Page 67 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
She swallowed visibly. “I’m supposed to be back in the office tomorrow morning.”
He remembered the way her bosses had spoken to her. Some part of him wanted to tell her she shouldn’t care so much what they thought. That she should worry more about her own safety than what those jerks demanded of her.
But he’d never been one to judge someone else’s way of living before, and he wasn’t about to start now. She had her priorities, and his broken-down truck was messing with them.
“You’re not gonna be there, Dahlia.” He said it as gently as he could while still being firm. “I’m not gonna ask Cody to put himself in danger so you can get to work on time.”
She looked away, but not before he caught a flicker of guilt in her eyes.
“Even if he got here before the storm hit, I wouldn’t take the risk of driving you to the airport in a blizzard.”
She pressed her lips together, but then she nodded.
“I told Cody to let your sisters know where you are so no one’s worried.”
He got nervous when she didn’t speak. He’d prefer a caustic, irritated Dahlia to this quiet, unreadable silence.
He liked knowing what she was thinking, but right now he couldn’t say. “Do you, uh… do you want me to walk you up the hill so you can call someone?”
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “So, we’re going to be stuck in the cabin together for… how long?”
“Until the storm blows through. It usually only takes a day or two.”
“A day or two?” Her eyes widened, and he could have sworn he caught a hint of panic.
It was at that moment that he suddenly remembered there was only one bed in the cabin.
One.
Sure, there was a couch too, but it was a one-room cabin.
Was that why she looked so scared?
Ah heck.
“I’ll get your stuff.” He moved to the truck and took his time gathering her things and bringing them into the cabin.
She’d need some time to adjust to this new plan, and he meant to give it to her. Besides, there was plenty to do to make the cabin habitable and somewhat comfortable for their unplanned stay.
He let them both into the small space and set her luggage down beside the bed. “Feel free to change and get comfortable. I’d suggest wearing all the layers you’ve got.”
He headed for the door as she stared at him with a frown. “Where are you going?”
“Oh, well…” He fished some work gloves out of one of the drawers. “I need to turn on the electricity so we can use the bathroom and the stove. Then I was going to chop some firewood and find some kindling.”
She moved toward him as he spoke.
“There’s some food, but it’s mostly frozen or canned, so—”
“I’m coming with you.”
He blinked in surprise. She’d stopped short so close he could see the flecks of gold in her eyes. “You’re… what?”
She huffed, her shoulders going back, her chin jutting out, and her voice all no-nonsense. “I’m not just going to sit around and let you take care of everything all by yourself. Now tell me how I can help.”
He laughed. He couldn’t help it. She was adorable when she was all temperamental and irritable. But moments like this one, when she was all practical and tenacious, and ready to get her hands dirty to help out…
That was just plain sexy.
