Turned out it was, especially when the reason for those hot thoughts was on the snowmobile in front of him.
Out here in the snowy forest, Brenna was in her element.
She drove her snowmobile faster than he did, and he could feel Jess jiggling behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist, holding on tightly as she urged him to go faster and catch her.
They drove through snow-covered blue-spruce woods, following the trail out of Snow Crystal deep into the forest. Once they were safely clear of the resort, Tyler increased speed, and Jess whooped encouragement, loving every minute.
He grinned inside his helmet, remembering the first time he’d done this with his father. He’d been four years old, and all he’d felt was excitement and exhilaration. It had quickly become his second favorite experience after skiing, and he’d spent several winters racing his brothers along the trails.
He could have found any number of potential Christmas trees closer to the resort, but Brenna was intent on making the most of the snow and the sparkling blue day, and she drove skillfully along the trails and pulled in at the chocolate shack.
“Oh, I love this place! Such a cool idea to come up here.” Jess sprang off the back of Tyler’s snowmobile and crunched through the deep snow to Brenna. “I’m riding with you on the way back. Dad is too slow.”
“Yeah, that’s me—slow.” Tyler was struggling to keep his hands off Brenna. How had he managed to go so long without kissing her? Now he knew how she tasted, how that mouth felt, he wanted to spend every minute of every day kissing it.
Unsettled by that thought, he swung his leg over the snowmobile and removed his helmet.
When it came to relationships, he thought in terms of one day at a time. More often, it was one night at a time.
“Waffles and whipped hot chocolate,” Brenna suggested, and she and Jess discussed the various options while they crunched through the snow toward the shack. A curl of smoke hovered above the chimney, and there were tables placed outside, positioned to take advantage of the weak winter sun and the beauty of the forest.
“It’s a Narnia day,” Jess said happily, tugging off her gloves and dropping them on the table. “Can I have one with everything please? Whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles—”
“Are you sure that’s enough?” Tyler asked. “Brenna? Do you want whipped cream?” He glanced at her, intending to keep it brief, but it didn’t turn out that way. His gaze meshed with hers. He saw color streak across her cheeks, and he knew that whatever she was thinking about, it wasn’t hot chocolate.
“Sounds good.” She dipped her head, and he wondered if anyone would think it odd if he stripped off his clothes and rolled in the snow.
“Right.” He cleared his throat. “I guess I’m buying.”
By the time Tyler returned with three mugs of hot chocolate, he had himself under control. He put the mugs down on the table, and Jess reached for a hot chocolate and poked at the cream with her spoon.
“So are you two going to carry on acting weird all Christmas or is this a one-time thing?”
“Acting weird?” Tyler picked the chair farthest from Brenna. “Weird how? I haven’t even looked at Brenna.”
“Exactly. Normally, you two talk about everything and anything, but today you’re both jumpy. So have you guys had a fight or something?”
“No!” Brenna took her favorite blue hat out of her pocket and pulled it onto her head. “Definitely not. There’s nothing wrong. You’re imagining it.”
Jess’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully and then she grinned. “Oh, I get it. Wow.”
Tyler’s mouth tightened. “What do you get?”
“You two.” Jess blew on her hot chocolate, a smug look on her face. “Don’t worry about me. I can see you’re dying to make out, and that’s perfectly fine.”
“Jess—”
“Dad, I’m not stupid.” Jess sipped her hot chocolate. “And for the record, I’m totally cool with this.”
Tyler inhaled deeply. “Sweetheart—”
“You do not have to explain,” Jess said kindly. “I’m good with this whole thing so don’t hold back on my account. I’m going to close my eyes, think about the tree I want and let you two do whatever it is you’re trying so hard not to do.”
Tyler glanced at Brenna.
She looked mortified, especially when she turned her head and saw Jess texting under the table. “What are you doing, honey?”
“I’m texting Grandma to tell her the good news.”