“You’re not the only one,” Julia admitted, bending over, hands on her knees as she tried to force her heart to shift from a gallop to a trot. By the time she got her breath back and her pulse down, the initial fury of the storm had passed, taking the fierce wind and heavy rains and leaving a soft, steady drizzle in its wake.

“Oh, I’ll be feeling the effects of that for the next month at least,” he assured her. “It was kind of fun, though.” Luke smiled, pushing rain-slicked hair back from his face.

“Yeah.” Julia straightened. “It was fun.” And even though her lungs were once again at full capacity, she was still finding it hard to breathe when he was smiling at her like that.

Maybe her friends had a point.

Maybe she should allow herself some fun.

Maybe even a little hanky-panky.

She peered into the forest lining the trail. “Do you think we should look for a spot to get out of the rain?”

“I’m pretty sure the worst of it is over. Besides…” He glanced down at his soaked clothes. “It’s not like we’ve got anything left to keep dry.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” She kicked out a leg and wiggled her foot. “I think one toe is still pretty dry.”

“You want to seek shelter in the woods for one toe?”

“Um…” Okay, so the guy wasn’t very good at taking a hint. Or she wasn’t very good at flirting. Probably a bit of both.

“Oh.” A beat later, his eyes lit with understanding. “Oh, right. Your toe.”

Julia almost laughed, he looked so much like an actual lightbulb had clicked on inside his head.

“Yes, of course.” He reached for her hand. “We must do what we can to keep that toe dry.” Luke stepped off the path and slipped. “Whoops-a-daisies.” He straightened and glanced over his shoulder at her. “Careful. The grass is slick.”

“Did you just say ‘Whoops-a-daisies’?”

“Definitely not.” Luke cleared his throat, squinting into the woods. “I think I see a fallen log near that evergreen.” He pointed out the spot. “Will that do?”

“Sure.” Julia suppressed a grin.

They walked together, moving gingerly across the damp forest floor. Once they were both settled, Luke asked, “Well, was our mission to protect your toe from the elements successful?”

“Um…” Julia wiggled her foot again. “Yes. Thank you.”

An awkward silence descended. She glanced around, taking in their impromptu sanctuary. Despite the recent downpour, the log was mostly dry, nestled as it was beneath a big pine tree, its branches thick with needles.

“It’s very cozy here.”

“It is,” Luke agreed.

“Smells like Christmas.”

“It does.”

More awkward silence.