Page 11 of Shielded Hearts

“So what is this place we’re going to? Some kind of resort?”

An excited thrill fluttered in her stomach. “Let me read the description to you.” She pulled her phone out of her designer handbag and flipped to the notes she kept on her destination.

“Nestled in the heart of the wilderness, thisauthenticrustic cabin offers a truly off-grid experience for its guests. Doesn’t that sound charming?”

He grunted in response.

She didn’t expect him to be impressed.Nothingseemed to impress this man.

She continued reading. “Enjoy a weathered wood exterior, vintage furnishings and a woodburning fire. The outdoor shower and stunning vista of the mountain will leave guests wanting to return again and again.” She bounced a little in her seat. “Plus it says there’s a soaker tub.”

Holding up the phone for Colt to see, she flipped through several photos, which he glanced at before returning his attention to the road.

“Rustic, you say?”

She bristled at his condescending tone. “Rustic can mean charming.”

“Or just shy of condemned.” His hard lips twitched. He actually had very nice lips, like a particular actor who did action movies.

Why was she noticing that?

She blew out a breath of exasperation through her nose. “You don’t know this business. In fact, what is your business?”

“My family has the ranch and several other businesses. I jump around where I’m needed.”

“How nice for you to be so flexible.” That was her way of saying that she wasn’t impressed by his lack of direction, but he didn’t rise to her veiled taunt.

“You’re going to this place sight unseen, based off a few grainy photos that look about twenty years old.”

“Nooo.” She dragged out the syllable to give him time to catch up, since he seemed a little dim. “The owner simply tried to enlarge the photos. They’re pixelated.”

“Or they’re trying to hide the fact it hasn’t been cleaned in a decade.”

She rolled her eyes to the dark ceiling and struggled not to rise tohistaunt. “I’ll decide whether or not the property is right for my clientele. Just drive, please.”

“You got it.” His soft tone stroked against her senses, catching her off guard. She wrapped her arms around herself, and Colt tracked the move. “Cold? You can adjust the heat.”

“Maybe a little.” She reached for the dial and boosted the temperature by a couple degrees, but that didn’t stop goosebumps from breaking out on her arms.

She prided herself on being intelligent, but when he agreed to drive her to Montana, she hadn’t given much thought as towhathewould do once they got there. It was late. Dawn was hours away. Did he expect to share the cabin with her?

She worried over the possibilities for the rest of the drive. When they bumped onto a pitted lane, she grabbed the handle over the window to keep from being thrown out of her seat.

“Driveway’s a little rough,” Colt remarked.

The headlights panned over the front of the cabin. Aspen’s eyes rounded as she stared at what was indeed a weathered wood exterior.

In this case, “weathered” meant that it appeared to have seen better days.

She shrugged off the tenth blip in her plans that day.

When Colt parked the truck, she climbed out carefully, careful of her high heels and recalling how she’d almost broken an ankle back at the Black Heart Ranch. The Malones’ ranch was a working ranch, and while she knew his brother Oaks had enough money to afford her services and a high-end vacation, they didn’t pour money into paving the long driveway.

This place didn’t appear to have even that level of upkeep.

“Looks rustic all right.” Colt’s drawl had her inwardly groaning.

She slammed the door. As she approached a sagging flight of steps, she noted how the roof sagged in the same shape as the wood steps. A layer of snow clung to the flat portion projecting over the front door.

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