Page 6 of Snowed in with the Mountain Man

He didn’t wait for my response, just turned and started crunching his way up the path. Not only did he take off without me, but he was walking at a very fast pace. Either he was really excited about the warmth the hot tub would offer or he couldn’t wait to get me out of my clothes.

Whatever the reason, I couldn’t pass up this call to adventure. I had to see where the day was about to take me.

5

JAKE

Ilet out a loud moan of pleasure as I sank into the warm water. It wasn’t even as cold as I expected it to be out here, but after a solid half-hour of rolling a snowball around my back yard, the chill had started getting to me.

I practically ran to my patio as soon as I dropped the idea. Caitlyn hadn’t even agreed to join me, but I’d soak alone if I had to. I wanted the warmth that much.

“Don’t peek.”

Caitlyn’s voice behind me had my heart skipping a beat. She’d stepped inside while I undressed, and until I heard her voice, I wasn’t sure if she’d come back out again. She very well could have stayed inside, warming up in my heated house, leaving me wondering whether I’d said something to scare her off.

I squeezed my eyes closed and held back a smile. No, I shouldn’t be happy about this. I should be putting that wall up and keeping it there. But that wall was slowly melting, just as that snowman would over the next few days.

I heard the light crunch of bare feet on snow. Then came the slosh of water that indicated she was climbing in.

“Can I open my eyes yet?” I asked.

“Just a second.”

More sloshing as the water tickled my chest. I felt my features relax even when I was trying to keep my guard up.

Contentment. That word rose in my brain again. For the second time in as long as I could remember, I was happy being in the moment. And both times I’d been sitting with Caitlyn doing absolutely nothing.

“You can open them now,” she said.

I didn’t know what I expected, but disappointment slammed into me as I opened my eyes and saw the water completely covered her up to her neck. The truth was, I’d been hoping to catch a glimpse of her in her underwear. Unless it was see-through or something, it would have been the same as seeing her in a two-piece bathing suit, right? So what was the big deal?

“This was a great idea,” she said, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the edge of the tub. “Exactly what I needed after the morning I had.”

Again, I found myself holding back a smile. “So you admit this has been a bad morning?”

Her eyes popped open and she looked at me, still heavy-lidded and drowsy, but also frowning. “What do you mean?”

“You always look at the bright side of things. I’ve noticed that about you.”

There was a warmth in my voice that I hadn’t meant to let show. That was how I knew this went beyond sexual attraction. I’d noticed something about her personality. I liked it. It was adorable and even admirable. I sure could use a little more positive thinking in my day.

“People always say that about me.” She rolled her eyes at a spot just to the left of my head, as though remembering something. “Pollyanna. That’s what one roommate called me. I didn’t even know what that meant. I had to look it up. Iwould just rather wake up every day counting my blessings than freaking out over things. I guess it’s a coping mechanism.”

“We all have those,” I said.

Silence. And in the silence, I wondered what she wasn’t saying. Was she thinking through what my coping mechanisms could be? No, she was probably considering her own.

“You don’t let people in,” she said, answering that question once and for all.

I dared to return my gaze to her face. She wasn’t looking at me, though. Her head was back, propped against the side of the hot tub. Her eyes were open, but she was staring toward the sky with a thoughtful expression.

Her mouth was scrunched in that way she did when she was really concentrating. I’d noticed that about her too. In fact, I’d noticed a lot of things about her. It was the kind of thing a man would do when he was falling in love.

That was ridiculous. I wasn’t falling in love. I didn’t even plan to date. Meaningless sex was the most I’d consider, and only if the woman wouldn’t get her heart broken when I walked away afterward. It had to be understood from the start that it could never be more, which was exactly why I hadn’t had sex in two years. No wonder I’d had a boner since the second I saw her.

“What makes you think that?” I asked after I’d finally absorbed her words.

“You live alone. You cross your arms over your chest a lot, and you seem like you have a wall up. That’s the best I can describe it. Am I right?”

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