Free Mistletoe in Maine by Ginny Baird Page B

winds picked up, and she shivered a little under the blanket. “A bit colder than you’re used to in Virginia?”
    “More than a bit,” she said with a laugh.
    “Ah,” he said, scooting a tad closer. “Maybe this will help.” He placed his sturdy arm around her, snuggling her close. Carol’s heart thumped wildly as she gazed up at this wonderful man. Down below, the town was strung with Christmas lights, the frozen lake in its center catching their magical glow. “I hope you don’t mind?” he asked her.
    “No,” she said, a little breathless. “This feels nice.”
    “I don’t normally take my guests sleigh riding, you know.”
    She looked up into his dark brown eyes. “I didn’t figure you did.”
    “I hope that you don’t feel that it’s wrong, unprofessional of me, to want to spend time with you this way.”
    Nothing had ever felt more right in her entire life. Being here with Paul in this wonderful place was more fantastic than she ever could have imagined. “I don’t think it’s wrong for us to be together as friends.”
    “Or make-believe neighbors?” he asked with a grin.
    “Or that either.” Her chin was tilted up toward his, and Carol found herself wishing he would kiss her. It was a deep longing inside, and one she hadn’t felt for anyone in such a long while, she’d almost forgotten what this yearning was like.
    “I hope you’re having a good time, Carol,” he said, his eyes dancing. “You and your kids too.”
    “We’re having the best time,” she said. “In a way, it’s a miracle we came here, but I’m so glad we did after all.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “In truth? Maine wasn’t my first choice.”
    He blinked in disbelief. “But why not? Just look around,” he said, sweeping his arm across their surroundings. “It’s a winter wonderland!”
    “Yes, it is,” she said softly. “It’s just that, initially, I had our sights set on a vacation locale a little closer to home.”
    “Oh? Where was that?”
    “Asheville.”
    “North Carolina? How far is that from where you live?”
    “Only a couple of hours. A short drive. And,” she said with a sigh, “an economical one.”
    “I don’t get it. What made you come here?”
    The last person Carol wanted to think about on such a romantic afternoon was Jim. He’d been so cruel to her in so many ways, and there were too many hurts she was still getting past. Tears welled within her in spite of herself. She blinked, turning away.
    “Carol?” Paul asked softly.
    She turned back toward him and tried to keep her voice from breaking. It betrayed her by cracking pitifully anyway. “He found another girl, Paul,” she said as tears streaked from her eyes. “Someone younger and prettier, than me.”
    Paul lightly stroked her cheek and gazed at her, his voice growing husky. “No one,” he said surely, “could be younger…or prettier…than you.” He stared at her deeply, and his perusal warmed her through and through. She’d never had a man look at her that way, like she was someone special, just as she was.
    He settled back in his seat and tugged her up against him, making her feel safe and comforted in the wintery winds. As they paraded around the lake and through the town, they sat in silence, with only the steady clip-clop, clip-clop of the horses to keep them company. It was the perfect rhythm to accompany the beating of Carol’s heart. She’d never felt so removed from reality and yet so completely at home at the same time. It made her life in Virginia seem far away, and this world here very appealing. She settled her head on Paul’s shoulder, giving in to his comfort and strength, knowing this couldn’t last forever. She was just grateful to have experienced it once. Being treated so grandly by a marvelous man.
     
    Later that evening, guests sat at elegant candlelit tables, enjoying their Christmas Eve meal. Amy cleared Zach’s and Velma’s dinner plates with a pleasant smile.
    “I’ll be right back