He nodded again. “My truck could drive up a mountain in a blizzard. I’ll take you home, and tomorrow morning I’ll pick you up and bring you back here for your car.”
“That would be great,” she said, wondering what in the world she was doing.
Driving home with Jake was not the way to put her feelings behind her. But there was a buzzing in her ears, a shimmering in her veins, and she was starting to think that some impulses were stronger than logic or common sense.
Not that this would lead to anything. Jake was just being nice, and she was grateful for that. Aside from any other feelings she might have, she really would rather go home in his truck than try to navigate through the snow in her car.
A sudden rush of goose bumps reminded her that her arms were bare. “I’ll get my coat and meet you back here, okay?”
“Okay.”
As soon as Erin was out of sight, Jake rubbed a hand across his eyes.
What the hell was he thinking? He’d been five seconds away from getting out of here, free to head back to his apartment and stare at the TV until he fell asleep, and now he’d offered to give Erin Shaw a ride home.
The woman who’d been in his arms a few minutes ago. The woman he hadn’t wanted to let go of.
She’d smelled so good, like violets and silk. When she rested her head against his chest a surge of something he hadn’t felt in a long, long time had come over him.
Everything about her was soft. Her hair, her skin, her dress. He’d wanted to touch all that softness, to rub his face in her hair and kiss every inch of her skin.
If he’d known he would react like that he wouldn’t have gone near her. He wasn’t in the market for a relationship, but it had been so long since he’d felt any kind of spark with a woman that it hadn’t been an issue for a while. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to feel this tempted.
He didn’t know if he’d ever felt this tempted.
Erin was coming back now, wearing a black wool coat that made her hair look like platinum. She was smiling, and twenty-seven or not, her expression was still sweet, still innocent, as if she still had some illusions left.
Watching her come towards him, he felt the iron weight of all his experience, the loss of innocence and every illusion he’d ever cherished.
He didn’t belong anywhere near this woman. This woman who was looking at him like he was someone worth looking up to.
She didn’t know that he wasn’t. That he was empty inside, with nothing to offer her or anybody.
And she never would know. He’d drive her home tonight, and bring her back here to get her car in the morning, just like he’d promised.
And he wouldn’t go near her again.
Chapter Three
As soon as they left the bright hotel lobby, it was as if they’d stepped into a different world. The noise of the crowd and the band faded away and he and Erin were wrapped in the silence of falling snow.
There were several inches on the ground already, and the soft flakes were coming down thickly. They didn’t talk, but the silence felt restful rather than awkward. Jake took in a deep breath and let it out, watching his breath crystallize in the cold air.
He glanced down at Erin, walking beside him. She caught a snowflake on her tongue and smiled up at him, looking a lot younger than twenty-seven.
They reached his truck, and Jake let her in on the passenger side before grabbing the snow brush to clear the windows.
“Do you still live in Willow Springs?” he asked once he was behind the wheel.
“Yes. On Maple Hill Road.”
“That’s not far from the farm,” he said, pulling carefully out of the parking lot. His truck might be great in the snow, but he wasn’t taking any chances with Erin in the car.
She nodded. “I love that part of town. When I saw the rental listing a few years ago I knew I just had to live there.”
“You’re renting?”
She nodded again. “The owner offered to sell it to me last year, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I’m worried about using all my savings for the down payment and I don’t know if my income is big enough. I mean, it’s big enough for me to live on, but I’m not sure it’s big enough to buy a house. Especially since the banks are making it tougher to get a mortgage. And I hate being in debt, so I only have one credit card and I never use it, which, it turns out, is bad for your credit score.” She glanced at him. “That’s probably more information than you needed, huh?”
Considering the fact that he’d never been able to get her to talk when they were younger, it was actually kind of nice. “No. I’ve never understood the whole credit score thing, myself.” He glanced at her again. “Would your parents be able to help you out? With the down payment, I mean.”