each other.”
The air in her chest stuttered. She licked her suddenly dry lips. He was right. Since the fall off the sled neither one of them could pretend indifference. Still, she hadn’t expected him to come right out and talk about it.
“But our lives are totally different. I’m not going to startsomething that I know is wrong. So if you agree to stay nights you’ll be perfectly safe with me.”
His reassurance should have made her happy. After all, he was right about the drive down the mountain at night. Instead, her heart hurt. Her pride felt wounded. He might be attracted to her, but he absolutely, positively didn’t want to be. He’d sent her that message every day in subtle, silent ways. And she’d caught it. That was why she held back her own feelings.
But she still had them, and spending more time with him, no matter how convenient and smart it might be, would only add fuel to the fire. She wasn’t just attracted to him anymore. She had real feelings for him, and was getting a little too comfortable in this house.
She looked down, then back up at him. “How about if I think about it?”
He nodded, maybe a little too eagerly, as if happy to have the awkward conversation over. “Okay.”
Her heart plummeted. It was one thing to decide herself to keep her distance, quite another to have him come right out and say he didn’t want anything to do with her.
CHAPTER SIX
A S IF Mother Nature wanted Teaberry Farms opening day to be a grand success, the snow stopped the next morning. Gwen arrived at the Teaberry mansion to find Max, Drew and Brody sitting at the kitchen table. Jovial Max laughed like a kid at Christmas, Drew grinned—looking every bit as excited as Max—and Brody pouted.
“The three of us will have our work cut out for us this morning,” Max said over the rim of his coffee mug. “It’s two weeks till Christmas. People are going to be coming in droves. I think it will work best if two of us assist the customers and one mans the cash register.”
Brody snorted derisively. Drew nodded. “I’ll take the cash register.” He glanced at Gwen, his eyes cool, emotionless, telling her with their lack of expression that she truly was safe with him. “I’m expecting a fax around eleven. If I stay in one place all morning, you’ll know where to find me when it comes in.”
Turning to get a cup from the cupboard, so he wouldn’t see the hurt in her eyes, she said, “Okay.”
With that, the men rose from the table. Max and Drew grabbed the coats they stored on the hooks by the kitchen door. Brody had to go upstairs for his. In a silent protest atthe work he had to do, he’d stopped leaving his parka by the door, so he could delay going outside while he got it.
Seeing a flicker of apprehension race across Drew’s face, Gwen said a silent prayer that everything would go okay, and within seconds the men were outside and the Christmas tree farm was officially open.
Gwen carried Claire’s swing into the dining room and went to work. She cleaned first, then began to decorate. She strung lights and tinsel through the arms of the chandelier above the long mahogany table, looped tinsel above the tan brocade drapes, and made a centerpiece of evergreens and Christmas tree ornaments for the table.
She longed to see if Drew and Max had any customers. She knew how much Drew was banking on the Christmas tree farm impressing Jimmy Lane. The old man was dragging his feet in negotiations, ignoring Drew’s e-mails, and only corresponding enough that Drew knew he hadn’t totally lost the possibility of buying Jimmy’s company. So Gwen was too apprehensive to even let herself look out the window at their success or failure. It was ridiculous. Foolish. Caring too much about a man who clearly didn’t want her was almost as bad as wishing a man would return to her life the way her mom had. She knew better than this.
When Drew’s fax arrived at eleven-thirty, she put on her coat and walked out the
The air in her chest stuttered. She licked her suddenly dry lips. He was right. Since the fall off the sled neither one of them could pretend indifference. Still, she hadn’t expected him to come right out and talk about it.
“But our lives are totally different. I’m not going to startsomething that I know is wrong. So if you agree to stay nights you’ll be perfectly safe with me.”
His reassurance should have made her happy. After all, he was right about the drive down the mountain at night. Instead, her heart hurt. Her pride felt wounded. He might be attracted to her, but he absolutely, positively didn’t want to be. He’d sent her that message every day in subtle, silent ways. And she’d caught it. That was why she held back her own feelings.
But she still had them, and spending more time with him, no matter how convenient and smart it might be, would only add fuel to the fire. She wasn’t just attracted to him anymore. She had real feelings for him, and was getting a little too comfortable in this house.
She looked down, then back up at him. “How about if I think about it?”
He nodded, maybe a little too eagerly, as if happy to have the awkward conversation over. “Okay.”
Her heart plummeted. It was one thing to decide herself to keep her distance, quite another to have him come right out and say he didn’t want anything to do with her.
CHAPTER SIX
A S IF Mother Nature wanted Teaberry Farms opening day to be a grand success, the snow stopped the next morning. Gwen arrived at the Teaberry mansion to find Max, Drew and Brody sitting at the kitchen table. Jovial Max laughed like a kid at Christmas, Drew grinned—looking every bit as excited as Max—and Brody pouted.
“The three of us will have our work cut out for us this morning,” Max said over the rim of his coffee mug. “It’s two weeks till Christmas. People are going to be coming in droves. I think it will work best if two of us assist the customers and one mans the cash register.”
Brody snorted derisively. Drew nodded. “I’ll take the cash register.” He glanced at Gwen, his eyes cool, emotionless, telling her with their lack of expression that she truly was safe with him. “I’m expecting a fax around eleven. If I stay in one place all morning, you’ll know where to find me when it comes in.”
Turning to get a cup from the cupboard, so he wouldn’t see the hurt in her eyes, she said, “Okay.”
With that, the men rose from the table. Max and Drew grabbed the coats they stored on the hooks by the kitchen door. Brody had to go upstairs for his. In a silent protest atthe work he had to do, he’d stopped leaving his parka by the door, so he could delay going outside while he got it.
Seeing a flicker of apprehension race across Drew’s face, Gwen said a silent prayer that everything would go okay, and within seconds the men were outside and the Christmas tree farm was officially open.
Gwen carried Claire’s swing into the dining room and went to work. She cleaned first, then began to decorate. She strung lights and tinsel through the arms of the chandelier above the long mahogany table, looped tinsel above the tan brocade drapes, and made a centerpiece of evergreens and Christmas tree ornaments for the table.
She longed to see if Drew and Max had any customers. She knew how much Drew was banking on the Christmas tree farm impressing Jimmy Lane. The old man was dragging his feet in negotiations, ignoring Drew’s e-mails, and only corresponding enough that Drew knew he hadn’t totally lost the possibility of buying Jimmy’s company. So Gwen was too apprehensive to even let herself look out the window at their success or failure. It was ridiculous. Foolish. Caring too much about a man who clearly didn’t want her was almost as bad as wishing a man would return to her life the way her mom had. She knew better than this.
When Drew’s fax arrived at eleven-thirty, she put on her coat and walked out the
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