Snowbound Cinderella. Ruth Ryan Langan

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СКАЧАТЬ dread she opened her bedroom door. It was warmer out here, and she noticed the logs burning in the fireplace. Jace must have fed the fire before returning to his bed. She glanced toward the loft, but couldn’t see a thing over the railing.

      Grateful for the time alone, she padded to the kitchen and started a fresh pot of coffee, then rummaged through the cupboard until she located a box of cereal. She was just filling a bowl when the door opened and Jace stomped in, carrying an armload of logs.

      The sight of him, muscles straining under the weight of his burden, snow dusting his hair, gave her a jolt. She knew dozens of stars in Hollywood who worked out with personal trainers. Not one of them could hold a candle to this man, who looked as rugged and comfortable as though he did this every day.

      She watched as he deposited the logs on the hearth. “I thought you were still asleep in the loft.”

      “Couldn’t sleep. Too cold in here.” He tossed another log on the fire, then straightened and turned, wiping his hands on his jeans. “I figured I’d better bring in a supply before the entire pile was covered with snow.”

      She stared beyond him to where snowflakes drifted past the window. “How bad is it?”

      He shrugged. “Bad enough that the power’s out. A line probably snapped under the weight of all that snow.”

      She glanced toward the coffeepot and realized it was making no sound. “No power? Now what’ll we do?”

      “Nothing we can do but wait out the storm. As long as the supply of logs holds out, we’ll be warm enough.”

      And stuck, she thought. Stuck together in one small cabin, with no chance of escape. And no hope for any privacy.

      She opened the refrigerator and reached for the milk. It was still cold. She started to pour some into the bowl. “What’ll we do about the food in here? Think it’ll spoil?”

      “I’ll carry it out back to the shed. That’ll keep it cold and safe from animals.”

      “Animals?” She paused to glance at him. “What kind of animals?”

      “Raccoons. Deer. Their food supplies will be covered by too much snow. They’ll turn to scavenging.”

      “You don’t think there are any…bear in these woods?”

      The look in her eyes made the temptation too much to resist. “I guess they’ll be hungry, too.”

      “Could they…break down the door?”

      “I suppose so. Bears are pretty determined when they smell food.” He glanced toward the stairs. “I think I’ll be safe enough up there in the loft. But since you hogged the master suite on the main floor, you’d probably be wise to brace something heavy against your door when you go to bed tonight, Hollywood.”

      At that precise moment the wind gusted, sending the door slamming open. She gave a yelp and spun around, eyes wide and terrified.

      Seeing nothing but the snow, she turned back and caught sight of his quick, dangerous grin. “That wasn’t funny.”

      “Sorry.” He tried to sound contrite. But she could see the smile still tugging at the corners of his lips. “I didn’t plan it, but the timing was perfect.”

      She muttered a couple of unflattering things under her breath as he crossed the room and closed the door, latching it against the tug of the wind.

      She turned away and began searching for a spoon. “I must have sounded pretty foolish.”

      She nearly jumped when he put a hand to her shoulder. His voice was so near, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck. “It’s the storm, Hollywood. It’s bound to get to you.”

      “Yeah.” Even though the nickname irritated her, she couldn’t seem to catch her breath, knowing he was standing so close. And she was afraid to turn around to face him. With her back to him she asked, “Want some cereal?”

      Was she offering a truce of sorts? He wasn’t certain, but he figured he might as well grasp at any straw. “Sure. Thanks. I guess we’re going to have to do all of our cooking over the fire now. I saw a grate as well as an aluminum coffeepot for camping in the closet. We can make good use of both of those.”

      He walked to the closet to retrieve the items. When he returned, he shifted beside her, his arm brushing hers as he filled the coffeepot with water. He crossed the room, placed the grate on the fire and arranged the pot in one corner of the fireplace, over glowing coals. In no time the water was boiling. He added ground beans, and within minutes the cabin was perfumed with the wonderful fragrance of coffee.

      Ciara carried the bowls of cereal to the coffee table, while Jace filled two mugs.

      He set one in front of her and said, “Just the way you like it. With a pinch of sugar.”

      She was surprised, and more than a little pleased, that he’d remembered. In all the time that she and her fiancé Brendan had been together, he had never noticed how she liked her coffee. In fact, she’d never seen him fix or fetch anything for himself. He had employees to see to his every need. She couldn’t imagine him hauling firewood, or settling for a bed in the loft, or figuring out how to preserve their food once the power went out. In fact, she couldn’t imagine Brendan Swift accepting a situation like this without throwing a tantrum.

      She sipped, closed her eyes and sighed over the pure pleasure of hot fresh coffee. “I guess being snowbound won’t be so bad, as long as we don’t run out of logs or coffee.”

      He chuckled. “If we run out of logs we can burn the furniture to stay warm. But I’m a man who has to have his coffee in the morning. So if we run out of that, watch out.”

      She couldn’t help laughing.

      He grinned back and found himself beginning to relax. The thought of being trapped in this cabin with a Hollywood star with an oversize ego had kept him up most of the night. But Ciara was showing a side he hadn’t anticipated. She’d accepted this situation with grace. She had a refreshing sense of humor, and was even able to laugh at herself. Maybe, just maybe, they could weather this storm without conflict.

      They ate in companionable silence, watching the firelight flicker and dance with each gust of wind that roared down the chimney.

      “How long do you think it will take before the roads are passable?” she asked.

      Jace shrugged. “We have to wait for the snow to stop first. I doubt they’ll bother to send road crews to plow until the storm has blown over completely. We’ll just have to hope that once that happens, the spring sunshine does its job on the layer of ice.” He shot her a sideways glance. “I’ll bet you didn’t think, when you left sunny California, that you’d be spending your weekend in a blizzard.”

      She laughed. “I guess I won’t be wearing that bikini I packed.”

      He quirked a brow. “Listen, Hollywood. If it’ll make you feel more at home, you can wear it around the cabin. And I promise you, you won’t hear a word of complaint from me.”

      “That’s really noble of you, but I’m sorry. I’m not working now.” She picked up their empty bowls and headed toward the sink. “I СКАЧАТЬ