by Suzanne Cass
He opened the box and stared at the contents. She held her breath. “Are you going to taste one?”
“Are these pignoli cookies?”
“Yes. After you told me about your mom’s cookies, I thought…” Had she done the wrong thing? His face shuttered and she couldn’t read the emotions lurking behind those black eyes.
“Wow.” He reached tentative fingers into the box and removed a cookie. Took a bite and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, that big, gruff exterior melted right before her eyes. “They’re amazing. They taste exactly like my mom’s used to.”
The fluttering panic in her belly she’d somehow got it wrong disappeared, replaced with delight. He liked them. She’d found the recipe online this morning and baked them in between boiling the potatoes and decorating the glazed ham.
“No one has ever baked me cookies before.”
She found that hard to believe. Surely, he’d a woman in his life who’d done him this simple favor? If not recently, then before he went to prison. But the way he said it, with a tightness to his voice, made her think it might be true. Her heart went out to him.
“You can share them with Levi, if you like.”
“No way, these are all mine.” He clutched the box tighter to his chest, and she laughed. “Thank you, Stella.” He leaned in and brushed her cheek with a chaste kiss. They were close, and she drew in the smell of his spicy aftershave.
“No, thank you, Wyatt.” She needed to let him know how grateful she was for rescuing her. But her feelings went beyond indebtedness. They’d created a bond. She’d spent the night in his arms inside a freezing truck. Had felt safe and treasured. Hadn’t wanted their time together to end. She had no idea how to express the emotions zinging through her right now, so she stared at him, mute. He stared back, the box of cookies forgotten in his hand as they got lost in each other’s eyes. Tension pulsed between them; it was almost like a physical thing Stella could grab out of the air.
“You know we’re standing under mistletoe, don’t you?” His voice was low and husky.
She glanced up. Joseph had strung up bunches of mistletoe last night around the kitchen, but she hadn’t noticed this one above the storeroom door, until now. Stella had heard of the American tradition, but never partaken in it.
Wyatt fixed her with a questing gaze. She swallowed hard. Was he going to…?
His lips found hers. Warm and weighty, demanding. Her tongue darted out to taste him. His free arm snaked around her waist, jerking her right into his chest, almost lifting her feet off the ground. His desire fueled her own, and she tilted her head to get better access to his mouth. He was nothing like any man she’d ever kissed before. Nothing like Armand. He wasn’t some tame, domesticated male. The French men she’d kissed were all skillful lovers, they’d been refined and confident. With Wyatt, there was an edge to his desire, a dark edge, that he seemed to be barely able to control. She liked it.
At last, she had to break free to drag in some air, she was panting so hard it felt like she might pass out from her need for him.
Wyatt lifted his head, but didn’t let go, continued to hold her close to his chest. “Sorry.” His voice was gravelly with passion. “I hope I didn’t overstep the mark. But you seemed…”
Yes, she had wanted that kiss as much as he had.
“Oui, I liked it,” she admitted. “Actually, I’ve liked everything about today. I had a superb Christmas. I thought I would miss my family, feel homesick this Christmas. You know?” She’d rung her mother and her Aunt Celeste, to wish them a merry Christmas. She’d yet to ring Armand. The thought caused a stab of guilt. “But this has been perfect. It’s been so beautiful here, with the snow and the mountains.” Brilliant sunshine had replaced the storm clouds after the blizzard, and even though the temperature was well below freezing, it was still the most beautiful thing Stella had seen. And you, you made this perfect, too, she wanted to add.
With a shameful shudder, she remembered she had a fiancé back home in France. She shouldn’t be kissing another man, even if it was under the mistletoe. Funny, but she hadn’t felt even the slightest bit of chagrin while she was kissing Wyatt. He didn’t know about Armand. She should tell him. But as she stared up into his face, the longing in his eyes made the words impossible to speak. Later. She’d tell him later. Right now, Armand felt like a distant memory; a dream.
“I have to admit, this Christmas was a lot more…intriguing than I was expecting. I actually enjoyed it. This is the best Christmas I’ve had in a long, long time.” He raised a speculative eyebrow in her direction and his ebony eyes bored into hers, telling her what his words couldn’t. Even though he hadn’t said it, her heart jumped at his implied message. He was feeling this way because of her. It was stupid and silly, but she loved the fact she could make Wyatt feel happy. Make him feel hopeful.
Stella’s lips were still buzzing from the touch of Wyatt’s mouth pressed against hers. She gazed up at him. Right at this very second, Wyatt was all she needed. All she wanted.
She couldn’t very well say this had been the best Christmas ever, not after her crash and needing to be rescued. But perhaps she could borrow Wyatt’s term. It’d been the most intriguing Christmas ever, full of possibilities and hope. Because she’d met Wyatt. And the new year shone ahead, bright with promise.
As she stood in Wyatt’s arms, soaking in his warmth and strength, she wondered, exactly what would the new year bring?
* * *
This is the start of Wyatt and Stella’s journey.
Would you like to find out if their love can stay the distance? Then you need to read Snowfall, book 4 in the Stargazer Ranch Mystery Romance series.
Snowfall - Book 4
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STARDUST
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If you liked Snowbound, then you might like the other books in the Stargazer Ranch Mystery Series.
Combustion - Prequel Novella
Wildfire - Book 1
Firelight - Book 2
Snowfall - Book 4
Cloudburst - Book 5
Also by Suzanne Cass
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Stormcloud Station Series
(A Stargazer Spinoff Series)
Small Town Romantic Suspense
Clear Skies
Starlit Skies
Stargazer Ranch Romance Series
Small Town Romantic Suspense
Combustion: Prequel Novella
Wildfire
Firelight
Snowbound: A Christmas Novella
Snowfall
Cloudburst
Island Bound Series
Mystery Romance (on an Island)
Books can be read as stand-alone
Bound by Truth
Bound by Silence
Bound by the Stars
Colors of the Earth Series
Small Town Romantic Suspense
Books can be read as stand-alone
Shadows in the Dust
Shadows in Deep Blue
Shadows of Red Earth
Romantic Suspense
Single Title
Island Redemption
Glass Clouds
Chasing Bullets
Love in the Mountains Novella Series
Small Town Short Romance
Novellas can be read as stand-alone
Rain on a Tin Roof
Lost and Found
Rescue his Heart
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About the Author
&nbs
p; Suzanne Cass is an Australian author who writes rural romance and romantic suspense abounding with passion and danger.
Her debut novel, Island Redemption, won the Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Award in 2016. Suzanne was also a finalist in the 2019 Romance Writers of Australia RUBY award.
She had always had a fascination with the tough resilience of people who live in our amazing red-dirt outback country. When not writing about the characters that inhabit her head, Suzanne can be found roaming the Perth beaches with her border collie, or encouraging from the sidelines as her two sons play sport.
