Page 7 of Baby It's Cold Outside

Chapter Three

Mitch put Ellie’s address into his GPS and drove off. He couldn’t quite believe he was actually doing this. The atmosphere at the hospice must have affected him more than he thought. He was never deliberately rude to people, but he wouldn’t normally get involved, either. The way he’d grown up had taught him to keep himself separate. So why had he offered to drive a complete stranger home, in some of the worst weather conditions he’d seen in a while?

He had to admit that Ellie Brown intrigued him. And, given that she was the first woman in a long time who’d made him feel this way, Mitch wanted to work out just what it was about her that drew him.

He stole a brief glance. Now that she’d taken off her elf hat, he could see that her hair was a mass of red corkscrew curls. He itched to wind one around his finger and see if her hair was as soft as it looked. It was just as well that he was driving with both hands otherwise occupied.

“So what’s a Brit doing in Philadelphia?” he asked.

“Helping out. My godmother just had an operation for a hip replacement, so I’m looking after the bakery for her. Well, and obviously stepping in for her at the party today.”

That surprised him. C.J. had sounded impressed by Betty. So how come she’d had to call in help from a different continent? “And you were the nearest one to help? Four thousand miles away?”

Ellie shrugged. “I guess so.”

“She doesn’t have kids?”

“Not any more. Robin would’ve been the same age as me, but—well.” She gave an awkward grimace. “He’s why she caters the Christmas party at the hospice every year.”

He nodded. “So my boss told me. I’m sorry.”

“I assume your boss is Santa for the same reason?”

“Yeah. This time of year is rough on him.”

“Putting flowers on a grave instead of enjoying the holiday season together. It’s the same for Betty. And such a shame that she didn’t have any more children, because she would’ve made such a great mum.”

There was a wistfulness in Ellie’s tone that made him wonder if she was talking about herself, too. She was, what, nearly thirty? A couple of years younger than him. The age when a lot of women of his acquaintance started to hear their biological clocks ticking.

Not that it was any of his business.

Even so, he couldn’t help asking, “So your partner doesn’t mind you being away for Christmas?”

“No partner.” Her voice was very cool.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” Though Mitch knew that wasn’t the whole truth. He found her attractive, from that stunning hair to those soft gray eyes to that cute, sexy British accent. In other circumstances, he might’ve asked her out to dinner—once he’d made it clear that he was offering just for fun and not forever. He didn’t do long-term relationships.

“Of course you weren’t. It’s natural to be curious. Why would someone travel thousands of miles away from their family at this time of year?” She shrugged. “I love Betty. She’s my godmother and she needed someone to step in and help. Of course I was going to offer.”

“So you’ve taken

annual leave from your job?” he asked.

“Not exactly. I’m between jobs right now.”

So money was probably tight—yet she’d still flown over here from England. And, from the little he knew of Ellie, he was pretty sure that she would’ve insisted on paying her own way. “What did you do in your last job?”

“I was a pastry chef.”

He thought about it. “So that means you make the desserts, right?”

“Yes, and cakes. It’s the best job in the world.”

The smile her heard in her voice told him that she meant it. So the fact that she was between jobs didn’t make sense. From what he’d seen of her at the party, she was efficient and she wasn’t afraid of hard work, so he couldn’t imagine an employer letting her go. “Why did you quit?”

“Because the co-owner of my restaurant bought me out.”

Something clipped in her tone told him that she hadn’t wanted to be bought out. Time to back off. “Sorry.”

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