Stormy Passion (35 page)

Taylor's strong hand closed around her small
wrist as he pulled her up into the sleigh. “Thank you,” she said as
he returned to his place. Brenna turned and saw there was only one
seat left ... directly across from
him
. With only one
choice, she shrugged and took her seat, pulling the heavy lap robe
over her legs.

“
Getty up,” the driver
called to the team.

The sleigh lunged forward and settled into a
smooth pace. Brenna stared out across the snowy wonderland bathed
in shades of silver and gray. A wisp of hair blew across her face
and tickled her nose. Reaching up, she tucked the strand behind her
ear. As the horses picked up speed, the bells jingled, causing
Brenna to smile at the happy feeling she had inside. The icy air
nipped her face, and she snuggled deeper into her fur.

“
This is fun, Brenna.” Lisa
giggled. “Why haven't we done this before?”

Brenna glanced at her sister. “Because
Geraldine didn't think of it until this morning.”

“
Well, I'm glad she did,”
Lisa whispered.

“
Me, too.”

“
Brenna, this is
fantastic,” Carol shouted over the sounds of the horses' bells. Her
chin just peeked out of her yellow wool scarf. “The cold air takes
my breath away.” She snuggled closer to Taylor. “I'm so glad our
car broke down and forced us to stay here. I feel like I'm in
wonderland.” She looked up at him and smiled.

Brenna wanted to laugh. She felt much like
Alice in Wonderland
, herself. That is, after Alice fell down
the dark hole ... confused ... lost. It was hard sitting here
watching the man Brenna loved with his arm casually draped around
another woman. He smiled at something Carol said and Brenna's heart
twisted. The happy feeling she'd felt a few minutes ago quickly
evaporated. Why did Taylor have to appear now and churn up all
those old sentiments she thought she'd buried?

“
I like your coat.” Taylor
watched the many emotions that filtered across Brenna's face and
for a brief second he saw sadness in her eyes. Of course, he'd been
watching her ever since she sat down. Her eyes grew wide with
surprise at his statement. She must have thought he'd forgotten the
coat that put a big dent in his savings account. He smiled as he
remembered his mother's remarks. She had been so angry when he'd
given the fur to Brenna that for a while he'd wondered if his
mother would cut him out of the will.

“
Thank you.”

“
It is beautiful,” Carol
agreed. “I've always considered them, but I never could swing the
price of a fur.”

Brenna looked at Carol sheepishly. Taylor
shouldn't have brought the subject up in front of his girlfriend.
“The coat was a gift.”

“
Well, he must have loved
you very much. If it was a he who gave it to you,” Carol
added.

“
It--” Lisa opened and shut
her mouth.

Taylor knew what the child had been about to
say. Boy, would that have livened up the conversation. Evidently,
her sister had pinched her into silence.

As if he willed her to do so, Brenna's gaze
returned to him. The sadness he saw there touched him deeply as she
murmured, “I thought so.”

Oh, Brenna, what have we done to each
other?

Taylor's chest tightened. Brenna turned away
from him and looked out at the lights of the decorated town. The
silver fox fur seemed to caress her creamy chin, and the cold air
had kissed her cheeks, leaving a soft, rosy glow. He longed to
answer
he loved you more than you know
, but he quickly
squelched the idea.

Water under the bridge, Taylor reminded
himself. All they had were memories. Brenna had made her choice
when she left him. Perhaps she regretted the choice, but the fact
still remained. She had left him.

Now he had a wonderful woman sitting next to
him. Reaching over, he took Carol’s hand in his and smiled at her
before turning to watch the scenery. Yes, he had everything. So why
did he have doubts about his engagement? He thought he’d put the
pass behind him.

Once downtown, the sleigh slid to a stop in
front of the hardware store to wait for several cars to pass. All
the stores were decorated in white lights which twinkled merrily as
they passed. Even the trees dripping icicles along the sidewalks
sparkled with festive radiance.

“
Brenna. Brenna.” A man
called as he hurried over to the side of the vehicle. “I thought
that was you,” he remarked. “How's my favorite girl?” he asked with
a wink and a grin.

Brenna smiled back and felt her cheeks grow
warm with embarrassment at her friend's possessive comment. She had
dated David a couple of times, but they were still just friends. He
was one of the few men under eighty in Hollow Ridge, and nice
looking with curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. “Hi, David. As
you can see, I'm entertaining some of my guests.” She waved her
gloved hand and in so doing caught a glimpse of Taylor's
not-too-friendly eyes as he stared at David.

David nodded to everyone. “And in a grand
style, I see. Hope you folks have a good time at our festival.” He
turned his attention back to Brenna. “I expect to see you
tomorrow.” He winked again, then turned around and left.

“
See you,” Brenna called to
him.

The flakes of snow grew bigger and fluffier
as the sleigh started moving and not a moment too soon for Taylor.
Was that the SOB Brenna ran away with? If so, then why hadn't they
gotten married? Again he had more questions than answers. But one
day he'd get his answers, he thought moodily as he stared unseeing
at the passing scenery.

When they arrived home, the guests went to
their rooms and Brenna helped Geraldine pack her things into the
sleigh.

Wind whipped around the house as Brenna went
back inside. The mere sound made her shiver. Glancing out the
window, she noticed two more inches of snow had accumulated on the
porch rails.

The house was quiet except for the howling
wind and the sound of the grandfather clock that stood in the
hallway, keeping its ever-faithful rhythm. Brenna smiled as she
shrugged off her coat. This was her favorite part of the day, and a
cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace was just what she
needed. She wandered into the cozy den surrounded by bay window
seats. Looking at the River Rock fireplace, Brenna saw a single
piece of wood and dying embers. She frowned. The cocoa would have
to wait until she fetched some kindling and wood.

She grabbed her old coat and mittens and
hurried out the back door. After making two stacks of wood on the
rear porch, she went back for another load. She couldn't help
watching the huge flakes falling likes stars from the sky. Wouldn't
it be wonderful to have someone to cuddle up with on a night like
this instead of lugging in wood? She reached for a fat log. Bending
at the knees, she struggled to get it into her arms. What would it
be like to have a man do things like this for her? Brenna wondered
as she started for the house. Unable to see over the log, she
tripped over a shovel and tumbled head-first into the snow.

When Taylor came down stairs he heard the
wind whistling through a crack in the back door. The storm had
turned into a small blizzard, and he was thankful to be inside. Too
bad he couldn't sleep. He remembered the books that lined the
shelves in the living room and decided he would try one. Moving
over to the door, he wondered who had been in too big of a hurry to
shut it properly.

Taylor reached for the knob, but before he
closed it, he saw Brenna through the window, struggling with a log
as big as she was. He shrugged into his coat. He had no business
getting involved with Brenna Fox. And she had no business doing
that heavy kind of work, he swore to himself.
Watch out
, he
wanted to call as he saw her stumble and fall into the snow.

Taylor threw open the door and ran the short
distance to Brenna. Reaching down, he yanked her up. A trickle of
blood ran down her chin. He quickly scanned the rest of her body.
Other than a small cut she seemed all right. Pulling out a
handkerchief, he snapped, “Why in hell are you out in this
weather?”

“
What in the hell do you
think?” She retorted in cold sarcasm. “I'm working. The wood
doesn't have legs. And it can't get to the house by itself.” She
stopped herself, knowing she was taking her frustrations out on
Taylor. She wasn't sure which upset her the most, the fact she was
doing men's work or the fact that Taylor had come to her
rescue.

Taking the handkerchief from him, she said in
a more gracious tone, “T--Thank you.” She held the cloth to her
chin, wondering why he sounded grumpy when she was the one who had
fallen. “I have to get enough wood inside for tonight and tomorrow.
By morning, it will all be buried under the snow.”

Taylor picked up the log she'd been carrying
and escorted her to the back porch. “I'll get the rest of the wood.
Go in the house. You don't need to be out in this cold wind.”

Brenna stiffened, then pulled from his grip.
“Look, Taylor, it's my inn. You can't tell me what to do. I'm a big
girl and I can't let you work ... you're my guest.”

Taylor looked at her quizzically. “Then you
should do as
your guest
suggests and get inside.”

“
No.”

He raised a brow slightly and said, “I
insist.”

The snowflakes were starting to accumulate in
Taylor's hair. Brenna could see he was going to be stubborn, but
then so could she. “You can help me with the wood if you'd
like.”

A lazy smile played upon his lips. “I see,
you're still as hardheaded as ever.”

“
Afraid so,” Brenna said
over her shoulder as she started back for more wood. “But you used
to like me that way,” she teased, letting her guard down just a
little.

“
I can't argue with that,”
Taylor mumbled.

After they had stacked several more bundles
and covered the wood with plastic, they hurried back inside. Brenna
stuffed her mittens in her pocket and took off her coat and hung it
on a peg. “Thanks for the help,” she said, rubbing her cold hands
together and stamping the snow from her feet. “How about a cup of
hot chocolate?”

“
Sounds good.” Taylor hung
his coat on the back of a chair before turning to her with a
breath-taking smile. Her heart warmed. “I can't remember the last
time I had cocoa.”

Without thinking, Brenna reached up and
brushed the snow from Taylor's blonde hair. Her hand froze on the
way down. “I--I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that.”

“
I'm glad you did. I don't
need pneumonia.” She saw the amusement in his sultry eyes and
wondered what he thought.

Confusion settled over Brenna as she realized
Taylor's nearness still took her breath away after all these years.
“I'll go make the hot chocolate. Should I fix Carol a cup?” Brenna
needed Carol here to diffuse the heat simmering between them.

“
No.” He shook his head.
“She's sound asleep after a day of skiing. She’s never skied
before. That’s why I came down for a good book. I'll tell you
what--while you fix the chocolate, I'll put a couple of logs on the
fire.”

“
I'm afraid you'll have to
stir it up with some fat-lighter. The fire has just about gone
out.” Brenna reached for some of the oil-rich tinder and handed it
to Taylor. Leaving the rest of the job in his capable hands, she
hurried out to the kitchen.

Brenna dawdled as she fixed the chocolate,
trying to steal time. What could they talk about? They were
strangers now.

When she could postpone no longer, she took a
deep breath, picked up the tray and shouldered her way through the
swinging kitchen door.

The fire roared, casting an orange glow over
the room. The intimate surroundings did nothing to quell the heat
pulsing through her veins.

She handed Taylor a mug, then took her seat
in one of the chairs facing the bay windows. They both sat in
silence and watched the snow while drinking their hot chocolate.
The wind blew the snow against the window sills and the pole lights
outside cast a silvery glow on the trees.

Brenna thought she'd feel tense sitting alone
with Taylor, but to the contrary, she felt relaxed--almost like old
times. Maybe she'd been silly to worry about nothing. There were so
many things she wanted to ask him. What had life been like the last
few years? Yet, she didn't want to break the peaceful mood. In the
lingering silence, she watched Taylor from beneath her lashes. He
seemed contented as he stared out the window. If anything he'd
grown more distinguished, yet there was a hard edge about him which
hadn't been there before. What was he thinking?

“
Thanks for your help
tonight,” Brenna said, breaking the silence.

Taylor blinked several times before turning
his crystal blue eyes on her. “No problem. I really don't like to
see you work so hard.”

“
Sometimes it can't be
helped.” She shrugged. “Tell me what you've been doing. I heard
you're working at the bank.”

His brows arched in surprise. “How did you
know that?”

“
I get the newspaper from
home.”

“
I see.” For a minute,
Taylor had thought maybe she'd returned to River Run without him
knowing it, but the paper subscription explained everything. “You
know it's strange, I've been a workaholic for the past few years,
but since coming to this town, I've not thought about work at all.
I was beginning to think I'd forgotten how to relax. It’s peaceful
here. I can see why you like this place.”