Page 12 of Unexpected Christmas with the SEAL

“Idowant a dog, though.”

“I would love one, too, but my apartment isn’t pet friendly and I’m gone too much between work and commuting. It wouldn’t be fair.”

Score!That was the first bit of information she’d volunteered about herself.

He was breaking down her walls. Finally.

“How long have you been in Colorado?” she asked.

“Not very long. Moved here just after Asher and Triss got married. I wasn’t able to make it to the wedding. I came for a visit afterward, fell in love with the place, and decided to settle down for a bit. There’s a cattle farmer not too far from here that lets me rent a cabin on the edge of his land. There’s enough room to park Bella, and I monitor that part of his property for him.”

“What does,for a bit, mean?”

He shrugged. “I’m a bit of a vagabond. I never stay in one place very long.”

“Why’s that?”

He scratched at his chin. His five o’clock shadow usually came on around two o’clock, so now that it was closing in on six, he had rough stubble that made a raspy noise against his fingertips. “Not too sure. Maybe I just haven’t found the right place yet.” Or the right person.

“Could this place be it?”

“If any place is gonna be, it’d be here. I love it. And there’s loads of work for me. Always a rancher that needs help, or somebody wanting a heli-tour of the area. Even news channels have hired me. I help the cattle rancher, too. Help him find his cows. He’s got thousands of acres and can’t always find them by riding.”

Her eyes roamed his body, sliding down his torso, which was still covered in the chicken apron. “You pull off an apron better than most.”

His grin nearly broke his face. “Yeah?”

She shrugged and disappeared with her wine into the living room.

He finished tidying up, and by that time, his pizza was cool enough to slice, as well. Then he put two slices of their pizzas on plates and brought them and his wine into the living room. “Shall we watch a Christmas movie?”

She was curled up on the couch, with Bruno now snoring on her feet. “LikeDie Hard?”

He put his palm to his chest. “Marry me right now if you considerDie Harda Christmas movie.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled, accepting her plate of pizza. “I mean, is itthebest Christmas movie? No. But itisa Christmas movie. There’s no argument there. Even though Bruce Willis says it’s not, I disagree and will until the day I die.”

Chuckling, he nodded. “I can agree with that. So, whatisthe best Christmas movie?” He sat down beside her, careful to leave a gap between them so she didn’t think he was playing at anything, then brought up his phone to cast whatever she decided on to the television.

“AChristmas Story, obviously. Nothing like that leg lamp, uncooked turkey and a Red Rider BB gun.” She paused with the slice almost to her mouth. “Oh, and Ovaltine!”

“Excellent choice, Ms. Harris.A Christmas Storyit is.”

They ate their pizza, drank their wine and watched the movie in companionable silence for a little while, but eventually, whatever curiosity had been niggling away at Hannah got the better of her. She got up to get more pizza, and fill her wine, bringing back with her more questions.

“Why are you being nice to me?” She sat back down on the couch. Bruno was on the kitchen tile, sprawled out like a sleeping frog.

“What kind of a question is that?”

“An honest one.” She blinked. “You don’t know me. And all of this just feels like you’re doing my uncles a favor.”

“Maybe it started out that way, but can’t it be something else now? We’re two people who would otherwise be alone for Christmas. What’s wrong with us spending it together?”

“Because we’re strangers.”

“We don’t have to be. Can’t we be friends?”

Her eyes did that narrow, skeptical thing again. “Is that all you want to be?”

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