Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
“Never.”
Raven sighed as she reached for Bethenny’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m so happy for you!”
Bethenny hugged her tightly before stepping back to me and holding her hand out to the other man. “I’m Bethenny Andersen, mayor of Winter Falls.” I frowned when his palm slid against hers, but he didn’t linger, so I suppressed the warning growl building in my throat. “And this is Lincoln Granger.” I nodded.
“Caleb Adler.” Raven snorted and Caleb rolled his eyes. “Preston Caleb Adler Barrington the third. But my friends call me Caleb.”
Bethenny raised an eyebrow. “As in Barrington Inc? The company that’s been trying to buy The Snowed Inn and Lodge?”
“Yup,” Raven said, letting the P pop. “He showed up right before Christmas to spy on us and got his cinnamon buns snowed inn.”
Bethenny snickered and the corners of my mouth kicked up with amusement. She’d mentioned Raven to me a few times, particularly her love of using Christmas vernacular rather than swearing.
Caleb chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “But Raven used her feminine wiles and Christmas magic to steal my heart instead.”
Raven’s cheeks turned pink, and she dropped her head back to gaze up at her man lovingly.
When Christopher had fallen for his mail-order bride, I’d practically gagged at their love-sick displays of affection. But seeing Caleb and Raven acting the same way now, I couldn’t judge because I knew Bethenny and I were just the same.
“And who do they have to thank for that?” asked a tall man with red hair, freckles, and a subtle Irish accent, as he strolled up to the group. He was grinning widely as he approached, accompanied by a petite blonde who smiled shyly at us and practically melted into the man when he put his arm around her.
“Were you playing Cupid, Colin?” Bethenny asked with a laugh.
“He needed something to distract me so I wouldn’t notice him pining after his mystery wife,” Raven piped up.
“Mystery wife…?” I queried, amused.
Colin sighed. “I wasn’t keeping her a secret, you just never asked.”
“Exactly,” harrumphed Raven.
“Well, I guess…congratulations?” Bethenny laughed and gave the woman with Colin a little wave. I’m Bethenny.”
“Thank you,” the woman replied in an Irish accent much thicker than Colin’s. “I’m Cara. And if you’re wondering about all the shenanigans, Colin and I had an arranged marriage.”
Colin groaned and buried his face in her hair. “Would you stop telling people that?” Then he raised his head and glanced around at us. “It’s not at all how that sounds.”
I had a feeling that both of these couples had interesting stories to tell, but I wanted to hear them some other time. Right now, I was counting the minutes until I could take my woman home and ravish her again.
The door to the lodge opened, causing snow flurries to burst inside. The big blizzard had passed, but from what Bethenny told me, they had snow falling most of the winter. It was one of the things that made this town so picturesque and a perfect place for a ski resort. Another couple walked in and when they spotted our group, they headed toward us.
“Colin, Raven,” Gavin greeted as he approached with his arm around the woman’s shoulders.
He hugged Raven—much to the irritation of Caleb—and shook hands with Colin before we made introductions all around.
“Did I hear right?” Colin asked with a smirk. “You got your ass stuck in a shack on the mountain? You?”
Gavin shrugged. “Can’t be completely prepared all the time. Besides”—he gazed lovingly at Tory, who smiled and cuddled into him—“sometimes it’s the things we’re not prepared for that end up being the most incredible.”
I kissed Bethenny’s head and met her eyes before saying, “Or maybe we’ve always been preparing and didn’t know it.”
Gavin cocked his head to the side and grinned. “You might be right.”
We all chatted for another minute, though most of my attention was on Bethenny. Until I heard Tory softly ask Gavin, “How often do you have blizzards like this in Winter Falls?”
“We have several every season, but this one was one of the worst I’ve seen.” He waited for a beat, but she didn’t say anything else. “Why do you ask?”
“Just wondering,” she said in an overly nonchalant tone.
After a second, I realized why she was asking and wanted to burst out laughing at her subtle inquiry. Gavin obviously picked up on it too because he grinned and lifted her face with a curled finger under her chin. “Are you trying to ask if finding ourselves snowed in again will be a common occurrence?”
She blushed but returned his happy smile. “Maybe.”
“Baby, we don’t need a blizzard to be snowed in.”
“Truer words have never been said,” Bethenny quipped.
Her teasing tone caused warmth to bloom in my chest. That first night, she had been so tightly wound, carrying the world on her shoulders. But tonight, she looked much lighter. As if a lot of weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and I was so happy she’d allowed me to step in and help carry her load. I knew it had been difficult for her to relinquish control, but she’d get used to letting someone take care of her.