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That warm hand guided her outside and onto a paved sidewalk, wiping away her darker thoughts.
She paused. A gasp lingered on her lips as she stared in awe at tree after tree lining the path, all lit with golden twinkle lights.
Her companion and savior’s lips were close enough to her ear that she felt the wash of his warm breath. “Do you want to stroll through the garden?”
Mind spinning from all that had happened so far, not to mention how she’d ended up in this situation, she managed to nod.
He held out his arm to her, and not feeling quite as awkward as she should with a man she didn’t know, she wrapped her hand around his strong bicep.
“I had no idea the outside was decorated too.”
“They’ve got the whole place decked out for this shindig.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his choice of words. Spoken in that deep Southern twang made them extra appealing.
As did his solid muscled body. And that gleam in his eyes that told her that he could get up to no good in ways she couldn’t even imagine.
They meandered a few feet away from the exit but paused where the path curved. Under the canopy of lit branches, she tossed back the rest of her champagne.
“I bet you drink a lot of those,” he said.
She shuddered at the horrible taste. “Nope. I’d rather have whiskey.”
The corners of his hard lips quirked, but whatever he might say was cut off when another couple appeared on the winding path. He wore a navy-blue suit with a bolo tie, and she was dressed in ice blue with a white fur shawl around her narrow shoulders.
Just seeing them reminded Belle of Ethan and Haileigh. Dammit, why did they have to be here? Shereallydidn’t want to spend her weekend bumping into them.
May they get hives from all the mistletoe they stand under.
Ofcoursethey’d be here to spoil her fun. Why wouldn’t they? It was just her luck. Belle’s life was one long string of catastrophes. What was one more?
After the couple passed by, she took a step to continue on the main path, but Declan drew her off it, toward a small gap in the berry- and snow-dotted hedges.
He tossed a look back at her. “Watch your step.”
Carefully positioning her spike heels on the spongy earth, she let him lead her through the equivalent of a hedgerow into…
Her lips popped open on a breathy sigh.
A fairytale world.
Snow clung to the dark green shrubbery, reflecting the golden twinkle lights the entire spot was draped in. A wooden bench was nestled in between bushes with glossy leaves. And a few feet away from them, a small fire burned in a stacked stone fireplace.
“This is beautiful!”
Declan released his hold on her.
She took one step, slipped and toppled forward. A cry left her lips just as a big set of hands gripped her around the waist.
She looked down at her shoe. “Damn. Of course I broke my heel. Just my luck!”
“Let me help you to the bench.” Before she could protest, he picked her up and carried her to the bench. As soon as she was settled, something silver appeared in front of her face.
She focused on the object—and on the man holding it.
“Whiskey.” His voice sounded as if he’d taken a swig or three.
Her gaze flashed to his smiling eyes.
