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Snow had slipped beneath his jacket, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. Not a chance.
He needed more of this in his life. Maybe not snowball fights, exactly, but just letting loose and having fun. He tried to imagine doing this in New York. But when he left home, he was almost always in a suit. Not exactly conducive to adventures in the snow. Bayberry had forced him into boots, jeans, a sweater and a down jacket, as well as a knit cap and gloves. It was everything he needed to have winter fun.
As another round of snowballs flew through the air and laughter rang out, he realized it wasn’t Bayberry that had drawn out his inner kid. It was Kate. She could work as hard as the next person, but she made time to let down her pretty reddish-brown curls and have some fun.
At last, Kate waved her arms and cried uncle. He couldn’t blame her; he was getting tired too. But it didn’t diminish his good mood. Not in the least.
He made his way over to her. “I could use a hot chocolate. How about you?”
She moaned her approval. “That would be awesome. But it’s going to have to wait. We have some sledding to do.”
“Okay. But later, we’re getting hot chocolate.”
She smiled at him. “It’s a date.”
A date? Had he asked her on a date? He rolled it around in his mind. No. It wasn’t a date. When he asked her out, she would know it. But it did give him an idea. A very good idea.
“Come on.” Kate grabbed his hand and they headed for the toboggan.
His idea was going to have to wait. He settled in the back, letting Kate sit in front of him. And off they went, flying down the hill. He hadn’t done this since he was a kid. If he stayed in Bayberry much longer, he wondered what else Kate would convince him to do. The wind whistled in his ears and Kate shrieked with laughter. He held her tightly against him.
The toboggan slid to a stop at the bottom of the hill. Kate jumped to her feet. She turned to him. “Come on. We have time for one more run. This time I’ll sit in the back.”
He stood up. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” she bubbled. “We have to see which way is faster: me in front or you in front.”
When she looked at him like that, she warmed him from the inside out. He’d never seen her so excited. And though he wasn’t looking forward to trudging up the hill again, he didn’t want to ruin this moment for her. And truth be told, he was having as much fun as she was. It’d been a long time since he’d allowed himself to enjoy the snow.
“You got it,” he said. “I’ll race you to the top.”
“Race?” Her expression was one of horror. “In the snow?”
“Sure.” And up the hill he went, with snow kicking up all around him.
He stumbled once, but recovered quickly. With his long legs, he was able to outpace Kate. It wasn’t easy rushing up a hill in so much snow, but his pride refused to let him slow down. When he reached the top, he turned around to find Kate taking her last steps to the top. When she came to a stop next to him, she pressed her hands to her sides as she huffed and puffed.
It took her a moment to catch her breath, and then she gasped, “You cheated.”
“Cheated? How do you figure?”
A teasing smile lit up her face, puffing up her pink cheeks. “You must have—or I’m really out of shape.”
He wasn’t touching that comment. No way. He wasn’t that foolish.
When he glanced away, he noticed the toboggan at the bottom of the hill. He’d been so distracted by Kate that he’d totally forgotten about it.
“I’ll be right back,” he called out as he rushed back down the hill, trying not to stumble in the deep snow.
“Where are you going?” Kate yelled.
He knew she’d figure it out soon enough. When he reached the toboggan, he turned and found Kate laughing. Wow! She stole his breath away. He was never going to forget this day. Or her. Not ever.
Then, realizing he was just standing there staring at her, he started climbing the hill once more, but this time with the toboggan in tow.
When at last he came to a stop next to her, his heart was pounding, but it wasn’t just from the physical exertion. No. It was the way Kate was looking at him—as if he was the only person around—the only man for her.
She tilted her chin up and gazed deep into his eyes. She looked so adorable with her pink cheeks and nose. And the cold air had given her lips a deep rosy hue. No one had ever looked so beautiful.
