Stranded With a Hero (20 page)

It was all it took to break the spell. He was pulling back, she was cursing under her breath, and the buzzer kept on going. She never thought she’d be so angry that cookies were done.

“I gotta go check on something,” Nate said, his face turned away from hers. Then he stepped outside, no coat, no beanie. Well, she’d definitely been wrong about kissing him being awkward. She’d never been kissed like that in her life, never experienced such an intense burn so quickly. Her breaths were still coming faster than normal, her lips tingled, and there was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to kiss Nate Walsh again.

And again.

…

What the hell are you doing, Walsh?

Nate strode down the sidewalk he’d shoveled that morning but already had a new layer of snow. For a long time he was the guy who’d sat back and watched his brother be with the girl he wanted. Apparently all those years of holding back were bursting out of him now that he was under the same roof as Kelsey. Part of him—a big huge part of him—wanted to say that Derek had had several girlfriends since Kelsey. He didn’t need to hold back because his brother never realized what he had, even when he had her.

If it hadn’t been for that stupid conversation over Thanksgiving, he wouldn’t think twice. But it’d happened. In fact, he could hear Derek’s words about Kelsey echoing in his head now, every one taking a bite out of his gut.
Dude, I think she might’ve been the love of my life. I think I’m going to look her up. See if we can get back what we used to have.

That meant he needed to step back right now. He and Kelsey could talk. Bake. Whatever. He’d take care of her while she was stranded here, but there could be no more kissing.

Now that he knew what he’d been missing, though, that wasn’t going to be easy.

He’d had a handful of girlfriends, and they’d been perfectly nice girls. Maybe that was the problem. None of them had ever made him go zero to sixty in five seconds flat. If that timer hadn’t gone off, he might’ve laid her across that counter and…

He swallowed. This wasn’t helping. A quiet voice inside his head whispered for him to simply enjoy their limited time together, but he knew that was a bad idea. He’d already had a hard enough time finding women to date here, where he’d known everyone forever, and thinking about dating them just felt weird. But he was the kind of guy who’d want more with Kelsey, and she was only passing through—the minute she could leave she would. So why make a big mess of things before she left?

With his head cleared from the cold, he headed back inside.

Right in time to see Kelsey bend over and put in another pan of cookies. Her jeans had little studs on the pockets, drawing his attention to the last place it should be. The numbing cold dissipated in an instant and he thought he’d have to stand out there for an hour to combat the heat building inside him.

Kelsey glanced over her shoulder at him as she straightened. The sparkly purple eye shadow she had on made the amber color in her eyes stand out, and between the black eyeliner drawn out past her lids and the large curls around her face, she looked like the punk version of a fifties pin-up.

The problem with telling himself he needed to find another girl—one who hadn’t dated his brother—was that there were no other girls like Kelsey. Maybe in another life things would be different, but he’d learned not to waste time on maybes.

“Sorry about kissing you,” he said. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

Kelsey slammed the oven door closed and crossed her arms, anger and hurt flashing in her eyes. “Mistake? I’ve kissed a lot of assholes in my day, but at least none of them called me a mistake right after.” She turned to storm out of the room, and he took a couple of long strides and caught her arm. When she whipped around, she shot him a death glare. “I’m going in to town to stay somewhere there instead. I’ll hike if I have to.”

Damn, she had a temper. And it turned him on for some reason. She was the opposite of logical and he wasn’t sure why he was attracted to that. “I didn’t mean it like that. The kiss was…” His gaze dipped to her lips. There was a spot of chocolate there and he wanted to pull her close and lick it off for her.

He swallowed the desire flaring through him. “But you used to date my brother. I’m trying to do the right thing.”

“Your brother and I dated forever ago. We’ve both moved on. And I’m sick of holding back and wondering ‘what if.’ Let’s just let go.” She raised a challenging eyebrow. “Come on, Nathaniel Walsh, I know there’s more to you than you show. You don’t have to be perfect all the time.”

He didn’t usually like being called Nathaniel, but there was something about the way it sounded falling from Kelsey’s lips that made his heart pump faster.

He brushed his thumb across her arm, his resolve cracking.

But then he thought about his family, and how they were all he really had. When she left, they’d still be there, and he wanted to be able to look them in the eye without reservation.

“So it all comes down to Derek?” she asked. “A guy I dated like six years ago?”

Why couldn’t Derek be married with a kid or two? Then I wouldn’t think twice.
Nate sighed. “’Fraid so. I just can’t cross that line. The snow’s really bad, though, everything’s closed up, and it’d be safer to stay put. But I can give you a ride to town if you’re set on leaving.”

Kelsey pressed her lips together and twisted them to one side. “You want me to leave?”

“No,” he said, finding the thought of her leaving made his chest tight. Without work and the farm to keep him busy, and all the snow, he’d be bored out of his mind. He wished he could rewind time and not kiss her to avoid this part, but he’d probably still do it, awkwardness be damned. “Can we just go back to cookies and hanging?”

Kelsey shrugged.

“I’ll make it up to you. I might not have a tree or cookie cutters, but I do have one holiday staple.” He opened the fridge and took out the jug of eggnog he’d picked up the other day.

Kelsey wrinkled her nose, the diamond stud winking in the light. “Eggnog’s possibly the worst invention ever. Even spiked it blows. It’s all thick and just…ugh.”

“It’s good.”

“If by good you mean disgusting, you’re right.”

“That’s exactly what I meant. I’m always mixing up those two words.” He got out a glass and poured the eggnog in it. “Sure you don’t want some?”

She shook her head, and this time he was the one who shrugged. He took a big gulp, making a big show of how much he liked it. “You’re anti-Christmas if you don’t like eggnog.”

Kelsey poked a finger to his chest. “No, you’re anti-Christmas if you don’t even have a tree. I mean, look around, Scrooge, it looks more like happy hunting days than happy holidays.”

She grabbed another cookie and popped it into her mouth. He hoped that meant they were okay now. He’d be more careful. No more crossing the line, and no more calling kissing her a mistake.

No staring at her perfect lips and thinking about how they’d felt against his. “You’re doing a crap job of making it up to me. I need something more than disgusting holiday sludge.” She pushed the jug away from her with one finger, like it might leap up and force her to take a sip.

He pushed it back toward her.

Her mouth dropped open and then she shoved it at him, so hard it almost flew off the counter. When he arched his eyebrows at her, she gave him an innocent grin that gave him less-than-innocent thoughts.

Every second around this girl was asking for trouble and he’d never wanted to be in trouble so bad in his life.

“So, hotshot, I’m still waiting. You’ve got five seconds to produce something awesome for us to do.” Kelsey narrowed her eyes in what was supposed to be intimidation but only came across as sexy. No doubt she’d gotten her way using this method before.

A quick peek at the window showed the snow was still falling, but the wind had calmed down. “How about a snowmobile ride? If you think you can deal with a little cold.”

A competitive glint hit her eye. “Bring it.”

Chapter Four

As Kelsey zipped her hoodie over her sweater, she kept replaying the awesome kiss, followed by the not-so-awesome “It was a mistake” speech.

Mistake, my ass.
Bad idea, maybe, but it wasn’t a mistake. The chemistry had been growing between them since last night, and she didn’t think the past should stop her and Nate from having a good time now. Okay, so she could see where he was coming from, but it wasn’t like they were going to start a big relationship. This was being stranded in the snow with not a whole lot to do. Extreme circumstances called for exceptions to her self-imposed guy break.

But if he didn’t want to kiss her, she wasn’t going to
force
him. When she stepped into the living room, Nate was already there, all bundled up. He handed her the coat he’d lent her last night, along with a pair of gloves and a knitted gray beanie.

The second they stepped outside, the air cut through her like a hundred icy knives. It was the kind of cold that made you feel like you were freezing from the inside out.

“We haven’t had this much snow since ’87,” Nate said.

Kelsey took a large step, sinking a couple inches. “You remember snow when you were, like, five years old?”

One corner of Nate’s mouth kicked up. “No, I heard it on the news.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. The shed they were headed toward seemed like it was a billion feet away in this weather. She was struggling through the snow, her lack of boots meaning she got snow into her shoes with every step, and Nate was taking monster strides, making her practically have to run to keep up with him.

He opened the door to the shed and ushered her inside. The tiny wooden building, while far from toasty, at least provided some protection.

What first caught her eye was the pile of scrap metal and welder. Most people would see junk, but she saw the possibility of lamps and coffee tables and sculptures. She picked up one of the smaller tin pieces.

“You see anything you like, feel free to keep it,” Nate said.

Kelsey twisted the piece, noticing the way the metal went from pewter to gray blue. “If I could feel my fingers right now, I’d want to fire up the torch and see what I could do.” She glanced at him. “But you’re not getting out of taking me out on the snowmobile. Ride first, scrap metal later.”

He saluted her. Smartass. A very cute smartass, but still. She thought about how he’d slid the disgusting jug of eggnog back at her. He had a teasing, light side and she couldn’t understand why he didn’t let it out more.

Nate extended a helmet to her. She frowned at it. “Really?”

“It’ll keep your face warmer, and you should protect your head. You’ve only got one, you know.”

Kelsey stuck out her tongue at him and then put on the huge helmet. Nate put on another helmet and fired up the snowmobile. She’d ridden on four-wheelers, motorcycles, and even go-karts, but she’d never been on a snowmobile before. She climbed on behind Nate and wrapped her arms around him. Addictive shivers of electricity seared through her veins as she pressed her body tightly to his. Even through all the layers she could feel their connection, remember what it was like when his fingers had traveled across her skin.

He revved the engine and then they were out the doors, gliding across the snow. While she wasn’t opposed to protecting her head, she always liked feeling the wind on her face, in her hair. Dad used to call her his little speed demon. She loved to go fast, and she had a string of speeding tickets to prove it.

Snow hung heavy on the trees, turning the world into—well, to be cheesy—a winter wonderland. Nate slowed as they maneuvered around a tree and Kelsey reached up and ran her hand along a branch, sending a dusting of white powder over them.

Holding onto Nate, feeling the way his body moved with the machine, she couldn’t help thinking about the kiss, the off-the-charts chemistry between them, like a living, breathing entity every time they shared the same space. Why’d he have to go all serious? Serious was boring, and he’d been anything but since last night’s game of quarters. He was witty and interesting, and she couldn’t stand the thought of him going back to uptight, when that clearly wasn’t who he actually was.

Wanting to get a reaction out of him, she reached down and pinched his nice butt.

He jerked forward and she grinned, wondering how many more times she could get away with it. Nate slowed the machine to a stop and looked over his shoulder at her. She shrugged innocently, and he shook his head, but a smile was pulling at his lips. Much better.

“My turn to drive,” she said, standing.

Two creases formed between his eyebrows. “No offense, but you’re kind of a crazy driver.”

Kelsey shoved him. “That deer ran out in the road! What? I should’ve just mowed him down? And hello, have you seen my car? Even if I hadn’t swerved, it’s too small to take on something like that.”

Nate held up his hands. “That’s not what I meant. I remember how you used to drive in high school, too. And that you wrecked my brother’s motorcycle.”

A hint of awkwardness crept in. The wreck had been because of a jump that she’d landed completely wrong, and she’d paid to fix the damage to the bike, despite Derek’s insistence that she didn’t need to, what with the fact he’d been the one to dare her to do it. “I’m much more responsible now, I swear,” she said, even though that was probably debatable. “And all I want to do is drive for a bit. I’ll be careful and everything.” She leaned over him and batted her eyes. “Pleeease.”

He sighed and scooted back, and her tummy did a little victory dance. Then he leaned over to show her how to work everything, and butterflies took over. His whiskered face brushed her cheek as he talked, and she had trouble paying attention to what he was saying. But basically it was like a four-wheeler, so she was sure she could figure it out.

She punched it and they lurched forward. Nate’s arms tightened around her and she considered driving jerky on purpose. It was harder to steer than a four-wheeler, but within a few minutes she had the basic idea. Soon she was flying across the snow, weaving through trees. When she realized she didn’t know where she was, though, she slowed down. She thought the river was in this general area, but she’d only been out there a couple times, and with the snow covering everything, it was hard to tell.

She stopped near a tree and took off her helmet. Nate removed his as well.

“I don’t really know where we are anymore. Which way is home?” she asked, then realized that she should’ve said his house—calling it home was weird. Or maybe it was that it should’ve been weirder.

He pointed left—the opposite way she would’ve gone.

Now that she knew, she supposed she should put on her helmet and head in that direction. Instead, she continued to stare at Nate. His breath came out in puffs and snow fell on his hair and stuck in his eyelashes. The winter scene, the swirling snow—it was like they were stuck in a snow globe, one perfect moment encased in glass.

Kelsey twisted around until she was backward on the seat facing Nate. It felt like talking would break the spell, but judging from the rise and fall of his chest and the way his hands gripped her thighs, she didn’t need to say anything.

Nate leaned his forehead against hers. She waited for him to make a move further, even considered pushing it, but she didn’t want to risk him pulling away. The draw she felt to him filled every inch of her with surprising intensity. She’d had lust-filled crushes the instant a guy stepped onto the stage or she’d spot a hottie across the bar, but this was different. There was lust, sure, but there was another tug, as if her heart knew something her brain didn’t quite yet.

Or maybe hypothermia was setting in and she was just delirious. But if this was delirious, she never wanted to leave it.

She figured she could get away with something small, so she said, “Thanks for letting me drive,” and kissed his cheek.

“Sure thing,” he said, and she noticed his voice was rougher than normal, leading her to believe he was affected as well.

A gust of wind swirled the snow around them, and the barely existent sunlight coming through the clouds faded more. She tried to suppress a shiver, but couldn’t quite hold back.

Nate wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “Let’s get you back and I’ll build you a fire.”

She liked the way he said it. He’d build
her
a fire. They switched places, stuck on their helmets, and then he turned them around. As they headed back, she wrapped her arms tightly around him and rested her head on his strong back. For the first time since she’d wrecked her car, she hoped not for the snow to let up, but for it to stay just a little longer, so she could, too.

…

Nate had always considered his self-control rock solid. If he set his mind on something, there was no changing it.

But with Kelsey’s arms around him, his earlier resolve was cracking. The girl brought out all the possessive instincts he thought he didn’t have. He wanted to take care of her and hold her in his arms and call her his. He knew when she left, he’d feel the emptiness.

He pulled the snowmobile into the shed and helped her off, leaving his hands on her waist longer than necessary. He thought the layers would help block the attraction, but he could still feel the curve of her hips under the material, and his heart banged in his chest, fast and hard. The wind had picked up again and was howling, making the boards of the old shed creak.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the fake tree Mom had brought over his first Christmas living here. She’d said she’d bought a new one, so he could have it. He’d put it up out of obligation then, but hadn’t bothered since. Kelsey had accused him of being a Scrooge, though, and if she were stuck here much longer, he wanted her to have the Christmas things she’d miss out on.

“Confession time,” he said, and Kelsey arched an eyebrow. “I actually do have a tree.” He jerked his chin toward the box.

Kelsey beamed up at him. “Oh, we’re
so
putting that up.” She tipped onto her toes to reach for it, but she was too short to get a good grip.

He reached over her and got the box down. She was trapped between him and the box, and he wanted to hold her there for a while longer, a sweet sort of torture that he couldn’t get enough of. “I don’t have any ornaments, but the lights are built in.”

She spun to face him, practically bouncing on her toes. “That’s okay. We’ll string popcorn and we can use some of the metal pieces you’ve got to give it a little sparkle.” She moved toward the scrap pile, and he reluctantly moved the box out of her way. “I’d weld and grind them into better ornaments, but my unable-to-feel-my-fingers problem has only gotten worse after being outside.” She wiggled her fingers as if she wanted to make sure they still worked.

“How’d you get started welding, anyway? It’s not a very common thing for a girl.”

“Well, I’m not a common girl,” she said, shooting him a sexy smile. She picked up a couple nuts and bolts, along with piping. “My dad owned a custom welding shop. When my mom went to her waitressing job, she’d drop me off with him for the few hours both of them were working. He taught me to weld, and one day I started putting pieces together. It kind of built from there.”

She tossed one of the bolts in the air and caught it.

Nate didn’t know much about her dad, only that when they’d moved here it was just Kelsey and her mom.

“He’s always on me to try to sell my pieces,” Kelsey said. “So’s my mom. It’s, like, the only thing they’ve ever agreed on. But my mom was always moving us, saying the next town would be where her business took off. It never did, though, and I didn’t want to repeat that cycle. I wanted stability. One place.” She leaned back against the workbench. “I thought that’s what I wanted. Like I said earlier, I’m good at my job. Plus, when I get bored with my hair—which is fairly often—I can change it up. But lately I’ve been thinking about trying to display my art. It’s why there are a few pieces in the back of my car now.”

“I wish I would’ve taken a closer look.” He thought of her car out there on the road. “What if someone steals your sculptures?”

“I’d be thrilled that someone thought they were worth stealing.” She laughed, but it didn’t ring quite true. It seemed her art was one thing she felt vulnerable about. “Anyway,” she said, straightening, “it’s freezing balls out here. I think I’m gonna need a hot shower to feel my toes again, then tree decorating time is on.” She stepped forward and patted his chest. “And you owe me a fire.”

Nate discovered there was a handle on the tree box and gripped it, using his free hand to push open the shed door for Kelsey. As they walked toward the house, he reached out and took her hand. The gloves blocked the skin on skin feel, but a jolt still went through him.

Speaking of fire, he was pretty sure he was playing with it right now.