Snowbound - Harlequin.com
Snowbound - Harlequin.com Snowbound - Harlequin.com
66 SNOWBOUND “Gee, why don’t I just ask him?” she said aloud, rolling her eyes. His voice came from behind her, mild but impossible to ignore. “Ask him what?” Fiona froze. Her fingers tightened on the towel in her hands and she said the first thing that came to her. “Oh, um, whether you have more laundry soap.” “Why? Are we running low?” He came closer to her and peered into the tall plastic bucket. Which was half full. Even more flustered by his nearness and the woodsy scent that clung to him, she babbled, “No, no, I’m just afraid we’ll use it up. I thought maybe we should start hanging the towels after baths instead of washing them incessantly.” “We have plenty of soap.” He nodded past her, where half a dozen plastic buckets were stacked against the wall. “Oh.” She gave a weak laugh. “I’m practically tripping over them. Well, now I feel dumb.” “Don’t.” Her laugh became slightly more genuine, if a touch hysterical. There he went again. Anybody else would have said, It’s okay, you were being considerate. Or, Anybody could have missed seeing them. But if John Fallon could compress twenty words into one, he did. She grabbed almost at random for something to say. “You must get sick of laundry during your busy season.” He reached for a towel from the basket and folded with quick efficiency compared to her more deliberate efforts. He was reaching for another by the time she was
JANICE KAY JOHNSON 67 half done with one, even though his hands looked too large to be so deft. “If you’re here for long, we’ll put the kids to work on laundry, too.” Her embarrassment was fading, thank goodness. She chuckled. “The beauty of unpaid guests.” “Maybe I should lower my rates in exchange for labor.” “You could make the whole stay do-it-yourself,” Fiona suggested. “Kitchen privileges, bathroom privileges, but leave ’em clean.” “You can’t imagine how appealing that is.” His tone was heartfelt, less guarded than usual. “Oh, I don’t know. After a few days of cleaning up after them—” she nodded toward the kitchen “—I’m sure I’ll be in complete sympathy.” “They’re done in the kitchen.” A non sequitur? Or not? She braced herself. “Is it clean?” “I’ve seen worse.” “But you’ve seen better.” He shrugged. “They’re kids.” She should have continued supervising. “I’ll finish up.” “I already did.” She winced. “I wish you wouldn’t do that.” He raised his brows. “Do what?” She forgot she held a towel in her hands. “Work nonstop. I feel guilty.” “You’ve worked nonstop today, too,” he pointed out. “But they’re my job. My responsibility.” “And the lodge is mine.” While folding the last towel, he made it sound inarguable.
- Page 16 and 17: 16 SNOWBOUND Voice pitched so only
- Page 18 and 19: 18 SNOWBOUND Well, she had no choic
- Page 20 and 21: 20 SNOWBOUND “I didn’t know tha
- Page 22 and 23: 22 SNOWBOUND it with spilled coffee
- Page 24 and 25: 24 SNOWBOUND back in the lodge, onl
- Page 26 and 27: 26 SNOWBOUND You want to share mine
- Page 28 and 29: 28 SNOWBOUND He thought of himself
- Page 30 and 31: 30 SNOWBOUND Tabitha, Erin and…th
- Page 32 and 33: 32 SNOWBOUND Her chin came up. “T
- Page 34 and 35: 34 SNOWBOUND and beneath the collar
- Page 36 and 37: 36 SNOWBOUND students! And here she
- Page 38 and 39: 38 SNOWBOUND She’d barely reached
- Page 40 and 41: 40 SNOWBOUND She ached as if she’
- Page 42 and 43: 42 SNOWBOUND didn’t remember, for
- Page 44 and 45: 44 SNOWBOUND ing a smile. “Amy be
- Page 46 and 47: CHAPTER THREE WILLOW AND ERIN came
- Page 48 and 49: 48 SNOWBOUND didn’t seem in any h
- Page 50 and 51: 50 SNOWBOUND figure it out. They se
- Page 52 and 53: 52 SNOWBOUND Fiona winced and hoped
- Page 54 and 55: 54 SNOWBOUND She laughed. “Hopper
- Page 56 and 57: 56 SNOWBOUND Her eyes widened. “O
- Page 58 and 59: 58 SNOWBOUND “I don’t need it.
- Page 60 and 61: 60 SNOWBOUND each other, all blurre
- Page 62 and 63: 62 SNOWBOUND She laughed with them.
- Page 64 and 65: 64 SNOWBOUND although neither of th
- Page 68 and 69: 68 SNOWBOUND As, she supposed, it w
- Page 70 and 71: 70 SNOWBOUND “Period starting?”
- Page 72 and 73: 72 SNOWBOUND “Daddy…I mean, my
- Page 74 and 75: 74 SNOWBOUND Downstairs, Kelli and
- Page 76 and 77: 76 SNOWBOUND games that went on for
- Page 78 and 79: 78 SNOWBOUND that he quickly hid.
- Page 80 and 81: 80 SNOWBOUND “Really?” Dieter l
- Page 82 and 83: CHAPTER FIVE JOHN COULDN’T REMEMB
- Page 84 and 85: 84 SNOWBOUND “Fiona.” She slept
- Page 86 and 87: 86 SNOWBOUND “Not what the physic
- Page 88 and 89: 88 SNOWBOUND It took her a bit long
- Page 90 and 91: 90 SNOWBOUND mother. I was afraid s
- Page 92 and 93: 92 SNOWBOUND John dumped burgundy w
- Page 94 and 95: 94 SNOWBOUND Her laugh was a lovely
- Page 96 and 97: 96 SNOWBOUND He nodded, unsurprised
- Page 98 and 99: CHAPTER SIX AFTER DINNER, Willow di
- Page 100 and 101: 100 SNOWBOUND “Willow’s period
- Page 102 and 103: 102 SNOWBOUND you looking at her wh
- Page 104 and 105: 104 SNOWBOUND Amy lay flat on her b
- Page 106 and 107: 106 SNOWBOUND “No,” Fiona said.
- Page 108 and 109: 108 SNOWBOUND “Amy was mad becaus
- Page 110 and 111: 110 SNOWBOUND woman since he was wo
- Page 112 and 113: 112 SNOWBOUND the bathroom, then re
- Page 114 and 115: 114 SNOWBOUND “Yeah!” they said
66 SNOWBOUND<br />
“Gee, why don’t I just ask him?” she said aloud,<br />
rolling her eyes.<br />
His voice came from behind her, mild but impossible<br />
to ignore. “Ask him what?”<br />
Fiona froze. Her fingers tightened on the towel in her<br />
hands and she said the first thing that came to her. “Oh,<br />
um, whether you have more laundry soap.”<br />
“Why? Are we running low?” He came closer to her<br />
and peered into the tall plastic bucket. Which was half<br />
full.<br />
Even more flustered by his nearness and the woodsy<br />
scent that clung to him, she babbled, “No, no, I’m just<br />
afraid we’ll use it up. I thought maybe we should start<br />
hanging the towels after baths instead of washing them<br />
incessantly.”<br />
“We have plenty of soap.” He nodded past her, where<br />
half a dozen plastic buckets were stacked against the<br />
wall.<br />
“Oh.” She gave a weak laugh. “I’m practically<br />
tripping over them. Well, now I feel dumb.”<br />
“Don’t.”<br />
Her laugh became slightly more genuine, if a touch<br />
hysterical. There he went again. Anybody else would<br />
have said, It’s okay, you were being considerate. Or,<br />
Anybody could have missed seeing them. But if John<br />
Fallon could <strong>com</strong>press twenty words into one, he did.<br />
She grabbed almost at random for something to say.<br />
“You must get sick of laundry during your busy season.”<br />
He reached for a towel from the basket and folded<br />
with quick efficiency <strong>com</strong>pared to her more deliberate<br />
efforts. He was reaching for another by the time she was
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