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

said, realizing Avery’s discomfiture and changing the subject, “what brings you to the Inn this afternoon?”
    “Wanted to invite you and Avery to dinner. I’m having a few friends over tonight for some good food. We’ll be playing rummy afterward. Stakes are low, but the betting is always hot.” Babs winked at her.
    Kate shot Avery a quick glance. “I’d love to join you, but Avery already has plans.”
    “Thought you just got to town, girl. Making friends already?” Babs asked, those knowing eyes seeing right through her.
    Kate coughed into her hand. “So what can I bring?”
    “Just yerself,” Babs said, turning to open the door. “I’ll see you at seven-thirty at my place.” She shut the door behind her, leaving them with a puff of wintry air.
    Kate let out a breath. “Whew. That was close. Though she’ll find out soon enough if you’re going to the Kitchen.”
    Avery was confused. “What? What was close? What’s she going to find out?”
    “Oh, nothing, dear,” Kate said, waving her hand dismissively and gathering up her box of supplies.
    “Aunt Kate,” Avery said, her hands on her hips. “You can’t just put something out there like that and then let it go. What’s going on?”
    Kate stared at the ground for a moment before raising her gaze back to Avery’s. “Babs has a—a complicated relationship with the Grayson boys. If she knew you were going out with Theo, we’d have never heard the end of it.”
    “Great.” Avery rolled her eyes. “But you think it’s a good idea.”
    “Babs and I have very different ideas about things. That’s what makes us such good friends,” Kate said with a smile.
    “Carla,” Avery said, prompting her aunt to respond to her earlier question.
    Kate shook her head. “I don’t think we need her. She knows she’s coming Christmas week, and it would probably be an inconvenience for her to change her schedule around. I’ve known Theo for years and I trust him. He’ll be fine on his own, but give him your cell phone number just in case he needs something. You can ask him tonight if he’s all right with us not being on-site.” She whirled away. “Oh, a free night! I haven’t been out in the longest time.” She stepped out of the foyer and Avery heard her footsteps disappearing down the hall.
    “Right,” Avery said to herself, wondering if Kate had been planning something like this all along.

CHAPTER 4
    At precisely eight o’clock that evening, a rough knock sounded at the door to Aunt Kate’s small house on Ashumet Avenue. Unsurprisingly, Theo had known right where to find her. Star Harbor was a small town, and in the dead of winter, it seemed more like a sleepy little fishing village than a resort destination. In the off-season, people returned to their real roots—fishing, artistry, craftsmanship—but people still got out and about to talk to one another. Apparently Theo was still tapped into the Star Harbor gossip mill.
    Avery took a deep breath, forcing her heart rate down before she opened the door. He looked exactly as she remembered. Huge. Gorgeous. Dangerous.
    He was still wearing his giant pea coat, but he’d taken off his glasses. Without them on, he was stunning, his unusual eyes glowing even more brightly. Avery hadn’t changed, but she’d put her hair up in a snug twist and had slicked on some lip gloss. He smiled as he looked at her mouth.
    “Hi,” she said warily, second-guessing her decision to put on the gloss.
    “Hey. You look great. Are you ready to go?”
    “Yes. Let me just get my coat. Why don’t you wait here while I grab it?” In a few moments she came back wearing gloves and a large, down-filled puffer jacket. His mouth slowly curled up. The jacket was twice the size of her body and she knew she looked ridiculous. “Don’t laugh,” she warned him. “I’m cold-blooded. This coat is the only thing that keeps me warm.”
    “I see.” He gave her a sly smile, his eyes crinkling slightly at the edges. He