Read Online That Wintry Feeling (Debbie Macomber Classics) by Debbie Macomber - Free Book Online Page A

bushy brows, the unrelenting set of jaw; his profile appeared almost hawklike. The eyes were a clear shade of deep blue, but sharp and intelligent. The dark hair, although trimmed short, was curly and framed his forehead.
    “You sure? You look awfully pale for someone safe and secure.” His look flickered over her.
    The responding smile was weak. “I’m sure.” She lowered her gaze. She liked Grady. That was the problem. If anything had happened to him, she would have felt more than guilt or remorse. The realization was so new she hadn’t had time to properly analyze exactly what she was feeling.
    “How could you act so calm?” she queried. “Anything could have happened.”
    “Calm?” he snorted. “Listen, I’ve been ten thousand feet in the air, lost both engines, and felt less nervous than facing that bear.”
    Laughter sighed through her as she tipped her head back to rest against the seat. “I don’t think I’ve been more frightened in my life,” she admitted.
    “Can Peterkins come and sit with me now?” Angela asked, the small voice barely audible.
    “Sure.” Cathy helped move the dog from the front to the back, then scooted across the cushioned seat to sit closer to Grady. She stopped when their shoulders touched.
    His glance was filled with surprise. “To what do I owe this honor?”
    Cathy couldn’t answer him. She didn’t know why she felt the need to be near him. It had been an unconscious movement made without reason. “I’m cold.” The excuse was a feeble one, but Grady seemed to accept it, looping an arm over her shoulder and bringing her within the comfort of his embrace.
    “Warmer?” he asked a few minutes later.
    Cathy nodded.
    “Daddy, can I be a Girl Scout?” Angela’s head appeared between Grady’s and Cathy’s.
    “Why the sudden interest in Girl Scouts?” Grady questioned, his gaze not leaving the road.
    “Melissa Sue’s gonna be one, and I thought I should do it, too.”
    “I think she means Brownie,” Cathy inserted. “The school handed out information sheets last week.”
    “I want to roast marshmallows and eat somemores and sing songs around a fire.”
    “That’s the picture on the front of the information sheet,” Cathy explained.
    “There were some marshmallows in your cupboard, weren’t there, Cathy?”
    Grady’s gaze had scanned the contents of her kitchen that morning while she was dressing. “Yes, I think there are.”
    “Fine. When we get back, Cathy can invite us inside, and while I build a fire in her fireplace, you two ladies can cook some hot cocoa and find something to roast marshmallows.”
    “Goodie.” Angela bounded against the backseat, and Cathy could hear her telling Peterkins all about the wonderful time they were going to have.
    “Now, that was sneaky,” Cathy murmured, resting her head against the curve of his shoulder.
    “No, just quick thinking,” he murmured. His eyes glanced toward her mouth, and the look was so suggestive that Cathy had the desire to blush and look away. The last streaks of light were fading from the darkening sky when they rolled past the Fairbanks city limits.
    “I’ll drop you two off at the house.”
    “Three,” Angela corrected. “Don’t forget Peterkins.”
    Grady chuckled. “After this afternoon, it’s not likely.”
    “Where are you going?” Cathy asked.
    “I’ve got some paperwork to catch up with. It’ll only be an hour or so. You don’t mind, do you?”
    For a second she wanted to complain and tell him that yes, she did mind. This was the way it had always been with her own father. Not a single day of his life was he able to sever himself from job-related obligations. Memories of Christmas Day were filled with presents and laughter and arranging the big meal around the time her father would return from the office. Cathy should have realized that a whole day was more than Grady could give her, Angela, or anyone else in his life.
    “No, I don’t mind,” she lied. “It’ll give