“I like what I’ve seen. You don’t have to hide around me,” he ventured. His heart held still like it was waiting to see if it had to run away from Natasha and the feelings growing inside; or if it could trust her with more.
A stray piece of her hair whipped across her face, and she quickly pushed it behind her. “Thanks, Jack. I like what I’ve seen of you too.”
His chest expanded. “Yeah?”
She glanced down and then back up through her thick lashes. “You seem like a great guy, and I appreciate your practicality when it comes to travel.” She patted the side of the sleigh.
He chuckled. “There’s hot cocoa in that compartment next to you; in a thermos.”
“Normally, I’d refuse–like I need the calories. But my lips are cold.” She pulled the compartment open.
“Cocoa is the second best way to warm up your lips,” he said.
“What’s the first?” she asked distractedly, as she worked to twist open the thermos.
“Hold them against mine,” he teased.
Her head whipped up, and their eyes met. He’d been teasing, but the vulnerability in her gaze caught him off guard. “When was the last time you were kissed properly?”
She snorted and broke eye contact. “Properly? Never.” Her entire face went red. “I mean… Um…” she stumbled.
Jack transferred the leather reins to his left hand and put his right arm across the back of the sleigh. “Well, we can’t have that.”
“We can’t?” she asked in a panic. Her eyes went big, and her voice cracked.
Jack softly touched her cheek with his leather glove, just a quick caress. “But since I’m driving, maybe you’d better stick to the cocoa for now.”
She swallowed thickly. “For now?”
Had he heard a hint of hope?
“Because the idea of being kissedproperly,” she lifted an eyebrow in challenge, “has appeal.”
His mouth went dry.
She lifted the mug and took a sip, never breaking eye contact. The sleigh went over a bump, and Jack scrambled to hold the reins. Natasha squealed as the cocoa sloshed onto her glove and pant leg. Laughing, she brushed at the liquid. “Maybe one of us should watch where we’re going.”
He glared at McJingles. “Yeah–like the reindeer.”
McJingles lifted his nose in the air and chortled.
Natasha’s mouth fell open, and then she snuggled deeper into her coat. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think your reindeer did that on purpose.”
“They like to play games,” he quipped. When they returned to the corral, he’d give the reindeer a lesson on being a wingman because a bro wouldn’t have messed with Jack’s opportunity to slide closer to Natasha.
“Reindeer games. That’s funny.” Natasha smirked.
Jack took a deep breath. “What’s it like working for a movie company?” he asked.
Natasha tipped her head, considering her answer. They spent the rest of the sleigh ride chatting about the differences between Hollywood and Sleigh Bell County. Natasha talked about how excited she was to have this opportunity and what a break it was for her career. She steered clear of talking about anything before she moved to California, and Jack didn’t press.
He enjoyed watching her as she scouted locations, ticking off elements at each one and debating if the space was large enough to get all their equipment inside. She was kind and open with the ranchers, easy to talk to, and not at all presumptuous. Not once did she tell them what a great opportunity, it would be for them to have their barn in a movie, but she always thanked them profusely for their time–as if they were the most important person in the world.
She had a way with people that was honest and real, and the more time Jack spent with her, the more he liked her. He’d have to watch himself because she was just the kind of woman he’d been searching for. If he weren’t careful, he’d fall in love.
Which would be a disaster on so many levels.
CHAPTERNINE
