Page 119 of Snowed In

I’m ejected onto the cold floor the second I find the zipper. This cabin can burn in hell. What has it done to me?

Where are my pants? Sal does not need to know what happened here.

Tripping over my phone, I swipe it up in my scramble toward the dormant fireplace. Of course, it has full barsnow. I could have woken up and called someone instead of going to Lumberjack Town.

I will not think about that right now. I’m just going to get dressed and then go bury my head in the snow.

Ronny calmly buttons his pants and heads toward the door. I ignore his courteous glance at me to see if I’m ready to be exposed. My jeans are freezing, but they’re back on. Turning my back on him, I shove my feet into my boots.

“Shit, Ronny!” Sal exclaims, bringing a gust of cold air in with him. “You sure take devotion to a project to a new level. Thought I was going to find two popsicles out here!”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ronny looks uncharacteristically abashed. “I should have called it quits sooner. Thanks for checking on us. Um, about the work truck, though…”

“Saw it when I came in with the plow driver. We’ll pull it out on the way. Nothing to worry about. Just glad you two are safe.”

Safe?Try frozen and humiliated, but yeah, I guess, also safe.

“Andyou, Marshall,” Sal warns, waving his phone as he approaches.

“And mewhat?”

Slapping his phone in my hand, he gives me a grave look. “Do me a favor and call your mother. That woman is persistent. She was about to call out the National Guard until I assured her I’d make it out here.”

Mom called him? I just log-jammed Ronny in my sleep whilemy mommywas looking for me. Kill me now.

The only saving grace about the ride back into town is that Sal and Ronny drove the work truck after the county plow driver pulled it out of the snow, leaving me with the luxury of riding with the plow driver. Neither my boss nor the man I cuddled with for half the night had to hear me repeatedly reassure Mom I was alive and well.

My luck runs out, however, when the plow driver drops me at Sal’s workshop. Ronny parked right next to my car. He gets out of his truck as I approach.

Quickly scrambling into my vehicle, I turn the engine over, letting it warm up. A figure blocks the sun from my frosty driver’s side window, however, so I guess we’re doing this. Is he going to give me shit about this morning? Will he file a sexual harassment complaint against me?

Opening my door, I’m surprised by his greeting. “Want me to scrape your windows for you?”

Seriously? Where are the jokes? Where’s the dig about what I did in the sleeping bag?

“No, I’m good. I’ve got the defrost on. I’ll just give it a minute.”

Nodding, his gaze canvasses my car as he rocks back on his heels. If he’s not mentioning ‘the incident,’ then why the hell is he standing here?

“Nice to be back, huh?” he asks with a smile.

That says it all. I assume he means it’s nice to be back where he doesn’t have to swaddle me, listen to me bitch about the cold, or tolerate me dicking the shit out of him in my sleep.

“Yeah. Definitely.”

“Maybe you can still catch yourholidate.”

I knew there’d be a dig. He just can’t help himself where I’m concerned.

“Um, no. It’s too late. I had a nasty message waiting for me on my phone on the drive back.”

Frowning, he ceases his rocking. “Oh? Then he’s not someone you’d want tofakemeet your family, anyway.”

Was that… compassion? From Ronny? Granted, I know he kept me warm, but still…

“What about you?”

“No fake dates for me. I prefer the real deal, good or bad.”

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