Snowbound Cinderella. Ruth Ryan Langan

opened the door, retrieving several empty boxes. “I found these in the shed. We can put the perishable food in them. There’s a shelf high enough to keep them out of the reach of most animals.”

      She started removing some food from the refrigerator. “Except the bears.”

      He joined her and gave a quick smile. “Ah, those bears. Clever beasts.”

      Now why did her heart have to do that sudden free fall whenever he got too near? She gathered up the carton of milk and turned, bumping into his chest. Her fingers fumbled and she dropped it. It was only Jace’s quick reflexes that kept it from hitting the floor. And all the while, he kept his gaze locked on hers.

      “All this talk about bears is going to give me nightmares tonight.” She knew she was babbling, but she needed to say something to cover her awkwardness.

      “Do you get them often?” He packed the carton in the box and waited while she rummaged about, locating cheese and eggs.

      She nodded, sobering suddenly. “Often enough to miss a lot of sleep.”

      “You’re not alone.”

      “You too?” She looked up. The laughter was gone from his eyes. In its place was a bleakness that startled her. Her gaze was drawn to the scar on his cheek, and she found herself wondering if that had anything to do with his bad dreams.

      She turned away and scanned the contents of the refrigerator one last time. “I guess that’s everything.” She opened the freezer. “What about all this?”

      He nodded, relieved that she’d changed the subject. “We’ll have to store that in the shed, too. If it starts to thaw, we’ll just have to cook everything and have ourselves a feast.”

      She lifted out neatly labeled packages and stacked them in the box. When she was finished, Jace set aside two packages.

      “I hope you’re not a vegetarian,” he said.

      “No. Why?” She eyed the packages suspiciously. “What’s that?”

      “Tonight’s dinner.” He winked, and Ciara’s heart did another flip. “My sister, Mary Ellen, always did have a good eye for prime beef.”

      He hefted the boxes and carried them to the shed where he stored them on a high shelf, placing several heavy boards over the top to keep any curious animals away.

      Then he began tinkering with the generator. As he worked he found himself thinking about Ciara. She might have teased about packing a bikini, but the truth was, the clothes she’d brought were hardly the Hollywood type. She looked as natural in jeans and a flannel shirt as she did in those sexy, glittery gowns she usually shed in her movies. She seemed different too, from the brainless characters she portrayed. There was a sense of humor beneath the sultry looks. And a sensitivity he hadn’t anticipated. Despite her earlier attacks on his chosen profession, she’d instantly backed off when she’d caught a glimpse of his pain.

      He turned away, rubbing his cheek. He was reading too much into all this. And spending entirely too much time and energy thinking about Ciara Wilde. She wasn’t the problem at the moment. Survival was.

      As he stepped from the shed he glanced skyward. The snow had stopped, at least for the moment, and the sun was actually trying to break through the clouds. But if the storm clouds to the north were any indication, there could be more snow on the way. He was determined to keep a supply of firewood beside the fireplace at all times. That way, no matter how much snow fell, they’d be warm.

      A short time later he strolled back inside, scraping snow off his boots as he did. Leaning against the door he watched as Ciara poked at the fire before adding another log. The thin fabric of her T-shirt strained against her breasts, and he felt a rush of heat that had nothing at all to do with the warmth in the cabin.

      “You’re getting pretty good at that.”

      She looked up, drew her flannel shirt tighter before closing the firescreen. “Yeah. In no time I’ll be baking bread and spinning wool into cloth.”

      “Now those were the good old days.” He studied the way her jeans molded to her hips, and decided that he definitely needed to cool off. “The snow’s ended. I think I’ll take a walk. Want to come?”

      She shook her head. “I’d love to. But the warmest thing I packed was a denim jacket.”

      He pointed to a door off the kitchen. “There are parkas and boots in that storage closet.”

      She brightened. “I’ll just be a minute.”

      She emerged wearing an oversize parka, the cuffs of her jeans tucked into hiking boots. “Okay. I think I’m ready to brave the elements. Except that I couldn’t find any gloves.”

      They stepped outside and followed the line of trees. Beyond the cabin the grade rose sharply, and they found themselves climbing until they emerged on an open hillside. It was a struggle to walk through all that snow, but the view was worth it. Sunlight glistened on a dazzling, pristine wilderness.

      Ciara stopped in her tracks. “Oh, just look at it.”

      Jace paused beside her, then looked down. Their cabin far below looked like a toy nestled so snugly in the woods; all that could be seen was the smoke coming from the chimney. All around them was snow—so white it was nearly blinding. Distant fences were nearly buried beneath the drifts. It lay heavy on tree branches, dragging limbs nearly to the ground. A branch somewhere snapped beneath the weight, and the sound echoed in the silence like a gunshot.

      “You’d almost think—” her voice was hushed, reverent “—we were the only ones to see this.”

      “We are. Except for them.” He pointed and she followed his gesture, then gave a gasp of pleasure at the sight of the herd of deer just emerging from a stand of trees.

      She and Jace stood perfectly still, enjoying the image of the graceful animals picking their way through the drifts. Suddenly, one of the deer caught the scent of humans, and the herd bounded away, disappearing into the woods as quickly as they had come.

      For the space of a heartbeat Ciara couldn’t find her voice. When she did, she managed to whisper, “Wasn’t that wonderful?”

      “Yeah. Pretty neat.” He glanced over and caught the glimmer of tears on her lashes before she managed to blink them away. “Haven’t you ever seen deer in the wild before?”

      “Not since I was a kid. I never expected to be so moved by the sight. But they’re really special, aren’t they?”

      He nodded. “Come on, Hollywood. Let’s lighten the mood. I’ll race you to the top of the hill. Last one there cooks dinner tonight.”

      It would have been an easy run without the mounds of snow. But now it was like running with both feet tied together and heavy weights in their boots. After only a couple of steps, Ciara felt herself falling. As she went down, she managed to snag Jace’s arm, dragging him with her.

      “Hey. No fair.” He fell into a snowbank, and she landed beside him.

      “You didn’t spell out any rules.” She scrambled to her feet and broke into a run. “You just said last one there cooks dinner.”

      “Oh, I get it.” He started after her. “You want to play cutthroat, do you?” When she eluded his grasp, he made a dive, tackling her around the middle. She fell, and he landed on top of her.

      A mistake, he realized. He was suddenly all too aware of the soft curves beneath him, and the way his body sank into them. He was playing with fire here.

      Unaware of his reaction, she gave a laugh as she struggled free of his grasp and started to crawl away. But he was too fast for her, catching her foot and dragging her back down. When he rolled her over, she had a face full of snow.

      “Oh, you’re going to pay for that, Lockhart.” She scooped up a handful of snow.

      Reading her intentions,