she squirmed her way back up. The cold ice sliding down the back of his neck was the only reason he let her go so easily.

Rather than running off again, she stood before him, taking his hands in hers and helping him out of the drift. As chaos reigned around them, he pulled her into his arms for a warm kiss amidst the freezing fun.

Catherine

“Mmmm, yes, right there…” Catherine moaned as Samuel dug his fingers into her sore calf. The fun of the morning had given way to sore muscles in the afternoon. Between being confined to the carriage for a full day yesterday, then running about the whole morning, her body was both confused and a little achy.

Samuel was doing his best to soothe those aches with his fingers after they’d shared a nice hot bath. Klaus and his staff had been diligent in ensuring everyone who came inside had access to one. Where he got all the hot water from, she did not know—it seemed like magic or perhaps a Christmas miracle.

Not that she believed in magic or Christmas miracles, but she did not have another explanation.

“I must admit, as much as I enjoy those noises you are making, this was not how I anticipated eliciting them fromyou,” Samuel said with a chuckle, digging his fingers in and making her moan again.

She laughed softly at his confession.

“I am sure we can arrange some other methods,” she replied coyly, glancing over her shoulder. She let her head drop again as he moved his hands from one calf to the other. “Mmmmmmm.”

She was feeling incredibly relaxed.

The snow had created a kind of bubble away from the rest of the world. No one could reach them here at the inn, and they could not leave. Nor did she want to. It was such a far cry from sitting in her lonely house and waiting for the holiday to pass her by.

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