Secret Santa 4U Read Free Page B

roads , and everything was covered in a fresh blanket of s now. Sophie smiled. Regardless of the season, she always found snow a bit magical. It covered everything like a fresh coat of paint and made the world seem fresh and new. She looked up at the gray clouds above and saw the tell-tale flakes begin to fall aga in. It was one of the many perks of living this close to the Appalachian Mountains .
    “ Great. Another storm ’ s coming . ” Brody turn ed on the wipers.
    “ It ’ s not so bad. At least we won ’ t have to drive in it. ”
    “ Yeah, b ut my apartment ’ s gonna be colder than a witc h ’ s tit in a brass bra. ”
    She frowned. “ Don ’ t tell me you haven ’ t told the super about your heater. ”
    “ Okay. ”
    She blew out a sigh of relief.
    “ I won ’ t tell you. ”
    “ Ah, c ’ mon, Brody. You can ’ t expect to stay in that apartment when the hea t ’ s out. You ’ ll freeze to death . ”
    Pulling up to a red light on the deserted road, he stopped and looked at her. “ I still have my fireplace. ”
    “ Well, that ’ s something at least. ”
    “ Yeah. ” The light turned green , and he put the truck in gear. “ I should probably get some firewood. ”
    So phie sighed. “ Brody Jacobs , it ’ s December twenty-third, just a day before Christmas Eve , and it ’ s snowing like crazy . Where are you going to find any dry wood for sale? ”
    “ I ’ ll call around. ”
    She couldn ’ t let him stay in his apartment under those conditions. “ Do you have any plans for Christmas? ” She was surprised she hadn ’ t asked before. “ I mean, I know you ’ re not going home for the holidays, but are you spending the day with anyone? Friends? Family? ”
    He shook his head as they drove into the apartment comple x . “ Nope. No plans. ”
    “ Then I ’ m officially inviting you to spend the holidays with me. I have a tree, presents and best of all, heat. ”
    Brody parked the truck beside Sophie ’ s VW and cut the engine. Turning toward her, he grinned, t he endearing slashes etched into his lean. “ I thought you ’ d never ask. ” He hopped out and ran around to her side, helping her as she struggled with her bags.
    “ Give me about twenty minutes to get my presents wrapped before you come down. That should give you enough time to pack. ”
    His crystal blue eyes widened . “ Or get trapped in the ice cave that is my apartment . I might have to eat my own leg. ” He gasped.
    “ You ’ re hopeless. ”
    The dimples re appeared in his cheeks. “ Yep. See ya in twenty! ”
    Absently, she watched him take the stairs two at a time. Boy, his backside was nice and tight and fit snugly in those faded jeans. Sophie blinked. What the hell? No, no, no. Brody was just a friend. Nothing more. She shook her head, trying to dispel the images of his tall, lean body and handsome face. W hen the images wouldn ’ t g o away, she shook harder. Oh , for crying out loud .
    Grabbing the oversized plastic bag, she dragged it inside her apartment and slammed the d oor shut. Why did she keep conjuring up sexy images of Brody in her mind? The only logic al solution was to blame it on the time of year. Some sort of seasonal affective disorder.
    She hurried and wrapped one of the small laptop s , as well as the other baubles she ’ d gotten , and set them under the tree. At least it looked festive. Hopefully, Brody d idn ’ t need a lot of entertaining , and she could just sneak back to her bedroom and log into the dating site. No. That would be rude. She ’ d have to wait until Brody was asleep.
    She had m inestrone simmering on the stove when Brody came down. He had two neatl y-wrapped rectangular packages balanced in one hand and a duffel bag in the other. “ Where should I stow my gear? ”
    Sophie pointed toward the living room. “ You ’ re bunking on the futon. ”
    With a n od, he headed in that direction, making a quick detour to place the packages beneath the tree.
    It ’ s