Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Addie somehow made it through dinner with Price without revealing how she longed to be close to him again.
Waking up and having him right there had messed with her mind.
She’d forgotten to be angry and had focused on the word ‘hungry’ for far too long.
She was hungry for conversation and laughter with him, for his touch, for his kiss, for them to be close again.
Neither of them said much as they ate the delicious dinner. She ate too much, having missed lunch. She also managed a sliver of Millie’s apple pie and it was worth every bite.
They cleaned up and she should’ve escaped back to her room, but he said, “Easton and Presley invited us over to decorate gingerbread houses, or we could watch a Christmas movie if you’re wanting to stay here.”
Addie liked his confidence, that he wasn’t begging her for a scrap, but that also made her want to tell him off. He couldn’t just assume she wanted to be with him.
She’d slept the afternoon and early evening away, but she was worn down from all the stress and no sleep last night.
She wasn’t interested in making conversation with the Coleville family or interrupting their family time, no matter how much she liked all of them and how welcoming they were.
At the same time, if she headed back to her room, what would she do?
If she didn’t stay awake for at least a few hours, she’d never sleep through the night.
“We could watch a movie,” she said.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. She should steal a novel from the shelves and hide out in her room.
“All right.”
They walked into the living area and settled down on the plush leather couches. Price looked through Prime and rented Elf with Will Farrell. Thankfully Price didn’t edge closer or touch her during the movie.
He didn’t touch her physically, but she could smell his salt and cedar scent, hear his laughter at all the right moments in the movie, and she could swear she felt the warmth radiating from him. She was tempted to inch closer and simply lean into him.
He’d betrayed her trust, and that wouldn’t heal quickly. Maybe ever. She was being smart with her heart. This time. As opposed to when she had handed it over to him while he was lying to her two days ago.
The movie finished and there was silence.
“I’m going to get outside,” Price said. “Do you want to find some warm clothes and go with me?”
“I would love that,” she admitted before she could stop herself. She was supposed to stay with her bodyguard, but she also wanted to move and be outside. Even if her fingers got chilled.
She’d been stuck inside an airplane or this cabin all day.
True, she’d slept most of the day away, but it was only nine o’clock at night and if she hoped to sleep at all tonight, some movement and outside air might be her only hope.
If only she could do some work remotely or at least check in with work, but apparently that wasn’t happening with protective custody.
With the holidays approaching, nobody would be getting much work done and she’d been caught up on her list before she ended her work day on Friday.
Addie headed up to the master bedroom closet and found a warm ski coat, gloves, a hat, and boots that were only slightly tight. She found Price pacing the main area. He stopped and watched her as she descended the stairs. The intensity and longing in his gaze stole the breath from her lungs.
She had to be strong and not give in to the feelings for him that were still there despite her anger and feelings of betrayal and humiliation.
He opened the door for her, and they walked out onto the porch together. A tall, handsome cowboy who resembled Easton but was obviously older and more serious, waited at the bottom of the steps. He tilted his chin up to them, very tough and manly.
“Evenin’. Sheriff Clint Coleville.”
“Nice to meet you.” Price took her hand and escorted her down the steps.
She should’ve protested his touch, but she had thick gloves on as a barrier.
He was simply making sure she didn’t slip.
They stopped in front of the sheriff, and Price tilted his head to her.
“This is Adeline Belle. I’m Price Sanderson. ”
“Pleased to meet you both. I’ll follow you at a distance.”
“I hate that we’re making you miss gingerbread house decorating,” Addie said.
“You’re not. The crew finished that an hour ago. My wife Lilly is working a shift at the hospital and Mama is ecstatic to get time alone with our baby, Cooper. Honest truth, I don’t mind getting outside.”
“We feel the same,” Addie told him.
He smiled but didn’t say anything else, straightening and gesturing for them to go ahead.
They walked along the front walk and then followed the road back to the main house. The moon sparkled off the thick white snow, and the only sounds were the crunching of their footsteps and their breathing in the crisp night air.
They found a cleared path through the trees behind the main house.
It was wide enough they could walk side by side.
The sheriff gave them some privacy and distance, but neither of them struck up a conversation.
Addie was trying to hold onto her anger.
It was hard to remember in the ethereal beauty of this winter night.
She stared at the snow-covered pine trees and could even see the outlines of the soaring, dark mountains beyond the ranch. Everything was peaceful and unspoiled. It felt like they were on hallowed ground.
Growing up in Arizona, she’d rarely seen snow.
They had snowstorms on The Cape and even more in Boston, but the snow didn’t always stick on The Cape.
It was beautiful there with snow-covered dunes and the ocean and in Boston with all the historic buildings and sites, cemeteries, and parks covered in snow.
But this otherworldly beauty of rural Montana was something she hadn’t seen before.
The only thing she could compare it to was a ski trip to Park City as a teenager. She was truly in a winter wonderland.
“It’s gorgeous,” she murmured.
“It is,” Price agreed. “Thank you for coming out here with me.”
She glanced at him. His dark eyes were sincere but also probing. He wanted to talk with her, wanted to move past the pain they were both experiencing. Addie wasn’t ready for either, so she upped her pace.
They walked quietly for what felt like an hour. She admired the scenery, the crisp invigorating air, and tried to avoid looking at Price.
When they returned to the house, they both thanked Sheriff Clint and headed inside.
She shed her hat and gloves immediately as it was warm inside.
Her fingers were white. She hadn’t noticed the cold, but sometimes when her hands were stuck in gloves and not getting the circulation they needed, her fingers would still turn white even if she didn’t feel chilled.
Price deadbolted the door and armed the alarms and then turned to her. He looked her over very seriously and his mouth turned down. “Addie, your fingers.”
“They’re fine,” she insisted, clutching her hat and gloves.
Price tugged the hat and gloves from her grip and set them on the entry table. He took both of her hands in his. The warmth of his hands seeped into her chilled fingers. He studied her with those dark eyes as he lifted her hands to his mouth and blew warm air onto them.
How could he generate so much heat? How could he be her protector yet she wanted him to be so much more?
Addie’s stomach flipped over. The warmth of his touch, his breath, and his gaze threatened to pull her into a Price cocoon.
She longed to be wrapped in his arms, his head bowing to hers, that warm breath brushing her cheek and then her lips.
She’d slapped him earlier, so angry that he’d dare to consider kissing her.
Right now she’d be in trouble if he tried.
“Well then.” She ripped her hands from his grasp and stepped back. “I think I’ll go take another bath and get some rest.”
“Let’s make cocoa and taste test Millie’s cookies first.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” she said brightly, praying that tomorrow his replacement would come. “Did Aiden find somebody to send so you can enjoy Christmas with your family?”
His mouth tightened and he dropped his hands to the side. “He didn’t. With Christmas and various operatives being out of reach … you might be stuck with me for a few days.”
Her heart slammed against her chest. How was she going to survive emotionally stuck in this cabin with him for a few days?
She could only manage a nod, grabbing her hat and gloves off the side table, and then she literally ran across the main area and up the stairs.
Reaching the loft, she glanced back down at Price.
He was staring up at her, his gaze open and easy to read.
He wanted her forgiveness. He wanted her heart.
Someday she might forgive him, but she couldn’t be so foolish as to let down her guard and let him into her heart again.
The problem was … she feared he’d never left.