Shoved (Moonlit Lake Matchmaker #4)

Chapter 8

SERENA

All day long, no matter what I was working on, my thoughts kept returning to those intense dark eyes, and how they turned my insides to mush. Traitorous insides.

Pushing him in that snowbank had given me a measure of satisfaction, which I hated to admit. I’m normally not a violent person. Something about him just set me off—I don’t know if it was his arrogance, his rudeness, or his perpetual bad mood.

How could someone be so good looking on the outside and so awful on the inside? I’d never met anyone so infuriating. If only I would have shoved a big fat snowball in his mouth as soon as he opened it. That would have been the cherry on top, for sure. Missed opportunity, there. I chuckled to myself, imagining the sexy scrooge with a huge snowball corking his mouth.

But why did it have to be him, of all people, that I had to get tangled in the snow with? How humiliating.

I’d have wanted to dive into the snowbank and hide, feeling awful about what happened, if not for his insults. Those certainly riled me up. I’d wanted to bury him under a ton of snow instead of apologizing. Later, we could chip away the snow to reveal a handsome ice sculpture—one that couldn’t talk back.

Would the handsome but scowling sculpture on my front lawn bring in more business to the store, or scare people away? Hard to say. But I’d have fun decorating it with outrageous hats and floral wreaths—like he belonged at the Kentucky Derby. I’d change the decorations for the various holidays and seasons throughout the year. My mom had a goose statue like that on our front step when I was a kid. We’d dress it up in all kinds of crazy outfits. Sadie would get a kick out of that.

I shook my head. The sooner I forgot the whole embarrassing scene ever happened, the better. If only it were that easy.

What about the energy zinging between us? I’m surprised it didn’t melt the snow.

And his eyes. Mmm.

I fanned my face. How did it get so blasted hot in here?

Stop it! Storm was not someone I wanted to get involved with. He was a grouch who hated children and animals. Not that I wanted any man in my life, but if I did, it certainly wouldn’t be someone like him. No matter how he made my heart race and my stomach flip.

Sadie was all that I needed. And to be the best mom I can be for her, and to protect her tender heart, I needed to keep my priorities straight.

When I first heard the news that my husband had been killed in combat, I’d been six months pregnant with Sadie. I’d held my hand to my belly and promised my unborn child that I’d do whatever I could to be such a good mom that she’d never feel the loss of her father or the vacancy in her life.

Until recently, it seemed to be enough. I seemed to be enough. She rarely asked about her dad or why she didn’t have one. But to hear her ask for a dad, and a dog, for Christmas, it about broke my heart. The dog was no surprise. She’d been begging for one of those for a long time. But this was the first time I’d heard her say she wanted a dad.

My chest tightened, knowing she wouldn’t get her wish this year. I’d just have to find other ways to make this her best Christmas yet. Then maybe she won’t be so disappointed when Santa fails to deliver on her request.

Brushing away thoughts of the surly samaritan with dark stormy eyes. I refocused my attention on what was important. Sadie and my shop. I looked at the clock. It was mid-afternoon already. I’d completed all the arrangements that I needed to get done. And customers had already picked up everything that was ordered for the day. The snow had slowed down business, and it was a great opportunity to close early and go home to play in the snow with Sadie—one of the perks of being a business owner. I flipped my sign to closed and headed home.

Ten minutes later, Sadie flew into my arms. “Mommy! You’re home!” Her excitement was balm to my soul. “Did you see the snow girl we made?”

“I did. She’s adorable. Looks like you had fun out there today.”

“It was so fun! In some places, it was so deep, I couldn’t even walk. Nana had to shovel a place for us to make our snowgirl. One time, I fell over and was almost buried in the snow.”

My mom chimed in, “Yeah, I couldn’t see her. I could only hear giggling coming from the snowbank.”

“When we got cold, Nana made me some hot chocolate with marshmallows.” Sadie danced around the room with more than her usual exuberance. “We didn’t get all the snow people made, though. I still want to make more. A whole snow family. Maybe even a snow dog.”

“I’ll help you make another one if you want. We have all winter to keep adding more, you know.”

Sadie thought about this for a moment. “If we make a new snow person every day, how many would there be by the end of winter?”

“Winter is pretty long here. That would probably be over a hundred. I don’t think we have room in our yard for all of those. And you’d probably get tired of making them and would want to do something else. Let’s just make one at a time, and see how far we get. What is the next one you want to make?”

“Now that you’re here, let’s make the snowmom to go with the snowgirl. Then the girl will be happy.”

This girl. She sure did own my heart. Any insecurity I felt about her wanting a dad dissolved. My sweet girl was happy with her mom, and that’s all that really mattered.

Sadie and I played in the snow together for about an hour. We were just setting the snowmom’s head on top when a niggling feeling crept in, like we were being watched. I looked around and didn’t see anyone. We added the final touches and the uncomfortable feeling continued.

“I’m cold. How about we go inside for some more hot cocoa and I’ll make us some macaroni and cheese for dinner?”

“Yay! My favorites!” Sadie rushed back to the house, then turned to look at her snow family. “Mommy, what will they do when I’m in the house? Will they come to life like Frosty and Olaf do?”

“Well, we don’t have a magic hat or a magic wand to use on them. So maybe they’ll just keep watch over our house while we’re inside. Like our very special guards. And they’re even better because everyone else just thinks they’re snowmen.”

She smiled brightly and hugged my legs. “But we know better, don’t we Mommy? We know they’re special.”

“Just like you, Sweetpea. Now let’s go inside before our tootsies freeze off.”

After she went inside, I took another look around the yard. Leaning forward, I scanned the neighborhood. I looked from house to house, but I still didn’t see anyone or anything suspicious. Yet, the uneasy feeling lingered. I quickly went inside and locked the door.

It was probably nothing. Just stress. Best thing I could do was relax and watch a holiday show with Sadie. Put it out of my mind. So that’s what I did.