“Yikes!”
“My sister’s what we call a free spirit. I think the last time she was home for the holidays was… six years ago? She’s a bit of a traveler. If she’s home, she’s either sick or broke.” He said it all with a fond smile as Cassidy followed him up the narrow staircase.
The house was laid out with the kitchen, dining room, family room, and living room on the main floor, with the master suite off to the side, and three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.
Liam walked to the last room on the right and pushed open the door.
Cassidy smiled as she stepped inside. The twin-sized bed had a blue plaid comforter, and the shelves were lined with movie posters and action figures.
“I didn’t peg you for an action figure kind of guy, but now that I see them here in your room…” She trailed off. “Nope. Still can’t see it.”
The broody lumberjack man she’d met definitely didn’t fit that mold.
“I’ll have you know a lot of these are worth a pretty penny,” he replied, walking to the closet and sliding the wooden door along the track.
It was clear Beth had used the space for storage since her boys had moved out. There were duvets stored in plastic zipper bags, her sewing machine, bolts of fabric, and dozens of board games.
Liam focused on the shelf. “Which one do you like—Sequence?”
“Uh… I don’t know if I’ve ever played that one,” she said, scanning the titles.
“What about Monopoly?”
“I hate Monopoly. You win by bankrupting your friends. It never ends well.”
“That’s fair. Clue?”
“I love Clue. Yes. Grab Yahtzee because that’s always fun, too.” She kept scanning the titles in the closet. “What about Life?” she asked.
“Life is good,” he said over his shoulder.
Their eyes met, and something shifted in the air. The look Cassidy gave him was soft, searching. She was acutely aware that they were standing in his childhood bedroom, alone, surrounded by memories—and possibility.
She bit her lip. “Listen, I’m not sure what’s going on between the two of us, but I’m fighting really hard not to rip your clothes off if I’m being completely honest. You’ve got this whole sexy lumberjack thing going on.”
Liam choked on a laugh. “Sexy lumberjack?”
“Okay, sexy farmer lumberjack. And I’m supposed to be in my ‘year of no men,’ but uh… there are things I really want to do to you.”
He let out a low, nervous chuckle. “And I thought I was forward. So, this is a vow of yours? A whole year?”
“Self-imposed vow,” Cassidy amended. “And there are only a few weeks left, but who’s counting?”
Me, I’m counting, she thought.
She took a breath, her heart pounding. “Anyway, I just… wanted you to know that I’m into you.”
His eyebrows lifted, his eyes sharpening, locking on her.
“Like…reallyinto you,” she continued, her voice softer now, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. “And sometimes it’s really hard to remember why I made that vow in the first place when you look at me the way you do… But,” she added, forcing herself to keep her voice steady, “I also want to take things slow. I want to focus on my business, on the Christmas Light-Up Display Competition. I need to prove to myself that I can do this. By the way, sorry to say, you are going to lose.”
“Excuse me? You think you can beat me?”
“Oh, I know I can, Mr. I-Don’t-Have-a-Christmas-Movie-Checklist.”
“Again with the checklist,” Liam said, shaking his head. “You don’t need a checklist if the only Christmas movie you watch isDie Hard…”
“Die Hardis not a Christmas movie!” Cassidy stood tall, hands on her hips. “There’s no way a grinch is beating me in this competition.”
