“It just wouldn’t stay upright in the tree stand,” I explained, grabbing two cups from the cabinet.
“You got this inside the house all by yourself?” he asked.
“Well, Bodie tries, but he’s really not all that handy when it comes to things that involve fingers.”
Bodie buried his head under a couch cushion.
I poured the milk and sprinkled the chocolate into the pot and stirred as Derek assessed the tree situation.
“There’s a lot of tension on the string. I think it’s close to snapping,” he said, worry in his tone as he continued the inspection.
As much as I hated to admit it, I loved watching Derek crouch down to examine the situation. There didn’t seem to be an inch of softness settling around his abs, and it was impossible not to imagine what it might be like to glide my fingers down his—
“I’ve got to fix this,” Derek said, standing up too quickly for me to hide my ogling.
“You know… I thought the tree had a bit more lean to it than when I first put it up, but I didn’t want to think about it.”
“Did you hear that, Bodie? Your mom put you in jeopardy.” The smile he wore told me he caught me looking and enjoyed it, but he shook his head and knelt down to look under the tree. “I can go ahead and get this tree straightened up, if you’d like.”
“I’d love. Are you serious? Do I need to take off the decorations?”
“Nah. It’ll be fine. I’ve got it.”
Derek took out his pocketknife and cut the string with one hand while holding the Christmas tree with the other. Bodie hopped off the couch and came into the kitchen where I watched Derek seamlessly right the tree in the stand. He grabbed the trunk of the tree, picked it up, and slammed it into the tree stand with only a few of the ornaments bobbing. He then inched his way down, still holding the tree with one hand as he somehow finagled the limbs and screwed the stand tightly into the trunk. No string needed.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I poured the hot chocolate into our cups and walked over to Derek, who was now wiping his hands off. “You have no idea how worried I’ve been over that darn thing crushing Bodie or my parents.”
Derek took his cup of hot chocolate and took a sip. “Of course. Glad I could help. It should hold until after the holidays now.”
“Thanks.” I glanced at the tree before bringing my gaze back to Derek’s. “Thanks for everything, actually.”
“Anytime.” His smile made me light-headed, and I shook my head in disbelief as I sat on the couch. I was too old to be swooning over a man.
But it was Derek Binterelli. No. That had absolutely no bearing on why I was falling for Derek. It was because he was kind, thoughtful, and sexier than anyone I’d ever laid eyes on. The attraction was strong with this one.
“What?” he asked, taking a seat next to me.
I shrugged and took a sip of my drink. I’d always prided myself on doing things on my own. I didn’t need help to keep the yard up, paint the house, or refinish a table. But having someone take the time out of their own busy life to do something so nice was refreshing, and it also made me wonder what Montana was like this time of year.
“You can’t leave me hanging like that.” His brows came together as he studied me. “I can tell something is going on in your head.”
“Fixing the tree was just a really nice and unexpected gesture. Nothing more.” I didn’t really want to fill him in on the fact that I thought he should grace the Sexiest Man Alive cover.
“I thought it would be fun to keep you on your toes. Plus, it gave me an excuse to put off packing.”
“That’s never fun,” I agreed. “Even if you’re excited about where you’re going.”
He looked like he wanted to say something more, but instead, he pressed his lips together and nodded.
“This really was kind of you, and I know my family will appreciate the light show as much as I do. My dad always goes all out when it comes to lighting up his house for the holidays so I’m excited he gets to see my place lit up for once. We used to have decorating competitions years ago.”
“Really?” Derek’s brow quirked. “So you got out there on the ladder?”
I froze, realizing exactly what spilled out of my mouth. I didn’t go on many dates, but I knew better than to bring up ex-husbands and past traditions involving them. It was usually a mood killer, but now I had no choice.
I shook my head. “No. The competition was more between my ex and my dad.”
“Who won?”
“My dad always outdid us. He’s got a wildly competitive streak.”
“I like him already.”
My heart unexpectedly fluttered at the thought of Derek meeting anyone in my family. There was no possible way that would happen. By the time my family arrived for Christmas, Derek would be tucked into the Montana snows and enjoying his new life, which was exactly why I needed to focus on anything but his beautiful eyes.
“I didn’t know brown eyes could be as beautiful as his.”
Derek grinned the moment I realized what happened, and my cheeks turned the shade of an overly ripe tomato.
“I said that aloud,” I muttered.
“Why yes, you did.” His eyes gleamed with mischief while I took in a deep breath and tilted my head back to stare at the ceiling. He scooted closer, and my body warmed with the possibilities, but much to my surprise he swept a kiss across my cheek and stood up.
“I should get going before the ferry takes off without me. I’ll see ya at Gabby and Jason’s wedding on Saturday. You and Bodie stay safe from the storm.” I watched his lips move and wondered how they’d feel sliding along my body until I thought about what he actually said.
“So soon?” His innocent kiss was like an atomic bomb pulling to the surface the loneliness that nipped at me on the long, winter nights. The same loneliness I promised myself I didn’t feel.
“Sleeping in the shed doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time.” He drew his thumb across my cheek and my breath caught.
“I wouldn’t make you sleep in the shed. Promise.”
He bit his lip, and his gaze slipped down my body tugging at every inch of desire running through me. I ached to be touched by Derek, to be held and to dream of possibilities.
And that was the problem. My mind couldn’t just stop with being touched, with having sex, and moving on. Why did it have to immediately turn into a package deal with emotions and unrealistic futures? Why was I not built like so many others who could just kick up their heels—literally—and enjoy someone’s company without all the complication? There had to be a book on how to fix me somewhere. But tonight I was going to solve the problem. I was going to stick my heels straight into the air.
“You do crazy things to me,” I whispered, his eyes meeting mine.
“Is that so?” he murmured, tipping my chin up and bringing his mouth deliciously close to mine. He nudged a fallen strand behind my ear, and his touch ignited another flurry of longing through me.
My body and mind were at odds. I wanted him to spend the night. I didn’t care about tomorrow. I wanted him now and would deal with the emotional repercussions later. There was no denying the attraction between us, and for once, I was ready to act.
Derek’s face lit up when my eyes connected with his. I was certain every single ounce of desire I felt was plastered all over my face, but I didn’t care. I wanted him to stay.
“I’ll see you in a few, Emily.” He cradled my chin between his fingers, and he smiled as he placed a soft kiss on my lips and took a step back. “But I’ll be lucky to make the ferry at this rate.”
My heart fell. He really wasn’t going to stay. Maybe I was reading too much into the lighting extravaganza.
“Totally. I get it.” I nodded. He probably sensed every confusing thought that floated through me and knew to stay away.
“This weekend will be fun.”
“That it will.” I didn’t mean for my tone to be clipped, but it was. I’d mana
ged to confuse a man right out the door. When we got to the entry, he turned around and pulled me outside onto the porch right under the mistletoe.
“Just one more,” he whispered. His lips touched down to mine, and I knew the next few days were going to be excruciating.
Chapter Eleven
“Oh my word. That was the best movie I’ve ever seen.” Donna, my neighbor and faithful pet-sitter, had just popped into my family room. I’d forgotten to turn off the movie before she arrived, but thankfully she wouldn’t figure out the real reason I’d been watching it.
“I never saw it until yesterday,” I confessed. I wasn’t going to add the part about watching it ten times since.
“When George made me go to see it in the theater, I thought it was going to be one of those typical beat-‘em-up type flicks, but it had so much heart. The moment I got home I called all my family just to tell them how much I loved them.”
“It did the same to me.” I reached for the remote and Donna shook her head.
“It’s okay to keep it on.”
“Okay.” I grinned, sliding the instructions for Bodie to her. There was something about this film that was addictive, kind of like Derek.
“What a weekend to have a wedding.” Donna shook her head. “I hope the bride and groom can get down the aisle.”
“Nothing will stop those two,” I laughed, glancing outside. The snow had piled high overnight, and the weekend was going to be more of the same. A bit of frost tinged the outside of my windows.
“Where’s it at again?”
“The Foxtail Winery and Lodge. It’s not actually in the mountains like last weekend’s event…It’s nestled in the foothills supposedly, but something tells me with this weather it’s all the same. I hope to get there before dark. Actually with the rate it’s coming down, I just hope to get there.”
A familiar scene came on in the background, and my gaze drifted to the television. Derek as a blonde with blue eyes made a brief cameo in the film. My guess is no one recognized him with blue contacts and dyed hair, but when a person spent as much time daydreaming as I had about him, he was very recognizable no matter the disguise. He was on the screen for less than a minute, but I’d replayed that minute countless times in the last day or so. A little fact I’d never admit to a soul.
I hadn’t heard from Derek since he surprised me with the Christmas lights, and I didn’t know if he was going a day early to the lodge like I was or not. I hoped so.
“Boy, that’s a good-looking blond,” Donna laughed. “There are so many reasons to love this film.”
“Endless reasons.”
“You better get going or you’re going to miss the ferry.” Donna rubbed Bodie’s ear and glanced over at me. “We’ll be fine, and if anything comes up, I’ll call. Now get.”
I patted Bodie’s head, and his tail gave a swift wag before I grabbed my weekender bag and headed out into the snow. The cold air penetrated deep into my skin, and the snow felt like little ice pellets instead of the fluffy stuff I’d been expecting. This was going to be a brutal drive.
I dusted the snow from my car, climbed in, and turned the radio to a local Christmas station before I took off. Ever since the Christmas lights plastered my house, I’d been feeling more festive than I had in years.
Six to be exact.
Only a handful of cars boarded the ferry with me, and by the time we hit the other side, I was pumped to get to the lodge. I couldn’t wait to see Derek.
As I pulled onto the highway and drove deeper into the foothills, the road turned icy and the snow was falling harder. My wipers slushed the snow off the glass but not before a new layer of white coated the windshield in between wipes. My hands were clammy, and I’d been concentrating so hard on staying on the road, I almost missed the exit to the lodge. Even though I didn’t see another car in sight, I flipped on my signal and quickly turned to the right to get off the ramp, and that was when it happened.
The back end of my car began skidding, and I did everything a person was supposed to avoid during one of these moments. I overcorrected, let out a yelp, and landed in a snow bank.
“Gaaah.” I yelled at the radio and rested my head against the steering wheel.
Dean Martin’s version of Let it Snow came on the radio, and I let out another disgruntled groan, but for some reason, I wasn’t worried about being stuck. I could get myself out of this, no problem, and I was only ten minutes away from the lodge according to my GPS.
I shifted into reverse and tapped the accelerator, only to have my wheels spin, and I swear my car moved forward, deeper into the snow bank. I flipped on my hazard lights and slipped on my coat before stepping into the frigid temps and knee-deep snow.
What I saw wasn’t comforting. My tires had sunk into the fresh stuff, and I had no shovel to get myself out of it. Even if I had a shovel, I doubt I’d get enough traction to get myself back onto the road.
But the positive was there was still plenty of daylight for a tow truck to come bail me out. I kicked the back tire for good measure and climbed back into the comfort of my car. I knew I should’ve pulled over and put on the chains, but the advisory didn’t say chains were required, only advised. I now knew advised was code for required in my world.
I pulled out my phone and could do nothing but laugh.
“Of course there’s no service.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror and shook my head.
“And there are no cars coming in either direction.”
The odds were in my favor for a rescue. Gabby had a lot of guests attending her wedding, and at least some of them would be taking my route. I would be saved.
Eventually.
I pulled the blanket over me from the backseat and dug out my bag of Hershey Kisses and the book I’d neglected since buying The Fighters. Things always worked out. This minor mishap would give me ample time to finish my book.
I turned to the last page I’d finished and brought in a deep breath. Things were getting juicy on the page, but as I read, I couldn’t help but imagine Derek as the guy in this book, which only made me want to get to the lodge quicker in hopes I’d find him already there. It didn’t help that all the Christmas songs playing were romantic ones. Or maybe all Christmas songs had that element, and I’d been ignoring that component for the last several years.
I saw a pair of headlights in my rearview mirror through the sheet of white flakes, and a thrilling sensation ran over me. My crisis was about to come to an end. I threw off my blanket and hopped out of the car, completely hopeful about this person’s kindness.
Jumping up and down and waving, I flashed my best smile and was shocked to see the truck drive right by me with the kid in the passenger seat locking eyes with me and laughing.
Seriously? I hadn’t counted on that happening. I climbed back into the car, pulled on the blanket, and continued reading.
But this time my mind wandered back to how rude that guy was. Maybe his wife was in labor at home, and he was rushing to get to her.
Yes. That was exactly what happened, and it made me feel better for thinking it.
By the time the fifth car drove right on by, I’d figured we had a pregnant woman at home, a mother who’d locked herself out of her own car and was on the verge of freezing to death, someone who couldn’t pull over and turn their car off or their own car would die, another who had the flu and just didn’t want to pass it on, and finally I let myself realize that not everyone had been filled with the Christmas spirit, and it was going to be a long afternoon. I sat in my car analyzing why I wouldn’t let myself believe that none of those people wanted to help. Why did I feel the need to come up with stories for why they didn’t stop?
Maybe I was finally returning to a more Pollyanna state after all. I’d been there once. I used to only see the good in people, but that was also how I wound up so disillusioned about my own marriage. I only saw the good, ignored the bad, and prayed for better times ahead. Too much Pollyanna only led to heartache. Being a realis
t had saved me from more heartache and created a stable life path.
As I sat ruminating on when the world had fallen prey to negative Nancy’s, I missed the fact that someone had pulled up behind me. Or maybe I missed it because the snow was coming down so heavy it looked like I was surrounded by one giant nimbus cloud.
Pushing off my blanket, I vowed not to get my hopes up until a sudden tap on my window alerted me to the stranger’s kindness. From the quick walk from his truck to my car, he’d been dusted with a thick coat of snow.
I quickly pushed open my door and sprang out of my car to see a glimpse of Derek’s eyes in between his knit cap and neck warmer.
“Derek,” I squealed, wrapping my arms around his neck. Pollyanna had come back in full force and taken over my body. He hugged me back and laughed.
“I had a feeling it was you, but so much snow has covered your car I wasn’t sure.” He let go and signaled for me to get back in the car. “It’s too cold and windy for what you’re wearing, get back inside and wait for my instructions.”
“Would you like a Hershey Kiss?” I asked, unwrapping the foil and popping one in my mouth.
Something didn’t taste right. The texture was completely wrong. I looked down at the foil and noticed the paper tag was missing.
Great! I’d tossed in the paper along with the chocolate kiss, and Derek was watching me with one of those earth-shattering smiles. His gaze fell to my palm, and he started laughing as I twisted my lips in disgust refusing to spit it out in front of him.
“I’m good,” he said, completely amused. “I don’t think you’re supposed to eat the paper though. Now get in the car.”
I rolled my eyes and waited for him to turn around before I spit the paper chocolate onto the ground and kicked snow over it to cover the brown blob.
“I swear you bring this out in me,” I said, nearly floating to my car as Derek secured the chain and dug out my tires before tapping on my window again. He opened my door and smiled. I couldn’t actually see his mouth with his fleece neck wrap, but I could see the smile in his eyes, and it sent me over the edge.
Beyond the Mistletoe: A Christmas Romance (Beyond Love Book 7) Page 9