Christmas In Silver Bell Falls by Samantha Chase Page A

of that away and act rashly and recklessly and not worry about the consequences.  See him naked?  She did last night in her dreams. 
    Beside her, Josiah cleared his throat.  Melanie looked at him and saw the smirk on his face and felt herself blush. 
    “The fact that you didn’t immediately shut me down tells me you’re considering it,” he said silkily. 
    Melanie’s eyes met his and she saw heat there and knew it mirrored her own.  She was stuck here for three months and then she’d be gone.  Could she possibly let go and let herself enjoy her time here and have it include the sexy sheriff?
    “At the end of three months I’m going back to North Carolina,” she blurted out.
    Josiah seemed to know exactly what she was implying.  “So you’ve said.”
    “It’s true.  I…I don’t normally get involved with someone when I know it’s going to be short-term.”
    He nodded.  “I was offering you the chance to see me naked.  I wasn’t trying to talk you into changing your life or making a commitment.”
    “Oh,” she said quietly.  “I mean…okay…that’s good.”  She nodded quickly and fidgeted with the door handle.  “Um…we should probably get those groceries inside.”  When she went to open the door, Josiah’s hand on her arm stopped her.  For a brief moment, Melanie was afraid to meet his gaze.
    “Hey,” he said softly and waited until she did finally look up at him.  “I think I’m as out of my comfort zone right now as you are.  I don’t…what I mean is…I don’t usually tease like this.  In the past, I had a tendency to take things slowly and see where it led.  But I look at you, Melanie, and I don’t want to wait and see.  The clock is already ticking and if that means throwing caution to the wind and jumping in with both feet right now so we spend as much time as we can together until you leave, then I’m willing to do that.”
    Her eyes went a little wide at his words.  “I wasn’t expecting you,” she said, gazing at his face in wonder.
    Josiah leaned in closer.  “I wasn’t expecting you either, but now that you’re here, I’m extremely grateful.”
    A small sigh of relief at his words had Melanie relaxing a bit.  “This is crazy,” she whispered.  “We don’t even know each other.”
    “And yet we seem to know each other quite well.  When we talk, it’s like I know what you’re going to say.  You can read my mind and it’s the same for me.  We can sit here and question it and try to make sense of it, but all we’re doing is cheating ourselves out of time where we could be together.”
    “We’re together right now…”
    He shook his head.  “You know what I’m saying.”  With a sigh, he pulled back.  “Just…promise me you’ll think about it.”
    As if she’d be able to think of anything but. 
    Without another word, they each climbed from the truck.  Josiah helped her carry her groceries into the cabin before taking care of his own.  Melanie wanted to ask if he was going to come back over when he was done, but she knew she needed some time to think about what they had just discussed.  As much as she wanted to be that carefree person, she knew she’d need a little time to think.
    With the last bag in her hand, Josiah turned and faced her, stepping in close.  “I’m not going to rush you or push,” he said softly.  “You know where I stand on this.  And if you think it’s something you’d like to…explore, I’ll be right over here waiting.”  And before she knew it, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before turning and walking away.
    Waiting until Josiah was in his tiny house, Melanie let out the breath she was holding.  Holy heck…what was she supposed to do now?  Turning, she walked into the cabin and closed the door behind her.  She moved around putting food away as if in a trance. 
    Three months.
    She had three months away from her normal life to be…whatever she wanted to be.  Sure