AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ve heard anywhere from eight to twelve inches here. More elsewhere. It’s a pretty huge system moving across the Midwest.”
“That’s not going to be good for people trying to get in or out of here.”
“No. From what I’ve heard, the Denver airport is expecting to cancel most if not all of their flights tomorrow. I don’t know about Eagle County.” Which was where they’d landed a few hours earlier.
“Sounds like we’re going to be snowed in,” Liam said, not appearing particularly concerned.
Hadley didn’t share his nonchalance. “What does that mean for your guests?”
“I’ll have to check in with them tonight. They might be delayed for a couple days or decide to cancel altogether depending on how long the storm persists.”
“But...” What did she plan to say? If the storm moving in made inbound travel impossible, they certainly couldn’t fly out. Which meant she, Maggie and Liam were going to be stuck in Vail for the foreseeable future. Alone.
Hadley focused on the food in front of her, annoyed by her heart’s irregular beat. What did she think was going to happen in the next few days? Obviously her hormones thought she and Liam would engage in some sort of passionate affair.
The idiocy of the notion made her smile.
Seven
Liam knew he’d concealed his delight at being snowed in with Hadley, so why was she so distracted all of a sudden? And what was with the smile that curved her luscious lips?
He cleared his throat to alleviate the sudden tightness. “I take it you like blue crab?”
Hadley glanced up, and her eyes widened as she met his gaze. “Yes. It’s delicious.” Her attention strayed toward the window and the swiftly falling flakes. “It’s really magical.”
Her dreamy expression startled him. He’d become accustomed to her practicality and was excited that her professional mask might be slipping.
With the snow piling up outside, they didn’t linger over dinner. As much as Liam would have enjoyed several more hours of gazing into her eyes and telling stories that made her laugh, they needed to get Maggie home and tucked in for the night. His disappointment faded as he considered that they could continue the conversation side by side on the living room sofa. Without the barrier of a table between them, things could get interesting.
“Ready?” he asked, as he settled the check and stood.
“Sure.”
Helping her into her coat gave him the excuse to move close enough to inhale her scent and give her shoulders a friendly squeeze. He hoped he hadn’t imagined the slight hitch of her breath as he touched her.
Liam gestured for Hadley to go ahead of him out of the restaurant. They retraced their steps through town, navigating the slippery sidewalk past trees strung with white lights and shop windows displaying their wares. Liam insisted Hadley take his arm. He’d enjoyed the feel of her snuggled against him during the walk into town.
Once the commercial center of the town was behind them, the mountain once again dominated the view. As they strolled along, boots sinking into an inch of fresh snow, Liam was convinced he couldn’t have planned a more romantic walk home. The gently falling snow captured them in a world all their own, isolating them from obligations and interruptions.
Hadley laughed in delight as fat flakes melted on her cheeks and eyelashes. He wanted to kiss each one away and had a hard time resisting the urge to take her in his arms to do just that. If not for the weight of Maggie’s carrier in his hand, he doubted if he could have resisted.
The strength of his desire for Hadley gave him pause. It wasn’t just sexual attraction, although heaven knew his lust flared every time she came within arm’s reach. No, it was something more profound that made him want her. The way she took care of Maggie, not as if she was being paid to look after her but with affection and genuine concern for her welfare.
He could picture them as partners in the ranch. She had a great eye when it came to seeing the potential in horses, and he had no doubt if she would just remember how much she enjoyed her days of showing that she would relish being involved with the ranch’s future.
Yet she’d demonstrated complete disinterest in the horses, and he had yet to figure out why, when it was obviously something she’d been passionate about ten years earlier. Maybe he should accept that she was planning to leave Royal after she graduated. Plus, she’d invested five years getting a graduate degree in guidance counseling. Would she be willing to put that aside?
