Page 13 of A Perfect Christmas Dance (Kringle, Texas #7)

Stay.

Ryan wanted her to stay. He’d asked her to stay.

More than anything, Nina wanted to do just that, but she needed to know what he meant.

What he really wanted from her. What he expected. If anything, at all. And if she’d be comfortable with whatever “it” turned out to be.

Standing at the side of the bed, Nina studied the fine lines at the corners of his eyes and those bracketing his mouth.

He was in more pain than he let on. Big bad cowboy. She suppressed a smile. Levity was out of place right now.

The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the quiet room. Nina traced the patchwork pattern on the faded quilt, her gaze fixed on Ryan’s face. The sun filtering in through the blinds cast shadows across the bed, highlighting his handsome features.

Her breath grew shallow. She was here with Ryan Danvers. Alone. In a bedroom.

“Forgive me.” He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head before opening them again. “That wasn’t clear. I wasn’t clear. I don’t mind being alone. I’m a capable adult.”

“I know.”

He gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Most of the time, anyway. It would be nice to have someone in the house in case… well, I fall again getting up to go to the bathroom.”

Nina dropped her hand from the quilt and stepped back from the bed. “Reasonable request. Why had she thought his reason for asking would be anything else? “I truly don’t mind staying. The bakery is closed on Sundays.”

“Is today Sunday?” He seemed confused.

“Yes.”

“But it’s your only day off.”

She shrugged. “This is more important.” You’re more important.

“But what about tomorrow? You get up at three a.m.”

“You know what? It’s my bakery. I can close up tomorrow, too.”

“And disappoint your customers this close to Christmas? No, ma’am.”

“You let me decide that, okay?”

Ryan frowned. “I don’t want you to lose business because of me. I can’t ask that.”

“You didn’t. I offered.”

He looked weary and shoved a hand through his hair. “No. I’ll be okay. I wasn’t thinking. You’ve got work, your own responsibilities.”

“It’s fine. Seriously. I can stay until Scott returns from his business trip. Jenny says he’ll be home tomorrow afternoon. I’m happy to stay.” She was more than happy. The thought rocked her. She wanted to stay. Very much.

Why? That was the question. She didn’t know what was happening here.

They’d shared an impromptu dance, an angel mishap, and a potluck.

Plus, she’d helped him when he got hurt.

A week together. A matter of hours, all told.

However, they had known each other for years. On the periphery, yes, but still.

But they hadn’t been close until lately, and now she was tucking him in, spending the night?—

Stop it, Nina.

“Listen, I’m glad to do it. I know you’re a proud guy, and you don’t like to ask for help, but we all need people from time to time. Besides, you’ll owe me.” She smiled to let him know she was teasing.

He shifted his knee on the pillow and let out a small groan.

She leaped to his side. “What can I do? What do you need?”

“I’m okay. Just a twinge.”

“That did not sound okay.” She flickered her gaze to the wall clock. “It’s too soon for more pain meds, so maybe get some sleep?”

“I slept for twelve hours after surgery.”

“Be that as it may, you need rest.”

“What I need is a distraction,” he mumbled.

What did he mean by that? She studied him.

His jaw clenched and unclenched, and his fingers plucked at the blanket. He was in pain, and she felt helpless. Not a favorite feeling of hers.

“You wanna watch a movie?” He waved at the large screen TV mounted on the wall.

“Um… okay.” When had she last watched a movie in the middle of the day? Years. “Do you want something to eat first?”

He nodded toward the plate with his cinnamon roll. “Delicious, by the way.”

“I meant a proper lunch. Something substantial. I can see what’s in your kitchen. If you’ve got eggs, I could make an omelet. Or popcorn if you have any… for the movie.”

He laughed. “Food does sound pretty amazing.”

“I’ll put the news on and go see what I can find.” She picked up the remote and switched on the TV. The familiar jingle of the local news station filled the room.

“Sounds good, but honestly, a PB&J and J sammie is fine. I’ve got the ingredients. I’m pretty easy to please. I feel bad asking you to work. I really just wanted your company.”

“Let me see what I can do,” she said, her pulse fluttering as his words bounced around, echoing softly in her head before settling deep inside her heart.

* * *

Ryan scrolled through the endless queue of movies on the screen, his thumb flicking up and down on the remote. Titles blurred together, none of them registering. He wasn’t in the mood for any of them.

All he could think about was Nina—just a few steps away in the kitchen. The sounds of her moving around—opening cabinets, rummaging in drawers, and the soft thud of the refrigerator door closing—floated into the bedroom.

Unaccustomed sounds. The house was usually quiet, silent, but now, it was alive, and it was all because of her.

Nina.

He pictured her moving gracefully through his space, her bare feet padding against his floor. Her hair pulled back, that rich dark shade catching the light. He liked having her here. In his house. His space.

It didn’t feel invasive like he thought it might. If anything, it felt… right.

He hadn’t planned on asking her to stay, but the words had come out before he could think them through. She could’ve said no, could’ve left him to his stubborn self-reliance. But she hadn’t. And now, here she was, rearranging her life to take care of him.

He set the remote down, leaned back against the pillows, and rubbed his hand over his jaw. His knee throbbed beneath the blanket, but that wasn’t the discomfort weighing on him. It was something else.

Something… deeper.

What was he doing? He wasn’t the type to rely on anyone. He’d survived worse on his own, hadn’t he? He could’ve managed—maybe with a little more effort, but he’d get by. And yet all he felt was relief she was here.

He let out a long breath, his thoughts tangling in unfamiliar knots. He wanted her to stay. Not because he needed someone to help him get through the next few days but because it was her.

Nina.

The woman who filled his house with warmth and made it feel like something other than just four walls.

The truth, the one he’d been avoiding all day, stared him in the face.

He wanted to be with her.

Simple raw fact. Yet the realization churned in his chest. Something far more complicated surged. He wasn’t used to feeling this pull, this need to have her close. It unsettled him. Made him feel exposed.

Because if he admitted that he wanted her long-term, what would happen next? What did that mean for them?

Nina was smart, independent, and perfectly capable of moving on with her own life if she wanted.

He wouldn’t blame her if she did. Ryan wasn’t exactly good at letting people in.

In fact, he was terrible at it. His track record spoke for itself.

The last thing he wanted was to pull her into something messy, something unfinished.

Yet despite all that logic telling him to back off, to keep his distance, here he was. Asking her to stay. Letting her care for him. Maybe even needing her.

He ran his hand over the arm of the quilt his grandmother had made, the soft fabric grounding him for a moment. Nina’s presence in his house wasn’t just about helping him. It was about her. About how she made him feel—steady, understood, seen.

And it wasn’t just physical attraction, though that was part of it for sure.

He wanted her, yes, but it went deeper than that.

Whenever she was around, that gnawing ache he’d been carrying for years—the one that had settled in after his parents’ death, after Jenny married and moved out, after the world seemed to move on without him—quieted.

She was staying the night. In his house. Under his roof. Something about that filled a hole he hadn’t known existed. He wasn’t alone. For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t alone in this house, in his life.

But that scared him.

Because if he wasn’t careful, he could get used to this—having her here, taking comfort in her presence. And what if that didn’t last? What if she saw the cracks, the parts of him he kept hidden, and decided he wasn’t worth it?

He could hear her humming faintly now, the gentle sound reaching him from the kitchen. He closed his eyes, letting her voice wash over him. For tonight, for now, she was here. He could let himself have this just for a little while. He could let her in, even if it was temporary.

Ryan opened his eyes. The sound of Nina’s voice lifted in song to a Christmas ditty floated through the doorway, light and soft, and something inside him loosened. He’d been holding on way too tightly to the past for way too long.

* * *

Nina slipped into the bedroom, carrying a tray of food.

Ryan sat propped up against the pillows, his eyes on the TV, where It’s a Wonderful Life played in black and white. But he seemed to stare straight through the screen instead of watching the ubiquitous holiday movie.

She set the tray on the bedside table. “Nothing fancy, just pasta, olive oil, lemon juice and cheese, but it should taste better than hospital food.”

Ryan glanced at her, then back at the screen. “Thanks.”

Nina took a seat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb him too much. She wasn’t sure how to bridge the distance between them.

“Are you having some, too?” he asked.

“I am.” She smiled at him and picked up a bowl. “I’m starving.”

She got him situated and sat in the chair beside the bed. They both turned toward the TV, where George Bailey was running through Bedford Falls, shouting his joy.

“I watch this every year,” she said. “Always makes me feel like… I don’t know. Like everything will turn out okay.”

Ryan didn’t reply right away. He just twirled his fork in the pasta. “Yeah, something like that.”