Taming His Montana Heart(33)

“Nothing left of us except a couple of frozen snowmen.”

Her thoughts were paralleling his. Their musings might come even closer if he was standing next to her. He went so far as to place his hands on the table and gather his feet under him before he thought better of it. Just because tonight was like music to him didn’t mean she felt the same way.

“If I’m destined to be a snowman,” he said, “I want a hat, one of those tall stovepipe things.”

She faced him, smiling with her eyes and mouth, even her eyebrows and the tilt to her chin. “What about a carrot for a nose?”

“I guess that would be all right,” he answered around the humming that was growing inside him. “But not a long carrot because I don’t want people mistaking me for Pinocchio.”

She returned to the table, sat down, and poked her spoon in the chili. “Thank you.”

Her smile had quieted some but it still made an impact. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had smiled at him like that, probably not for several years because he didn’t give them a reason to. He needed that to change, needed to try to understand how he felt about Haley Walters.

“Thank me for what?” he asked.

“An incredible day. I loved seeing Grizzly Peak up close. The way the forest was decorated…”

“All in white,” he finished. Earlier, they’d slid their chairs close together to accommodate the others which made sandwiching her hand between his easy. He didn’t care who saw. “Snow muffles sound. The wind in the trees—”

“Is a melody all its own.” She stared at what he’d done, made no attempt to pull free. “Sometimes it howls.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t like that today.”

Her features settled, became pensive. “I’ve never been afraid of being in the wilderness.”

Perhaps he should tell her that he’d seen fear in her when she’d spotted his Glock, but it wasn’t a place either of them needed to go. As long as he didn’t question his motives too deeply, he could remain in the present. Just be.

With her.

Maybe ask if she wanted to go upstairs and climb naked into his bedroom.

“I think I’d feel the same way about the wilderness if I out was in it as much as you are,” he said.

Taking her hand had been one thing, not returning it to her was taking him into new territory. It was becoming a wonderful place to be.

“I wish you could escape more,” she whispered. “Your roast—”

“Is cold. What about your chili.”

“Same thing.”

“Do you want to leave?” His heart beat faster.

She again looked down at her hand or rather what his hadn’t enveloped. “Yes.”

*

He’d like to see what Haley might have done to give her trailer a personal touch, but that would have to wait until she invited him into it. So he suggested they walk down to where the docks had been before they’d been hauled out of the lake in October. So many people had traversed the path between there and the resort that the snow had packed down. In addition, the path was wide enough for them to walk side by side. Someone had strung red and green lights along the hand rail giving everything a Christmas glow. A multitude of tiny white lights were wrapped around the flagpole adding to the night’s mystique.

The lake was frozen and buried under snow, not that he had any intention of getting close to it. Sixty-nine year old Jim Harder had been managing the boat rentals for as long as anyone could remember. Jim had agreed to stay on long enough in the spring to train his replacement but then he was moving to Arizona so he could be closer to his grown children and their families. Jim had admitted he hadn’t done more than the minimum boat maintenance in recent years because the rental concession had been a losing operation under the previous resort ownership.

Thinking of having to deal with yet more of Uncle Robert’s reluctance to spend money made Shaw’s head hurt. At least he wouldn’t have to get his uncle’s permission before hiring Jim’s replacement.

Haley?

“The Christmas lights weren’t up the last time I was here,” she said.

Her hands were deep in her coat pockets and she’d pulled up hood up as defense against the frigid air. As a result, he could barely made out her features—her feminine features.

“It’s beautiful.”

He explained that when Rey’s crew had been adding insulation to the lodge’s attic, they’d come across a number of boxes. “Judging by the dates on the newspaper packing, the Christmas decorations had been up there for ten years. Fortunately most of the lights still work. When they heard about the find, the housekeepers informed me that they were in charge of putting up the decorations.”

“They’ve made it into a wonderland. Lake Serene is a perfect place for celebrating the holiday.”

Her eyes reflected the red and green hues. Her nose, cheeks, and chin carried out the same color theme. Instead of making her look as if she was from another world, she’d become part of the season’s appeal. Maybe part of his world.

Back when he’d been a cop, he’d joined the rest of the force in delivering toys and food to families in need. A single father with three young sons had admitted to him that he’d hidden the Christmas lights because he couldn’t afford a tree that year. Shaw had kidnapped the boys while their father was at work and had taken them to a Christmas tree lot. He’d thought the kids would want the biggest and best, but the oldest boy had directed his siblings to one of the least expensive. He’d been tempted to reward them with an upgrade but respecting their frugality had won out.