Read Online White Christmas by Tanya Stowe - Free Book Online Page B

down at her high-heeled shoes, she shook her head.
    “I didn’t think about this,” she said in a low voice.
    Chad stepped up onto the rock and held out his hand. “This,” he said with excitement in his voice. “This is what I love about Arizona! The contrasts! Where else would you find us, dressed like this, climbing a rock?”
    She took his hand.
    “Just think of it, Tessa. We have the delicate eco-balances of our deserts and the glass and steel of our skyscrapers.” Her ankle wobbled a little and he grabbed her other hand to steady her. “We have our rich western heritage and an exciting future in organic farming and alternative energy. It fills me with excitement and hope. I love it!” He was facing her, holding her hands as they reached the top.
    Smiling, she gestured behind him. “This is what I love.”
    Chad turned and whistled. They were on the edge of the mountain range, looking down the gentle slope of hill that led all the way to the desert floor. It was almost fifty miles of tan-colored slope and open range.
    The clouds that had been coming and going all day had finally gathered against the hills and formed a dark billowing storm. Even as they watched, lightening flashed in a bright zig-zag that went all the way down to the ground. Rain began to fall in the distance. More lightening jagged across the sky as the echo of distant thunder drifted towards them.
    Reaching across the space, Chad grasped Tessa’s hand. The lightning danced. The rain hit the hills and the trademark colors of rust, green and turquoise that gave them the name Painted Desert turned bright.
    The sky changed from gray to purple. Dusk was upon them as Chad turned to Tessa. “I think we love the same things,” he said, his voice low.
    “I think so, too,” she murmured.
    “I don’t want this to end.”
    She shook her head and started to protest. He pressed a finger to her lips and let it linger, tracing them as she’d longed to do to his.
    “I know our time here has to end. But I don’t think we do, Tessa. I think what we have is special. I want the chance to find out. Will you give me that chance?”
    She opened her lips, tried to speak, but Chad’s finger pressed against them, keeping them closed. He didn’t want to hear the concerns, or the doubts. He just wanted to know if she wanted the chance as much as he did.
    Sealing her lips, she nodded.
    Chad stepped closer. His smile was enough to send sparks shooting through her, but the way he looked at her lips, as if they were the most fascinating things he’d ever seen…she was on fire and could barely breathe.
    He stepped closer and put his arms around her. His head dipped and he kissed her with a tenderness that felt wonderful, but didn’t ease the fire.
    Tessa shivered and she didn’t know if it was caused by his touch, or the cold wind that had suddenly swept over them. She never wanted it to end. She could have stayed in his arms forever, feeling his firm lips against hers, listening to the distant thunder and shivering.
    But he broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers.
    “Let’s get you inside out of the cold,” he murmured.
    Mutely, Tessa nodded, but she was certain she’d never really ever feel cold again.
     
    ****
     
    Chad sprayed the dirt off the sedan then dipped his brush in the soapy water. The cloudy skies overhead threatened to drop rain at any minute so Chad hurried through the motions. Besides, he had to pick up Nell in a few moments. Now that that the tours were over, she had gone to the houses to secure the displays…that left Chad just enough time to get the car cleaned.
    As he scrubbed, he couldn’t stop thinking about last night. He and Tessa ate dinner at an Italian restaurant complete with a candle in a Chianti bottle and Dean Martin singing in the background.
    They talked about their future.
    Chad didn’t have a solid direction. He thought about returning to the law firm where he’d first started. But that was in Tucson