A Winter’s Tale by Carrie Elks (21)

The closer it was getting to Christmas, the harder it was getting Jonas to sleep. Even as his eyelids drooped, his body was still buzzing with excitement, as he talked about Santa and stockings, and presents and snow. Kitty, on the other hand, was exhausted. The combination of getting up at the crack of dawn, and the vigorous workout she got before the winter sun had barely settled in the sky no doubt the culprit.

Not that she was complaining, she already lived for those precious moments with Adam in his cabin. When she closed her eyes at night, it was him she saw, looking back at her with those dark eyes, framed with long, sweeping lashes. She could almost feel the way he cradled her, his biceps taut as he wrapped his arms around her waist; could feel the sensation of his beard against her face, as he stole kiss after kiss before she reluctantly left him every morning.

And now Christmas was only three days away; a thought that filled her with a mixture of excitement and dread.

‘Will you read one more story?’ Jonas asked, his eyes still open though his voice was sleepy.

‘You’ve already had three stories,’ Kitty told him. ‘You need to get to sleep. We don’t want you all tired on the big day.’

He sat straight up in his bed. ‘I won’t be tired. I really won’t. I’m wide awake, see?’

She bit down her smile. ‘But you have to get through the next three days first. And nobody can stay awake for three days without sleeping. Not even little boys who are overexcited for Christmas.’

‘I’m not little.’ He folded his arms across his chest.

‘No you’re not,’ she agreed. ‘And like the grown-up you are, you must know you need sleep. So lie down and close your eyes. If you keep them closed for ten minutes, I’ll read you another book.’

It was a calculated risk, but it was worth a try. Surely he’d be asleep way before ten minutes passed.

‘OK.’ He lay back down, squeezing his eyes shut. He was silent for a moment, his brow creased as though he was thinking deeply. Then, with his eyes still closed, he asked her, ‘How long is ten minutes anyway?’

‘About as long as it takes to walk down to your uncle’s cabin.’

‘Oh, that’s really long.’

Sometimes it was and sometimes it wasn’t. On her way there, it couldn’t pass fast enough. On her way back it always felt like the blink of an eye.

‘Kitty?’

‘Yes?’ she said patiently.

‘Does Santa know you’re here?’

‘What do you mean?’ Her lips curled up in a confused smile.

‘I mean, will he bring your gifts here on Christmas Eve, or will he take them to your parents’ house? How does he know where you are?’

It was a surprisingly perceptive question for a seven-year-old boy. She had to think on it before answering. ‘I think he knows I’m here,’ she finally said. ‘But I’m an adult, and Santa only visits children, so he won’t be bringing me any gifts.’

‘None at all?’

She shook her head, even though Jonas’s eyes were still closed. ‘No.’

‘That really sucks. I’d hate to be an adult.’

‘It’s not so bad,’ she told him. ‘There are advantages, too.’

‘Like what?’

‘Like you get to eat what you like, do what you like. There’s nobody telling you what to do all the time.’ She thought of the other things she liked – the ones that involved a certain bearded relation of his. Best not to share anything about that.

‘I’d rather have presents.’

‘I bet you would.’

According to her watch, it took seven minutes for him to finally drift off. She sat on his bed for a minute more, to make sure he was sinking deeper, before leaving his room and flicking on the night light he always liked.

As she walked along the corridor towards the stairs, she looked out of the window, and at the evergreen forest beyond. For a moment she tried to picture Adam’s cabin, and she wondered what he was doing right now. Eating a late dinner? Playing with the dog? She knew so much and so little about him. The big stuff was clear – it was plastered all over the internet for anybody interested enough to find it – but the tiny things that made him who he was were still a little fuzzy in her mind.

He was strong, he was kind, and he was even a bit of a closet romantic. That much he’d made clear. But she still couldn’t work out what he was doing down there in that cabin, and whether he had any plans to leave it.

And where did that leave her? She thought of that plane ticket lying on the dresser in her bedroom, a one-way flight to LA leaving after the holidays. Her time here was finite, everything she did came with a sell-by date. Before long she’d be back in her old apartment, in her old life. And like a favourite dress she’d grown out of, she wasn’t sure that old life would fit her any more.

Shaking her head at her own maudlin thoughts, she walked down the staircase and into the hallway. In the kitchen she could hear Annie’s radio playing another round of festive songs, the familiar melodies making her feel wistful as they conjured up scenes of Christmas past.

‘You hear back from the embassy?’ Drake’s voice cut through the silent hallway. For some reason the door to the library was open. Kitty looked over with alarm, but his back was to her – he was talking to Everett.

‘It’s a no go. We’ll need to film in the studio and in California. We can simulate the mountains easily enough.’

‘You think we can make it look authentic? Colombia isn’t a whole lot like LA.’

She could almost hear Everett’s shrug. ‘Unless we get that cash injection we haven’t got a choice.’

Drake lowered his voice, but it wasn’t enough to disguise his words. ‘Will your brother come on board? It’s gonna make marketing it so much easier if he agrees to do the publicity.’

‘He’ll come round. It’s a year or two before we’re at that stage anyway. I’m just concerned with the casting and locations right now. Not to mention the financing.’

Their voices drifted off as they walked to the other side of the library. Kitty let out a lungful of air. The last thing she needed was to be accused of snooping again, even if that’s what she’d ended up doing.

Why did they mention Adam though? That was the thing she didn’t understand. Everything she’d learned about his family led her to believe he wanted nothing to do with Everett or his work. She wondered if she should ask him, find out if Adam intended to move to LA and work with his brother. Just the thought of it was enough to make her heart hammer against her chest.

But then she’d already had it in the ear from Everett, and the last thing she needed to do was stir things up any more. Not when she needed that internship, and to stay in LA. The alternative didn’t bear thinking about.

No, she wouldn’t mention it to Adam. But she might keep her ear to the ground and try to find out some more information. It couldn’t hurt, could it?

After helping Annie with her food preparations in the kitchen, Kitty climbed back up the stairs to her bedroom just after ten. She was more than ready to hit the hay – her body aching as though she’d spent the evening in a boxing ring, rather than kneading dough and icing cupcakes.

It was almost half an hour later when she finally started to drift off, her breath evening out as her eyelids began to get heavy. Soon they were more closed than open, her body feeling as though it were in some kind of suspension, spanning the distance between the waking world and the sleeping one.

And then… bang!

Her eyes flew open. She frowned, looking around, trying to locate the source of the noise.

Another crash. This time she was more alert, enough to hear the sound of something hitting the window glass. She waited to see if it would go away. Maybe it was some heavy snow or the beak of a particularly annoying bird. A night bird – an owl, perhaps.

The third bang got her out of bed. She ran across the carpeted floor on her bare feet, pulling at her pyjama top to ensure she was fully covered. Just as she used to back in London, she pulled back the bottom corner of the curtain, trying to take a peek out of the window without being seen.

This time whatever was hitting the window was right in front of her face. The loud thud made her jump back, pulling the curtain with her. She fell to the floor, pulling half the curtain with her.

Oh shit. 

Scrambling to her feet, she looked out of the window to the snowy lawn below. A figure stood in the shadows of the house, a hood pulled up over its head. Kitty stared, squinting to try and make out a face.

That’s when he looked up, his face illuminated by the pale glow of the moon, the radiance of his skin contrasting against his dark beard. Her hand flew to her chest, feeling her heart pounding beneath her ribcage.

Fumbling with the latch, she pushed the window open, feeling the cold pinch of the wind as it blew through the gap. She had to stand on tiptoes to lean through it, her skin prickling beneath her pyjama top.

‘What do you want?’ She was half whispering, half shouting, but she couldn’t hide the smile on her lips.

‘You.’

His single-word response made her heart stutter.

‘Why don’t you come into the house like a normal person?’

She could see his grin from two storeys up. ‘I think we’d both agree I’m not a normal person.’

‘You’re not wrong there.’ Kitty took a deep breath. ‘So what do you want from me?’

‘You,’ he said again.

‘You’re being very annoying.’

Adam lifted his woollen cap off, raking his hands through his hair. ‘Come down here and I’ll show you how annoying I can be.’

‘I’m in my pyjamas.’

‘I don’t mind.’

Of course he didn’t. Kitty looked down at her fleecy bottoms and top, smiling at the white sheep nestled into the pink flannel. Adam was probably imagining satin and lingerie, not a fairy-tale delight.

‘And then?’ she questioned.

‘What do you mean?’

‘What are we going to do then?’ She was starting to worry somebody was going to discover them. It was still only the evening, after all. Everett or Drake could be taking a walk around the grounds and discover Adam shouting up at her window.

‘You want me to spell it out?’

‘I don’t know. How many letters?’

His laughter boomed through the night air. ‘Kitty, get your sweet ass down here and come see me. Then we can play Scrabble all night if you want to.’

Scrabble wasn’t really what Kitty had in mind. She didn’t think it was at the top of Adam’s list, either.

‘Give me a minute to get dressed.’

‘Nah, come down like that, just put a coat and some boots on. We’ll take the Skidoo. Hurry up, princess.’

Jesus, was there a snow-related vehicle the Kleins didn’t have? ‘Is there something wrong with princesses?’

‘As long as they don’t expect me to be Prince Charming, there’s nothing wrong at all.’

She had to cover her mouth to deaden the laugh. ‘You don’t want to be my knight on a white Skidoo?’

‘I’ll be anything you want me to be if you’ll just get your ass down here.’

Sensing his impatience, Kitty slammed the window shut and pulled on her socks and boots. She checked herself out in the mirror; pink sheep pyjamas, black insulated boots and a face devoid of make-up. She wasn’t exactly dressed to kill. Doing the best she could, she fluffed her hair up and pinched her cheeks. Hopefully his cabin would be dark, lit only by the licking flames of the fire, and she’d be able to carry off that just-got-out-of-bed look.

Who was she trying to kid? It was more likely to be a just-got-into-bed look she was going to be wearing. She knew a booty call when she saw one.

When she wrenched open the kitchen door, Adam was standing on the step, his cap pulled firmly over his brow. His face split into a grin and he pulled her close, his coat freezing against her overheated face.

Of course, her traitorous nipples hardened straight away. When she pulled back, his eyes zeroed right in on them.

‘That’s from the cold, not because I’m insanely attracted to you.’

His lips twitched. ‘Of course.’

‘So maybe you could fire up your stupid Skidoo and get me down to your cabin before the rest of my body freezes up.’

‘Put your coat on.’ He gestured at the thick padded jacket in her hand. ‘We’re taking a detour.’

She threaded her arms through the coat, zipping it up tightly. Adam took his scarf and wrapped it around her neck, kissing the tip of her nose with his soft lips. ‘Nice pyjamas, by the way.’

‘I thought you’d like them,’ she said, grinning.

‘I’d like them even better on my floor.’

This time she laughed. ‘Oh, you know how to charm a girl with your sweet words. Now are we going or what?’

‘Your wish is my command.’ Without another word he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the waiting Skidoo. Unlike the snowmobile it was smaller and sleeker; more like a motorbike than anything else. Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, Kitty slung her leg over the seat, nestling into Adam’s broad back.

He reached back and squeezed her thigh. ‘You ready?’

Kitty shrugged. ‘Of course.’ She didn’t know why he was asking. The next moment it all became clear. He pulled the cord and the engine came to life, the whole machine humming between her thighs. Adam leaned forward, Kitty still clinging to his back, and then the Skidoo rushed forward, ploughing the snow into its wake.

If she’d thought about it she would have known he was a speed demon. In spite of his hermit-like habits, Adam was a man of the world, and had spent his adult years skirting on the edge of danger. So when the Skidoo sped across the snow, lifting and falling with the drifts, she held on tightly and prayed he knew what he was doing.

It was scary and shocking, yet so damned exhilarating to be racing through the night forest. She clung to him hard, her hands almost connected across his muscled abdomen, refusing to let go lest she fly off the seat. He gripped on to the handles, manoeuvring the machine around the path through the trees, twisting and turning as if he knew the route well. The light on the front of the Skidoo illuminated their way, casting a glow across the winter wonderland before them. There was something magical about the landscape that made Kitty’s eyes water. A haunting beauty that brought tears to her eyes.

‘You OK?’ His shout carried back in the wind.

She squeezed him in response, the squall swallowing her reply.

Just before they reached the clearing that led to his cabin, he took a sharp left, pulling them deeper into the forest. Kitty frowned, still clinging on for dear life. ‘Where are we going?’ Her voice barely audible over the hum of the engine and the noise of the wind.

‘You’ll see.’

Five minutes passed before he cranked down the gears, coming to a stop with a skid that made her almost fall off. She tightened her arms around him, feeling his body shake with laughter. Arsehole.

She was about to tear him a new one when she looked up, and the scene before her took her breath away. They’d stopped just short of a small clearing, a circle of treeless ground that somebody had boarded over. A pergola rose up over the decking, the wooden beams twisted with sparkling lights. It was like a fairy-tale grotto in the middle of the forest. Beautiful and unexpected.

‘What is this place?’ she asked him as he climbed off then offered his hand to her.

‘It’s been here for years,’ he told her. ‘Long before we ever bought the house. I never could work out why somebody would build something like this in the middle of the forest.’ His eyes warmed as he helped her off the Skidoo, then pulled her close to him. ‘But maybe I do now.’

‘Did you put the lights up?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, they’re battery powered, so they should last about five minutes longer,’ he told her, raising an eyebrow. ‘But that should be long enough.’

‘Long enough for what?’

‘To prove to you that I can be romantic.’

Her mouth felt dry. He’d done this for her? That was… Jesus, it was amazing. ‘Wow,’ was all she could say.

‘Go stand up on the deck,’ he told her, then grabbed his phone from his pocket, pulling his gloves off to fiddle with it. The next moment music was streaming out, as Adam placed his phone on the wooden balustrade, and walked over to where she was standing.

Above them a thousand tiny lights sparkled, and higher still she could see the stars shining through the clear night sky. The air was cold but still as he took her hand in his, placing his other hand on the small of her back.

‘What’s this music?’ she murmured, listening to the deep voice crooning through the night air.

‘It’s Marvin Gaye,’ he told her. ‘It’s called “I Want to Come Home for Christmas”. A classic.’ With the gentlest of pressure on her back, he pulled her to him, leading the dance as his feet moved across the boards with ease. A slow, sensual waltz that took them across the deck, as she melted into him like a candle with a burning flame.

‘Marvin knows how to seduce,’ she said softly. So did Adam. She couldn’t help but feel full of emotion as they continued to dance, their bodies swaying together. Nobody had ever done anything like this for her before. It was like being in a movie, except there were no cameras or directors, no booms or lighting. Just the two of them, and the night, and Marvin Gaye’s sweet, soulful voice. ‘I feel like I should be wearing a yellow gown, and maybe a singing teapot should be jumping up and down in the corner.’

Adam laughed. ‘Does that make me the beast?’

She looked up, stroking his dark beard. ‘It makes you the nicest, kindest man I’ve ever met.’ How did she not see it before? When they’d first met she’d thought him gruff and angry, but looking back he’d been anything but. His first thought when he saw that deer had been to put it out of its misery.

And he’d done all this for her.

‘He might have been a beast,’ she said, as he twirled her towards the edge of the deck, ‘but I bet he and Beauty had great sex. All that testosterone.’

Adam grinned. ‘I’m trying to be romantic, and you’re all dirty and talking about bestiality. What am I going to do with you?’

She looked up into his deep eyes, warmth flooding through her body, in spite of the frozen temperatures. ‘Take me home and show me just how romantic you can be.’

‘Are you using romance as a euphemism for sex?’ he asked her.

‘Yep.’

‘In that case, what are we waiting for?’