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“Thunder. Snow. You’re kidding me right now. It sounded more like a canon going off.” She must have realized her hands were still on me and snatching them back before wrapping her arms around her waist and rolling her eyes.
“I never kid about thunder snow.” Facing her, the difference in our height became clear and yet I knew if I gathered her in my arms right now, we’d be a perfect fit. Clearing my throat, I rubbed the back of my neck, then took a step back, ensuring I didn’t follow through on my thoughts. I was pretty sure she didn’t want to be hit on minutes after walking into my cabin.
“There’s, uh…moisture out there and pockets of warmer temps, same as when you get thunder and lightning during a rainstorm, so if the conditions are right, you get thunder snow.”
She kept looking at me as if I’d grown a second head. “Thanks for the lesson, Al Roker.” A smile appeared on her face and any attempt at a quick comeback froze in my throat.
I thought she was pretty after first seeing her at the gas station. But the smile took her beauty to another level, and I thought I heard someone say, “wow.” Before I could figure out if I’d said the exclamation out loud, another boom rocked the windows.
Nori jumped, and I swore. Not the best sign when the hope was for the storm to blow itself out soon.
“Okay, I believe you now. Thunder snow is real.” She walked over to one of the two windows in the front room while I checked the front door, making sure I securely locked it. Walking over to the kitchen, I waved her toward the oversized couch in front of the fireplace. “I’ll get the generator going. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable until I get the heat turned back on? There’re a couple of blankets inside the chest behind it. Need you to rest until I’m sure you don’t have a concussion.” I’d bought the oversized piece mainly because it converted to a bed so Heath could use it when he visited. Which, if this storm kept up, was looking less likely.
She let out a nervous laugh then sunk down into the dark brown microfiber covered couch, covering herself in a large, knitted blanket. I wondered what she would do if I offered to warm her up. My body heat and hers, together. Naked
Trudging through the snow that had accumulated in less than an hour since I left, I flipped the switch again as I briefly closed my eyes and sent out a prayer it would start to whomever was listening.
The damn thing started, sputtered, then died. I tried again and this time there was barely a whir from the engine, followed by a loud click.Dammit. I should have never taken the prior owner’s word that the generator had been properly maintained.
Resisting the urge to kick the damn thing, I went to the woodpile and grabbed as much as I could hold. Snow stuck to my eyelashes, but I was able to get back inside before I was fully covered in snow.
Kicking the door shut behind me, I delivered the bad news. “Generator’s dead. But there’s plenty of wood. I’ll have the fireplace going in no time. You doing okay?”
I waited for her to nod, but all she did was stare at me with her mouth open. It was the oddest reaction I may have ever received from a woman. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she quickly closed her mouth, covered it with a hand, then finally nodded. “Um, yes. Peachy.” I heard a snicker escape her pretty lips. Okay, now I was thoroughly confused.
“Sorry, it’s just that your hair is completely covered with a layer of snow, and it’s stuck to your eyelashes and your beard and…well…” Releasing a long sigh, she fidgeted, twisting her hands together. “You look like ase…x.., er, I mean you look like Jack Frost. I’m sorry, I laughed. It must be the storm, ending up here, just days before Christmas…and I didn’t tell anyone I was coming. And now you have to spend time away from your family with a stranger. I guess it’s just made me a bit off.”
Sadness shadowed her beautiful features, mixed with a sweet blush of embarrassment along her cheeks.
Wow. I wasn’t expecting her to admit an attraction toward me and I couldn’t let her think she was a nuisance or an unwanted guest. Not when my body was telling me, for the first time in a while, it wanted a woman. This woman. “You have nothing to feel bad about. My son can fend for himself. He’s nineteen and in a house with a well-stocked pantry. I’ll try reaching him after I get this fire going. And thanks for the compliment. I’m not sure I’ve ever been compared to a…well, Jack Frost, but I’ll take it. So, get warm and I’ll be back in no time with more wood. Then I’ll get the stove and the fireplace blazing and we’ll figure out dinner, okay?”
Her lips upturned in a grin. I watched as she spun around and cuddled back up on the couch under the blanket. Struck by how comfortable I felt with her, I went back outside and quickly filled my arms again with the remaining split wood.
There was just something familiar about Nori I couldn’t put my finger on. I knew we’d never met, and it made little sense, but it was like I’d met her once but couldn’t remember where.
It had to be the circumstances of being stranded together by the storm, but it didn’t matter since I was feeling like Jack Frost the longer I was outside. Getting back inside to the woman fate had placed in my path quickly became a priority.
CHAPTER5
NORI
Dean finished stoking the fire and once it was roaring and filling the small area with warmth, he stood and walked into the kitchen and began pulling items from the grocery sacks he’d brought in earlier, along with my two bags. My gaze greedily ate up his every move.
“I picked up the basics at Woody’s after he told me about the road closure, so we’ve got bread, cheese, soup and eggs, plus a few other things. Nothing fancy. But I grabbed a six-pack of Hart’s Pass finest.”
“Hart’s Pass?” I asked.
“It’s not an actual mountain pass, but Luke Hart, the football player who grew up near here in Cedarville, opened a small batch brewery and pub a couple of years ago. He finally found a distributor, so now we can enjoy his signature brew at home.” Dean pulled out two bottles and handed me one. “They’re still cold.”
Eyeing the offering, I debated accepting. I wasn’t a huge fan of beer but when in Rome, plus after the day I’d had, enjoying a drink even if it was beer along with the literal man of my dreams was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Nodding, I reached for the bottle. Our fingers brushed during the exchange and a rush of warmth surged through me. Another jolt of electricity hit me, like what I felt earlier. I hadn’t had a sip yet of the beer, but I was already feeling flushed. Dean Jefferson was potent with merely a touch. What would happen if we kissed?
Turning away from his questioning gaze, I took a deep, cleansing breath, twisted off the cap, and took a long sip to settle my nerves. I couldn’t remember, if ever, a man making me feel this way. Even as a teenager when the hormones were raging, I couldn’t recall being this turned on by my high school boyfriend and at the time I thought he was the hottest boy in our class.
Wandering the small space between the living area and the small kitchen and eat-in dining area, I scrambled for something safe to discuss before I did what I really wanted to do…forget we just met and find out what would happen if I kissed him. “Sooo, this cabin. Has it been in your family for a while?”
I chanced a look back over my shoulder and he was staring at me as he drank from his beer. Shivers ran down my spine at the interest I saw in his gaze.
