She hurried to the couch and sat as she unzipped her knee-high fashion boots. She loved wearing these in California, but they were definitely out of place here in Montana.
Soon Rafe returned, carrying a pair of fur-lined men’s boots and a pair of thick tube socks. “I figured these would help, too.”
“Yes, they will.”
She quickly slid the socks on and pushed her feet into the boots. Rafe kneeled in front of her and tightened the laces on the boots, making them snug against her feet.
“How is that?”
“I think it’ll work.”
Together, they walked to the coat hooks that hung by the back door. As she slipped hers on, Rafe handed her some men’s gloves.
“These will keep your hands warmer a lot better than those flimsy gloves you were wearing last night.”
She allowed him to help her fit them to her hands as he tightened the ends of the gloves. Then she remembered she hadn’t zipped up her coat, yet. Looking down at the garment hanging open, she laughed. “Ooops.”
He laughed and moved in front of her to zip it up. She held her breath, not exactly wanting to feel his warm minty breath upon her, or feel his body heat. And why, for heaven’s sake, was her heart tripping over itself as the rhythm picked up?
Rafe stepped away, not seeming to notice that she’d been uncomfortable for a few seconds. He slipped on his coat and gloves. She reached for her scarf and twisted it around her neck.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“As ready as I’m going to be, I guess.”
Once she stepped outside, the sun shone bright upon her. No clouds marred the beautiful blue sky, but because of that, the air was nippy. A small, bitter wind stung her face slightly.
Rafe grabbed a shovel by the outside wall, and started to dig them out. She quickly copied his actions. Soon, they were moving down the driveway.
Luca and Blake had removed the snow from the front porch, and thankfully, only one side had broken off. The men were confident that it wouldn’t take them long to fix it.
The cousins liked to tease each other. It reminded Holly of how she and her two sisters interacted as they worked together when they were younger. Holly smiled at her memories. But as she watched the men, she realized it was Rafe’s voice she enjoyed hearing more. When he laughed, her heart did a silly flip-flop. A couple of times, she caught herself sighing.
Rafe drove the four-wheeler with a blade on the front to shovel the long driveway, taking it up to the wooden fence as he cleared a path all the way to the main road. It didn’t take them long before they were in his truck, driving toward her stranded vehicle. The snow plow hadn’t gotten to these back roads, and thankfully, Rafe’s truck had four-wheel drive.
As they neared what she thought was her vehicle, she peered at the large lump of snow curiously. He stopped on the side of the road and they stared at it for several silent minutes. Finally, she turned her head to look at him. His gaze met hers.
“Do you think that’s my car?”
“Either that, or I have new neighbors.”
“Neighbors?”
“Yeah, Eskimos.”
She chuckled. “It does look like an igloo, but I think houses like that are only on the other side of the world.”
“You could be right.”
“Let’s hope so,” she said tightening Rafe’s large gloves on her small hands, “because if we’re wrong, we’re going to have some very unhappy Eskimos for tearing down their home.”
His burst of loud laughter made her smile. He climbed out of his truck and hurried around to open her door and help her out. She wished her heart didn’t soften every time he did this, which was quite often. He reached in the back of his truck and pulled out two shovels. She took one side of the car and he took the other.
Blake had been correct when he referred to this storm as getting wet snow. It was heavy! But she needed to dig her car out no matter how it strained her muscles doing it. She couldn’t leave the vehicle here all winter.
She shoved the shovel into another section of snow and flung it over her shoulder. Ten minutes later, her muscles were screaming in agony. Good grief! Was she worn out already? I really need to hit the gym!
Holly glanced at Rafe who acted as though he was tossing feathers over his shoulders. She rolled her eyes. Why wasn’t he bothered by the heaviness of the snow like she was? There was no way she could tell him how hard it was to do this menial task. He’d think she was a wimp.
A vehicle slowly passed them on the road, but didn’t stop to assist. What happened to the kind citizens of Timberland? Apparently, they disappeared the day after a major snow storm.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed the shovel back in the snow and threw it on the pile behind her. Inwardly, she groaned. She needed a break... and some hot chocolate would be nice. Even through the heavy socks and Rafe’s boots, her feet were still cold. At least they weren’t wet. Hot chocolate would warm her up quickly. But for now, the break was the only thing she could manage.
She stuck her shovel in the ground and leaned on the handle, taking deep, refreshing breaths. Rafe worked quickly, whistling softly as he went. She didn’t want to take a break without him.
Sighing, she glanced down and bumped her toe against the shovel. The snow that had stuck on the shovel, dropped to the packed ground. An idea popped into her head, and she grinned. As she dug the shovel into a small amount of snow, she peeked at Rafe. Just as she thought, he wasn’t aware that she’d stopped at all.
Another vehicle crept by, driving toward the town, and just like the other car before this one, they didn’t stop to help. But this time it didn’t bother her, only because of the silly plan she had that would keep her entertained.
Carefully, she lifted the shovel, positioning it toward Rafe. She didn’t wait another second, but tossed the snow toward him, smacking him on the back of his head. He jumped upright and swung to look at her. She quickly acted as if she hadn’t stopped shoveling, although she tried not to smile. It was hard.
Keeping her gaze on the snow, she wasn’t prepared when a bunch of snow landed on her cap. She gasped and switched her attention to Rafe. He, of course, acted just as she’d done – as if nothing had happened. But he couldn’t hold his laugh as she’d been able to do. Finally, his sparkling gaze met hers just as he tossed more snow on her.
“I don’t think so.” She growled playfully as she shoveled more snow to throw at him.
He laughed, ducked, and then he sprinted around the car, coming toward her. She squealed and tried to run, but the knee-deep snow and the big boots on her feet kept her from moving very far. Within seconds, he wrapped his arms around her and brought them both down on the snow.
She grasped handfuls of the hard, white powder, and tried to hit his face, but he was too quick – and too close. The warmth from his body melded with hers, somehow breaking through all of the many layers of clothes she wore. Tingles spread through her, and when his hot breath touched her neck, the tingles multiplied and made her shiver with delight.
Holly couldn’t breathe very well, and yet Rafe wasn’t really holding her tightly enough to cut off her oxygen. But her head spun out of control, and her fluttering heart rate made her breathless. This was a feeling she’d received when getting too close to this sexy man. She couldn’t do this. Experiencing the rush of excitement wasn’t a good thing right now in her life. She had to get far away – and fast.
It took her a few attempts, but she finally broke away and darted around the car. She laughed and tried to pretend they were still playing, but this unknown emotion growing inside of her – confusing her greatly and twisting her gut – told her this was serious. They had gone beyond fun and games.
His eyes blazed with mischief as he narrowed his gaze on her. Her heart raced, knowing that he would do something she wouldn’t like. Or maybe she would like it, and that was the problem.
He dashed toward her, so she hurried around the car. Now they played a cat and mouse game.
.. but a game, nonetheless. It didn’t matter that she was laughing – and yes, having some fun – she knew it had to end. She had to bring their enjoyment to an end. Getting away from him was the only way to remove these crazy ideas popping inside her head.
After a couple of minutes, her lungs burned from exertion, and her cheeks ached from laughing. His red face and wide smile let her know he was having fun. He jumped toward her, but missed, and yet when he landed, he disappeared behind the car. A groan came from him, and her heart dropped. He was hurt!
Panicked, she rushed to where he’d fallen and fell to her knees beside him. He laid face-down in the snow. “Rafe, are you all right?” She rested her hand on his shoulder.
Another groan released from him as he slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position. His face was moist and red from the cold snow. His twinkling eyes met hers mere moments before he lunged; wrapping his arms around her waist and pushing her back in the snow.
She let out a squeal, and gripped his upper arms. They were now in the same positions they’d been when they fell on the couch last night after the lights had gone out. But now it was worse. His big, brown eyes were much easier to see, and they were amber. He was so handsome, she couldn’t stop staring.
His laughter subsided and his expression turned serious. Her heart raced with a mixture of fear and anticipation.
Rafe licked his lips as his focus moved to her mouth. Her throat turned cotton dry.
“We aren’t in the prop room,” he began, “but this time I know the identity of the woman I’m going to kiss, and I’m really looking forward to it.” He lowered his mouth and swept his cold lips against hers.
Just as before, she couldn’t breathe, but it was different this time. Excitement flowed through her, warming her body quicker than the heat from his body was doing. She struggled not to give in. It was hard because she knew he was a good kisser. But, she must stay strong.
“Rafe,” she turned her face. “I-I-I can’t breathe.”
Mumbling his apologies, he moved off her. He stood and helped her climb to her feet, too. They stood very close, and his manly scent of cedar and vanilla swam around her, disrupting her confused thoughts. His tender expression hypnotized her, and she had no urge to pull away this time. No, they were not in the prop room, but now she really wanted him to kiss her. Had she ruined the mood when she stopped him moments ago? Well, she would rectify that now...
Slowly, she slid her hands up the bulkiness of his coat as she pressed herself against him. His gaze softened and a smile tugged on the corners of his mouth. He wrapped her in his arms and lowered his head.
The minute their lips met, explosions erupted in her head. Confused about the way her heart flipped, she tried pushing all negativity aside and concentrating on the pleasure spreading through her.
His mouth moved gently with hers, and she loved the softness of his lips. Their kiss was much different from the way they’d kissed in the prop room yesterday, and she savored the transformation happening between them as each second merged into minutes. The urge to sigh heavily was on the tip of her throat, but she held it back, waiting for the right minute.
The crunching of tires moving against the packed snow on the road grew loud again, but that didn’t make her stop to see who it was. At this moment, she didn’t care. Let them drive by and see her kissing Rafe as they pressed up against her half snow-covered car.
But the sound was different this time, because the vehicle didn’t move past them. In fact, Holly thought she heard the door opening.
“Rafe Montgomery?” the woman’s voice lifted in shock.
Rafe jumped and swung his head toward their intruder. His eyes widened and cheeks grew pink.
“Katie? What are you doing here?”
FIVE
A few minutes ago, Rafe had thought he’d died and gone to heaven. Now he knew he was going to die, and he’d go to hell.
Why hadn’t he remembered about his girlfriend, Katie? It didn’t matter if she’d told him on the phone yesterday that the snow storm would keep her from coming to see him, Katie also loved to surprise him. Obviously, this was another one. And yet, thanks to his foolishness, the disbelief was on her.
Katie’s pretty blue eyes watered as sadness filled her expression. His heart broke, knowing he was the reason she hurt. He wasn’t the type of guy to cheat on a girl, either, so why hadn’t he been thinking straight?
“Katie, let me explain.” He tore away from Holly and hurried through the knee-high snow as fast as he could walk. As he made his way toward her, his mind emptied of any explanation. There was none at all. He’d been caught kissing another woman – passionately – and he had no good reason except for he was caught up in the moment. Yeah, Katie was not going to forgive him if he used that excuse.
She shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing around the pink scarf wrapped around her neck, and her white coat.
“There’s nothing to explain, Rafe. I’m not blind. I know exactly what you were doing.” She climbed into her car.
“No, let me talk to you.”
She threw him a glare. “You won’t be able to say anything to change my mind at this point . I never want to see you again!” She slammed the door, emphasizing her anger. The car moved quickly on the road.
Snow spit from behind her tires, aiming right toward Rafe. Blocking the spray from his face, he stood staring at Katie’s car getting farther away, while pain squeezed his heart.
You’re an idiot, Montgomery!
Groaning, he massaged the dull ache growing inside of his forehead. Memories of past mistakes with women spun through his mind, and yet, not once did these memories hold any of him cheating on his girlfriends.
He was scum. No, he was lower than scum. This was one mistake that would always stay in his mind.
Frowning, he turned back toward Holly’s car. She had resumed shoveling, concentrating hard on what she was doing. He wanted to blame her, and yet, it wasn’t fully her fault. He could have stopped things. He could have stopped their playfulness, but he didn’t. He could have pulled away from her when she cozied up to him, but he enjoyed the fact that she’d made the first move. In fact, he’d led her on when telling her only moments before that he wanted to kiss her even though they weren’t in the prop room.
Strange to think, that because he was kissing Holly, he’d lost another girlfriend just like when he was seventeen years old. Cindy had been there when he’d come out of the prop room, and she wouldn’t let him explain, either.
What’s wrong with me? Or was it just bad luck to be around Holly Kidman?
He moved back to his shovel, picked it up, and continued to dig Holly’s car out of the snow. Several, undisturbed minutes passed without either of them speaking. Irritation flowed through him, making him dig faster. He didn’t know whom he was more upset with – him or Holly. Although it really wasn’t her fault, the urge to blame her was strong. After all, she was the one who made him forget about his girlfriend.
But why? What was it about Holly that made his thoughts center on her and nobody else?
All of his life, he’d been the obedient son, the all-star sports athlete, the straight A college student, and the student who was always top of his class through the years while working for his doctorate. No, he wasn’t perfect, but he tried to make everyone happy, and he hated it when he failed.
And now, he not only made himself miserable, but he’d broken the heart of the woman he’d proclaimed to love. Although he hadn’t asked her to marry him, he had pondered the question many times in their two-year relationship. What had stopped him from proposing? He always had excuses; her job as a schoolteacher, parents dying, and lastly, the family ranch. The plain and simple truth was, he couldn’t commit to Katie.
“I’m sorry,” Holly finally said with a squeaky voice.
He stopped shoveling and leaned on his shovel, looking at her. His breathing was labored, but only because of the energy flowing through him to try and get this car out of the sno
w so that Holly could return home.
He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
She shrugged. “Technically, you didn’t. I kissed you.”
“That’s not entirely accurate, either, because I kissed you back, with a lot of enthusiasm, if I remember correctly.”
She nibbled at her bottom lip and nodded.
“Why did you kiss me,” he asked softly.
“Because the moment was right.” She drew her gloved finger across the hood of the car. “It felt like the right thing to do. And...” she lifted her gaze to him, “because you’d mentioned you wanted to kiss me.”
“Yeah, I did.” He grumbled as he pulled off one glove and scratched his chin. “So, um... did you like it?”
She snorted a laugh. “You’re actually asking me if I liked it?”
He couldn’t believe he had asked that question, but even more unbelievable was that he couldn’t wait to hear her answer. “Yes.”
“I must have liked it, or I would have stopped way before your girlfriend showed up.”
His forehead throbbed with tension. What a ridiculous question to ask Holly. Of course she liked it. He’d been on the receiving end of that kiss, so he knew she had liked it – almost as much as he did. Which of course, was a big mistake.
“I’m such a jerk,” he continued as he slid his hand back into his glove. “I shouldn’t have allowed Katie to slip from my mind.”
“Then why did you?”
“I don’t know.” He turned back to the car and started digging around her now visible tires. “I was having fun with you in the snow. I shouldn’t have enjoyed it so much.”
Silence stretched between them again as he moved around to her side of the car and finished pushing the snow away. Holly climbed in her vehicle and started it up. Thankfully, she didn’t have any problems. However, getting this car up the slope and onto the road was a different matter altogether.
He moved back to his truck and dug through his toolbox until he found a tow-rope. It didn’t take him long before he had it hooked on the end of Holly’s car and the other end attached to the end of his truck. He climbed in behind the wheel and started his truck. Slowly, Holly’s car crept up the bank onto the road.
A Thrill of Hope Page 6