Snowed In

Chapter 4

The Bed & Breakfast began serving breakfast between 6 AM and it was now approaching 9 AM. Kate had been manning the dining room while her aunt went over some papers in the home office, preparing for her trip out to the hospital where hopefully there would be good news on Uncle Herb's release soon. A family of three, Mom and Dad with a three-year-old, had just finished at Table 2. Kate collected the empty plates and placed them in the soaking bin on top of the cleaning cart. She sprayed the surface with a disinfectant and was presently bent over as she used a washcloth to wipe down the tabletop.

As she moved the cloth across the slick polyester gingham red and white tablecloth, paying special attention to where the three-year-old had been sitting, Kate couldn't stop thinking about last night's encounter with Richard freaking Castle. She'd been annoyed when she first spotted him in the kitchen. There was a sign on the swinging door that clearly indicated that no guests were allowed beyond, yet there he was.

Granted, he did look sort of adorable with his ruffled hair and the bathrobe loosely wrapped around his broad frame. And to be honest, she had felt bad that he hadn't eaten any dinner. Making him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was the least she could do, considering she had ventured out of her room to get a late-night snack.

It had been odd seeing him out of the tabloid playboy image she was used to. He'd looked… normal. Perhaps even more attractive in her eyes, but she wasn't going to think about that. No. Nope. Never. Yet… Damn. His eyes were so blue! And his charm was just so disarming. How did he do that?

Kate had to admit, he wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting. He'd seemed almost… genuine, if that was even possible for someone with his reputation. Her aunt was right about one thing when it came to the ruggedly handsome author: Nothing was as it appeared to be. And Kate—thanks in large part to her profession—knew that better than most. She could drop her preconceive notions, and give him the benefit of the doubt. Be friendly.

Okay… her Aunt Theresa was right about another thing, too: It was kind of exciting having an author stay at the BnB. And Kate would admit—to herself, at least—that she was a fan. All right… a BIG fan. She even had an account on the official Richard Castle Fan Forums where she went by the username CastleFan47, and received the monthly newsletter in her email. And while the fangirl in her was thrilled her favorite author was staying here, Kate wasn't going to let that overrule her common sense when dealing with such a man as him.

A scowl formed when she recalled the rather indecent dream from last night. Her insides warmed and her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink as her mind betrayed her, and conjured up images and scenarios that she didn't want to be thinking about in broad daylight. Nope. Definitely not.

Kate abruptly paused in her task, the washcloth halting halfway across the table surface. She was an exceedingly well-trained cop—in the top of her class at the Academy. And had gained valuable experience while out in the field during her time as a patrol officer, and even more once she advanced to detective. Her senses were sharp and inordinately honed.

She straightened her back and arched her neck to look over her shoulder, just catching him as he quickly averted his eyes. She pursed her lips, stifling a huff. Pervert. He'd been staring at her ass. However, there was still a part of her—a small part, she insisted—that was thrilled to have such power over him.

Swallowing down the bizarre mix of emotions, Kate turned around and arched an eyebrow at him.

He visibly gulped, and she suppressed a smirk of triumph.

Richard Castle took several steps into the dining hall and glanced around, noting the lack of other guests. His eyes moved back up to meet hers. "I take it I'm late for breakfast."

Kate nodded. "There's still a little bit of scrambled eggs left," she said, gesturing towards the long skinny table located up against the wall, where an assortment of heating trays held various breakfast items. It was mostly empty. She had already begun the cleanup. "But they might have gone cold."

He smiled amiably. "That's okay. I'm not that picky."

The surprise must have shown on her face, because he chuckled self-deprecatingly, and flashed her a playful wink as he sauntered past her towards the small buffet table. She frowned, her gaze following him as he took up a clean plate from the top of the stack and meticulously scooped out the remaining scrambled eggs from the tray, and the last three strips of bacon.

As if by their own accord, her eyes drifted down to admire the way his jeans seemed to hug what really was a stupendous ass. She chewed on her lower lip, idly pondering what it would feel like to dig her fingers into—She swallowed and quickly looked away, hurriedly returning to her task. Okay. Gritting her teeth, she acknowledged her own hypocrisy. She had no right to get all indignant with him leering at her while she couldn't seem to help but ogle him right back.

He did look nice though, dressed in those jeans and that blue/gray plaid-patterned flannel shirt. It made him look normal. And she found that far more attractive than the suave playboy look that usually graced the pages of tabloids.

Castle had collected his napkin and utensils, placing his plate of room temperature eggs and bacon on the nearest table, before turning back and eyeing the coffee pot sitting on an electric hot plate. He glanced back in her direction as he picked up a mug. She could feel his eyes on her, roving her lithe frame.

Kate bit her lower lip as she debated. "Wait," she called, smirking when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught him flinch at being caught staring. "There's a fresh pot in the kitchen." As an avid coffee drinker herself, she couldn't rightly let him have stale coffee with his breakfast.

Moving with purpose, and perhaps an unnecessary sway to her hips, Kate made her way into the kitchen and retrieved the freshly brewed pot. Returning to the dining hall, she found Richard Castle seated at the table, having added an extra mug, stationed at the seat opposite him. Quite presumptuous, really. Pursing her lips, and blanking her face of any emotion, she approached and poured him a fresh cup of coffee.

"Thanks," he said, lifting the mug and inhaling the rich aroma. She suppressed a grin as his brow furrowed in confusion, and he took a tentative sip. His eyes went wide in shock. "This… this is a premium South American blend."

"I brought two bags with me," she offered with a grin. "Wanted the good stuff."

He grinned back and took another sip. "This is differently the good stuff. Thank you for sharing." Placing the mug down, he gestured to the empty chair across from him. "Please… join me."

Kate bit her lower lip with indecision, but eventually relented and gracefully slipped down into the seat opposite the handsome novelist. She had some time to kill before she needed to be at the front desk to assist an elderly couple with their check out, and the family of three were going to be out for most of the day. She poured herself a mug of the special blend of coffee she'd brought from New York City. She had nothing against the blend her aunt and uncle used for the Bed & Breakfast, but Kate was particular about her coffee.

She cupped her hands around the warm ceramic and raised the mug up to inhale the rich aroma that reminded her of the city she loved. She missed the hustle and bustle.

"So, Mr. Castle, what brings you out to Strange Creek?" she asked, flicking her eyes up to watch him stabbed some scrambled eggs with his fork.

He hesitated, his eyes narrowing just a bit. "Please… call me Rick. And… um… it's complicated."

"Ah," she nodded, stifling an amused smirk as she took a sip of her coffee. "Still have writer's block?"

Castle nearly choked on his food. He picked up his coffee and took a long gulp, wincing as he swallowed. "That's like mentioning the Scottish play while in the theater."

"Sorry," she chuckled softly. "I didn't mean to pry." Liar. She did. Kate may have downplayed her excitement over Richard Castle's presence while talking with her aunt, but she really was thrilled about it, in spite of his reputation. "Force of habit."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He scooped up some more eggs and this time gave them a proper chewing. "You know," he said, talking around a mouthful, like a five-year-old. "Even cold, these are pretty good."

"Thanks."
His eyebrows rose. "You cooked them?"

"I'm not just a pretty face," she replied before she could stop herself.

Castle smiled, delighted. "Well, thank you, probably the best cold eggs I've ever had."

"If you wake up earlier, you could have them hot."

"I like things that are hot," he replied with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Kate swallowed, unable to break eye contact with him.

"So…," he drawled out, snapping them out of the moment, which she was grateful for. "We've established I'm a writer. So, what do you do when you're not helping run this charming Bed and Breakfast?"

Kate released a breath, and knitted her eyebrows together before answering. "I'm a cop. More precisely, a detective with the NYPD."

"Cool!" he enthused, grinning like a little kid on Christmas day. "I might just need to pick your brain while I'm here." He took a bite out of his bacon.

Kate blinked, surprised. That wasn't really the reaction she'd been expecting. Most men, when she told them her profession, seemed put off by it. But, considering this man's career as a famous mystery author, she really shouldn't have been too surprised by his response. Yet… she was.

"Let me guess… Vice!"

She couldn't help but laugh. "No… but close. I did work Vice for a little while."

"Well with your looks, no doubt," Castle replied, flashing her a flirty wink.

She hated it, but her cheeks flushed in response.

"So… robbery, then," he went on.

"Nope."

His eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "Homicide?"

She nodded.

"Wow! Double cool. I'm definitely going to need to pick your brain then." He leaned forward, eager. "You free for lunch?"

Kate jerked back, startled. "What!?"

"Lunch… you know, mid-day meal, usually better with company."

She opened her mouth, stunned. Was he asking her on a date? No. He was just being overly curious, as wont in his profession. Though, yeah… okay, that was a little odd, but she realized that she actually wouldn't be entirely opposed to it being a date, despite her early protestations to her aunt and her own misgivings about his reputation. He was a handsome man, and she was single. And he was handsome.

"Um… yeah, okay," she said at length. "There's a pub in town."

"Yeah, yeah," he bobbed his head enthusiastically. "I saw it on the way in."

Kate checked her wristwatch. Even while her focus was on seeing what time it was, she observed his eyes following the motion of her hand. His brow furrowed a bit as he noticed the black Omega on her wrist.

She abruptly stood. "I need to finish the cleanup. My aunt will be back soon."

"Lunch?" he questioned; his eyes hopeful.

She nodded, still agreeable to the idea, despite her reservations. "I'll meet you there around say… 1."

"Sounds good," he nodded.

Kate gathered the coffee pot and her half-filled mug, quickly putting in some distance between them. He was a distraction. One she didn't need. Liar, said a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her best friend. She ignored it. She was here to help her aunt while her uncle recovered from his heart attack, not to swoon over some ruggedly handsome mystery novelist.

Even if it was Richard freaking Castle.