unknown heights, a tiny, barely functioning corner of her brain fretted over this man’s effect on her. Not just the physical, although heaven knew that was exquisite. What worried her the most was the way he kept sneaking past her emotional defenses.
When he finally wrenched their lips apart and separated his body from hers, Shayna felt shaky, like a banjo string plucked good and hard and left to sing itself out. She staggered back a step, her backside bumping into the truck. Her breath came in ragged gasps. His did, too.
He closed the gap between them and brushed his lips against her forehead, his arms wrapping securely around her body. “I want so badly to ask you to invite me back up that mountain, but I think we both know that wouldn’t be smart.”
“Not smart, but certainly fantastic.”
Kyle heaved a sigh, his breath whooshing through her hair. “I’m trying to be strong here, and you’re not helping.”
“That’s because you’ve got me feeling weak.” She let her head fall back, causing his lips to skim down her face and settle on her throat. A delicious shiver charged up her spine. “How about one for the road?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” His lips reclaimed hers with a gentleness that took Shayna’s breath away. This kiss was slower, longer and a hundred times more devastating than the first.
When he finally ended it, he trailed his lips across her cheek to her ear. “I need to stand here just like this for a few minutes before I’ll be able to walk without pain. Then, I’ll help you off-load this impressive haul.”
“Then what?” she asked breathlessly, half hoping, half dreading he’d suggest coming home with her again.
“Then I’m going back to the boarding house to take a cold shower and lie awake all night kicking myself for being such a gentleman.”
Kyle had never actually taken a vacation. Dysfunctional families didn’t go camping or take trips to Disney World. Scholarship-dependent college kids didn’t do spring break in Mexico. Obsessed junior associates didn’t indulge in long weekends in Tahoe. He’d never learned how to take it easy.
It was Monday. He should be at the office, working his way up that damned corporate ladder. But he didn’t want to return to California until he finished his business with Shayna, and he couldn’t finish his business with Shayna until after she consulted her attorney. That could be anywhere from a few hours to forever. So what the hell was he supposed to do with himself until then?
He knew what he wanted to do. What he’d nearly done last night.
Unable to stomach another huge, drawn-out breakfast with his festive housemates, Kyle dressed in his new suit, slipped out the back door and headed for the local diner. Images of Shayna had haunted and taunted him all night, and now, his exhausted body and brain craved large amounts of thick, strong coffee.
What the hell had prompted last night’s uncharacteristic show of chivalry? He’d had a warm, willing woman in his arms, a woman he’d been craving, and rather than pursue her blatant eagerness, he’d planted a chaste kiss on her forehead and hauled his stiff body to bed. Alone.
It was the right thing to do, he knew, but it damned sure hadn’t been easy. No matter how much he desired her, he had to stay away from her. Bible-belt girls like Shayna grew up dreaming about happily every after. White weddings and picket fences. Kids and puppies. That kind of heartfelt commitment wasn’t in the cards for him.
It didn’t take him long to reach the diner, yet at least a dozen people acknowledged him. The way these people made pleasant and friendly contact with a stranger on the street unnerved him. In Los Angeles, if you were forced to cover any distance on foot, you damned sure didn’t voluntarily draw the attention of other pedestrians. God only knew who would try to talk to you or accost you.
The diner was loud and crowded, but he lucked into an empty booth by the large plateglass window. He grabbed a seat and ordered a pot of coffee from a passing pink-uniformed waitress. A check of his watch showed 8:47 a.m. He cringed. Normally, he’d be three hours into his workday by now.
“Morning, Santa.”
Surprised by the friendly greeting, Kyle looked up. Way up. Danny Robertson, holding a tray of steaming mugs, smiled down. “Good morning,” Kyle answered carefully, waving a hand toward the empty seat across from him. Danny had been cautiously friendly after his initial warning Friday morning, but if he’d found out about Kyle and Shayna’s public make-out last night, things could get ugly.
Robertson leaned his hip against the vinyl booth seat, gesturing with the tray of hot coffee. “I can’t stay. Just wanted to say thanks for stepping in Saturday. You did every parent in town a huge favor. If Santa hadn’t shown up, we would have to dress our little angels-again-and take ’em to the mall.” He shivered dramatically. “I hate the mall.”
Assured his visitor didn’t intend to take a swing at him, Kyle grunted humorously. As he recalled, Robertson had escorted two small girls to visit Santa, “Well, with daughters, you don’t stand a chance in hell of avoiding it.”
“Don’t I know it.” He jostled the tray, resting it on one leg. “You plan on reprising your role for the parade this Saturday?”
The parade gig came as a complete surprise. “I haven’t been asked.”
Robertson jerked a shoulder. “Shayna’s probably waiting to see if Elmer’s back heals. She’d hate to insult him by assuming he wouldn’t be up to the task.”
“Probably so,” Kyle agreed, not believing the excuse for a second. More likely, she wanted Kyle gone badly enough to resume her Santa search from scratch.
Danny stood and extended his free hand. “Well, thanks again, man.”
Kyle accepted the handshake. “No problem.”
Robertson left and the waitress, Millie according to her name badge, returned, carrying his coffee and a newspaper tucked under her one arm. “What can I get ’cha, hon?” Millie asked absently, her gaze focused out the big glass window.
All he really wanted was the coffee, but since he didn’t have anything else to do, he ordered blueberry pancakes and a large glass of milk.
“Anything else?” Millie asked, finally dragging her eyes back inside. “Oh, hey! You’re the guy from the paper.” She unfolded the paper she carried and opened it to the front page. “See?”
He focused on the five-by-seven full color photo of himself and Shayna. She looked incredibly sexy. He, on the other hand, looked tortured. Just remembering the feel of her in his lap had him tightening. She’d rubbed all those supple curves against him until he’d been highly unfit to be in a room full of kids.
“Yep, that’s me. Can I keep this?”
“Sure thing, hon.” A bell dinged on the counter, and Millie excused herself. Kyle didn’t bother looking up from the paper.
The caption under their picture proclaimed, “Holiday Couple Brings New Spark to Festival Traditions.” He couldn’t help but chuckle. Bet Shayna hated that.
He quickly scanned the attached article and noticed that the reporter was also a big fan of Shayna. She was named as the driving force behind what was being hailed as the most successful pageant in recent history. Proudly, he noted that the Santa photo booth earned a record fourteen hundred dollars.
Wow. He knew he’d listened to a boatload of Christmas wishes, but he’d had no clue that he’d helped to raise so much money for the foster kids.
He took a slurp of coffee before thumbing through the rest of the paper. Bowling scores, birth announcements and school lunch menus. It was a small glimpse into the peaceful, slow-paced life of a small community.
On page four, he finally stumbled across actual news. The road repair at McGuffy’s sinkhole was scheduled to begin at the first of next year. Damage from the recent ice storm had closed the skating rink until further notice. The bottom half of the page was dedicated to the youth center ground breaking.
There was an old yearbook picture of Coach Miller, along with a touching and well-written story on his years of service to the school district, highlighting his emphasis on education-he’d also been a history teacher-as well as athletics.
A photo from the ceremony showed Shayna at the podium. The grainy newsprint couldn’t hide the glimmer of tears in her eyes or the pride in her smile. She’d looked so spectacular with that green sweater hugging her body, her hair stirring in the breeze.
When he’d first seen her, he’d wondered if the combination of strength and vulnerability had been part of an
