AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dazed, I placed it on my head as he gestured at the door. I grabbed the handle suspiciously, eyeing him from the side, and pulled it open.
My heart stopped, and I froze.
All oxygen rushed from my lungs as I stared at the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life.
Chapter 27
There she stood, draped in an elegant ruby red, silk dress. The thin straps that should’ve left her cold were covered in a winter white fur stole. It hugged every curve of her frame, flowing like a river where it lightly skimmed my porch floor. Her eyes popped, contrasting in an indescribable way with the shimmering fabric. A small diamond hung from the end of the thin, golden chain around her neck. It rose and fell against her collarbone with every breath she took.
Her rosy cheeks lifted into a bright smile as I locked onto her gaze. She glanced down at her feet that were hidden beneath the gown, and pushed one side of her gently curled hair behind her ear. It fell long and loose down her back, just how I liked it the most.
Snowflakes quietly tumbled down behind her, the sheer white of the background making her stand out like she was the only person in this entire world. And for me, she was. Her lips, painted a dark red, were something I wanted against mine so badly, I felt like I was going to explode.
But I also couldn’t move. Frozen, afraid that if I did, I would awake from whatever euphoric dream I was in.
A throat cleared behind me, and Keaton widened his eyes. “Well, go get her,” he hissed through his teeth, trying to make it seem like he wasn’t the one talking, and Tenley giggled, her dark lashes blinking with delight.
Taking a breath in, not realizing I’d been holding mine, I finally stepped forward and lifted a hand. “You’re breathtaking,” I whispered, and she smiled, her cheeks darkening with a blush. “Absolutely stunning.”
“You’re not bad yourself,” she giggled in reply, setting her delicate fingers into my palm, and I chuckled. It was better than nothing. Keaton scurried past and down my porch steps, and my gaze followed.
“What’s that?” I asked, pointing at the red sleigh that he stopped beside. Two of our white horses pranced in the front, Cassidy in the driver’s position wearing a nice fitting suit with his hat also cleaned up.
Keaton opened the door, the silver bells twinkling lightly, matching the curling runners beneath the sleigh. He didn’t say anything as he pointed inside and bowed.
“I think that’s our ride,” she said, tugging at my hand and walking forward. I could hear the clicking of her heels across my porch, her head reaching a little taller than usual. Still not tall enough to even come close with my height, but a little.
Alright, why not go with it.
Not having to ride the Razor down to my parents’ house sounded nice. Especially since Cassidy was about to put in the work to get us there with two horses that were quite young. Though they were his project, and he was doing a phenomenal job with them, per usual.
Keaton held out his palm as Tenley approached, and she accepted the gesture, using both mine and the young boy’s hand to step into the sleigh. I followed, sitting down beside her as Keaton closed the door. There was a blanket folded neatly on the seat and I grabbed it, quietly draping it across Tenley’s lap.
Cassidy clucked, and the horses walked on. She and I said nothing as the sleigh slid across the crisp snow, horses clomping across the frozen earth. Snowflakes danced against us as we continued to spiral down the hillside.
She slid her hands beneath the blanket, the chill dancing across much of her exposed skin that even the warm, fur coat wasn’t helping. Slinging my arm around her shoulders, I gently pulled her against my body as we rounded a corner and then took an unexpected turn.
“Cassidy, where are we going?” I asked, furrowing my brows as Tenley glanced around us. We paused in front of a gate where Remington was waiting, also adorned in a fresh suit. He walked forward, opened the gate quietly, and then Cassidy drove us through.
I looked behind us as Remington swung it closed and then returned to standing off to the side. His hands clasped behind his back just as Keaton had done.
“Cassidy,” I stated again, but he continued to ignore us as we wound across the field.
My eyes darted back and forth, confused.
“Cassidy!” I shouted this time, but my brother remained silent as he rounded a corner and took us straight to one of our barns. Tenley was watching with intense, curious eyes as the sleigh began to slow and Butch walked out of the barn.
He was wearing a matching tuxedo to Keaton and waited beside the door as Cassidy pulled us to a stop.
Nobody moved.
I remained seated beside a confused Tenley. What was going on? Why were we at this barn? It had hay and equipment and all sorts of other grungy things inside.
“Weston,” Cassidy whispered through gritted teeth. “Weston.”
I snapped my gaze away from the barn’s door and looked at him. He nodded at Tenley. “Help her out,” he hissed, and pointed at the door to the red barn with white trim, but quickly flipped back around to the front as Tenley glanced his way.
Not sure what else to do, I followed his instructions and stood up. Slipping past Tenley, I opened the sleigh door and climbed down. It rocked lightly from my movement, and I held out a hand. She stood up, draping the blanket onto the seat before placing a cold and smooth palm in mine.
