Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy - Janice Lynn Page 0,42
moon and artificial lights from cars and four-wheelers.
“I didn’t believe you, but you’re right,” she said.
His brow lifted as he waited for her to tell him what he was right about.
“I also can’t believe I’m doing this, but…” She gave him a nervous look, her eyes big, her lower lip disappearing between her teeth.
“But?” he prompted, barely managing to stop himself from reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair back into her toboggan hat. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and her nose matched. But her eyes were warm and threatened to thaw everything deep inside him.
“But…” She sucked in a deep breath, looked torn, then lifted her chin as if gathering her courage. “Because you’re Santa Cole and I want back on the nice list…I’m giving you permission.”
As soon as her words registered, so did the snowball she lobbed toward him that smacked into his right shoulder.
“Gotcha!” Laughing, she broke into a run toward where Andrew waited with the four-wheeler.
“Start your engine,” she yelled to his friend. “Hurry. Hurry. Get me out of here. Quick.”
“Don’t involve me in this,” Andrew answered, sounding amused.
Shaking his head and not even trying to contain his laughter, Cole hit her mid-back with the first of his snowballs. He hadn’t thrown very hard as he didn’t want to hurt her, but the snowball had been big enough to have a sizeable impact.
Still on the move, she scooped up snow and tossed it behind her. It fell in more of a shower spray than a ball.
“He’s gaining on you,” Andrew warned just as Cole grabbed her waist and spun her toward him.
Laughing, Sophie stared up at him. “Uh-oh. I’m in for it now.”
He pulled her to him. “I didn’t know you could predict the future.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Would it help if I said I was sorry?”
“Are you sorry?”
She gave a faux-innocent look, then shook her head and attempted to kick snow at him. “Not in the least.”
Cole couldn’t suppress the laughter that broke free from his chest. “Then you understand and forgive what I’m about to do?”
She twisted her mouth, considering. “I didn’t say that.”
“But you will.”
“Now who’s predicting the future?” She didn’t look the slightest bit daunted despite the fact that he held her and threatened her with snow.
“I shouldn’t have turned you to where I could see your face,” he admitted out loud. It would have been much easier to retaliate if he wasn’t looking into her lovely eyes.
“Why’s that? You going soft?” she teased.
He shook his head. “Nope. It’s just a shame such a pretty face is about to make a snow angel.”
“I like snow angels,” she said softly, her breath making a cloud puff in the air.
“You look like a snow angel,” he admitted, then held up the snow cupped in his other gloved hand. “At least, you will in just a few seconds.”
Her mouth opened in protest and she wiggled against him in her first attempt to free herself. “Cole!”
“Hmm?” he said, as he slowly moved his hand toward her.
“Please don’t.” She made a pretense of shivering, her movements way too exaggerated to be real. “I’ll be cold.”
Even though he knew what she was doing, Cole paused, letting her think she had the upper hand.
Knowing he was enjoying himself more than he had in a long time.
“I wouldn’t want that,” he answered honestly, taking note of her breathing, everything about her, so he’d know the precise moment she planned to make her move.
Just as he’d expected, Sophie wiggled enough that she thought she’d freed herself, batted her lashes, then, quick as a flash, dove for the snow.
Cole let her.
But as she came up with her hands full, he tossed his snow first.
As the spray of snow covered her, she sputtered, then, losing her balance, fell back onto her bottom. Despite bursting into laughter, she flung snow at him as quickly as she could from her seated position.
Cole dodged her onslaught and got in a few more snowballs of his own.
“You were messing with me,” she accused, laughing as she flattened her palms against the ground to push herself up. When her foot slipped and she plopped right back down, smiling, she shook her head. “Now look what you’ve gone and done. Knocked a girl down so hard that she can’t get up. You were just waiting for me to do that, weren’t you?”
Cole reached for her hand. “Did you really think I didn’t know what you were planning? Subtlety isn’t one of your virtues.”