“Hello?” My voice was scratchy as a frog.
“Nice to see you again.”
I sat up from under the covers and squinted in the harsh light of day. “Tom?”
“Who else did you think was in the carriage?”
Holy shit! Wake up, Jen! This is not a dream—there was a carriage!
I fell out of bed with an ungainly flop and felt my way once more to the window. Sure enough, standing there in the fresh fallen snow, was Tom Larchwood. He had a sprig of poinsettias in one hand, and a huge coffee in the other. Behind him, was a horse-drawn sled.
“What is happening right now?”
I could see his smile all the way from my window. “Get down here—I’ll tell you.”
Five minutes later, I was still pulling on my sleeves as I stumbled out into the crisp New York air. For the first time in weeks, it wasn’t either raining or snowing. The sun had come out just in time for the holidays, sparkling off the snow and glinting off the sides of the red and green twinkle lights strewn about the trees.
“Merry Christmas!” Tom exclaimed, looping a thick red scarf around my neck.
The horse stamped its foot impatiently behind him, and several cars honked excitedly as they drove past. I stared blankly between the sled and the coffee, still trying to wake up.
“Tom...did that thing follow you here?”
He chuckled and graciously handed me the cup of caffeine. “Oh, you’re going to be even more fun than I thought. Come on, Jen—up you go.”
“Up,” I repeated doubtfully, “into that thing? What do horses eat? Is this safe?”
“You can take the girl out of the city, but you—”
“No, no, no,” I tried to stop this madness before it got any further. “You absolutely cannot take the girl out of the city.” I eyed the horse speculatively. “What’s the range on these things, anyway?”
“Just get in.”
Before I knew what was happening, he leaned in and kissed my cheek. My skin burned where his lips had warmed it, and I stared up into his face, completely bewildered. He smiled back at me, his eyes sparkling in the bright morning sun.
“Jenna Harks, no matter what may have happened between us, or what the future may hold...today I am going to give you a Christmas you will never forget.”
There was a pause.
“...with a horse?”
“Just get in the damn sled.”
I climbed up the steps, eyeing the giant wheels doubtfully as I did, and in a rush of jingling bells and spilled espresso—we were off!
At first it was a bit terrifying, riding out in the open amidst all the rushing cars. As the sixth cab rushed past, I was actually feeling a little protective of the horse. But after a few minutes, the nerves faded and I actually started to enjoy myself. I had never seen the city from this vantage point—despite all my years of living in New York over the holidays—I’d never really noticed all the different decorations before now.
The trees were just the tip of the iceberg. There were murals on the store windows, fake icicles hanging from the misty streetlamps, and actual carts selling roasted chestnuts by the cup.
I leaned back with a little grin, warm in my new scarf, sipping my Christmas coffee. A second later, I felt Tom’s arm slide around my shoulders. All at once, the nerves were back. I twisted around in the carriage chair and studied him cautiously.
He didn’t look like the same man who’d flashed me the strange look before driving away. He looked like the man from my magical weekend in the woods. But looks could be deceiving.
And this—I glanced around me—certainly wasn’t part of the original plan...
“Tom,” I began uncertainly, but he stopped me almost at once.
“Listen, I know we’d said this was just going to be a weekend thing, but...I need to have one more day.” His lips turned up in a quirky smile. “I still have to change your mind about Christmas, after all. A deal’s a deal.”
I gripped my coffee tighter and stifled a smile. “And then tomorrow, everything goes back to the way it was? You’re going to leave me on the curb again and drive away?”
Before he could answer, the driver yelled, “We’re here, sir.”
Tom’s face lit up excitedly, and I took a quick look around. “Wait a minute, are we...?”