Page 24 of The Christmas Lodge
She sagged against the door frame in the back mudroom, heart racing, when she saw the puppy she’d rescued trotting in circles in the small room. A can of gorgeous midnight blue paint was now tipped over, the paint pooled and splattered across the worn and cracked linoleum floor. When the puppy saw Lacy, she raced over to her, barking and jumping up on Lacy’s legs.
Not even two seconds later, Derek charged down the hallway from the front door.
“Lacy,” he gasped, looking around at the mess in horror and raking a hand through his already windblown auburn hair so that it stuck out at crazy angles. “I’m so sorry! Let me help you clean this up.” He turned from side to side, already looking for cleaning supplies. “I’m so sorry about the floor. I’ll pay to have it repaired—-”
Lacy cut him off, laughing a little. “Whoa, whoa, slow down and take a breath.”
Derek froze, blinking a little and looking stunned. “We just ruined your floor. How are you so calm right now?”
“Have you seen this place? It needs a ton of work.”
“And I just added to it.”
Lacy shrugged. “Not really. That linoleum floor is an eyesore, and ripping it up was on my to-do list.”
“You’re not just saying that?”
“Scout’s honor,” Lacy promised.
Derek blew out a relieved sigh, then brightened. “So, in a way, we did you a favor—spilling paint on this floor ensures that you’ll definitely rip it out even if you’re sick of working on this house. Can I get a word of thanks?”
Lacy put her hands on her hips and stared him down, narrowing her eyes. “Mr. Morse, I can see that I should’ve made you sweat a little more. I could’ve gotten you to do the work for me since you were so worried just a second ago.”
“But you were sweet and laid my fears to rest,” he replied, his usual cheerful manner fully intact once more. “A good businesswoman knows never to show all her cards at once, you know. Hey, free business tip! Now it looks like I’ve done youtwofavors today.”
Lacy reached out and gave him a joke punch in the arm. “Very funny. Keep it up and see what happens.”
He raised an eyebrow and shot her a look that sent butterflies erupting in her stomach. “What would happen?”
She hoped fervently that she wasn’t blushing. She lifted her chin and folded her arms, trying to look stern. “I’d enlist you to do all the worst chores around this house so I wouldn’t have to.”
Just then the puppy, tired of being ignored, began threading its way back and forth between Lacy’s and Derek’s legs, clearly wanting some attention. Lacy laughed and crouched to give the puppy some good scratches.
“I’m happy to help anytime, in all seriousness.”
Lacy looked up at him and smiled. “I might take you up on that.” A thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait a minute, why are you and the dog here this morning anyway?”
Derek cleared his throat, suddenly looking a little awkward. “The dog wanted to see you,” he said, flushing a little and clearing his throat again. “I mean, I thought you’d want to see how the dog was doing. And to help me think of a name, since I haven’t been able to think of one yet.”
It took all of Lacy’s willpower to hold back a teasing grin at his obvious discomfort. His pretext for visiting was fairly flimsy, sounding more like a fabrication than a necessary reason for a visit, but she wasn’t complaining. She had found since arriving in Snowy Pine Ridge that she gladly welcomed any chance to see Derek, even if she didn’t like to admit it to herself.
Under Lacy’s knowing gaze, redness crept up Derek’s neck and he stuffed his hands into his pockets as though he didn’t know quite what to do with them. This kind of awkwardness was an entirely new side of the usually confident man, and she wondered just what had him so flustered that day.
“I see,” Lacy murmured.
Derek chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment and then his expression cleared, as though he had come to an inward decision. “Actually, that’s not the only reason I came over today.”
Lacy stood back up, leaning against the door frame and waiting for him to continue, trying to ignore the fact that her heart had begun beating faster.
“I think we both know that it’s pretty clear you’re falling in love,” he began, and Lacy almost blanched on the spot at his words. “With the puppy,” he hastened to clarify, his cheeks reddening even more. “And since this little gal is a sled dog—or, at least, she will be one day—I think it’s about time you finally take me up on that offer for a free ride.”
Lacy hesitated for a moment, considering his offer. Her senses had frozen for a moment when he’d said she was falling in love, and for a split second she had thought he meant withhim.
The thought had sent her into a tailspin, but she had also been surprised to feel a twinge of disappointment when he’d explained what he’d really meant. That split second of disappointment left her feeling more than a little flustered and frustrated with herself. Derek shuffled a little, and she realized he was still waiting for an answer. To her surprise, she realized that she wanted nothing more than an excuse to spend more time with him.
“Sure, why not?” She tucked her hair behind her ear, hoping she sounded casual and nonchalant, but knowing by the way her voice cracked a little at the end that she’d probably failed entirely.
Derek grinned and relief filled his eyes. “See, I knew you’d come around. No one can say no to dogsledding.”
