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“Dog sledding?” Zach’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s not something you hear every day.”
“Doesn’t stop it from being something everyone should do at least once.”
“Fair point well made,” he said, raising his mug to her in a little cheer. “All right. Maybe I will check it out. It’d be nice to get out of the house a bit, no matter how cozy it is here.”
“If you go, let me know. I’ll tell Derek to look out for you, and I’m sure he’ll give you a good deal.”
“I appreciate that.” Zach dipped his head, his matter-of-fact tone at odds with the smile tugging at one side of his mouth.
They talked for a while longer, and after several minutes, Colette raised her mug once more and was surprised when she found there was nothing left in it. She’d been chatting with Zach long enough to finish the entire cider, and she hadn’t even noticed. She hadn’t meant to stay this long, but she’d been so wrapped up in her conversation with him that she’d lost all track of time.
“I should probably get going,” she said, suddenly worried that she had overstayed her welcome.
“Sure, yeah.” Zach nodded, pushing himself up to stand. “Let me walk you out.”
He started to gather the thermos, but she waved him off.
“Keep that and the rest of the cider. I’ll grab it from you later.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, and when Colette nodded, he set the thermos back down. “All right then.”
He stepped back, motioning for her to lead the way as they walked toward the door.
“Thank you for coming over, and for the cider,” he said as they walked.
“No problem at all.” Colette grabbed her coat from the hook by the door and pulled it onto her slender shoulders.
She turned to cast another glance at Zach as she placed her hand on the ornate iron doorknob. She could have sworn that there was something like regret flashing in his eyes as she gave him a small wave, pulled the door open, and stepped out into the cold. As she walked, her boots leaving fresh tracks in the snow that was still coming down in small, serene flakes, she shook the notion from her mind, telling herself not to let her imagination run away with her.
When she pulled open the door to her cottage and stepped back into the warm, cozy space, she glanced once more at the main house. Colette was shocked to find Zach silhouetted against the window, watching her as if to make sure she had made it home all right. She gave him another little wave, and he grinned and returned it before disappearing from view.
Colette chuckled to herself, closing the door and shaking the snow off her boots.
Zach kept on surprising her in little ways.
There was just something about him that drew her in. She hadn’t been sure she would like him at all when they had first met, but although sometimes his demeanor could be quite brusque and more than a little brash, she also found him quite funny. And at times even charming and sweet.
Her stomach fluttered a little at that thought, and Colette cleared her throat, reminding herself not to get too attached. After all, regardless of whether he stayed a short time or a long time, he was just a visitor in her sleepy, cozy little town. So it would be better—and safer for her heart—to not get too accustomed to having him around.
CHAPTERNINE
Lacy waddled toward the couch in the living room of the house she and Derek lived in, hand on her protruding belly as she rubbed it softly. Her feet were killing her, and she breathed out as she carefully lowered herself down onto the cushions. She sank deeper into the embrace of the comfortable piece of furniture, exhaling a long, ragged breath.
Over the last week, she felt like she had been trying to keep the whole world turning on its axis. Between consulting with her clients in St. Louis, keeping up with consulting in Snowy Pine Ridge, helping Derek as much as she could with the dog sledding business, and planning the annual holiday party at St. Nick’s Place, she felt like she was constantly doing something. And the tiny human growing inside her made her constantly feel like she was in need of a nap.
Grabbing her iPad from beside her on the couch, she tapped the screen to bring it to life, figuring that while she was sitting to rest her swollen ankles, she could at least respond to a few emails and get a little bit more work done.
She clicked through a few of the items that had come in over the last few hours, not even noticing that her eyelids had begun to grow heavy. She only made it through one and a half emails before she blinked and forgot to open her eyes again. Sleep stole over her, lulling her so gently that she barely even realized it was happening.
One moment, she was tapping on her screen, responding to a recent inquiry… and the next thing she knew, the dogs outside began barking, yanking her out of her accidental nap.
The sudden loud sound made her head pop up from where it had dropped to her chest when she’d nodded off, and it took her a second to orient herself as her sleepy brain struggled to catch up.
Lacy blinked rapidly, glancing around as she tried to make sense of what was causing the dogs to bark so loudly. She placed a hand behind her, still groggy with sleep, as she tried to push herself off the couch. A moment later, she heard the garage door open and close, and then heard Derek’s voice calling her name.
“In the living room,” she announced, hearing him striding through the house toward her.
He came into view a few seconds later, and she sat up straighter, struggling a little to adjust her position on the soft, fluffy sofa.
