IM BACKKKKKK lol finally
Beau slinked into the living room a short while later, clothing changed. "Get your coat on. We're going out."
I looked up from my book and blinked from my corner of the couch. Then I looked out the window. The unusual snow continued, coming down outside in big, fat flakes. Like any Texan face-to-face with snow, my instinct was to burrow indoors. "We're going out? Why?"
"We're going to do something romantic. To make today special. I told you I'd make this special for you, and I plan on keeping my word." He sounded irritated. Well, gee, this was an auspicious beginning.
"Sure," I said, tucking the book aside and slipping on my new sneakers. "We can go out."
He was there in moments, handing me a brandnew jacket and jamming a knit cap over my head. I'd fixed my hair in two pigtailed braids to keep it off my neck, and I probably looked thirteen under the cap. But I allowed him to help me dress-in his mood it probably wasn't wise to stop him-and followed him as he headed into the front of the house.
A picnic basket was parked by the door. I glanced out the window again. Still snowing, quite heavily.
I looked back at the picnic basket and frowned. Did Beau really expect to have a picnic outside? But I jerked on my gloves and followed him out as he picked up the basket.
Beau wasn't wearing a jacket-I guess the cold didn't affect him like it did me. He wore a light flannel shirt and raked his hand through his hair, staring at his surroundings.
I paused behind him. "What are you looking for?"
"Nothing," he said tersely and began to plow through the fresh snow, heading to the woods.
This was going to be so much fun. I shut the door behind me and followed after him, zipping up my jacket.
We trudged through the snow in silence. If it hadn't been so windy, it might have actually been quite pretty outside. The snow was falling and the woods were blanketed in white, mixed with the evergreens in the distance. I was also cheered to see that we were sticking to the clear, open areas.
If my companion hadn't been so tightly wound, it might have been a bit of an adventure. If you ignored the blood and the finger from last night, of course. I couldn't help but be a bit nervous today, even in broad daylight.
"Just ahead," Beau barked at me, and I trotted after him. My sneakers didn't exactly keep out the snow, and my socks were getting wet. More fun by the minute.
I nearly ran into Beau's broad back when he slammed to a halt, and I placed my hands on his waist to steady myself.
He jumped away as if burned. "I'll get set up."
I eyed him with frustration, then gave up. We'd stopped at the banks of a creek that cut through the trees. Frost and snow lined the muddy banks, and the icy water trickled delicately over rocks. It was very pretty.
I turned to look at Beau, who had thrown a red blanket onto the snow. A red, heart-shaped blanket, and now he was unloading the rest of the picnic basket.
What. The. Heck.
"Come sit down," he said. He must have realized how grumpy that sounded, because a grudging "Please" followed it.
I sat down on one side of the heart, trying to ignore how cold I was. A picnic on a heart-shaped blanket was very sweet. Judging from the jagged edges of the fabric, he'd cut the blanket himself. Though, at the moment, I wished I could wrap it around me.
Beau pulled out chocolate-covered strawberries, champagne, and a pair of flutes. He popped the cork and began to pour the liquid with the grim, methodical look of a man on a mission.
