A Fairytale Christmas by Susan Meier Read Free Book Online Page B

“That’s okay. I don’t want a ride.”
    “Sure you do. I heard you laughing at Brody’s fun.”
    She took another step back. “I know, but I’m kind of scared.”
    “Scared? Haven’t you ever done this before?”
    “When I was ten or twelve. But not lately.”
    “It’s fun,” Brody said, cresting the hill, obviously having heard their conversation. He offered the sled to her. “Go ahead.”
    She shook her head fiercely.
    Drew took the sled from Brody with one hand and caught her hand with the other. Before she knew what he was about to do, she was pushed down on the sled and Drew landed heavily on top of her. She didn’t even have time to squeak out a protest. With the extra weight, the sled didn’t fly down the hill the way it had with only Brody on top. Instead, it careered drunkenly. When they hit the bottom, it tilted. Drew rolled off and Gwen rolled on top of him, the breath knocked out of her.
    She sucked in some air, then some more, then suddenly realized she was on top of Drew. He blinked up at her. She stared down at him. In that moment they weren’t a boss and his assistant. He wasn’t old. She wasn’t young. They were just two people. Two people incredibly attracted to each other.
    The air suddenly became heavy with promise. All she had to do would be to let her head fall a bit and she could kiss him. All he had to do would be to slide his hand a fraction of an inch and he could be touching her bottom.
    “Hey! You guys aren’t hurt, are you?” Brody’s voice got closer with every word, and Gwen realized he was running down the hill. His boots stopped beside her and she raised her gaze to look at him.
    “We’re fine.” But her voice came out as a croak. She’d beenfighting this thing with Drew ever since she first saw him. He was too good-looking. Any woman would find him attractive. But lying on top of him as she was had somehow made it all real. Everything that had seemed vague and dreamlike about considering a relationship with him suddenly felt real.
    Possible.
    Brody held his hand out to her. “Here.”
    She glanced at Drew. Their eyes locked. And it didn’t take a genius to know his thoughts had gone in the same direction hers had. That was why it all suddenly felt possible. They weren’t merely attracted, they were becoming friends. Sort of. When they weren’t arguing or negotiating.
    Realizing she had lingered a little too long, she took Brody’s hand. He hoisted her up and she brushed the snow off her jacket and jeans. Then she checked the baby monitor, breathing a sigh of relief when it was not only in one piece, but also silent.
    She waved the monitor at the Teaberrys. “I better go check on Claire.”
    She didn’t even wait to see Drew’s reaction. She simply headed up the hill, walked into the house, checked on her sleeping baby and started lunch.
    She refused to think about the possibility she’d felt at the bottom of that snowy hill. Though she did laugh. Damned if he hadn’t gotten her on the sled.
    She made lunch—soup and sandwiches—but didn’t eat with the Teaberrys. As they laughed and talked about sledding, tingles of awareness pirouetted through her, so she excused herself and went back to work on decorating the living room. She liked Drew. She liked him a lot. Yes, they had their differences, but in some ways that was what made their relationship interesting.
    She groaned in her head. Now she was calling what theyhad a relationship? She was getting too connected to him and his son, and when they left she was going to be hurt. She remembered very well how it had felt to be left behind by Nick when she’d told him she was pregnant. She remembered the pain. The chest-tightening sadness that the man she’d thought she loved didn’t care enough about her to help her through a pregnancy. It had taken six months to get beyond her depression and another three to feel happy again. Did she really want to repeat all that pain when she had a chance to avoid it