Part 2
******
The sun reached through the window and touched them both and they stirred out of sleep. Josh's arm had snuck around her middle during the night and her body had reached back and molded to his.
She stretched, arching her back into him with a slight moan. "Morning," she said, her voice husky with sleep.
"That's just mean," he muttered, covering his eyes with one hand as he rolled back onto his side.
"Hm?" she asked, rolling over towards him and draping one arm across his chest.
He chuckled to himself, amused with her ignorance of self. "You're mean," he said softly, dipping his head to place a gentle kiss on her head.
"I am," she asked, snuggling her head into his shoulder.
"You're cuddling with me."
"I am. "
"Why are you doing that?"
"I don't work for you anymore," she muttered with a grin as her eyes finally opened. "'Morning."
"Morning," he replied, smiling at her, his dimples in full force.
"You cold?"
He nodded. "Damned Cheeseland snow," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck in an attempt to work out the kinks that had formed over night.
"I'll go see if there's hot water- we can take nice warm showers and then go outside and see how much snow there is." She shifted and kneeled next to him. She stretched and yawned again, her thermal shirt snuck up on her stomach, a few inches of skin showing.
Josh reached over, gripping the fabric with his fingers and allowing the back of his hand to rest on the exposed skin longer than necessary. His motion caught her eye. "You were gonna flash me there, slim," he said, tugging the fabric down firmly.
She merely stared at him for a moment before a mischievous glint finally worked its way to her eye and she stood up. "I know." She sauntered out of the room.
He groaned, covering his eyes and rolling onto his side.
******
He pulled his scarf tighter around his neck as he watched her pull on the door to the shed. She nudged some snow away from the shed-door jam with her boot and gave a large pull to the door. It swung open just enough for her to squeeze through.
"Dad must have filled it before he left," she muttered, checking the gasoline reservoir on the generator. She hoisted a cord of wood from the stack on the side of the shelf and held it out the door to Josh. "Here, He-Man," she called as she picked up a cord for herself. "Help me carry this inside, will you?"
"I take back every mean farm joke I ever made to you," he said, hefting the cord with his gloved hand.
Donna chuckled and watched him struggle to balance against the weight of the wood. "Pansy," she said, reaching and taking the wood back. "Get the door?"
They trooped inside the mudroom and she set the wood down as they stripped off their layers. Donna reached over and pulled the gloves off of Josh's chilled fingers, putting them into her back pocket on one side; her own gloves on the other side.
He unwound the scarf from around her neck, draping it on the clothes peg. His fingers lingered on her check as he reached up to remove her knit cap.
She tilted her face into his touch ever so slightly before peeling off her own coat and hanging it up without further preamble. She lifted the two cords of wood and walked to the living room, piling the wood next to the hearth. She reached into her back pockets and removed both sets of gloves and she hung them carefully on the small hooks on the front of the mantle.
He wandered up behind her and, as she stood and hung their gloves side by side, he couldn't keep his arms from moving. He wrapped an arm around her from behind, pulling her flush to his body, front to back. "Is that what those hooks are for?"
She chuckled. "No. They're for stockings. But I think this is a better use for them right now."
"Stockings?"
"Yeah. Its that gentile custom of hanging socks in front of the fire to be filled with goodies," she teased, leaning back into his embrace.
"Donna?" he asked, his breathe tickling her ear.
"I hate to admit it, but I'm glad you don't work for me anymore," he whispered.
She ducked her head and nodded. "You'll survive without me."
"That's just it," he said softly, turning her towards him and moving them both parallel to the fire. "I don't have to."
A blonde eyebrow arched up in question.
"I don't have to live without you. I just have to work without you," he paused, realizing this wasn't the most enticing speech she had probably ever received. "I mean… Donna, can I take you to dinner when we break out of this ice-fortress?"
She smirked. "Ice fortress?"
"Yeah. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Of all the people to be stuck here with and of all the people to wake up cuddling with and stand in front of a fire and fall in love with, I think you're definitely my top pick," he said quickly. "But still, this isn't at all romantic and it isn't… woo-worthy. I want to woo you," he said, his dimples peaking out.
"You want to woo me?"
"I'd like to try."
She smiled. "I think this is a very good start. This whole conversation is actually a little knee-weakening. I have to admit."
"Feeling jelly legged?" Josh asked, nudging the back of her knee with his own. Her legs buckled a bit and she leaned into him to regain her balance.
"Josh?" Donna asked, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heart beat beneath her ear. "I'm glad I don't work for you, too," she whispered, one hand next to her head on his chest and the other around, resting lightly on his waist.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I don't cuddle my bosses."
"That's good to know. I'll try to curb my jealousy of Will then."
"You're jealous of Will?"
"I am."
"Why's that? I mean.. granted, he's got great arms, but…he's not -"
"Your type?" Josh finished, cutting her off. "He definitely is, Donnatella. He's a gomer!"
"He is not. In fact, Joshua, you used to like him!" Donna lightly corrected. "But- if you had let me finish, I would have said he's not you, Josh."
"Oh, well…that's just cliché."
"It is, you're right," she chuckled. "But still a little bit true."
He leaned back and tipped her head up at him. "I really want to kiss you right now," he said with a tiny grin.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," he nodded and then leaned forward and hugged her tighter, her head resting on his chest again.
"Um, Josh, you kinda forgot to kiss me right there."
"I did not forget. I'm just procrastinating to heighten the mood," he lied.
"Also known as chickening out," she said pushing him away and leaning up, quickly, and lightly pecking his lips. "Chickenshit," Donna muttered, walking into the kitchen with a shake of her head.
******
