Page 18 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
After Belle placed the ornament back on the tree, she turned to him. When she found him staring at her, her heart skipped a beat. She told herself to keep it together and not get lost in his chocolate-brown eyes.
She swallowed hard, hoping when she spoke her voice sounded normal. “Can I get you anything?”
His gaze moved to the couch and then back to her. “I’m good.”
Without another word, she headed for the kitchen. After washing her hands, she moved to the fridge and withdrew eggs and cream cheese. Next, she grabbed her largest mixing bowl. She continued gathering everything she would need to make cookies. She’d made them so often she had the ingredients memorized, but she didn’t know the exact amount of each. She opened a drawer and withdrew her mother’s handwritten recipe card.
It was times like these when she really missed her mother. She had loved to bake, and she’d taken time to teach Belle to bake when she was still a little girl. They were some of Belle’s fondest memories.
She turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin. There in the doorway stood all six-plus feet of Parker staring at her. She pressed a hand to her pounding chest.
“I didn’t hear you enter.” She lowered her hand and moved to the kitchen island. “That stealthy maneuverer must come in handy with you being the sheriff and all.”
A half smile came over his handsome face. “It does. But I hadn’t intended to scare you. I heard a noise and wondered what you were up to.”
“Oh. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” She bent over and retrieved the stand mixer from the cabinet.
“You didn’t. What are you doing?” He propped himself against the door jamb.
She wondered how honest she should be with him. It wasn’t like they were friends or anything. But as he continued to stare at her with an inquisitive look on his face, she sighed. “When something is bothering me, I either clean or bake.”
His gaze moved across the items on the island. “I take it you’re going with the baking. What are you making?”
“Christmas cookies. There’s a party at the Kringles’ house tomorrow night.” She gestured to the festive invitation with red and green glitter hanging on the front of her fridge. “I agreed to bring stuff for the cookie table.”
He nodded. “I heard it’s always a big party.”
They invited most of the townspeople. It was definitely the height of the holiday season. “You sound like you’ve never been to one of their parties.”
“I haven’t.” He said it as a matter-of-fact.
No wonder she couldn’t remember ever seeing him there. “I take it you don’t like parties.”
He shrugged. “Just never had a reason to go.”
“Who needs a reason to go to a party? They’re just for fun.” She made sure to get a new dress each year just for this particular party. She glanced across at him. “What do you do for fun?”
“You mean besides ticket people?” When she gaped at him, he smiled. Not just one of his half-smiles. No. This was a big smile that made his big brown eyes twinkle. “I’m just joking.”
“Not funny. Not funny at all.” But she did like the way his smile smoothed his frown lines and made him look years younger.
In fact, when he smiled, he was downright gorgeous. The thought made the breath catch in her lungs. What was she doing having thoughts like that about Parker? He was not her type at all. He was Mr. By-The-Book, and she was more live and let live.
However, now she was curious to know more about him. “Seriously, what do you do for fun?”
He shrugged. “I watch football.”
Hey, she watched football too. Wait. Did that mean they had something in common?
She jerked her thoughts back to the conversation. “Do you go to the games? And wear face paint?”
Parker rolled his eyes. “No. I sit at home on my couch and watch the game.”
“Alone?”
He once more shrugged. “Most of the time.”
She was starting to see what was the matter with him. “You need to get a life.”
