Authors: Jemma Grey
The cabin felt
lonely without Henri’s music and laughter.
The cabin felt
lonely without Henri.
Kate had the
sudden urge to ask him to stay. Maybe she wasn’t really ready to face
Christmas alone! The words caught in her throat. What would Henri think of
her if she asked him to stay? He had seemed disappointed to be spending the
holiday alone, maybe he might actually
want
to stay.
Henri grabbed his
suitcase and opened the door of the cabin. A gust of chilly wind blew the door
open fully, allowing a flurry of snow to rush into the cabin.
“Whoa!” Henri
exclaimed as he stepped out of the cabin.
The weather had
changed for the worst while they had enjoyed dinner. A full on blizzard had
settled over Snoqualmie Pass, making the prospect of driving back to Seattle nearly impossible. Henri couldn’t even see his Audi, which was parked mere feet
from the front door of the cabin.
He glanced over
his shoulder, snowflakes still rushing into the cabin, unsure of how to
proceed.
“Get back in
here!” Kate exclaimed, her heart thundering expectantly in her chest. She
reached forward and gently tugged on Henri’s arm. “It would be crazy to drive
home in that!”
“Are you sure? I
hate to impose,” Henri said as he shut the door.
“Of course I’m
sure!” Kate said. “Especially if you have more of that wine,” Kate laughed as
she drug Henri back into the kitchen.
Henri smiled lop-sidedly.
He silently admitted to himself that he
had
wanted to stay. In only a
few short hours, Kate Murray had turned his pathetic, lonely Christmas upside
down.
“I think that I
just might. I’ll sleep on the couch and leave first thing in the morning,”
Henri said as he parked his suitcase and took off his coat and hat.
..ooOoo..
“Wake up sleep
head,” Kate said softly as she sat on the coffee table in front of the couch
where Henri slept. She had secretly enjoyed watching him sleep. She reached
out a cup of coffee, not even knowing if Henri drank coffee.
Henri grabbed her
offering, gracing her with a sleepy smile.
“Christmas won’t
be complete without a tree,” Kate said cheerily. “I was hoping that you might
help me cut one before you go?” she asked hopefully.
Henri laughed and
took a sip of coffee. It was strong and black, just how he liked it. “Is it
even legal to cut one?” he asked as he arched an eyebrow at Kate.
“This
is
your
cabin,” Kate laughed. “And there must be some trees on your property,” she
said with a devilish smile.
“Alright,” Henri
laughed as he took another sip of coffee. “I do think that you might be a bad
influence upon me, Kate,” he teased.
“I hope so,” she
chided as she stood up and went to find her snow boots.
Henri smiled as he
watched Kate walk away.
She made his heart
beat a little faster. How on Earth had he been so lucky to have had Kate
Murray fall right into his life?
..ooOoo..
“Are you sure that
I can’t help you? Looks pretty steep…” Henri called, his words trailing off as
Kate went barreling down the hill. “And they wonder why chivalry is dead,” he
muttered, smiling slightly as he drug the tree behind him. Kate was a
beautiful, intriguing and very independent woman.
She was absolutely
perfect.
Kate glanced over
her shoulder. Henri was most certainly flirting with her. He had been all day
and she had shamelessly returned his attentions. Never in her life had she
felt such raw attraction to a man. She knew that he had planned to leave this
morning, but in her heart, she was happy that Henri had taken her up on the
invitation to go cut a Christmas tree.
It had been a
desperate ploy at best, but it had worked.
It was almost eleven o’clock, and Henri was still here.
“Whoa!” Kate
screamed as slipped on the snow and tumbled the rest of the way down the hill,
landing with a thud at the bottom.
“Are you alright?”
Henri shouted, his voice concerned as he ran down the hill after her,
abandoning the tree at the top.
“Fine!” Kate
called as she brushed the icy snow from her coat. She had lost her hat and
gotten frigid snow down the front of her shirt. This would teach her to rebuke
the offer of help from a chivalrous man, she thought as a giggle broke free.
“Are you sure
you’re alright?” Henri asked as he skidded to a stop and dropped down to his
knees beside her in the snow.
“I’m fine,
really!” Kate giggled as she brushed more snow away from her face.
Henri’s face lit
up as he watched Kate laughing in the snow bank. She was so beautiful and just
hearing her high, melodic laugh made happiness swell within his chest. He
began to laugh too, a deep rumbling sound that resounded through the snow
covered trees.
“Are you laughing
at me, Henri Archer?” Kate asked, her chest still constricting with her own fit
of laughter.
“Perhaps,” Henri
admitted as he reached down to brush some snow out of Kate’s auburn hair. It
was a beautiful contrast to the white snow, fanning out like a halo around her
smiling face.
Kate reached up
and grabbed Henri’s scarf, knocking him off balance so that he landed face
first in the snow.
“Hey!” he
exclaimed, startled by her spontaneous action. He sputtered and wiped the snow
from his eyes, suddenly realizing that he had fallen right on top of Kate.
She was still
giggling softly. Supporting himself with his elbows, he smiled down at her.
God was she beautiful. Her cheeks had a rosy glow from the chill in the air
and a broad smile graced her lovely face.
Before he realized
what he was doing, Henri lowered his lips to Kate’s. He brushed them softly
against hers, as if asking for permission to go further. Kate reached up and
wrapped her hands around Henri’s neck, eliciting a groan of approval from deep
in his throat. Her lips parted slightly and he kissed her fully now, tasting
her sweetness for the first time.
His lips arched
over hers softly, kissing her such aching sweetness that Kate felt as if she
was the only woman on the planet. Her mouth opened and Henri heeded her
invitation, deepening the kiss and slipping his tongue into the warmth of her
mouth.
Henri broke the
kiss, hovering just beyond Kate’s mouth as he regained his composure. It was a
perfect first kiss, tender and pure. It was everything that it should have
been. Henri kissed the corner of Kate’s mouth and watched as her eyes fluttered
open. She smiled softly and relief flooded over him.
She had enjoyed
the kiss as much as he had, Henri could see it right there in her green eyes.
Kate’s heart went
wild in her chest as she looked up at Henri.
Did that really
just happen?
Kissing Henri lit
her nerve endings on fire. Kate felt as though her entire body thrummed with
anticipation as she looked up into Henri’s hazel eyes.
This was
turning out to be a pretty good Christmas after all!
Still a bit
surprised with himself, Henri stood and extended a hand down to Kate. He
helped her up from the snow bank and brushed the snow off of her coat. He
couldn’t believe that he had kissed her!
“I hope that was
alright,” he said as he pulled Kate to her feet.
She smiled shyly
as she brushed the snow from her coat.
“It was better
than alright,” she said, blushing as she looked up to meet Henri’s warm smile.
“I thought so
too,” Henri agreed as he leaned forward and kissed Kate’s cheek. “It’s been a
long time since I’ve laughed like that,” he admitted as he reached up and
brushed Kate’s auburn hair away from her face.
“Sometimes
laughter is the best medicine,” Kate said with a smile. As soon as the words
left her mouth she regretted them.
Ohmigod that
sounded stupid!
Henri smiled his
lop-sided smile and Kate breathed a sigh of relief. He had a way of befuddling
Kate’s mind and she was thankful when he started climbing up the snow bank to
retrieve the forgotten tree. Kate wondered what plagued Henri. She could tell
that there was a hidden sadness in his hazel eyes and she longed to know why
Henri had not laughed lately.
Kate was still a
bit shaken from the unexpected kiss as she watched Henri jog up the snow bank
and retrieve their tree. How could she be so inexplicably attracted to a man
that she had only just met? Never in her life had just one kiss sparked such
and earth shattering response to a man.
Henri smiled exuberantly
at Kate as he drug their tree down the snow bank. She could tell that he was
still thinking about the kiss that they had shared.
Kate couldn’t help
but smile back. She still tasted him on her mouth.
Her heart did a
back flip in her chest.
What in the
world are you doing to me, Henri Archer?
“You’d better hold
onto me so you don’t fall again,” Henri offered as he extended an elbow to
Kate.
Kate blushed. The
ground was flat all the way back to the cabin, but she fitted her hand through
the crook of Henri’s arm anyhow. He winked down at her and then began to drag
the tree back towards the cabin, the limbs leaving a wide trail in the freshly
fallen snow.
“I’m curious about
you, Kate,” Henri started. “How does a girl like yourself find herself all
alone on Christmas Eve?”
Kate tightened her
grip on Henri’s arm, relishing the strength of his muscles beneath her gloved
hand. She leaned her head against his upper arm as they walked.
“It’s a long
story,” she said dejectedly. “I’ll bore you with the details later,” she said
with a half smile. In truth, she couldn’t fathom telling Henri about the shame
of Shane and Emma’s betrayal. She had been so naïve believing that Shane loved
her! Hell, she had planned to marry him in less than two weeks.
The disgrace of
telling Henri was too much.
Especially when
she liked him as much as she did.
“Tell me what you
do then…for work I mean,” Henri started again.
This time a soft
smile lit Kate’s face.
“I’m a chef,” she
said proudly.
“Really?” he said
excitedly. “I love to cook!” Henri added and then he groaned loudly. “But I’m
no chef. I’ve taken a few classes, but I hope that my food last night wasn’t
too awful,” he said apologetically.
“Awful?” Kate said
in surprise as she looked up at Henri. “It was hardly awful. It was really
good!”
“I think you’re
just saying that,” Henri teased.
“It
was
really good, Henri,” Kate said as she jabbed him playfully in the ribs. “And
besides, I’m not really a chef. Not anymore. I’m a baker.”
“Hmm,” Henri
said. “Like cakes and stuff?”
“Yep. I own a
bakery with my sister, Emma,” Kate said, knitting her eyebrows together as she
spoke of her sister. It would take awhile before she forgave Emma.
“Which bakery?”
Henri asked as he readjusted the rope that he had tied to the tree, shucking it
up and over his shoulder.
“It’s called the
Cupcakerie
,”
Kate said proudly. Despite the fact that she currently hated Emma, Kate was
rightfully proud of the thriving business that she had built with her sister.
“Oh my God!” Henri
exclaimed. “I’ve been there!”
“You have?” Kate
asked in surprise.
“Yeah! I got a
birthday cake from you once. You’re right downtown, right off of Occidental?”
“Yep, that’s us.
What sort of cake was it? Maybe I made your birthday cake,” Kate laughed.
“I bet you’d
remember it if you did,” Henri chuckled, remembering the cake that Nicole had
ordered for his thirtieth birthday. “It was a giant Sasquatch,” he laughed,
remembering the silly cake.
Kate broke into a
spontaneous fit of laughter.
“I totally made
that!” she said in between giggles. “My sister and I couldn’t believe how awesome
it turned out. It’s hard to believe that it was yours!” Kate exclaimed. “It
makes sense with the
Sasquatch Country
key ring,” she laughed.
“He just might be
real,” Henri joked, smiling as he watched Kate’s eyes light up with her fit of
laughter.
“You must admit
that we did a great job on that cake!” she chuckled. “Using the red velvet on
the inside was my idea,” she said proudly.
“It was an awesome
cake,” Henri smiled. Thoughts of Nicole nagged at the back of his mind.
Nicole had ordered that cake. It had been delicious and he had absolutely
loved it. It was beyond belief that Kate had baked his thirtieth birthday
cake.
Kismet.
Henri thought. Everything about Kate screamed kismet.
“So what’s your
obsession with Sasquatch about?” Kate asked as she again leaned her head
against Henri’s bicep.
Henri laughed. It
was a deep rumbling sound against the quiet backdrop of snow.
“You’ll laugh,”
Henri warned.
“I might,” Kate
teased as she bit her lower lip. She loved the way that Henri bantered with
her.
“I used to look
for him as a kid. I spent hours in the woods, setting traps and rigging up
hidden cameras.”
“Did you ever find
him?” Kate asked, her heart beating faster in her chest. Truthfully, she had
never believed the legends of Sasquatch, but here she was with Henri, miles
away from civilization. What if he
was
real?
“No,” Henri
laughed as he remembered his childhood escapades. “Never found so much as a
track. But that was an
awesome
cake,” he conceded.
..oo Chapter Four oo..
Snow whistled by
the window of the cabin as Jimmy Buffett sang
Mele Kalikimaka
from the
speakers of Henri’s phone.
“You have
Christmas music on your phone?” Kate asked with a giggle.
“You don’t?” Henri
asked as he arched an eyebrow at her. He laughed and went back to lighting the
candles that adorned the fireplace mantle.
“Nope,” Kate
laughed. “But I probably should. I love Christmas,” she admitted.
“Me too,” Henri
said as he bent to add another log to the dwindling fire.
Kate looked at
Henri. His broad shoulders rippled with muscle as he tended the fire. She
could hardly tear her eyes off of the man. She looked up from the popcorn
garland that she was busy stringing, her eyes drawn towards the Christmas tree
that she and Henri had cut and brought into the small cabin.
It was shaping up
to be a good Christmas after all.
Kate hoped that
Henri would stay.
She hoped that he
wanted
to stay.
She had tried to
guard her heart against him, knowing that her undeniable attraction to the man
could only lead to further heart ache. Heck, she had planned to use this time
alone to get over Shane! And here she was, falling for the handsome stranger
that had dropped right into her life.
Kate knew better
than to hope for something that she couldn’t have.
Henri stood from
the fire and brushed his hands on his jeans.
Kate watched him,
noticing how well the low-slung jeans fit him. They were perched just on the
edge of his hips. She suddenly wondered what was underneath them and felt a
blush color her cheeks. Sure, Henri was physically appealing, but something
else drew Kate towards him. There was a sadness in his hazel eyes that spoke
to her. When she saw Henri laughing, when she watched his smile reach all the
way to the corners of his eyes, the sadness disappeared. It was as if Kate
could somehow rid that sadness from Henri’s eyes.
Kate turned her
attention back to the popcorn garland.
Henri sank down
next to her on the couch. Kate’s heart pitter pattered in her chest. She
remembered how Henri’s mouth had felt on hers and a rush of warmth spread over
her body.
Henri thought for
a moment before he spoke, admiring the warm glow that the fire cast on Kate’s
alabaster skin.
Lord, he didn’t
want to mess this up!
“This turned out
to be a far better Christmas than I had expected,” Henri said quietly. He knew
that he should tell Kate goodbye and pack up his things. It would be wise to
get on the road before dark. Snoqualmie Pass could be a buggar this late in
December.
“Will you stay,
Henri?” Kate blurted.
Her heart raced in
her chest as she awaited Henri’s response.
Her eyes darted up
to meet his.
The corner of
Henri’s mouth turned up into a slight smile.
“I was hoping that
you might ask me to,” he admitted huskily.
Kate blushed. She
let the popcorn garland go slack and dropped it into her lap.
Asking Henri to
stay had been completely reckless.
But he had said
yes.
Perhaps he felt
it too!
Henri leaned
closer. He brought his hand up to Kate’s face and brushed the backs of his
fingers down her cheek.
“How is it that
you fell right into my life?” he asked, his voice velvety.
Kate smiled. She
had been wondering the exact same thing. She closed her eyes and leaned into
his touch.
Henri threaded his
fingers into her hair, relishing the silkiness of the auburn tendrils.
Lord how she
affected him!
He used his hand
at the base of her skull to draw her closer.
Kate parted her
lips slightly.
Nervous
anticipation flooded through her body, causing her heart to thunder in her
chest.
Henri was going
to kiss her again!
His lips hovered
above hers.
Henri closed his
eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of Kate’s unbound hair. He could feel the
warmth of her breath against his lips.
Kate brought her
hand up to Henri’s chest. She spread her fingers out on his pectoral muscles,
enjoying the solid strength of him.
Henri brushed his
lips against hers with aching sweetness. He kissed her softly, enjoying the
taste of her. He trailed his tongue lightly over her lower lip, asking for
entrance to her mouth. Kate opened her mouth slightly and Henri heeded her
invitation, deepening the kiss. His tongue stroked against Kate’s and a wave
of pleasure spread through his body.
Kate brought her
hands up behind Henri’s shoulders. His mouth was hot upon hers, sending
shivers of ecstasy racing down her spine.
Lord above,
Henri could kiss!
He made her
forget about everything with just one kiss.
Suddenly, there
was no Shane. No Emma. No lonely Christmas spent pathetically alone.
There was only
Henri.
Henri drew away
slightly, his lips hovering just beyond Kate’s.
“I never expected
this,” he whispered honestly as he trailed his fingers lightly down her jaw
line. “Please don’t let me mess this up,” he said as he smiled slightly. “If
this is moving too fast for you, Kate, please tell me.”
Kate nodded.
Her heart raced in
her chest.
She knew that
kissing Henri was reckless and wanton, but she could not force herself away
from the man! She wanted to kiss him again, damn the consequences. Kate had
never been one to believe in love at first sight, but Henri Archer was making
it damned difficult for her to stick to her convictions.
..ooOoo..
Kate tucked the
end of the popcorn garland behind a branch on the back of the tree. She stood
back to admire their handiwork. The small tree was adorned with twinkling
white lights that Henri had dug out of the hall closet and crowned with a handmade
paper star. It looked pretty darned good given the scarce resources that they
had to work with!
“I love it!” Kate
exclaimed as she admired the tree.
“It’s not too
shabby,” Henri agreed. He walked over and turned the lights off so that they
could see the tree in its full glory. The twinkling lights danced in the
darkness, but in truth it was not the lights that Henri admired.
It was Kate. She
stood in the middle of the small room with an awestruck smile on her face as
she looked at the tree.
Seeing Kate happy
made Henri’s heart soar.
A fire crackled in
the fireplace, but Henri grabbed the fuzzy throw blanket anyhow. He walked
towards Kate and took her hand.
Her eyes locked
with his. They were sparkling with happiness.
Henri led her to
the couch and she snuggled up readily beside him so that they could admire
their tree. He spread the blanket over them and draped his arm around Kate’s
shoulder, gathering her closer against his chest.
Kate’s blood raced
in her veins.
Being so close to
Henri was crazy, terrifying and exhilarating all at once.
Henri made her
forget all about Shane and Emma.
Henri made her
forget about everything.
Kate thought that
she had died and gone to Heaven.
Henri was
perfect. Everything that Kate had ever wanted in a man.
And kissing him…
Oh
Lord!
Henri Archer sure
knew how to kiss.
And he knew how to
stir confounding, perplexing thoughts in Kate’s mind.
Henri trailed his
fingers lightly down Kate’s arm beneath the blanket. He ran his fingers over
the back of her hand and then interlaced his fingers with hers.
Just holding her
hand was enough. Henri’s heart had been numb for so long. When Kate had
rushed into his life it was as if she had shocked his heart back to life. He
felt everything now as if he was feeling for the first time. Each time Kate
touched him, his newly awakened heart thundered in his chest. When she had
kissed him, all of his senses had been heightened. He felt as if he were a
blind man gifted with a sudden burst of sight.
Henri closed his
eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of Kate’s hair. She relaxed against his chest
and they held each other, each contemplating the leap of faith that they were
unexpectedly embarking upon.
Henri wondered how
much his still mending heart could handle.
Kate had come into
his life like a storm.
“I think you
should know, Henri,” Kate stammered as she looked straight ahead into the
roaring fire. “I think you should know that I’m broken,” Kate whispered suddenly
into the dark room. Her eyes settled upon the twinkling lights of the
Christmas tree. “Whatever it is that’s happening between us….I just think that
you should know that…”
“I didn’t expect
this either,” Henri said softly as he brushed his thumb lightly over Kate’s
palm. “You don’t have to explain,” he whispered. “I’ll understand if you want
to slow down.”
Kate closed her
eyes and relished the solid strength of Henri’s chest behind her head. “The
problem is, Henri. I
don’t
want to slow down,” she admitted. “I just
want you to know what happened so that you understand.”
“If it makes you
feel any better, I’m a bit broken myself,” Henri admitted as he continued to
brush his thumb against Kate’s hand. Henri wanted to tell Kate everything. He
wanted to tell her about Nicole, he wanted to tell her about his girls, but he
bit his tongue. Kate needed to tell him of her own heartache and he needed to
be strong for her.
Henri’s thumb
brushed over the back of Kate’s hand. His touch calmed her, making it easier
to tell of her heart ache.
“I was supposed to
get married,” Kate began. “On New Years.”
Henri’s heart
clenched in his chest.
“This New Years?”
Henri asked, unable to hide the surprise evident in his voice.
“Yeah,” Kate
nodded as tears stung at her eyes. “I caught my fiancé kissing my twin
sister,” she said, the wounds of Shane’s betrayal still fresh upon her heart.
“It broke something deep within me. The reason that I came here for Christmas
was to try to piece myself back together.”
“I’m sorry, Kate,”
Henri whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her hair. Anger swelled within
him. What sort of bastard would do that to Kate? She was so perfect, so sweet
and loving. And to be kissing Kate’s twin sister? Henri felt a sudden and
overwhelming urge to kill the both of them.
Kate wiped at the
tears that rolled down her cheeks.
Henri pushed past
his anger and drew Kate closer to his chest, encircling her with his arms.
“Perhaps we were
meant to find each other,” Henri said as his heart thundered in his chest.
Kate was being so open with him, she was bearing the wounds of her heart for
him to see. He wanted to tell her. His conscious screamed for him to tell her
the secrets of his own heart.
But he couldn’t do
it.
He was afraid that
his secrets would scare Kate away.
If she only
knew how broken he was, she would run for the hills!
Henri took a deep
breath and released it slowly. He kissed Kate’s hair and closed his eyes.
Broken or not,
Kate was so perfect. He didn’t want to mess this up.
“Let me be the one
to fix you, Kate,” he whispered into her hair. “Let me be the one to piece
your broken heart back together.”
Kate felt a tear
trickle down her cheek.
How had Henri
known exactly what to say?
In her heart, Kate
believed that Henri
could
fix her.
She had seen the
scars of his own hurt in his hazel eyes.
Perhaps together,
they could repair both of their broken hearts.
Kate spun in
Henri’s arms so that she could look up at him. His eyes were intense,
serious.
“Did someone hurt
you, Henri?” she asked, her voice barely audible.
“Yes,” Henri
admitted. His eyes darted away from Kate’s.
He needed to
tell her.
Henri opened his
mouth, but the words caught in his throat, heavy with their implications. If
Kate knew how broken he was, she would never ever want him. He had buried a
wife and the scars from that were rift heavily upon his heart. And the girls!
Henri feared that if he told Kate about Abby and Olive she would head back over
Snoqualmie Pass as fast as her Jeep would carry her. What sort of woman
would want a man that came with an insta-family?
Henri brought his
eyes back to meet Kate’s. What he saw there caused his heart to beat faster.
He saw trust. And he saw a glimmer of understanding.
Would she still
want him if she knew?
Henri reached up
and wiped away the tear that trailed down Kate’s cheek with his thumb. Her
green eyes were trained on his.
Kate needed him
now. He would help her heal the scars of her betrayal before he would tell her
of his own heart ache.
He could only hope
that she would understand.
Henri’s heart went
wild as Kate leaned forward and kissed him. Her lips were soft and velvety
against his. Kate kissed him with all of the hope that filled her soul.
Perhaps two
broken hearts could mend each other.
..ooOoo..
Kate needed some
time alone to think.
Henri had held her
close as she had cried, stroking her back and assuring her that what had
happened was not her fault. He had even said that he might kill Shane, which
had brought Kate some sort of wicked delight. Kissing Henri and snuggling with
him under the cozy blanket had made her knees weak and befuddled her mind.
Henri Archer did
that to her, every single time that they kissed.