Page 28 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“How do we do that?”
“I’ll show you.” He glanced over. “If you’re interested.”
She nodded, her expression lit with curiosity as she picked up her pace to catch up with Zion. “Sure, why not?” But her steps faltered and she turned to look at the ranch house in the distance, a frown fluttering over her expression. “Maybe I should tell Rose…”
“I’ll let them know,” he said quickly. “I’ve got to text Nash about work stuff anyway.”
He was rewarded by a small, grateful smile before she turned back to the stables.
He fell behind a step, a little rattled by the wave of happiness that filled him at the thought of spending another evening with Dahlia.
He shook his head in exasperation as he pulled out his phone to text Nash.
It wasn’t like he had anything against enjoying time with a woman. It was just getting attached he wasn’t so fond of.
But it was just one night. And her stay here couldn’t last more than a couple more days tops. There was nothing to be nervous about.
He tapped out a message to Nash, letting him know that Dahlia would be having dinner at his place tonight if anyone asked.
Nash replied,Good luck.
The response made him frown as he tucked the phone away once more. If that was the sort of attitude even Nash had toward Dahlia, it was no wonder she didn’t feel welcome.
9
“All right, gentlemen.” Dahlia leaned forward over the thick wood table that took up most of the bunkhouse’s main room. Snatching up the darts Boone had tossed down, she brought them up in front of her face and fanned them out like a bouquet as she arched her brows. “Watch and learn.”
She strode over to the dartboard as Boone groaned behind her and JJ chuckled. Cody was sitting on a barstool near the dartboard, keeping score on an old chalkboard. He grinned at her. “You got this, Dahlia.”
She smiled back at him and gave him a wink. “You just want me to buy you a drink with my winnings, don’t you?”
He teasingly clasped a hand to his heart. “You wound me, Miss O’Sullivan.”
“It’s Ms. to you,” she said in her best teacher voice.
All of them were grinning like fools as she took her place. One more bull’s-eye and she’d be the winner of the night. Granted, the pot of twenty bucks wasn’t going to buy her much, but it was the principle of the matter.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the crowd goes wild,” Boone called from behind her in a sports announcer’s boom, cupping his hands around his mouth.
She shot him an arched eyebrow, and he grinned.
“Too soon?”
JJ reached over and smacked the youngster upside the head. “Let the lady concentrate.”
The lady.She smirked as she eyed the dartboard. Tonight she’d been anything but. All evening she’d been one of the boys. Talking football with Cody, teaching Boone the difference between ales and pilsners. Not to mention all the joking and laughs she’d had with JJ.
She’d been one of the guys, and it had been glorious.
Such a relief after the tension within the house.
She lifted her arm and threw.
“Bull’s-eye!” Cody jumped down from the stool, pumping his fists in the air like he’d just won and not her.
He rushed her in a tackle of a hug that swept her off her feet and made her laugh so hard tears welled.
When he set her down, Boone was on top of her as well, his arm tight around her shoulders as he hollered out that they needed to celebrate proper like.
