“That’s fine,” Ransom said, a note of surprise in his voice. “Call me anytime you want a canine guest. But she’s not allowed to invite herself anymore.”
Hailey laughed and looked up at Ransom again.
He was so handsome with his dark hair falling over his forehead and a twinkle of humor in his brown eyes.
She felt like a schoolgirl again, completely besotted, her heart throbbing as she lost herself in his gaze.
Suddenly, it was like a veil fell over his face and all the humor and warmth were gone. He frowned and straightened up.
“Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes,” he said gruffly as he headed back toward the kitchen.
Hailey stayed put for a moment, trying to figure out what she had done wrong.
“Hailey, Hailey, you’re awake,” Mae yelled as she ran into the living room. “It’s Christmas Eve and we’re making breakfast, come on.”
In all the commotion, Hailey had completely forgotten what day it was.
“Good morning, Mae,” she said, hopping up. “I can’t wait to see what you made. It smells delicious.”
Mae grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen. Shadow jumped up and trailed along with them.
“Shadow wants to cook too,” Mae laughed.
Travis stood on a footstool by the sink, carefully washing dishes.
“Wow, Travis,” Hailey said. “You can do anything.”
“I like helping,” he said modestly. But his smile told her how pleased he was at the compliment.
“What can I do?” Hailey asked Ransom without meeting his eyes. She didn’t want to offend him again.
“The biscuits will be ready to come out in a few minutes, and we’re holding the bacon warm,” he said. “I’ve got the eggs ready to scramble as soon as the biscuits are out and cooling. Why not grab a cup of coffee and relax?”
“I could get used to this,” Hailey told Mae with a smile.
“My daddy likes to cook,” Mae said, her face dead serious. “He says it makes the house feel like home.”
“He’s right,” Hailey said, her heart squeezing a little. “It sure does.”
She poured herself a mug of coffee and fixed it up before heading over to the center island to sit and keep everyone company.
Ransom was on the other side at the stove, right across from her, but his eyes didn’t meet hers for even a second.
“After this, I guess I should see if the power is back on at my place,” she said, wishing she didn’t have to go. But it wasn’t right to impose on Ransom’s family, especially when he was being a little distant.
“No,” Ransom said firmly. “It’s not safe out there.”
“I made it over here last night,” she pointed out.
“You got lucky,” he told her. “You can’t see what’s under the snow, and we have plenty of space here.”
“Still, if the power’s on—” she began.
“It isn’t,” he told her. “We can see both houses fromMae’s room upstairs and there are no lights on. You must have lost the line at the street.”
“Fine,” she said. “I guess I can stay a little longer.”
“I’ll dig out the driveway today,” he told her. “Then you can go when the power is back on.”
