Moonlight Over Manhattan(90)

She felt the hardening length of him and might have done something about it there and then if it hadn’t been for the fact that from behind them came the sound of someone clearing his throat.

Ethan released her reluctantly and both of them turned toward the sound.

A man stood in the doorway of the cabin. He was dressed in ski gear and had the bluest eyes Harriet had ever seen.

“Came to check you’d settled in, but you don’t seem to be having any problems on that score.”

“Ty—” Ethan crossed the room and the two men greeted each other. “How’s Jess?”

“She’s going to be the youngest slalom champion in history.” Tyler’s eyes glowed with pride. “No one can catch her.”

“Chip off the old block.”

“Seems that way.”

“And Brenna?”

“Pregnant.”

Ethan grinned. “You’ve been busy. How does Jess feel about it?”

“She can’t wait. She’ll have the baby on skis before he or she can walk.” Tyler’s gaze rested on Harriet. “You brought a guest.”

Harriet recognized him from the photo on the book jacket of the autobiography she’d found in Ethan’s apartment. The front cover had been a photo of him skiing what appeared to be an almost vertical slope, and the back cover had been a photo of him holding a gold medal and laughing at the camera.

“I’m Harriet.” She stretched out her hand but before Tyler could take it two large Siberian husky dogs barreled through the door, almost knocking the two men down.

“Stay! Sit,” Tyler bellowed but both dogs ignored him and headed straight for Harriet.

Tyler swore fluently but Harriet stooped to greet the dogs.

“Well, aren’t you beautiful. Gorgeous, gorgeous dogs.”

Tyler exchanged an astonished glance with Ethan, who shrugged.

“Harriet loves dogs and she’s good with them.”

“In that case she’s going to fit right in around here. I was going to apologize for their terrible manners but maybe I’ll save my breath.”

“They’re the most beautiful dogs I’ve ever seen.” Harriet dropped to her knees on the rug and buried her hands in the fur of the dog closest to her. “I love Siberian huskies. What are their names?”

“That’s Luna. She’s the one with the brain. Devoted to my daughter. Pines when she’s away. The other one is Ash. He’s more of a bruiser. Seems pretty taken with you. Do you have a dog back home?”

“Not my own, but I’m thinking of it.” She stood up and Ash immediately head-butted her leg, annoyed to have lost her attention. “I have to find a breed suitable for apartment living. Nothing as large and bouncy as these.”

“Yeah, they like to use up every inch of the forest. If you have everything you need, I’ll leave the two of you to unpack. Dinner is at seven. It’s family night, so no excuses accepted. We’ll catch up properly then. And we’ll find you boots and skis.” He left, the dogs bounding ahead, and Harriet watched them go.

“Family night?”

“The O’Neils have a rule that once a week everyone eats together, no matter what is going on and how busy they are. All of them. Grandparents. Kids. Dogs. No exceptions unless you’re out of the country.”

She felt something uncurl inside her. “I’m not family.”

“You’re with me. That counts.” He picked up the cases. “I’ll take these through to the bedroom.”

Harriet glanced up at the shelf and felt a stab of disappointment. “That’s not the bedroom?”

“It’s not the master suite.”

“But we could sleep there?”

“It’s where I sleep when I come on my own. Do you want to sleep there?”

“Yes! How can you even ask? It’s like being part of the forest.”

“Then let’s sleep there, but we’ll keep our stuff in the main bedroom. That’s where the bathroom is. Do you want to take a shower before dinner?”

“Who exactly will be at dinner?”

“Most of the family, probably. Is that a problem?” His expression changed to one of understanding. “Strangers. Dinner. Your two least favorite things. But these are good people, Harriet.”

“Yes.” Harriet glanced down at her black jeans and her soft sweater. “Should I dress up?”

“You look great. And that sweater looks amazing with your new short hair.” He pulled her against him and brought his mouth down to hers in a kiss that almost made her wish they didn’t have to go to dinner. Given the choice she would have stayed right here, in this amazing cabin, and watched the snow gently layer on the trees.

She comforted herself with the knowledge that these people had dogs. How bad could they be?

All the same, she felt nervous as they walked the short distance to the main house.

As Ethan pushed open the door that led straight into the big farmhouse kitchen, Harriet saw what felt like a million pairs of eyes turned in her direction.

Ethan closed the door, locking in the heat. “This is Harriet.”

“Harriet!” A woman rose to her feet, all smiles. “I’m Elizabeth O’Neil, Ethan’s godmother. My three sons, Jackson, Sean and Tyler, their grandparents Walter and Alice—”