Page 9
“I’m sure my mom has them somewhere. She might be too busy to dig them out tonight, but I can show you the next time you visit.”
My heart skipped a beat. The next time? He said it so casually, like it was a given I would make this trip again. Was he just Naturally Nice Bain being nice? Like the front desk person at a hotel saying “we hope you’ll stay with us again soon” or a customer service rep asking “is there anything else I can help you with?”
Or was he hinting at something else?
Kara’s voice rose in my mind. “It’s a date.” She’d been so certain. I could use her analysis right now. I looked at my bag, which held my phone. A text was doable, but Bain would wonder what I was up to. He might even ask if I was talking to someone back at the office—a normal thing for a CEO to inquire about. And I’d have to say yes. I was a terrible liar. I blushed and stammered and admitted everything under the slightest bit of pressure.
Before I could think up a witty response to his comment about me visiting again, he cleared his throat and asked, “Do you mind if I make a quick stop? I promised my mother I’d bring a Yule log.”
For the second time, I swung toward him, questions buzzing in my head. “Like a sponge cake?” I vaguely remembered that being a Christmas tradition in some families. Not mine. My parents ordered Chinese takeout and played Bing Crosby’s holiday songs.
But Bain shook his head. “An actual log. Mom lets the grandkids decorate it, and then we throw it on the fire on Christmas morning.”
“But…” I glanced out the window. “How are you going to get one?”
He smiled, his expression almost indulgent—as if he found my confusion charming. “I’m going to find a sturdy branch and chop it up.” He jerked his chin toward the back of the SUV. “I brought an axe.”
I felt my eyebrows climb into my hairline. “Do you often pack an axe when you travel?”
His eyes twinkled. Clearly, he was having fun with this. “In upstate New York, I do. If the snow keeps up, the weight could take down a few trees. It’s much faster to clear it yourself than wait for the police to come. Plus, you get free firewood.”
He made it sound like a tree falling in the road was a good thing. My head filled with visions of bearded mountain men in Santa’s Helper costumes splitting firewood in the middle of a highway.
“You know,” I told Bain, “I think upstate New Yorkers might be their own special breed.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “You’re probably right. Give us a chance, though. We grow on you.”
Oh, no need for that, I thought as my heart sped up. Between his smile and his deep, rich laughter, I was in serious danger. I concentrated on keeping my gaze straight ahead as he took us down a series of back roads. After a few minutes, he stopped next to a snowy field dotted with towering evergreens.
He put the SUV in park and turned to me. “Want to help me look? Finding the log is half the fun.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, picturing Kara’s face when I told her he said that. “Okay,” I managed.
“You have gloves?”
“Yes.”
“Hat?”
“Yes.”
He nodded and got out. Before I could even pull on my beanie, he was at my door, holding it open and offering me his arm in an old-fashioned gesture that made my stomach do a dizzy little flip. Flurries rushed into the car, but I hardly noticed as I put my mitten-clad hand in his. I let him help me out, my feet sinking into deep snow. I wobbled, reflexes making me clutch his arm.
He steadied me. “You all right?”
“Yes,” I said, not trusting myself to meet his gaze. His rich, woodsy scent surrounded me like a hug. “But I can’t see my boots.”
He gave a soft chuckle. “You’ll be okay. You’ve got long legs.” He shut the door and went around the back of the car. A second later, he reappeared with an axe over his shoulder.
And, suddenly, the lumberjack romance novels Kara raved about made a whole lot of sense.
Regular Bain Thatcher was sexy.
Bain Thatcher with an axe should have come with a warning label. Snow dusted his dark waves, and the white winter landscape made his eyes impossibly blue.
He gestured toward the trees. “I see a few promising-looking branches over there. We won’t have to go far.”
I nodded, although walking through the snow was the least of my concerns. I was more worried about maintaining my composure around Lumberjack Bain.
My heart skipped a beat. The next time? He said it so casually, like it was a given I would make this trip again. Was he just Naturally Nice Bain being nice? Like the front desk person at a hotel saying “we hope you’ll stay with us again soon” or a customer service rep asking “is there anything else I can help you with?”
Or was he hinting at something else?
Kara’s voice rose in my mind. “It’s a date.” She’d been so certain. I could use her analysis right now. I looked at my bag, which held my phone. A text was doable, but Bain would wonder what I was up to. He might even ask if I was talking to someone back at the office—a normal thing for a CEO to inquire about. And I’d have to say yes. I was a terrible liar. I blushed and stammered and admitted everything under the slightest bit of pressure.
Before I could think up a witty response to his comment about me visiting again, he cleared his throat and asked, “Do you mind if I make a quick stop? I promised my mother I’d bring a Yule log.”
For the second time, I swung toward him, questions buzzing in my head. “Like a sponge cake?” I vaguely remembered that being a Christmas tradition in some families. Not mine. My parents ordered Chinese takeout and played Bing Crosby’s holiday songs.
But Bain shook his head. “An actual log. Mom lets the grandkids decorate it, and then we throw it on the fire on Christmas morning.”
“But…” I glanced out the window. “How are you going to get one?”
He smiled, his expression almost indulgent—as if he found my confusion charming. “I’m going to find a sturdy branch and chop it up.” He jerked his chin toward the back of the SUV. “I brought an axe.”
I felt my eyebrows climb into my hairline. “Do you often pack an axe when you travel?”
His eyes twinkled. Clearly, he was having fun with this. “In upstate New York, I do. If the snow keeps up, the weight could take down a few trees. It’s much faster to clear it yourself than wait for the police to come. Plus, you get free firewood.”
He made it sound like a tree falling in the road was a good thing. My head filled with visions of bearded mountain men in Santa’s Helper costumes splitting firewood in the middle of a highway.
“You know,” I told Bain, “I think upstate New Yorkers might be their own special breed.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “You’re probably right. Give us a chance, though. We grow on you.”
Oh, no need for that, I thought as my heart sped up. Between his smile and his deep, rich laughter, I was in serious danger. I concentrated on keeping my gaze straight ahead as he took us down a series of back roads. After a few minutes, he stopped next to a snowy field dotted with towering evergreens.
He put the SUV in park and turned to me. “Want to help me look? Finding the log is half the fun.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, picturing Kara’s face when I told her he said that. “Okay,” I managed.
“You have gloves?”
“Yes.”
“Hat?”
“Yes.”
He nodded and got out. Before I could even pull on my beanie, he was at my door, holding it open and offering me his arm in an old-fashioned gesture that made my stomach do a dizzy little flip. Flurries rushed into the car, but I hardly noticed as I put my mitten-clad hand in his. I let him help me out, my feet sinking into deep snow. I wobbled, reflexes making me clutch his arm.
He steadied me. “You all right?”
“Yes,” I said, not trusting myself to meet his gaze. His rich, woodsy scent surrounded me like a hug. “But I can’t see my boots.”
He gave a soft chuckle. “You’ll be okay. You’ve got long legs.” He shut the door and went around the back of the car. A second later, he reappeared with an axe over his shoulder.
And, suddenly, the lumberjack romance novels Kara raved about made a whole lot of sense.
Regular Bain Thatcher was sexy.
Bain Thatcher with an axe should have come with a warning label. Snow dusted his dark waves, and the white winter landscape made his eyes impossibly blue.
He gestured toward the trees. “I see a few promising-looking branches over there. We won’t have to go far.”
I nodded, although walking through the snow was the least of my concerns. I was more worried about maintaining my composure around Lumberjack Bain.