The Meaning in Mistletoe - Rachael Bloome Page 0,29
several yards from the cabin, Kat quickly planned her attack as Jack’s long strides spanned the distance between them. In a matter of seconds, he’d reach her.
Gently tossing the snowball nearby, Kat waited for Jack to close the gap, and in a deft, fluid movement that befit her years of training, she flipped him onto his back in a dense mound of snow.
He stared up at her, wide-eyed and winded.
Plucking the snowball from its resting place, she knelt over him, armed and ready. “Do you surrender?”
His gaze fell to her mouth, stealing the smirk from her lips.
Something about the way he looked at her—both soft and intense—left her momentarily breathless. Was he about to kiss her?
Before she knew what was happening, he’d rolled over, pinning her on her back.
“Do you?” he asked, his face mere centimeters from her own.
Overcome with the sudden urge to press her lips against his, Kat did the only thing she could—she kneed him in the side and wriggled to safety.
“Oof!” Jack clutched his stomach as he toppled over.
Scrambling to her feet, Kat blurted, “I’m so sorry!” as her pulse pounded in her ears.
“Don’t tell me,” he moaned. “Your instincts kicked in?”
She offered a sheepish smile as she helped him to his feet. “After a decade of training, it’s a hard habit to break.” She decided not to mention the part about her unsettling attraction. Or her desperate need to escape before she did something impulsive and possibly regrettable.
“I might need some hot chocolate to soothe the pain.”
“I think I can manage that.”
What she couldn’t manage were her growing feelings for Jack.
Or how deeply her heart would break when it came time to say goodbye.
As Jack watched Kat prepare the hot chocolate with such delicate, graceful movements, he marveled at how only moments ago she’d dropped him in a snowdrift like a sack of potatoes.
If he were honest, he found it impressive and incredibly attractive.
“You’re quite the expert at—what did you call it?”
“Krav Maga?”
“Yeah, that’s it. Have you thought about going into law enforcement or something? With skills like that, you’d be a real asset. I’d trust you to have my back, that’s for sure.”
“Thanks.”
Jack caught her pleased smile before she reached into the cupboard for two mugs. Although she’d been inside his cabin for less than forty-eight hours, she already seemed to know where he kept everything. And she moved about the space as effortlessly as if she were in her own home—a realization that secretly thrilled him.
“But I’d never leave Hope Hideaway,” she added, instantly deflating his elation. “Fern needs me.”
He slouched on the barstool, his heart sinking. How could he argue with that? He admired her loyalty. And yet, he couldn’t help grasping for straws. “In another life, where would you live? What would you want to do?”
She hesitated as though his line of questioning made her uncomfortable. “In another life?” she repeated slowly.
“Purely hypothetical.”
“Well…” With a contemplative expression, she poured the rich, silky liquid into two stoneware mugs. “I always thought it would be fun to own an inn.”
“Like the Morning Glory Inn?”
“Yes, only with more rooms and enough space to hold workshops and art classes and even have its own restaurant.”
As she spoke, her entire face illuminated from within, and her passion was almost palpable.
“Any idea where you’d want the inn to be located?” he asked, praying she’d say Poppy Creek. Although, he knew his wish was ridiculous.
“Not really. The fantasy never evolved to logistics.”
“When did you first have the idea?”
She settled on the barstool beside him, but faced the living room where Fitz lounged on the couch, chewing his antler. Just like Kat, the pup had made himself at home. And for a brief moment, Jack basked in the glow of what it felt like to have a family again.
“Honestly,” Kat continued, “the thought first came to me during a conversation with my friend Maxine. She’d been staying at Hope Hideaway for a few months, trying to get back on her feet after rehab. She told me the shelter was the closest thing she’d had to a vacation in her entire life.”
“Really?” Jack responded in surprise. “Not even a weekend trip somewhere?”
“She didn’t have the most glamorous life.”
He nodded in understanding, appreciating that she couldn’t go into the details.
She took a long sip before confessing, “It made me realize how many people don’t have the opportunity to stay somewhere nice—to sleep in a luxurious bed, eat delicious food, and spend a few days away from it all.”
His heart melted at