Blaze of Winter: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance Read Online Free Page A

it.
    It was warm in the small room and she’d taken off her sweater, revealing her slim-cut blouse, which displayed her soft curves to perfection. She blushed under his gaze and he desperately tried not to give her body a leisurely perusal. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her.
    “May I help you with something?” she asked stiffly, twisting her pencil in her hand.
    “The Wright Read,” Theo rasped. “Is it still open?”
    Avery nodded, seemingly relieved to be asked a simple question. “Yes. The bookstore isn’t closed during winter. I think it stays open until five.”
    Theo blinked. She’d moved her head as she spoke, and that fabulous hair had swung around her shoulders, temporarily mesmerizing him. The color and luster of it were beyond description—and from him, that was saying a lot. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew outside the front window and she turned toward the sound. When she looked up, a thin stream of late-afternoon light hit her face and Theo sucked in his breath.
    Her hair was real, all right. Even her eyelashes were that same orangey color. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to step around the desk, sweep her into his arms, and bury his face in the shimmery mass. She turned back from the window to catch him staring at her. As if she could read his thoughts, she blushed more furiously, the redness suffusing her cheeks andstarting a slow creep down her neck. She crossed her arms under her chest and blinked once. “May I help you with something else?”
    “Dinner,” he croaked, his mouth suddenly dry.
    A little crinkle formed between her eyebrows before smoothing out. “I’m sure you know this already, but the LM Kitchen is open late. They have good omelets.”
    “Join me?” he asked, not intending his voice to come out so huskily.
    “I—ah—” she stammered, a fresh flush suffusing her face, finally realizing what he really wanted: a date.
    “Please,” he added. His need to know everything about her clawed at him. Suddenly, it was very important that she say yes.
    After a too-long pause, she answered. “All right.”
    It was a start. He let out the breath he’d been holding. “I’ll be down at eight to pick you up.”
    Avery simply nodded. Taking that as a sign that he should make his exit before she changed her mind, he stepped through the foyer and into the hallway, heading up the stairs to his room. She’d said yes.
    For the first time in a long time, he was actually looking forward to some good conversation. And maybe, just maybe, something more.

CHAPTER 3
    “Avie, honey, are you all right?”
    Avery turned as her Aunt Kate walked into the foyer, holding a small box filled with cleaning supplies. She couldn’t help but smile. Kathleen Everhart, her mother’s only sister, was wearing the most brightly colored head scarf Avery had ever seen—vibrant purple with shocks of fuchsia. Kate hadn’t been afraid of the chemo or of losing her hair, choosing to fight her breast cancer with the same optimism that she brought to the rest of her life. Even before she’d gone in for treatment, she’d headed to Cameron Stahl’s store, the Front Street Boutique, and special-ordered large scarves in every color of the rainbow. And she’d chosen well. As usual, Aunt Kate’s crazily patterned scarf elevated Avery’s mood considerably.
    “Much better now that you’re here.” Briefly, she thought of her own beautiful mother lying in her hospital bed, ravaged by the same breast cancer that Kate had fought successfully. Once their mom had been diagnosed, she, Kate, and Emma had gone to get tested for the BRCA gene mutations. She and Emma weren’t carriers, but Kate had turned out to have a mutation for BRCA2. That knowledge had given her the motivation to have frequent mammograms, which had definitely given her a leg up on fighting the disease when it finally manifested itself.
    Kate’s mouth formed a straight line. “Avery Eleanor Newbridge, you can’t fool me. I