Page 48 of Snow River

He shrugged a shoulder, since it was undeniable that he had known.“So?”

“So maybe I’m not the only one with intuition.”

“Or maybe I knew because it’s you.Because…” Because he had feelings for her.Because if anything happened to her, he wouldn’t be okay.Because… “Can’t let anything happen to my employees,” he finished weakly.

22

Oh Bear.So strong in so many ways, and yet so cautious in others.She’d seen his face when he’d first appeared at the window.Under the glaring light of his headlamp, his face had looked caved in from worry.

Sure, he’d be worried for anyone in town.But there was an extra depth of raw fear in his eyes that she’d known right away was for her.Shemeantsomething to him.Maybe he didn’t quite know it yet.But she did.

She smiled to herself as they drove the rest of the way in silence.He didn’t want to admit yet that he cared for her.Fine—he could take his time.But she had realized something important during those dark moments in the woods.

Huddling inside the truck, with the bear poking around, probably on his way to hibernation, her heart had been flooded with yearning for the human Bear.Her feelings for him, the longing, the pull toward him, went so much deeper than anything she’d ever experienced.She couldn’t compare it to what had come before.

That meant that she didn’t know for sure that she would leave Firelight Ridge, leave him.Her fear had been about inevitably hurting him.But what if that wasn’t going to happen?How could she predict anything when it came to Bear?All she really knew was the reality of the here and now, of how much she wanted him.

At the bar, which had a big “closed for storm” sign on the door that made her giggle, he insisted on carrying her up the stairs.He set her down in his kitchen and watched as she gingerly tested all her limbs, bending, stretching, wincing now and then.He moved a finger in front of her face and watched her track it back and forth.

“Your pupils are evenly dilated,” he told her.“That’s a good sign.I don’t think you have a concussion.Where do you feel pain?”

“Mostly just my chest.”She pointed to her sternum, then touched her jaw.When she pulled her hand away, she saw dried blood flaking on her fingertip.“And my jaw.I think the edge of the seat belt cut me.”

He disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a warm washcloth.As he gently dabbed at her cut, she closed her eyes, happiness swamping the slight pain in her jaw.

Oh yes.This was the man for her.Sheknewit.Maybe she’d suspected it for a while, but now she knew it.Suddenly and irrevocably.

“It’s a small cut,” he said gruffly.“No stitches needed.I can get you a Band-Aid.”

“Okay.”Even though it was ridiculous, she liked being babied by him.She smiled at him so radiantly that he stumbled on his way to the bathroom.When he brought her back a pink Band-Aid with Snow White on it, she burst into laughter, which hurt her ribs.“Why do you have a Snow White Band-Aid?”

“I keep an assortment of Band-Aids around.Kids get scraped knees and so forth.This was the first that came to hand.You want it or not?”He waved it at her.

“Of course I do.I’ll treasure it.”She tilted her head to make it easier for him to apply.He was so gentle as he pressed it into place.How could those big fingers manage to be so precise?

She sighed.He was definitely the man for her, but that didn’t mean this was going to be easy.Just like her, he had a lot of defenses built up around him.It was a good thing that she was surprisingly persistent when something—or someone—really mattered to her.

“Do you want a bath?It takes a while for the hot water to get going, but it’s worth it.I have a nice old claw-foot tub.”

She imagined the two of them cozy and intimate in a cast iron tub, then realized it would have to be gigantic for both of them to fit, and that he hadn’t been inviting her to a joint bath.

“I heard a rumor you have a Japanese soaking tub.”

“A rumor, huh?”He shook his head.“I acquired one, yes, when Taro Matsuka traded it for my old welding kit.Still haven’t set it up, though.”

Someday, maybe, under the stars…

“I think I’d rather go right to bed, if that’s okay.”

The subtext was that she wanted to be snuggled next to him under some covers.But maybe he wouldn’t pick up on that.

“You can have my bed,” he said right away.

She’d called that one.“No, I can’t possibly take your bed away.We can share.You can pile up pillows between us if that makes you more comfortable.”

He gazed at her with dark unreadable eyes.A muscle twitched in his cheek.“Yes, I need all the protection I can get,” he said gravely.“Maybe we should both wear all our winter outdoor gear.”

“I suppose, but I don’t usually like to sleep with a lot of clothes on,” she teased.“I prefer to sleep naked generally.”

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