“Summer Island? So you grew up at the beach?”
“Just a small one. The Oregon coast is very rocky there, with cliffs right up to the water. Growing up, I thought it was the most magical place on earth. Even now after I have traveled to all kinds of beautiful places, I still think Summer Island ranks in the top five. Of course, I’m biased.” She leaned back, cuddling the kitten closer to her chest. “You don’t need to keep me company, Noah. Go finish your dinner. I’ll be fine with my little friend here. And I really should get home before it’s too late. Tomorrow I have an important project to prepare for.”
Noah shook his head. “I’m afraid you aren’t going anywhere tonight. They’ve just issued a county-wide safety alert. No one should be out on the streets tonight except in an emergency. There are collisions all over the state from the whiteout, and the security personnel have their hands full.” He glanced at his watch. “My mother is making up a bed for you here in the den. Anytime you want to sleep, let me know.” He cleared his throat. “She was going to give you my old room, but Reed, his wife and their daughter are going to sleep up there. The temperature is supposed to drop and there have been intermittent power outages, but we’ll be fine. When my father built this house, my mother insisted on having two fireplaces so that we’d be prepared for all kinds of storms. That was another remnant of her tough childhood back in Ukraine. Things are different for her now, but I don’t think you ever forget.”
It was so tempting to relax. If she stayed, she would be drawn into all this bustle and warmth and generosity. And then there was Noah himself.
Grace was honest enough to admit that he intrigued her. He was calm and casual, but she felt the weight of authority in his words. He handled problems without loud talk or fuss. Something told her he had a great deal of practice taking care of problems.
What kind, she didn’t know, but she wanted to. She wanted to know everything about him.
And that kind of curiosity was dangerous. She wasn’t going to get serious about another man until she healed from the first.
Yet Grace couldn’t ignore the sweet tug of temptation. If she wasn’t careful, she might forget all her good intentions. Here among this loud, close family, it would be so easy to relax.
She stood up, feeling a desperate need to be away from the warmth and belonging. “That’s very kind of you, but I can’t stay here. Maybe I can find a cab.”
“No cabs running. Everything is shut down tight. Sorry, Grace, but we’ll make you comfortable here. Plus I know my mom is itching to ask you more about your visits to Eastern Europe. She’s never been back, you see. All her family is gone now.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. But really, Noah, I need to go. I have a project to finish tonight. And I want to call my grandfather. If he hears about the storm, he’ll be worried about me.”
Wind hissed around the house, rattling the windows.
The lights flickered, and then the room plunged into darkness as the power went out.
CHAPTER FIVE
TATIANA BEGAN CALLING crisp orders from the kitchen. “Reed, please find the flashlight and batteries in the top drawer of the kitchen cabinet. Alex, my love, there are more blankets in the guest room closet. I have hot water already boiled, but we will need the Thermos bottles. I also have marshmallows and chocolate, to make those things you boys loved so much in Boy Scouts. Shores, you called them.”
“S’mores, Mom. And that sounds great.” Noah rubbed his hands together. “The power should go off more often.”
Reed appeared at the door, holding a flashlight. “So, bro, let’s go get the sticks and marshmallows.”
“You’re on.”
Twenty minutes later, Grace was downing her third heavenly mixture of perfectly roasted marsh-mallow, graham cracker and melted chocolate. She didn’t even have to move. With the kitten on her lap, Noah held up cooked morsels for her to eat from his fingers. She had to admit, the whole experience was more than a little hedonistic. The brush of his hands and rich tastes made her feel wonderfully decadent.
Noah tucked the blanket around her on the couch. Candles flickered in the kitchen and then footsteps moved away up the stairs. The house grew quiet as the snow swirled outside the window. With the power gone, Grace’s sense of being enclosed in a cocoon was complete. The flicker and snap of the fire lulled her to sleep, along with the warmth of the little kitten curled up on her lap. She yawned and smiled sheepishly. “I think the day has finally caught up with me.”
“Get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on these bad boys. Once the weather settles down in the morning, my dad and I will get you home in the Hummer.”
“I appreciate this generous hospitality.”
“I’m happy you’re here, Grace.” Noah studied her face in the firelight. “I feel calm when I’m around you. I can’t quite explain it.” He leaned back, scratching one of the kittens. “So how about dinner tomorrow, assuming that the roads are clear?”
“I … I don’t think I can.”
“Then what about Friday?” The other kittens stirred. A sleepy head rose and big dark eyes looked from Grace to Noah.
“I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“It’s just dinner. Everybody has to eat, remember? And since you brought these amazing animals into my life, now we’re both responsible. You’re going to need my help to take care of them.”
He was right. Grace had taken on more responsibility than she expected in that alley tonight. But she had to make the situation clear. “I’m feeling overwhelmed, Noah. I didn’t expect any of this. And just so you understand, I’m not considering a relationship.”
His eyebrows rose. “All I asked for was a simple meal together. No need to make it complicated.”
But it was complicated. She had spent eight years with a man she thought she adored. A man who seemed above reproach, dedicating his life to helping others find reconciliation under hostile circumstances. If you couldn’t trust a man like that, who could you trust?
Grace forced the bad memories down before they could swirl up. “I’m sorry, but no.”
“So our timing is wrong. At least agree to a snowball fight.” He raised his palms. “Nothing complicated in that.”
He made it so easy for her to feel safe and comfortable, but Grace refused to give in to that gorgeous smile. “Really? I’m not quite buying that.”
Noah lifted the restless kitten from her lap, tucking it back into the warm spot next to its mother, where it immediately began to nurse. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s the importance of taking opportunities when they’re offered. Life has its own timetable, and if we look away or hesitate or blink, a moment can pass. Things can change.” His voice hardened. “People can be lost forever.”
Grace heard the sadness again. This time it held something like remorse.
She was surprised at how much she wanted to ask him what he had lost and why. There she went, getting pulled in again. Questions could take her places she didn’t want to go.
Instead, she blurted out an answer that neither one of them expected.
“Fine. I accept your challenge. Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. in the backyard. But we have to have some rules. Time limits and number of rounds per bout. I like things to be spelled out,” she said firmly.
He leaned back, smiling faintly. “Three rounds or the first one to declare defeat. Five minutes max per round.”
“Accepted.”
He looked more pleased than