Under the Mistletoe

He freed them both from the blanket and stood up, holding his hand out to her. She took it and he helped her to her feet and then out of the sleigh.

She stood to one side as he thanked the driver and tipped him and then turned back to her. The snow still fell over him, making him look even more strikingly handsome, and for a moment she wondered if she might have made a huge mistake. This arrangement was just supposed to be about having fun, but she saw signs that Will might be the kind of man she wanted in her life for a lot longer than one Christmas.

* * *

TWO DAYS LATER, Will walked through the quaint Park City streets looking for some new ski gear. He and Penny had said good-night at her front door after their sleigh ride and he’d walked away without a kiss. But the ride hadn’t gone exactly to plan. He had meant it as a prelude to seduction but the truth was he liked her. She stirred things deep inside him that he liked to pretend he never felt and didn’t care about.

But that was a lie.

He’d always been one of those men who knew where he was going. When he’d gotten out of rehab, he’d made choices that had pointed him toward his future. He eliminated all the things that were enablers for him.

First order of business: he’d stopped partying 24/7 and started working. A part of him found it surprising that he had the golden touch when it came to making money. But he had found his niche and that was enough for him. However, two nights ago, he’d felt like that had begun to change. He hadn’t slept well since then and he wondered if he would again.

And it was all her fault.

As Will continued his stroll through the town, he paused at the corner where a mural of the Wasatch Mountain Range was on the side of Fresh Sno’s retail store. It was really well done.

“Nice picture, eh?”

He glanced over his shoulder to see Penny standing there. She had a Fresh Sno bag in one hand. Her blond hair was hanging around her shoulders under a pink knit hat. Her coat was a deep turquoise wool and she had it buttoned to the top with the scarf he’d given her wrapped around her neck.

“Yes, it is. Are you following me?” he asked with a grin. For the first time in a long time, he was struggling to keep his flirtations light. He knew that was a danger sign. It might be better for both of them if he just walked away now. They hadn’t even slept together. No harm, no foul.

“Following you? No, not at all. I decided I need a little retail therapy and my friend Bradley owns this place. He’s the guy half of my cutesy friend couple. I stopped by to get some new ski gear. Want to join me on the slopes?”

Just like that, she made it seem normal that he hadn’t talked to her in one entire day. They had only a limited number of days to spend together and he’d wasted one.

“Sorry about not being able to see you yesterday.” He’d sent her a note via the hotel concierge desk that he’d had to work.

“It’s fine. To be honest, this arrangement is harder for me than I thought it would be. But I understand about having work commitments so it’s not a big deal.” She spared him a look. “Of course, if we were a real couple, it might have bothered me. But that’s clearly not the case...”

Work had been a convenient excuse, but he’d needed distance and now he regretted it. He’d never been a coward— Ha! his conscience jibed. Alcohol had been his crutch a long time ago and now it seemed like Penny was.

“Any word from the people in New York on your new job?” he asked.

“Just that they were still weighing their options and would be getting back to me in the new year. So I have nothing else to do in the meantime.” She flashed him a coy look. “And the way I see it, I have two options here. I can either distract myself by having fun with you, or I can just relive my interview over and over again, trying to come up with all the things I could have done better.”

He was willing to bet she’d wowed them. Penny had that thing that made people notice her. Made her stand out.

“I don’t want to be responsible for all that misery,” he deadpanned. “So skiing? That’s your idea for today?”

“Yes. I’m not an expert at it, and I’m certainly not very daring, but I do like to spend a few hours on the slopes. Want to join me?”

“I would enjoy that. But I could use some new ski gear, too,” he said. “That’s why I’m here at Fresh Sno. I’ve heard about the brand and directed several of my investment clients toward them, so I thought I’d check out their retail space.”

“I’ll leave you to your shopping, then. Want to meet me at the ski rental at the Lodge in two hours?” She was being more cautious with him today. But then in the light of day that wasn’t too surprising. Night seemed to be the time for daring.

“Want to join me? Where else are you going?”

“That kitchen shop up the block. I need some sprinkles for cookies,” she said.

“I think the ones at the Lodge’s bakery come with sprinkles.”

She flashed a grin. “They do, wise guy, but I’m making my own. I mean you have to bake cookies at Christmas. I think it’s a law or something.”

“I’ve never done it. I hope the cops don’t find out,” he said.

“You’re kidding, right?”

He shook his head.

“That’s sad, Will. Really sad. You’ve spent your whole life missing out on eating the batter and broken cookies.”

He wrinkled his nose. “I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.”

She nodded. “Well, it is. I’m not baking cookies until Saturday. Want to come to my place and help me?”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll do that. Which kitchen store are you going to?”

She pointed to the big chain kitchen store down the block. The streets were draped with festive garland. “If you meet me there after you get your ski gear, you can pick out a couple of cookie cutters, too.”

He nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

She smiled at him. “Later then.”

He stood where he was, watching her walk away and wondering when he’d lost control of this affair. He had a feeling that it had started the moment her cell phone had come flying out of nowhere. As soon as he’d seen that pink jewel-covered case, and those long legs, he should have run in the opposite direction.

She was different than what he was used to. He didn’t know if that would have any impact on him, but he hoped not. He didn’t want his world to change.

Change. It was the one thing he feared the most. But he was coming to realize that there was a certain thrill in facing his fears, and he certainly wasn’t ready to throw in the towel where Penny was concerned.

5 (#ub9b12f0c-4326-52d8-b963-1c62d4251ac0)

THE KITCHEN STORE was jam-packed with high-end appliances and prepackaged baking mixes. But what Penny was interested in wasn’t the baking section. Why hadn’t Will ever baked Christmas cookies? She didn’t mean as a man, but as a kid. Even her co-workers all had stories, men and women alike, of being in the kitchen at the holidays. Even if they didn’t bake them, most men stood in the kitchen, pretended to decorate and ate them fresh out of the oven.

It was one of those things she and her mom had made a tradition of when Penny was about ten. Prior to that, they’d bought cookies from a small mom-and-pop place that was a few blocks from their house. But the bakery had closed since the couple wanted to retire and move to Florida, so her mother had suggested they make their own. Penny had a chuckle at the way they’d both been very unskilled at first, but over the years, they had gotten a lot better. Still smiling to herself, she browsed the baking section. Her chalet had a small kitchen with a tiny oven so she took a few moments to get all the necessities.

“Is an elf going to be cooking with you?” Will said as he joined her like they’d agreed. He reached into her basket to remove the small spatula she’d just tossed in her bag.

“No, silly. That’s a cookie spatula—it enables you to get the cookies from the tray without scrunching them up.”

He furrowed his dark brow. “Interesting. What kind of cookies are you making?”

“We are making a basic sugar-cookie dough and then rolling it out, cutting it into cookies, baking them and then frosting them.”

“Sounds like a lot of work,” he said with a grimace. “I think I might have to wait for the eating them part. Maybe just supervise you working...”

“Are you good at supervising?”