Nothing more than his glancing down at her lips made her think of the night before, and her face burned hot. As if he knew what she was thinking, one corner of his mouth twitched, making her blush harder, and lifting her eyes to his own made the dizzying euphoria she’d felt last night come back in an instant.
His gaze lingered on her mouth. What was he thinking? Did he want to kiss her again? Would he? If she leaned up on her toes and leaned into him, would he take what she was offering? She was too shy even to try it and looked away, distracting herself with thoughts of what they were supposed to do all day.
Clay walked around her and grabbed a shovel, and went back to the door. It took him almost ten minutes to move the snow from the doorway and cut a small path out onto the street. She followed him out. It was utterly still. Nothing moved. There were lights on in the houses she could see, but the businesses were all dark. Even the restaurant they’d been getting food from was dark, the windows void of light.
Clay turned to her and said, “Go back inside.”
“Where are you going?”
He pointed toward the restaurant. “I’m going to see if anyone is there.”
She nodded when she finally understood what he’d said, but didn’t go back inside as he’d told her to do. She watched him head down the street, the accumulated snow reaching his knees. What would they do if the restaurant stayed closed? How would they eat?
She watched him look into the restaurant windows before turning and heading further down the sidewalk. He looked through several storefronts before coming back. He ushered her inside, shutting the door behind them, and with a hand on her lower back, led her across the barn and into the tack room.
As cold as it had been in there the night before, it was much warmer inside the little room than it had been in the main part of the barn. Their blankets were still on the floor. She picked them up, folding them before setting them on the small table by the wall. She turned to find Clay sitting on the cot, his head in his hands. Something was wrong.
The thin mattress sank in the middle when she sat beside him. He lifted his head and looked over at her. “What’s wrong?” She asked him again.
“Just wondering how things got so messed up.”
She supposed that to him their situation seemed difficult, but to her, despite the cold and their current circumstances, it was better than the alternative. She could have been heading across the country alone and unsure of what her future held. As it was, she was with Clay, the boy her sister tried to convince her was half in love with her, and he’d kissed her. As awful as things were, she wouldn’t trade this for anything. Had that kiss changed their relationship? And if so, what did that mean for them now?
If she didn’t stop looking at him like that, he wasn’t sure he could keep from continuing what they’d started the night before.
He’d woken that morning surrounded by her scent with memories of her lips against his own and the small sounds she'd made as he kissed her, invading his thoughts. They'd kissed so long, his body had responded, blood rushing to his lower extremities and he'd wanted nothing more than to bury his face against her neck and kiss his way across every inch of her soft skin, tasting her on his tongue while exploring the curves, dips, and hollows she possessed
Climbing from their little pallet bed had been the hardest thing he’d had to do in a while, but the bitter cold that greeted him helped clear his mind and forced the blood rushing to his lower extremities to travel back to his brain where it needed to be.
He’d headed through the barn, grabbing the watering bucket on his way, but stopped dead in his tracks when he opened the door and saw nothing but white. The snow had fallen with a vengeance and was still coming down. So here they sat in the small tack room, where it was warmer than out in the main part of the barn, with nothing to do but stare at the walls.
Or see if Daisy tasted as sweet this morning as she had the night before.
Clay ran a hand over his face. He had to stop thinking like this. He wasn’t even sure if she’d enjoyed kissing him. Not being able to see her face underneath all those blankets had made it hard to tell, and it wasn't as if he could ask her.
The way she kissed you back said she’d enjoyed it.
There was that. He glanced over at her. She was staring at the opposite wall, and he wondered what she was thinking. When she cut her eyes his way, and her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink, he thought he knew. His staring at her made the blush staining her cheeks grow darker. He wanted to say something, but didn’t know how or what. Would it make him sound stupid to ask if she’d enjoyed kissing him?
Probably. But curiosity made him clear his throat and run a hand over the back of his neck. “About last night…”
Her cheeks grew darker still, and a tiny smile turned the corner of her lips. She licked them, his gaze drawn there when she caught her bottom lip with her teeth. The slight gesture only made him want a repeat of the night before even more. He thought about leaning toward her enough to see what she’d do, but a loud banging noise brought his head up. He jumped, startled, and looked at the door, then stood before turning to Daisy. “I heard something. I’ll be back in a minute.”
She nodded, and he headed out into the barn. Nothing looked out of place, but it felt twenty degrees colder. He walked the aisle, looking into the horse stalls as he did, and nearly jumped out of his skin again when the loud banging interrupted the silence. It came from the loft. He hurried up the ladder, looking around the space when he was on the landing, and saw what had made the noise a moment later. One of the window shutters had come loose; the string holding it shut was broken.
By the time he had it fixed, the shutter once again secured, he had to check on the horses again. Their water was freezing faster than they could get it drunk, and when his stomach growled, an entirely new set of problems arose. What were they supposed to do about food? With the restaurant closed, they’d be starving by nightfall. He stared at the door before pulling his watch from his pocket. It was already after lunch, and Liam still hadn’t appeared. Not that he really expected him to, with the way the snowstorm was raging. But even though the old man knew he and Daisy were there, he didn’t imagine he’d just avoid the stable. If they hadn’t been there, Liam would have been. So why hadn’t they seen him? Was the snow getting too deep to walk in?
Heading to the door, he opened it back up. What he’d cleared away earlier was once again accumulating. At the rate it was falling, they’d be buried by morning. He headed to the tack room. Daisy was lying on the cot, covered to her head with blankets, when he walked back in. Her eyes were closed, so he couldn’t tell if she was asleep or just resting. Not that it really mattered. There was nothing to do anyway.
He settled in the chair by the table, his gaze tracing every line of her face. Liam had questioned him about his intentions with Daisy. If he had asked him a month ago, he would have said he’d planned on marrying her and starting a family, but now, as he stared at her lovely face, surrounded by bitter cold, those dreams didn’t seem quite so attainable. Despite his wanting her so much it hurt, he had nothing. Owned nothing but a sack full of clothes and a pocketful of hopes and dreams. He could say all day that he wanted Daisy for a wife, but that didn’t change the fact that…he had nothing to offer her. Had the bandits not taken what money he'd had on him, he would have still not been able to afford a hotel room or steady meals, so why did he think he could give her what she needed?
He’d saved up a little money since being in Silver Falls, but it was nowhere near enough to build her a proper home. It wouldn’t buy them a cow and some chickens, nor would it keep them clothed, and if by some chance children came into the picture, he’d not be able to provide for them either.
He sighed and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. He liked Silver Falls. It was quiet, and with that waterfall visible from everywhere in town, it was one of the prettier places he’d been in, but the opportunities he needed to survive and start a family just weren’t there. He could do odd jobs until he was too old to move, but that wouldn’t give him the security or the money to take care of a wife and kids. He was stuck, and he knew it. And until he found a solution, he needed to distance himself from Daisy. He loved her, but he didn’t want to keep her from finding a man who could give her all the things he couldn’t.
He lost track of time sitting there. When the light in the small room dimmed, he stood. Daisy was still asleep, and when she woke, she’d be hungry. He was already, so he had to find them food before the temperature dropped once the sun went down. The decision of whether to wake Daisy wasn’t easy to make. He didn’t want her to worry if she woke and found him gone, but he was loath to disturb her, so he left her to sleep as he headed out of the barn.
He secured the door behind him, pulling the collar on his coat up higher on his neck, and started down the street. Liam had told him where he lived, but he’d never been to his house, so it took longer than it should have to find it.
