Page 6 of Snowed in with the Enemy

The mayor. That aligned with Nix's claim. Damn. While there was always resistance when news of a resort broke, this felt different. This wasn't just about change—this was about transforming the town's very identity.

I sat weighing my options, though not about the resort. That ship had sailed—everything was in place to break ground after the holidays. No, my choices were between enduring the company of a woman who clearly loathed me or attempting to reach town. On foot.

I pushed away from the table and peered out the window overlooking her expansive backyard. Expansive and completely buried in snow. The view had transformed into a solid wall of white. I wasn't going anywhere.

Not for hours. Probably not until tomorrow.

I selected a book from her shelf and settled onto the sofa, diving into a psychological thriller that caught me off guard. I'd pegged Nix as strictly a romance reader, but clearly I'd misjudged her as thoroughly as she had me. I couldn't recall the last time I'd read anything besides financial reports, blueprints,environmental studies, and contractor bids. I was actually enjoying myself.

Was being the operative word, because a hundred pages later, Nix reappeared, thundering down the stairs and brushing past me without acknowledgment. In the kitchen, she clattered around until I heard silverware clinking. I investigated. "What smells amazing?"

She whirled to face me, scowling. "Dinner. Beef stew in the slow cooker and fresh bread on the table," she indicated the red and black machine on the counter and the basket centerpiece, right beside my empty bottle. "Help yourself, but clean up after—I'm not your maid."

I suppressed a smile. Nix might have a fiery spirit, but her kindness showed through despite herself.

"What? Why are you smirking like that?" Her eyes sharpened as she jabbed a finger at me. "What?"

"Nothing. Just appreciating your kindness—opening your home to a stranger and not throwing me out even after learning who I am. Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever." She waved it off, but I caught the blush staining her cheeks.

"Think we can share a meal without you insulting me?"

"Without insults? Unlikely." She worried her bottom lip, drawing my gaze and stoking an inner heat. "But maybe we could discuss something besides your monstr—your business?"

"I accept your terms."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

I laughed. Sparring with her was the most entertainment I'd had in ages.

Far too long, in fact.

"Thank you," I said after a weighted pause, then rose to serve myself a bowl of what promised to be exceptional homemade stew.

Chapter 5

Nix

The guestroom door creaked open. "You can sleep in here." I gestured inside, trying not to think about how close this gorgeous jerk would be to my bedroom. "The linens are clean but they aren't one million thread count. The pillows are new and fluffy though. Bathroom's across the hall."

The knowledge that he'd be sleeping just feet from my room wasn't as unappealing as it should've been, considering who he was and what he planned to do to Holiday Grove. That realization made my tone sharper than necessary.

"Your Army brother isn't going to storm in here in the middle of the night and torture me, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "I can neither confirm nor deny that, but considering how far from home he probably is and the weather outside, it's unlikely." Though that would've been hilarious.

"Well, I guess that's good enough. Thank you, Nix. I'll find a way to repay your kindness. I promise."

The urge to tell him to scrap his resort sat heavy on my tongue, but the past few hours hadn't been terrible. "Not necessary. It's what we do in Holiday Grove."

"Still."

"Good night, Lee." It was past ten o'clock, hours past my usual bedtime. Despite having the enemy at the other end of the hall, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

Too bad my peaceful sleep didn't last. My teeth chattered so violently they woke me up. The bedroom air bit at my exposed skin, somehow making me even colder. "What is going on?" I spent a full minute huddled under the blankets, giving myself a mental pep talk. "It's just a little cold. Go check the furnace."

I threw off my covers and fumbled for my slippers, finding them icy but better than the wooden floor. Without stopping for my robe, I rushed into the hallway and down the stairs toward the furnace at the back of the house. I knew every inch of this place—I'd grown up here, lived here most of my life. Managing in the dark should've been simple.

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