Page 46 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“Yeah, well, I promised your sisters I’d take you out on a proper date, and where I come from, that means making sure a girl is comfortable.” He held up the box again. “So, I’m baiting your hook like a true gentleman.”
He’d meant to make her laugh. He’d been hoping for another smile. But instead he got a wide-eyed stare. “You… you promised my sisters you’d take me on a date?”
Oh.
Oh shoot.
That look on her face is not a good sign.
“Yeah, well, uh…” He adjusted the beanie on his head. “Isn’t that why you agreed to come with me today?”
Her lips grew pinched as she glanced away. “Rose said you were looking for company.”
“Yeah, well, that’s true.” He stepped closer, angling his head, trying to get her to meet his gaze. “I was hoping foryourcompany, in particular.”
She shot him a sidelong glance. There was that suspicion again, the wariness that made his insides tighten.
What he wouldn’t give to rid her of those emotions once and for all.
But he knew better than anyone that trust was earned, and it meant the most coming from those who didn’t give it easily.
That was why he opted for honesty. A straight shooter like Dahlia would appreciate the truth more than pretty words. “You see, your sister Emma—”
“Half sister,” she clipped.
“Right. Your half sister Emma won a date with me during a bachelor auction. We were raising money for the fire station, you see…”
She pursed her lips. “Okay. What does that have to do with me?”
“Well, as hard as this is to believe…” He gave a rueful grimace. “Miss Emma lost all interest in our date once Nash proposed.”
Dahlia’s lips twitched ever so slightly. “That’s not so hard to believe.”
He chuckled. “I’ve been having fun teasing Emma about it, so she and the others decided you should go on that date instead.”
She looked away, but not before he caught her flinch. “So this was just… what? A joke? A prank?”
“No, ma’am.” He crouched down on the ice in front of her chair so his head was level with hers. “This here is a date.”
Her gaze darted over to meet his, and he felt it like a collision. He swallowed hard but didn’t look away. He needed her to know he was sincere.
She didn’t speak for the longest minute, and he couldn’t help saying something.
“Well?”
She arched a brow, and he was gratified to see her pinched lips soften. “Well, what?” she snipped, her tone saucy and cute. “I’m just waiting for you to bait that hook so I can catch myself a fish.”
He dropped his head with a chuckle and set about the task at hand. “Yes, ma’am.”
15
Dahlia lost all track of time out there on the lake. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been sitting there, quietly talking, or sometimes just sitting in silence, when it happened.
She felt a tug on her rod.
Leaping up with a start, she turned to JJ. “I got one.”
He stood too, coming to her side, one arm around her waist as he helped her to keep hold of the wiggling rod while she used her free hand to reel it in.
