Page 60 of Snowed In on Valentine's Day

“So, how’s Randy doing?”

“He’s good.”

“Does he miss me?” I laughed and then I wondered why I asked that. “Just kidding.”

“I think he does, actually,” Peter said, glancing at me before stepping around another icy patch. “He seems bored with me. But I’ve applied to adopt another cat from the shelter, so he may have a playmate soon.”

I was still struggling to reconcile that he was not only a cat person but also someone who wanted to work with rescue animals—even adopting them. It didn’t fit at all with my visionof him. “So, are you one of those people who like animals more than people?” I blurted out.

He was silent for a long moment, and I wondered if he was offended. “I like a few people. But yes, in general, I prefer animals.” He paused. “We had a cat and a dog growing up, and they were my best friends.”

My eyes widened. Thisreallydidn’t fit my vision of him. Did I even know him at all? I couldn’t imagine him as this child whose best friends were his pets. Then again, I couldn’t really imagine him as a child at all.

The sound he made almost seemed like a laugh, but he cleared his throat instead. “I was a child once, yes.”

Oh, crap, had I said that aloud?

“Sorry, sometimes my filter malfunctions.”

He made another raspy noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle. “It’s fine. I prefer honesty and directness anyway.”

I was going to scream if I heard him sayIt’s fineone more time. I didn’t want fine. I wanted … well, I didn’t know.

“Well, here we are,” he said as we reached a spot about halfway between our houses. I tried but failed to cover another yawn. “You look tired. Please rest.”

“Yes, sir.” I saluted him.

Because apparently I said and did weird things around this guy.

His eyes held mine for a few more seconds before his lips curved upward slightly and he turned to leave.

Apparently my stomach did weird things too.

Chapter 16

“Argh. I forgot to collect my money after passing Go! I’ll just take it now—”

“Nope. Against the rules. You have to collect it during your turn.”

My jaw dropped. “Whose rules? I don’t remember reading that.” I giggled. “Then again, has anyone ever read the Monopoly rules? Everyone I know puts money in the middle and collects it when they land on Free Parking, yet the rules say nothing happens on that space.”

“House rules. I can’t allow you to break them.”

I nearly fell off my chair then because his face suddenly transformed.

His lips were curved upward in a full-on smile withdimples,and it was an assault on my senses. On my mental capacity.

I must have looked as woozy as I felt because his smile dropped, replaced by a frown. “Are you all right?” He sighed. “Fine, we can make an exception to the rule this once.”

I shook my head. “No, I … yes, I I’m OK. And yes, give me my damn two hundred dollars.” I pasted a smile on my face to hide the feeling building in me …

I was freaking out.

Who was this man who suddenly smiled—who let me break a rule? We’d been walking together daily for a few weeks now, and the change was so gradual I didn’t notice until now.

He was different. More thoughtful. Even a little playful at times.

I think we were actually friends now.

---