Free On Christmas Hill by Nichole Chase Page B

think?” He
cocked his head to the side and I felt my eyebrows pull
together.
    “ About what?”
    “ Christmas Hill.” His eyes
twinkled and I found myself surprised that eyes a dark chocolate
brown could actually twinkle. “I wasn’t sure if anyone mentioned
the reindeer to you.”
    “ Oh.” I blinked and looked
back at the reindeer had started to wander away. “No, the lawyer
didn’t mention them.”
    “ She wasn’t very interested
in a list of details. Seemed to think you’d figure it out on your
own.” Nate turned to look at my little car. “I’ll help you carry
your stuff in.”
    “ Thanks.” I started to set
Remy down, but looked at the reindeer worriedly. “Will he be okay?
Or should I put him inside?”
    “ The reindeer are used to
dogs. We have several on the farm.” Nate smiled over his shoulder
as he walked to my trunk. “Comet can be a bit pissy sometimes, but
I don’t think you’ll have any trouble.”
    “ Comet, huh?” I smiled and
set Remy down. “Leave those reindeer alone, you hear me?” Remy
looked at me for a minute and then turned tail to chase after the
other animals. “Remy!”
    “ He’ll be fine, Molly.” I
bit my lip, but walked over to the trunk and unlocked the latch.
Nate didn’t waste any time and began pulling bags out.
    “ It’s freezing out here.” I
watched as his muscles shifted under his shirt while he
worked.
    “ It’s not too bad right now,
but we’re in for more snow tonight.”
    My body shook at the thought. “You’re
kidding right? I think my toes are going numb and you don’t even
have a jacket on.” Realizing that he must be freezing, I placed a
hand on his shoulder and nudged him out of my way. “You should go
inside. I can get this.”
    “ I’m used to it.” His smile
made me feel a little breathless. “Is this all you
brought?”
    “ Yeah. I wasn’t sure how
long I’d be here.” I pulled my overnight bag out of the back seat,
and Remy’s bowls. Turning my head, I whistled and was relieved to
see my dog scampering back through the snow.
    Nate carried the bags from my trunk
effortlessly, and even though his hands were full, he opened the
door with his fingers when I got up the steps. Remy shook snow off
of his fur before dodging under my feet and running inside. My toes
clipped his rear-end, throwing me off balance. I would have been
fine if there hadn’t been a giant puddle of melting snow under my
other foot. As it was, my body twisted like a snake in the air and
I slammed face first into Nate’s chest. I dropped Remy’s bowls with
a loud clatter, and placed a hand on his side to try and steady
myself. He dropped my bags and slid his hands around my waist to
help keep me upright.
    “ Oof!”
    “ You okay?” His amused voice
rumbled out of his chest, making my fingers vibrate. I looked up at
him, heat rushing into my cheeks.
    “ Sorry. I’m not normally
this clumsy.” I pushed away from him and ducked down to pick up the
bowls. “It was a long ride. I guess Remy has some pent up
energy.”
    “ I should thank him. It’s
been a while since I held a beautiful girl.” I looked up into his
eyes and bit my lip. Nate was smiling and there was something under
his tone that made my blood warm.
    “ I find that hard to
believe.” The words were out of my mouth before my internal filter
could kick in.
    “ Which part? That I haven’t
held a girl in a while or that you’re beautiful?” Lifting the bags
from the porch he winked at me. “Because both are true.”
    I didn’t know what to say, so I smiled
like an idiot. Thankfully, his back was turned and he didn’t see my
dorky expression. Once inside, I set my bags down by the door and
looked around in awe. The place was much larger than I had
realized. With the tasteful decorations, a fire roaring in the
fireplace, and the setting sun, it was breathtaking. Turning my
head from side to side, I tried to take it all in. Real garland
wrapped the length of the stair case and