A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold #9.5)(30)

He waited until she parted for him, then swept his tongue inside. They strained toward each other, kissing more deeply, passion growing until she felt herself start to tremble.

This time she was the one to draw back, her breathing uneven, her head spinning. Spending time with Dante was great. She enjoyed his company, and she felt oddly safe around him. But taking things to the next level? She would have to make sure she kept a firm hold on her heart before she could let that happen. She deserved a little fun but didn’t want to let that morph into anything more than that.

“I want to say it’s the dance clothes,” he murmured, staring into her eyes. “Only you’re fully dressed. So it must be you.”

She managed a smile. “You’re saying I’m a temptation?”

“I’m saying you’re on my mind a lot these days.”

Words to make her quiver.

For a second she thought about suggesting they pass on the tree lighting ceremony. That her bedroom was only a short staircase away. Except, she needed to be sure she knew what she was doing.

“Don’t worry,” Dante said, lightly kissing the tip of her nose. “We have a date with a tree and you know how they get if we’re late. All sad and then the pine needles fall off. We can’t disappoint the children of Fool’s Gold just because I find you the sexiest woman in three counties.”

That made her laugh. She stepped back and grabbed her coat. “Only three? Who’s the competition?”

“A former Miss Apple Valley, four counties away.”

“I hate her already.”

She zipped her coat. Dante tucked in her scarf, then handed her the mittens. He opened the front door and they stepped into the night.

“You’re saying if Miss Apple Valley came calling, you’d dump me in a heartbeat?” she asked, tucking her hand around the crook of his elbow.

“It’s a serious possibility.”

“And here I was holding out for Matt Damon.”

“A married man? I’m shocked and more than a little disappointed.”

They were still laughing as they walked toward town.

The evening was clear and cold. Their breath came in white puffs of steam.

“I have a feeling I didn’t layer enough,” she said as they turned toward the center of town.

“I’ll keep you warm,” Dante promised.

They weren’t the only ones out. The lighting of the town Christmas tree was a big deal, and the sidewalks were crowded. Most of the stores were open. Signs in the windows promised everything from hot chocolate to hot apple cider. There were stands selling homemade cookies and funnel cakes. Christmas music played from speakers.

“Evie, Dante! Good to see you!”

Evie heard someone calling their names but couldn’t see who it was. She waved in the general direction of the voice.

“Any clue?” she asked Dante.

“Not even one.”

“It’s kind of scary that people know who we are.”

“As long as they don’t chase us with pitchforks.”

There were more booths set up by the town square where the crowd was the thickest. Evie hung on to Dante, knowing if they weren’t careful, they would get separated.

“Hey, you two.” Evie turned and saw Charlie walking toward them. She was with a blonde woman carrying a toddler.

At first Evie wanted to say the woman was Nevada Janack, only the hair wasn’t the same and there was something different about her smile. Plus she didn’t look pregnant. Clay trailed along behind Charlie, his gaze locked firmly on his fiancée.

“Evie, this is Dakota Andersson. You met her sister Nevada this morning.” Charlie leaned close. “You’re not going crazy. They’re triplets.”

“Oh, right. I remember that from the brunch. It’s good to see you again.”

Dakota laughed. “You, too. My sister Montana is the one who’s missing tonight. She’s crushed not to be here, but her baby and mine both got a cold and are recovering. My mom is home with Jordan Taylor because we didn’t want Hannah to miss tonight.” She kissed her daughter’s cheek. “Daddy is off getting us hot chocolate.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Evie said. “This is Dante Jefferson, my brother’s business partner.”

“Hi.” Dakota nodded at him, then turned back to Evie. “I was wondering if there’s a toddler class at the dance school. Hannah saw The Nutcracker on TV and can’t stop talking about it. I know kids can start dance classes pretty young. I went online, but there isn’t a website for the studio.”

Evie considered the question. “The youngest students I have are six,” she said slowly. “But you’re right. A lot of girls start much younger than that.”

A class for three-and four-year-olds could be during the day, which would be easier on her schedule. Maybe early afternoon. She could even consider a Mommy and Me type class. As for the performance, if the toddlers went first…

There was no point in thinking about that, she told herself. Her plan was to leave town long before next year’s show. So the toddlers weren’t her problem. But for a second, she thought about how adorable they would be as they danced.

“Let me get through the holiday show,” she told Dakota. “If you want to give me a call after the first of the year, we can talk about starting a class for the younger kids. I would enjoy teaching them.”