Chapter 1 #2
He looked around the room, scowling a little as he took in the decorations she had spent the afternoon putting up.
Great, a whole town full of happy holiday fans, and she got stuck with Scrooge.
“Bad timing,” she told him cheerfully. “Christmas is the busiest season for us. We’re fully booked.”
“I have a reservation,” he said, moving closer. “Dash Everett.”
Oh. Her last guest of the day. She checked the file. “Here you are. You’re in our most secluded cabin, on the other side of the lake. There’s nobody around, you’ll have all the peace and quiet you need,” she added.
“Good.” Dash nodded, still looking annoyed. Ellie wondered what he wanted all the quiet for. Usually, the holidays were for getting together with friends and family, not travelling to some remote cabin in the middle of the woods.
Still, she was glad. The cabin was far away, and if he didn’t want to be disturbed, that meant she wouldn’t see him—and his distractingly blue eyes—for the rest of the week.
She grabbed his keys and a welcome packet, then paused.
He was wearing jeans and a smart-looking cashmere sweater under his coat, and his boots looked brand-new, not the heavy-duty snow boots they all trampled around in come winter.
“When you made the reservation, they did tell you how… rustic the cabin was?” she checked.
“Yes,” he nodded. “No TV or phone, that’s fine. I need to write, not get distracted by any of this holiday bullshit.”
A brooding, tormented writer. Great.
“OK, just as long as you had fair warning.” Ellie pulled her jacket back on and led him back outside. He followed.
“What’s your name, by the way?” Dash asked.
“Ellie. Ellie Lucas.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Ellie.” He held out his hand. It would have been rude to ignore it, so she reluctantly shook his outstretched hand. It was surprisingly warm, and curled around her fingers in a sure, steady grip.
She looked up into his eyes, and forgot about the freezing temperatures.
Now that’s heat.
Ellie pulled away, unsettled. “The cabin’s this way,” she told him briskly, jabbing her head towards the frozen lake. “You better leave your car here in the lot. We haven’t plowed the lane, and you’ll just wind up getting that thing stuck without snow chains on your tires.”
“How did you know which car is mine?” Dash asked, looking surprised. “I could be the guy in that Jeep.”
Ellie gave him a look. He chuckled. “OK, maybe not,” he continued.
“But in my defense, I just flew in from LA. We don’t really get snow over there unless it’s the synthetic shopping mall kind.
Falling every hour like clockwork in eighty-degree sunshine, while Sinatra croons about chestnuts on an open fire. ”
Los Angeles. Ellie pictured palm trees and golden sands, and pipes that didn’t freeze every December.
If she lived out there, she would never leave, but there was no accounting for taste.
Besides, she reminded herself. He was just visiting.
Icy cold temperatures and snow banks seemed plenty exotic when you had a return ticket in a couple of days.
Anything was charming when you knew you could leave it behind.
Feeling a hollow swell in her chest, she picked up Dash’s duffel and started trudging along the path around the lake. He hurried after her. “I can take that.” He tried to grab his bag.
“It’s fine.” She tugged it back.
“Really, I can’t let you do that.”
“All part of the service,” Ellie said, gritting her teeth stubbornly.
Standoff.
“Are you really going to make me fight you for it?” Dash laughed, looking too damn charming, and with that sexy accent to boot.
She felt a sudden flash of rebellion and let go of the strap. He was thrown by the sudden change in pressure and stumbled back, flailing for a second before he fell on his ass in the snow.
Not so charming now.
“Whoops!” she tried not to smile. “You need to be careful on this ice!”
But Dash didn’t miss a beat. He got to his feet and casually brushed the snow off his pants. “I’m guessing you don’t offer laundry service,” he said wryly – still looking unruffled and way too hot.
“You guess correctly.” Ellie headed on down the path, leaving him to pick up his bag and follow.
The cabin was set back in a grove of bare-branched trees, with a small deck overlooking the lake. In summer, it was their honeymoon spot for amorous couples who wanted to be left alone, but now, it looked kind of foreboding under the layer of snow and ice. Still, he said he wanted seclusion.
Ellie unlocked the door, and stepped aside for Dash. He peered inside. “This is where I’m staying?” His voice sounded dubious.
“Like I said, rustic.”
He chuckled. “I think I’ve seen more luxurious prison camps.”
Ellie frowned. Sure, it wasn’t the Four Seasons, but guests loved how charming their cabins were, how her parents picked out every little detail over the years, adding personal mementos and artwork from around the Cape.
She glared. “If it doesn’t meet your high standards, I can give you some other motels to check. ”
“No, no,” he said quickly. “This will be fine.”
Inside, the wooden cabin was cute, but without real heating, it felt ten degrees colder than outside. Dash gave a visible shiver, and Ellie felt just a little bit guilty.
“You’ve got wood there for the stove, and extra blankets.” She told him.
“Thanks.” Dash slowly looked around.
Ellie paused in the doorway, and gave him one last chance. “Are you sure you can hack it?”