Page 27 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
Sucking in a breath, she shook her head again, crossing her arms with a shiver before stamping her feet in the snow. She was antsy and twitchy again. Struggling to just breathe and be still.
He stayed put. Silently waiting.
A hawk spread its wings above them, soaring across the sky, and JJ watched it turn and swoop. Silently waiting.
Dahlia stomped her feet some more, then uncrossed her arms and gave them a shake before sewing herself up all tight again. She gripped the big jacket sleeves and then let out a trembling sigh.
“I wish I was better at communicating, that’s all,” she muttered. He had a feeling she didn’t even mean to blurt it out, but the silence was eating at her, so she kept going. “I went in there with good intentions, but… all I ever do is repel people and make them see red… or… or make them cry! I can’t say what I need to without irritating or offending everyone around me. It’s frustrating.”
She was downplaying it, that much was clear. He had no doubt she was annoyed with herself, but it wasn’t a stretch to guess that someone had said something to her that hit a nerve.
It was the ones with the softest underbellies that grew the hardest shells and the prickliest armor.
He thought over his next words for a long while. Like him, she wouldn’t want platitudes for the sake of being nice. She spoke her mind, and she spoke the truth, and she respected the same in turn.
“I can’t speak for anyone else,” he began, “but personally, I like that you say it how it is. You don’t beat around the bush. In my humble opinion, the world needs more of that.”
She gave a rueful huff. “If that’s true, then you’re the only person who believes that.”
Looking out to the horizon, she shivered and hunched her shoulders.
“It’s only gonna get darker and colder out here.” He walked toward her. “You sure I can’t coax you back to the house?”
She sniffed and kept her eyes on the mountains in the distance. “I don’t think anyone’s that interested in seeing me return.”
“I doubt that.”
Her lips pressed together with another sniff. “I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.”
“In that case…” He moved until he was standing right in front of her. Until she was forced to see his face, and his sincerity. “You can come hang out at my place for a bit if you’d like.”
She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing with what he could only assume was suspicion.
He snickered. “I tell ya, you’re in for a treat. We’re talking darts, burnt beans, and the riveting conversation of me and Cody Swanson.”
“Kit’s brother?” she asked.
She looked intrigued but obviously didn’t want to admit it.
He fought another grin. “That’s right. He’s Kit’s younger brother. I’m guessing you’ve seen him around the ranch.”
She nodded.
“If you’re real lucky, Boone might even stop by.”
She arched a brow. “Who’s Boone?”
“Nash’s younger cousin. He’s got his heart set on becoming a rancher just like his uncle Patrick. He works at the Donahue place but comes and hangs out with the big boys sometimes.”
Dahlia’s expression relaxed, her lips playing with a little smile. “I don’t want to intrude…”
Now it was his turn to scoff. “You really think I’d invite you to our digs if I thought you’d be an imposition?”
She shrugged, and her smile grew ever so slightly. “I guess not.”
And that right there was why it paid to be honest and only say what he meant, he thought with a grin. Because when the time came, and he needed to earn a woman’s trust, she knew better than to doubt his word.
He nodded toward Zion, who was already halfway to the stables. “Come on, help me settle Zion for the night.”
