Page 84 of 5 Golden Flings

CHAPTER 6

Colby smiledwhen Brynn stumbled down the stairs the next morning.

She obviously wasn’t trying to impress him. Her long blonde hair was wavy in places, as if she’d smoothed it down with her fingers, and she still wore a long-sleeved pajama shirt and pants made out of a fleece material with panda bears all over it. The fuzzy socks were most impressive, he decided as he took a sip of coffee.

Her eyes struggled to stay open, it seemed, even though she was walking.

“Coffee?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

He’d been thrilled to see the coffee supplies this morning. It would have been a nightmare if he’d been iced in with a tea drinker.

He set a full cup in front of her and the creamer he’d found in the fridge. He took his black, but could read the signs that she didn’t.

She moaned as she cupped the warm mug between her palms. He couldn’t help but wonder if she made that samesound for other things she found pleasurable. Not helpful at the moment, especially considering her insistence on keeping him at arms’ length. Which was absolutely acceptable and prudent considering her vulnerability with a stranger in her house. But his curiosity seemed to be growing in other areas besides just the reason she was here in Thornbury Woods.

To distract himself, he turned to grab the eggs from the refrigerator and started cracking them into a bowl one by one.

Brynn cleared her throat. “If you’re going to stay here, you’re going to have to go on a diet.”

He glanced up to see her eyeing the bowl over the rim of her cup. “Huh?”

She pointed at the bowl without otherwise moving. “Diet.I only brought enough food for me, for vacation purposes, and we can’t just run to the store for more.”

Then he realized he’d already cracked half of the eggs into the bowl. Right. She wouldn’t have anything stocked away, because she didn’t actually live here.

“Right. I’ll keep that in mind. The last thing I want is for us to have to resort to extreme measures.”

The way her cheeks heated up and she dropped her gaze to her cup piqued his interest. “Right.”

“I’m not pretty when I’m hangry.”

“Same as when I run out of chocolate chip cookies,” she said, arching one brow.

He’d have to remember that. Though he had to wonder if other things of hers tasted as good as those delicious cookies.

He shook his head.Focus.

As soon as she finished off her cup, he refilled it. He focused on fixing breakfast until this cup also disappeared and she seemed to be in a more awake state.

“Any plans for today?” He glanced out the white-crusted window. “Or plans you had for today that have been cancelled?”

She narrowed her gaze on him. “Haven’t we gone over this before?”

“I would say you were avoiding the question, then and now.” But he actually found great pleasure in sparking her defensive response. The mystery of her presence intrigued him and she had no idea that he wouldn’t stop until he got to the bottom of a good mystery. While he may appear laid-back to the casual observer, Colby was at heart a life-long learner. One who enjoyed studying history and the present. “Are you visiting family? Taking care of the place now that Maria has moved? Moving in?” A horrible thought occurred to him. “You weren’t here to be alone, were you? I mean, it’s Christmas.”

She blinked a couple of times, as if the holiday hadn’t occurred to her. “Look, I’ve just had a lot to take care of lately and needed some new surroundings.”

“I get that, but that’s kind of contrary to the reason for the season. You know, family. Togetherness.”

A shadow of sadness passed over her face before her features went carefully blank. “I don’t have any other family. Besides, I’m not celebrating this year.”

“Are you sure?”

He pointed toward the metal Christmas tree lantern, which he’d moved to the kitchen bar to add a little touch of festivity to the place.

She looked startled for a moment, as if she’d forgotten about the oversized ornament.

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