“I think she took it all with her. It was pretty bare in here when I moved in.”
Julie slammed the cabinet shut. Covering her face with her hands, she slid down to the floor. Oh, shit. She was crying. If there was one thing he had a hard time dealing with, it was a crying woman. They weren’t rational, and they made no sense. Now he had a crying pregnant woman.
“What can I do?” he asked.
“Unless you can make some tea just appear, then nothing! Nothing at all.”
“I have cocoa. How about I put the kettle on, and we can sit by the fire and get to know each other a little better.”
Julie moved her hands from her face and stared up at him through wet eyelashes. “It’s not instant, is it? My mom always makes real cocoa.”
Damn, he just wasn’t going to get a break, was he? “I’m sorry.”
“I must sound like such a brat.” She started to get up.
Mark knew better than to agree, so instead he offered his hand. Her gaze locked with his, and she accepted. Once she was standing, he held onto her a moment longer. He was really tempted to pull her in and hug her. To tell her everything would be okay, but it would probably freak her out. It was best to take it slow with her. Although, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d wanted to make anyone feel better the way he did with her.
“Go have a seat by the fire. I’ll see what I can do about this cocoa situation.”
“Instant is fine,” she softly said. “Thank you.”
He wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for, but if she was being nice now, he was taking it. There was no telling how long it would last.
“Do you mind if I grab a snack? I’ll pay you for the groceries I use.”
“Help yourself, and don’t worry about it.”
A huge grin crossed her face. It was the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. Her brown eyes really shined. The sight went straight to his heart, and he wanted to make her smile like that more often. Hopefully this snow wouldn’t last. He was worried that the more time he spent with her, the more he was likely to fall for her.
* * *
Julie nestled into the corner of the couch to wait on Mark as he prepared cocoa. At least he was hot—drool-worthy, for sure. That was a plus to being snowed in with him. Even better, he was a good host. She knew she had just acted like some sort of insane woman, but it seemed like her mood was constantly up and down. It was like she no longer controlled herself. One minute she was happy, the next she wanted to kill someone. Then there were even times she found herself extremely aroused, and that certainly wasn’t good being locked in with a stranger.
After her drink with Mark, she would have to call her mother. Find out why she didn’t tell Julie about this trip and when she would be home. Did Julie want to share the news about the baby? The last thing she wanted was for her mom to drop everything and come home. She was finally out there, traveling and seeing the United States as she had always dreamed about.
Julie rubbed her still-flat belly. It wouldn’t be that way much longer. She really needed to see a doctor to confirm she was as far along as she suspected.
“Here you go.”
Julie jumped. She quickly moved her hand away from her belly and gazed into his blue eyes. He simply was a handsome man. As he handed her the mug, she glanced at his hands. Rough and calloused. Whatever line of work he was in, he used them.
Mark took a seat on the opposite end of the couch. He crossed his legs the way men do and leaned back, sipping his cocoa. For some reason, he just looked right in this house. Maybe it was because it had been so long since a man had been here. Her father often sat the same way while watching football games on Saturdays.
“What brought you to Brookfield?” she asked.
“It was time for a change. So I started driving one day, and here I am.”
He had a story, she could tell. It wasn’t her place to push it though. Hell, she had one herself. Only hers would be very obvious before long.
“How do you like it so far?”
“It’s nice and quiet. Everyone is friendly.”
“That’s one thing about Brookfield. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone’s always there to help.” He nodded. “You mentioned you had to work. Where?” she said.
“At the local furniture shop. I build a lot of the custom furniture.”
She was right. Those strong hands were what he used to make a living. Taking a sip of her warm drink, she closed her eyes. It tasted so good. She felt awful now for being such a brat. Instant cocoa wasn’t so bad.
“Sorry about in the kitchen,” she said.
“No worries. You came here expecting your mom and all the things moms do for us. Instead you found a man you don’t know, and now you’re stranded with me. That’s enough to upset anyone.”
He was right about that, only there was a person living inside her, making all those emotions twenty times stronger.
“Thanks for letting me stay here.”
“Who am I to kick you out of your mom’s house?” She didn’t say anything. “I like the company,” he said, catching her gaze.
Staring back at him, a shiver spiraled through her body. An urge to touch him came over her. It was strange. She didn’t even know anything about this man, but she found herself very attracted to him. Damn hormones.
Mark was the first to glance away. He took in a long sip of cocoa then stood. “I think I’m going to get started on dinner. Chili okay?”
“It sounds great.” She smiled.
He paused a moment as if the wheels were turning in his head. He then said, “What about your stomach?”
She was feeling fine now. In fact, the snack and drink had settled right in. “I’m better.”
“Okay, glad to hear it.” He headed for the kitchen, and Julie just couldn’t resist glancing at his backside again. Man, God had really blessed him. She would certainly enjoy seeing that until this blizzard passed.
As the day went on, Julie did her best to wait patiently on her mother to call back. Mark had explained to her though that it sometimes took a few days. That just seemed crazy to her. Another thing driving her nuts was the snow, still falling and trapping her inside. She’d pulled the weather up online, and it didn’t look like this storm was going to go away anytime soon. It was a slow-moving system, and it was really dumping out the snow.
She enjoyed snow but not like this.
This
was the kind of snow where everyone’s lives stopped, and you stayed in your homes with a fire going, playing family games and reconnecting with your loved ones. Julie missed her mom even more now.
Julie had been hiding out in her mother’s room after her shower, but hunger was getting the best of her. She found Mark in the living room, sound asleep on the couch. Tip-toeing past him, she went to see if there were any cookies. Oreos. Yes, she really wanted some Oreos. Double-stuffed would be even better. Rummaging through the cabinets, she found she was in luck. A brand-new package awaited her. Tearing it open, she immediately bit into the crunchy goodness and moaned loudly. It hit all the right taste buds. Thank God this baby had taste.
She took a handful and was about to get some milk when the phone rang. The only close phone was the ancient, giant cordless phone on the wall.
“Hello,” she said, wishing her mom had caller ID.
“What’s up, girl?” Claire said on the other end.
“This snowstorm is up.”
Claire giggled. “At least you’re snowed in with that hunk, Mark Thomas. All the girls have been gossiping about him. Lucky you, you’re shacked up with him.”
Julie smiled then quietly asked, “What’s his story?”
“No idea. He came to town with only one bag and started work at the Country Furniture, and that’s all we know. He keeps to himself. Once he’s finished with work, he goes right back home. Plenty of girls have tried to turn his eye but haven’t had luck.”
Julie had caught him checking her out a few times. “Thanks for not warning me. Now I get what the smirk was all about last night.”
“I guess I should’ve warned you.”
“You think?”
“Listen, if you need anything, holler. You going to stay there, or do you need a place at Honeycreek?”
“Not sure yet. For now, I’m here. I don’t have any other choice.”
“All right, well, we’ll chat soon. You’ve gotta tell me all about New York and what has brought your skinny ass back to Brookfield.”
“Soon.” Julie said bye and hung up.
So the man on the couch in the next room was Brookfield’s most desired bachelor. All the single ladies—maybe even the married ones—wanted Mark Thomas. She could only imagine what gossip would float around when the women heard they’d been snowed in together.
Chapter Five
The alarm clock rang, and Mark reached over, slapping his hand across the snooze button. There was no way in hell he was ready to get up. He had tossed and turned all night. Julie had clouded his mind. Over and over he wondered if he was right about her being pregnant. And why she was here without the father. At that, did the father not want the child? That thought hurt him the most and brought too many memories back that he’d been doing his best to push away.
Julie being here was bringing up a lot of memories he had repressed except for only a few times a year, when he’d drink, cry, and then move on.
She also stirred up other emotions in him. It had been a long time since he’d desired a woman. He hadn’t wanted to hold one the way he did Julie. Actually, he wanted to do a whole lot more than just hold her. As his thoughts began to wander in that direct, something below the belt began to harden.
Tossing the covers back, he turned off the alarm so it wouldn’t buzz again and headed for the shower. A very cold shower. Which was the last thing he wanted in this weather.
After getting dressed, he made his way to the kitchen to get started on breakfast. Stopping in his tracks, he saw Julie was already in there. A pot of coffee had been started, and she was busy at the counter, chopping some fresh veggies. Her hips swayed, and her toes tapped. It was then he noticed a white cord going from her waist to her ears.
She started to belt out some lyrics just as she turned for the fridge. Julie stopped dead in her tracks, dropping the paring knife to the floor. Her cheeks reddened, and her mouth dropped open. After a moment of her being frozen, she removed the earbuds and slowly lowered herself to the ground to get the knife she’d dropped.
“Smells good. What are you making?” He didn’t want her to feel any more uncomfortable than she was. It was best not to dwell on the fact he’d watched her ass shake for a moment and a cold shower might be in order again.
“I was making a garden omelet. That okay?”
Where was the meat? He hoped like hell there was some bacon or ham in that concoction she was making. No wonder the girl was so darn skinny.
“I’ll eat whatever you make.” He headed for the coffee. “Want a cup?”
She shook her head. “Just having OJ.”
“Need any help?”
“I got it.” Her back was to him again.
Mark wasn’t sure what to do, so he took a seat at the kitchen table. “Heard from your mom?”
“No.”
He figured it wouldn’t be long. Surely she’d call her daughter back quicker than she usually did him.
Glancing out the window, he was in awe of the amount of snow that was out there. In fact, the lower half of the window was covered with snow. That was going to be a mess to shovel when it came time. The worst part was it was still lightly coming down.
“Did you happen to check the weather this morning?” he asked.
“Not yet, I woke up craving some eggs and tomatoes.”
Cravings. He remembered those all right.
“It’ll only be a few more minutes,” she called from the stove.
It smelled good, so that was a plus. Letting his eyes study her again, he was glad to see the ugly orange robe was gone. He could at least make out some of her curves in the oversized T-shirt and bright red pajama pants with reindeer on them. Maybe the snow would melt soon, so he could see her in her own clothes.
“All done.” Julie laid a plate in front of him.
She took a seat. Perky. That’s what she was this morning as she bounced a little in her chair. Taking a sip of his coffee, he watched as she wasted no time with her omelet. After returning the mug to the table, he figured he should at least try the breakfast she’d made him.
He was surprised that it was actually good. It could use some meat, but it was still good.
“Do you like it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Good.” She smiled. “I figure, if we are going to be stuck here together, we should share the meals.”
“I’ll do dinner tonight.”
She devoured her omelet in record speed. He’d only eaten half of his when he noticed she was no longer perky. In fact, she had that look, and he knew what was next. Her eyes locked on his, and she slowly stood up as panic spread across her face.
“I’ll be right back.” Julie scurried off.