Not needing to be told twice, I dive into my food, Conrad doing the same as we clear our plates. “I don’t know if I brought warm enough clothes for all of that.” I point out the kitchen window after I finish washing the dishes. It was only fair since he cooked. Besides, he stood next to me the entire time and dried as I washed.
“Mom has this place stocked for the winter. Come on. I’m sure we can find something that will fit you.” He grabs my hand and pulls me to a room off the back of the kitchen. There he opens a door that leads to a huge closet that’s more like a bedroom than a closet. The walls are lined with shoe racks and closet organizers. “Told you.” He chuckles. “Mom likes to be prepared. We have winter gear on this wall and summer gear on this one.” He points at each wall as he tells me what they hold.
“Your mom is a superhero. I want to be like her when I grow up.” My words cause his chuckle to turn into all-out laughter.
“Come on, crazy girl. Let’s find you something to wear.” We shuffle through the winter racks, and within fifteen minutes, I’m in snow pants, a jacket that makes me feel like the abominable snowman, and snow boots that fit like a glove.
“Now, we need a scarf and some gloves. What about a hat? Are you good with the one on the coat?” he asks.
“Yes. This should be fine. I’m actually burning up. Can you get with the program?” I tease.
“Hush it, woman. I’m making sure you don’t freeze to death.”
“We’re just going to check out the snow.”
“Oh, no, we’re doing more than that. It’s been too damn long since I’ve had a snow day with snow like this. We’re making the best of it.”
“I’m afraid to ask what that means.” He grins at my comment and winks. “Get dressed,” I tell him. What I don’t say is that I’m excited to spend the day with him frolicking in the snow. It’s been ages. I was a kid the last time I’ve done anything like this.
Ten minutes later, we’re on the front porch looking at all the snow. It’s still falling hard, and I send up a silent prayer that this doesn’t stop my sister’s wedding.
“What are you waiting for?” Conrad asks.
I pull my attention to him, and he’s now standing at the bottom of the porch, his deep footprints in the snow that comes to his knees. “How tall are you?”
He tilts his head to the side. “Six three.”
“I’m five-three.”
“Okay?”
“I’m a foot shorter than you, and the snow is to your knees. I can’t walk in that. And how did this happen? How did the weatherman not know this was coming? Aurora is going to freak the hell out when she finds out about this.”
“I think you’re doing enough of that for the both of you. It’s Mother Nature, Aspen. It happens. I promise you this won’t stop the wedding. As long as it stops,” he adds. “And as far as the snow, you’ll be fine, and I’ll be right here with you. I’ll go grab the shovel and make a path for you, but we are going in that.” He points to the side of the cabin. “And we are going to build a snowman. Hell, we might even build an igloo with all of this snow. My brothers and I did that plenty of times growing up.” His eyes light up with happiness at the memory.
“Yeah, Aurora and I did too. It’s been years since we’ve had this much snow.”
“And we’re making the best of what we are given. We can’t do anything else, not until the snow stops, so we might as well have fun and enjoy it.” He points to me. “You stay there. I’m going to grab the shovel.”
I watch him walk away, and even bundled up, he’s easy on the eyes. Maybe a day in the snow to distract me is exactly what I need. I can’t be fantasizing about him if my entire body is too frozen to function.
Chapter 6
Conrad
When I was growing up, Dad used to tell us that the heat was in the tools. We would gripe and complain about shoveling the sidewalks when, in reality, we were thrilled to be outside in the snow. As an adult, I get it. He was telling us if we move, we’d stay warm. However, what dear old Dad forgot to mention is that the gaze of a beautiful woman also brings the heat and lust, desire, want, and need. I could go on, but I’m trying like hell not to think about it. Not to think about her, even though I can feel her watching my every move.
I don’t get it. I’ve known Aspen for a while now. She’s been to countless Sunday dinners with my family, and we’ve hung out a fair amount of times. Our siblings are getting married; that’s to be expected. I’ve never had this kind of reaction to her before. Sure, I’ve always thought she was beautiful; so is her sister. So are Sawyer and Layla, for that matter. My brothers have chosen well for their wives, and they’re all three lucky bastards. I just wish I could understand why now? Is it because it’s only the two of us? I don’t think that’s it. Whatever it is, it’s pushing me to my limits. I crave to have my hands on her.
“You need some help?” Aspen asks when I glance up at her.
“As a matter of fact, I do. You and I are going to build a snowman.” Her eyes light up, and it does something to me. It’s like my heart misses a beat or something, but that doesn’t make sense. Right? I don’t understand what’s happening here, but I know that I want more time with her. I know that I’m going to give my mother the biggest fucking hug on earth for sending me here early. Did she know? No, how could she have known?
“Hey.” I feel her hand on my arm. I can literally feel the heat through her gloves and my layers of clothing. “You okay?”
“Fine. Just thinking about our next move.” My next move is more like it, but I’m not going to tell her that. I just want to enjoy spending time with her, and we’ll see where it goes. I still have her all to myself today and tomorrow. Surely, whatever this attraction is will be settled by then.
“I think I was like twelve the last time I built a snowman,” she states as she smiles up at me.
“Yeah? Well, today we’re breaking that streak.” Grabbing the snow shovel with one hand, I capture hers with the other and lead her to the side of the house. “Okay, I’m going to shovel a circle for you so that you won’t get lost in the snow.”
“Hey!” She smacks at my arm. “Is that a short joke?” From the expression on her face, she’s trying to act as if she’s offended, but I can see the hint of a smile tilting her lips.
“Nope. You’re the one who said it would bury you.”
“Not exactly, but thank you. You’re my hero.” She bats her long eyelashes, and I want nothing more than to bend my head and press my lips to hers. Instead, I grip the shovel and get to work, making her an area that she can walk comfortably.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m sweating despite the cold temperatures, but Aspen is smiling, and when she wraps her arms around me in a hug as a thank-you, I don’t hesitate to hug her back. I’ll take anything and everything she’s willing to give me. I’m also not going to try and decipher why that is.
“Yay! I’m so excited. Let’s get started.” She wastes no time getting to work on our snowman. Tossing the shovel to the side, I join her in her efforts.