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This time I only brought a small duffel bag, since most of my stuff is still here from last time. I figured it would be pointless to move a suitcase to and from the guest house if I had plans on coming back, but I knew I still needed clothes to match the weather.
When I step out of the car, I lift my hand in a small wave at Brent, then give Nathan a quick hug. “Long time no see,” I say with a smirk.
He smiles, then rushes away from me like I’m on fire and I watch his movements curiously. A throat clears behind me, causing me to spin around in surprise, and Brent nods at me. “Safe drive?”
The snow hasn’t come down full force yet, but the weather is calling for a small storm while I’m here for the week — here’s to hoping I can get stuck up here because the last place I want to be is back home right now. Not when this man devours every inch of me with his eyes slowly, clear from my head to my toes.
“It was decent,” I manage to whisper.
He waves a hand in front of me with a smile, one that mimics Nathan’s, and I strut ahead of him. The jeans I’m wearing were picked with him in mind, hoping that he would admire the way they cling to my curves. I have to smirk when I cast a discreet glance over my shoulder and find his eyes on my ass, watching each sway of my hips intently as if he’ll miss something crucial if he looks away.
When we come to a stop outside the guest house, he finally darts his gaze up to mine and I have to hold in a giggle when his cheeks flare up. It could easily be from the cold, but I have a feeling he wasn’t expecting to get caught staring at me and it sends a wave of warmth flowing through me. The wind picks up, forcing me to tug the coat I’m wearing tighter around my waist, and he pushes the door open with a frown.
“Sorry, no need to have you freeze to death out there.” He waits for me to get inside before following me, hands tucked into his pockets, and that’s when I finally notice that he doesn’t have the crutches anymore.
“No crutches? That’s great!”
He nods. “Yep, although my leg still hurts every now and then, my PT is going great and they say it’s healing up nicely. Better than expected.”
“Wow, that must be exciting news for you.” There’s a feeling gnawing at my insides as he looks around the space that I’ve come to make as my own. I’ll have to switch out the fall decorations for winter ones, but that can come at a later time. If I’m going to be coming here often, the least I can do is make it feel more like home to me. “I can take the decorations out if you don’t want them here.” There were never any rules for me when I first got here, so I didn’t think it would be a bad thing if I spruced the place up a bit.
Brent shakes his head and smiles appreciatively at me. “No, that’s not necessary. My late wife, Renee, used to love decorating for the holidays.”
That explains his reactions to me. “What was her favorite holiday?”
“Christmas. It was the only one we ever went all out for, but it hasn’t been the same since she passed away. Like there’s something crucial missing. I can’t even remember the last time I decorated for anything.”
The idea that he can’t bring himself to celebrate in the way Renee did has a hole forming in my heart. You can tell he’s still hurting from her death and maybe that’s a good reason for me to back off from him, instead of trying to gain his attention. “She sounds like my kind of woman.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I have a feeling she would’ve loved you.”
“Maybe you can tell me more about her another day.”
“I’d actually really like that. I always get nervous when talking about her too much with Nathan, not wanting to upset him or anything. It would be nice to talk about her.” He darts his gaze away from mine while running a hand through his hair, then sighs. “Speaking of which, I wanted to offer a tour of the ranch while you’re here this time. Think you’d be up for it?”
That doesn’t sound so bad. Nathan tried showing me the property a few times, but duty always called and we never got very far with it. I’ve been nervous to go out on my own, for fear that I would get lost, so knowing I’ll have Brent at my side is nice.
“Absolutely, I’ve been wanting to see the rest of this place. Tomorrow? I’d like to take today to relax after my drive.”
He nods. “Of course, and you’re welcome to join us for dinner tonight if you’d like. I promise to be on my best behavior this time.” Before he walks out of the house, he turns to me with a frown and says, “I’m sorry, by the way, for the way I’ve been acting with you. There’s no excuse for it, but I’m going to do better now.”
His words have my mind racing and I take a few deep breaths when the door shuts behind him. Looks like I’m going to need to find a comfortable outfit for tomorrow if he plans on hiking me around this place.
* * *
I’ve just gotten my boots tied when there’s a soft knock on the door. I swing it open breathlessly, running further behind than I had planned — that’s what happens when you can’t stop thinking about the man across the lawn at night and you can’t sleep. He thrusts a cup at me, the steam billowing out from the top, and I inhale the chocolatey flavor. What is this?
“Hot chocolate,” he says, as if reading my mind.
“Mm, my favorite. Marshmallows?”
“How could anyone ever forget the marshmallows? There’s also whipped cream on top.”
God, is he trying to win my heart over or something? I take a cautious sip, not wanting to burn my mouth, and step into the cold morning. He told me to dress warm for the day, so I have on three layers of clothes and my knee-high boots — there’s no way I’ll be getting cold today. The scarf I have wrapped around my neck comes over my mouth, but I have it down for now until I finish off my hot chocolate.
“Who made it?”
“Uh, me?”
