Chapter Four
Harper sat on the double bed in the spare room Kaleb had directed her to for the night, or next few nights depending on how long she’d be stuck there. Winter storms had a mind of their own.
“Best to just make the most of it, not like I had anything to go home to anyway.” She borrowed clothes from Fin to sleep in, a T-shirt and an old pair of flannel pajama bottoms. She assumed he pulled them from his hamper because his scent was all over them, making her insides flutter ridiculously.
After rolling the pants at the top about ten times and they were still too long, she shook her head.
“I didn’t’ realize I was so short.” She laughed at herself as she started to push the door closed.
“Hey there.” A knock on the door had her jumping back. “I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed.”
“Holy crap you scared me.” She stood back as Fin walked into the room and headed straight toward her. With a hand over her heart, she tried to catch her breath.
“Dang it, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Fin’s warm palms rested where her arms were bare from the short sleeve shirt she wore.
His presence took away the chill she had but it created a whole different set of emotions instead.
He was close enough she couldn’t help but breathe in the scent of the aftershave he’d used and the ends of his hair, the color of a dark oak, were still damp.
A vivid mental picture of him naked in the shower had her heart racing again.
Just about made her lose control of her thoughts.
As she looked toward his handsome face, his eyes darkened, as if she were his next meal.
The control was no longer her own when her gaze traveled toward his lips, lush and begging to be kissed.
The magnetic energy evident between them had her body being drawn toward Fin’s bare chest where her hands instinctively landed only seconds before his lips crushed onto hers.
His arms pull her tight to him as the nerves all over her body ignited and she returned his advances with vigor.
His hands roamed over her back and down her body while she twisted her fingers over his tightly muscled shoulders and into his hair.
Neither could fight the attraction a second longer as his fingers fisted into his own t-shirt that she wore, but not for long as he edged it higher to reveal the silky skin hiding underneath.
“I’m sorry for being so forward but I’ve wanted to do this since the moment I saw you.”
Her moans of pleasure only encouraged him and just as he had the material around her shoulders a knock came at the door before it started to push open.
“Hey, are you two oka…”
“Kaleb don’t open the door.” Fin yelled as Harper shrieked, pulling her shirt back into place. She heard Kaleb curse in the hallway with a muttered sorry and his quickened footsteps quieted the further from the door he got.
Fin had wrapped Harper in his embrace to shield her from Kaleb, and he pulled away slightly, resting his forehead against hers. They both smiled. “I’m sorry about that. Damn, every time I turn around, I’m apologizing to you. I sure as hell won’t be apologizing for kissing you though.”
“I would hope not. I wouldn’t accept it anyway. I wanted that just as much as I think you did.”
“Oh, I definitely did. I’m only sorry Kaleb interrupted when he did and ruined the mood.”
She kissed him tenderly but only once and pulled away. “Maybe this time it was for the best. I just met you yesterday Fin and while I’m sure I’ll be cursing myself in about an hour, maybe it was a sign to take things slow?”
“You’re right.” He averted his gaze briefly.
“I don’t know what came over me, well I do know but I need to control it.
” His face reddened a little from embarrassment.
“There’s just something about you that makes me crazy.
You’re ridiculously beautiful, all over, but you’re also a genuinely nice person.
I also like yours sense of humor and I swear your smile lights up the entire room. ”
Harper smacked at Fin. “Stop it, you’re embarrassing me,” but she was grinning proudly. “One last kiss then you’re leaving. I need my beauty sleep.” She grabbed him around the neck and planted a doozy on him then pushed him out and shut the door.
“Good night, Harper,” she heard him call out. Harper leaned against the door until she couldn’t hear him anymore. She folded the clothes she’d left lying on the bed, shut off the lamp and crawled in between the cold sheets. “How the heck am I supposed to sleep now?”
***
Fin blinked, clearing sleep from his eyes, having woken from the best dream he’d ever had. When he turned to the clock, he shook his head.
“Great, are you kidding me? No power. Happens like clockwork, I swear.”
Sometime during the night, the storm must have gotten too bad and coated the transformers with ice.
Electricity doesn’t stand a chance against mother nature.
He should be used to it after living here off and on for so many years.
Good thing his internal clock was set to 5:30 in the morning regardless of the weather.
The room was a little cold, which meant so was the rest of the house, so he got dressed and went to start a fire in the living room.
By the time Harper made it to the kitchen, the girls were dressed and eating breakfast with Kaleb.
“Morning everybody.”
Fin met her at the table, kissing her softly. “Morning, you look refreshed. Did you sleep well?”
“I swear I had the best night of sleep in I don’t even know how long. What happened to the power? I was hoping to watch the weather channel this morning after I slept in much later than this.”
Kaleb grabbed some more coffee and handed Harper a mug while Fin went back to cooking eggs on the wood stove. “Typical winter here in Montana. I caught the tail end of it last night and the thermal maps didn’t look promising.”
Fin set a plate full of food in front of Harper’s seat, motioning for her to sit. “Sorry for dragging you all the way out here and getting you stuck.”
“It’s okay, really.” Harper smiled sweetly at him. “I have nothing to go home to anyway so it’s like a mini vacation.”
I only wish I could make myself feel as relaxed as I just made it all sound.
Anytime she was in the same room as Fin, her insides went haywire. Last night had been a close call. She didn’t want to come off as desperate, but it was a good thing Kaleb interrupted last night when he did because it’d been a long while since she’d been with anyone.
“Maybe I can show you around the farm today? The tractor shouldn’t have any problem getting through the fields if they’re all frozen. Looks like the freezing sleet has taken a break at least for a little while but it is still cold.”
“Oh okay, sounds like fun. I don’t think I really have the clothes to be outside though.”
“I’m sure there’s something around here that’ll fit you.” Kaleb added that he’d be right back with some things and headed upstairs with the twins.
Fin joined Harper at the table to finish his breakfast. Each time she caught Fin looking her way, she could feel her face heat up. Lord I’m acting like a giddy schoolgirl. He is a great kisser though.
“So how did you sleep Fin?” She tried to get her brain away from thinking about his kisses.
“Well for being alone, not bad. I guess the same as I always do. You know if you get lonely or too cold and need someone to warm you, my door is always open.” He tried to keep a serious face, but she knew he was as affected by what happened between them last night as she was.
She’d like nothing more than to let her guard down and give in to him.
Maybe I’m being a little overly cautious, but I just think it’s still a little soon, I haven’t even known him for two days yet.
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks. So, what’s on the agenda for the day besides sightseeing?”
“Whatever you wanna do as long as it doesn’t involve traveling anywhere the tractor can’t take us or using electricity. Not sure when we’ll get that back. Good thing we have a fireplace and a wood burning stove. We’ve definitely had to resort to using them a time or two.”
A few minutes later Kaleb came into the room with a box marked winter. “Here ya go Harper, see if any of this will fit you.”
“Thanks Kaleb, I’ll take good care of it.”
“No worries. You can have it if anything fits you. Maddie would be happy knowing its getting used.” With a somber face, Kaleb set the box on the table and left the room again.
“Fin, is he doing alright? I know how it was to lose my parents and that was hard, but I can’t imagine losing a spouse, someone you committed to spending the rest of your life with. She was so young; they’d only just gotten started.”
“It hasn’t been an easy road for him but he’s doing pretty well most of the time.
He’s started to talk about her more. I think that’s important now that the girls are getting a little older and starting to understand more.
Christmas was always a big deal, so I know Kaleb wants to keep that tradition going for the girls too. ”
“I envy those girls. I don’t remember ever having a Christmas.” Harper stared down into what was left of her luke-warm coffee. “They’re so lucky to still have one parent, and an uncle of course.” She leaned over, nudging Fin with her shoulder.
“So, you didn’t have any Christmas growing up, at all? Where did you go?”
“My parents died when I was young, seven or eight. I don’t’ remember much about them or my childhood, it gets harder the older I get. Anyway, after they died, I became a ward of the state because I had no other family to be found.”
Harper busied herself with the Carharts from the box and a pair of winter boots, surprisingly in her size, while Fin put his winter garb on.
“I was in and out of foster homes until I was fifteen or sixteen. There was a diner in the town in Maryland where my last foster parents lived, and I just hung around bugging everybody until the owner agreed to give me a job washing dishes. Eventually my rented parents told me to beat it, that I was too much trouble so Max, the owner of the diner let me stay in the two room apartment upstairs. I think he and his wife felt sorry for me and she made him do it.”
Once they were both dressed, Fin motioned for Harper to go ahead of him outside. She continued to explain that she’d lived there until she found a want-ad online for the post office in Holly and applied. That was a little more than three years ago.