Page 18 of Clashing Moon

She flushed and looked away. “I suppose there’s no other way. Feet to head?”

“Impossible. I’m too big. We’re going to have to spoon it up.” I kept my tone light, hoping to make the whole situation less awkward.

“Spoon it up? Really?” She rolled her eyes, but her mouth had curved into a half smile.

“I’m just kidding. You take the cot. I’ll sleep on the floor near the woodstove and use my jacket for warmth.”

“Thank you. That’s very generous of you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m pretty sure I have some new toothbrushes in the bathroom. I’ll take a look.”

“Great.”

She didn’t say anything else, just went into the bathroom and rummaged around for a moment before returning with a toothbrush still in its package and a small tube of toothpaste, the type they sent you home in the goody bag after getting your teeth cleaned. “I brought these up from the last time I went to the dentist.”

I took them from her and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I did my business and brushed my teeth. The mirror over the sink was old and dark around the edges from the desilverizing process, but I could still see myself well enough. I was working on a good five-o’clock shadow by thispoint. My eyes were bloodshot, and the end of my nose was red from the chilly cabin. Not that it mattered. It wasn’t as if I was trying to impress my nemesis.

Whatdidshe see when she looked at me?

I certainly didn’t see her the same way I had when we were kids. She’d grown into such a lovely woman. It was amazing she was single. Of course, like me, there weren’t that many prospects in Bluefern, or she might have married already.

Anyway, none of that mattered. I wasn’t interested in Arabella Collins. I didn’t even like her.

Yes, you do.

Fine. Seeing her vulnerabilities today had started to change my mind about her. Plus, she’d impressed me. Getting us to the cabin in that storm had not been easy.

I went back into the main room. To my surprise, she’d opened a bottle of wine and brought two canning jars to the table.

“Where did you find this?” I asked, picking up the bottle to look at the label. It was a decent red from California.

“It was in a box I brought up last time I was here. I’d almost forgotten about it. Don’t judge. Vodka and now this. I know. The place is stuffed with booze.”

“No judgment here. Although I just brushed my teeth.”

“Yeah, but you can brush them again.” She smiled before pouring us each a generous amount.

“If you insist.” I sat gingerly on the cot, hoping it wouldn’t collapse under my weight, but it held up just fine. “Come sit next to me? We’ll be warmer together.”

She did so, bringing our jars of wine with her. We settled in with our backs against the wall.

“This is great,” I said. “I mean, considering.”

“It’s not bad. Considering.”

“Did you ever bring a boy up here?” I asked.

She laughed. “A boy? Are you kidding? My dad would have killed me. Not that a boy would have wanted to be up here with me anyway.”

This boy does now.

Where had that thought come from?

She’d taken her thick brown hair out of its ponytail, and it now cascaded about her shoulders in a very becoming fashion. “You look nice with your hair down.”

“Thanks. I keep it back for work, but my head starts to ache by the end of the day.”

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