As if needing some sort of justification, Holden took a slight detour and swung by the Henderson’s first. A brief check-in proved all was well there. And now he wasn’t just singling Rachel out. He was being neighborly with more than just her.
But the way his heart gave a tight squeeze when his snowmobile shot up the hill toward her cabin refuted that thin defense. It hadn’t done that with the Hendersons. No, it was the thought of seeing Rachel that had him dizzied with anticipation.
Even Scout sensed it. That dog could always read him. She stood up on all fours as he drove the snowmobile up to the porch, and she jumped off and bounded up the steps before Holden had even hiked his leg over the vehicle. Holden wasn’t the only one excited by the reunion.
But what was he hoping for? That they would pick up right where they left off? That wasn’t about to happen. They had an entire night and the clarity of day standing between that memory and today’s reality. He wasn’t even sure he had the confidence to bring it up.
It had been late. Their guards were down, and their emotions primed. Romance practically infiltrated the air, setting up the intimate scene with candlelight, cozy blankets, and a fire that ignited flames of an entirely different kind.
Today would be different.
He gave the door two solid knocks, bolstered by that assurance. He wouldn’t think about kissing her. That fleeting opportunity was over and done with. He would ask her if she needed any supplies, maybe check on her fire, and be on his merry way.
But when Rachel’s silhouette came into view through the side window, Holden’s resolve slipped, and his throat went dry.
How was he not going to think of kissing her when she was carrying a handful of mistletoe?
CHAPTER27
Of course, she would have a visitor at the exact moment she’d glued her fingers to that silly sprig of mistletoe. She shook her hands about, but the frustrating greenery stayed put. It was enough to make her want to rake her hands through her hair in aggravation, but she feared the leaves and stems would get entirely tangled.
“It’s always something, isn’t it?” she bemoaned as she paced toward the door.
Her parents hadn’t mentioned company, and when she glimpsed Holden’s form on the other side of the threshold, her face heated with the warmth of a thousand Christmas candles.
This was not good.
Maybe she could run away and hide in the bedroom until he left.
Nope, not possible. He’d already seen her through the side window next to the door. Why had her parents thought those were even a good idea? A simple peephole would suffice, not to mention give her the opportunity to pretend she wasn’t home.
But she’d been found out. Shoving her hand behind her back, she took hold of the doorknob with her other hand and twisted.
“Holden! What are you doing here?”
Scout snuck past and immediately sniffed behind Rachel’s back, like maybe there was a hidden tennis ball ready for a game of fetch.
“Sorry, girl. I don’t have anything for you.”
“Do you have anything for me?” The spark in Holden’s emerald eyes made Rachel’s stomach dip.
“Nope.” She eyed him. “Should I?”
He scrunched his broad shoulders against his neck. “I don’t know. I thought I saw you carrying a little something when you were walking up to the door. Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me.”
His eyes weren’t, and the ridiculous trick she’d tried to pull off wasn’t working. Heaving a sigh, she moved her hand around and held it up between them. “I’m in a bit of a predicament.”
“Is the predicament that you have mistletoe and no one to kiss beneath it?”
Her heart catapulted into her throat. “What? No!” she shouted. “I’m glued to it!”
The flirtatious grin plastered to Holden’s mouth faltered and his expression went slack. Genuine concern crept into his gaze. “Yougluedyour hand to mistletoe?”
“More accurately, to my fingers. But yes.” She stepped back. “Come on in, by the way. It’s too cold out there and this story is too long to tell on the porch.”
He trailed her into the cabin, and when she sat down at the kitchen table slash mistletoe craft station, he took the seat immediately next to her. Even Scout walked in one small circle and then dropped into a curled ball beneath Rachel’s chair. It sure was sweet how quickly that dog had taken a liking to her. A hot blush crept up Rachel’s neck at the hope that Scout’s owner might have taken a similar liking to her too.
“Since I’m a little cabin-bound today, I thought it would be a good opportunity to do some brainstorming for my Mistlefauxcampaign.”
