Page 20 of Between a Rock and a Hard Cowboy

“About what topic?” he continued, not letting up.

She raised her gaze to shoot him a glare. “What’s with all the questions?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Just trying to figure out if you really are a hacker who works on the dark web like Poppy thinks you are.”

His deadpan expression made her think he might not be kidding. He’d hit on the truth, so she forced a laugh, shook her head and said, “What? That’s Poppy for you.”

He cocked a brow. “Mm-hm.”

Time for some offense. “What did you do in the Army? You see a lot of action?”

Now he outright laughed. “Good one.”

“Good one what?” she asked

“You didn’t want to answer my questions so you asked something you knew I wouldn’t want to talk about to shut me up.”

“What? That sounds like some kind of crazy psychological warfare that I wouldn’t know anything about. Real SpecOps type stuff. Something someone would learn in Special Forces. Or Delta. Not little old me.”

He leveled a stare on her. She could see him chewing on the inside of his lip. That was a tell if ever she saw one. The details about Linc’s service were few and far between. The few times—very few—that it had come up in conversation around the family, no one revealed any real details about it, which had made her wonder.

“So, uh, once we knock out those ornaments, we’re done?” he asked.

It looked like she might have been right in her guess. Maybe he hadn’t been regular Army. Either way, the topic seemed to have shut down his inquisition of her. That was the goal so she was happy.

“Yup. Then you won’t have to see me again until we’re getting the food ready.”

“Sounds good.” He nodded.

“Yes, it does,” she agreed.

That clock sounded again, doing a whole long song and dance followed by eight slow bongs. Eight o’clock.

It was getting late. Not for her. She was usually up well past eleven. Usually closer to one. But Linc was up with the sun for the cows. Or horses. Or whatever.

“I should probably get going. We can finish up another day.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think you’re going anywhere. At least not in that car with those tires.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you looked outside? It’s probably over four inches now and still falling hard.”

That much? Maybe she should look outside. But if there was one thing New Yorkers knew how to do, it was drive in the snow.

She dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. “I’m used to snow. Upstate New York. Remember?”

He nodded. “The town plow your snow up there?”

“Yes. And they salt or sand the roads too.”

“On Roan Mountain we’re not going to see a town snowplow for hours yet. And on the Wilder property, no snow is getting cleared until Ethan gets his ass outside and hooks the plow up to his truck. With Poppy warming his bed now, you think that’s going to be before morning?” Linc asked.

Her eyes widened. “So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying there are clean sheets on the bed in the guest room and a new toothbrush in the closet. You’re tall enough, you’ll fit in a pair of my sweatpants and I’ve got plenty of shirts for you to borrow to sleep in.”

She shook her head. This was not happening. A whole night, here, alone with Linc. “No. I can’t stay.”

---