Praise for
BETH CORNELISON

“Beth Cornelison writes intriguing, emotionally charged stories that will keep you turning the pages straight through to the end. Fabulous entertainment!”

—New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs

“If you haven’t read Beth Cornelison before, prepare yourself for a treat. If you are familiar with her work, then you know you’re about to be entertained. Sit back, read and enjoy. I know I will.”

—USA TODAY bestselling author Marie Ferrarella

BETH CORNELISON

started writing stories as a child when she penned a tale about the adventures of her cat, Ajax. Since that first time, Beth has written many more stories of adventure and romantic suspense and has won numerous honors for her work. She loves reading, traveling, Peanuts’ Snoopy and spending downtime with her family. She writes from her home in Louisiana, where she lives with her husband, one son and two cats who think they are people. Beth loves to hear from her readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 5418, Bossier City, LA 71171 or visit her Web site at www.bethcornelison.com.

BETH CORNELISON

Stranded With The Bridesmaid

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Dear Reader,

What better way to keep warm on these brisk November nights than with this month’s adrenaline-pumping romances from Silhouette Romantic Suspense?

What would you do if the lights went out at Christmas? Three stellar authors—Beth Cornelison, Sharron McClellan and Jennifer Morey—contribute heartwarming stories to our Blackout at Christmas (#1583) anthology, which features three couples as they fall in love during a Seattle blackout. Also available this month, you won’t want to miss the second book in the author-led miniseries TOP SECRET DELIVERIES, The Cowboy’s Secret Twins (#1584), by Carla Cassidy. Here, a single mom unwittingly finds herself at the home of her babies’ father, who then has to keep them out of harm’s way.

Popular author Linda Turner begins her new family-themed miniseries THE O’REILLY BROTHERS with His Wanted Woman (#1585), which involves danger and romance in our nation’s capital. You’ll love Sheri WhiteFeather’s sexy beginning to her miniseries WARRIOR SOCIETY, Imminent Affair (#1586), where a noble hero with amnesia protects the woman he loves from a deadly threat.

These romances will definitely keep you toasty this month. As always, we deliver on our promise of breathtaking romance set against a backdrop of suspense. Have a wonderful November and happy reading!

Sincerely,

Patience Smith
Senior Editor

To Patience Smith, Jennie Morey and Sharron McClellan—
thanks for making this project such a
fun and rewarding experience. Merry Christmas, ladies!

Chapter 1

“D ue to inclement weather conditions, all flights for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have been canceled until further notice. Please see your airline service agent for further assistance.”

Ellen Davis suppressed a groan as the airport public address system repeated the grim news that had her, and eighty gazillion other holiday travelers, standing in line to rent a car two days before Christmas.

Next in line to speak to the car rental agent, she refused to give in to the frustration and aggravation gnawing at her. Everyone was tense and grumpy because of the inconvenient weather, but if it killed her, she’d maintain the pleasant holiday cheer that those around her seemed to have forgotten.

The tall man in front of her took the key to his rental and the folder of papers he was handed and stepped aside. Ellen moved to the counter while he glanced over and signed his rental agreement.

“I need whatever you have left. I’m not picky as long as it has wheels and can get me to Spokane by tonight,” she told the frazzled woman behind the desk.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed the tall man glance up at her. While the rental agent tapped her computer keys, Ellen cast him a polite glance, caught his eye and smiled.

Dark-haired, lean and oh-so-handsome in his suede bomber jacket and faded jeans, he returned a lopsided grin and continued to watch her. Ellen’s stomach did a jittery dance under his perusal.

“Looks like we have a Taurus or—”

Ellen turned her attention back to the rental agent when she spoke, conscious of the man’s lingering gaze. “I’ll take it.”

“Or for just ten more dollars I can put you in a—”

Darkness swallowed the room.

With a flicker and a collective groan from the horde of weary travelers, the power blinked out. Halogen emergency lighting struggled on throughout the terminal, casting the reservation lobby in a surreal dim glow.

Ellen squelched the flutter of panic that tickled her gut. Soon she’d have a car, and with luck, she could still make her sister’s wedding rehearsal dinner tonight if—

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” The agent frowned and banged her keyboard. “I lost my computer when the power failed. I can’t access our database.”

“So just give me the Taurus you mentioned. That’s fine.” She tapped her toe nervously, anxious to simply get on the road before the freak snowstorm pounding Seattle got any worse.

“I can’t do that. Without the computer, I can’t rent anything else today.”

“Excuse me? You just said you had a Taurus.” Hearing the tension that had crept into her voice, Ellen gritted her teeth so hard her jaw ached. She battled down the rising stress and tried again. “Can’t you do the paperwork by hand? You know you have the car, so—”

The woman was already shaking her head, her expression hard and unsympathetic.

The agent’s apparent lack of concern for her predicament and the plight of the other stranded travelers frayed Ellen’s last nerve.

“Then how am I supposed to get to Spokane? Do you have any idea how upset Trixie will be if I miss her wedding?” Her voice trembled, and tears of frustration and disappointment tightened Ellen’s throat.

The car rental agent gave her a bored look. “That’s not my problem.”

Ellen saw red. Forget patience and holiday cheer and a spirit of cooperation during a crisis. She was ready to climb over the counter and throttle the rude woman.

“What?” she snapped. Her hands shook as she struggled for a calming breath.

Down the corridor, an alarm blared, and the grumble of the crowd behind her spoke for the growing unrest in the airport.

“Excuse me.” A warm, steady hand gripped her elbow, and Ellen pivoted to face the handsome man…who’d gotten the last car before the airport lost power. “Did you say you were going to a wedding? In Spokane?”

Ellen knitted her brow. “I—Well, yeah. How’d you—”

“Trixie Davis and Sean O’Banion?”

She blinked, stunned. “Yes. Why?”

A broad dentist-perfect grin spread across his face. “I’ll be damned. Me, too. Would you like to ride with me?”

A startled laugh hiccupped from her throat. “You’re going to Trixie and Sean’s wedding, too?”

He held out his hand. “Zach Kallen. Sean’s best man.”

Ellen gaped. “No way!”

“Way.” He smiled again, a dimple pocking his cheek, and her pulse danced.

Exhaling the knot of oxygen that had been logjammed in her chest since the airport closure was announced, she nodded. “If it’s not too much trouble, yes. Please. I don’t think I’m going to get there any other way.”

Zach gathered his backpack and slung it over a shoulder. “Then follow me. I’d like to get over the mountains before they close the highway.”

Ellen gathered her purse and wiggled through the press of bodies clogging the lobby in front of the rental desk. Aggravation and desperation were written on the faces of the people still waiting to find a way to reach their loved ones for the holidays. When she caught up to Zach, she gave him another appreciative smile. “Thank you. You’re my hero.”

He shrugged. “It only makes sense to share a ride if we’re headed the same place.”

“Just the same…you’re a lifesaver.” She jogged to keep pace with his long-legged strides and gave the dim corridor an uneasy glance. The watery gray light that seeped through the large windows along the terminal did little to dispel the pervading gloom the snowstorm and power outage cast.

They passed a large Christmas tree in the airport lobby as they headed outside. The darkened strands of lights and shifting shadows filled Ellen with a hollow ache. Twinkling lights brought life and beauty to a Christmas tree. Without the strings of lights ablaze, the tree seemed lonesome, dead and dreary. She prayed this holiday weekend, and especially Trixie’s wedding, didn’t fall victim to the snowstorm like the tree, losing their sparkle and joy. Already the blackout and bad weather threatened to ruin the occasion for Ellen.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I missed my sister’s wedding,” she said breathlessly, trying to keep up with Zach. “We’ve been dreaming of this day since we were old enough to dress our Barbies in white dresses and practice writing Mrs. in front of our names.”

Zach tossed a disgruntled look over his shoulder. “Been on the husband hunt awhile, have you?”

“I didn’t say that. You make us sound desperate or calculating. But most girls dream of a fairy-tale wedding to the man they love long before they know who that special someone will be. And Trixie and I have put hours into planning her wedding. If I miss it—”

“You won’t.” He gave her an even look, full of assurance. “I’ll get us there one way or another.”

His confidence calmed a few of the jitters dancing along her nerves. As they stalked past the luggage carousels, she sent the conveyers a longing glance. “I guess snagging my luggage is out of the question, since I checked it through to Spokane.”

“Which is why I always carry my bag with me.” Zach patted the backpack on his shoulder and gave her a self-satisfied grin.

“A carry-on wouldn’t have worked for me. I was packing for a week, including the wedding and all that entailed. My bag weighed a ton.” Ellen dodged a frazzled-looking family and sent the mother a sympathetic smile. Getting stranded in a powerless airport this close to Christmas had to be a parenting nightmare.

Zach slowed his pace momentarily, allowing Ellen to catch up. “Never fear. Your suitcase will be sent on as soon as the airport reopens and flights resume.”

She pulled a face, unconvinced. “I can hope. That won’t help me for the next day or two, though.”

When they stepped out of the terminal and headed into the parking garage in search of the rental car, a blast of wintry wind slammed into them. The chill sank all the way to her marrow.

Without the security lights, the lower levels of the parking garage were as dark and cold as a tomb. Only the occasional moan of the storm winds in the rafters broke the eerie stillness. As if, because of the blackout and the snowstorm, all of Seattle had fallen into a deathlike slumber. A chill raced through Ellen, wholly unrelated to the ice pellets peppering the streets or the arctic wind whipping through the rental level of the parking lot.

Picking up her pace, she inched closer to Zach’s solid build. In his wake, the scent of leather and pine filled the air, and Ellen inhaled the heady aromas. In addition to his chiseled features and startlingly blue eyes, Zach walked with a confident, loose-limbed stride that exuded strength—and perhaps a tad of arrogance.

When a skittering sound rustled in the shadows, another uneasy jitter crawled up Ellen’s spine. She determinedly focused on Zach’s sexy walk and broad shoulders rather than the biting cold, the dark garage and the nip of foreboding the nasty weather stirred in her.

While she was lost in thoughts of her companion’s snug jeans, her foot hit an unexpected patch of ice. She grabbed for the bumper of the nearest car to catch herself—triggering the shrieking wail of the car’s security alarm. With a gasp, Ellen jerked away, her nerves jumping. Again her feet skidded on the slick ice. This time, Zach appeared at her side in a heartbeat, catching her under her arms and hauling her up against the solid wall of his chest.

Ellen sank her fingers into the warm suede of his coat and raised an embarrassed grin. “Oops,” she shouted over the loud alarm.

He quirked an eyebrow but didn’t release her. She made no move to pull away, either. The wide span of his hand at the small of her back, anchoring her close to his sturdy frame, suffused her with a sense of safety and comfort when so much else had gone wrong today.

What would she have done if Zach hadn’t been standing in line with her, hadn’t offered to share the rental car? She’d be stranded here in a city with no power while her sister walked down the aisle. Shoving the dreary thought aside, she squared her shoulders.

He arched one dark eyebrow and gave her a measuring glance that sent a tickling warmth to her belly. “You okay? Got your land legs back?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Even though standing snuggled securely in Zach’s arms had tremendous appeal, she stepped back.

His expression sobered. “A guy at the gate had a radio, and I heard him tell his friend the authorities were trying to keep I-90 through Snoqualmie Pass open as long as possible. But if the storm doesn’t ease up, the interstate could be closed soon. Even if the roads are open, driving will be tricky.”

Zach’s warning revived the knot of anxiety that sat in her chest.

“Then I guess we need to hurry if we are going to reach Spokane in time to help Trix and Sean celebrate their marriage.” When Zach’s face grew dark, Ellen hesitated. “What is it, Zach?”

“You may be going to celebrate with your sister, but my rush has nothing to do with revelry. I’m going to Spokane to save Sean from making a big mistake. I’m going to stop the wedding.”

Chapter 2

“E xcuse me?” The stunned expression Ellen gave him was almost comical. Almost.

Except that Zach was dead serious about saving his best friend from an ill-advised commitment. He turned without answering her and continued down the unlit row of cars, squinting into the darkness to find his rental.

“Zach, wait!” The clatter of Ellen’s high heels on the cement—what had she been thinking with that shoe choice in weather like this?—echoed off the garage walls as she hurried to follow him.

“I know you want to debate my reasons for going to the wedding,” he said without breaking stride, “but can we do it in the car? The storm won’t hold off while we argue over the wisdom of this wedding.”

Spotting the white sedan in the correctly numbered parking spot, Zach pulled out the key fob and clicked off the door locks. He tossed his backpack on the rear seat, then opened the passenger side door for Ellen.

She stopped at the rear bumper and braced a hand on her hip. Even in the dark garage, he could tell her glare shot daggers. “Stop the wedding? Are you insane? You said you were Sean’s best man!”

“And as such, it is my job to look out for his best interests. In my opinion, that means convincing him not to say, I do.” He motioned for her to get in the car.

She didn’t budge. “Trixie is what’s best for Sean. They’re in love!”

Zach sighed. “Can we debate that point on the road? Time’s wasting.”

Ellen marched closer and stuck her face in his. A sweet, floral scent swirled around him, teasing his nose. Her eyes flashed with green fire, and her ivory skin flushed with ire. “I won’t let you do this to my sister. You’re—”

Zach kissed her. Just a quick smack on the mouth, but it served his purpose. He derailed her argument, stopped her talking. He’d taken one look at the pout in her plump, raspberry lips and given in to the impulse.

Ellen blinked at him, a stunned, quizzical dent in her brow.

“Get in, please. We’ll talk as we drive.”

She drew an unsteady breath and released it slowly, her wary gaze taking stock of him. Finally she ducked her head and climbed in the front seat. As Zach rounded the front bumper, he cut a side glance through the windshield in time to see her press her fingers to her lips. As if her mouth still tingled from his kiss.

He squashed the urge to imitate her gesture, though the effect of that short, tactical kiss still sizzled through his system. The taste and feel of her lips rocked him to his core.

Steady, boy. You need your best game on to tackle these icy roads. Don’t let a tempting bridesmaid distract you from the task at hand.

Zach pulled out of the parking garage and into the pinging snow and sleet that had brought all of Seattle to a halt and knocked out power. Until the storm cleared and the utility company could get the lights back on, Seattle was in for a messy, inconvenient Christmas holiday.

He gritted his teeth as the front tires of the Malibu he’d rented lost traction for a moment. Thanks to the storm tracking from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains, he faced a tedious, treacherous drive to Spokane.

“Do we have snow tires?” Ellen cast a dubious gaze at the dark clouds that spit icy precipitation. Her face reflected the same concerns churning through him.

“Doubt it. They’re generally not needed in Seattle, so rental companies don’t put out the bucks.”

He took the steep driveway of the parking garage slowly and merged onto the main access road leading away from the airport. Traffic was almost nonexistent.

Anyone with a brain was hunkered down at home rather than tackling the icy roads.

He’d have loved to be one of the saner people perched in front of his TV with a whiskey-spiked eggnog and the Seahawks game. But Sean had been his best friend for too long for Zach to miss his wedding. To miss one last chance to talk some sense into his buddy.

What was Sean thinking, giving up the single life for monogamy, a mortgage and holidays at the in-laws? How could commitment to one woman possibly compare to the freedom of bachelorhood? Did Sean really think marriage led to happiness? Had his friend bought into the fairy-tale hype of happily ever after? Zach suppressed a groan. He’d seen too many marriages fail, too many unfaithful spouses, too much deception, corruption and cynicism to foster such an idealistic view.

“Okay, we’re in the car. Care to explain what you meant about stopping my sister’s wedding?” Ellen asked before they’d even reached Interstate 90 toward town. “What did Trixie ever do to you that you’d want to ruin her wedding? Which—” she aimed a finger at him “—I won’t let you do, by the way.”

Zach approached an intersection where the traffic lights were out. Other cars approached then haphazardly darted through the crossroad. After waiting his turn, Zach started across, only to jam on the brakes when another car zipped out in front of him. The lightweight sedan he’d rented fishtailed.

Ellen gasped and clutched her seat belt.

The other car honked, swerved around them and zoomed away.

Sighing, he squeezed the wheel in frustration. “When the light is out, you treat an intersection like an all-way stop, dude. Get with the program.”

Ellen chuckled and sent him an amused grin. “I talk to other cars as I drive, too.”

He shrugged. “Stupid habit, really. They can’t hear you. Don’t know why I bother.”

“Because it makes you feel better? I bet you talk to the TV, too. Am I right?”

Zach checked his blind spot over his left shoulder as he merged onto the interstate, then cut a side glance to Ellen. “Only when I watch sports. And only when the refs get the call wrong. Or the players make a boneheaded mistake.”

Amusement lit her face, and she settled back in her seat. “Yeah, right.”

He flashed a quick grin, but when her unanswered question filtered through his mind, he sobered. “I have nothing against your sister. I’m sure she’s very nice. But I know Sean, and I know he’d be happier if he stayed single.”

Ellen scowled. “Apparently not. He’s the one who proposed.”

“Trixie was probably pressuring him, dropping hints, making ultimatums….”

“Wrong.” She shifted on the seat to face him. “He’s happy. I’ve seen them together, and this is what they both want. Don’t interfere!”

“He may think it’s what he wants, but in a few years, he’ll get restless. He’ll feel trapped. Or she will.”

She scoffed her disagreement and shook her head.

“One of them will cheat,” he continued, “and the other will find out. Or not…and then the cheater will be miserable, because they’re carrying around a load of guilt. They’ll drift apart, be unhappy, get divorced…or not. Maybe they’ll continue a charade of a marriage for the sake of the kids or for appearances in society or some other bull reason.” Zach clenched his teeth, shoving down the sour spike of resentment and disillusionment that churned in his gut. Heaving a weary sigh, he dug the antacids from his pocket and, with his thumb, he popped a couple from the top of the roll into his mouth.

Ellen said nothing for a moment, but the weight of her stare bore into him like icy stakes. Why had he vented like that? If anyone knew better than to rant in public, he did. His job was all about discretion, keeping a lid on all the ugliness that he encountered every day.

Finally, crossing her arms over her chest, Ellen tipped her head and furrowed her brow. “Jaded much?”

“I just call ’em as I see ’em.”

She nodded sagely. “Ah, so this is the voice of experience speaking. You were married, and it went bad.”

“Nope. Never been in a long-term relationship.”

“Parents had a bitter divorce?”

He rolled his shoulders uneasily. She was getting too personal for comfort. But then, he’d brought the subject up. Big dummy. Should’ve kept your yap shut. Zach tightened his grip on the steering wheel—but not because of the road conditions. Considering the unexpected ferocity of the winter storm, the road crews had done an admirable job of clearing the lanes on the interstate in town. Snoqualmie Pass would be another matter.

“My folks divorced, but it wasn’t especially bitter. None of my mom’s four divorces were too acrimonious.”

“Your mom divorced four times?”

Zach winced internally. He hated the sympathy he heard in Ellen’s tone. He wasn’t looking for pity for himself or his mother’s misguided choices. Besides, his mom’s numerous trips down the aisle weren’t the root of his ill view of marriage. “Two of them from the same guy. You’d think she’d have learned the first time.”

The heartbroken expression Ellen wore when he glanced at her twisted inside him. “What’s that look for?”

“You must have had a tough time growing up, having your mom remarrying and divorcing so often.”

“My childhood was fine, thank you. Look, can we change the subject? You’re making a mountain out of a mole hill.”

“It’s not a mole hill if, because of your bleak opinion of matrimony, you intend to spoil my sister’s big day and shatter her dreams.”

“I’m not—”

The truck in front of them spun out on an icy patch, and Zach’s reply dashed from his brain. Adrenaline ripped through him, jacking up his pulse, as he took evasive action. He cut the wheel left, avoiding the truck, then hard right again to miss hitting the median wall and the van in front of him. The Malibu’s wheels slipped, and the rental car careened sideways toward the shoulder.

Chapter 3

T hey skidded several yards before Zach could regain control of the car.

Once they’d regained traction, Ellen exhaled the breath she’d held as they slid all over the highway. Thank God there wasn’t much traffic or…She shuddered. She didn’t think she would take another easy breath until they were safely at the church in Spokane. Or, considering Zach’s determination to change Sean’s mind, she wouldn’t rest easy until they were toasting the newlyweds at the reception.

Ellen glanced at Zach’s chiseled profile and the tick of the muscle in his jaw. “So…if not because of your parents, why do you have such a dim view of marriage?”

He cast her a withering glance. “Are we still on that? Can’t we talk about something else?”

“No. I need to know why you’re determined to come between two people who clearly love each other. All you have to do is see the way they look at each other, and it’s obvious what’s in their hearts.”

He grunted. “That’s a very…Hallmark-card sentiment. And for what it’s worth, I never said I wanted to break them up. I just think marriage adds something that burdens the dynamic of the relationship.”

Ellen gaped at Zach. “You mean something like commitment? Security? Faith and trust? Yeah, those are real burdens!”

His jaw tightened, and he flicked an irritated glance her way. “You can have all those things without complicating the relationship with legal contracts and a certificate from the state.”

Ellen leaned her head back against the seat, appraising him, studying his taut jaw, the frown lines that pulled at the corners of his mouth. Her pulse kicked up. That mouth had shock her, tantalized her. His kiss had tasted like cinnamon and hinted at buried passion. So how could a man whose kiss could warm her from the inside out have such a cold attitude toward love and marriage?

And then it hit her. “You’ve never been in love, have you? Not truly, deeply, change-your-life in love?”

He snapped a startled glance her way, but said nothing for a long time. “No.”

A prick of sadness pinched her heart, even as understanding released the knot of frustration inside her.

“That’s what I thought.” She turned her gaze out the side window, watching the darkened houses and sleet-crusted trees they passed. The stab of melancholy she felt for Zach dug deep, weighing down her heart. Sighing, she closed her eyes. “Until you’ve been there, until you’ve known what it is like to have another person be at the root of every breath, every thought, every fiber of who you are, there’s no point in arguing the merits of marriage with you.”

“Does that mean we can change the subject?”

She didn’t bother answering. Except for the swish of the windshield wipers and pinging of the snow and sleet on the windows, they rode in silence for several minutes. Finally, they reached Interstate 90 and merged with the other traffic headed east out of Bellevue.

Ellen spotted a few lights still on, but figured it was only a matter of time before the entire city was in darkness. Just in time for a long, cold night. She shivered involuntarily, wishing she hadn’t had to stay at work yesterday to finish laying out the special holiday edition of Portland Today, the regional magazine she’d written and edited for since college. She’d give anything to be in Spokane already with Trix and her parents, finishing the last-minute details of the wedding and enjoying a cup of her mother’s hot cider.

Ellen was fully immersed in a daydream about Christmases past with her family when Zach broke the silence. “It’s just that everywhere I look, I see married people who are unhappy for some reason.” He turned up one palm on the steering wheel as he drove. “I see men cheating on their wives, being eaten alive by the guilt, then ruining their lives and professional reputations tiptoeing through minefields of deception. I deal daily with women who can do nothing but complain about their husbands’ faults and their kids’ bad attitudes. Meanwhile, it’s my job to put a good face on all the yahoos, run interference and save careers that would be in the toilet if the public knew what really happened behind closed doors.” He huffed a sigh of disgust and cast Ellen a frustrated sideways glance. “So, yeah, I’m jaded. I see the worst of people more than anyone should, because it’s my job to fix my bosses’ messes.”

She tugged up a corner of her mouth. “I thought we were changing the subject.”

Color rose in his cheeks, making his already handsome face even more appealing. His tirade and his telltale flush echoed her suspicion that Zach suppressed a lot of passion beneath his cool facade.

“You asked where my opinion of marriage came from, so…now you know.”

“The people you work with.”

He squeezed the steering wheel again, his knuckles blanching. “Yeah.”

“And what is it you do? Where are you working with so many unhappy people?”

“Sacramento. I’m on the PR staff for a California state senator. Whoever said politics made strange bedfellows must have been on a senator’s staff and seen what I’ve seen. It’s enough to knock the idealistic grin from any political science major’s face.”

Ellen tipped her head, flabbergasted. Rather than bitterness, his tone rang with a hopeless, world-weary dejection. “Good grief, Zach. If you hate your job so much, why do you stay on?”

“Because.” He lowered his eyebrows and pressed his lips in a stubborn scowl. “Quitting means admitting defeat. I got into politics because I wanted to make a difference. I thought I could do something good, something worthwhile. I haven’t given up on the hope that maybe I can do something important for my state and make a change for the better.”

She grinned again and squeezed his shoulder. “So this particular political science major hasn’t completely lost his idealism?”

He blinked his surprise then held her gaze for a moment. “I…guess not. It’s just so damn frustrating to know perfectly good legislation gets ruined by backroom deals and partisan fighting and…personal agendas.”

“And those personal agendas would include the reasons you are so down on marriage?”

Zach dragged a hand through his hair, leaving it rumpled and sexy. Blowing a deep breath through pursed lips, he narrowed a troubled gaze on the icy road. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Please don’t repeat any of this. I had an especially bad day yesterday and—”

“Okay. This will all stay strictly off the record, if…”

He arched an eyebrow when she hesitated. “If what?”

“Promise me two things.”

He gave her a wary look. “What?”

“Promise me you’ll at least consider finding a new job. There are other ways to make a difference and change public policy without losing yourself and your ideals to the political machine.”

The muscle in his jaw jumped. “Okay, I’ll consider it. I already consider it almost every day. What else?”

“Promise me you won’t do anything, anything, to interfere with Trixie and Sean’s wedding.”

He sighed. “I can’t promise that.”

Ellen dug her fingers into her seat cushion. “Then I don’t promise not to write up what you’ve said! Maybe it’ll be our feature article next month.” She waved her hands as if displaying her next headline. “What really happens behind closed doors…”

Zach’s head whipped around, his face pale. “You’re a reporter?”

She lifted a shoulder. “Reporter, editor, layout, photographer. Sort of a Jill-of-all-trades for a small regional magazine in Portland. Portland Today.”

He dragged a hand down his face, muttering invectives. “I’ve heard of it.”

Ellen perked up. “Really? You’ve heard of our magazine?”

“That surprises you?”

“Well, yeah. Considering how small our circulation currently is.” She aimed a finger at him. “But we’re growing. Our subscriptions grew by 26 percent last year.” She gave a proud nod.

Zach’s only response was a grunt and a furrowed brow as he stared out at the blowing snow and slick road.

She nudged his shoulder. “Lighten up, Zach. Your confession is safe with me. Our magazine’s focus is tourism and economic growth in the Portland area, not exposing California state senators’ dirty laundry.”

“It was still careless of me to shoot off at the mouth like that. You never know who you could be talking to. I could have ruined…” He rubbed a spot near his heart, wincing, and exhaled deeply.

Ellen tipped her head. “You okay?”

“Ulcer. I’ll be fine.”

She shook her head. “Let me guess. The ulcer is stress-related?”

He sent her a silent, dark look.

“Zach, how can you stay in a job that is making you physically ill?”

“Plenty of people get stress-related ulcers.”

“Plenty of unhappy, overworked people!”

He frowned and cast a glare at her. “What, your job doesn’t stress you sometimes?”

“Not to the point of an ulcer. I love what I do. I look forward to going to the office each day. My job is fulfilling and exciting and new every day. I’m happy. Can you say the same?”

Zach popped a couple more antacids and crunched them without answering her. After a moment of tense quiet, she sighed. “Don’t let the backstabbers and dirty dealers destroy your dreams for changing the world, Zach. Don’t let your job suck all the joy from your life, and don’t let misplaced loyalty keep you from pursuing a job that will make you happy.” She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and squeezed. “You deserve to be happy.”

When he glanced at her this time, his eyes held such sadness and longing that her heart contracted. She absorbed the wistfulness in his expression like a physical blow. Before she could say any more to encourage Zach, her cell phone trilled, jerking her out of the poignant moment. Reluctantly, she released his wrist and dug in her purse.

“Hello?” Ellen watched Zach’s pensive expression as she poked a finger in one ear so she could hear over the static on the line.

“Where…you?…worried…this storm…” Trixie’s broken words filtered through the bad connection, courtesy of the mountains.

“Trix, they closed the airport in Seattle. Zach Kallen and I are driving over together in a rental car.” Ellen strained to hear her sister’s response. Despite the garbled connection, she managed to relay the basics of the situation to her sister. “We could be late for the rehearsal. Don’t wait for us. Stay on schedule, and we’ll jump in when we get there. I’ll call again with an update when I can, but cell towers will be few and far between until we get closer to Spokane.”

“—kay.” She heard the disappointment in her sister’s voice, a reflection of her own frustration. “…careful…—ve you!”

“Love you, too.” She keyed off the call and jammed the phone back in her handbag.

Turning on her seat to face Zach, Ellen chewed her bottom lip a moment, deciding what she should say regarding the emotional topic they’d broached before Trixie’s call. “Zach, if you—”

“Why don’t you try the radio?” he interrupted, his hard gaze telling her the previous subject was closed to debate. “See if you can get an update on the storm or road conditions east of here.”

Fine. If he didn’t want her support or encouragement, she’d keep it to herself. Even if his disillusionment and unhappiness did break her heart.

She mashed buttons on the radio until she found an all-talk, news station briefing listeners on the freak snowstorm mucking up Christmas travel for thousands of people in the Pacific Northwest.

“Sea-Tac Airport canceled all flights earlier this afternoon,” the announcer droned. “And the area near the airport was one of the first to lose power. Reports of spotty outages continue to come into our station. But as this next wave of sleet and snow hits Seattle and temperatures drop after dark, a city-wide blackout is expected.”

Ellen groaned and sent Zach a dismayed looked. “Next wave? There’s more coming?”

He pulled a face and nodded. “Apparently. Just makes it all the more important we make tracks and get over the Cascades ahead of the front.”

Ellen turned up the volume as the announcer said, “When sleet collects on trees and power lines, the weight of the ice brings down limbs and takes out power lines. Power company officials say it could take days to get the lights back on for everyone, and they warn people to stay away from downed power lines.”

As if to punctuate the message, a large branch snapped free from a tree on the hillside ahead of them, starting a cascade of snow avalanching toward the highway. The cars in front of them swerved to avoid the encroaching snow pile and one small car spun completely around. Ellen gasped and clutched the dashboard. Zach, amazingly, remained calm and skillfully maneuvered around the skidding vehicle without incident.

At least their conversation about Zach’s job woes and disillusionment had distracted her from the tedious and treacherous road conditions for a while. Now she gripped her seat belt strap and gnawed her bottom lip while she watched one car after another slip and slide on the icy interstate. Each time their rental car lost purchase, Ellen’s adrenaline spiked, and she held her breath.

Driving well below the speed limit, they navigated past car after car that had slid off the road and gotten stuck in the drifts of snow at the side of the road. Finally, more than an hour later, they’d made it through Snoqualmie Pass. As they headed down the eastern side of the mountain, the radio announced that the state police were closing the mountainous section of highway through Snoqualmie Pass.

“That was close.” Ellen blew out a sigh of relief. “If we hadn’t made it through—”

A warm hand wrapped around her arm, and she lifted a curious gaze to Zach. His smile was confident and a tad smug. “I told you I’m gonna get you to Spokane in time for your sister’s wedding. Have a little faith.”

“It’s not you I don’t trust. These roads—” She motioned out the front window and shuddered.

His thumb stroked her wrist, stirring a heady tingle that skittered over her skin.

“Relax. I promise to take care of you.” Giving her arm a final squeeze, he returned his hand to the steering wheel.

“Relax? Right. Easier said than done.” While she wanted Zach to use both hands on the wheel for safety, she regretted the loss of his calming touch, the warmth of his fingers. She shook the tension from her arms and shoulders, rocking her head from side to side to loosen the tension screwing her muscles into knots.

“WDOT will close Interstate 90 near Moses Lake by nightfall, as temperatures are forecasted to drop—”

Zach snapped the radio off with a huff. “What possessed Sean and Trixie to choose Christmas weekend to get married?”

“Christmas is a beautiful time of year to marry! The church is all decorated with evergreen, poinsettias and lights, and all the family is already gathering for the holiday….”

Zach turned up a palm on the steering wheel matter-of-factly. “But they had to know they were gambling on weather conditions.”

She grunted. “Like they were supposed to know the worst storm in twenty years would hit the weekend of their wedding.”

“Maybe it’s an omen. Maybe fate doesn’t want them to marry.”

Ellen crossed her arms over her chest and cast Zach a churlish scowl, ready to lambast him. Instead she saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

When he cut a furtive glance toward her, his grin broadened. She snorted and shook her head. “You’re just yanking my chain, you butt!”

He chuckled. “Butt? Is that the best you can do?”

“Oh, you want me to be more creative? I have more colorful terms if you wish.”

“Lay ’em on me.” The twinkle of mischief in his eyes took the wind from her sail. The handsome scamp even had a dimple in his right cheek as he grinned at her.

She raised her chin. “No.”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re beautiful when you’re mad?”

Ellen nearly choked. “What?”

“Yeah. Your cheeks flush, and your eyes light up, and your lips get pouty.” He lifted his eyebrows and gave a tight nod. “Whew. Definitely hot.”

Ellen could only goggle at him. Was she supposed to take him seriously? Could she take anything he’d said seriously? She turned back toward the passenger window, her thoughts spinning, and stared out at the ice and snow piled along the side of the road. Zach was probably just trying to distracted her from her worry over the road, over missing the wedding. That had to be it. Men like Zach never gave her a second look. Especially not when Trix was around. Her sister was a knockout. Ellen had always considered herself fairly ordinary. So was Zach’s compliment just a line to calm her jitters over the icy roads?

Glancing over her shoulder, she narrowed a curious gaze on him. “You’re a tough guy to figure out, Zach Kallen.”

In return, he gave her an impish grin and a wink. “Thank you.”

A few miles later, Ellen was lost deep in her own thoughts when Zach pulled off the interstate to get on a smaller state road.

Ellen twisted around in her seat, watching I-90 disappear behind them, along with the last daylight. “Where are you going?”

“Spokane, last time I checked.”

“But—”

“You heard the radio guy. DOT is closing the interstate left and right. We’re bound to get snagged in traffic or stuck at a barricade eventually. I’ve driven this highway before. It’s a good alternative and appears to have been cleared by the road crews.”

In the deepening gray of twilight, she surveyed the two-lane highway confirming his assessment. “Well, maybe here it has. But what about twenty miles down the road? The sun’s going down, and you’re taking a gamble, counting on getting through on a state road, Zach.”

“A calculated risk, yes. But getting through on I-90 is iffy at this point, too.”

Ellen twisted her lips, then opening the glove box, took out the road map provided by the rental agency. She perused the grid of roads checking the route he’d choosen. “If we go this way, where do you plan to reconnect with I-90?”

Zach tugged the map closer and, dividing his attention between the map and the road, he slid a finger along a red line indicating the highway they were on. “This section of road usually gets cleared because of travel between these towns. If we stay on until—”

A movement at the edge of the road distracted Ellen.

Deer. Several of them.

And they chose that moment to bolt in front of the car.

“Zach! Look out!”

Chapter 4

Z ach jerked the wheel, stood on the brake. Mistake.

He missed the deer but felt the tires lock and slide. Nerves jumping, he steered into the skid. Still the car skated over the fresh glazing of ice. Too little, too late. Momentum carried the Malibu toward the steep drop at the side of the road.

Ellen screamed.

Zach’s breath caught.

Packed ice and snow at the edge of the road served as a ramp, lofting them airborne for a instant. As they careened over the embankment, the hood of the car pitched forward. Sank.

Instinctively, he flung his arm across Ellen’s chest, a futile attempt to brace her, protect her from the impact as the car landed. With a jarring crunch of metal, the passenger side of the car plowed into the deep drift of snow. Zach’s head snapped right then left, smacking hard against his window. His shoulder belt dug into his collarbone as inertia pitched him sideways again. The Malibu spun another ninety degrees and sank farther into the snowdrift. Finally the car came to rest at an awkward angle on the icy hillside.

In the stunned silence, he exhaled sharply. Tasted blood. Heard the tremulous shudder of Ellen’s frightened gasp.

For a moment, neither of them moved nor spoke. Finally he shook of the surreal sense of shock. His voice low and rough, he asked, “Are you okay?”

Cutting a wide-eyed glance toward him, she nodded, then wrinkled her brow. “You’re bleeding.”

He touched his mouth. “I think I bit my tongue.”

“No.” She reached for him, her hand shaking. “Your head.” Gently, she probed his temple, parting his hair with her fingers. The delicate scent of her shampoo teased his nose as she leaned close, stretched across him to examine his forehead. His focus narrowed on the concerned pout of her lips, until she touched an especially sore spot on his scalp.

He sucked in a hiss of pain and caught her hand. Blood smeared her fingertips.

“Sorry. I—” Her gaze found his and held.

The warmth and concern swirling in her evergreen eyes burrowed to his marrow. Zach’s pulse kicked into overdrive. Filling his lungs with a slow deep breath, he battled down the urge to have a second sample of her raspberry lips. Now was hardly the time to be distracted by a sexy mouth and bedroom eyes—post-crash adrenaline high or not.

“You have a cut. And it’s swelling up a little.” Her voice trembled as she eased back into her seat.

“I’ll be all right.” He tested the wound with his own fingers, and his head throbbed in protest. His head wound would wait. He had to get them back on the road…if possible.

He surveyed the position of the car, the steep grade of the icy embankment they’d gone over, and the depth of the snow at their doors, and his gut tightened. Chances were they’d be going nowhere fast.

Sending up a silent prayer, Zach shifted into Reverse and gave the engine a little gas. The tires spun, but the car didn’t budge. He tried again with the same results.

Ellen chewed her bottom lip and sent him an anxious look. “Can we push it out?”

“Worth a shot. You slide behind the wheel and gun the engine when I tell you to.” Yanking the handle, he shouldered the door.

Nothing.

He shoved again harder, trying to plow the impeding snow out of the way. But the weight of the slushy snow and ice pinned the door closed. The frozen blockade rose even higher on Ellen’s side of the car. Zach groaned and turned toward her.

“We’re trapped in here, aren’t we?” she guessed, before he could deliver the bad news.

“We can probably climb out the window, but considering the height of the drift we’re in, I doubt the two of us can get the car back on the road. We’ll need a tow truck for that.”

She nibbled her lip but kept a cool head. Either she hadn’t played out the scenario and reached the conclusions he had, or she was much calmer under fire than he’d have expected. He cut the engine and sank back into his seat.

Ellen gave a tight nod, then lifted her purse to her lap and pulled out her cell phone. She studied the small screen, moved the phone higher, left, right…and sighed.

“No signal. Not even one bar.” With a scowl, she flipped the phone closed and tossed it back in her bag. “What about yours?”

“I’ll check.” He turned and snagged his backpack, wincing when the movement sent a lightning bolt of pain through his skull. He pressed his palm against his temple.

“You should hold something against the cut to stop the bleeding.” Ellen dug through her purse again. “Dang it. I don’t even have a tissue in here.”

Zach pulled an undershirt from his pack along with his cell. After handing her his phone to try, he rolled the shirt and held it to his head. Leaning the seat back, he closed his eyes. He needed to think, plan, figure out their next move.

Instead he replayed the rapid-fire seconds of the accident in his mind. Analyzing. Second-guessing. Jerking the wheel had been his first mistake given the conditions. Stomping the brake his second. He’d known better, but knee-jerk reaction had taken over when he’d seen the deer.

He squeezed his eyes tighter as stabbing guilt joined the throb of his head. The wreck was his fault. And because he’d forgotten basic winter driving skills, they were now stranded in the middle of nowhere during the worst storm in years.

The telltale beeps and musical tones of his cell broke the silence as Ellen tried to call for help. He heard her heavy sigh. Heard his phone snapped closed.

“Nothing. Zilch. We can’t get a call out.” The first hints of real worry quivered in her voice. “If we can’t call for help and we can’t push the car out…” She drew a ragged breath. “What do we do? Can we walk to a house to call?”

Zach pivoted on the seat to face her, steeling himself before breaking the bad news to her. “I think our best move is to stay put. It’s getting dark and walking the side of the road would be dangerous. We don’t know how far the closest house is and the temperature is already dropping. In the morning, we’ll climb up to the road and—”

“In the morning!” In the fading daylight, he watched her eyes round with dismay. “You mean, spend the night here? In the car? In the cold?”

He clenched his teeth, wishing they had another solution. “Unless you have a better idea. I don’t like it any more than you do, but I think staying with the car and waiting for help in the morning is the safest, smartest option.”

The sparkle of tears pooled in her eyes, sucker punching him in the gut. “But—”

He reached for her, stroking a hand along her jaw, plowing his fingers into her hair. He cradled her head and rubbed the fluttering pulse in her neck with his thumb. “Hey, we’re going to be all right. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Covering his hand with hers, she blinked back her tears and nodded. “I know. I’m sorry. I just—”

Nudging her chin up, he drilled his gaze on hers. “Ellen, I will get you to your sister’s wedding tomorrow. Somehow, someway. I promise.” He wasn’t sure how he would keep that pledge, but the gratitude and relief reflected in her eyes spread a honeyed warmth through his blood.

Ellen squared her shoulders and tugged up a corner of her mouth. “And I promise not to fall apart on you. Even if this day does seems to keep going from bad to worse.” She took the undershirt from him and dabbed it against his forehead. “I’m worried about that cut. You could have a concussion.”

He shrugged, playing down the fiery ache pulsing under his skull. “Naw. Just a goose egg. I got worse knocks playing hockey in high school.”

She pressed her mouth in a taut worried line. “Just the same, I think you should stay awake tonight. Just in case.”

When she leaned closer to check the bleeding from the gash on his head, he tucked a wisp of her hair behind her ear. “I read that’s a myth. I won’t slip into a coma if I doze off later.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Maybe. But do you really want to take the chance?”

“If I don’t sleep, will you stay awake with me? Keep me company?” he murmured, his tone low and thick.

Ellen’s breath hitched. Her gaze locked with his, then shifted to his lips. Her pupils grew, a clear signal of her body’s response to him. “Uh—of course.”

Clearing her throat, she leaned back and glanced away. Fidgeted.

So she was rattled by the crackle of chemistry between them, huh?

Memories of his strategic kiss in the parking garage revived the thrum of desire in his blood and sent a flash of heat through him. He could think of several ways to pass the hours of the night and also stave off the outside chill.

Rallying herself, Ellen rolled down her window and scooped a handful of snow.

Zach shivered as a blast of icy air filled the car.

“One thing I know isn’t a myth is that you need ice to reduce the swelling of that bump.” After wrapping his undershirt around the snowball, she pressed the homemade ice pack to his head.

He took the cold compress from her. “I can do that.”

She closed the window and huddled deeper into her coat, while he searched for a way to make their predicament easier for her.

“If you’re hungry, I have some crackers and a candy bar in my backpack.”

She peeked out from the knit scarf she’d pulled up over her nose. “Thanks. Not now. But could we turn the heat back on?”

Zach hesitated. “I don’t think we have enough gas to run the engine all night. We’ll need to use the heater in spurts once it gets colder tonight.”

“Oh.” Her brow puckered, and she tipped her head to look out at the darkening sky. She chuckled softly, without any real humor in her tone. “What a way to spend the first night of the Christmas weekend.” She glanced at him and mustered a brave smile. “At least it’ll be a wild story to tell our kids at family gatherings in years to come, huh?”

He arched an eyebrow, and a deep blush darkened the pink already staining her cheeks from the cold.

“I—I don’t mean our kids.” She waved a hand between them and shook her head. “I meant each of our kids. Separately.” She paused again. “Um, not that there’s anything wrong with having kids with you. I…I mean—I don’t think…We don’t…I’m not—”

Amused by her backpedaling, he cocked his head and pulled his mouth into a lopsided grin.

She huffed in disgusted and embarrassment. “I’m going to shut up now.”

She squeezed her eyes closed and slumped down in the seat.

“Santa is going to hear about this. That’s for sure.”

Wrinkling her nose, she glanced over at him. “Santa?”

He nodded and waved a hand toward the windshield. “We were run off the road by eight reindeer.”

Ellen snorted. “Those were whitetails, not reindeer.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, they’ll be reindeer when I tell people about this.”

Her musical laughter sang through the car, stirring a different sort of warmth deep inside him.

“It’s the night before Christmas Eve. Do you know where your reindeer are?” she asked in a deep voice.

His smile grew. “I’m sure at least one of hooligans had a red nose. Yep, Santa is definitely going to get a sternly worded letter from me.”

Ellen grabbed his arm and lowered her tone to a conspiratorial whisper. “Hey, do you think we can blackmail Santa and get more loot out of this? I’ve been wanting a new car for a while now. Maybe this is the year to ask for a shiny black Mustang. Hmm?”

Zach chuckled. “Now you’re talkin’. But why stop at a Mustang? Go for something European and sporty. You’d look good in a Porsche Boxster.”

She tipped her head and nodded. “You think? Okay. Porsche it is.” Humor laced her tone, and the fading daylight couldn’t hide the sparkle of amusement in her eyes.

Zach was struck by how her face glowed when she smiled, how beautiful she looked with the nip of cold staining her cheeks. His heart performed a tuck and roll in his chest. The urge to kiss her slammed into him, stealing his breath. He’d never been so wildly attracted to a woman before, and the intensity of his response to her laughter and her kiss rocked him to his core.

His face must have reflected the change in his mood, because she knitted her brow again and gave him a puzzled look. “Zach, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head and turned his gaze out the driver’s side window. “Nothing. Forget it.”

He sighed restlessly, and when his breath fogged the glass, his mind flashed to an image of two bodies tangled together, steaming up the windows in earnest. Zach swallowed a groan.

The snowball ice pack she’d made him had melted into a drippy mess. He chucked the wet undershirt into the backseat, then dug in his backpack. “I think I’m ready for some of those crackers.”

More than he wanted food, he wanted a distraction from the tantalizing ideas that now tickled his brain. Somehow he knew Ellen wasn’t the sort of woman who’d entertain the notion of a fling simply because it was convenient to their circumstances. Especially since he intended to spoil all her sister’s best-laid wedding plans.

Guilt bit hard on his conscience. He’d tried to talk to Sean about his misgivings concerning the wedding months ago, and Sean hadn’t taken him seriously. Anytime he’d raised the subject since then, something or someone—usually Trixie—had interrupted their conversation and derailed the topic. Now he faced the unpleasant task of disrupting a celebration months in the making. And wouldn’t that make him the life of the party?

But Zach just couldn’t believe that Sean “Girl in Every Port” O’Banion had chosen marriage over womanizing of his own free will. Sean had been a hound dog all through college and earned a reputation in their fraternity as the least likely to settle down before forty.

Zach fished out a pack of cheese and peanut butter crackers, then shifted uncomfortably on the seat. Being a wedding saboteur was never his goal, but wasn’t sparing his friend from the train wreck of a broken marriage the most important consideration? He had an obligation to be forthright with his best friend, even if he hated spoiling the festivities, putting a fly in the proverbial punch bowl—disappointing Ellen…

Zach frowned. When had Ellen become a factor in his plans?

“So tell me some of your family’s Christmas traditions.”

He jerked his head toward Ellen when she spoke…and regretted it when a bolt of pain shot through his skull. He gritted his teeth and leaned his head against the seat back. “Don’t really have any.”

“Aw, come on. There must be something you like to do every Christmas? Caroling? Eggnog at midnight? Waking at dawn to open all your gifts?” Night had swallowed the car in darkness now. Only the thin glow of the moon filtering through the dissipating clouds provided any light.

Zach tapped the dimmer switch to turn on the car’s interior lights, then shrugged. “The last two Christmases I’ve spent alone at my apartment, watching whatever pro football game was on and eating the dry fruitcake my mom insists on sending every year.” He grunted. “I hate fruitcake.”

“Alone? That’s awful!”

Her tone vibrated with a sympathy and compassion that pricked like unwanted pity, yet also touched a vulnerable place inside him he hated to acknowledge—the lonely part of him that dreaded the upcoming holiday.

Zach shoved the uneasy duality down, hiding his vulnerability on this point with humor. “No, my mom’s fruitcake is what’s awful. But I think it makes her feel less guilty about missing every holiday with me. See, she has a tradition of taking a trip somewhere tropical every year with the current boyfriend. This year it’s Hawaii.”

Ellen harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest as if she were the offended party. “You shouldn’t be alone on Christmas. That’s just not right.”

Zach shrugged. “No big deal.”

She clutched at his arm again, leaned toward him. “Come to my parents’ house. Spend Christmas with us. I know they won’t mind. We always have extra folks around during the holidays. Exchange students who couldn’t afford to fly home, neighbors who live far from family…the more the merrier. Trixie will be off on her honeymoon so you can stay in her room. What do you say?”

“I don’t know. Your family doesn’t know me.”

“But Sean does. And he’ll be family by then, so…”

Zach grunted, biting back his argument that Sean might not be family…if Zach had a chance to talk to him before the wedding. And if his voice of caution did change the groom’s mind, Zach would most certainly be persona non grata at the bride’s house.

Ellen’s face darkened, telling him she understood his grunt. Aiming a finger at him, she shook her head. “I’m warning you. If you try to mess things up for Sean and Trixie—”

He caught her finger in his hand. “The point isn’t to mess things up. I’m not some kind of spiteful monster who enjoys disrupting weddings. I don’t even want to come between Sean and Trixie.”

“Good!”

“But—”

Ellen growled and yanked her finger from his grasp. “But nothing!”

As much as he hated explaining himself, Ellen clearly needed a little context. “Do you know how many girls Sean dated in college?”

She hesitated, frowned. “No. Why does that matter?”

“It matters, because he once told me he pitied men who tied themselves down to one woman before turning forty. He dated a different girl virtually every weekend throughout college.”

Lifting an eyebrow, she tipped her head at a skeptical angle.

“No lie. Our junior year alone, he went out with twenty-five different women. Does that sound to you like a guy who is ready to settle down and play happy home with one woman?”

Ellen’s brow dipped, and her eyes narrowed. “Twenty-five?”

“Just during our junior year. He slowed up a bit our senior year, because he was busy with his final project and term papers. He was a hound dog, but he was also studious.”

Scowling, Ellen snuggled deeper into her coat. “I don’t believe you. And even if it is true, it’s a moot point. He’s changed. He’s in love with Trixie, and they are happy. Let bygones be bygones, and let them get married in peace.” Her eyes beseeched him, tugging at a soft spot inside him. “Please?”

Zach dragged a hand down his face and groaned. “I have to be sure my friend is doing the right thing. I have to speak up if there’s even a chance he’s got qualms or doubts about this wedding. The Sean I knew in college would not be marrying someone he’s known for only a year. He wouldn’t be marrying, period.”

She brooded for a moment, staring into the blackness out the window. Then, pinning him with a challenging gaze, she raised her chin. “Fine. Do what you feel you must. But Sean will still marry my sister. I know he will. Their love will prevail, and they’ll have a long, happy life together. You’ll see.” She gave him a smug grin and tugged her scarf back up around her cheeks.

Her sanguinity shone in her eyes as she settled back in her seat, wearing a self-assured smile. “And you’re still invited for Christmas. Jaded agenda or not, no one should be alone at Christmas. Who knows? Maybe after spending a little time around a family where love works the way it should and couples stay together for the long haul, we might even change your dim view of the state of marriage in America.”

Her confident optimism sparked a hopefulness deep inside Zach he hadn’t known in years. Maybe his willingness to buy into her happily-ever-after scenario was nothing but a product of holiday sentimentality, but he savored the ribbon of warmth that unfurled in his chest. Pulling his mouth in a lopsided grin, he turned the interior light off to conserve the car’s battery. “I hope you’re right, sweetheart.”

Chapter 5

E llen pushed the light button on her watch and squinted at the glowing display. 10:28 p.m. By her calculation, they’d been sitting in this freezing car for five hours now, give or take a few minutes. Her cramping leg muscles and sore butt said they’d been cooped up more like fifty hours, and her icy nose and fingers agreed.

She stretched her back as best she could and shook the ache from her legs to keep the blood flowing. Glancing at Zach, who’d been suspiciously quiet for the last several minutes, she gave his shoulder a nudge. “Hey, you’re not falling asleep on me, are you?”

“Maybe,” he mumbled. “I’ve been up since 4:00 a.m. to catch my flight outta Sacramento, and only had three hours’ sleep the night before that. Dosing off is definitely a possibility.”

“How’s your head?”

“Still attached to my neck.”

“Har, har. Does it hurt much?”

“Define much?”

In the deep blackness of the night, their conversations over the past several hours had been a bit like listening to a talk-radio station. Faceless voices exchanging banter. And confidences. Ellen had often wondered how people could call talk-radio shows and spill their guts to a stranger—for public broadcast. But after five hours—give or take a few minutes—of passing time with Zach, trying not to think about the cold when her nose and feet were almost numb, she had more sympathy for the loquacious callers. Anonymity—or in her case, the complete darkness—bred openness. Confiding in someone was easier if you didn’t have to look them in the eye, see their reaction, feel the weight of their gaze.

She gnawed her bottom lip, remembering just how honest she’d been with Zach. Had she really admitted to all the embarrassing things she and her girlfriends had done last year in New Orleans during Mardi Gras? Operating under the influence of a couple Hurricanes from Pat O’Brien’s Pub was no excuse for lifting her shirt for perfect strangers.

At least he’d confessed a few of his embarrassing moments when his turn came, and they’d laughed together over the verbal picture he painted of his “worst Halloween costume idea ever.” However, remembering her admission of how she’d lost her virginity at summer camp made Ellen cringe. She’d crossed the line there. Zach’s awkward response and hasty change of subject spoke volumes. She shuddered.

“I agree,” Zach said, jolting her from her uncomfortable reminiscing.

“What?” Ellen’s heart tripped. Lord, if she’d said something aloud by accident and giving away the track of her thoughts—

“You shivered. And I agree that it’s past time to crank the heat. I can’t feel my ears anymore.”

She heard him fumbling, then the car engine rumbled to life. Soon heated air poured out of the vents, and she rubbed her hands in front of the warm stream.

“There’s an Italian restaurant in Sacramento,” he said without preamble, “that has the best eggplant parmesan on the planet.”

“I don’t like eggplant. Too squishy.”

“No way. It’s awesome. I’d kill for a plate of that stuff right now.” He chuckled. “In fact, I’d settle for my mom’s fruitcake at this point. I’m starving. Those crackers didn’t go far.”

“Thanks for sharing them with me. We wouldn’t have even had that much if it were left up to me.” She paused. “Oh, wait…I think I have a breath mint if you want it.”

He chuckled. “A breath mint?”

“Better than nothing.”

“Barely. But what the hell. Yes, please, I’d like a breath mint before I start chewing on my shoelaces.”

She laughed at the image of Zach gnawing on his foot and dug blindly in her purse until she found the candy. After popping one in her mouth, she found his hand in the dark. “Here. Take the rest of the roll. Merry Christmas.”

“Gee, and I didn’t get you anything.”

Ellen leaned her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the warm air from the heater and enjoying the easy repartee she’d found with Zach. His sense of humor helped her keep her mind off their situation and the cold night.

“Say, if you like Italian food, I’ll have to have my mom make her homemade lasagna for you the day after Christmas. Oh, man. Talk about good!”

They tortured themselves for the next several minutes discussing favorite foods and restaurants, until the pinch of hunger in Ellen’s gut morphed into unexplained nausea. Surely the breath mint couldn’t have made her sick. She tried to ignore the queasiness, but the sickness only grew.

“Can we not talk about food anymore? I don’t feel so good.”

Zach clicked on the interior light, and they both blinked as their eyes adjusted to the relative brightness.

“What’s wrong?” A wrinkle of worry dented his forehead.

“I’m just feeling kinda sick to my stomach.” She shrugged, finding her shoulder sore and stiff from banging the car door when they crashed. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“Can I do anything? Do you want a couple of my antacids?” He pulled the roll of chewable tablets from his pocket and extended them to her.

She shook her head, but cataloged his compassion and concern with the other reasons for her growing fondness for her travel companion—his determination to play havoc with Trix’s wedding aside.

Zach stashed his roll of heartburn remedy and leaned his head back. As she visually checked the swelling of the knot on his head, he winced and pinched the bridge of his nose. She had a bottle of ibuprofen—in her suitcase, which was probably still stuck in the powerless Sea-Tac terminal. She sighed. The painkiller was no use to them there.

“I wonder if this storm has taken out the power in Spok—” She yawned and fought to keep her increasingly heavy eyelids open. “Excuse me. In Spokane.”

Zach reached for the dimmer switch. “Want me to turn the light out so you can nap?”

“No, I…I’m going to stay awake with you, remember?”

“Nonsense. I don’t need you to babysit me.” His churlish tone startled her. “Go to sleep if you want. I’ll be fine.”

When Zach turned off the light again, Ellen shivered. “Somehow the car feels colder in the dark.”

“It’s not.”

“I know it isn’t really. I said it seems that way.” Under her breath she added, “Grump.”

Ellen closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath trying to soothe the seesawing in her stomach. She absolutely would not toss her cookies in front of Zach. Talk about embarrassing. Geez, what if she’d caught a stomach virus? That would make for a miserable wedding for her.

“I’ve been waiting for weeks for the caviar Trixie ordered for the reception. If I’m sick, I may not get any.”

“What?” Zach sounded groggy, confused.

She supposed her comment did sort of come from left field.

“Nothing. Never mind.” The thought of food made her queasier. She needed a distraction. She tried to think of a safe topic of conversation, but the warmth blasting from the heater made her all the sleepier. Her head felt too fuzzy to think.

But she had to keep Zach awake. Zach, who was coming for Christmas…

“You won’t have a stocking. We need to get you a stocking.” She fought down a wave of nausea and blinked hard to stay alert. “Santa owes us.” She scowled, and her head swam dizzily. She closed her eyes…just for a minute. “His reindeer did this. Bad reindeer.”

“That was a joke. There is no Santa. Never was.”

“You’re a Scrooge, Zach Kallen. Where’s your Christmas spirit?”

“I left it back in Seattle, ’bout the time the power failed.”

“Kallen the Scrooge…” she grumbled, then yawned again. “I don’t want to talk to you if you’re gonna be mean.”

“Good! My head hurts too much to talk anyway.”

Ellen folded her arms over her chest and pouted. “I didn’t ask to be stranded with you. They closed the airport, you know. How am I supposed to get to my wedding?”

“Sean’s wedding, not yours.”

“I know!”

“Do you mind? I asked you to be quiet.” His tone had become surlier.

Grouch. Why had she agreed to travel with that grump? She’d get to the wedding on her own! ’Cept the airport was snowed in.

She rested her head against the cold window. She never could sleep sitting up. Cars, planes…She was going to be late for the wedding. She and Zach Kallen would miss it….

“Hey, I just thought of something,” she mumbled groggily. “When I marry you, my name will be Ellen Kellen.” She giggled, and her eyelids drooped.

“It’s Kallen, with an A. And who said we were getting married?”

Opening her eyes seemed a struggle. “That’s where we’re going now, dummy!” She frowned and rubbed her temples. “If this stupid plane would ever take off.”

Zach gritted his teeth. Her crazy rambling was making his head ache worse. “Go to sleep, Ellen. You’re not making any sense.”

When she didn’t answer, he clicked on the light again and glanced her way. Her eyes were finally closed, her chest rising and falling in the steady rhythm of sleep. Thank goodness. He wasn’t sure how much more of her babbling he could take. Normally he considered himself a pretty tolerant guy, but in the last few minutes, Ellen’s drowsy chatter had become exponentially more irritating.

Now, he studied her fragile features as she slept. Her dark lashes fanned against her pale skin, her bowed lips slightly pursed and maddeningly kissable. Like a ripe raspberry…

He paused and frowned. Her lips were no longer the sweet dark pink hue that made him conjure images of berries. Her lips were dark cherry red, and her fingernails had a bluish tint.

Not good. Why…?

Zach struggled to clear the hazy fog from his brain. Where had he heard about this? Was it a bill he was working on with the senator? An article he’d read?

Fuzzy details drifted through his pain and sleep muddled mind. A public service announcement the senator had been featured in…dangers in the home…faulty heaters…

The heater. Exhaust. Engine running…

Understanding slapped him like an icicle to the heart.

Adrenaline snapped him to alertness.

Snow must have clogged the tail pipe, sending carbon monoxide into the car with them. Drowsiness, headache, nausea, even his own irritability could be explained by the oxygen-depleted air they’d been breathing. By running the engine to stay warm, he could have killed them both. He’d unwittingly turned their shelter into a death trap.

“Dammit!” He cut the engine with a vicious twist and leaned over the center console toward Ellen. “Ellen?”

She slumped against the passenger door, her head lolling to one side. Fear squeezed his chest. What if he was too late?

Clenching his teeth, he battled down the negative thought. Do something!

He had to get her outside, get her into the fresh air, get her to breathe oxygen before the carbon monoxide could do more damage.

“Ellen, wake up!” He slapped her cheeks, shook her shoulders, desperate to rouse her. “Come on, sweetheart. No napping right now.”

When she still didn’t respond, panic gripped his gut. Ellen was smaller than he was, and the lack of oxygen could have taken a far harsher toll on her. “Ellen!”

Zach clambered into the backseat and tried to open the door, jamming his shoulder into the immoveable blockade. The deep snowdrift they’d sunk into and the icy temperatures had the doors sealed tight. Plan B was the window. He’d get her out of the car one way or another. He had to.

Or she’d die.

Chapter 6

H aving fought the frozen window down, Zach pulled Ellen’s limp body through the gap between the front seats into the back. Holding her under her arms, he awkwardly turned and maneuvered his feet out the window first. After kicking snow out of the way and packing it into a firm shelf with his legs, he rolled to his stomach, positioning himself to drag Ellen through the small opening.

Bitter winds lashed them as the promised cold front moved in. Despite the arctic chill, he yanked off his jacket and spread it across the snow as a layer of protection between her and the icy bed of snow. Again he patted her cheeks, trying to wake her. “Ellen! Please, honey, open your eyes.”

With a groan, a wrinkled brow, and a hard shiver, she peered up at him through narrow slits. “Go away. I feel like crud, and I just wanna sleep.”

He expelled a sigh of relief when she roused, his breath clouding in front of him and the bubble of panic in his chest easing its grip. “You feel like crud, because we were inhaling exhaust.”

He shook her shoulder when she closed her eyes again and turned, burrowing her head deeper into the folds of his jacket.

“You need to stay awake until I’m sure you’ve gotten the bad stuff out of your body and replaced it with good oxygen.”

She moaned a protest, then raised unfocused eyes to his. “Your coat smells good. Like summer. Pine and…hmm, sunshine.” She lifted a corner of her mouth groggily. “And sex.”

He barked a startled laugh. “Sex? I promise you, I haven’t been wearing my coat during sex.”

Although now that she mentioned it, the idea had merit. Nothing like a little body friction to build heat.

She hummed drowsily in response, the low rumbling sound conjuring images for Zach of the topic she’d raised—images of Ellen’s body nestled against his. Naked. Sweaty. Arching into him. Would she make that low rumbling purring in the throes of lovemaking? He huffed, irritated with himself. Now was neither the time nor the place to let himself get sidetracked by his libido. Even if she had brought the subject up.

“Can you sit up? Take a few deep breaths? We gotta get some O two circulating in your blood.”

“Blood?” She wobbled to a seated position. “Am I bleeding?”

“No. No blood. You just need to breathe deeply. Get some fresh air.”

She glanced around at their surroundings. “What happened? Where are we?”

Zach sighed and rubbed her arm to calm her. Confusion was another effect of carbon-monoxide poisoning. “We ran off the road. Remember? Santa’s reindeer. We’re stuck until someone finds us in the morning.”

Please, God, let someone find them in the morning if not before. Without food or water, without heat, he doubted they could survive much longer than a day or two.

Zach chafed his arms and surveyed the isolated stretch of road where they’d gotten stuck. As the clouds were pushed westward by the encroaching cold front, the moon cast a bright glow over the wintery landscape. Evergreens burdened with snow and ice bent low to the ground and icicles tinkled in the crisp whip of the breeze.

“It’s f-freezing out here. I want to get back in the car.” Ellen tried to move past him, and he caught her around the waist.

“Not until the car airs out. Stay down behind the bank of snow, out of the wind.”

Color slowly crept back into her complexion and her lips, and the anxiety tying Zach in knots loosened. If she’d died…

Gritting his teeth, he shoved the chilling thought of losing Ellen aside and focused on their survival. Tomorrow they’d have to do something to make the wrecked car more visible from the road. The white car blended into the backdrop of the snow too well. Surely the highway patrol would be out in force looking for stranded travelers. Wouldn’t they?

Ellen hunched her shoulders and tucked her nose inside her scarf. Without the car’s heater, the night’s cold would be brutal. He surveyed the back end of the Malibu, estimating if he could scoop the snow away from the tailpipe. The back fender was sunk in about three feet of snow, meaning the tailpipe was closer to four-feet deep. Giving the snow a test scoop, he encountered a hard crusty layer of ice on the top. The plunge in temperatures had left the slushy snow frozen and impenetrable. Without tools other than his hand, it seemed unlikely he could dig the tailpipe clear enough to run the engine.

Tipping his head back, he gazed up at the plethora of stars that twinkled through the clearing clouds.

“I always wonder how many are up there.”

He jerked his gaze back to Ellen when she spoke, surprised to hear her so alert and cognizant already. She, too, had her head tilted back admiring the night sky.

“Without the city lights, you can see so many stars.” She hugged herself, and her teeth chattered.

In the pale wash of moonlight, the high cheekbones and soft lines of Ellen’s face were cast in sharp relief. Snowflakes dusted the fringe of her scarf, and the wisps of her frosty breath swirled around her like confetti in a snow globe.

Nothing she could wear at the wedding tomorrow would make her any more lovely than she looked at that moment. He acknowledged the tug of emotion in his chest, even if indulging in sentimentality was rare for him. The scare she’d given him with her unresponsiveness, her skin so pale and her lips white, had shaken him. Shattered the illusion that the attraction and connection between himself and Ellen was no more than passing interest. She’d gotten under his skin in a way no other woman had.

With her golden hair lit by the moon, her cheeks rosy from the cold and the diamond glint of snowflakes clinging to her eyelashes, she reminded him of the winter fairies from his childhood bedtime stories. His mother used to read the magical tales to him on cold nights like tonight. The winter fairies were cousins of Jack Frost, his mom said. Enchanted pixies dusting the earth with glittering snow and sparkling ice.

He swallowed hard when a lump of nostalgia swelled in his throat. He and his mom had made some good memories, come through some tough times.

Ellen turned to him, caught him staring.

“Zach?” She cocked her head and gave him a peculiar look. “Where’s your coat?”

“You’re sitting on it.”

“I’m wh—” She glanced down, seemed surprised to realize his jacket was her buffer to the snowbank.

Your coat smells good. He wondered how much of the time she’d been under the influence of the carbon monoxide she’d remember later.

Her gaze snapped up to his, wide with horror. “You must be freezing!”

Yeah, pretty much. He suppressed a shiver. “I’m all right.”

“Why’d you let me hog your coat?” She scrambled to pull it from under her and hand it to him.

He shrugged and gratefully accepted his coat back. The lining was still warm from her body heat. “I didn’t want you lying in the snow after I pulled you out the window.”

An incredulous look crumpled her brow, and she shook her head. “And they say chivalry is dead.” She touched his arm, her eyes bright in the moonlight. “Zach, that has to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Her accolades left him off-balance. He’d only been doing what he thought was right. “Any guy would do the same. It’s no big deal.”

“It is to me.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. Her lips warmed his frozen cheek, and a tantalizing heat spread through his core when she met his gaze again.

He cleared his throat. “So…how are you feeling now?”

“Besides cold?” She flashed him a wry little smile that wrapped around his heart. “A lot better. Thanks to you.” Her grin brightened as she took another cleansing breath, exhaling a puff of white fog. “I hate to think what could have happened if—”

He touched her lips to stop her. “But it didn’t, and we’re going to be fine. Let’s not borrow trouble, huh?”

She chuckled. “Look at you being the positive one, the encourager. I thought that was my job.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m full of surprises.” Hitching his head toward the car window, he added, “Let’s get out of this wind. I think the car is safe now.”

With an enthusiastic nod, Ellen scooted across the packed snow and climbed through the back window of the Malibu. Zach followed her in then leaned forward and turned the key only long enough to roll the window up, leaving a crack for ventilation—just in case.

Neither of them bothered to climb back into the front seat, as if by mutual consent. In the dim light from the moon, Ellen sent him a lingering gaze and voiced his thoughts. “If we can’t run the heater, then maybe…we should share body heat.”

Zach’s pulse kicked into high gear. “I—”

“Not, like, getting naked or that kind of extreme survivalist thing,” she hurried to add, then glanced down at her hands.

Lifting the corner of his mouth, he chuckled. “I was actually about to suggest the same thing.” He scrunched across the seat, and she stiffened when he put his hand on her coat sleeve. “Let me know if you change your mind about that getting naked part—” He grinned again when she whipped a shocked expression toward him. “—’Cause that kinda sounds like fun to me.”

“Wh—Zach!” She gave him a nervous-sounding laugh but relaxed enough for him to nudge her forward on the seat. He slid in behind Ellen, pulled her onto his lap, and folded her snugly inside the lapels of his coat. She propped her feet on the seat and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Go to sleep if you want. Lord knows there’s not much else to do,” he said.

“We could sing Christmas carols.”

“Pass.”

She chuckled. “We could play I Spy.”

He snorted. “No thanks.”

He felt the vibration of her soft laugh against his chest, reverberating through him. Naked or not, the press of her body fueled a rush of heat through his veins.

“I know…” She flattened a hand over his heart and tipped her head back to look up into his face. A whimsical grin dimpled her cheek as she started to sing. “Ninety nine bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety-nine bottles of beer…”

Zach groan-laughed. “No!”

Ellen’s smile brightened, her eyes twinkling with mischief in the moonlight. “If one of those bottles should happen to fall—”

Temptation overwhelmed him, and he caught her lips with his.

Ellen’s eyes widened. Her body tensed. For a split second, he feared she’d bolt across the car, scrambling away from him.

Instead, she sighed into his mouth and plowed her fingers into his hair. When her lips parted, he deepened the kiss, tasting breath mints and pure bliss. Desire hummed through his body as their mouths meshed and their tongues dueled. She mewled softly, igniting his every nerve ending.

After a moment, when she ducked her head and sucked in a deep breath, Zach fought down the surge of adrenaline pounding through him. Maybe he was rushing her. Maybe he was wrong about her intentions. He needed to give her space and time and—

“Or we could make out like teenagers in the backseat at a drive-in.” Her breathless suggestion interrupted his recriminations.

She lifted her chin, grinning devilishly, and met his eyes with an expression that mirrored the fire blazing in his blood. Cradling the back of his head with one hand, she drew his mouth back down to hers.

Ellen’s heart thumped a nervous cadence, unsure how Zach would react to her boldness. She’d surprised herself, tossing caution to the bitter northern wind to steal a few minutes of reckless passion with Zach. Normally she was so much more reserved, more patient in her relationships with men. But nothing about this situation was normal, and she sensed Zach wasn’t like the men she usually dated. He had a raw honesty and depth of emotion that he tried to hide, but which she read in the intensity of his gaze. She felt an elemental connection to him that went beyond her profound physical attraction to him. If she’d believed in something as mystical as fate or destiny, she’d say this night, the storm, their being stranded was all part of a cosmic plan.

From deep in his throat, Zach growled his agreement to her suggestion and tucked her more firmly against his body. Holding her close, he slid down on the seat until she was lying on top of him. In the cramped confines of the backseat, he had to bend his knees, and Ellen straddled him, her legs folded under her. The position was awkward, but at the same time highly erotic. Her pulse kicked faster.

Zach’s hands framed her face, and he captured her mouth again, nibbling at first then drawing harder, fuller kisses from her.

Angling her head to brush her lips along his jaw, Ellen savored the rough scrape of his unshaven chin.

“You’re right. This is better than I Spy,” she whispered, while skimming kisses across his cheek, moving toward his ear.

He finger-combed her hair behind her ear, providing himself access to the curve of her neck for hot, open-mouthed sampling. She sighed when he feathered his tongue over the throbbing pulse point, and she gasped when he bit gently on her earlobe. Pure pleasure skimmed through her veins as he teased the sensitive spot behind her ear…under her chin…at the hollow of her throat.

His hands skated down her back then up, under the hem of her coat and inside the edge of her sweater. When he settled his hands against her warm skin, she gasped and arched away from his touch.

He sent her a curious frown. “Ellen.”

She smiled ruefully. “Your hands are cold.”

He winced. “Sorry.” He pulled his hands from under her clothing and rubbed them together briskly.

She caught his wrists, stopping him. “Allow me.”

He held her gaze as she guided his hands under the front hem of her sweater and beneath her bra. His throat convulsed as he swallowed, and even in the dim light from the moon, she saw the fire that brightened his gaze. Her heart thrashed against her ribs as he cupped his hands over her breasts and gently molded them with his fingers.

Liquid heat pooled low in her belly, and a hum of pleasure vibrated in her throat. When he shifted his grasp so that his thumbs could abrade her nipples, an electric sensation coursed through her and almost made Ellen come undone. Arching her back, she strained to be closer, feel more of his body pressed to hers.

“More,” she murmured as her mouth mated with his. Need flared hot and wild inside her, urging her on, obliterating the voice of caution. She’d almost died earlier tonight, yet when she kissed Zach, when he touched her, she never felt more alive.

Her body cried for him, longing to have him buried inside her, binding them. The power of the urge that drove her forward made no sense to her, went against everything she’d professed about relationships. But in the few short hours she’d known Zach, she’d experienced exhilarating joy and bone-chilling fear with him. Now, as he dipped his head and drew her peaked nipple into his mouth, she felt the most exquisite pleasure she’d ever known. Her skin flashed hot as he slid a hand up her thigh, under her skirt and inside the elastic of her panties.

His fingers stroked her nimbly, and Ellen angled her hips to provide better access. He sank one finger, then another, inside her, imitating the coupling her body craved. Closing her eyes and savoring the sweet friction, she saw spots of light dance before her. She mewled softly as the pulsing tension built inside her, until her every muscle was strung tight and her nerves crackled.

Finally, with a gasp, she plunged headlong into a maelstrom of sensation and a heated rush of pure bliss. She gripped his shoulders and cried Zach’s name, bucking against his hand as her climax swept through her.

In the wake of her powerful release, he held her more tightly and their teeth clicked as she kissed him, trying to express physically the intensity of emotion that swamped her. She thrust her fingers into his hair and delved deeper with her tongue, her heart racing, her body quaking. He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing so tight it almost hurt. And still she couldn’t get enough of him. Breathlessly, she clambered to wrap herself around him, lock herself more fully against his taut, lean frame.

“Zach—” she rasped, her hands fumbling with his belt, fighting to rid him of the cloth barrier that kept them from the union of bodies and souls.

A groan rumbled from his throat as he stilled her hands, bringing them to his lips. The muscles in his jaw bunched as he gritted his teeth. “Ellen, we have to stop. We…I don’t have any protection with me.”

She raised her head and blinked at him, her vision unfocused at first. For a moment, his words didn’t register. All Ellen knew was the drumming of her heartbeat in her ears, the whirlwind of emotion that muddled her thoughts, the pounding hunger for some elusive something that only he could fulfill. But when he curled his fingers into her hair and drilled her with his laser-blue eyes, her breath caught. And his words clicked into place.

He was being responsible, cautious, pragmatic. He was protecting her. Yet every fiber of her heart and mind screamed in protest.

Ellen drew a ragged breath, tried to ignore the disappointment that lanced her chest. Nodding, she whispered, “You’re right.”

His grip tightened, pulling slightly at her hair as he narrowed a penetrating gaze on hers. “Believe me, there is nothing I want more right now than to make love to you. But…I won’t do anything to hurt you. I have to…I have to do what’s right.”

After kissing her soundly, he tucked her head under his chin, and she nestled closer. Her body still shook with unspent desire, with adrenaline, from the cold, and he held her securely, warming her all the way to her core.

His word choice hadn’t escaped her. Make love. They shared an unspoken agreement that what had just happened between them was more than meaningless sex to fill the empty hours. They’d both been driven by something deeper, something real, something new and amazing and powerful. Ellen’s heart performed a slow roll in her chest.

She was falling in love with Zach.

Zach stared into the darkness, cradling Ellen against him, the thudding of her heart a steady cadence against his own drumming beat. His body thrummed with unsated longing, and his thoughts stirred restlessly.

He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted Ellen—and not just for a quickie in the backseat of a rental car. He wanted more. He wanted to know her heart and spirit. He wanted more time with her than a whirlwind holiday wedding weekend.

When had he become the kind of guy to get emotionally entangled with a woman? He wasn’t sure. Yet sometime between his impulsive kiss in the parking garage and the sound of his name on her lips as she shattered in his arms, he’d lost his heart to Ellen.

So now what did he do? How had his life become so complicated?

He stroked her back when she shivered and checked his watch in the light from the moon. Almost 2:00 a.m. The longest, coldest hours of the night still lay ahead. Tipping his face toward the window, he glanced up at the night sky to check the weather conditions.

And the sight that greeted him stole his breath.

Chapter 7

“O h, man. Ellen, look!”

Ellen’s pulse jumped, uncertain how to interpret the fevered pitch in Zach’s tone. Muscles tensing and mentally bracing for another tragic turn to their dilemma, Ellen shifted on the seat and leaned across Zach to glance up at the stars.

A swirling greenish-blue and yellow glow twisted and writhed over the treetops, casting an eerie light across the snow. Ellen stared, awestruck for a few staggering heartbeats before what she was seeing clicked in her brain. “Oh my God. Are those the Northern Lights?”

“I’d say so. Pretty impressive, huh?”

Ellen angled her head to meet Zach’s eyes, a fresh, excitement-borne burst of adrenaline coursing through her.

A smile tugged the corner of his mouth. “Want to go outside for a better view of nature’s show?”

She returned a playful smile. “Darn right. Race you!”

Zach smacked a kiss on her lips, and she tumbled backward as he sat up. With a squawk and a laugh, Ellen scrambled to roll down the window again and slide out onto the packed snow.

A frigid blast of air buffeted her as she hoisted herself from the car, and she almost changed her mind about the outdoor viewing. Snuggling with Zach in the protection of the car had been awfully nice. The circle of his arms had been secure, his body warm, his kisses sweet—so sweet that she’d forgotten where they were, lost all sense of their precarious situation. While she appreciated the distraction of his kisses, she’d also pushed aside the truth that Zach wanted to destroy her sister’s happiness.

Ellen gazed at him now, the colorful Northern Lights reflecting off the snow and highlighting the masculine cut of his jaw. The man she’d gotten to know tonight didn’t jibe with the heartless goal he’d professed. She realized with a sharp pang in her chest that she wanted to know more—much more—about Zach Kallen. Starting with the career that had tarnished his optimism and jaded his gentle soul.

Scooting closer to her, he tucked her under his arm and pulled her nearer his body heat. “Warm enough?”

“Mmm-hmm.” She rested her head on his shoulder and turned her eyes toward the display of color in the late night sky. “You said earlier that you think about leaving your job every day. So…why haven’t you?”

Beside her, his body tensed. He expelled a deep sigh that clouded in the cold air. “Where would I go?”

“Anywhere you want! It’s a big world out there, Zach. You don’t have to stay in Sacramento to make a difference. Heck, you don’t have to stay in politics to make a difference. In fact, some would argue you have to get out of the political world to affect real change.”

“Yeah, I know. God knows, I’ve thought about that.” His tone was dark with regret. “But…what about the senator I work for? He gave me a job before I’d even graduated college. He gave me my start, gave me a great salary, helped me meet people with connections in the state—”

“Because he recognized your talent, your potential, your enthusiasm. He wanted to be sure no one else could hire you first!”

He shrugged. “Maybe. But I owe him something for all of that. How can I repay all the help he gave me by walking out on him?”

“This is the same man who is cheating on his wife and asking you to cover his tracks and keep his dirty secret? The man whose brand of politics involves clandestine deals and backroom meetings?”

Zach grunted. “Well, yeah. One of several like him in his office.”

“As much as I appreciate and respect your loyalty to the senator for the help he gave you…” Ellen sat straighter and turned more fully toward Zach. His gaze lowered from the stars to meet hers. She drew a deep breath before plunging forward, a surge of emotion twisting in her chest. “This man is manipulating you, using you, playing on that sense of debt he created in you. He’s dragging you down into the mud with him, and he’ll kill everything that is good and honest and honorable in you if you let him.” She placed her hands on his icy cheeks and drilled him with a beseeching stare. “Don’t let him do that. You’ve paid your debt to him. Don’t let his brand of politics destroy your faith and hope and happiness.” Her voice cracked and moisture gathered in her eyes. “Please, Zach.”

His brow furrowed, and he cleared his throat before he spoke. “Maybe. I…If I walk away from this job, it’s likely I’ll never get another job in Sacramento again. He has a lot of power and influence.”

“He’d sabotage your career?”

“He’s done it before.”

Ellen scowled. “What an ass.”

Zach’s cheek twitched in an almost grin. “It’d be career suicide to quit my job.”

“No. You’d be saving yourself. Your soul. Finding something that makes you happy. Leave California, Zach. Move to Atlanta or Albany or…or Portland.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Portland isn’t the capital of Oregon.”

She returned a coy grin. “I know. But it’s a really great place to start over. I promise to show you all around.”

His nostrils flared as he sucked in a deep breath, and the Northern Lights reflected the passion that filled his eyes. He pressed a warm kiss to her lips and rested his forehead against hers. “If you ever decide to leave magazine editing and layout for a new career, you could make a mint on tour as an inspirational speaker.”

“There’s more to life than making money, Zach.”

“So I’ve heard. And I’m beginning to see it for myself lately.”

Hope swelled in her chest, spreading an airy warmth. “Then you’ll think about quitting your job? And I mean really think hard about it—no guilt or second-guessing?”

His fingers combed through her hair and cradled the back of her head. “I will.” He sealed the promise with a deep lingering kiss that spun a crackling energy through her.

Humming her satisfaction, Ellen angled her body so she could lean against Zach’s solid strength and nestle in his embrace. Tipping her face toward the heavens, she marveled at the dancing swath of colored light on the horizon. “Beautiful.” She sighed after a moment.

“Yeah. We definitely owe Santa for arranging this.”

She cast Zach a curious look. “Come again?”

“If his reindeer hadn’t run us off the road, I seriously doubt we’d have seen Mother Nature’s awesome show. We’d have been inside asleep in our respective beds.”

“Hmm. You’re probably right.”

“And we wouldn’t have had the chance to talk the way we have. I’d have never heard about your flashing the crowd at Mardi Gras.”

She groaned and covered her eyes with one hand.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest. “That is an image I’m going to savor for a very long time.”

“Zach…”

He raised a hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb. “That and the way the moonlight looks when it shines on your face.”

Ellen’s heartbeat slowed.

“I’m glad we got this chance to know each other, Ellen. You’re a special woman.”

She tried to talk, to respond, but the air stuck in her throat, backed up in her lungs.

Despite the bitter cold, the uncertainty of their rescue, the inconvenience of lost sleep and hunger, Ellen couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d rather be. Snuggled in Zach’s arms, the night sky draped in a dazzling glow, Ellen felt something shift inside her. She knew at that moment she was right where she belonged. After giving Zach a soft kiss, she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

“Yeah,” he murmured quietly, “I definitely owe Santa’s reindeer for tonight. Big-time.”

Zach woke in the predawn darkness, colder than he could ever remember being in his life, despite the warm woman snuggled in his arms on the backseat. Ellen shivered violently, and he tucked her coat more securely around her and he pulled her more firmly against him.

His nose was frozen, his feet were numb, and an icy chill seeped to his bones. But morning was just a couple hours away, and the sun would raise the temperature and provide the light they needed to safely flag a passing car.

Ignoring the crick in his neck from the awkward angle at which he’d been sleeping, he tried to doze until sunrise. Sometime later, a bright shaft of sun crept over the horizon and roused him again.

Ellen was still shivering, and he did his best to chafe warmth into her arms and hands.

Pulling her scarf up around her nose, she shuddered hard as she angled her head to look at him. Despite the wrap over her half her face, tiny smile lines crinkled the corners of her eyes, and sunlight caught the sparkle of humor in her gaze. “G-g-good m-morn-n-ning-g,” she said, teeth chattering. “M-merry Christmas Eve.”

“Good m—” A rumbling noise in the distance cut Zach off. He stiffened, straining his ear to listen.

“Zach, what’s—?”

“Shh. Listen!” When the rumbling grew louder, more distinct, his pulse jumped. “That’s a truck! Maybe even the road crew with a plow.” He pushed her up and scrambled from under her to turn the ignition. He prayed the battery had enough life left that he could roll the window down one last time.

Ellen tipped her head to listen, excitement lighting her face.

With a squeak and a groan of struggle, the frozen window slid slowly down, and Zach waved Ellen forward. “Hurry! We’ve got to get up to the road and flag ’em down!”

Ellen scrambled out the window, and Zach followed, his cramped, cold muscles protesting. In the morning light, the slope of the embankment up to the road proved steeper than he’d believed the night before. Slicked with ice, the hill would be a challenging climb at best.

Ellen’s face reflected the same dismay as she cast a worried glance at him. “Any ideas?”

“Try to gouge foot- and handholds and pull yourself up. I’ll be behind you and give you a boost up to the top. But one of us has to get up there fast, before that truck gets out of range.”

Together they started chipping at the ice-crusted snow, carving out a notch or two for her to hoist herself closer to the rim. The rumbling engine was louder now, their rescue almost upon them. But Ellen was only halfway up the hill, still six feet shy of the top, and scraping her next handhold as fast as she could.

Zach considered yelling to the driver but over the grinding of the engine and scraping blade, the chances of being heard were slim. His energy was better used digging a foothold for Ellen.

“Oh, no. There it is! Zach, I’ll never make it!” Ellen tried frantically to scramble up the icy slope. Her feet slipped and skidded, and she slid all the way back to the bottom of the rise.

Zach squelched his disappointment, turned and clambered onto the roof of the Malibu. Waving his arms, he shouted, “Hey, down here! Stop!”

A flash of color drew his attention to Ellen, who used the gouges they’d already scooped to climb halfway back up the hill. She snatched the scarf from her head, knotted it into a ball and heaved it over the rise of the hill.

A screech of hydraulic brakes echoed through the still, frozen air. She cut a glance at him, her expression a mirror of the hope that bubbled in his chest. In unison they shouted, “Help! Down here!”

A door slammed, and a red-cheeked man with a white beard peered over the top of the hill. “Land sakes, folks. You been out here all night?”

Ellen bobbed her head. “Can you take us to a phone? Please? We have to get to Spokane by two!”

“Sure enough. And you can use the radio in my truck to call a tow for your car.” He disappeared for a second, then reappeared with Ellen’s blue scarf in his hand. “I believe this is yours? I thought I was seeing things at first when that came sailing in from the edge of the road. Smart thinking, honey. I’d have never seen you if not for your unique distress flag there.”

Ellen grinned at the elfin man, then at Zach. “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

Zach scooted off the roof of the Malibu and helped Ellen down from the icy hill. Pulling her into his arms he pressed a kiss to her warm lips. “Well, sweetheart, I think we may just make it to the church on time.”

She held up crossed fingers. “From your lips to God’s ears!”

While Ellen maneuvered up the rope ladder the driver of the snowplow dropped for them, his thoughts turned to his original plan for today. If they made good time getting to Spokane, he might still have time to talk to Sean before the ceremony started. He still had a duty to look out for his best friend’s happiness.

Even if it meant Ellen hated him.

Chapter 8

T he cab of the snowplow was crowded for three people, but the blast of the heater was a welcome blessing. The driver, whose resemblance to Santa was uncanny, shared his Thermos of coffee and tin of sugar cookies with them, and Ellen devoured four cookies with gratitude, savoring the sweet treat.

Within twenty minutes, they’d reached a small town and caught the owner of a small diner just before he closed his restaurant. Borrowing a phone beside the cash register, they called Ellen’s parents and assured them they were safe and en route. A second call to the car rental company secured them a replacement car and sent a tow truck out to recover the Malibu.

By 11:00 a.m., they were fed, warm and back on the reopened interstate headed toward Spokane. But Ellen couldn’t breathe easy yet. Zach’s grim expression as they approached the exit for Spokane told her he hadn’t abandoned his plan to interfere with the wedding. In light of the night’s events and all she’d learned about Zach, his determination to talk Sean out of marrying her sister bothered Ellen all the more. She’d seen Zach’s chivalry when he tended to her after the carbon-monoxide scare, his practicality in dealing with their safety and best chance for rescue, his kindness in calming her fears. How could the same man who’d showed her honor and gentleness plan to ruin his friend’s wedding?

“Zach, about the wedding…you won’t really…” She paused, air snagging in her chest when she locked gazes with him. With his handsome face, sense of honor and sharp intelligence, Zach could easily steal her heart. If only…

“I won’t really what?”

She angled her head to watch the traffic clogging the frontage road to a large mall. “You know, I halfway hoped we wouldn’t be rescued in time for the wedding. If Sean and Trix married before we got there, then you can’t mess anything up for them.”

His strong, warm fingers grasped her chin and brought her head around to face him. “Ellen, I told you before, my intent is not to hurt anyone or mess anything up. I hate that it’s gotten so late, so close to the wedding.”

She frowned and pulled her chin from his hand, even though his touch was inviting.

“Whether he gets married or not is up to Sean. I just—” He sighed and stared at the traffic in front of them. “I want a chance to lay out the truth as I see it to my friend and hear from his lips, see his face, know for sure he’s considered what he’s doing carefully. I have to know this is what he wants, because this is not what the Sean I met in college would have ever chosen of his own will. I’m trying to save him from future unhappiness. I’m sorry, Ellen, but if I think he feels at all coerced or manipulated or cornered into this marriage, I will try to talk him out of it.”

She turned back to the view of last-minute shoppers braving the snowy roads, clogging the parking lots.

Zach sighed. “I have to do what I feel is right, even if it makes me unpopular or hated.”

A bittersweet stab of regret twisted in her chest. While she admired his conviction, his determination to follow his conscience, she wished he hadn’t chosen her sister’s wedding as his target. Yet a whisper of doubt tickled her brain. What if Sean hadn’t changed? What if Zach was right and her sister had pressured Sean into this marriage?

Ellen gritted her teeth and sent Zach a wounded look of resignation. “Fine. Do what you think you have to. But remember this—sometimes doing the right thing means listening to your heart instead of your head. Trust your heart, Zach.”

Ten minutes later they pulled up in front of the church. Zach turned to Ellen, wanting to say something to smooth over the uneasiness between them, but she climbed out without speaking to him.

Shoving down his disappointment over the chasm that had opened between them, Zach stepped out of the car and stretched the kinks from his muscles. He heard the clatter of high heels on the sidewalk and spotted two women, one a sixtyish version of Ellen and the other wearing a long, dark green dress, rushing toward them.

“Oh, thank goodness! Ellen, honey, your dad and I have been so worried!” The older woman wrapped her arms around Ellen and looked as if she might not let go.

“I’m fine, Mom. Thanks to Zach.” Ellen faced him, a wistfulness in her expression. “I wouldn’t be here if not for him. In more ways than one.”

Mrs. Davis turned to Zach on cue and treated him to the same bracing hug of welcome. “In that case, I’m forever in your debt, you darling man.”

“I hate to break this up, but we’ve got to get a move on,” the other bridesmaid said, tapping the watch on her wrist. “Ellen has forty minutes to shower, fix her hair and dress before showtime!”

Ellen’s eyes widened. “Forty minutes?”

The bridesmaid tugged Ellen’s arm, hauling her toward the church door, and Mrs. Davis kissed Zach’s cheek.

“And you have to get in your tux, Zach. Hurry!” Ellen’s mother gave him a gentle push toward a door at the other end of the building. “The groomsmen are dressing in the first room on the left through that door. Sean’s waiting for you.”

In a swish of perfume and taffeta, Mrs. Davis and the bridesmaid swept Ellen away. Zach shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders against the stiff icy breeze as he watched her leave. She gave him one last look over her shoulder before she disappeared into the church, hustled along by her escorts.

A cold emptiness settled in Zach’s chest in her absence. Until she was gone, Zach hadn’t realized how much he’d depended on her to buoy his spirits through the treacherous trip from Seattle and the long frigid night in the wintry elements.

She’d given him credit for getting her to Spokane, to the church, but he hadn’t done it alone. They’d survived the harrowing experience together, the experience far less dreary because they’d had each other to rely on, to keep each other’s morale up. The two stronger as a team than alone.

A tingle rippled down his spine. A team…

“Zach!”

Sean’s shout lifted Zach out of his reverie, before the conclusion nipping his heels could fully form. Giving Sean a wave, Zach grabbed his backpack from the backseat and headed into the church.

He’d no sooner stepped inside the welcoming warmth of the church than Sean slapped a garment bag in his hand. “Your tux. Shake a leg, pal. Service starts soon.” Then pumping his hand, Sean added, “You gave us a scare, dude. After the wedding, I want to hear all about the accident and your night with Trixie’s sister.”

Zach steeled himself. No time like the present. With the ceremony minutes away, he might not get another chance to have his talk with Sean. “Actually, I need to speak to you…now. Before the service starts.”

Sean frowned as he hustled Zach into the makeshift dressing room for the groomsmen. “Can you talk and dress at the same time?”

“I—Yeah. Whatever.” Zach slipped off his shoes and gathered his thoughts. “Sean, are you sure you want to marry Trixie? Can you honestly tell me you’re marrying her because you want to and not because you have to?”

Sean paused in the middle of pulling Zach’s suit out of the garment bag. He blinked, stunned. “Is this a joke?”

“No joke.” He unfastened the buttons on his shirt then paused, facing his former roommate. “I have to ask, because…well, I remember what you were like in college. Back then, you scorned the idea of marriage before you were forty. You would never have committed yourself to one woman.”

Sean laughed. “You’re right.”

“So…what changed?”

“Well…”

While he waited for Sean to form his answer, Zach noticed they had company. He did a double take. “Uh, Sean…is that a cat?”

Sean glanced to the chair where a large tabby sat blinking at them…wearing a bow tie. “Yeah. That’s Trixie’s cat, Buttons. He’s the ring bearer.”

Zach snorted a laugh. “Excuse me? You have a cat in your wedding party?”

Sean rolled his eyes and grinned sheepishly. “Trixie’s idea. Neither of us have a young nephew to do the job, and she considers her cat family, so—” He shrugged. “Whatever Trixie wants.”

Zach frowned then waved a hand at the cat. “See, this is what I mean. You would never have a cat in the wedding if it were up to you. But you’re doing stuff out of character for you, because Trixie wants it. What about what you want?”

Sean gave him a withering glance. “It’s no big deal. Get dressed, will you?”

“Sean, I don’t want you to wake up in ten years and find you made a mistake. Is this wedding—is Trixie what you want? It’s not too late to back out.”

Squaring his shoulders, Sean stepped closer to Zach and met his best man’s eyes. “This is what I want. When I said all that stuff in college, I didn’t know how one woman could change your life, change your view of things, make you want different things for yourself and your future. I love Trix. She fills up a place inside me that was empty before. She gives me a happiness I never knew possible. Ten years from now I will still want Trixie, I will still love Trixie, and I will still be happy, because she is everything to me. She is the only woman I want.”

The sincerity and intensity in Sean’s expression startled Zach. Took the steam out of his argument. Zach released a slow breath, feeling the tension that had him wound tight release its grip.

“Someday you’ll meet someone who’ll turn your world upside down, and you’ll understand,” Sean added, and Zach’s heart performed a slow roll in his chest.

“Now, if that’s all, I’ll let you dress. Be ready in ten minutes, okay?” Sean paused at the door and aimed a finger at the cat. “Oh, yeah. As my best man, you’re in charge of Buttons.”

Zach placed the fur-ball ring bearer on the podium next to Sean and dusted cat hair from the tux as he took his place at the altar. The groom gave him a crooked smile.

He had resigned himself to Sean’s decision, although a few doubts still niggled inside him, when the organist began playing the processional. Clasping his hands behind his back, Zach glanced to the back of the church to watch the bridesmaids enter the sanctuary.

And caught his breath.

Ellen was at the back of the line of women, gliding gracefully to the altar rail, and in the past forty minutes, she’d been transformed. Pinned up with soft tendrils framing her face, her hair shone with golden highlights. The beautiful face he’d admired in the moonlight last night had been emphasized with just the right application of makeup, and the emerald-green dress she wore brought out the sparkle in her green eyes and defined the womanly curves her bulky coat had hidden. Sprigs of baby’s breath in her hair reminded him of the sprinkling of snowflakes that had shimmered on her eyelashes and shoulders last night. His winter fairy looked every bit as beautiful and elegant as a Christmas princess.

Someday you’ll meet someone who’ll turn your world upside down, and you’ll understand.

“I already have,” he murmured to himself.

His acknowledgment of what Ellen had come to mean to him rattled Zach to the marrow. He frowned, realizing how much he wanted Ellen to be a part of his future, realizing Ellen might not return his feelings, realizing the geographic and emotional distance they still had between them.

Her anxious gaze sought his, and when their eyes met, his chest filled with a warmth and joy that expanded until he couldn’t breathe. He’d never felt a rush of emotion so pure and sweet in his life and knew something significant was happening in that moment. His life was about to change.

He also knew he was responsible for the nervous look she wore. His serious expression had to have added to her uncertainty over his intentions. Zach longed to hold her, soothe her, assure her he’d come to grips with Sean’s decision. The best he could do for the moment, however, was send her a smile. Her brow knit, as if she were trying to decipher his silent message, and she bit her bottom lip.

Heat flashed through him at the prospect of nibbling that plump lip himself in the days to come.

When Ellen tore her gaze away, sending an equally worried glance toward Sean, Zach glanced to the groom himself. And jolted at the expression that lit his college friend’s face.

Sean’s smile couldn’t have been broader, his smile brighter, his eyes damper. The love and confidence that glowed in Sean’s eyes were as pure and genuine as Zach had ever seen. Turning slightly, Zach followed the direction of Sean’s gaze to find Trixie walking slowly down the aisle with an identical joy and affection warming her face.

Zach’s heart thumped. The naked emotion and happiness in his best friend’s eyes was a mirror of the warmth that had filled Zach’s chest when he’d seen Ellen walking toward the altar.

And suddenly it clicked. He got it.

He understood the love that had changed his womanizing roommate into a devoted groom. He knew the happiness and desire that made Sean want to spend his life with Trixie. Because he knew he could share the same love and longing for a future with Ellen. His head spun with the possibilities and the challenges his realization wrought. He weighed the sacrifices he’d gladly make for Ellen.

“If there is anyone here who knows why these two should not lawfully be wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace,” the minister intoned, bringing Zach’s attention to the ceremony in progress.

Sean sent him a warning glare. Trixie divided a curious glance between Zach and her groom.

And Ellen lifted an anxious stare to meet Zach’s gaze.

Zach shrugged and grinned. “Not me. I’m good.”

Sean chuckled and drew his bride closer.

Ellen released an audible sigh of relief, her lips curling in a grateful smile. Zach continued to exchange stolen glances and secret smiles with Ellen until the bride and groom led the recession out of the sanctuary. After gathering the docile, feline ring bearer, whom Zach was convinced had been sedated for the ceremony, he met Ellen at the head of the aisle and offered his arm. Together they fell in step behind the newlyweds to exit the church.

“Thank you for not saying anything,” she whispered to him.

“Actually, I did.”

When Ellen raised a startled look, he chuckled and kissed her forehead. “But Sean convinced me he was making the right choice. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?”

Her eyes warmed, and her mouth tugged into a grin.

As they stepped into the narthex, Trixie rushed over to get her cat. Zach turned the pliant ring bearer over to his mistress and grabbed Ellen’s hand as she started to step away.

“Hey, I was wondering…”

Her expectant gaze lifted.

“Am I still welcome at your house for Christmas?”

She squeezed his fingers. “Of course.”

“Then I’d like to come. We can talk about new possibilities for employment, other ways I can change the world besides politics.”

Ellen blinked and furrowed her brow. “What?”

“You were right about my needing to leave the job that was sucking my soul. I’m going to turn in my two-weeks’ notice in January.”

Her face brightened. “That’s great, Zach. You deserve to be happy.”

“I’m glad you think so, because…you’re a big part of what makes me happy. The biggest part.”

The smile on her lips slipped. “Zach?”

“I want to come to Portland. I want to spend more time with you and see what develops.”

Her mouth opened and shut soundlessly, her shock written in her wide eyes.

Zach’s gut tightened. Had he presumed too much? Nothing said Ellen returned his feelings. He drew a deep restorative breath and plunged on, risking it all for the promise of love and happiness he’d found, stranded with his bridesmaid on a snowy winter night.

“I’m falling in love with you, Ellen. Last night I found everything that was missing in my life…with you.” He swallowed the knot of trepidation climbing his throat. “I want you to be a part of my future. You make me happy.”

She hesitated, searching his face as if verifying his honesty. “Was there a question in there somewhere? Something about how I feel and what I want?”

His pulse kicked. “I—well…how do you feel? What do you want?”

Her cheek dimpled as she flashed a lopsided grin and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I feel lucky to have met you, Zach Kallen, and I don’t want anything.”

Zach’s heart sank. “You don’t? Nothing?”

“Nope.” She leaned into him, and he saw the spark of amusement in her evergreen eyes. “Last night, Santa gave me everything I’d been hoping for, too.” She brushed a kissed across his lips and sighed happily. “You are the best Christmas present I could ask for.”

Dipping his head, he captured her lips and poured his heart into a deep, soul-shaking kiss. As the church bells began to ring, celebrating the newlyweds’ union, Zach’s spirits soared. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

ISBN: 978-1-4268-4312-9

BLACKOUT AT CHRISTMAS

Copyright © 2009 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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STRANDED WITH THE BRIDESMAID
Copyright © 2009 by Beth Cornelison

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