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As Ethan showed her how to layer the Shreddies on the roof to look like shingles, Luke’s foot found hers under the table, rubbing gently against her. She returned the caress, loving the simple contact and how good it felt.
“Hey, look, it’s snowing again,” said Ethan, pushing back from his chair and running over to the window. Soft, thick flakes fell from the gray sky, accumulating on the ground.
An idea charged through her, and she pushed out of her chair, joining Ethan at the window. “You want to know a secret?”
He nodded solemnly, glancing at her before returning his attention to the snow.
“I’ve never made a snowman before.”
Slowly, Ethan turned to face her. “Are you kidding me?” His eyebrows shot up, and in that moment he looked so much like Luke that her heart hurt a little.
“Nope. I’ve always lived in warmer places than this. Even if we got a little snow, there was never enough to make a snowman.”
“Dad, Christie and I are going to go outside to make a snowman. You coming?”
Luke’s gaze moved from his son to her and back again. His eyes crinkled warmly when he smiled. “Nah, you guys go ahead. I’ll finish up this house.”
Warmth suffused her, because she understood the magnitude of the gesture. He was trusting her with his son. Once again, she pushed aside her guilt and promised herself she’d find a way to tell him the truth about her past.
* * *
Luke had abandoned the gingerbread house, which was mostly done, minus some fine details and shingles. He’d finish later. Right now, he was standing at his bedroom window, watching Ethan and Christie play in the snow, and there was nowhere else he’d have rather been.
She shrieked with laughter when Ethan’s snowball exploded against her back. Quickly, she gathered up her own snowball and lobbed it at him. The snowman they’d started was half done, with a torso but no head, abandoned for the time being.
God, she was so beautiful when she laughed like that, the sound sweet and feminine. It curled around him like a blanket, warm and comforting. The fact that it was his son drawing that sound from her made it even sweeter.
Eventually, a truce was called, and they returned to putting together the snowman. Christie tilted her head as she listened to Ethan, snow caught in her thick blond hair. It was sweet, the way she let him take the lead and give instructions. He wished he could hear what they were chatting about as they worked, but their voices—unlike Christie’s laughter—were too quiet to carry through the window.
She said something to him, and Ethan threw back his head in laughter, and everything in Luke’s body—his heart, his lungs, his skin, everything—tightened. Watching Christie with his son, so happy, so genuine, felt so damn good that he knew he’d made the right decision inviting her over today.
Their first date may have been a few days ago, but today, this, with the three of them spending time together, was really the start of something new and exciting.
For once, he’d followed his heart, and it had led him to her.
Chapter 8
December 11
Luke leaned back against the padded red vinyl of the booth, full almost to bursting with the burger, fries, and salad he’d just downed. The buzz of the lunchtime crowd at The Tipsy Bison swirled around him, mingling with the upbeat version of “Run Run Rudolph” playing through the restaurant’s speakers. Luke’s Uncle Dave had opened the restaurant and bar in 1985, and since retiring last year had handed it over to his son, Luke’s cousin Dean. Twinkling lights in red and green flashed in the front window, barely visible against the bright mid-day sun. It had snowed again last night, and little mounds of fresh, white snow lined the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.
Christie picked at the remains of her grilled chicken salad and took a sip of her Diet Coke. “I don’t think I can eat another bite. I’m stuffed.” She reached across the table and laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand. “Thanks for the lunch date and giving me a ride to work.”
He squeezed back, warmth filling his chest. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re getting snow tires on your SUV.” When he’d found out she neither had snow tires nor any intention of putting them on, he’d gently insisted that she reconsider. She wasn’t used to driving in snowy conditions, and even though she had an SUV, it was still much safer to drive with snow tires. The thought of her getting into an accident . . . His chest tightened and he pushed the thought away. Even though their relationship was new, the urge to protect her, to look after her, was almost overwhelming in its intensity.
He paid their bill and led her back to his truck, their hands twined together. The hospital was less than a mile up the road, and even though he knew he had to take her to work, he didn’t want their impromptu date to end. “What’s your schedule like tomorrow?”
She sighed. “I’m covering the ER all day, but I should be done around seven or eight. I’ll probably be exhausted, so I might not be very good company, but if you want to come over, I’d like that.”
He kissed her temple and opened the passenger’s side door for her. “Sweetheart, you’re always good company.”
She climbed up into the cab of his truck and turned to face him, cupping his cheeks. “Back atcha.” She kissed him, soft and slow, and it didn’t matter that they were in the middle of the parking lot. He kissed her back with everything he had, wishing like hell they could both ditch work and go get lost in each other.
Sometimes being a responsible adult was no fun.
* * *
December 12
