Desperately wanted it.
But I could see now that it would never be mine.
Corbin’s memories were inside the walls. His footsteps covered every square inch of the place. Whether he owned it legally or not, the house belonged to him.
“Do you want to see it? Tomorrow you could go take a look at it. Maybe see if there’s anything left from your childhood.”
He looked so wounded, the pain of tragedy woven into his soul.
Corbin shook his head. “It might be worse if I see it.”
“What about the fabric? You mentioned your mother’s sewing room. Maybe the fabric in that armoire was hers. Would you want any of it?”
His mouth worked silently, and I could see that this man had deep rivers running through him. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft. “I’d like that. Yeah. We could do that.”
The turkeys and the trays they sat on had cooled enough. So, I changed the tone of the evening. I didn’t want to dredge up any more old memories for him. “Well, I’m putting these in the fridge for the night. I think our cooking is done for now. I might get ready for bed if that’s all right. It’s after midnight.”
Technically, it was Christmas morning now.
It was the strangest holiday I’d ever had. But I was happy it had happened this way. I didn’t like the idea of Corbin being by himself on Christmas Eve. At least I’d been here to give him and Hopkins some company. No one should be alone on Christmas Eve.
He shook his head. “You go on, but I’m not tired yet. I’m going to stay up and cook the third turkey.”
“That’ll take four hours.”
“Yup.” He had the resolute tone of a man who wouldn’t budge.
“Well, do you mind if I go to sleep? I’m usually in bed by ten.”
“Yeah, I know.”
I cocked my head. “What do you mean, you know?”
“It’s not like I’ve been stalking you. I just see your bedroom light turn off every night at nine-forty-five sharp. You’re like clockwork.”
“You can see that from here?”
He nodded. “Yeah. The light filters through the trees between your place and mine. Don’t worry. It’s not an up-close view. I neversawanything.”
The way he said that made me wonder if he had.
But despite the chemistry I felt flowing between us, Corbin seemed as interested in me as if I were a rock, or maybe a mud puddle.
I hated to admit how attracted I was to him. But that didn’t mean he felt the same way toward me. And even if he did, would that be wise? A one-night stand with my grouchy neighbor?
The magic of Christmas was making loopy to even consider it. Hell, I knew if he even gave me one interested glance, I’d be hiking up my dress and inviting him to take a closer look.
I grinned up at him and patted his arm. “I know you’re not that kind of guy. You might try to hide it, but I can tell you’re actually a gentle giant. You wouldn’t sneak around looking in a woman’s window.”
He seemed surprised that I felt that way about him, but he didn’t say anything.
“So, where exactly should I lay my head tonight?”
I hadn’t seen any other parts of the cabin other than the living room and the attached kitchen.
He winced. “Uh. You might not like this part. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to freak out. But this is a small place.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
