lifetime—and he wanted to go for a walk in the snow. She shook her head and pushed away from the door. She brushed her hair and quickly braided it to keep it from blowing.
Her eyes sparkled back at her in the mirror, her cheeks were bright with color and her lips were rosy. She turned away, her heart heavy.
Jake stood by the door already wearing his shearling jacket. Brianna quickly donned her own jacket and pulled on a knit cap and woolen mittens.
“I’m ready,” she said brightly. She'd go home tomorrow, no matter what.
Stepping out onto the porch, Brianna caught her breath. The air was so cold it almost snapped. Snow blanketed everything, from the tree limbs bent beneath the weight, to the distinctive shape of Jake’s car. Smiling in delight at the pristine setting, she boldly stamped down the stairs, making the first marks in the white expanse.
“This is great! We’re the first to walk in it.”
“Yeah, want to help shovel?” He stood on the porch, watching her, then scanning the area from habit.
“No. And you’re not shoveling anything now, either. Come on, you said walk, let’s walk.”
Bravely Brianna set off, hoping she didn’t wind up in some drift. The snow covered her ankles, puffing away from each step as she forged into virgin territory. Two seconds later, Jake joined her, his longer stride eating up the distance.
“Doesn’t this remind you of being a kid? We couldn’t wait to be finished with chores when it snowed so we could play,” she reminisced happily. Tilting her head back to look up at him, she waited for his memories. Were they as happy as hers?
He shook his head. “You forget, I’m from Denver. We didn’t have expanses of open land like this. I lived in apartments that had parking lots plowed as soon as the first flake fell.”
Brianna exhaled, watching the cloud hang suspended in front of her before it gradually dissipated. She eyed the trees ahead of them, then smiled. “So you didn’t partake in snowball fights?” she asked innocently.
“Sure, just not often. There weren’t a lot of kids around where I lived. Why, you want to fight?”
She shook her head. “Not really. We could make a snowman.”
“What about snow angels? I want to see an award-winning angel.”
Without any warning, she turned and fell back into the soft snow. Slowly she raised her arms up and down, packing the snow beneath her. She opened and closed her legs.
“For a perfect snow angel, I need help to get up. Otherwise I’ll mess up the outline,” she said, carefully drawing her arms away from the snow and holding out her hands. “Don’t step on my skirt!” she warned.
Jake laughed as he reached over and clasped her hands, pulling her upright. Together they studied the outline in the snow.
“Perfect or what?” she asked triumphantly, her heart racing with exhilaration.
She enjoyed seeing him laugh. Could she get him to do it again?
“Perfect.” Only his eyes were on her, not the outline in the snow.
Brianna was mesmerized by the lights in his dark gaze. “It’s all in the technique. And not getting up by yourself. My brothers were too impatient to wait for anyone to help them up. So their angels…”
She didn’t care what her brothers had done; neither did Jake. She wanted him to kiss her again. Like he had on the sofa. More than comfort, much more.
She almost cried out in protest when he stepped away and continued walking. “I’ll remember. It’s the technique.”
“Like building a snowman,” she said, hurrying to catch up.
“That’s got a technique to it, as well?” he asked.
“Sure. Josh always wanted to build the biggest one in the world. So we’d roll the bottom forever, until it was huge. Then the next ball would get too big for us to lift. You have to practice some moderation.”
“That was when you were kids. How big do you think we could make one now?”
“Oh, no, not another I-want-to-build-the-biggest-snowman-in-the-world person,” she
Her eyes sparkled back at her in the mirror, her cheeks were bright with color and her lips were rosy. She turned away, her heart heavy.
Jake stood by the door already wearing his shearling jacket. Brianna quickly donned her own jacket and pulled on a knit cap and woolen mittens.
“I’m ready,” she said brightly. She'd go home tomorrow, no matter what.
Stepping out onto the porch, Brianna caught her breath. The air was so cold it almost snapped. Snow blanketed everything, from the tree limbs bent beneath the weight, to the distinctive shape of Jake’s car. Smiling in delight at the pristine setting, she boldly stamped down the stairs, making the first marks in the white expanse.
“This is great! We’re the first to walk in it.”
“Yeah, want to help shovel?” He stood on the porch, watching her, then scanning the area from habit.
“No. And you’re not shoveling anything now, either. Come on, you said walk, let’s walk.”
Bravely Brianna set off, hoping she didn’t wind up in some drift. The snow covered her ankles, puffing away from each step as she forged into virgin territory. Two seconds later, Jake joined her, his longer stride eating up the distance.
“Doesn’t this remind you of being a kid? We couldn’t wait to be finished with chores when it snowed so we could play,” she reminisced happily. Tilting her head back to look up at him, she waited for his memories. Were they as happy as hers?
He shook his head. “You forget, I’m from Denver. We didn’t have expanses of open land like this. I lived in apartments that had parking lots plowed as soon as the first flake fell.”
Brianna exhaled, watching the cloud hang suspended in front of her before it gradually dissipated. She eyed the trees ahead of them, then smiled. “So you didn’t partake in snowball fights?” she asked innocently.
“Sure, just not often. There weren’t a lot of kids around where I lived. Why, you want to fight?”
She shook her head. “Not really. We could make a snowman.”
“What about snow angels? I want to see an award-winning angel.”
Without any warning, she turned and fell back into the soft snow. Slowly she raised her arms up and down, packing the snow beneath her. She opened and closed her legs.
“For a perfect snow angel, I need help to get up. Otherwise I’ll mess up the outline,” she said, carefully drawing her arms away from the snow and holding out her hands. “Don’t step on my skirt!” she warned.
Jake laughed as he reached over and clasped her hands, pulling her upright. Together they studied the outline in the snow.
“Perfect or what?” she asked triumphantly, her heart racing with exhilaration.
She enjoyed seeing him laugh. Could she get him to do it again?
“Perfect.” Only his eyes were on her, not the outline in the snow.
Brianna was mesmerized by the lights in his dark gaze. “It’s all in the technique. And not getting up by yourself. My brothers were too impatient to wait for anyone to help them up. So their angels…”
She didn’t care what her brothers had done; neither did Jake. She wanted him to kiss her again. Like he had on the sofa. More than comfort, much more.
She almost cried out in protest when he stepped away and continued walking. “I’ll remember. It’s the technique.”
“Like building a snowman,” she said, hurrying to catch up.
“That’s got a technique to it, as well?” he asked.
“Sure. Josh always wanted to build the biggest one in the world. So we’d roll the bottom forever, until it was huge. Then the next ball would get too big for us to lift. You have to practice some moderation.”
“That was when you were kids. How big do you think we could make one now?”
“Oh, no, not another I-want-to-build-the-biggest-snowman-in-the-world person,” she
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