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Gently. Tenderly.
Finally, my moment alone with Tenley was here. Maybe not an entire date, but at least, it was something.
“Your voice is incredible,” she mindlessly muttered. I hadn’t even realized I’d been singing quietly with the song. But she was my home. Everything was as it should be.
“Tenley?” I whispered against the top of her hair.
“Hmmm?” she hummed against my chest.
But the thing was, I didn’t really have the words to explain to her what was going through my mind at that moment. I wanted to explain to her what I was feeling, how much she meant to me, but something held my tongue.
“Me too, cowboy,” she tenderly replied, hearing what I couldn’t say through the silence. “Me too.”
I smiled to myself as the song ended. “You know, if we left now, we could have some time alone at my house before needing to put the lights up.”
“Would you mind swinging by my parents’ house before we head to the ranch? I would like to at least run a brush through my hair before we go,” she asked. I slid my other arm around her waist, pulling her warm body into mine.
“I thought I already said that I think your hair looks pretty.”
“Yes, but it will get crusty and tangled without at least a brushing.” She slipped her hands onto my hips and looked up, pressing her chin against my chest.
“Okay, but be fast. I want to—”
Her eyes widened as snow suddenly crashed on top of both of us, shoving me away from Tenley.
Chapter 10
My body was stiff and cold as I shook my head, trying to dig myself out of the snow. Heavy, wet frozen water coated my body as I strained to shake loose of the icy moisture. Voices, muffled around me, spoke as I managed to wipe some frozen snow from my eyes. Blinking the icy moisture from my lashes, my gaze met Tenley’s.
She was frantic, fighting between laughing and freaking out. One moment she was barely able to breath, wheezing, and then the next she rushed forward and raked at the snow that surrounded my body. I furrowed my brows, wondering what was so funny and why she wasn’t covered in the snow like I was.
Then movement beside her caught my attention and I narrowed my gaze. Cassidy was rolling with laughter, taking pictures while pointing his finger.
“I’m going to kill you,” I snarled at him, doing my best to shove out of the snow. Tenley snorted but helped tug at some compact frozen water, and it finally collapsed around me.
A chill swept across my exposed body as I brushed myself off. The snow, no longer packed around me, left my clothes in a soggy, extremely cold mess. Tenley placed a hand against my shoulder in comfort as Cassidy crunched across the snow.
“He looked—” Tenley wheezed, as Cassidy showed her his phone screen.
“All we needed—” he coughed, through fits of laughter.
“A carrot,” she choked out a final word as I glared, shaking some more snow off of me. Cold and wet, the melting liquid dripped off of my body as a crowd of eyes stared at us.
“What is so funny?” I shot another death glare at Cassidy as more melted snow slithered down my neck.
Tenley raised her brows, concerned, and quickly stepped away, the laugh falling short. Cassidy swung his phone screen toward me, and my mouth fell open.
I looked like a snowman. Eye holes and arm holes and everything. With the bucket of a backhoe right behind me. “Cass-ss-idy Duke, I will r-r-rip your head off when w-w-we get home,” I snarled through chattering teeth as the cold truly settled on my body.
“Merry Christmas big bro.” He winked.
“H-h-how are y-y-you—” I turned to Tenley.
“The snow missed most of me,” she whispered, concerned as I shivered, annoyed.
“See you at home!” Cassidy waved and quickly sprinted off, leaving us alone. My body convulsed, wet and cold as Tenley rushed to my side.
“We should get you where it’s warm,” she said, throwing all caution to the wind, and wrapped her petite frame around my body. Though that didn’t do much.
