Page 14 of A Cozy Christmas Blizzard
After being assured by Jerome that their meal had already been taken care of, Wynn left a generous tip. After fervent thanks and a protracted farewell, they collected their coats. Wynn helped K.O. on with hers, then she wrapped her scarf around her neck.
When they ventured into the night, they saw that snow had begun to fall. The Seattle streets were decorated for the season with sparkling white lights on the bare trees. The scene was as festive as one could imagine. A horse-drawn carriage passed them, the horse’s hooves clopping on the pavement, its harness jingling.
“Shall we?” Wynn asked.
K.O. noticed that the carriage was traveling in the opposite direction from theirs, but she couldn’t have cared less. For as long as she could remember, she’d wanted a carriage ride. “That would be lovely.” Not only was Wynn a gentleman, but a romantic, as well, which seemed quite incongruous with his free-and-easy upbringing.
Wynn hailed the driver. Then he handed K.O. into the carriage before joining her. He took the lap robe, spread it across her legs, and slipped his arm around her shoulders. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to be in his embrace.
“I love Christmas,” K.O. confessed.
Wynn didn’t respond, which was probably for the best, since he’d actually put in writing that he wanted to bury Santa Claus.
The driver flicked the reins and the carriage moved forward.
“It might surprise you to know that I happen to feel the same way you do about the holidays.”
“But you said—”
He brought a finger to her lips. “We agreed not to discuss my book.”
“Yes, but Ihaveto know... .”
“Then I suggest you readThe Free Child. You’ll understand my philosophies better once you do. Simply put, I feel it’swrong to mislead children. That’s all I really said. Can you honestly object to that?”
“If it involves Santa, I can.”
“Then we’ll have to agree to disagree.”
She was happy to leave that subject behind. The evening was perfect, absolutely perfect, and she didn’t want anything to ruin it. With large flakes of snow drifting down and the horse clopping steadily along, the carriage swaying, it couldn’t have been more romantic.
Wynn tightened his arm around her and K.O. pressed her head against his shoulder.
“I’m beginning to think LaVonne knows her Raisin Bran,” Wynn whispered.
She heard the smile in his voice. “And her cat litter,” she whispered back.
“I like her cats,” he said. “Tom, Phillip and...”
“Martin,” she supplied. The men in her neighbor’s life all happened to be badly spoiled and much-loved cats.
The carriage dropped them off near West Lake Center. Wynn got down first and then helped K.O. “Are you cold?” he asked. “I can try to find a cab if you’d prefer not to walk.”
“Stop,” she said suddenly. All this perfection was confusing, too shocking a contrast with her previous impressions of Dr. Wynn Jeffries.
He frowned.
“I don’t know if I can deal with this.” She started walking at a fast pace, her mind spinning. It was difficult to reconcile this thoughtful, interesting man with the hardhearted destroyer of Christmas Zelda had told her about.
“Deal withwhat?” he asked, catching up with her.
“You—you’re wonderful.”
He laughed. “That’s bad?”
“It’s not what I expected from you.”
His steps matched hers. “After this morning, I wasn’t sure what to expect from you, either. There’s a big difference between the way you acted then and how you’ve been this evening.Ididn’t change. You did.”
