Free A Marine for Christmas (Hearts Ablaze: Men in Uniform) by Makenna Jameison

a few flurries, and it looked like he’d made haste to get out there before nightfall.
    She quickly pulled on her snow boots and warm red parka before heading outside to greet him.
    “Hey there!” he called out.  “I thought I’d quick shovel your driveway, too, before I go to Mrs. Jones’ house.”
    “Wow, thanks.  You really don’t need to though.  It’s only a couple of inches; I can go grab my shovel.”
    “It’s no problem,” he said walking over to stand in front of her.  “I’m almost done already.  I’m not so much ‘shoveling’ as just pushing the snow off the driveway.  Luckily there’s not too much,” he added with a grin.
    “That’s right—you’re a California boy.   You’re probably not used to all this snow.”
    Jason laughed, his blue eyes sparkling.  “Guilty as charged.  What I’m not used to is this crazy weather—I was jogging in a tee shirt a week ago.  Now I’m out here shoveling snow?”
    “It’ll probably all melt tomorrow.  The weather is always weird this time of year. ”
    “I can see that,” he chuckled.  “ But I figured I’d help out a few neighbors as long as I was out shoveling my own driveway.”
    “Thanks ,” she said gazing up at him.
    “You have some snowflakes in your hair,” he said, reaching out to brush them away.  She froze as he touched her, remembering what it’d felt like as he caught her in his strong arms earlier that day.  Had he felt anything, too?  Or was she just like the kid sister across that street that he was always coming to rescue?  He was probably ten years older than her, but she was thirty-one years old.  It’s not like she was a child.  So why was she always feeling so uncertain around him?
    “ So I’ll stop by in the morning to check out that painting?”
    “Hmmm?” she asked, lost in her own thoughts.
    “The painting.  Is tomorrow morning still okay?”  His blue eyes met hers, and she had the strangest feeling that he was leaving things unspoken as well.  They were out in her driveway, but at that moment it felt like they were the only two people in the world.  The street was quiet around them, with no cars driving by or kids out playing.  Amidst the soft white backdrop, it was almost like they were in their own magical winter wonderland.
    “Ye s, that’s perfect.”
    “ Great, I’m looking forward to it.”
    Amy wasn’t sure if he meant he was looking forward to seeing the painting or seeing her again in the morning.  “Me too,” she hedged.  “ I’ll see you tomorrow.  Have a good night.”
    “You too,” he replied quietly, giving her one last glance before he turned away to continue working.  She could have sworn that she saw that heated look in his eyes once more.

Chapter 16
     
    “It does look good there,” Amy said the next afternoon, admiring the artwork hung prominently above Jason’s leather sofa.  The blues and greens in the painting added a splash of color to the room. The rest of the abstract stripes across the canvas (in various shades of cream, tan, and brown) simply blended right in.  He really did need decorating help, she thought in surprise.  There were no pictures or paintings anywhere else, no knick-knacks lying around—just a cool, sparsely furnished space.  Complete with a giant flat screen TV and surround sound, of course.  Boys and their toys….
    “It looks great.”
    She smiled at his firm assertion but knew he couldn’t see her face from behind.  A moment passed, and Jason took a step closer so that he was right at her side.
    Her skin prickled as he stood so near to her, and she imagined that he could hear her heart beating wildly in her chest.  The heat between them was palpable, and she wondered how many times she’d only imagined him pulling her into his arms.  Did he feel it, too?  That spark and connection between them each time they were in the same room?
    “It’s amazing,” Jason said, his voice deep.  “Thank you.  And thanks