Page 6 of Saving Her Curves

“Uh, sure.” Automatically, her hand went up to touch the cut. He caught it with one of his and held it for what she considered a moment longer than necessary before releasing it.

“Don’t want to risk infection.” Gently he pushed her hair back from her forehead, his fingers tangling painlessly in the half-dried strands. “That doesn’t look as bad as I thought it was going to be. Head wounds tend to bleed a lot.”

“Mmm,” she said, her attention focused solely on the feel of his fingers against her scalp. She could see the dark stubble on his cheeks at this close range and immediately wondered what it would feel like against her breasts. Quickly, she changed that train of thought. “It burned like the dickens when I washed my hair.”

He stepped back, releasing her. “Let’s eat,” he said, waiting for her to get settled before taking the seat beside her. “I don’t think it needs stitches or even steri-strips, but we’ll keep an eye on it. Here,” he pushed a bowl toward her, “you need to eat.”

For the next several moments, there was silence in the cabin as they ate the chili. He seemed to devour his and was up for another helping before she was halfway through with hers. She couldn’t fault that. It was some of the best she’d ever had and he was a big man. Watching him covertly from beneath her lashes as he rounded the island, she murmured appreciatively beneath her breath. He was indeed a very fine-looking, big man. His firm backside filled out the pants he was wearing to perfection and the front…

Was it wrong to wish he would get a slight boo-boo so that she could examine him?

“Do you want more?”

“What?” Skye’s spoon stopped half-way to her mouth.

“Do you want some more chili?”

“Yes, please.” She laid down her spoon and handed him her bowl. “I’m sorry to have disturbed your evening.”

“You didn’t. I get called in whenever I’m needed. Kind of a 24/7 type job. It’s no big deal.”

He shrugged his shoulders, making her focus on their size. He had to stand at least six-foot-three, if not more. She was barely five-five and it felt like he towered over her.

It wasn’t at all a bad feeling.

“Huh,” she snorted, “it’s no big deal to be called out in the middle of a blizzard, when you could be warm and snug in front of a blazing fire.”

While she’d been in the shower, he’d lit a fire in the big stone fireplace and that, along with the heat pump that was still working, made the cabin a cozy nest. One, she thought looking at her rescuer that she wasn’t sorry she’d been led to.

“So, why did I have to come out and rescue you?” He took a bite of his food before continuing. “I know you said a deer ran out in front of you, but what were you doing on this road in this kind of weather?”

“I’m not really sure. I thought I was turning onto the road leading to my house. I’m still getting to know the area. And, quite frankly,” she gave him a huge smile, “I didn’t know you were my neighbor.”

“Same here.” He returned her smile and her heart did a little flip-flop. “But I don’t think we’re next-door neighbors. I bet you live on Wild Grove.”

“Yep. I’m guessing I passed it up. I was concentrating on the snow and making sure I stayed on the road instead of counting the turn-offs.”

“The further up the mountain you go, the more rugged and steep the roads become. You have to be careful, but it’s a beautiful place to live. How long have you been in Middleton?” He knew he would have remembered seeing her if she’d been in town very long. Granted, he didn’t get out much and he was certainly no bar binger like Logan, one of his chiefs. Not that Logan bar hopped much anymore since he’d gotten married and settled down last year. Hank mostly went to work and spent his time hiking. He lived a solitary life and he liked it.

At least he had until a few hours ago.

“Just a few months, in fact. I opened a store in town. It’s called Skye’s the Limit.”

“The new one by the diner?”

“Yeah, you know it? I don’t think you’ve ever been in.”

“No. No, I haven’t, but I’ve heard some of the guys’ wives talking about it. I think I remember them saying that you make jewelry and carry a lot of hand-made items.”

“Yep,” Skye nodded, pleased that he knew about her at least. “I usually just go to fairs and festivals and sell through my on-line store, but lately, I’ve wanted to, you know, settle down someplace. I was on my way home from Wyoming from a show today. I decided to settle in one place and see if I could make a go of a brick-and-mortar place.”

“How’d you come to pick Middleton?”

She grinned sheepishly. “Actually, I got the idea from a brochure I saw about the hiking trails. Not that I hike much, but I figured there would be quite a bit of tourist foot traffic.”

Hank nodded his head. “Yeah, there’s that alright. Almost year round now. That’s why the town council decided to expand the search and rescue team. More people in town equals more people getting lost.”

She pushed her empty bowl aside and rested her elbows on the table. “So, how did you choose Middleton?”

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