“Okay.” I reach for my wine and take a sip. “I can do that.”
He compliments me nonstop. If he keeps it up, I might start believing a few of them. The only compliments I got from the guy I almost married were the ones I pried out of him when I was feeling down in the dumps. I’m not sure any of them were authentic. Just like our relationship. One lie on top of another until I had nothing left that he wanted.
I sit at the table and watch as Nate begins making dinner. He looks so damn sexy when he’s concentrating on something, studying ingredients, and even when he makes a slight mistake that requires him to make an adjustment. It isn’t long until the smell of country fried steak fills the kitchen. It smells a lot better than what they served at the diner. My mouth is watering before he finally gets it to the table.
“I know it’s not much.” He places one of the country fried steaks on my plate. “Grilling and frying are my specialties.”
“It smells amazing.” I look down at my plate as he serves some mashed potatoes and corn to go with the country fried steak.
“And, of course, you have to have the gravy. Do you want it on your potatoes or just your steak?” He reaches for a gravy ladle.
“Both.” I nod as he serves it.
“That’s what I like too.” He smiles and fixes his plate.
We make small talk over dinner. More discussions about our lives, but nothing heavy. I’ve told him the worst part of mine. He’s shared enough for me to get a good understanding of why Holly Huckleberry said he was a little rough around the edges. The Mistletoe family is fascinating. I can’t wait to meet the woman who is responsible for bringing us together, the man who helped her raise the amazing guy I’m having dinner with, and all of my future brothers-in-law. Sisters-in-law too. I’m not the only woman who has come to Snow Valley with plans to get married this holiday season.
“So, how do you spend most of your evenings?” I lean back from my plate after I finish my meal.
“Hmm.” He looks down for a moment. “A drink, usually? Maybe a little television. A few trips out to the back porch…”
“Why?” I raise an eyebrow. “Isn’t it a little cold for drinking on the porch?”
“I guess you’ll find out eventually.” He sighs. “I been trying to kick the habit for a while.”
“Ah.” I catch his drift. “That doesn’t bother me. I tried it a couple of times in high school. I told you, I’m not that innocent.”
“If you keep smiling at me, I might be too distracted to think about it anyway.” He reaches over and squeezes my hand.
“Then I guess I’ll have to smile a lot.” I look up at him and bat my eyelashes. It probably looks better in my head, but it does make him laugh.
We move to the living room where we continue to drink wine and tell stories about our lives. Prior to meeting Nate, I would have never guessed life in Snow Valley could be that interesting, but he could probably make a story about watching paint dry sound engaging. Before I realize it, hours have ticked by and we’ve almost finished our wine.
Something tells me our night is just getting started, no matter how late it is.Chapter SevenNateCatriona seems to love my stories about Snow Valley. I’ve certainly got a few of them. I love the way she laughs. I can tell it’s painful for her to talk about her life because of everything that happened, but I cherish every opportunity she gives me to learn a little more about her. We seem like a perfect match.
My mom’s plan is far from insanity now. It seems like the best idea she’s ever had. I don’t know what it was about Catriona that made her seem like a good match for me, but she hit the nail on the head. We’re meant for each other. We’re two souls that drifted through life without a real purpose until we laid eyes on each other. I believe that. I hope the beautiful woman beside me feels the same way.
“Hey, I want to show you something.” I reach over and take her hand.
“Okay.” She nods and stands up as I do.
“I know it’s cold outside, but we won’t be out there very long.” I lead her to the front door and open it.
“I don’t think you realize how cold it actually is.” She shivers as soon as the wind hits her.
“Seriously.” I put an arm around her, and we walk outside. “Look up.”
“What am I looking at…” Her words trail off as she glances up at the night sky. “Oh wow.”
“I bet you don’t get a view like that in the city.” I gently nudge her.