A Season of the Heart: Rocky Mountain Christmas\The Christmas Gifts\The Christmas Charm by Jillian Hart

Author:Jillian Hart [Hart, Jillian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2005-08-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“Go ahead, Maggie.” Her older sister nudged her.

With her skirts brushing the floor, Maggie took a step closer to James and his snowshoes. He blocked the entire doorway with his size, but his charming smile did nothing to ease the nervousness she had about leaving her store for hours.

Maggie objected, “But the baby needs—”

“We’ll take good care of her,” Tamara insisted. “When’s the last time you went outdoors? You’ve been cooped up in the store for the last month, preparing your wares for Christmas. It’s a gorgeous day. Go on.”

James held out a pair of webbed shoes. The ones he offered her were three feet long, but his were a massive four.

She took one by its leather thong strapping. “But I don’t know how to snowshoe.”

James rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. She found herself extremely conscious of his capability and appeal.

“If you know how to walk, you’ll know how to snowshoe. Just think of these as extra-big feet that’ll keep you from sinking into the snow.”

“But the snow’s got an icy crust to it. It’ll be too slippery to use them.”

“Not with your weight bearing down on them. These are ideal conditions. It’s much harder to snowshoe in powdery snow, where you tend to sink in.”

“You see?” said Tamara, untying Maggie’s apron.

Her younger sister came up from behind and grabbed the apron, as if she was in cahoots to get Maggie out the door. “It’s not too far, so you won’t be gone forever. A mile there and a mile back. Wouldn’t you like to speak to some of the policemen in person? You were saying that maybe some of the miners up in the area where the baby was found might know something.”

She did have a point, thought Maggie. And there weren’t many customers in the store today, what with the storm and the blocked roads tying most folks to their homes.

James spoke matter-of-factly, but he didn’t look at Maggie when he added a comment about her underclothes. “You’d best put on two pairs of long johns beneath that skirt. And double wool socks. You can use the extra pair of moccasins I brought in my bag.”

She pushed back a wayward strand of blond hair. “Where did you get all these things?”

“My shoes and moccasins came from my pack at Mr. Billings’. I exchanged my big fur coat for this thinner sheepskin because it’s fairly warm outside. For you, I borrowed the smaller snowshoes and moccasins he had stored away for his grandson.”

“What about your huskies? Don’t you want to take them with you?”

“They’ll have to stay put for now. I’m not sure how much ice is out there, and I don’t have snowshoes that fit their paws.” James winked at the children and they laughed at the image.

Even as Maggie wondered why James wanted her to go with him, a whirl of excitement started up inside her. The vibrant blue sky and the clear icicles dangling off the rooftops and every pine tree visible gave her an urge to explore the wonderland.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.