Merry Christmas, My Love

“I’ll have a fire going in a minute.” He stacked the wood, then hunkered down and struck a match.

Ellie walked closer. “Do you always carry matches?”

“Yes.” He regarded her red nose and cheeks. Wrapped up in the blanket she’d dragged along, she looked like an elf. “Aren’t you glad I do?”

“Y-y-yes.”

Ellie glanced around the room. “Where will we sleep?”

“In the bed.” He nodded in the direction of the far wall.

“There’s only one bed.”

“I know.”

“We can’t sleep in the same bed.”

He blew once more on the fire, and turned to her from his position on the floor. “You have any better ideas, Miss Henderson?”

Chapter 9

Ellie’s cheeks grew bright red. “You could sleep on the floor.”

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She looked scared to death. He tugged her down alongside him. “This may be the only wood we have to burn. I’ll take a look around the outside of the house in a minute to see if there’s more, but we have to sleep together to share our body warmth.”

She groaned and dropped her head in her hands. “This is so embarrassing.”

Max cleared his throat. “I’m afraid it gets worse.”

“Why?” She peeked at him from between her fingers.

“We’ll both have to take off as many clothes as is proper, in order for us to share body warmth.”

Her head snapped up. “Proper is fully dressed!”

He tucked a curl behind her ear. “If we don’t, there’s a good chance we could freeze to death overnight.”

Tears flooded her eyes, and she shook her head.

“I’m going to check for more wood. Why don’t you empty that basket out and we’ll have something to eat. That will warm us, too.”

Max stood and poked at the fire before leaving the house to check around outside, and the few feet beyond that he could see. Snow fell harder, and a thorough search hadn’t turned up any more wood. He stomped his feet beside the door before going in.

The fire burned brightly. Ellie sat huddled, the food from the basket spread in front of her. The blond highlights in her soft brown hair captured the light of the fire. He sucked in air at the picture she made. Delicate features, with a sprinkling of freckles, long smooth neck, and although covered in a blanket to her chin, he knew the curves underneath were all woman.

“No more wood.” Max nodded to the small pile. “This will only last a few hours.”

“Will we freeze to death?” She looked up at him as her lips trembled, either with cold or fear. Probably both.

“No. I won’t let that happen.”

Max found a few pieces of silverware and some cracked plates in the kitchen. Ellie cut the sausage and cheese that she divided between the two plates. A large piece of apple pie for each of them followed.

“Where did the pie come from?”

“Maybe I made it.” Ellie sniffed.