Sugar Plum Season. Mia Ross

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СКАЧАТЬ it almost immediately. Jason didn’t understand why until he noticed the chilly stare Paul was getting from his wife. It reminded him of Amy’s disapproving looks, and he smothered a grin. He’d never had the opportunity to compare one woman with another this way. If he could somehow figure out what was going on in their heads, it might actually be entertaining.

      “Fine.” With a look that was half smile and half grimace, Paul stepped back to let Jason into the working area of the mill. “Whattaya need?”

Chapter Three

      Monday morning crept by at a pace that would have embarrassed the slowest turtle on earth. Banished to her office at the rear of the studio by her carpenter, Amy chafed impatiently and tried not to check the old schoolhouse clock on the wall every two seconds.

      She was dying to see what he’d come up with for the entryway. Before she went completely bonkers, she decided it was better to distract herself until he was finished. She could use the free time to inventory her costume collection, assessing what Aunt Helen had on hand so she could determine what they needed to buy for the cast.

      Because the studio had been built on her aunt’s stellar reputation as a dance instructor, Amy had insisted Aunt Helen remain a silent partner in the business. So every decision was a “they” situation, which was new for someone who’d spent most of her life focused on her own career. It was one of many changes Amy had encountered since coming back to Barrett’s Mill after so many years away.

      Like Jason Barrett.

      The man couldn’t be any more different from her ex, and she couldn’t help but compare the two. A dancer himself, Devon hadn’t been able to cope with the somber prospect of being shackled to a wife who was so limited physically. He bolted shortly after her grim final diagnosis, taking his great-grandmother’s engagement ring with him.

      Since then, the men who’d crossed her path had been either medical professionals or old friends who viewed her as more of a younger sister than a romantic interest. Heartbroken by Devon’s betrayal, her new hands-off status with the male species actually suited her just fine. She had no intention of letting another one close enough to hurt her by taking off just when she needed him most.

      Not that Jason fell into that category, she reminded herself as she eased out of her chair. In a few short days, he’d proven himself not only respectful but dependable, two qualities she valued in anyone. On her way into the storeroom, she made several attempts to classify him based on other guys she’d known, but came up empty. Then she heard his teasing voice in her mind.

       And here I thought we were friends.

      Smiling to herself, she decided he was indeed her friend, one she might enjoy getting to know better. After all, she mused as she began pairing up satin slippers, you never knew when a big, strong carpenter might come in handy.

      From the doorway, she heard a low whistle and turned to find him staring into the oversize closet. “It looks like a cotton-candy machine blew up in here.”

      The comment was so spot-on, she couldn’t help laughing. “I guess it does. That’s what happens when you cast too many sugar-plum fairies.”

      “How many extra do you have?”

      Glancing up, she quickly did the math. “Ten, I think.”

      “Why didn’t you just make them something else? Save yourself a little netting?”

      “Because all the girls wanted to be Clara or a sugar-plum fairy. For this production, no one’s en pointe, and only Heidi Peterson could manage the basics for Clara. That means I need lots of these,” she added, fluffing the layers of pink tulle hanging on the rack.

      Something in his expression shifted, and he took a step inside the cramped room. “You mean, you adjusted the traditional cast so they could play the roles they wanted?”

      “Of course. They’re kids, and it’s Christmas.” Baffled by his reaction to her scaled-down production, she frowned. “Why?”

      “Because that’s the last thing I’d expect from a perfectionist like you.”

      The gold in his eyes glittered with an emotion she couldn’t begin to define, and she found herself caught up in the hypnotic warmth of his gaze. He didn’t move toward her, but his imposing presence filled the room with something that was more than physical. In a jolt of understanding, she recognized that it came from a heart so generous, he’d volunteered his time and talents to a stranger simply because she needed his help. Instinctively, she knew he was someone who treated people well as a matter of principle, not as a means to an end.

      The kind of man who’d treasure the woman fortunate enough to be the one he loved.

      That realization struck her with a certainty so powerful, it actually knocked her back a step. Trying to regain her perspective, she dragged her eyes away and made a show of hunting for the slipper that matched the one still clutched in her hand. “Did you need something?”

      “Your stamp of approval.” Cocking his arm, he offered it to her with a bright grin. “Wanna come see?”

      She did, very much, but she was hesitant to take his arm. Since she couldn’t come up with a way to refuse it politely, she fell back on logic. “That’s sweet, but we can’t fit through that door side by side.”

      “Got me there. Ladies first, then.”

      The way he kept referring to her as a lady made Amy want to giggle, and she firmly tamped down the impulse. He was obviously trying to charm her, but it would work only if she let it. She’d handled many situations like this in the past, and she was well aware that keeping him at a safe distance was the best approach.

      But it wasn’t half as much fun as going along, she admitted with a muted sigh. Being sensible could be such a killjoy. Before they turned the corner to enter the front section of the studio, he abruptly stopped walking.

      “Is something wrong?” she asked, standing on tiptoe to look past him. Big as he was, she couldn’t see a thing, and she started to worry. “It all fell down, didn’t it?”

      “That’s insulting,” he informed her with a good-natured chuckle, “but since you don’t know me very well, I’ll let you get by with it. Close your eyes.”

      “Why?”

      “So you’ll be surprised.”

      He said that as if it should have been obvious to her, and she felt a twinge of regret for not sharing his enthusiasm for what he’d built. She was the one who’d asked him to do it, and she knew she should be more excited. Sadly, since her dream of dancing had ended up wrapped around a light pole outside D.C., it was all she could do to keep trudging forward.

      “I’m not very fond of surprises,” she said as evenly as she could manage. “I much prefer it when things go according to plan.”

      Most of the people she knew would bristle at that or chide her for being a control freak. But not this guy. Instead, he gave her an encouraging smile. “My sister-in-law, Chelsea, used to be like that before Paul showed her how much fun she was missing.”

      “I don’t see what that has to do with me.”

      “Just СКАЧАТЬ