Five minutes later I was bundled into the passenger seat of Roy's Mercedes. Not the Mercedes he'd picked me up in, mind you. That had been a sleek, black limousine with style coming out of the exhaust pipe. No, this was a monster of a machine, a massive four-by-four that could crush a normal car under one wheel.

"I'll be right back." With a wink, he disappeared back into the house and reappeared a few moments later, carrying several things towards the vehicle. I started at the odd assortment of objects in his arms, and then glanced at the snowy landscape.

"This kind of weather isn't usual for these parts, is it? Why do you have a car like this?"

"You'll see." Opening the back door, he unloaded his burden on the back seat, and, looking over my shoulder, I saw for the first time clearly what he had been carrying: an old, half-burned down candle, a patchwork quilt, a small black bag, and a bottle of wine.

Okay. This date was probably not going to be in a fancy restaurant. What the heck was he up to?

"Where are we going?" I demanded as he came around the car and climbed into the front seat.

His response was to lean over and kiss me ravenously on the mouth.

Not fair! That's my patented tactic for shutting people up! How dare he steal it?

Although, now that I thought about it... maybe I would let him borrow it. Just for a while. If he continued kissing me like that.

Breaking away, he captured my face with his hands.

"Wait," he ordered. "It'll be worth it. I promise."

"Okay." The word was nothing more than a breathless whisper.

"You'll wait?"

"Yes."

"Good girl."

He twisted the key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. We shot forward, out onto the snowy road, at breakneck pace. But I had no qualms about our safety whatsoever. The car had wheels on that looked like they ate roads for breakfast, and to judge by the way Roy directed this monster with casual command, he was clearly a master driver.

Oh no, I didn't worry about our safely getting to wherever we were going. What was on my mind much more, was where exactly that was. What kind of date required a patchwork quilt, a candle and a four-by-four with off-road snow tires?

The last part of that question was answered when we veered off the main road and onto a lane that looked as if the only things using it were sheep and the occasional tractor. Snow sprayed up on both sides of the car. Roy didn't slow down a bit.

"What are you doing?" I wanted to know. "The town is that way, down the main road."

He flashed a smile at me. "I know."

"So what are we doing, driving up here?"

"Patience, Cassy, patience. You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, now, would you?"

I opened my mouth to tell him that yes, I damn well would. But he reached over and took my hand in his. An electric tingle shot up my arm at the contact. Taking advantage of my surprise, his thumb delved into my hand and found the soft skin of my palm, starting to massage and caress with infinite expertise.

I shivered.

Oh my God! If being touched by him in such a tiny, soft spot felt like this... What would a real massage from him feel like? He was a doctor. It surely wouldn't be the first time he'd given one. His strong, elegant fingers would slide over my skin with practiced ease, would take me to another place, deep in my imagination, and high up on cloud nine.

"Cassy?"

"Mmm?"

"You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, would you?"

"Mm-mmh."

"Good girl."

The conniving, sexy bastard kept his hand in mine all the way up the road—or maybe I should say path. The dirt I spied here and there through the thick blanket of snow made it seem highly doubtful that this winding track was actually paved.

We followed the winding path up into the hills, past flocks of sheep with thick winter coats and a few snow-laden trees just holding on to their last few flame-colored leaves. As we left the town behind, the world around us became quieter, and soon enough, the roaring of the engine and the thudding of my own heart were the only sounds I could hear. Outside, the snow sparkled all around us, beautiful and undisturbed.

We drove higher and higher up, towards a forest crowning the tops of several hills. The road finally ended, and we pulled up beside the trees: towering firs, their proud branches unbent by the weight of the snow.

"Let's go." Roy nodded towards the snowy landscape outside, and got out of the car. I followed, feeling more curious with every step, especially when he took all his supplies out of the car and marched off into the forest.

It was a cold, but magical world, like some frozen enchanted kingdom. The trees around me towered like a Roman temple's sacred columns, and yet had something intrinsically wild about them, a million miles away from civilization. The snow spread across the world swallowed the sound of our footsteps as if we were two mice tripling across a white sheet of paper. Our breaths formed clouds of mist, mingling in the cold, clear air. It was perfect.

Or at least it would have been, if not for my panting and cursing.

"Jesus banana bending Christ! Damn snow!"

Roy glanced at me, an amused expression on his impossibly handsome face. "I thought you were a rather fit woman?"

I glared at him. "I normally run two miles every day. But I'm used to my feet touching the ground—not sinking into it knee-deep!"

"It'll be worth it. Trust me." And he smiled at me. A smile so brilliantly radiant that all my frustration about not knowing what the heck he was up to evaporated in the cold winter air. As if feeling my mood, he took my hand, and squeezed.

"Come. It's not far anymore."

And it wasn't. Only minutes later we stepped out onto a wide, open slope, surrounded by trees. Against the forest at the top of the slope, a dune of sparkling snow had formed, and out of the dune...

"There." Roy extended his arm. "We're here."

Out of the dune rose a dark wooden tower, maybe twenty feet high. The wood had been battered by the elements for years, and several woodpeckers with homebuilding ambitions had experimented on the main posts. The thing looked extremely bedraggled, and out here smack in the middle of the wilderness, excessively pointless. I blinked, then turned to stare at Roy.

"You brought me here to show me an old belfry?" I asked, hunching my shoulders against the cold.

"Ha! No, it's not the tower I wanted to show you. Come."

Taking a stronger grip on my hand, he led me forward—directly towards the old wooden structure. More confused than ever, I followed. If it wasn't the tower he wanted me to see, why was he leading me towards it? And why did he have such a beautiful, boyish, excited grin on his face?

There was a ladder on one side of the tower. With the grace of Tarzan, he clambered up the ladder, carrying all his mysterious supplies, and then stuck his head out over the platform at the top.

"Coming?"

He extended his hand to me. Without thinking about it, I took it, and he hoisted me up, pulling me halfway up the tower before my feet even found a rung. Then his arms circled around me, and before I could protest, he had pulled me up the rest of the way. Jesus, he was strong!

"And?" he asked, smirking, holding me in the air twenty feet above the ground. "Enjoying yourself so far?"

My feet were dangling in the air, twenty feet above the ground, the only things holding me up were two strong arms around my waist. And yet, I had no fear whatsoever that I would fall. I had already fallen for him long ago.

"Yes," I breathed. "As long as you hold me like this and never let go."

"I think that can be arranged." With one fluid motion, he hoisted me over the rim of the platform and onto the tower, setting me down beside him as if I weighed no more than a doll—which wasn't the case, trust me. My regular appointment with the scales constantly assured me that I was no Barbie.

Unfolding the patchwork quilt, he spread it in one corner of the platform, against the solid wooden banister. The roof and balustrade had kept the snow out of the small space atop the tower, and so it didn't take long for him to form a small and snug nest for the two of us. Nuzzling my hair, he pulled me against him.

"Now are you going to tell me what we're here for?" I wanted to know.

He smiled that infuriatingly sexy, secretive smile again. "You'll see soon."

And he hugged me tighter against him, gracing my ear with his nose and chin. It only took two minutes up there, pressed against his hot, hard body, and every bit of cold and bad temper had left me.

"Well, I've got to admit, this is rather comfy." Pulling the patchwork quilt tighter around our shared warmth, I snuggled closer against him, smiling up at his beautiful face. "I don't see why we couldn't just do this at home, though."

That smile flashed again. "Oh, you will, soon."

We sat there for I don't know how long. It might have been hours. But pressed up against Dr. Roy Stein, with one of his strong, warm arms around me, it seemed only like minutes before I heard the noise. It was a soft noise, a light rustle, followed by a crunch, as if from a cautious foot descending on the snow.

"Ah." Roy smiled once more, and this time, it was a smile of satisfaction. "They're here."

"They?" I blinked at him in confusion, and scrambled to my knees to look over the balustrade. "Who's they?"

Is he expecting to entertain guests up here? Has he lost his marbles?

"Look for yourself." He gestured over the balustrade, and then lifted one finger to his lips. "But be quiet. They're rather shy."

Shy? Who did he invite for tea in the tower? A couple of hermits?

I peeked over the balustrade—but there was nothing. Nothing moving at all.

"I don't see anything," I hissed.

"Look over there."

His hand appeared beside me, pointing downhill. Following the direction of his outstretched finger, I caught sight of something I hadn't noticed before: another wooden construction, this one flat and open at the top. It took me a moment to realize that I was seeing a manger. An honest-to-God manger, in the middle of the snowy forest.

The moment I realized this, I saw something emerge from the snow-laden underbrush nearby—something small, black and twitching: a nose. The nose was followed by a delicately sculpted, slender head and inquisitive eyes.

I caught my breath, as a doe stepped out into the clearing.

"Dear Lord!" I breathed.

Fascinated, I watched as the doe approached the manger, cautiously putting one foot in front of the other. It leaned down, sniffing the menu that had been prepared for her, and, apparently satisfied with the talents of the chef, started to nibble and chew.

"Dear Lord!" I repeated. "That's so... so..."

My voice failed me.

"I come here to relax, whenever work at the hospital gets too much for me," Roy said casually, settling down next to me. I noticed he had the grabbed the pair of binoculars and was holding them to his face, the greedy bastard. "Nice, don't you think?"

"Give me those!" I demanded, pointing imperiously to the binoculars.

A cheeky grin spread over his face. "Not a chance in hell."

"How about I trade you for a kiss?" I suggested.

"Hm..." He tugged his lower lip, thoughtfully—then shook his head. "Nope. Sorry. Not good enough."

Outraged, I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "You're damn cheeky for a first, date, Mister!"

"Doctor," he corrected. "Doctor, not Mister. And be quiet. You're missing the best part."

"What?"

My eyes flew back to the manger, where a second deer had just entered the clearing. I held my breath. Was that a young male? Leaning forward, I squinted, trying to make out the details of the graceful, sleek-furred creature. I thought I could just make out the beginnings of antlers beginning to grow on the majestic head.

"Beautiful, isn't he?" the greedy, binoculars-monopolizing bastard beside me murmured.

I shot him a you'd-better-hand-those-over-if-you-want-a-kiss-later-glare. "Are you going to give me the binoculars now?"

His grin widened. "No."

"Please? Just for a second? Please, please, please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"No."

"You...!"

"But..."

"Yes?"

"You could just grab the second pair from the bag."

I gave him the jab in the ribs that he deserved, and scrambled for the bag. From behind me, I heard a soft chuckle. Bastard!

A beautiful, breathtaking bastard. A bastard who knew you well enough to bring you here, and brought a second pair of binoculars, just for you.

I kneeled on the patchwork quilt next to him, and lifted the binoculars to my eyes. For a while, we just watched, in wrapped silence. The deer nibbled at the corn and cast cautious glances at each other out of large, black eyes. They were almost as beautiful as his eyes.

Something cold touched my skin, and I lowered the binoculars. Looking up, more cold crystals fluttered against my face. It was snowing. Not a blizzard like yesterday, but light, soft, silent snow. The flakes sparkled in the morning sunlight, dancing a dance as old as time.

I lowered my eyes until they met Roy's. He, too, had lowered the binoculars. And he was no longer looking at the deer. He was looking at me now, with an expression so intense it made me quiver inside. For the first time, I realized how very, very close we were.

He glanced back at the manger, and with a half-smile, nodded his head towards the animals. "Look."

I looked. The two graceful creatures had stepped closer together, and were sniffing each other with interest. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Roy move closer.

"Beautiful, don't you think?" Roy asked.

"Yes."

I kept watching the deer, feeling Roy come still closer. The animals stepped closer, too, and their noses touched, almost as if in a kiss.

"I didn't mean the deer, Cassy," I heard Roy's velvet steel voice right next to me. The next moment his hand had taken a firm hold of my chin and turned me towards him. I had no choice now but to look into his deep, dark, fiery black eyes. But even if I could have looked at the center of the universe, I would not have exchanged my view.

"Beautiful," he whispered, and bent down to seal my lips with his.