She trembled in his arms. “I—” she breathed as the sharp ping of an incoming text sliced through the cabin, severing their connection.
She sank from her tiptoe position, then took a step back, and broke free of his embrace.
She pulled her cell phone from her pocket. “It’s a text from Lori. Everyone’s wondering where we are.” She glanced up at him as the light from her smartphone illuminated her face. “I’ll tell her not to worry and that we’re on our way.”
He took a step back as well and ran his hands down his scruffy jaw. “Yeah, we should get going.”
They threw snow on the last of the dying embers, extinguishing the last glimmers of orange light, and he propped the door closed with a few logs. With the intimacy of their exchange interrupted, a heavy silence stretched between them.
Did she regret sharing her past with him?
Bridget held the flashlight as they followed their boot prints, passing evergreen after evergreen, neither uttering a word. His mind spun with not only the events of the evening but the events of the last four days.
Four days!
He’d known this woman for ninety-six hours, give or take, and he could not for the life of him remember who he was before he’d fallen victim to her infuriating charms.
They entered the mountain house to find the main gathering room empty. Lit only by the Christmas trees twinkling in the corners, he followed Bridget down the hallway toward their room. She reached for the doorknob when another door a few rooms down swung open, and Lori poked her head out into the darkened corridor.
“Are you guys okay?” she whispered.
He stared at her. This was the first time he’d seen Bridget’s sister since Tom dropped the pregnancy news, and all he felt was emptiness.
“We’re fine. Is Cole okay?” Bridget asked.
Tom joined Lori in the doorway. “Yeah, he’s fine. He was out like a light the minute Denise put him in bed, then everyone decided to call it a night.”
Bridget’s shoulders slumped a fraction. “I’m so glad he’s safe, but I’m sorry for ruining your evening. I should have kept a better eye on him.”
Tom wrapped his arm around Lori. “Don’t sweat it, Birdie. Everyone’s fine. That’s what matters, right, Scooter?”
He nodded in a daze. “Yeah.”
It was like living in some strange alternate universe. There was his best friend. They’d been inseparable for years, and now, they were on the cusp of the ultimate separation. Lori had replaced him, and a child would further widen the gulf.
“Is everything okay, Scooter?”
He blinked to find Lori staring at him.
“What do you mean?”
The woman cocked her head to the side. “You have a strange look on your face.”
He glanced away. “I’m tired. It’s been a long night—that’s all.”
Bridget turned the knob and opened the door to their room. “We should all get some rest. Tomorrow’s a big day. We’ve got the rehearsal and then—”
“Then, I plan on eating as many of those little ball éclair thingies as I can. Lori says it’s one of your signature desserts,” Tom replied with a grin, and he barely recognized the man.
They’d summited Everest, went skydiving in New Zealand, and had picked up women all over the globe.
Now, the guy was jazzed about balls of dough.
“He can’t wait for the croquembouche!” Lori added, patting Tom’s cheek.
“Well, good night,” Bridget said, throwing a pointed glance his way.
Christ! What did he do now?
He closed the door behind them and turned on a lamp just as she spun on her heels to face him.
“You can’t even summon up a sliver of kindness toward my sister, can you?” she snapped, eyes flashing.
He took off his coat and slung it onto the sleeper bed. “What are you talking about?”
Color rose to her cheeks as she paced in front of him. “Just now! The contempt in your eyes! It makes me want to…”
“Makes you want to do what?” he asked, gripping her elbows and holding her in place.
Her eyes glittered with that damned determination that made him want to shut her up with a kiss that left them both breathless.
She lifted her chin. “It makes me want to hate you, but I can’t.”
“Why not? Why can’t you hate me? You can see that I don’t want Tom to marry your sister.”
There! Now, the gloves were off. But just as quickly as she’d switched into the take no prisoners vixen, her gaze softened.
“I don’t think my sister is the only issue you have with this wedding.”