Page 5 of Baby It's Cold Outside

Ellie went over to the window to discover huge, fluffy flakes floating down. It had been years since she’d seen snow like this. It was already starting to settle on the lawn and the trees, and it looked magical. “A real white Christmas,” she said softly. “How perfect.”

But it would also mean problems for people getting home, unless all the roads had been sanded. There hadn’t been anything on the weather forecast about snow. The forecasters had simply said there might be a little rain, and Ellie had swallowed her disappointment that her first Christmas in America was going to be just like her normal Christmases in England. But now it looked like her dream for a white Christmas would come true after all.

Janet bit her lip. “I just checked online. Apparently it’s a freak snowstorm.”

And everyone here at the party except her had a family to get home to, Ellie thought. It wouldn’t matter if it took her ten times as long to get back to her godmother’s house, because she only had herself to think about. But it would make a huge difference to everyone else. “Janet, tell everyone to go home. I’ll clear up.”

“You can’t possibly do it all on your own.” Janet shook her head. “It’ll take you ages.”

“It’s fine, really. Go home now, before the snow gets any worse.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Janet looked doubtful.

“I’m sure,” Ellie said with a smile.

“Thank you. And for all your help today. You’ve really done Betty proud. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” Ellie echoed with a smile. Though hers was going to be quiet, rather than merry. Her first Christmas in America. Her first Christmas on her own.

As parents collected their children one by one from the party, Ellie focused on clearing up. The paper plates all went into a rubbish bag, and she put the remaining nibbles on a tray ready to take through to the nursing staff.

“What’s next on the list of things to do?” a voice said beside her.

She looked up to see the stand-in Santa. “I thought you’d gone.”

“I just changed out of my costume. I didn’t think it would be right for the kids to see the man in red cleaning up. Where’s everyone else?”

“I sent them home.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“Because it’s started snowing and I didn’t want them to be stuck here when they need to be at home.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine.” She brushed his concern aside with a polite smile.

“Okay.” He glanced around the room and gestured to the broom propped against the wall. “Do you want me to sweep the floor?”

Oh. So he’d actually meant it about helping. “Yes, please. Though this isn’t in the job description.”

“Well, hey, I can’t let Santa’s Chief Elf down, can I?” He actually smiled then—and Ellie discovered that he was breathtaking when he did. He had a mouth that promised sin and made her libido sit up and start begging.

Which was so inappropriate. They were clearing up from a children’s party. She shouldn’t be thinking about Santa and how attractive he was. For all she knew, he could be married, or at least with someone. Though, she thought, given how wary he’d been with the children at first, she was pretty sure he didn’t have kids of his own.

No. Nothing was going to happen. She was in America to help her godmother and to get her head together, not to start fantasizing about the first man who’d smiled at her.

Between them they made short work of clearing up, and he helped her carry the leftover party food to the nursing staff.

They walked to the entrance of the hospice together, and Ellie stood there, shocked by the dr

ifts of white that confronted them. The last time she’d looked out of the window, huge flakes had been falling, but it had only just been starting to settle. Now, every surface was covered in snow. “Wow. I didn’t think you’d get that much snow in Philadelphia.”

“It varies. Some winters, you get a sprinkle of snow; others, you get a major snowstorm. Obviously this is a snowstorm year.” Stand-in Santa looked at her. “How are you getting home, Chief Elf?”

“I’m taking the bus.” Provided she could actually find the bus stop.

“The bus?” He looked at her as if she had two heads.

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