“Shit—sorry, cover your ears, Maple—”
The door to the cabin opened abruptly. “Kayla?” It was Jackson, concern in his voice as he strode across to her, his feet scrunching on popcorn. Maple was leaping and barking. “Why are you screaming? What the hell has happened? Maple, sit. Sit!”
Maple ignored him.
“You happened—for God’s sake, Jackson—” she put her palm to her chest, feeling her heart pounding “—you scared me half to death and you scared the puppy. I thought you were a-a—”
“A what? All I did was knock on the door—” His gaze slid to the TV and his eyebrows rose. “Seems to me you were scaring yourself to death. The Shining? That makes perfect sense. An acknowledged feel-good Christmas movie. I guess you’re going to follow that with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Every fir tree’s nightmare.”
Hand pressed to her chest, she forced herself to breathe. “I was just in the mood for it, that’s all.” Stooping, she scooped a shivering Maple into her arms and snuggled her close. “Shh. It’s all right. It’s just Jackson, arriving with his chain saw. Nothing to be scared about.”
“I might have to disagree with that.” He picked up the DVD box. “You were in the mood for Ultimate Horror? That must be one hell of a mood you’ve got going on there.”
“It was my Christmas gift to myself. At this time of year the only thing that’s showing on TV is movies with the word miracle in the title.” Her legs still wobbly, she sank back onto the sofa. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you wanted a meeting.”
His gaze drifted to her robe. “Not a meeting. I came to pick up Maple. Thought I’d bring you something to eat at the same time.”
Her heart rate finally slowed. For the first time she noticed the large box by the door. “Pizza?”
“Fully loaded, cooked fresh by Élise, who usually considers pizza beneath her, so you are now among the favored few. I was going to invite you to my barn for the evening but after you vanished I decided I’d bring dinner to you.”
“It was kind of her—of you—” she hugged Maple closer “—but I’m not dressed.”
“You have to be dressed to eat pizza? That’s a new one on me.”
“All right then, I’m not hungry.” Her voice rose. “If you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate an evening by myself. But—you can leave Maple.” She was shocked by how much she didn’t want him to take the puppy.
In usual Jackson style, he didn’t budge. “Why do you want an evening by yourself? So you can cry on your own?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Panic flickered at the edges of her composure. “I’ve had a shower and washed off my makeup. The light in here is just—”
“You’ve been crying, Kayla. What I’d like to know is why. Is it because of that damn family and their Christmas tree? Or something else?”
“I’ll drop Maple round to your mother in the morning.” Putting Maple down on the rug, she walked toward the door, assuming Jackson would follow.
He didn’t.
Jackson O’Neil was about as easy to manipulate as a solid lump of rock.
He strolled across the room and sat down on the sofa. Stretched out those long, muscular legs as if he was settling in for a long evening of entertainment. If he felt at all awkward that he might be intruding, it didn’t show.
Kayla felt a rush of frustration. “Jackson—”
“I’m not leaving.”
“But—”
“I’m partial to the occasional horror movie myself, although I generally prefer psychological thrillers to all that blood and guts and chopping that goes on in some films. So—” he tickled Maple with his toes “—are you going to tell me why you were crying or am I going to have to torture you to get your confession?”
Irritation mingled with something much, much more dangerous. “I found out Santa doesn’t exist.”
“He exists. I know it for sure because his reindeer left a hell of a mess on one of the trails last year. He also knocked a piece out of one of the chimneys. I blame my mother for leaving out too many cinnamon stars. By the time the guy had eaten them he was too fat to get back on his sleigh. Come and sit down and bring the pizza with you. We’ll finish the movie together.”
“I’m not in the mood for company.”
“Too bad, because I am. I’m nervous.” He was all power and strength. The least nervous-looking individual she’d ever encountered. “And given that you’re responsible, the least you can do is make that right.”