It sounded reasonable to her.After trudging up the hill a few times, they would certainly work up an appetite.
“You’re on.”She settled into the inner tube.Once he was seated, she said, “Ready...Set.Go!”
She got started before him.She couldn’t help but smile as the years rewound, and she felt like a kid again.She was jostled and bounced around like a rag doll.
At the bottom, she looked over at Brad, who looked to be even with her.
“It’s a tie,” she exclaimed.“We have to go again.”
“Again?”He glanced over his shoulder at the big hill.
While he was staring at the hill, Abby scooped up some snow, balled it up, and then sent it flying.It hit Brad squarely in the back.
“Hey.”He turned to her.“What was that for?”
She laughed as she shrugged.“Because I felt like it.”
“You felt like it, huh?”Brad bent over to grab a handful of snow.
She continued to laugh as she grabbed an inner tube as a shield.The only problem was Brad was a good shot.A snowball sailed right through the center of the tube and smacked her in the chest.
She gathered a handful of the freshly fallen snow and pressed it into a firm ball.She sent it flying through the air.It missed.
They continued their snowball war for a bit longer, until she was tired from laughing so much.“Uncle!”
“What?”Brad cupped his ear.“I didn’t hear you.”
She knew for certain that he’d heard her, and now he was just rubbing it in.“Uncle!”
She sat down on her inner tube.This weekend had been so full of surprises, from the birthday party to the candlelit dinner to learning that in his heart, Brad was a small town boy after all.Who’d have thought that?
He sat down on the snow next to her.“Are you finished already?”
“No.We tied.We have to race again.”
“Then what are you sitting around for?We have a hill to climb.”He got to his feet and then held his gloved hand out to her.
She placed her hand in his, and he pulled her upward.Perhaps he put a little too much effort into the pull because the next thing she knew, she was in his arms.Her hands came to rest on his chest.
She raised her chin to look into his mesmerizing blue eyes.In that moment, they were a shade darker—more intense.It was like he was looking deep into her soul.
She should glance away—turn away.But it was as though she were in a trance, and her body wouldn’t move.
All the while, her heart was pounding.It was so loud she couldn’t hear the shouts and laughter of the other people who were sledding nearby.
Her gaze moved to his lips.They were close and oh so tempting.What would he do if she were to lift up on her tiptoes and kiss him?
Without taking the time to weigh the pros and cons of her actions, she put her thought into action.She rose up on her tiptoes.Her gloved hands slipped up over his coat and around the back of his neck.And then her lips pressed to his.There was the hiss of breath from him.The next thing she knew, he was kissing her back.
She didn’t know how long they stood there in each other’s arms.It definitely wasn’t long enough.
Smack!Pieces of snow rained down on her.Brad jumped back and turned to find some teenage boys nearby.They were laughing as they made more snowballs.Before she knew it, a new snowball war had commenced.Brad grinned as he launched another snowball.And she found herself laughing as another snowball hit her.
She never wanted this day to end…
Chapter Twenty-Two
St.Patrick’s Day
