Snowbound Cinderella Read Free Page B

we can do but wait out the storm. Aslong as the supply of logs holds out, we’ll be warm enough.”
    And stuck, she thought. Stuck together in one small cabin, with no chance of escape. And no hope for any privacy.
    She opened the refrigerator and reached for the milk. It was still cold. She started to pour some into the bowl. “What’ll we do about the food in here? Think it’ll spoil?”
    “I’ll carry it out back to the shed. That’ll keep it cold and safe from animals.”
    “Animals?” She paused to glance at him. “What kind of animals?”
    “Raccoons. Deer. Their food supplies will be covered by too much snow. They’ll turn to scavenging.”
    “You don’t think there are any…bear in these woods?”
    The look in her eyes made the temptation too much to resist. “I guess they’ll be hungry, too.”
    “Could they…break down the door?”
    “I suppose so. Bears are pretty determined when they smell food.” He glanced toward the stairs. “I think I’ll be safe enough up there in the loft. But since you hogged the master suite on the main floor, you’d probably be wise to brace something heavy against your door when you go to bed tonight, Hollywood.”
    At that precise moment the wind gusted, sending the door slamming open. She gave a yelp and spun around, eyes wide and terrified.
    Seeing nothing but the snow, she turned back andcaught sight of his quick, dangerous grin. “That wasn’t funny.”
    “Sorry.” He tried to sound contrite. But she could see the smile still tugging at the corners of his lips. “I didn’t plan it, but the timing was perfect.”
    She muttered a couple of unflattering things under her breath as he crossed the room and closed the door, latching it against the tug of the wind.
    She turned away and began searching for a spoon. “I must have sounded pretty foolish.”
    She nearly jumped when he put a hand to her shoulder. His voice was so near, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck. “It’s the storm, Hollywood. It’s bound to get to you.”
    “Yeah.” Even though the nickname irritated her, she couldn’t seem to catch her breath, knowing he was standing so close. And she was afraid to turn around to face him. With her back to him she asked, “Want some cereal?”
    Was she offering a truce of sorts? He wasn’t certain, but he figured he might as well grasp at any straw. “Sure. Thanks. I guess we’re going to have to do all of our cooking over the fire now. I saw a grate as well as an aluminum coffeepot for camping in the closet. We can make good use of both of those.”
    He walked to the closet to retrieve the items. When he returned, he shifted beside her, his arm brushing hers as he filled the coffeepot with water. He crossed the room, placed the grate on the fire and arranged the pot in one corner of the fireplace, over glowing coals. In no time the water was boiling. He addedground beans, and within minutes the cabin was perfumed with the wonderful fragrance of coffee.
    Ciara carried the bowls of cereal to the coffee table, while Jace filled two mugs.
    He set one in front of her and said, “Just the way you like it. With a pinch of sugar.”
    She was surprised, and more than a little pleased, that he’d remembered. In all the time that she and her fiancé Brendan had been together, he had never noticed how she liked her coffee. In fact, she’d never seen him fix or fetch anything for himself. He had employees to see to his every need. She couldn’t imagine him hauling firewood, or settling for a bed in the loft, or figuring out how to preserve their food once the power went out. In fact, she couldn’t imagine Brendan Swift accepting a situation like this without throwing a tantrum.
    She sipped, closed her eyes and sighed over the pure pleasure of hot fresh coffee. “I guess being snowbound won’t be so bad, as long as we don’t run out of logs or coffee.”
    He chuckled. “If we run out of logs we can burn the furniture to stay warm. But