Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
“We’re making a regular snowman, not the abominable one.”
Megan stepped back to study hers. “I thought mine was the same size of yours. I might have miscalculated a tad bit.”
“A tad?” Cole laughed, shaking his head. “Yours is twice the size of mine.”
“At least the head will be small. I’ll be able to lift it. I don’t want you to think I cheated with you doing half the work.”
Cole went back to working on his snowman. “You worry about the strangest things.”
Megan straightened from rolling her snowball. Cole was right; she did worry too much. She was constantly nit-picking everything she said and did.
Promising herself to stop worrying over every little thing, she concentrated on beating Cole.
Once she had all three snowballs in place, she started searching for objects to use as decorations. She had no problem finding the sticks for arms. Then she found some small gravel to make a mouth and eyes. Taking off her scarf, she wounded it around the snowman then topped it off with her hat.
The snowmen looked similar, other than size. Cole had used a cap for his snowman and gravel to decorate with. Both then started searching for a nose. Whoever came up the better option would basically win the contest.
Using her foot to kick at the frozen gravel, Megan didn’t look up when she heard a vehicle speed down the street. She was far enough off the road that she wasn’t worried about getting hit, nor did she worry about Cole, as he was near the church dumpster, even farther away from the road.
Listening to the vehicle approach, she jerked her head up at the sound of it accelerating. Until it was almost upon her, she couldn’t make out the truck’s color .
As she watched, she knew they were going to hit her. Whoever was driving had turned the wheels to go off the road toward where she was standing.
She closed her eyes and thought about how she wasn’t even going to have time to say goodbye to Cole.
A sudden gasp escaped her when strong arms lifted her, pressing her tightly against a warm body. When she opened her eyes, Cole’s furious eyes caught hers as he launched them away from the road.
“What the hell? You didn’t even try to dodge that maniac. You stood there like a sitting duck!”
Finding herself lying on the snow-covered ground with Cole glaring at her furiously, she brushed the clump of snow off the back of his shoulders from when their bodies had inadvertently tackled his snowman.
“I thought he would swerve away from me,” she lied. “Whoever it was must have been drunk.”
Rolling off her, Cole sat up and took his cell phone out of his pocket.
“Who are you calling?” She sat up next to him and watched as he pressed a button on his cell phone.
“Knox. He needs to know some maniac nearly killed you.”
Megan reached out, disconnecting the call. “Where’s your Christmas spirit?”
“It was knocked out of me when you were almost mowed down.”
“Will it come back if I agree to go on a date with you?”
What if the driver hadn’t been drunk but had been a Last Rider, bent on revenge? She didn’t want Cole to make himself a target trying to protect her.
Cole sent her a penetrating stare. “Why don’t you want me to call Knox?”
“Leave it alone, Cole. Please. Do you not want to go out with me anymore?”
“You know I do, which is why you’re using it as a bargaining chip. I’ll leave it alone,” he said firmly, showing he wasn’t as easily malleable as she’d assumed. “But if I see any more shady shit happening around you, I’m calling Knox.”
“You won’t have to. I’ll call him myself.”
He lifted her up and started brushing the snow off her legs and arms. “When do you want to go out?”
“I think tomorrow is going to be busy. Mondays have been slow. We could go somewhere then?”
“Okay. Any place you want to go in particular?”
“Do you mind if we go someplace out of town? You can choose. I’m pretty flexible where food is concerned. I can eat anything.”
“Then leave it to me. I know of the perfect place.”
She wasn’t worried. The only exotic food within a fifty-mile radius was the Italian pizza joint in Jamestown.
Finished brushing her off, Cole went to remove her hat and scarf from the snowman. “I guess you won.” He gave her a pitiful pout then wrapped the scarf back around her and sweetly slid the cap back on, tucking stray hairs inside. He was standing so close that she had to tilt her head back.
“Do you actually think I won’t accept the win because of your boyish charm? I was going to win, anyway.” She was about to pfft him when he gave her a seductive smile. If she weren’t wearing boots, it would have melted the snow beneath her.