The Strong, Silent Type by Lynn Kellan

Author:Lynn Kellan [Crane, Virginia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Holiday, Contemporary
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2013-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

The shovel made too much noise scraping along the driveway. Tina tried to be quiet as she hoisted the fresh snow off the pavement, but every sound echoed into the blue dawn.

Her efforts to go unnoticed were in vain. With a squeak, Wade’s garage door opened, throwing a rectangle of light into the cul-de-sac. A broad-shouldered shadow walked toward her.

Tina kept her head down and kept working.

“I can plow your driveway.” Wade’s voice was toneless and dry.

“No, thanks. I don’t mind shoveling.” With a shove, she pushed another ribbon of snow off the macadam.

A black work boot landed in front of the shovel’s wide mouth, stopping her progress. “The plow blade is already attached to my truck. I’ll clear your driveway in less than five minutes.”

“Don’t bother. This is good exercise.” Angling the shovel, she pushed the snow past him.

He grabbed the shovel’s handle. “It’s twenty-five degrees out. How long have you been here?”

“Not long. Besides, these ski pants block most of the wind. I’m fine.” Her statement lost some credibility when her knit hat slid over her eyes. She pushed the hat back on her forehead and sneezed.

He grasped her left hand and glared at the ice pellets frozen to her mitten. “Go inside and get warm.”

So now he suddenly cared how she felt? Anger burst in her ribcage, throwing a welcome surge of heat into her chest. She yanked out of his grip. “Don’t treat me like a child.”

His upper lip curled. “Stop acting like one.”

“When did taking care of myself become childish?” Giving him a livid glare, she pointed to the brick house across the street that was almost a mirror image of hers. “If you’re so amped up to clear a driveway, go plow your own.”

The double entendre was inadvertent, but appropriate. Ignoring the slack-jawed look on his face, she maneuvered past Wade and kept shoveling.

After a tense moment, he stomped away.

Tina kept her head down, not really paying attention when the brittle crunch of his footsteps paused and then seemed to get louder. Focusing on the task at hand, she added more snow to the growing pile beside the driveway, muttering about the copious flaws of strong, silent types.

A big hand snatched the shovel out of her hands. “Damn it, Tina. I’m not watching you freeze. Let me take care of your driveway.”

“No. Leave me alone and go home.”

“I hate that place.” With a growl, he whipped the shovel into the yard.

Tina stumbled backwards, slamming her spine into a tree. She bit out a curse and rubbed her back. Another day, another bruise.

Wade lowered his head like a bull about to charge, coming toward her with long, determined strides, His broad shoulders blocked most of the light from the garage.

Stopping a scant foot away, heat radiated from his body. Even this early in the morning, Wade’s body pulsed with vitality. Nothing seemed to sap his strength. A man of action, not words.

He’s nothing like David. How unfair. She lost the one man who’d promised to share every tomorrow, only to find a man strong enough to live to a ripe old age without her.

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