“Well, if you don’t trust me, why don’t you take the reins?”
Her brows furrowed. “Um…don’t be offended, but…okay, I will!” She took the helmet and Red caught the sudden gleam in her eyes.
“Should I be afraid?” he laughed, handing her Justine’s helmet.
Her brows arched but she didn’t respond. “Give it up, Brannigan,” she told him, with a curl of her lip.
Red scooted back in his seat.
Ronnie checked the throttle and turned the key to start the engine. When it was idling smoothly, Red had just enough time to straighten in his seat before she zoomed off, sending a spray of snow over him from both sides.
CHAPTER TWELVE
RONNIE HAD NO IDEA what had come over her…deciding to take Red up on his offer of a ride, and then impulsively taking the driver’s seat. Something had risen up inside her, made her want to show Red that she was in control of her life, that she was perfectly capable of taking charge…
She had had plenty of practice riding on and driving a snowmobile in the past throughout the Muskoka trails, especially before Andy was born, and the temptation to show Red her ability—given that he was a relative newbie at sledding—had been too hard to resist.
What she hadn’t initially thought through was the fact that the Viking would be pressed against her, his hands alternating from the side hand rests to her waist…
She had tried to ignore the sensation of having Red so close, and focus instead on the exhilaration of the ride with the sun streaming over them and the dazzling views of the woodlands on either side of them as they sped by. Ronnie had done the loop through Winter’s Haven and then proceeded to the route that led to the Seguin Trail. After about a forty-five-minute run, they were back in front of Ronnie’s cottage.
Red climbed off the sled, pulled off his helmet and waited for Ronnie to do the same. He nodded slowly with an enigmatic smile, and she smiled back, the adrenaline still pumping through her.
“Thanks for the thrills and chills,” he said dryly. “I’d invite myself over for some hot chocolate, but I have some business files to look through. So I’d better take the sled back and head home…” His eyes narrowed. “But you’ll have to show me a little trust the next time, Ronnie, and let me drive…”
Her pulse skipping a beat at his words, Ronnie watched him drive away. Once inside, she immersed herself under a hot shower and unsuccessfully tried to put Red out of her mind. But how could she when she had felt his Viking presence both physically and emotionally on the snowmobile…
Ronnie’s cell phone rang, startling her. She saw that it was Casson and reached over to put the phone on speaker mode. “Hey, Cass, what’s up?”
“Hi, Ronnie. I need you to do me a favor…”
“Sure; do you need me to babysit A.J.?”
“No, it’s not that. The baby’s running a fever, and Justine thinks she’s coming down with something, too.”
“Oh, my goodness, what can I do to help?”
“How do you feel about starting your new position sooner? Like tomorrow. I have a meeting with the Toronto store manager to discuss some of those new marketing plans outlined in the file I sent you two days ago. But I don’t want to leave Justine and the baby. It’s just for tomorrow, Ronnie. You can take over completely when you actually start in a month’s time.”
Ronnie thought fast. She’d have to get up at the crack of dawn to either beat or join the early-morning commuters going to Toronto. She had really hoped to sleep in and have a leisurely day unpacking the remaining boxes and then going for a long country walk. But she’d have to delay those plans now. There was no way she could turn Cass down. She didn’t blame him for wanting to stay close to his wife and baby in their time of need. That’s what a devoted husband and father did…
“Of course I’ll go, dear cousin. You just worry about taking care of your beautiful girls. I’ve got this.”
“I know you do, Ronnie. By the way, when I was talking with Red earlier he mentioned that he was heading to Toronto tomorrow morning for a meeting himself. I hope you don’t mind, Ronnie, but I just gave him a quick call a minute ago—hopeful that you would say yes—and asked if he wouldn’t mind driving you also, since you’re both heading downtown. It’ll be safer traveling in his truck.”
Ronnie’s brain swirled with this sudden rush of information. “What did he say?” she said, keeping her voice casual.
“He said it would be his pleasure…and that he would drive,” Casson chuckled.
“Um…okay then.” Her cheeks burned at the knowledge that Red had told Casson about their ride…
“Thanks, Ronnie. I’ll keep you posted about the girls.”
“Give them hugs for me, okay?”
“Will do, and, oh, Red said to be ready by 6:00 a.m. sharp. He’ll be waiting outside ‘with bells on.’”
Ronnie set her cell phone down. The thought of traveling with Red for a couple of hours to Toronto and back in such proximity sent a series of bells clanging in her chest…
* * *
Red’s personal black limo pulled up to the estate at the exact time he had specified to the driver the night before after deciding against taking his own truck. “Good morning, Liam,” Red said, as the driver stepped out of the limo.
“Top of the morning to you, sir!”
As Liam briskly opened the door for him, Red placed his garment bag and black leather briefcase in the back seat. He would change before his meeting in his Toronto office. Pulling up the collar of his jacket, Red got in and put on his seat belt before giving Liam directions to Ronnie’s cottage. It was dark, as dark as it had been at midnight when he had still been up, thinking about Casson’s request the evening before.
Since
