“Breathe in the moment. Snow can be magical.”

She raised her head and closed her eyes. Tiny snowflakes landed on her face and melted away. He studied her, thinking there was something about her. Something unexpected and appealing and—

Impulsively he leaned forward and lightly brushed her mouth with his. Her eyes popped open and she stared at him.

“You kissed me.”

“I did.”

He closed the scant distance between them and kissed her again, this time lingering. Her mouth was soft against his. Wanting stirred, but more important to him was the sense that he liked her. She was a good person who made him laugh, and when he was with her, he felt at peace with the world.

He pulled off his gloves and stuffed them in his pockets, then cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. Her lips parted in an age-old invitation. He deepened the kiss, tasting her and—

Cold rain pelted them. Dena shrieked and pulled him back toward the carriage house. He followed, ducking under the overhang of the upstairs landing.

When they were both under cover, they stared at each other. He had no idea what she was thinking, but as far as he was concerned, the day had taken a very nice turn for the better.

He debated what to do next. Inviting her inside so they could pick up where they’d left off seemed the most obvious option. Not that he would push her toward his bed. It was too soon, and she wouldn’t be comfortable with that. But he liked that he wanted to go there with her. Specifically with her.

Her big brown eyes searched his face, as if she were trying to read his thoughts. He smiled at her.

“You all right?” he asked.

She nodded. “You and Electra really aren’t, um, you know?”

“We’re not. You have my word.”

“Okay. Then I should probably let you get back to work.” She gave him a quick smile before hurrying away.

Micah watched her go, thinking she really was amazing. Then he stepped inside. Once he’d taken off his coat and hung it on the rack, he reached for his guitar.

Even before he sat on the sofa, he heard the words in his head. But then the snow fell. There you were, with snowflakes in your hair. There you were, teaching me to care. As the snow fell, I fell.

He stopped playing long enough to turn on the recorder on his phone. Then he started from the beginning.

Eighteen

It took Toby far less than the twenty-four hours Reggie had predicted for him to, as she had put it, get his head out of his ass. Around two in the morning, after hours of tossing and turning, he began to understand that he’d handled everything badly. He’d been an idiot, and he’d made a fool of himself. Worse, he’d hurt Reggie.