AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They’d been so busy with tree decorating, shopping, and all the rest of it, that Cole hadn’t been able to get much time alone with Amber over the last few days, but that was going to change tonight. When he’d been in town the day before, he’d discovered the oversized ice rink that was shoveled out on the lake. It had been years since he’d been ice skating, but it seemed like the perfect time to try it out again.
Not that he would care what he was doing as long as it meant spending some much overdue time alone with Amber.
Cole squeezed her gloved hand in his and pulled her a little closer as they made their way down Main Street.
“Isn’t this the cutest town?” She tipped her head up to look at him. “I mean, Crystal Creek was cute, too. But this…it doesn’t get any more Christmas card than Cedar Springs.”
Cole couldn’t argue with that. Just walking down the street filled him with a holiday spirit he’d never felt before. Twinkling lights were strung on every available pine tree. The store fronts were adorned with pine boughs, wreaths, and lights as well. Never mind the Christmas carols that seemed to be coming out of nowhere. The gently falling snow didn’t hurt either.
As they approached the end of the street and the frozen lake where people were skating around a huge bonfire, the entire scene looked as if it were fresh out of a snow globe.
“This really is amazing,” Cole said. “And I don’t even love Christmas.” He pulled her in for a hug and a quick kiss on the nose. “But that might be changing.”
It was true. Everything was just a little bit better with Amber. Okay, alotbetter. She made him feel things he’d never felt before. Like the Christmas spirit. He kissed her again, on the lips this time, and not for the first time contemplated telling her exactly how he felt. But once again, something stopped him.
Besides, there was no rush.
“Are we really going to do this?” She turned around in his arms. “I can’t remember the last time I skated. It’s going to be interesting.”
“We don’t have to—”
“Oh no! We’re doing this.” She laughed and grabbed his hand to pull him toward the booth where they could rent skates.
Fifteen minutes later, they were laced up and ready to go.
Cole took a few tentative steps on his blades. He reached back to take Amber’s hand and help her steady herself, but before he had a chance, she was up and in two quick steps was on the ice, gliding away from him. He watched in awe as she did a quick, tight turn and in two pushes, was on her way back.
When she came to a quick stop in front of him with a spray of ice and snow, he couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought you said it had been ages since you did this?”
“It has,” she insisted. “But I may have done some competitive figure skating when I was a teenager.”
“Youmayhave?”
She held up two fingers to indicate a small amount and gradually spread them apart. “I won gold in the provincial championships when I was fifteen.”
He laughed again and took a few more tentative steps, before pushing off and trying his own gentle glide. And then another, and another, until he was actually skating. Cole focused on putting one foot in front of the other, but was very aware of Amber gliding easily along next to him.
After a few minutes, he had the hang of it, and although he was nowhere nearly as skilled as Amber, he took her hand and together they fell into a nice rhythm.
“So, if you were such a figure skating champion, how come I never saw you in the Olympics?” He was only half joking as he asked the question, but he noticed the way her hand tensed ever so slightly in his. “I get the impression that you succeed at everything you do.”
She didn’t deny it, but simply shrugged. “When I was little, that’s all I dreamed about.”
“Then what happened?”
“The plan changed.”
There was that word again.Plan.
“Why did it change?”
Cole watched her while he waited for an answer. Her hair was tied up in a braid again, only this one was loose and hung over her shoulder in a very sexy way. It was very different than the severe tight braid she sported when they’d first met. She had a knit cap tugged over her head and a scarf tied loosely around her neck. She was absolutely gorgeous.
“Everything changed when I was a teenager and we found out the truth about our dad. Suddenly, figure skating didn’t seem so important.”
His heart clenched, imagining a younger Amber whose world had just imploded in the most dramatic way. To the point where she’d given up her dream of skating for a much safer, and…predictable plan.
“And that’s when you decided to be an accountant?”
