Page 9 of Evergreen Christmas
At the sound of the man’s voice, she nodded and waved furiously for him to come to the front door.
Oh, Lord, Jordyn prayed, her throat burning,please don’t let me go like this. Not now. And not by cupcake. I promise I won’t ever be selfish with baked goods again!
One heavy cough later, the obstruction cleared and she drew in a deep, ragged breath, glancing up at the vaulted ceiling where she almost expected a choir of merciful angels to appear. “Oh, hallelujah! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
She smoothed her hands over her long-sleeved shirt and jeans, inhaled deeply, then opened the front door.
The man was even more impressive up close, with chiseled features and a sensual mouth. It was as though he’d been plucked from her romantic dreams—a strong, handsome prince sent to sweep her up and carry her away.
He grinned. “Hi.”
She blinked, her body swaying toward him. Did he feel that electric sizzle between them, too?
“Hi,” she breathed.
His grin widened. “You, uh, have a bit of . . .” He lifted his hand and tapped his lower lip with one blunt fingertip.
Jordyn licked her lips, the sweet taste of cream cheese frosting hitting her tongue. Face flaming, she spun away, dragged the back of her hand over her mouth, wiped it clean on her jeans then pushed her hair away from her face and lifted her chin, doing her best to summon a bit of dignity.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse as she faced him again. “I was, um, strangled by a cupcake.”
His eyes narrowed and one blond brow rose, amusement appearing on his face. “Strangled by a cupcake?”
“Yep.” She forced a strained laugh. “First time I’ve had one of Noel’s famous red velvet cupcakes. I gotta say, those things are dangerous.”
One corner of his mouth lifted in a boyish grin. “I have to agree with you on that. I have a hard time turning ’em down, too.” He held out his hand. “I’m Nate Reed, owner of Frosted Firs Ranch next door.”
She shook his hand, the feel of his warm palm against hers sending a fresh surge of female appreciation through her. “I’m Jordyn Banks. New owner of Chestnut Ridge,” she stated proudly.
He nodded, his gaze lowering to her mouth again. “I didn’t mean to barge in on you, but I wanted to welcome you to town. And I . . .” His lean cheeks darkened slightly as he gestured toward her chin. “You . . . you’ve still got a bit of frosting there.”
“Oh!” She scrubbed her fingers over her chin. “Sorry. I usually have better manners! I promise.” She looked down at her fingers, which were coated with icing, briefly considered wiping them on her jeans again but, seeking a politer option, stuck them in her mouth instead, quickly licking the icing from her fingertips.
He looked away, averting his eyes.
“Sorry,” she blurted. “That was rude of me. Just don’t want to waste that money I spent on the cupcakes, you know?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and issued a half-hearted laugh.
Great.Fantastic first impression! Wallowing on the floor, choking on a cupcake, then disgracing herself with bad manners . . . The poor man probably thought she was a fruitcake.
“Look, I’d love to invite you in but as you can see”—she gestured behind her—“I don’t have any furniture yet.”
He held up his hands. “No worries. I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m sure you’d rather settle in before having company. You just arrived today, I take it?”
“Yeah.” She gestured toward the stable to the left of the log cabin. “Me and Star, that is.”
His brows rose.
“My quarter horse.” She smiled widely. “Star’s been my partner for years.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “You barrel race, right?”
“I see word travels fast around here.”
He tapped his lips. “From your mouth to all of Noel’s residents’ ears . . .”
“Indeed.”