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“Please, let me say this. I haven’t behaved as I should have. I know you were only helping Junie out that day—the day you brought my supplies out and then slipped on the snow. I was an idiot. I never should have barked at you the way I did. It’s just, I know there’s no excuse. But I’m sorry.”
My cheeks blazed under the influence of his espresso eyes and the sincerity in his words. I searched his face, eager for any hint that he might be playing some kind of prank, but I found nothing aside from the sizzling spark of attraction and connection I always felt every time our eyes met.
“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate that.”
“You going to open it?”
With my bottom lip in my teeth, I tore at the paper. One tear led to another until the paper peeled away to reveal a cardboard box—and within that box, a delicate Christmas ornament not unlike the sleigh we currently sat in.
The word, “Oh,” slipped out, and my breath caught, stilling like a drifting snowflake caught by a camera lens.
“It’s just…something I thought you’d like.”
I lifted my eyes to find him watching me. “I do,” I said. “I do like it. Thank you, Boone.”
He pressed his lips together and inclined his head at me. I held the sleigh in my hand, pinching its ribbon in between my fingers, and I continued watching him even as he turned his attention toward the horse.
Wow. If anyone had told me Boone Harper would not only apologize to me, but give me something as sweet as this? I didn’t know what to think.
The blanket kept my lower half warm, but my face was just as toasty. But that was nothing to the warmth taking over my heart, heating it right in the center of my chest.
“I think we’ll make my usual trek through the woods, down to the skating pond, and then take the scenic route back,” he said. “How does that sound?”
“Isn’t it all a scenic route?”
This gave him a moment’s pause. To my surprise, the corner of his mouth lifted up into a halfway grin.
“I guess it is. Are you ready.”
I peered down at my feet, ensuring my blue, crocheted bag was slouched where I’d placed it. This reminded me of the mesh provided on roller coasters for people to pack their personal belongings in during a wild ride. This wouldn’t be nearly as high-speed as that.
“Ready,” I said, smiling back at him.
His glance lingered longer than was customary, making me wonder if he was going to say something else. Instead, he gathered the wrapping paper from my lap, wadded it, and stuffed it back into his pocket.
I wasn’t sure what had changed since I’d spoken with him earlier. No snide remarks. No snappish comments. Was it because I was a paying customer now? Sleigh rides weren’t complimentary during my stay—I’d put in my deposit at the front desk before coming out here.
That had to be it.
Boone gripped the reins and clicked his teeth, calling out with a grunt that the horse responded to.
We rode in silence for a few minutes while I adjusted to the feel of the cold air brushing against my bare cheeks. I’d fully intended on keeping quiet for the during of our ride, of pulling out my notebook and scribbling down some ideas in my own bubble, but I couldn’t help the exclamations that kept spilling out.
“Exquisite,” I said, taking in the sight of a stray deer with white spots along its back pausing to glance over at us while we passed. “How often do you see things like that?”
The question was meant to be rhetorical, but Boone replied.
“A lot, actually. I see all kinds of wildlife here. The other night, I had a raccoon scratching at my door.”
“You’re kidding.”
There was that sideways grin. He was good at that. “Nope. I see a lot of deer, squirrels. No bears yet, but then again, with all the movement at the inn and the cars coming and going, they tend to keep their distance.”
I shuddered. Bears. That was definitely not something I wanted to come face to face with.
“You must ferry a lot of people around here.”
“I do. I take a few batches of guests out every single day.”
