That was a big yes.
Sloane hovered a hand over his, letting the energy pulse between them for a beat. Anticipation shot through her, a youthful longing to have her hand in his. At last, she slowly glided her fingers through his, reveling in the feel of his strong, warm flesh. Emmitt let out a raspy sigh, locking the grip by folding his fingers over the back of her hand.
She sighed too, soaking up the warmth and connection between them. For a reason she couldn’t explain, it was almost as good as the kiss from her dream. The physical touch. The confession of the feelings between them. Mutual feelings. A dose of delicious warmth swirled low in her tummy. This was what it was like to have butterflies. But not the hormonal teenager type. She was a woman now, and Emmitt was a man. Emotions ran deeper. Stronger than they had before.
A voice broke into the bliss, reminding her that the Anna Fielding case hadn’t been solved. Sloane had vowed to investigate this lead to its fullest. And she would, she assured herself. She would, but not right now. Not in this very crucial moment.
Sloane would leave that for another day. Tonight, she would dwell in the comfort and bliss of being in Emmitt’s company. For the first time in a long time, she felt right at home.
Chapter 11
Emmitt watched as Sloane wiggled her sock-covered foot into the ice skate she held.
She and Emmitt had a total of eight hours down. Only now, those hours didn’t feel like time served. Ever since their evening at the steakhouse, things had been different between them. Friendly, easy, and fun. He’d definitely add flirtatious to that list, but not in the way Emmitt was used to.
Over the last few years, he’d adapted a pretty shallow game with the ladies he encountered. Topics centered on physical attraction and raw, surface level desire. With Sloane it was different. Their conversations were focused on things of the heart and mind. Shared loss and family struggles.
Sloane was witty, which kept him smiling a lot. And direct, which kept him on his toes. She was sharp, and always saying things that surprised him. He couldn’t imagine time with her would ever get old. The trouble was, their time was limited. Down to the hour, even. Unless they…what, hit it off? If you asked Emmitt, they already had. He’d just have to see how things went over the next sixteen hours they had together.
He grinned inwardly, knowing that for each hour of instruction they spent together, they’d more than doubled in time outside of the flight mandate. And boy, was he glad about that. He was thanking the heavens above that he hadn’t gotten his way with her when she’d arrived. If Sloane had let him out of the mandate or agreed to shorten his hours by logging fake ones into her book, they may have gone their separate ways before realizing how compatible they were.
Not that he could guarantee anything would come of it, but they were certainly off to a good start. Already, he’d taken her into the woods, as she’d said, to get a tree for his place, and they’d had a blast doing it, frozen fingers be danged. The decorations were modest at best—one scanty string of lights and a box of blue bulbs—but for Emmitt, it was his favorite Christmas tree yet.
“I knew it would be a tight fit with these extra socks,” Sloane mumbled, “but I always get blisters when I skate, so I am not taking them off.”
“Well, princess,” Emmitt said, a grin forming at his lips. “Perhaps you need another size.”
Sloane shook her head. “I do not think so.” She lowered the blade of the skate onto the foam-covered padding beside the bench and put her weight behind the next try.
“What is it with women not wanting to go up a shoe size?” Trenton said with a laugh.
Emmitt spun around to see Andie hovered over an ice skate of her own, stubbornly trying to wedge her foot in.
“We like our shoe size,” Andie explained, “that’swhat it is. Right, Sloane?”
Sloane gave her an appreciative nod. “Yes, thank you. That’s exactly right.” A grunt followed the sentiment, and Sloane let out a cheer. “I got it!”
“That makes two of us,” Andie said, proving she’d managed the trying task as well. “We know what’s up.”
Emmitt grinned inwardly at the camaraderie between Andie and Sloane. He sensed a real shift in Andie during their phone call the other night, and she’d since proven that she was genuine in her support. Perhaps it was because she’d sensed a real change in him. At least in attitude.
And now, Emmitt was happy to say that he wasn’t the only person Sloane had bonded with there at the inn. In fact, just yesterday, Andie and Sloane put their heads together to find a solution to a problem in the foyer. Andie had been looking for the perfect place to hang the extra ornaments made by the guests during the weeks’ activities.
Sloane had the brilliant idea of nailing chicken wire onto one of the old barn doors, propping it beside the tree, and hanging the handcrafted decorations there. Sloane had seen the tip someplace online, and it worked like a charm. Guests could easily find their family contributions among the others, spread out evenly as they were. And when it was time for them to leave, guests could retrieve their ornaments without disrupting the tree.Voilà, as Sloane would say.
The best part was, the whole family—minus Richard and Ava, of course—had come together to help with the project, then stuck around while Mable and Don served up samples of the kitchen’s latest holiday desserts.
A dose of warmth settled over him at the recollection. The group had really taken to her, and Emmitt sensed it meant a lot to Sloane to receive such a warm welcome from his family, being away from her own as she was. Especially so close to the holidays.
On the far end of the rink, Memphis and Ty guided Lucas along the ice with Dominique, one of Mable and Don’s grandkids. Giggles and cheers rose over the small cluster, planting new seeds of hope in Emmitt’s heart. Hope for a future family of his own. Add to that the Christmas tunes and the twinkling lights, and the scene was nothing short of magic. Especially when those lights reflected off Sloane’s high and glistening cheekbones with each smile. Like the one she was giving him now as she came to a wobbly stand.
He firmed his grip on her hand and looked over his shoulder. “You ready for this?”
Sloane nodded. “Ready.”
Trenton was escorting Andie toward the ice as well.
“Time to show these ladies what we’re made of,” Emmitt mumbled to Trenton.
