Karen Rose - The Maverick's Snowbound Christmas

“I have to get out. It’s still snowing. There will be even more in a little while. I’ll never be able to get back tonight.”

Earlier, she’d sounded reconciled to the fact that she’d be here awhile. But maybe she hadn’t considered an overnight stay. Was she panicked because of their attraction?

“Would that be so awful?” he teased, hoping to ease her anxiety.

Then he saw a multitude of emotions flash through her eyes. Panic. Maybe even a little fear. What was that about?

“I can’t be cooped up with you,” she said, kicking at the snow again but only managing to have it stick to her jeans and her boots.

He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he took her by the shoulders and turned her toward him. “Hey! You’ve got to relax. I have power bars stowed away in the tack room, peanut butter, canned stew and bottled water. As you said earlier, we have more than some people.”

Just then, the lights in the barn blinked out.

“Oh, no,” she said. “The electricity.”

To reassure her, he gave her shoulders a little squeeze. “The space heater is run by gas, and I have battery-powered lanterns. Not to mention a butane stove to warm the stew. We’re not going to freeze or go hungry. This could be one of those times when you have to roll with the punches.”

“Oh, I’ve rolled with plenty of punches,” she insisted, looking almost angry about it. She jerkily pulled away from him.

He couldn’t understand her withdrawal and couldn’t help but take it personally. Apparently being cooped up with a cowboy wasn’t her cup of coffee.

“Look,” he said, “you don’t have anything to fear from me. I’ll be the perfect gentleman.” He raised his hands in a surrender gesture. “I won’t touch you. Promise.”

Then he pushed the door to the outside world closed again before any more snow could fall in. When Hadley didn’t say a word, he left her standing there as he returned to Amber and her foal.

* * *

Hadley stood in a far corner of the barn, cell phone in hand, trying to get a connection. She was upset with herself and upset with the situation. Eli wanted her to roll with the punches. She’d certainly done that in the past. But for some reason, it was harder to do it now.

She tried again to connect with Melba or her sister. But her texts wouldn’t go through. She was glad she’d texted after she’d arrived. At least her family knew she was safe here.

Safe?

Oh, she was sure Eli would be the perfect gentleman because he said he would. From everything she knew about him he was steady, reliable and kept his word. Not only that, but from their conversation, she’d gleaned the fact that he wasn’t narrow-minded like some cowboys. He seemed to have a wealth of knowledge about many subjects.

The bottom line was that she was attracted to him and didn’t want to be. Worse, she was cooped up with him in an almost intimate situation. The birth of that foal had made this situation intimate. She’d felt it when the baby was born and she and Eli had gazed into each other’s eyes. They both valued that momma and colt the same way. That had made Eli even more attractive to her. And when the colt had stood on wobbly legs and gone to his momma, she was so touched she could have cried.

Trying to get a grip on the situation, she told herself she could handle her attraction to Eli. All she had to do was ignore it. She knew how disastrous instant attraction could be. She’d lived with the regrets that had come from it. Attraction had caused the biggest mistake of her life.

Still, she knew she’d offended Eli, and she needed to apologize. She just didn’t know the best way to do it.

For a while, Eli had been closeted in the tack room, coming out now and then to check on Amber and her colt. Whenever he did, his face softened just looking at them. But as soon as he turned away, he was stoic again.

She had to fix this. They would be stuck here together until tomorrow. She’d accepted the situation for what it was—she was snowed in with Eli. But this awkwardness between them was her fault, and she had to remedy it.

Thinking about the best way to approach the sexy rancher, first she checked on the momma cat and kitten. The kitten was nursing, and its momma looked content. Hadley hoped they were both healthy. When she left, she’d take them to Brooks’s clinic.

Noticing the tin of chocolate chip cookies, she remembered she and Eli had eaten only a few. They’d be delving into the rest for supper. She checked her watch, glowing in the darkness of the barn. It was almost suppertime. Eli had set one battery-powered lantern near Amber’s stall and another in the tack room. He had a third he could carry wherever he went.

She glanced around the tack room. Eli had mentioned a butane-powered stove. Maybe they could warm water for hot tea. She always carried tea bags in her purse. It was a habit she’d started in college when she’d had a mug warmer in her room. She still carried that mug warmer in her SUV, but it wouldn’t do any good if she couldn’t plug it in. But a portable stove would be a means to mediation. She decided a peace offering might be the best way to start conversation again with Eli.

Rooting in her purse, she found the small plastic bag she kept the tea bags in. Taking her courage in hand, she walked to Amber’s stall. Eli was sitting on a stool watching the mare. It was actually hard to see him because he wasn’t right by the lantern.

He must have heard her footsteps because he turned toward her. “They seem to be doing well,” he said in an even tone.

“Yes, they do,” she agreed, not knowing how to begin. It seemed she was as bad at apologies as being cooped up with Eli. She wiggled the plastic bag in her hand. “I have a few tea bags. I thought maybe we could warm water on the stove. Even weak tea would be something to warm us up.”

He studied her in the shadows. She noticed his jaw lose some of its rigidity, and his stance relaxed some. “Hot tea sounds good. I’ll see if I can rustle up a pot to use.”

She followed him to the tack room and watched as he took out the portable stove and fired it up. Then he opened the cupboard and dug around inside. He produced not only a small saucepan but canned beef stew. “When I spend time down here with an ailing horse, I make do with whatever supplies are around. How do you feel about beef stew from a can?”

“If we can warm it up, it will be great. If we can’t, I’ll leave the beef stew to you and I’ll take the power bar.”

Opening another upper cabinet, he took out the box of power bars. “We can sit in here for a spell. If you’re cold, you can wrap up in a saddle blanket.” He gestured to a man’s suede jacket hanging on a peg behind the door. “Or put that on, on top of your coat.”

“I’m fine,” she assured him, imagining the feel of Eli’s coat around her, his scent enveloping her.

He handed her the saucepan. “If you want to start the water, I’ll find a flashlight. We might need that, too. The lantern batteries could run out.”

As Eli left the tack room, Hadley realized that he was a planner and apparently thought ahead, always prepared with plan B.

She set the water to boil and glanced over at the momma cat and kitten. They stayed cuddled together in the bed Eli had made.

When he returned to the tack room with two flashlights, Hadley said, “I’ll have to feed momma again when we’re done. She needs nourishment to be able to nurse her baby.”

From somewhere Eli had found two more foam cups. Hadley dropped a tea bag into each. “I hope you like orange spice. That’s all I have.”

“Orange spice is fine. My mother has a whole cupboard full of everything from chamomile to Earl Grey.”

Again Eli had surprised her. Men didn’t usually notice that kind of thing. “You’re a tea drinker?”