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They’d reached the snowman and he let go of her hand,
looking down at her with an admiring smile. ‘Do you know
any other fancy moves like that?’
Julie knew several more. ‘No, actually, I don’t.’
Still smiling down at her, he said very softly and very
gently, ‘Then please permit me to teach you another one –’
He moved so swiftly that Julie let out a startled screech
at the same time she left the ground, propelled backward
into a pile of snow with exactly the right amount of
controlled momentum to land her, sitting up, legs sprawled
straight out in front of her, unhurt.
She gaped at him, laughing helplessly at her ignominious
flight through the air, then she got to her feet. ‘You are
really awful,’ she chided, pretending to concentrate on
brushing the snow off while she tried to think how to get
even. She turned away from him for a second, then she
turned back and gave him an innocent smile as she walked
toward him.
‘Had enough?’ he countered, grinning his hands loosely at
his sides.
‘Yep, you win. I give up.’
This time, however, Zack saw the sparkle in those
bewitching blue eyes. ‘Liar,’ he laughed when she began
slowly circling him, looking for a place to aim her body.
He turned with her, both of them laughing now - Zack
determined not to give her an opening when she charged,
Julie knowing exactly how she intended to force him to
give her one.
‘Time out,’ she laughed, stopping and pretending to fiddle
with the zipper she’d pulled down herself a minute ago.
‘No wonder I’m freezing. This zipper keeps sliding down.’
“Here.’ Zacj said with swift courtesy, exactly as Julie
had hope. ‘Let me try.’ He pulled off his right glove and
looked down at the zipper. The moment his fingers touched
the tab, Julie twisted sharply, aimed her shoulder at his
chest with all her might and plowed at him like a football
half-back. He moved aside, and Julie’s shoulder rammed
thin air with so much might that we went plowing right
past him, head down. Propelled by her own force, she
charged straight into the snow bank behind him, burying
her head in it all the way up to her shoulders.
Trying to breathe, laugh, and dig the snow off her face at
the same time, she backed out of the snow bank, turned
around, and leaned against its, while his laughing voice
remarked, ‘I’ve never seen anyone turn their own head into
a snow drill before. Interesting demonstration. Do you
think we could see the idea to a manufacturer?’
That did it. With a shriek of laughter, Julie slid down
collapsing at his feet, convulsed with laughter. Trying to
catch her breath, she looked up at his grinning face. He
was looming over her, his hand on his hips, a picture of
vastly amused male superiority. ‘When you’re ready to get
down to serious snowman business,’ he smugly informed her
with his chin thrust in the air as he walked off, ‘you—’
Julie stuck out her foot. He tripped, twisted and went
down like a felled tree. Howling with laughter, she rolled
hastily aside, scrambled to her feet, and backed out of
his reach. ‘Pride cometh before a fall –’ she reminded
him, giggling, backing further away as he got up.
He was smiling, but there was a dangerous gleam in his
eyes as he slowly, purposefully advanced on her. ‘That
does it!’ he said softly. ‘That does it.’
‘Don’t – don’t do anything you’ll regret –’ she chortled
helplessly, holding her hand out as if to fend him off as
she backed away faster. He increased his pace
dramatically. “Now, Zack –’ she laughed shakily. ‘Don’t
you dare!’ she cried, whirling to bold fro the woods as he
lunged. He brought her down with a tackle around her waist
before she took the first step, shoving her into the snow
beneath his body, then rolling her over onto her back,
straddling her at the waist. Grinning at her futile
struggles, he pinned her wrists above her head with one
hand. ‘Brat,’ he said cheerfully and softly, while Julie
laughed harder and squirmed and struggled to catch her
breath. ‘Give up?’
“Yes, yes, yes!’ she managed brokenly.
“Say ‘Uncle’.”
“Uncle!’ she chortled. ‘Uncle!’
“Now close your eyes and give me a kiss.’
Her shoulders shaking with mirth, she closed her eyes and
deliberately gave him a childish pucker. Cold, wet snow
kissed her back – a face full of it. He smashed it all
over her cheeks while she sputtered and laughed harder,
then he got up. ‘Now,’ he said, grinning like a satisfied
sultan as he held a hand out the help her up, ‘you’re sure
you’ve had enough?’
‘Enough,’ Julie laughed, belatedly noticing how boyishly
happy and relaxed he looked after what had been nothing
more meaningful than frolicking in the snow. The last
traces of tensions were gone from his handsome face, and
she felt a mixture of tenderness and amazement that
something as ordinary as a snow fight evidently gave him
so much pleasure. Of course, it didn’t snow in Los
Angeles, so maybe this was new to him. Either way, she
realized on thing. He’d been exactly right when he said to
concentrate only on enjoying the present and creating
memories for the future. It was clearly what he needed.
Zack stepped through the deep snow holding her arm for
support, his mind on the project ahead of him. ‘I assume
we cab get down to serious snowman business,’ he
announced, standing in front of the formless lump of snow
that had been her original snowman and studying it with
his hands on his waist and his back to her, ‘now that you
understand the supreme folly of provoking someone so much
larger, stronger and sewer than yourself. Since I’ve
finally gotten your proper respect, I have some very
specific ideas about this proj—’
A
huge snowball hit him disrespectfully on the back of his
head.
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