Page 68 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
23
One thing was instantly clear as Dahlia followed JJ into the small shed tucked in the woods directly behind the cabin.
She’d worn the wrong shoes.
Her ankle booties slid in the snow for the fifth time as she stopped in the doorway. She wanted to help, but maybe JJ had a point when he’d suggested she get changed into something more appropriate.
At least she wasn’t wearing her work clothes—she would have arrived back in New York too late to make it to the office today. But she was dressed in her normal New York clothes, and while these booties worked well enough for the occasional trek to the subway, they were definitely not meant to be trudging through several feet of snow.
“Why don’t you start hauling this stack into the cabin?” JJ said as he reached for some rough logs piled high in the corner. “I’ll chop some more just in case.”
In case… what? They had to stay here even longer than two days? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. It was taking all her willpower not to give in to the urge to cry.
She was not a crier, so she wouldn’t cave. But she was seriously starting to wonder if she’d done something to offend this state. She didn’t exactly consider herself a lucky person to begin with, but being trappedhere? Withhim? Inthis?
She glanced around her as JJ stacked some logs in her outstretched arms.
All right, fine, sothiswas actually really kind of incredible. Not even an impending storm could take away from the natural beauty everywhere she turned.
But even so, she had places to be. And a cabin in the middle of nowhere was not one of them.
She brought in the stack and took a minute to change into better boots. When she headed back to the shed for another load, she caught sight of JJ. The way she tripped and stumbled had nothing to do with the boots and everything to do with the fact that JJ was chopping wood.
JJ. Chopping wood.
Her brain came to a screeching halt at the sight. His hair was being held out of his face with a cap, and the way he moved was all natural athleticism. She’d only ever seen him wearing heavy jackets or flannel shirts, like he was now. But if there’d ever been any doubt before that what lay beneath was all muscle, it was gone. Men who moved the way JJ was right now had six-packs and rippled torsos. Dahlia was convinced of this… and she couldn’t help picturing what JJ’s body looked like beneath his layers.
She clamped her mouth shut when it started to water.
Giving her head a shake, she tipped her chin back, watching as the clouds rolled in overhead.
She would be staying at this cabin alone. With JJ. She shook her head again as she addressed God directly. “Is this punishment? Am I being punished?”
“Dahlia?” JJ’s voice had her straightening. He’d paused in chopping and was watching her with a curious frown. “You all right?”
“Oh, uh…” She started walking toward the shed quickly. “Fine. I’m fine.”
She was not fine.
It would be awkward enough spending a night alone with JJ in a one-room cabin. If she couldn’t get over this ridiculous attraction, it would only be a hundred times more awkward.
“Just stop thinking about him,” she whispered in a scolding tone as she gathered another armful of wood. “You are not a teenager,” she reminded herself as she took another load inside and stacked it. “You know better.”
She continued her pep talk through the next couple trips back and forth to the shed, each time studiously ignoring JJ and his ax skills as she passed.
“He’s not even your type,” she grumbled as she finished stacking the last of her load.
“What was that?”
With a squeak of surprise, Dahlia spun around to see JJ shaking snow off his boots as he came inside.
“Nothing,” she said a little too quickly. Standing, she brushed some dirt off her hands. “What’s next? Want me to take inventory in the kitchen? Or—”
“Actually,” he cut in, “it looks like the snow will be on us any minute now. If there’s anyone you want to call, now’s the time.”
She nodded. “Right. Good thinking.”
Was her dread obvious? It felt like it was seeping out of her skin like sweat. Her insides kept twisting and churning as she mentally rehearsed what she’d say. All the while, JJ was bundling her up for the walk. “Are those the only boots you have?”
