There was little that Rory enjoyed more than having wonderful food, cooked by one of the best French chefs in the States, with a beautiful woman while the snow fell quietly outside. Crystal sipped a glass of wine while they talked about his travels.

Since he was still on pain pills, he sipped water and enjoyed a cup of coffee over dessert.

He’d been a little surprised at the food Adam had delivered to the table himself: crab and shrimp on a bed of pasta seasoned to perfection. He wasn’t quite sure what else was in there, but he’d eaten every bite.

Then the waitress had delivered strawberry crêpes drizzled with dark chocolate. He’d enjoyed it while sipping his coffee and watching the snow fall as the fire crackled in the fireplace.

“I needed this.” He sighed and leaned back.

“What?” Crystal smiled. “Being shot or the dessert?” She joked, but he could see the concern behind her blue eyes.

“Being here, like this, with you.” He reached over and took her hand with his good one.

His pain was minimal, now that the pills had kicked in. He knew it was just a matter of time before he’d need to lay down for a rest; his body was still weak.

“You look tired,” Crystal said, shifting as if to get up.

“No, just a while longer.” He hated begging, but he wanted to enjoy himself before napping like an old man. He could just imagine what everyone would think of him sleeping in the middle of the day like a preschooler.

“How about a walk on the deck.” She nodded to the windows. “We can enjoy the fresh air, the snow…”

He nodded, then quickly downed the rest of his coffee.

When they stepped outside, the bite in the cold air hit him, waking him up and reminding him that he was still alive.

He took her hand in his, and they strolled around the deck until they faced the open sea. The clouds had grown darker, promising more snow was to come. Clouds rolled low over the dark gray waters. Even the waves seemed to calm down as snow landed on the surface.

“There’ll be a storm tonight,” Crystal said, leaning against the railing and pulling her coat tighter around her.

“You can tell?” He looked off to the clouds again.

“Can’t you?” She smiled and turned to him. “Close your eyes,” she suggested. He moved closer to her, placing his hands on her hips, then closed both of his eyes. “Take a deep breath.” He did so. “Smell it?” she asked.

What he smelled was snow and seawater. There was a hint of something sweet, causing his eyes to open. “What I smell is lavender and you.”

She smiled. “Romantic.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. Then her smile fell away. “We really didn’t have time to talk about what happened.”

“Since I don’t really remember much…”

“You pretty much stepped in front of a bullet for me,” she whispered. It was the first time she’d said anything.

“I had my reasons.” He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. She’d worn a bright blue cap and had tried to tuck most of her hair under it, but the wind was taking strands and blowing them about. He wanted nothing more than to gather them up and hold onto them as he made love to her slowly.

“If you keep looking at me like that.” She sighed, then rested her head on his good shoulder. “Thank you.”

“For looking at you?” He smiled. “Or for desiring you?”

“Both, everything.” She leaned back. “For this.” She glanced around. “I haven’t been here with anyone else. Since Johnathan.” He could see the sadness fill her.

He nudged her chin up until their eyes met. “Then a thank you is in order.” Her eyebrows shot up in question. “Thank you for trusting me, choosing me to share this with you.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

“Why don’t we go find our room, so we can… nap.” She smiled and, suddenly, he no longer cared what anyone thought about him laying down in the middle of the day.

He followed her up the spiral staircase, enjoying the art and decorations as they made their way to their room.

“Is this the room you always stay in?” he asked as she unlocked the door.

“Yes, it’s my favorite.” She opened the door wide, then motioned for him to enter.

Their luggage was sitting inside the door. There was a massive bed along one wall, facing a wall of windows, with a fireplace sitting off to the side. There was firewood and kindling piled next to it.

The room was done in soft creams, and the wood ceilings and floors were soft and warm. The view was… amazing. More than half the room was covered with windows. The view was more impressive than any he’d seen below on the decks.

The tips of the trees were just below the window, allowing an undisturbed view of the Atlantic Ocean.

There was a small sitting area by the fireplace and when he turned around, Crystal was already building a fire.

“Here, let me.” She waved him off. “I’ve got this, why don’t you open that.” She nodded to the bottle of chilled champagne that he hadn’t noticed yet.

There was a small box next to the ice bucket and when he opened it, she smiled. “Chocolate covered strawberries.” He turned and showed her.

“Lilith’s doing. The champagne is Serenity’s. They pamper me when I visit.” The fire was lit and crackling when he carried the strawberries and two full flutes of champagne over to her.

They sat in front of the fire and sipped champagne and nibbled on the strawberries. Then he set the glasses aside and pulled her down onto the thick rug and slowly made love to her as the room cooled and the storm blew outside the windows.

* * *

When Rory touched her, everything else in life faded away. She knew his shoulder pained him, but easily forgot about it as his hands roamed over her skin.

The fire cracked beside them as he slowly peeled off her clothes. His mouth touched her skin, and she let herself lose all other thoughts except him. Scraping her nails against his skin, she tugged and gently removed his clothing once hers lay in a pile at their feet.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, looking down at her. Then he’d slid into her and she’d lost the last strings that had held her heart in place.

They must have slept for a time. When she woke, the fire had died down, and the room had turned slightly chilly.

She smiled when Rory rolled over and tossed another log onto the fireplace.

The white bandages over his wound glowed in the dying light.

“What time is it?” she asked, blinking slightly.

“Got somewhere to be?” he joked, looking over at her.

The fire had kicked back up, causing a glow behind him. He was really a magnificent specimen. Lean muscles, tone body, perfect skin. She held in a sigh.

“No, it’s just, I had a surprise for you.” She sat up and glanced over at the clock next to the bed. “We have enough time to grab a shower and dress.” She started to get up.

“Must we go anywhere? I’m sure we can order room service…” His hands tugged on her hips until she knelt back down in front of him. Then he kissed her.

“I’d love to, but… You don’t want to piss off my daughter when she makes plans.” She smiled. “Besides, I could use some fresh air.” She tilted her head and noticed the moment she’d persuaded him. “Come on, I’ll scrub your back.” She tugged his good arm and helped him up.

The bathroom was another one of her favorite things about the resort. The shower was a lot like her own—large with a bench across the back wall. Her daughter stocked all the rooms in the resort with her own products, so she dumped a handful of her own cranberry shampoo on her head and smiled when Rory noticed.

“God, I could get used to this smell.” He took a deep breath from the bottle before pouring some in his own hands.

“It’s my holiday mix.” She rinsed her hair clean. “In the spring it’s watermelon or mint.”

“No gingerbread?” he asked.

“Gingerbread candles.” She nodded outside of the glass shower walls. “Or pumpkin pie and apple pie. Some scents shouldn’t be used on a person. I tried caramel lotion once.” She cringed.

“That bad?” he asked, rinsing off.

“Yeah.” She shut the shower off. “You’ll want to dress warm,” she suggested as she handed him a towel.

“If I ask, will you tell me what the surprise is?”

She laughed. “No.” She wrapped a towel around her long hair, then tucked one around her body.

“Does it involve food? I’m starved.” He frowned down at his stomach. “Didn’t we just eat?”

“Four hours ago.” She smiled. “Time flies…”

They dressed quickly and made it downstairs just in time to see a large horse-drawn sled pull up at the base of the outside stairs.

“Wow.” Rory smiled. “I’ve never ridden in a horse-drawn sled before.”

She wrapped her arms around him and held tight. “There’s a first time for everything.” She nodded to Adam as he set a large wicker basket on the back of the sled. “Ready?” she asked, moving to get into the sled.

“Who’s going to drive?” he asked.

“Well, I suspect the horse knows the way, but if it makes you feel better, I will.” She helped him up. “I’ve enjoyed this every year that I’ve stayed here.”

“Where does the horse live?” Rory asked, once they were settled under a thick wool blanket.

She tapped the reins and the horse slowly moved forward.

“Harry lives on the mainland. He’s on borrow from one of the farms.”

“Harry?” Rory glanced over at her.

“Sure. He’s been pulling the sled for over five years. Before that it was Charles and George.”

Rory laughed. “Okay, where are we off to?”

“To the other side of the island.” She clicked her tongue and had Harry going at a steady pace. Then she leaned against his shoulder and enjoyed the slow ride.

“Another surprise?” he asked.

“There are many more to come.” She smiled as she thought about spending the rest of her life surprising him.