Free Their First Noel by Annie Jones

down.
    â€œLet me just get one of these,” she said under her breath as she reached around him to pluck a measuring spoon off the island by his hand.
    She brushed so close he caught a whiff of vanilla and spice. He didn’t know if it was her shampoo or the aftereffect of her work in the kitchen this morning. Not that it mattered. She should always smell like something rich and sweet and natural, he decided. It fit her so. As did those red glasses, that big apron and even those cumbersome boots.
    In this cozy space with the cold darkness of a winter morning beyond these walls he couldn’t imagine anything bad about having her in this inn, in this kitchen, in his home. He opened his mouth to tell her just that but before he could get the words out, another sound startled them both.
    â€œIs that a siren?” Corrie put everything down and went to the swinging door. When she pushed it open a piercing whine filled the room.
    â€œGreer! I forgot to give her the all-clear!” Andy got up so fast the stool wobbled and almost tipped over. Heand Corrie both dove for it, each catching it by the edge, his hand covering hers.
    â€œAll-clear?” she asked.
    â€œWe thought you were a burglar,” he told her as he set the stool upright. Neither of them took their hands away. “I’m not used to having anyone in my place this early in the morning.”
    â€œSo you had Greer call the law on me?” A smile broke slowly across her lovely face. “I hope you still don’t consider me too much of a threat.”
    â€œI think I can handle whatever danger you might bring my way,” he said softly.
    The air practically crackled between them. Andy felt that he had to say more, but what? If he reminded her that there could never be anything between them it might hurt her feelings. Or it might hurt his if she laughed in his face at the very idea he ever had a shot with her. If he said what he really wanted to say—to tell her that in just the short time he’d known her she had gotten under his skin like no other woman he had ever met—her laughing in his face would not just hurt, it would kill him.
    For the first time in a long time Andy didn’t just lack a plan, he had no idea how to formulate one. Corrie Bennington had him that far off balance.
    â€œAndy?”
    â€œHmm?”
    â€œYou better go talk to the sheriff. Then maybe reassure Greer that everything is okay. I’d go up to her but seeing an unfamiliar figure in the dark upstairs might terrify her. So you go. After that, why don’t all of you meet me in the dining room?”
    â€œThe dining room?” He thought of the roughed-out room that still needed the drywall finished, painting and above all, a floor over the unimpressive concrete there now. “What will be in the dining room?”
    â€œA surprise.” She patted his cheek then stood up and waved both hands as if to shoo him away. “I told you it wouldn’t be too bad having me here this early. Trust me. Let me do something for you to smooth things over with the sheriff and ease Greer’s anxiety.”
    Trust her? He did. Let her fix things for him? “I don’t need help smoothing things over with anyone, Corrie. I told you I can handle it. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the offer.”
    â€œAnd?”
    A pounding at the front door echoed through the nearly empty lobby and dining room. “Andy? Greer? Is everything all right in there?”
    Andy resettled the stool, which clearly had been fine and didn’t need further settling, and gave her a brisk nod. “I’ll go take care of the sheriff and Greer.”
    â€œAnd after that, bring them into the dining room. If you feel the need to do something more, set up a table and get out enough flatware for four.”
    He wanted to question that but with the sheriff calling out his name, he couldn’t spare the time.
    â€œEverything looks