Page 49 of Lighting Up Christmas

“Something like.” He smiled but got a mouthful of needles.

“I’m going to pull the tree off of you,” Riley said, “so close your eyes. They’re very beautiful, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

His eyes? They were dark brown. Well, black. Then the first part of her sentence hit. “Lift it off of me? Is this your substitute gym workout for the day?” She could hurt herself.

“Something like that,” she said, and he glimpsed her brilliant smile before he heard another clink, and then the snowmobile engine kick on. Within seconds he was free and could breathe.

Zhang gulped in a breath, popped to his feet, and resisted touching his sternum. He felt more battered than he’d realized. Riley revved the engine of his snowmobile, and then looked back at him, grinning like it was Christmas Day and she’d gotten her biggest wish.

“Any chance you feel a little woozy and I could play superheroine and drive us back?” She revved the engine again.

No. Way. That was his brand-new Arctic Cat.

But she looked so happy and playful. And totally expecting him to say no. Most men would.

She hopped off and quickly resecured the net around the tree.

“Sure,” he said, feeling stupid that the tree had not only fallen out of the rigging he’d set up but also on top of him. At least it hadn’t fallen on Riley.

The shock on her face was comical, and he felt a little better. Look at him, being unexpected. Probably a first, he thought a bit grimly. It had never mattered to him before about being so predictable. He’d reveled in it. Felt safe. Superior. He didn’t want to think about why now he wanted to switch it up.

“Really?” Riley demanded, searching his face.

What did she see there? He’d spent a lifetime trying to not let his feelings loose so they could be used against him.

He quickly examined the way she’d wrapped the tree and attached it to the snowmobile. Efficient. Tight. And she’d done it quickly. Admiration rose but not surprise. He had a feeling Riley could take care of herself and fix any problem.

Even him?

He pushed the unwelcome thought away. He was done being told he needed to be fixed. He was fine alone.

“Show me your worst,” he said, settling himself on the back of the seat.

She looked at him over her shoulder and winked. Winked! Who winked?

“How about my best?” She smiled. “Hang on tight, Zhang.”

Riley revved the engine. “You sure about this?”

He had his hands holding on to the bar in the back. He shifted and wrapped them around her slim waist. Her braided hair spilled from beneath her knit cap and tickled his nose.

“Let it rip,” he said.

Riley shoved the throttle, and they were flying across the hill, wind and her hair in his face, and he could hear Riley shouting “Whoo-hoo! This is awesomesauce with ice cream and caramel!”

He laughed. He’d always loved speed and the freedom of riding fast in the open air. What would she think of his Vyrus 987 C3 4V? That was a sweet ride. Before today, he would have said the best. Who would have thought a snowmobile sweeping across his land, taking the long way home would have given his exclusive bike a run for the money in wow factor?

*

Late afternoon Sunday,as the sun had started to dip over the coastal range, Zhang backed into Riley’s driveway and openedthe gate of his truck. He’d hauled a lot of things in his truck, but he’d never expected to see a Christmas tree.

“You look like you’ve got an alien back there or a load of manure, which maybe with a vineyard you aren’t that unfamiliar with hauling around.” Riley emerged from her front door carrying, of all things, a plate of cookies. The sweet smell of flour, butter, sugar, and chocolate wafted toward him.

“Those are my choices, alien or manure?” he asked, boggled that her mind had come up with those two things to potentially explain his confusion.

“The image popped in my mind. I just went with it. Try one. New recipe. Chocolate macaroon.” Riley smiled winningly, and he took one even though he didn’t normally like chocolate.

He held it in his hand. The large cookie looked a little rough around the edges, like a melted lunar rock.

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