Page 2 of Cozy Cabin for Two
I threw my orange and black flannel over my tee, and leaned against the brick wall to wait. With thumbs in my belt loops, I scanned the crowd for Colt, someone who might look lost, new, and out of place.
Then my heart jumped clean out of my chest.
Willow Rhodes stepped off the bus, and everything else around me disappeared. Was I seeing things?
Sheshouldn’t be standing here, looking out of place in a floral sundress so far away from California.
It was definitely her, though. Blonde locks of silk stirred in the breeze at her shoulders. Same mouth, same eyes.
Of all the damn places, she waltzed into my world. Only now, a kid stood at her side, holding onto her skirt.
I hadn’t seen Willow in over a decade, and I had never seen the child. Not in person anyway, just in photos Willow kept sending by email. The ones I didn’t ask for but read like the Bible when I was drunk enough or lonely enough to wonder what might’ve been between us.
TWO
Reunited
WILLOW SAMPSON-RHODES
I never expectedto see Ash so soon or at this bus stop. I thought we would have to somehow find our way to the ranch he worked at and surprise him there. But here he was, taller and bigger than I remembered, broader in the shoulders, with those same dark eyes that once pinned me in place with a secret I couldn’t admit out loud.
His flannel sleeves were rolled up, thick forearms crossed, expression unreadable at first. Once recognition set into his eyes, I could tell he was just as shocked as I was. Perhaps furious, too? But still with that intensity that used to unravel me.
My gaze locked with his, as if time had stopped.
Ash Rhodes. My ex-brother-in-law.
My God, I didn’t expect him to be so breathtakinglygorgeous. Way back when, he had been the hottest guy in Golden Springs, and Scott a very close second. But while Scott was the sweet boy-next-door, Ash charmed with a wilder nature.
Here he stood, older now, worn, guarded. Like life hadn’t gone easy on him.
Everything suddenly got very real about my recent life decision to uproot my daughter and travel here.
“Willow?” His voice hit me, rougher than I remembered.
“Ash.” I swallowed, stepping forward with a wobble on the crutches. Stupid ankle. I hadn’t planned on looking this pathetic in front of him.
“What are you doing here?” he clipped, storming over.
“I got your address from your dad. We needed to get out of California for a while.”
His eyes dropped to my ankle brace, and for a second, something cracked in his armor. Concern? Or pity? I wasn’t sure which stung more.
“This is Rosie, your niece,” I added quickly, trying to pull my sanity back into place. “Rosie, this is your Uncle Ash.”
She crossed her arms. “You can call me Ro, not Rosie. Is this the man who never wrote you back, Mom?”
“Er—I guess I am.” Ash rubbed the back of his neck. Awkward.
“Rosie,” I warned, with a sheepish grin.
She shoved her hand out between them. He shook it gingerly as if she’d break. Then she asked, “Can we go to the ranch now?”
“Uh, what?” He gaped at her, clearly never having read my latest emails.
“If it’s too much, we can find a hotel until I get us a short-term rental,” I blurted, disappointed, scanning the buildings around us as if a Holiday Inn might pop up beside the bus station.
His forehead creased as if weighing a dozen invisible burdens and options until finally his hardened face softened.
