She turned back, hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised questioningly. Looking exquisite, like a rainbow Snow Queen, but pissed as hell.
Max grabbed the toboggan’s frayed rope, then walked to where she stood. “Can we put this on the back burner for now? We’re stuck here for a few days at least, until these storms pass, and I can think of better things to do than fight.”
The weather report was calling for yet another blizzard, right on the heels of the last. Fox’s Corners had barely begun to dig out from the first dump of snow, and flights were all backlogged. Max knew from experience they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. He said a silent prayer of thanks to Mother Nature, because being snowed in with Sadie Hunter was exactly what he hoped for.
He reached his gloved hand out again, and after a moment of hesitation, Sadie took it.
“I know I’m a pain in the ass, Sadie,” Max said, holding her hand tightly. “Can we enjoy this winter wonderland and take a break from our goddamn ‘Nashville problem,’ just for a few days?”
Sadie set her hands on his shoulders, which wasn’t easy due to the snow boots and uneven ground. She huffed in frustration, but then kissed him.
“Fine, Max. You win this round,” she said, her breath warm against his lips.
Max grinned, then let go of the toboggan and wrapped his arms around Sadie’s waist. “You know, I was going to suggest another ride down the hill, but you seem like you’ve caught a bit of a chill...”
“Maybe we need to head back inside?” Sadie said, even though she was plenty warm in his arms.
“I think that would be best.” Max nodded solemnly, then turned around. “Hop on.”
Sadie laughed. “You’re going to piggyback me up this hill?”
“I sure am, darlin’.” Max gestured for her to jump on his back.
Sadie jumped, but the bulkiness of the ski outfits made it tough for either of them to get a solid grip, and they toppled sideways.
She landed on top of Max, and it winded him slightly. “That went differently in my mind,” he finally said, laughing.
“I actually think this turned out okay.” Sadie shifted so they lay facing one another, the deep snow creating a nest around them.
“Me, too,” Max said, thinking about nothing but the feel of her warm lips on his, the snow falling steadily around them.
16
Sadie
Banff, Canada
December 18
Sadie sat on the deep, comfy couch in Max’s cabin, half watching her favorite holiday movie,Miracle on 34th Street, and half watching Max, who had fallen asleep with Patsy on his chest. In between Max’s soft snores, Sadie could hear the tiny puffs of air whistling out of Patsy’s adorable snub nose.
She looked out the window. It was snowing outside—it seemed to have been snowing steadily since she arrived here, four days earlier, but the flakes were lighter today, dancing down from the sky and floating in front of the window like white fireflies.
She eased herself off the couch, careful not to disturb Max. They had been up late the night before. She had found the gameRummoli in a dusty box in one of the cupboards. It had been a favorite in the Hunter household when Sadie was growing up. “My gran loves this game,” Sadie had said to Max when she discovered it—and then hadn’t known how to correct herself. So, she hadn’t. She had decided not to bring her sadness into the happy moments they were having. She and Max had curled up on the floor at either end of his live-edge wood coffee table, wrapped in blankets. They drank fragrant, hot tea and laughed together, learning a new game as the fire crackled behind them. And it had been, like so much of these recent days with Max, perfect.
The truth was, Sadie was happier than she had been in a long time, secluded here in the snowy mountains with Max. She was seeing another side of him—and liking what she saw. The rest of the world seemed like it existed on another planet. So she had decided she wanted to keep it that way, for just a little while longer.
She wandered into the guest bedroom and sat down on the thick quilt. Sadie had been sleeping alone at night, while Max slept in his own room. They were constantly touching one another—kissing, holding hands, snuggling up to watch movies—but things hadn’t gone further than that. Not yet. Sadie got the sense that they were both being very careful, given that the chemical cocktail created when they were together had far too easily exploded in the past. But here, in the quiet and calm of Banff, their chemistry might actually have staying power instead of ending up a failed experiment.
She closed her eyes and recalled their good-night kiss the night before. With Max’s lips on hers, Sadie had felt heat rising within her—and she wanted to pull him gently into thebedroom with her. But then Patsy had started whining to go out and the moment had passed. After that, Sadie had cuddled under the thick blankets alone, listening to Max out in the main room, shutting things down for the night. She had wondered if taking things further would be a good idea. She was still wondering. She knew it would be good between them—probably astronomically so. But their relationship was already so complicated.
Sadie’s stomach growled, interrupting her thoughts. Back out in the kitchen, she opened Max’s freezer and looked inside. They’d eaten its contents over the past few days—frozen pizzas, mostly—and all that was left was freezer-burned ice and something unidentifiable and brown in a Ziploc bag. The fridge wasn’t much better: mustard, a few beers, coffee cream. Typical bachelor stuff.
She closed the fridge and made a decision. Then she walked to the door and picked up a pair of snowshoes.
The clock was ticking, and Sadie knew it. She had turned off her phone, but when she finally turned it on again it would be overloaded with messages. Everyone in Nashville wanted Sadie and Max to come back to town.
But tonight, she would change things up, make it special—and see where it all went.
