The Christmas He Loved Her (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake 2)

A quick glance over to his Jeep told him that he wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. A thick sheet of ice coated the entire vehicle, and the roads would be no better. Only a fool would get behind the wheel.

He hunched his shoulders and carefully picked his way across the driveway, finding a bit of relief from the elements when he reached the cedar hedge. He rounded the corner, and a few seconds later, his hands were on the door.

And then he was inside, hit by a wall of heat and two eyes that regarded him warily.

He took a moment and glanced around, running his hands through his hair and shaking the excess moisture off. It was wet from the sleet and ice, and he impatiently pushed it out of his eyes.

The place looked immaculate. The entire room had been scrubbed, top to bottom. There wasn’t one ounce of debris or garbage anywhere, and from where he stood, the kitchen gleamed.

Sure, the details were tired and worn—the linoleum, the countertops, the cupboards, and the walls—but they were clean. And it was warm. Toasty warm. Almost comfy.

“I thought you’d left,” Raine said haltingly.

“I just finished up inside.” Jake shrugged out of his jacket and looked around for a place to put it.

“Here, let me.” Raine took his jacket and he watched her cross the room and hang it from a prong screwed into the wall near the back door.

Gibson was asleep in front of the fireplace, which wasn’t surprising, since a fire burned on the hearth and that would account for the toasty air. Jake frowned, his hand on his chin as he took two steps forwar

d.

“Shoes off, mister,” Raine said, an eyebrow arched and one hand on her hip. “I didn’t spend all day cleaning this place so you could dirty it up.”

Jake stepped out of his boots and padded toward the fireplace. “I haven’t had this one cleaned out yet, so I’m thinking this isn’t a good idea.”

“Already done,” Raine said quickly. “I called Hearths R Us and they were here at eight this morning.”

“Huh,” Jake replied.

“I also booked them to come and do the ones at the main house, so he’ll be back, Tuesday at the latest.” She cocked her head to the side and raised her chin. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Thanks,” he said absently.

Jake’s gaze moved past her, toward the kitchen, and he noticed food on the table, or rather takeout—from the looks of it, Chinese from Yin’s. A bottle of wine was open, with one half-filled glass beside it. On the floor next to the sofa—a sofa that now had a bright pink cover on it—was a bag.

If he were going to take a guess, he’d have said an overnight bag.

“What’s going on, Raine?”

She moved toward the kitchen, her bare toes skipping over the worn—yet gleaming—hardwood, and cleared her throat as she reached for her wine. She took her time answering, and that grabbed his attention.

“Are you hungry? I’ve got lots left over. My eyes were bigger than my stomach.”

Jake followed her and leaned his hip against the countertop. He folded his arms over his chest and glanced around the place. It looked amazing. He couldn’t believe she’d done all this.

“I thought I’d stay here tonight,” Raine said carefully.

He reached over to the table and grabbed an egg roll. “Why would you want to stay here?” He thought of her perfectly cute little cottage. Of the modern kitchen with all the fancy upgrades. He thought of the new floors and the flat-screen television. Sure, her cupboards were probably bare, but hell, she was at least into Chinese these days.

Raine picked at the rice and shrugged, her eyes downcast. “I just…” She sighed. “I don’t know, I just really like it here.”

He finished the egg roll and grabbed another one, his stomach grumbling with hunger. “When did you get this?”

“They delivered an hour ago.”

Jake paused before taking another bite. “You do know that the roads aren’t fit to be driving on, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, Christopher told me I was his last delivery and they were closing early. We’re supposed to get freezing rain all night.” She pointed toward the bags on the counter. “He brought extra, just in case I got stranded.”