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“I’m in love with Shane.”

“Well, duh. I got that much.”

“And he doesn’t love me back.”

“Are you sure? Because I was getting the gigundo
I’m-so-messed-up vibes from him.”

“Just because he’s messed up doesn’t mean it’s over me. It
might be the situation. It might be because he wants to start over in another
town without me weighing him down.” She thought of Shane after they’d come
together so furiously. Maybe it was just attraction, and he wanted to cut and
run now that he saw what a future with her entailed. She couldn’t blame him.

“And it might be that you’re both too afraid to say the L
word.”

“I… Well, maybe.”

Bells tucked her chin on her hand. “Honey, there’s a reason
I’m still single too. It’s hard to say those words. It’s supposed to be hard to
say them. If they were easy, they wouldn’t mean anything.”

“Did I actually call you here to be the voice of reason?”

“Yep.”

“I must be stupid.”

Bells lifted her glass. “I’ll go with very, very smart.”

Kendall let her head drop onto her folded arms. “You know
that self-fulfilling-prophecy thing? Yeah. That’s me.”

“Oh, my drama queen.”

Kendall flashed her a middle finger.

“Look, sweetie. You’ve been getting away scot-free with the
male drama crap. You were bound to fall hard for someone sometime.”

“But him?”

“Of course it was going to be him. He’s a perfect match for
you.”

She lifted her head. “You don’t even know him.”

“I know him through your eyes. I knew the first time you
talked about him that he was going to be important to you in some way. It’s
just how you work, Ken.”

“He and his mom are the reason Lawrence left me and Mom.”

“And how old was he when that happened?”

Kendall shrugged. “Eight.”

Bells rolled her eyes. “That’s not a valid reason for
turning down the love of your life. You need to just say it.”

“And if he laughs in my face?”

The pizza—cheese and mushrooms well done—came to the table. They
dug in without breaking stride. “Then you call me, and I’ll come beat his ass.”

“I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”

Bells lifted her piece of pizza over her head and slurped
the excess cheese off. “Damn right.”

An evening with Bells, pizza, and beer was pretty close to
perfect. She still didn’t have any better answers, but her head didn’t feel
like it was going to explode anymore. By the time she returned to the Heron,
she was a little more even.

She got out of her car and turned to look at the glowing
light from the barn. Shane stood in the doorway, his shirt gone, his forearm
over his head against the jamb. When she took a step forward, he backed away
and closed the door.

She swallowed against the hurt and climbed the stairs.

* * * *

“I don’t think we have nearly enough lights.”

“No comments from the peanut gallery.”

Kendall grinned at her mother as she wrapped another string
of lights around the newel post and through the spindles. They’d finally
finished with the cleaning that afternoon, and now it was all about decorating.
Starting with the porch.

The phone rang, and her mother pulled the cordless from her
apron. “The Heron, this is Lily. How may I help you?”

Her mother’s chatter faded into the background as she told
whoever was on the phone about rates and the highlights of the
bed-and-breakfast. Kendall wrestled with another string of lights, plugging it
into the end she’d tucked under the railing, and moved her way down the porch.

She looked out over the front of the property. Snow had been
a constant in the forecast for the last few nights, and the fresh powder
sprinkled a bit of fairy dust on the terrain. The new fences that Shane had put
up were stained a deep walnut and popped against the picturesque blues and cool
whites that blanketed the lake. The huge oak was sturdy and majestic.

When had he trimmed the branches?

“You need how many nights?”

Kendall snapped back into the moment.

“Absolutely. We’ve got a few rooms available. Mmm-hmm.” Her
mother made happy little noises as she laughed with the caller.

Relief unknotted the ball that had been sitting in her gut
for so long she hadn’t even realized they were there. At this point, she’d
welcome the fish smell in her kitchen. They needed income to keep the B and B
running. They might own the house outright, but they still had to pay taxes and
utilities.

Her mother chatted for a few more minutes and disappeared
inside to bang out the details of the visit. Kendall made her way around the
back of the house.

She could hear Shane using a saw. Soft plumes of steam
billowed into the crisp air from the exhaust vent he’d set up. She squatted to
line the lower rail and shake out her tired wrists. A twinge of soreness
between her thighs reminded her of the furious lovemaking—no, not lovemaking.
It had been sex. Pure, tension-breaking sex. No emotion, just the endgame of an
orgasm for the both of them.

An empty orgasm for her, and yet she’d initiated things
between them, not him. Of course he’d take her up on it. A willing woman and
they knew each other’s bodies well. Had she really thought that was going to be
the answer to getting him to talk?

“Kendall, you won’t believe it.”

She stood with only the slightest wince. “What, Mom?”

“That was an entire family. Their plans fell through with
another B and B, and they saw our new Web site. I logged on to check to see
what they were talking about. Why didn’t you tell me we had a new Web site?”

Kendall snapped her brows together. “Shane mentioned he’d
added some new pictures, but I haven’t gotten around to checking.” Evidently
Shane had been very busy. The quick flare of hope made her smile. If he’d
updated the Web site, maybe he wasn’t truly hell-bent on selling. “Wait, go
back to the entire-family part.”

“Oh, right.” Lily laughed and tucked her pencil behind her
ear. “They need four rooms for the week of Christmas.”

“Four?”

Her mother nodded. “I know. I can’t believe it. Three
couples and two teenage girls.”

Relief and determination straightened her shoulders. Then she’d
make sure it was the best damn Christmas. Her gaze drifted to the barn; then
she focused back to the task at hand.

At least this she could fix. “Well, then let’s make sure we
wow them. Why don’t you go get the extra lights from the barn?”

Her mother took the pencil from behind her ear and made a
note on the small notebook she kept in her pocket. “I think you should go get
them. I need to make up a menu.”

The storm door shut in her face, her mother already buried
in planning. Kendall sagged. Maybe she could work with what she had. She gazed
down at the two bundles at her feet and knew they wouldn’t make it around the
other side of the wraparound porch.

“You can do this, Kendall. He’s just a man.” She curled her
fingers into her palms and made her way down the side steps. The crunch of snow
under her boots sounded loud in the dense silence of the meadow behind the
house.

She made her way up the small hill to the barn. The back
door was open, and the shriek of a skill saw greeted her. Shane had a navy thermal
shirt on, the cuffs pushed back at his elbow. His back muscles bunched and
flowed as he patiently worked the blade through a long board. A pile of similar
cuts was stacked neatly against the wall.

For the first time she got a look at what he’d truly done
with the barn. He’d completely converted it into a work space. Steel shelves
lined the back wall with bins organized by season, some labeled by her, some in
what had to be his handwriting. Instead of rummaging into the Christmas corner
like she usually did, all she had to do was go over and pull the Xmas
decorations bin down.

A sturdy wooden ladder led to the small loft that had been
their catchall storage. A soft glow from a lamp illuminated the queen-size
mattress on a low frame, her old college dorm fridge, and a table.

He didn’t need to stay outside in the barn. She had
perfectly good rooms for him inside the house. Although it was surprisingly
warm and cozy in a rustic way. Under the loft there were stacks of chairs, the
skeleton of an eight-foot table, as well as a cart full of stains and sandpaper
blocks.

Shane dominated the space in the middle, working through
strip upon strip of the unusual Hawaiian wood.

Of course that meant she had to walk by him. She took a
steadying breath and lifted her chin. This was just as much her space as it was
his. She made a beeline for the wall of shelves and stood on her tiptoes. She
managed to only jimmy the decorations bin out a few inches.

Dammit, she was too short.

She looked for a ladder, spotting it by the door. The scrape
of the bin coming off the shelf made her whirl around.

Shane stood behind her, holding it. “Where do you want it?”

She grabbed for the handles. “I can carry it.”

He looked down at her, his eyes more green than hazel today.
“Where do you want it?”

Unwilling to argue, she shrugged. “The porch.”

He left without a word, and she sneered at his back. She
followed him outside and across the yard to the stairs. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Instead of going back to the barn, he walked
the length of the porch, his arms crossed over his chest. “Looks good.”

Was he actually making conversation? “Um, thanks. We’re
getting ready for some guests.”

“Oh yeah?”

“I think we have you to thank. Evidently the updated the Web
site worked.”

He jammed his hands into his pockets. “When I went on the
computer in the den, it was already signed into your design page. I just took a
few pictures of the improvements and the lake after the snowstorm. It’s pretty
as a postcard when there’s a foot of snow on the ground.”

She stiffened. She’d thought the same thing, but hearing him
say it the same way rankled. The Heron might not be perfect, but it had a lot
of charm. She swallowed back a snotty response. “Well, whatever you did netted
us a four-room booking.”

“Nice. Do you need anything done before they come?”

She rubbed the heel of her hand against her thigh. “I need
to go into town and get a Christmas tree. It’d be easier to throw it in the
back of your truck.”

“Let me just clean up, and we’ll go.”

The easy acquiescence surprised her. “Great. Thanks.”

“I need to get a few things anyway.”

The quick flash of disappointment pissed her off. She pasted
on a bright smile. “I’ll see if Mom needs anything.”

“Lily always needs something from town.”

She gave a quick laugh. “Ain’t that the truth.” Kendall
crouched, forgetting just how sore she still was. She sucked back a hiss of
pain as she flipped the top off the bin.

He frowned down at her. “You all right?”

“Fine. Just been doing a lot of crawling around today.”

He reached into the bin and unearthed a half dozen cardboard
pieces wrapped in lights. “Why don’t we go get the tree, and I’ll help you with
the lights.”

“You don’t need to do that. You look like you’re in the
middle of a project.”

“It can wait. The Heron is my first priority.”

“All right.” She stood and put a hand on the rail. “I’m too
sore to say no.”

He moved in closer. “Are you sore from working on the porch
or from what we did yesterday?” His gaze was steady on her face. “Did I hurt
you?”

“No, Shane.” She looked away from his too-intense stare.
“You didn’t hurt me.”
Not physically.

He tipped up her chin so she’d meet his gaze. “Don’t lie to
me.”

She jerked out of his hold and backed up. “Don’t flatter
yourself.”

He caught her wrist, drawing her back into his personal
space. He traced a thumb along a lock of hair that had slipped from her French
braid. “I was wrong to do that yesterday.”

She looked out over the water. She didn’t want to know he’d
regretted touching her.

“Kendall.”

Sunshine.

Not Sunshine. The sharp longing stabbed her in the chest.
God, she missed him. Missed his touch, missed his gruff voice and dry humor.
Making sure all the things she craved didn’t show on her face, she put on her
easy smile. “It’s fine, Shane. Yesterday was just two people scratching an
itch.” She shrugged carelessly. “Just fucking, right?”

A muscle in his jaw rippled, and he dropped her hand. “As
long as we have that straight. I’ll go get my keys.”

She rubbed weary eyes and went inside for her purse. “Mom,”
she called out. “We’re heading into town. Got a grocery list?”

Lily came around the corner, a sheet in her hand. “Just a
few things. We’ll need to do a big order for the guests later in the week.” She
stopped in front of Kendall. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She took the list.

“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady.”

Kendall clamped her jaw tight and went to the sink. She
stuffed the list in her purse, then opened the cupboard and shook out a few
ibuprofens. She filled a glass of water from the tap and swallowed it down in
greedy gulps, hoping she could get rid of the anger with her thirst.

She stared out the window. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’m just tired.”

“If by tired you mean lovesick, then yes.”

“Mom, please.”

“Have you tried to talk to him?”

“Can we not do this now? I’ve got to go.”

“Go on, then.”

Kendall fled, meeting Shane at the truck. She got in without
a word and studied the landscape. She noticed more than just the front fence
had been fixed. A rough-hewn bench had been added next to the water. “Did you
use the lumber from the old fences to make that bench?”

“Yes. Some of it was still good to use.”

“I appreciate it.”

“It’s practical to repurpose the wood. The trails are a nice
walk and good for snowmobiles. I figured it was a good spot to sit and look out
at the water.”