Free Snowed In by Cassie Miles Page A

of a woodsy aroma. Her eyelids closed in a prolonged blink, and she allowed herself to enjoy his nearness.
    “I’m glad, too.”
    Her voice was a whisper, more intimate than she’d intended. Being close to him was intoxicating. She needed to be careful before she did something that she regretted.

Chapter Seven
    By the time Jeremy and General Charles Hamilton were expected to arrive, Sarah had done her prep work in the kitchen and the spaghetti sauce was bubbling, filling the house with a spicy aroma. She’d checked the bedrooms to make sure everything was in order and fielded several phone calls from the wedding caterers, the florist and the cake baker. With all of the other potential disasters looming, it seemed that the February weather might be turning into a problem. Though today was clear and sunny, heavy snow was in the forecast for Friday, and the people providing the food for the wedding were beginning to worry. If the snow started tomorrow, Thursday, they would drop things off ahead of time.
    Standing at the front window, she watched as a silver rental SUV parked in front of the B and B. “They’re here.”
    In a flash of denim and a lacy blouse, Emily ran across the room, flung open the front door, dashed across the porch and flew into her husband-to-be’s waiting arms. Jeremy scooped her off the ground and spun her around in a circle.
    Stepping outside onto the porch, Sarah couldn’t help beaming. The sheer joy radiating from Jeremy and Emily was contagious, but not powerful enough to infect the unsmiling general, who emerged from the front passenger seat.
    “What a grump,” she murmured under her breath.
    “You’re mistaken,” Blake said quietly as he joined her on the porch. “That’s his happy face.”
    She glanced toward him. He’d shaved in honor of the general’s arrival. With the grungy beard gone, she noticed the sharp angle of his jaw and the fullness of his lower lip, the kind of lip that begged to be kissed. Reining in her thoughts, she said, “You look good.”
    “So do you.”
    “Thanks.” She’d made an effort, putting on makeup and brushing her hair to a warm shine. Instead of her usual jeans, she wore gray leggings and a teal shirt under a long cardigan that fell halfway down her thighs in back.
    Since none of the men—not even the two aides—were in uniform, Blake didn’t salute as he descended the stairs from the porch and shook the general’s hand. In spite of the casual jackets, their greeting had an air of military formality.
    “General,” Blake said, “this is Sarah Bentley, the owner of the B and B.”
    The general’s herringbone tweed jacket had been tailored to fit his very square, very straight shoulders. His pure white hair gleamed in the late afternoon sun, and the lines of his face looked like they’d been carved from oak. His voice rumbled in his chest as he said, “Pleased to meet you, Sarah.”
    She gripped his hand firmly. “The pleasure is mine...” No way was she going to spend the next four days calling this man General. “Charles.”
    His white eyebrows lifted a fraction of an inch.
    She continued, “Do you prefer Chuck?”
    “Emily didn’t tell me much about you.”
    Emily was noticing right now. Behind the general’s back, she was making frantic throat-cutting gestures to get Sarah to shut up. Fat chance. The general might be in charge of a battalion of bureaucrats at the Pentagon, but he was in her house now. And she was the boss. If her light teasing offended him, she didn’t really care. After this weekend, she’d never see the man again.
    She smiled into the older man’s chiseled face. “Maybe I should call you Chuckie.”
    “Charles will be fine.”
    “Great, come on inside and let me show you around.”
    With the general and his two aides—Maddox and Alvardo—in tow, she gave the grand tour from the left wing of the house where the game room, library and her office were located to the upstairs where she had given General