Adam pulled the kids to a stop in front of her. “Pull Carrie, Daddy!” Olivia said. Adam looked over as if waiting for an answer, his cheeks bright red from running and the icy air.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Carrie said with a shy smile, “but thank you for offering, Olivia.”
“Why not?” Adam asked.
Carrie could hardly conceal her shock. Didn’t he have a phone call to make? He didn’t really want to pull her on the sled. Wasn’t he tired? He was being polite, she figured, so she declined just as politely. “You’re busy, I’m sure. Thank you for pulling the children.”
“Get on,” he nodded toward the sled, and the flirty look on his face made her hands start to shake. It was like he was baiting her. Surely he didn’t really want her to get on. The kids hopped off and stood next to her.
“No, I can’t.”
“Get on!” Olivia pressed.
“It’s for the children,” Adam said.
Is he serious? she thought.
“Go on,” David said.
Still not sure she was making the right choice, she climbed onto the sled, crossed her legs, and held onto the rope handles. As she sat there, waiting for Adam to pull her, she looked up at him. He laughed, and she couldn’t help it, she laughed too. It was silly being on that sled, but she was so happy to be there at the same time.
Adam wrapped the rope around his gloved hand, getting leverage. Then, with a hard tug, he got her going, and she was flying down the street, the wind fighting against her cap, blowing her hair back over her shoulders, and pushing its way under her scarf. A squeal rose up as she started to turn, the runner of the sled coming off the ground. Adam hadn’t pulled the children this fast. The wind was like knives on her cheeks, the snow getting into her eyes, but she hardly noticed. She was too preoccupied with the thought of Adam pulling her on this sled. Then, faster than she could process it—as if it were in slow motion—she saw his foot go down into a snow-covered ditch, and she watched in panic as he started to fall. The sled was going so fast, she couldn’t stop it, her legs stretching out in a vain attempt to do something. Before she knew it, she’d slid right into him, toppling over and landing on his stomach. She was face to face with Adam Fletcher.
“Are you okay?” she asked, winded.
“Yeah,” he laughed. “That’s what I get for trying to show off.”
Carrie laughed too, but she was glad that her cheeks were already red because she could feel the splotches coming. Adam was showing off. For her? That couldn’t be. Then, she realized that he must have meant that he was showing off for the kids. It was the only rational explanation. She wriggled around until she could get enough footing in the snow to stand. When she felt secure enough, she held out her hand to help him up. He had snow all down his back, on his jeans, in his hair. She wanted to brush it off, but she didn’t trust that she should touch him.
“Should we all go in and warm up by the fire?” he asked. The kids, clearly worried about their father, nodded.
“Are you okay, Daddy?” David asked.
“I’m fine!” he said with a smile. “That was fun.”
Carrie slipped on the dark green, silk floor-length gown she’d bought at a boutique in town while Joyce watched the kids today. The snow from that morning had hardly let up, making her trip to the shop treacherous, but she was going to the Marleys’ party tonight, and she had to have a dress. Nothing was getting in the way of her evening with Adam. He’d insisted on paying for the dress since Allie had invited her to the Ashford Estate, and she really hadn’t had much choice in the matter. What she hadn’t told him was that she wasn’t doing anyone a favor by going; she was thrilled to go. She looked at herself in the mirror. The lace overlay at the top was more revealing than anything she’d ever worn before, the fabric coming down in a low V on her chest. She worried about her splotches because in this dress there would be no hiding them. She’d done her makeup tonight, but she’d kept it simple so as not to overwhelm the dress. With a tiny wobble, she slipped on the green heels she’d found to match.
She kept thinking about Adam and sledding the whole time she was getting ready. He had changed so much in such a short time. Even though he’d worked yesterday when he was supposed to be off, and he’d had a call to make this morning, he’d made sure to get the kids settled in front of the fire, and he’d even gone and gotten them a blanket before he left. He’d spent a little time chatting with his family, and to her joy, Joyce had asked if she could take the children to see Santa, and he’d said that he’d like to go too. She finally felt comfortable talking to him about the children, but tonight, she’d test the limits of her level of security with herself because she was about to spend the evening with just him—no kids. The idea of it made her more nervous than she could mentally manage, so she focused on the task at hand: getting ready.