Page 3 of Cold Snap

"It's the white box over there." I point. He crosses the kitchen in two long strides, grabs it, then sits next to me.

From the way he examines the cut and the contents of the kit, he definitely knows what he's doing. "Good – you have the right bandages so you'll have less of a scar."

I can't help but laugh, holding out my other arm to show him several similar nicks and the smudge of a long-healed burn. "I'm a cook. Hot pans and sharp knives. We end up getting pretty beaten up while we work."

I'm surprised by his grin that raises his thick eyebrows. "A tough chick? Good." His eyes meet mine. "I won't lie to you. This is going to sting."

He aims his knees toward me, pinning my hand between them as if in a vice. Gritting my teeth, I stay completely silent and try to take deep breaths as he disinfects the cut, even though the burning makes me want to scream. I also can't ignore the fact that my hand is between huge, muscular male thighs, and it's making me feel lightheaded.

"There. Done." His thick fingers move efficiently with surprising grace as he applies the bandages. He does some fancy twist with an extra outer bandage.

"Is this any time to be decorative?" I giggle.

"It adds a bit of tension to keep the edges of the skin together."

"Are you a medic or something?"

He shakes his head, then extends his hand. "I'm Baz. Sebastian Adams. Not a medic, but I own land on the other side of the mountain. There's always injured hikers. People who have no business being out in the deep wilderness because they don't have a damn clue."

His rough palm is warm against mine, as I reluctantly release his hand. "Rosa Miller. I'm the cook. And I know my place – the extent of my hiking is a thousand laps of this room every day."

His deep brown eyes light up as he puts away the first aid kit. "You made those coffee cookies this morning? Those were spectacular."

I can feel myself blushing. "Thank you. I was just trying to make you some after dinner cocktails just now…"

"Because we look like fancy men who need fancy drinks?"

My right hand reaches out to give his bicep a playful smack.I can't believe I just did that.He grins and pretends to flinch. "It's a flavor and texture thing," I explain, trying to pull myself together. "You drank heavy red wines with dinner. Whiskey on its own on top of that would be too much. But a whiskey cocktail with a bit of citrus would be a lot brighter, like an extra dessert."

He takes my hand to help me stand up and a shiver runs through me. I've already been more physically familiar with this man than any other, and we just met a couple of minutes ago.He's a guest, for goodness' sake. Get it together, girl.

"Smart thinking." His rough voice is still scratchy, but softer now. "I always respect a person who takes pride in their work."

I'm definitely blushing now. "Thank you."

He drops my hand as footsteps approach from the dining room. "Thank you so much," I call out to the back of his unbelievably massive shoulders as he strides away. He turns around just long enough to flash me a wink, then disappears.

Whoa.

I finish making the cocktails, then set them on a tray for Maya to serve. All the while, my head is spinning. That was the gruff loner? He certainly seemed friendly enough to me.

I'm sure I'm just imagining things, but he seemed… I can't think of the right word. Connected? Interested?

Impossible. No man that looks like that, all chiseled, sculpted granite and smoky eyes, would be interested in a woman with a few handfuls too much in the boob and butt departments.

But then again, I'm blonde. Maybe he wasn't looking past my hair. If he had, he'd have gone back to his books and forgotten all about me.

Though I don't know if I'll ever forget about him.

3

BAZ

Breakfast tastes incredible, as always. Yet now my mind is even more attuned to every detail. The fresh bread baked with Rosa's hands. The choices she made with every herb and spice. The freshly squeezed orange juice mixed with a touch of mango and pineapple.

I've always loved good home food, but Rosa takes it to a new level. It's not high class or fancy, it's real.

But it's more than that. It's like every choice she's made is exactly what I would have chosen if there were a list in front of me. She's not just creative, she creates food that feels like it was designed for my personal taste buds.

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