Mistaken Gifts (7 page)

"And why not?"

"Bo just took off leading a snowshoe trek into the woods with some kids."

"Oh, that’s what the boys were going to do today," Andi said. "It sounds like they do some cool things with the kids club here."

Jeff smiled and easily helped himself to a muffin on the tray. "They do. Morgan and Bo have really—"

"Well, great," Eva interrupted. "I guess I’ll have to go find it on my own." She pushed up from the table, needing distance. "I should probably get going."

"Oh no." Jeff abandoned his muffin and stood, blocking her exit. "You can’t go out into the mountains on your own. You’ll kill yourself."

"I most certainly will not," she said. Eva crossed her arms and glared at him, her chest heaving.

"Right," he said with a grin. "You’d get maybe twenty minutes out before you froze to death in those little boots and I’d have to come rescue you. Besides, you don’t know where to go."
 

"And you do, I suppose."

"As a matter of fact—"

"Perfect," Andi said. "Jeff, you take her. That way Eva can get everything she needs for the centerpieces."

Eva shot her friend a look, but Andi was already gathering her things. "Eva, don’t worry about arranging the massage with Carmen. I’ll take care of it. You go and have a good day."

"But, I don’t—"

"I’ll talk to you later, okay? Bye, Jeff."

Eva considered grabbing her friend and physically stopping her from leaving or at the very least, smacking her upside the head to knock some sense into her, since she was obviously not thinking straight. But in the end, she stood by and watched Andi walk away, leaving her alone with Jeff.
 

"Well," he said. "Looks like it’s just you and me." He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"
 

~ ~

After changing back into her parka and boots, Eva met up with Jeff in the main room of the Lodge. She’d used the few minutes alone to calm herself and refocus on the task of collecting holly. She had to stay focused if she was going to get everything finished in time. And she couldn’t afford to have Jeff, or anyone for that matter, derail her from that task. Andi was counting on her.
 

"It looks like you found some reasonable clothes," Jeff said when he saw her.
 

"I told you when I met you I hadn’t planned on having to tromp through the snow."

"I know, I know. I should have shoveled. You told me."
 

Eva bit back a sharp retort on the tip of her tongue, remembering her promise to Andi. She wouldn’t argue with him, even if it was fun. Eva took a deep breath. "Look," she said. "I have a lot to do. Can we get started?"

Jeff held open the door that led out to the courtyard behind the Lodge. "After you, madam."
 

He really was going to test every one of her nerves. She grabbed her basket and pushed out the door into the cold winter air. Being in such close proximity to Jeff would be challenging, in more ways than one, but she'd been in worse positions before, and handled them with grace. She could certainly handle a man.
 

"Thank you," Eva said, putting on her sweetest smile.
 

Jeff let out a low whistle and followed her outside. "Well, you are most certainly welcome, madam. I’m not sure what has caused the shift in your demeanor today, but I like it."

Eva spun around and almost smacked directly into his chest. He was standing so close, she could smell him. A heady mixture of pine, campfire and an earthy maleness that she assumed must come from spending time outside with horses. Involuntarily, she took a deep breath and the heady scent filled her, making her dizzy. She had to take a step back.
 

Of course, she would have to step on a rock and lose her footing. Jeff reached out and steadied her. "Whoa," he said. "I guess it doesn't matter what type of boot you're wearing. You're just not used to the woods."

Eva yanked her arm away and straightened her coat. "It's not the woods I need to get used to," she said.
 

"It's me, then." She could tell by the grin on his face he was only joking, but he didn't realize just how close his words hit home. And he didn't need to either.
 

"You think far too much of yourself," she said. "It’s not you I need to get used to. In fact, I could do with a lot less of you."
 

She turned and started stalking down the path, towards what she hoped was the parking lot.
 

It was only a moment before he fell into step beside her. "I hope you don’t mean that.”
 

"Look." Eva spun and stared at him. "I promised Andi we wouldn’t argue."
 

"But arguing with you is fun."

She tipped her head. "Look,
 
I mean it, okay? I promised her and—"

The cocky smile fell from his face and he pursed his lips together. "Okay," he said. "I didn't realize I was making it so difficult."

"Well, you are." Eva dropped the edge from her voice and when she saw the hurt look in his eyes, she tried to smile. "But this should be fun," she lied. "I've never been out in the woods in the winter." Or really, any time, she stopped herself from adding.
 

The light in his eyes returned when he said, "You'll love it. There’s nothing more beautiful than snow-covered pines and the stillness of the forest. You really can't understand until you experience it for yourself, but there's nothing else like it."
 

"I'm sure it's magical." Eva smiled and surprised herself that she didn't even have to force herself to sound genuine.
 

"You'll love the peacefulness," Jeff said. "Just step right up."
 

Eva started when she saw where Jeff had led her. They'd gone past the Lodge utility Jeep and were stopped in front of a sleigh. A sleigh with a horse attached to it.
 

Instinctively, Eva took a step back. "Oh no."

"No to the horse? Or the sleigh?" Jeff took her arm to keep her from running, which she probably would have if he wasn't holding on.

"Both," she said. "There's no way. I told you, I don't like horses."

"But I'm not asking you to ride one," he said. He slowly moved her towards the animal. "I'm asking you to sit in a sleigh. Surely you can’t be opposed to that?"
 

She shook her head, but realized how stupid she would sound if she objected to something so benign as a sleigh ride. After all, she reasoned with herself, there's an entire Christmas jingle dedicated to sleigh rides. Besides, if she couldn’t even handle a sleigh ride, he’d never agree to giving Andi a horse for the wedding. "Okay," she said, still shaking her head. "How bad could it be?"

Jeff's face lit up with the smile she was beginning to get used to, and he hopped up into the sleigh with one big step. He extended his hand to her and against her better judgment, she accepted, letting his big, warm hand envelope hers and pull her aboard.
 

He tried not to notice how cute she was, but every time Eva made a squeal or squeezed her hands around the railing of the sleigh, Jeff noticed. Oh, did he notice. It was refreshing to see this hard-edged woman, who always had a quick retort, let down her guard. Even if it was only for a few seconds at a time.
 

He barely needed to guide Clover down the snowy track, but he kept a loose grip on the reins just in case she spooked, and also to show Eva he was totally in control of the horse and there really was nothing to be concerned about. "See," he said, after a few moments. "I told you there was nothing to worry about. Horses are absolutely safe. In fact, horses and humans go together like—"

"The ride isn’t over yet," she interrupted. "There’s still plenty of time for something to go wrong." Eva squeezed her eyes shut and tucked her face down into the collar of her parka. "How much farther?"

Jeff didn’t even try to hide his smile. Instead, he carefully lifted her left hand from the death grip it had on the rail and squeezed it in his own. "Look around," he said gently. "It’s beautiful out here. I promise Clover knows what she’s doing and you’ll hate yourself if you miss the amazing scenery."

She didn’t immediately pull her hand away, which Jeff took as a small victory. His first impression of Eva had been wrong. The more time he spent with her, the more he was beginning to think there was more to her and the crusty tough girl act was just that, an act.
 

"Honestly," he said, when she didn’t open her eyes right away. "It’s totally safe. I swear."
 

First one eye opened, and then the other, and Eva lifted her head and looked at him. "You swear?"
 

"Scouts’ honor." Jeff let go of her hand to hold up two fingers in a Scouts promise, and then instantly regretted losing the contact.
 

Eva slowly looked around. "It is pretty," she said.
 

Jeff followed her gaze and took in the snow-dusted pines, the blue sky overhead and the track ahead. "I think it’s the most magical time of year in the woods," he said. His voice was only slightly more than a whisper. It happened every time he went deep into the forest; a sense of peace overtook him and it didn’t take long before he felt completely calm and relaxed. It was the only place he could still his thoughts long enough to really think. And he was willing to leave it for a job in show business? The thought of his impending decision slammed into him. How could he leave? It was a great opportunity, but for what?
 

A blur of motion out of the corner of his eye grabbed his attention at the same time Clover noticed. A deer, and Clover snorted and flipped her head in greeting to the wild animal.

"What was that?" Eva gripped Jeff’s leg and shrunk down next to him.
 

"Just a deer." He secretly smiled at the contact. "Clover was just saying hi. Nothing to get worked up about," he said.

"Maybe you should tell the horse that," Eva said. "You shouldn’t snort when you’re saying hi." A bit of the edge he’d experienced with her earlier had snuck back into her voice, but when he glanced down to look at her, her eyes were sparkling with humor. She’d obviously relaxed enough to trust him, at least for the moment. And Jeff couldn’t be sure if it was that acknowledgment, or that she still had a grip on his thigh, that was causing his mind to run wild. Whatever it was, he was definitely enjoying himself.

They sat in quiet for a few more moments, and eventually Eva pulled away from Jeff’s leg but let her left hand rest on the bench between them, and he fought the urge to take it in his own again.
 

"So, about the horse," Eva said, and it took a moment for Jeff to realize what horse exactly she was talking about. "Did you mean what you said at breakfast? Andi can have the horse for the wedding?"

Jeff pretended to think about it some more. "Well," he said. "I have my reservations. But, I think so."

Her face lit up in a radiant smile. God, she was gorgeous. "You’ll still need to come and pick one out, though," he added, knowing it would mean spending more time with her.
 

The smile fell off her face as she no doubt contemplated the options. Finally, she nodded. "If I have to. But you have to understand, I really don’t like horses. And they don’t like me."

"Well, that’s just crazy." Jeff snuck his hand closer to hers. "Horses are the most gentle creatures around. What possibly could have happened to make you hate them?"
 

Eva stared at him, seriousness in her eyes. "The last time I rode one, it bucked me off and broke my arm. They hate me."
 

He did his best not to laugh. "Let me guess, you were a kid at camp?"
 

"How did you know?"

"It’s a pretty common story," he said, unable to keep the laughter from his voice.
 

Eva tried to look mad, but her smile gave her away. "Well, common or not, I still don’t trust them."

"Fair enough." Jeff closed the gap, and wrapped his fingers over her hand. "Trust is something you have to build." His words were loaded with meaning, but he didn’t want to push. "Look at Clover here," he said. "You’re doing a pretty good job trusting her."

She didn’t move her hand, so Jeff gave it a squeeze, and she smiled. "I guess I am," she said. "Maybe there’s hope for me yet."

They fell into silence again and Jeff snuck a look at Eva, who seemed to be taking in the passing trees, searching the woods for something. Maybe she, too, felt the calming feeling of the forest? Maybe, just like him, she was seeking answers in the trees, too?

"So, am I looking for large bushes of holly, or will they be in little bunches?" she asked, breaking the tranquility.

Of course. Jeff could have smacked himself. She was searching for centerpiece material. Not answers or anything deeper than decorations. He shook his head, clearing it of the thoughts that had sprung up so unexpectedly, and mostly unwelcome. Eva wasn’t his type, and it would serve him well to remember that.
 

"Just a little farther, and there’s a spot that has quite a big cluster of holly sprigs. I don’t know how much you’re looking for, but it should be enough to do a few arrangements, I’d imagine." He didn’t look at her when he spoke, but kept his eyes trained on the path ahead.
 

Jeff could feel her gaze on him when she said, "Thank you." Her voice was soft and not for the first time, she caught him off guard.
 

"You don’t have to—"

"No. I do. I never would have been able to find my way out here by myself. And I know—oh, is that some?"
 

Jeff spun around, his mind racing to keep up with what she was saying. He’d barely pulled Clover to a stop before Eva hopped out of the sleigh and picked her way through the snowbank to where she’d spotted some holly.

"Looks like you found it," he said, mostly to himself.
 

"Can you bring me my basket?" she called to him and like a dutiful subject, he gathered her things and went to join her.