A Late Thaw Read Free Page B

play.
    The farm felt as much like home to her as anywhere else ever had. Someone had hung a new sign on the old heavy wooden signpost: Thomas and Son Farm. They’d post more specific signs about the trees and hours in season. Kiley had helped Cole paint the one they used when she was a teenager. They probably used a new one these days.
    Cole parked in the lot in front of the open garage attached to the large, old farmhouse. He hopped out without a word or a glance in her direction. Kiley followed him into the garage and stopped at a makeshift workbench. She slid her fingers over a freshly cut Birch log as the sweet clean scent of wood dust tickled her nose.
    Cole watched her from the step at the side door. “Yule logs and candle holders. Twenty percent of the business these days. Well, with the wreaths.” He said it matter-of-fact, as though she was just a curious tourist.
    Was this why he’d brought her here? To show her that he was managing the farm on his own? She’d never doubted that he could. “Cole, I don’t—”
    “Come on in.” He opened the door and walked into the kitchen.
    Sighing, Kiley followed him in. She glanced around . Subtle changes signaled that he’d taken over the farm completely. The appliances and paint colors were the same, but the shelves where his mother’s cookie jar collection once rested were now filled with glasses from New England Breweries. She smiled. Cole was a bachelor. His freezer was probably filled with Hungry-Man dinners instead of the casseroles and homemade dough his mother kept there.
    “How’s your mom and dad?” She should have asked earlier, they’d always been kind.
    “Good. They like Florida. Call every week to complain about the heat.” He leaned back against the counter. It looked like a casual gesture. Most people would think he was completely relaxed, but Kiley saw the muscle tension in his shoulders. Cole always reminded her of the wild lynx they’d seen at a refuge. The cats sprawled out in their habitats, eyes closed and breathing slowed, but with a closer look it was clear that they were absolutely alert.
    Kiley grinned. “And you’re doing okay? I mean , you’re handling all the work—managing the farm—by yourself?”
    “Yeah. I ’ll have to hire a few more hands this season, but…this isn’t what I wanted to talk about.” He dragged a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his head.
    “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
    His eyes narrowed. Maybe he was still trying to figure it out himself. “Not yet.” He stomped over and yanked open the refrigerator. “You still drink this girly stuff?” He held up a wine cooler.
    Kiley ’s laugh died in her throat. The drink was meant for another woman—someone Cole saw and wanted. Not her. “I’m not really thirsty.”
    He took out a beer and used the bottom of his T-shirt to give his hand enough friction to uncap it. His eyes closed with his first sip. They always did.
    So much for not being thirsty; Kiley’s mouth went dry. How could watching him enjoy a sip of beer still do this to her? She took a couple of steps toward the living room, trying to ignore the way her hands ached to touch him.
    Cole took a second large swallow, placed the bottle on the counter , and came toward her. His large hand gripped the back of her head the second before his mouth slammed onto hers.
    She gasped as the tastes of cold beer and hot Cole collided on her tongue. Her knees buckled but he gripped her side, firmly holding her up. He kissed her too hard and too fast for her to kiss him back.
    Shocked, she pulled away. “Cole?”
    His eyes were nearly black. His jaw clenched; he exhaled through his nose. “You asking me to stop?”

Chapter Six
    COLE STUDIED HER FACE . He couldn’t read her.
    K issing her hadn’t been part of the plan. He’d wanted her to hear him out, tell him why she’d run away when they could have had something. That was all. He’d only planned to talk to her. Then she’d