‘Great,’ she whispered, disregarding – but not forgetting – their obstacles the moment she got the opportunity to be with him.

She dropped Niall home first, helping him carry the easel to the door of his comfortable family home, happy she needn’t venture into Mac’s house. For once, Daisy and Niall didn’t ask to be allowed to hang out because Daisy had picked up two last-minute orders for wreaths and needed to go home to make them. Laurel stowed her canvas in the studio and Daisy took Isla’s watercolours indoors, destined for Rea’s office. Then Laurel skipped back to Mistletoe Cottage, just as the snow began again, whispering down as if Mother Nature had spotted that people and cars had churned up the last fall and wanted to tidy it up.

Grady’s truck was already in his drive, and its cooling engine ticked a greeting as Laurel passed. She didn’t have a chance to knock as the door opened and she found herself tugged inside and kissed deeply, urgently, robbing her of breath and sending her heart and stomach crazy as the door closed behind her. Wordlessly, he unzipped her coat and threw it to the floor, pulled off her hat and tossed it over his shoulder.

She gurgled a laugh. ‘Grady …!’

‘Upstairs?’ he whispered, sliding his hands up inside her top, skimming over her skin, cupping her breasts.

His intensity was contagious. ‘Upstairs,’ she agreed. Stairs could be difficult when you were trying to kiss and undress each other but they made it to the top somehow, crashing across the landing, and bouncing through the door and onto Grady’s bed. Before long he was cradling her naked body against his, kissing, nibbling, loving her.

She thought of nothing else – literally nothing – for the next couple of hours.

But afterwards, after Grady had been downstairs to grab a late-night snack of biscuits and hot chocolate, her anxiety began to surface. ‘I saw Pippa crying in your arms last night.’

He stilled, a dunked biscuit halfway to his mouth. ‘She was upset. I repeated that there’s no future for us. I think she instigated the hug.’ He sounded defensive.

Laurel stared at the island of froth on the top of her hot chocolate. ‘It crossed my mind that maybe if I wasn’t around you’d find a way to make a life with Pippa. Have the chance to be a dad.’

Grady swore. ‘It’s not Pippa I’m in love with.’

Laurel wasn’t sure if she should apologise but still asked, ‘But just say I wasn’t in the picture—’

‘I would not be setting up a family home with Pippa,’ he finished firmly. His expression softened. ‘I want to be with you, Laurel. Full stop.’

Although he smiled, she realised she’d caused offence and changed the subject. ‘I have a dealer visiting the studio tomorrow at noon.’ She told him about Selina Sullivan buying the picture of the two little boys.