not dressed or showered or anything.” Then his gaze met mine, excited and a little scared. “Oh my God, what do I wear?”
His excitement was contagious. “Save your shower for when you come back inside and need to thaw out. Do you have boots?”
“I have a pair of Gucci boots I bought on sale.”
I snorted. “Uh, no. I can loan you some. What size are you?”
“A ten.”
“Well, they’ll be big on you but you can wear them.”
“Oh, what size . . .” His gaze went to my socked feet. “Oh my, what big . . . feet you have.”
I chuckled, and a warmth spread in my belly. He was so close I could feel the heat of his body, and I wanted to touch him, his arm, his back, his cheek, those pink lips . . .
But it was hardly appropriate. He was stuck here, for lack of a better word, without a car or phone. To pressure him into anything unwanted would be horrible and he might feel obligated or threatened, and that was akin to a cold shower. I took a step back. “I’ll go find those boots,” I said. “As for pants, do you have thermals?”
“Uh, no.”
“Long johns?”
“Long what?”
I tried not to smile. “You wear them under your jeans or pants.”
“Like leggings or tights?” He sniffed. “I may be a little fem, I’ll admit, but the last time I wore tights was to a fancy-dress ball. I went with Emma, a friend from the office. We went as Belle and the Beast. And I have to say, I rocked that yellow ball gown, but the heels killed me.”
I laughed again. My God, he was funny. “Okay, let me see what I can find.”
When I came back out with some warmer clothes for him, he’d cleaned up most of the breakfast mess I’d made. He was standing at the sink, wearing his expensive loungewear, with a tea towel thrown over his shoulder, looking cute as hell wiping everything down.
And it hit me, with a pang of want and reality, that I could have this. Not Hamish. But I could have someone to share my life with, who could wear his PJs around the house, who would smile when he saw me like Hamish did.
I could have this.
And as much as I liked having Hamish here, the worst part of seeing him being all cute in his PJs was that now I knew I wanted it.
I’d convinced myself all this time that I didn’t need it. That I was content with my store, my home, my life in Hartbridge, just as it was. I didn’t think I could want anything more. I certainly didn’t think it was possible.
And now I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was.
“Everything okay?” Hamish asked.
I’d been standing there, holding the clothes and staring at him like an idiot.
“I wasn’t sure where anything went,” he added uncertainly, gesturing to the things he’d dried but left on the counter.
“Oh, that’s perfect. You didn’t have to clean anything up; you’re a guest here.”
“Hardly. It’s the least I could do after all you’ve done for me.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” I said, quieter than I’d meant to. “Uh, here are some thermals. They’re clean, I promise. I haven’t worn them for years.”
He took them and smiled kindly, just standing there right in front of me. “Thank you.”
I swallowed hard and nodded, and only when his bedroom door snicked close did I exhale. How was it possible to lose my mind after just a few hours with him? It hadn’t even been a day!
Chutney yipped at my feet, which cleared my head a little, so I gave her the bacon that was left and grabbed her coat. I was putting her shoes on when Hamish came out. “Your dog has a coat. And shoes?” he asked. “That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”
I grinned up at him. “I have to keep my baby warm. Last winter when she was just a puppy, she ran through the snow because she loves it, but she almost froze to death.” I shrugged. “And she has to go potty.”
“Fair enough. When a girl’s gotta go, she has to go.” He was wearing some navy pants and a sweater but he was holding a coat. A very pink coat, but at least it looked warm. “These pants will have to do. Believe me when I say, nothing else was fitting into my skinny jeans. I really need to go shopping for snow clothes.” He stuck his