Page 11 of Whiskey Kisses For the Mountain Man
The memory acts like ice water. I turn the actual water to cold and stand under it until I'm shivering and completely deflated.
By the time I step out and towel off, I've regained my composure. It's just physical attraction, nothing more. It'll pass.
I pull on a pair of flannel pajama pants and a worn t-shirt before heading to the kitchen to make something to eat. As the microwave heats up leftover stew, I glance out my window.
The glowing red nose of that fucking reindeer stares back at me.
With a muttered curse, I turn away, focusing on my dinner instead. I eat standing at the counter, deliberately keeping my back to the window. But curiosity gets the better of me, and I find myself turning to look again.
Movement catches my eye. Lettie is in her yard, this time with a tall ladder and what looks like a tangled mess ofChristmas lights. She's setting up the ladder against the edge of her roof.
What the fuck is she doing?
I watch as she tests the ladder's stability, then starts to climb. She has earbuds in. I can see her lips moving, probably singing along to more Christmas music.
The ladder wobbles slightly as she reaches the top rung, and a jolt of panic shoots through me. What kind of idiot climbs a ladder alone, at night, in December?
Before I can think it through, I'm shoving my feet into boots and grabbing my coat. By the time I make it outside, she's at the top of the ladder, one hand clutching a rope of lights, the other reaching for the edge of the roof.
"What the hell are you doing?" I call out, my voice louder than intended.
She startles violently, twisting to look at me. The sudden movement shifts her weight, and the ladder tilts. Her eyes widen in fear as she loses her balance.
I'm running before she even starts to fall, reaching her just as she tumbles sideways. The ladder clatters to the ground as I catch her against my chest, the impact knocking the wind from my lungs.
For a moment, we're frozen. Her body is warm against mine, her face inches from my neck. I can feel her heart racing, matching the thundering pace of my own.
"Are you okay?" I manage to ask, my voice rougher than usual.
She nods, her breath coming in short gasps. "You scared me."
"I scared you? You're the one climbing a ladder in the dark by yourself."
The string of lights she was holding has tangled around us both, binding us together. As she tries to step back, the lights tighten, pulling her closer against me.
"I was perfectly fine until you shouted," she says, but there's no real anger in her voice. Just a breathlessness that makes my body respond in ways it shouldn't.
"You could have broken your neck," I growl.
She looks up at me, and I realize how close we are. Close enough that I can see the flecks of gold in her brown eyes, close enough to smell the sugar cookie scent clinging to her hair, close enough to lean down and taste those full lips.
"I need to get these untangled," she murmurs, but makes no real effort to move away.
I should let her go. I should step back and help her untangle the lights and then go back to my cabin and forget this ever happened.
Instead, I stand there, holding her against me, feeling the soft curves of her body through her sweater, watching her lips part slightly as she looks up at me.
"Owen," she whispers, and the sound of my name breaks the spell.
I clear my throat and loosen my grip. "Let me help you with these lights."
She nods, and we both start working to unwrap the string of lights that's bound us together. Every brush of her fingers against mine sends jolts of electricity up my arm.
"Why were you putting up lights in the dark anyway?" I ask, needing to focus on something other than how soft her skin feels.
"I wanted to surprise Tomlin with pictures tomorrow morning," she explains. "Show him how the place looks all lit up."
"You could have waited until daylight."
