Page 45 of Baby For The Billionaire Silver Fox

“Besides get me tickets to The Nutcracker? I hear Cooperstown Theater puts on quite the show.”

Heather beamed. “We do! I’ll admit Cooperstown is a little over the top when it comes to the holidays. And when the snow sticks, we look like Christmas town, USA. In fact, there have been several Hallmark Holiday movies filmed here. They use the locals for extras—suckers thrilled to do it and do it without pay.”

“And by suckers, do you mean you?”

Heather laughed. “Yes, my big acting debut was me walking up and down the street carrying packages and looking in shop windows every time they shot footage of the two main characters in town. They film in summer, so it was really frickin hot in all my winter gear.”

“Oh, but would you do it again?”

“Of course!”

We laughed at that.

“Listen, I’d better head home so I’m ready for when Dan stops by. Thanks for all the insights about Cooperstown and its people. And thanks for the girl talk. It’s always refreshing to converse with someone about something that doesn’t involve IVs or vital signs.”

“See you later. Remember what I said about having fun. Wink, wink,” she said to me.

“Remember what I said about being a travel nurse,” I told her.

I was still getting dressed when I saw Dan out the window. He’d pulled up in his shiny, fully-detailed Prius. I drank him in as he walked towards the front door. He wore dark gray slacks with a thin black v-neck sweater over a white t-shirt. A classic look, and heownedit. The sweater clung to him, accenting his massive, toned biceps and sculpted pecs. His hair looked fresh from the shower and still a little damp. But what tugged at my heart was the look on his face—happy and eager. I clutched at the windowsill to keep from swooning. He was the total package. I needed to keep my wits here.

I found him talking with Nana in the kitchen when I went downstairs.

“I hope you’re going to feed her. My girl can eat. In fact, she’s been eating non-stop since she got here,” Nana was saying.

Dan looked me over slowly in my black leggings, tall black boots, gold cropped sweater, and blingy earrings. I felt my body grow warm everywhere his eyes touched.

“You don’t say, Mae. It doesn’t look like all that eating has been a problem, as far as I can see.”

“Well, her boobs have gotten bigger,” Nana harrumphed.

“Nana! Inappropriate!” I swatted at her. “And I don’t like being objectified.”

“Just messin with you. Have fun, kids. Keep an eye on the weather.”

“Shall we?” Dan put his hand on my arm to guide me to the door.

“And in case you need reminding, I like a good doggie bag, especially if it includes a slice of their cheesecake,” said Nana.

“Good grief, let’s get out of here before she decides to come along,” I muttered. Dan chuckled.

We drove through town, and I tried to picture it with snow, holiday lights, and old-fashioned Christmas cheer. The mental image seemed too good to be true. The Christmases I grew up with were not warm and fuzzy and filled with hot cocoa and candy canes. They were disappointing.

I watched Dan’s strong and capable hands on the steering wheel as we wound through town. I felt a sudden overwhelming longing so intense it pained me. I wanted those hands to touch me. All over, everywhere, even the places I couldn’t touch myself.Especiallythe places I couldn’t touch myself. And I wanted them to wrap around me and keep me safe.

I struggled to come back to reality. “How’s your finger? The one you cut? Does it hurt or bother you?”

“It’s fine, thanks to an excellent nurse I know,” he said, sticking his finger in the air for me to see. It had a big band-aid on it.

We’d been driving uphill for a while, and now Dan turned at a sign for the winery. The lane was long and impressive, with trees on either side, the branches creating a canopy over the road. We finally reached the end of the trees, and before us were rows of grape vines across a horizon darkened by dusk. There were strategically placed lights, so even though I couldn’t see the vines in the distance, I could see how vast the vineyard was.

“We have some time to explore the garden before our reservation,” Dan said as he offered me a hand and helped me out of the car. I rose and stood so close to him that I almost felt his chest pressing against me each time he inhaled. His musky cologne, combined with the smell of him, was too much. I took a step back.

“Let’s see this garden then,” I said, trying to sound carefree. “Perhaps some exercise before the meal will erase any guilt about eating everything, including the cheesecake.”

The garden was a delight, even at night. Warm yellow fairy lights glowed through the trees, and small soft lights along the path lit our way. The pond had a waterfall beside a bronze statue of a Native American spearing a fish.

I stopped to admire the pond and statue. “Thanks for taking me here. This place brings out all the good feels. The statue is a work of art. I love that the vineyard owners took the time to turn this into a destination. It shows they care.”

---