Snowbound - Harlequin.com

214 SNOWBOUND
What she wanted most from him, Fiona realized,
couldn’t have been wrapped and tied with a bow,
anyway. What she wanted was for him to tell her why
he was wounded so badly in spirit as well as body.
But, goodness—they were still tap dancing around
all kinds of intimate subjects! Trust came with time,
with knowledge of each other. In the meantime, Fiona
settled happily into the lodge life she remembered,
except now she got to sleep in John’s bed with him.
She waited on guests while he wrestled with a frozen
water pipe, coming back with raw knuckles on one
hand. She found she didn’t mind cleaning the bathrooms
or changing bedding when one family left and
another arrived and he was busy carrying out bags or
hauling in wood.
She remembered from that first time feeling astonished
at the quantity of food her group of kids ate, the
laundry they generated. But within a day she realized
there were more people in the lodge now, which meant
more food to prepare, more dishes to wash, more towels
to wash and dry and fold. And this was normal. Three
days of working beside him, and she should have been
exhausted. Instead she was content.
Mostly she loved being wherever John was. Watching
him do the simplest task gave her pleasure. Being
able to meet his eyes, even when the kitchen was
crowded, in a silent, intimate exchange filled her with
joy. The moments when he touched her in passing, his
hand possessive and knowing, were almost as good as
their kisses when they were alone.
He encouraged her to talk when they had time alone,