Holiday with You - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,17
here until New Year’s.”
Chapter Nine
Audrey
Dammit. Fiddlesticks. And black licorice.
I stomp up the front porch of Winter Valley Bed & Breakfast. This winter wonderland is messing with my mind. I can’t even curse without feeling guilty.
I hit the top step with extra force, and my boot skids on the slick surface.
“Cruuuud!”
My arms windmill in a feeble attempt to keep my balance as both feet come off the steps. I sail backward in what feels like slow motion until I land on the sidewalk, back at the bottom of the steps.
Thank goodness there were only three.
I do a quick check to make sure no one saw. A perk of a small, sleepy town is I can embarrass myself without a witness.
“You okay?” Colin jogs over.
Morgan stands in the doorway of his garage, doubled over in laughter. I start to shoot him the bird but think better of it. Just in case Santa is watching.
My face flames. I wince as I get to my feet and dust off my behind.
The curtains fall shut in the front window of the B&B, and Colt comes out with his hand over his mouth.
“Really polite,” I say, though now I’m trying not to laugh. “And yes, I’m fine.”
Then I burst into giggles. My butt is wet with snow. I made a fool of myself with an audience of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever laid eyes on. But I bet if I’d have seen myself fall, I’d have laughed too.
Colin offers me an arm to steady myself. “We’ve all done it. That one”—he points at Morgan— “busted his ass last week.”
He waves, still laughing, oblivious that now I’m cackling at his expense.
“Wh-what about y-you?” I ask between laughs.
That shade of red I love so much on him tints his cheeks. He pulls his toboggan down over his ears. “Um. Yesterday. At a job site. I knocked over a sawhorse.”
I knew he was good with his hands.
I grip his arm to keep from falling over because I’m laughing so hard.
He joins in, and the sound is all rumbly and deep. I don’t want it to stop.
“You cool?” Colt asks, offering me a hand when we finally settle down.
“I’m good.”
“Then I’m going to take off.” He plods down the steps without incident and disappears across the town square.
“I can’t in good conscience let you attempt this again without help,” Colin says.
“I’ve got it.” My stubborn I am woman streak rears her head.
I grip the snow-covered railing with both hands. My mittens soak through, but I don’t care. These steps will not get the best of me.
As I lift my leg for the final step, I’m a little nervous. I don’t want a repeat of what happened before . . . obviously. It’s not like Colin hasn’t already seen gravity and me go to war, but I’d rather not have a do-over.
Relief courses through me when both feet are on the porch, though I hang on to the railing as if it’s the only thing holding me up.
Colin is right behind me. His hands are there to catch me if I fall but don’t touch me. It’s as if he knows I need to do this on my own. I wonder if his intuition comes from being a father.
Or is he a dad? The little girl could’ve been his niece. I’m desperate to know but decide I shouldn’t be nosy, especially when I won’t be around much longer. If he wanted me to know about her, he’d have mentioned it.
“I made it,” I say, a little breathlessly when we reach the front door.
“Safe and sound.”
“Safe and sound,” I repeat because well, I can’t think of anything else to say.
We’re quiet for a minute. Snow falls in big flakes, and it reminds me again of a snow globe that’s been shaken.
I’m not wild about the cold temperatures, but I’ve been missing this in my life. Not just the weather but the small-town atmosphere.
“Let this Anna Beth Grant thing go.” He lifts a hand like he wants to touch me but drops it when he thinks better of it.
In all the excitement, I’d almost forgotten about her and Aurora and my wrecked rental car. It had been good to laugh, even at my own expense. When was the last time I’d done that?
“I can’t.”
I want to. I want to tell Aurora to find the woman herself if she wants the bed and breakfast so badly. But I have my pride, and I revel in my work ethic. If I don’t have that,