Page 119 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“Charleston elite,” she muttered, shaking her head. Shehadforgotten. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Persuade you to do something you don’t want to?” He winked, and she couldn’t fight her grin. “Don’t worry, I’m taking on the challenge with gusto.”
She groaned, but her smile tempered it. What a conundrum. On the one hand, she desperately wanted him to fight for her. On the other, this would all be far less painful in the long run if he just walked away now. Because with each passing second, she was losing more and more of her heart.
When the wine was served, she took a tiny sip and watched him do the same.
There was a very good chance that by the end of this weekend, she’d have lost her heart for good.
He’d walk away. He’d go back to the ranch where he belonged. It wasn’t even a debate in her mind. He might be able to fit in here, but he shouldn’t have to. This place would make him miserable.
There was still no question that he’d leave, and if he didn’t want to, she’d make him for his own good.
Just like there was no question that when he left, he’d leave with a good portion of her soul.
42
JJ leaned over the railing of the ice skating rink in Rockefeller Center as he and Dahlia watched the skaters below. He scratched his jaw and turned to Dahlia. “Do you think these people know there are real lakes in the world?”
Dahlia burst out laughing. As she’d been in the middle of sipping on a hot coffee, she had to clap a hand over her mouth.
He grinned, turning to take in her profile. Her winter gear here was far more stylish than the oversized serviceable jacket she’d had to sport in Montana, but she looked no less adorable in her gray ski cap and that fancy cashmere scarf.
She leaned in toward him and lowered her voice. “Don’t tell anyone. The powers that be don’t want anyone knowing there’s life beyond Manhattan.”
He grinned, the warmth in his chest entirely unrelated to the coffee in his hand.
It’d been like this all day. Easy. Fun.
No, he didn’t enjoy the constant crowds bustling around him or the frantic pace, but he now knew he could put up with just about anything so long as Dahlia was smiling at him like she was right now.
She leaned in to him, resting lightly against his side.
This had become the norm too—the light touches, the easy familiarity, the way they kept being drawn together like they were a couple of magnets.
He’d never understood the whole hand-holding thing until now. Until this trip. And now he couldn’t seem to walk more than a block without reaching for her fingers and linking their hands together.
“I wish the tree was still up,” she said. “It was a sight to behold.”
He leaned down to talk softly in her ear. “You’re a sight to behold.”
She giggled and playfully elbowed him in the belly. “Stop that.”
“Nope.” He’d been doing it all day. And all last night too. He couldn’t resist any chance to tell her how beautiful she was, or how clever and kind and warm and… perfect.
After dinner last night, they’d taken a stroll through some of Dahlia’s favorite neighborhoods. The weather wasn’t as cold as Montana, but the wind cutting through the cross streets had them shivering by the time they’d reached Central Park.
He’d discovered that while Dahlia liked admiring the poor horses who were stuck pulling carriages through the park, she’d never actually ridden in one. And so, bundled up under blankets, they’d taken a ride, Dahlia cuddled against him as she’d pointed out all the landmark buildings in sight.
No stars were visible thanks to the light, but it was still a magical evening.
They’d stayed up late, chatting about everything and nothing as if they were still in that cabin with nothing better to do than learn each other’s every whim and foible.
She’d discovered his insatiable love of old dime-store Western novels—part of the reason he’d headed west after his divorce. He’d found out that she’d always wanted to travel but hadn’t been able to. He answered all her questions about the places he’d been, and together they went online and researched her dream trip—an African safari.
When they’d been too tired to keep their eyes open any longer, he’d given her a good-night kiss he’d never forget, and they’d fallen asleep.
Luckily they’d slept well, because first thing this morning, they’d set off on a city adventure. First stop, her favorite coffee shop. And after that, she’d hauled him around to every one of the touristy destinations he’d read about, and a bunch of hidden gems he’d never heard of.
