Josiah wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. A faint memory of holding someone else echoed through his mind, someone who always carried the scene of some exotic, dangerous, sun-soaked land, and even though she never spoke of it, he could always figure some things out but despite even his tactical genius, he could never quite solve the puzzle that was this woman, and he shook his head to clear his mind of the not-memory.

He held her like that for a silent minute or two longer before squeezing her hand, and then he began to pull her out of the front room. "Come on. I might as well give you your present now before I'm pelted with snowballs in reminder all day."