Katherine Garbera - Under the Mistletoe

“Did you ever follow anything home?”

“No. I’m usually very focused on getting what I want. Instead of following dogs or stars, I’d use my computer and do a load of research before starting out.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sounds kind of boring.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t waste time and I get my end result every single time. I try to eliminate all the variables so I don’t have to deal with surprises.”

“But surprises are the best part of life,” she said.

“That hasn’t been my experience.”

Shaking her head at him, she countered, “That’s not true.”

He gave her a look from under his eyelashes.

She punched him playfully in the shoulder. “You’re wrong. Today I bet you weren’t expecting an iPhone to come flying through the air at you.”

She had him there. She knew it, too—he saw it on her face. “That’s true.”

“Also you didn’t expect that I’d be so intriguing,” she said.

Right again . He definitely hadn’t expected Penny, and he was learning that even though he’d thought he’d managed all the variables with this Christmas liaison, perhaps he had forgotten something very important. The Penny factor.

* * *

SHE WAS HAVING FUN—despite the fact that after the past few months, the stress of quitting her job and hoping for a new one, she still hadn’t gotten the call she’d been hoping for today. But given that the East Coast was two hours ahead of them, she doubted they would be calling before tomorrow.

Her real life was still a mess but tonight that didn’t seem to matter as much. Will had wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tucked her against his side. He had gone quiet after she’d told him about Fifi but maybe he was thinking...who knew what. The bells of the horses rang across the empty fields as they continued their ride, and she felt the hope and joy of the season all around her.

Suddenly, she found herself humming the beginning of “Jingle Bells” under her breath. The song was stuck in her head now. Ugh. She couldn’t start singing. Wouldn’t let herself do that.

But there it was.

“Dashing through the snow,” Will said, under his breath, too.

She tipped her head back and started laughing. “Is that song also in your head?”

“It’s impossible for it not to be. We are in the middle of a freakin’ Norman Rockwell Christmas scene.”

“I would have said Currier and Ives.”

He shook his head. “You like to argue, don’t you?”

She thought about that for a long minute. She did have to always make sure she had her own opinion. “I never thought of it that way. I just want to make sure I’m standing on my own, not following someone else.”

“Me, too. And this is definitely Norman Rockwell. You’ll never convince me otherwise.”

“Are you sure?”

“How could you possibly? I’ve made my mind up and I never change it,” he said.

“Never? Are you sure about that?”

He nodded. “I can promise you I will never change my mind. Once a decision has been made I stick to it.”

“Duly noted,” she said. It was something that she might see as a red flag if they were going to date long-term, but for two weeks...what did that matter? “Jingle bells, jingle bells...”

He squeezed her close, putting his finger under her chin, and when he tipped her head back, she looked up at the strong line of his jaw. There was a tiny birthmark under his chin. Something she wouldn’t have noticed if they hadn’t been sitting so close. She reached up and touched it.

“Beauty mark,” she said.

“Beauty?”

“That’s what my mom always calls them. She has one that looks like a strawberry along her neck, and she says it’s a mark of inner beauty.” Penny missed her mom but she was in the Caribbean with her new husband celebrating the holidays. Exhaling softly, she stroked his neck. It was strong and had the tiniest bit of beard stubble on it. His light brown hair brushed the side of his face and she pushed it out of the way.

“No one has ever suggested there was anything beautiful about me,” he said gruffly.

She looked into those incredible blue eyes of his and wondered about this man. She had a bunch of questions about his past. What had shaped him into the person he was today? Why would anyone be satisfied with two-week relationships?

But she kept those questions to herself. “You have to know you are a very beautiful man.”

“Rugged maybe. And I get charming a lot...but beauty? Nah.” She understood where he was coming from. But there was something about his confidence and the way he pushed her to take him on his terms that contributed to what she saw when she looked at him.

Or at least what she saw now, on this magical snow ride. “Well, we can agree to disagree.”

“Which we’ve already established you like to do,” he said, winking at her.

She pretended to elbow him in the gut. Playing around to control her emotions so she didn’t let things turn too serious. “Keep it up and I’ll show you what a fierce competitor I can be.”

“Are you one?”

She shrugged. “I sometimes say it doesn’t really matter to me if I win, but it does. I hate losing. Not that I want to beat anyone else—I just like being right.”

She laughed and so did he.

“Me, too.” He rubbed his chin on the top of her head and held her lightly in his arms.

“What are you thinking?” she whispered.

Their sleigh ride was getting close to its end and the snow started to fall a little more heavily. They huddled together but the snow was cold as it fell on them. Will maneuvered around and pulled the blanket up over their backs and then their heads. She looked at him and realized how safe he’d made her feel tonight.

Not just physically safe, but emotionally. He’d listened to her and didn’t judge her. Just let her be who she was. Probably because they weren’t trying to impress each other. Though, frankly, he’d more than done that with dinner, the gift and this sleigh ride. She had relaxed her guard.

He kissed the tip of her nose as they returned to the Lodge. “Thank you for making this a very special night.”

She shook her head in bewilderment. “How have I done that?”

“By sharing your stories and that sparkle that I think might just be you.”

“I sparkle ?” she asked with a giggle. “Did you really just say that?”

He freed them both from the blanket and stood up, holding his hand out to her. She took it and he helped her to her feet and then out of the sleigh.

She stood to one side as he thanked the driver and tipped him and then turned back to her. The snow still fell over him, making him look even more strikingly handsome, and for a moment she wondered if she might have made a huge mistake. This arrangement was just supposed to be about having fun, but she saw signs that Will might be the kind of man she wanted in her life for a lot longer than one Christmas.

* * *

TWO DAYS LATER, Will walked through the quaint Park City streets looking for some new ski gear. He and Penny had said good-night at her front door after their sleigh ride and he’d walked away without a kiss. But the ride hadn’t gone exactly to plan. He had meant it as a prelude to seduction but the truth was he liked her. She stirred things deep inside him that he liked to pretend he never felt and didn’t care about.

But that was a lie.

He’d always been one of those men who knew where he was going. When he’d gotten out of rehab, he’d made choices that had pointed him toward his future. He eliminated all the things that were enablers for him.

First order of business: he’d stopped partying 24/7 and started working. A part of him found it surprising that he had the golden touch when it came to making money. But he had found his niche and that was enough for him. However, two nights ago, he’d felt like that had begun to change. He hadn’t slept well since then and he wondered if he would again.