“That you do.”
They climbed in the sleigh and then Avery covered Jillian with a heavy lap blanket. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, clutching the thermos. “I am now.”
And then they were off, gliding over the snow. The snow muffled the sounds. And though the moon was hidden behind the clouds, it was still bright out. As they made their way through the field, Avery glanced over at Jillian. She was nestled beneath the plaid blanket and still clutching the thermos. She looked stunning. He should have brought her out here a long time ago.
“What are you smiling about?”
Jillian’s voice drew him from his thoughts. “Who’s smiling?”
“You are and you know it. So what’s up?”
“Nothing. I’m just enjoying the evening.” It was so much more than that, but he really didn’t want to risk ruining this moment. He’d worked so hard to pull it together. He wanted to savor their time together.
For a while they glided along in silence. He had a particular destination in mind. It didn’t have a name. It was just a spot where you could see for miles. And at night, it was like visiting a planetarium with all of the stars twinkling overhead.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked.
She nodded from inside her big, fuzzy hood. “I’m perfect. This is amazing. Do you take the sleigh out very often?”
He shook his head. “This is my first time. I usually come out here on horseback.” He slowed the horse to a stop before turning to Jillian. “I wanted to do something special for you. A way to thank you. You’ve always been there for me and my family, whether it was helping me with the Bake-Off or being the best nanny in the whole world.”
“You…you really think that?”
He’d obviously done a lousy job of communicating his thoughts in the past. He would have to do better going forward.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make that clear before.” He stared into her eyes. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me and my family.”
His gaze dipped to her lips. They were shiny and full. And he was overwhelmed with the desire to kiss her again. So what was holding him back?
They were all alone on this snowy evening. And as he’d come to discover while he was planning this evening, it was a very romantic setting. If he were ever to have a chance with her, it would start beneath the starlit sky. But should he risk it? Should he put himself out there again?
It wasn’t like he was asking her to marry him. It was a kiss—a simple, no-strings-attached kiss. It was a starting point.
He rested his arm over the back of the sleigh. His heart started to pound hard in his chest. He’d kissed a number of girls over the years on the rodeo circuit and he’d never put this much thought into it. But none of them had meant as much to him as Jillian. He leaned toward her.
Suddenly Jillian raised the thermos between them. “Hot chocolate?”
He settled back in his seat. Had he read the signs wrong? Was he that rusty where women were concerned?
She undid the lid on the thermos and poured the steamy cocoa into the plastic cup. She held it out to him. “Looks like we have to share.”
He accepted the cup and took a drink. He could feel the warm liquid as it moved down his throat and settled in his stomach. It must be colder out here than he’d thought.
He handed back the empty cup. “Are you sure you’re warm enough?”
She nodded. “I am. This lap blanket is super warm. Here.” She adjusted the blanket so it could cover his legs too.
She was so close to him that he caught a whiff of her strawberry shampoo. His fingers itched to reach out and see if her hair was as silky smooth as it appeared.
Tempting fate once more, he moved his hand. As she leaned oh so near, smoothing out the blanket, his finger wrapped around a long blond lock of hair that had slipped out of her hood.
And then he had a most unwelcome thought—Glenn. Avery didn’t know how involved those two were, but enough that Jillian had kept the bouquet of flowers from him. And Glenn seemed intent on keeping her.
So that left Avery here poaching on another guy’s girl. That was something he refused to do. When she turned a questioning gaze his way, he realized that he could no longer act on his thoughts of kissing her. And then he realized he still had her lock of hair wrapped around his finger. He immediately released it and lowered his hand to his side.
Jillian straightened. “There. Isn’t that warmer?”