Page 22 of Cozy Cabin for Two
I didn’t hesitate. “If you’ll let me, yeah. I want to be here for you two.” I followed her into the kitchen, admiring her ass sashaying nicely in a pair of leggings. They called to me to rip them off her body. That was the only troublesome part of showing up for Ro, managing my attraction to her mother.
“Why don’t you come to town with me? I can show you around a bit. Take a break from these four walls.” I must have practiced asking that a hundred times in the mirror this morning.
I didn’t realize Ro was already there, drinking a glass of juice. “Mom needs that. She keeps saying she has cabin fever.” She eagerly took the bag and dug a pancake out.
“Not thatyourcabin isn’t a nice place to be,” Willow eyed me sheepishly.
“Oh. Who told you?” I asked.
“Daisy mentioned it. Why didn’t you saysomething? I feel bad that we’ve taken up your space. We never meant to impose upon you like this.”
“You can stop right there. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“But you have every right to be here. This is your place. You should take the bed and I’ll take the couch until I find us somewhere else?—”
“No. Stop it. You’re here, and that’s final. Not another word about it. The Boss’s orders.” I must have scared Ro with my stern, militant voice, the way her eyes doubled in size.
“Oh, bringing out the big boss, huh?” Willow teased, then sighed. “Well, can you at least tell Eldon we don’t need the pancakes? I prefer Ro have something a little healthier to eat in the mornings.”
“What are you talking about? Chocolate chips are totally brain food.” I took half of a pancake out of the bag and bit off nearly the entire thing, then winked at Ro, who clearly agreed with me judging by the chocolate in her toothy grin.
“You’re going to spoil her rotten.” Willow shook her head over a mug of coffee.
“That’s what uncles are for. Hey, Ro, should I have Marshmallow saddled up and ready to ride after school for you?”
“Of course.” She didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Case in point,” Willow argued. “Ro, before you can ride, you will get your homework done first.” She had the last word, like a mother in charge, which I completely respected.
As we drove to town,the view of Willow wearing my flannel shirt over her leggings—the burnt orange one I gave her Sunday night—made it hard for me to breathe. She was a vision with her golden hair up in a bun again, the graceful lines of her neck screaming for me to kiss there. And that’s where I’d better stop before I sprouted full wood in my pants.
We cracked the windows open to let in a little crisp mountain air and rolled past the landscape in shades of gold and green to the tunes on Cat Country radio.
“Big change from California, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Ro loves it. I can see it in the way she talks about school, about Eli and the horses. She told me last night she enjoys going to sleep without hearing city noise outside her window. She’s happier here.”
There was something wistful in her voice that made me glance over at her. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you happier?”
“I’m working on it.” She shifted and took me in then. I had to do a double take—my hands tightened on the steering wheel from the intensity in her eyes. The temptation to pull over and take her in my arms overwhelmed me.
We crested the hill that looked down into the valley, where the town spread out below us. As we passed through, I pointed out shops and mentioned people I’d met since living here.
I parked in front of the bank and walked around to her side, offering my hand to help her out. The current swept warmly between her palm and mine. From the way her breath caught, she felt it too.
“I shouldn’t take more than an hour with my errands. Why don’t you explore the shops? Maybe find something for you and Ro.” I pulled my wallet from my back pocket and extracted some cash.
“Ash, I can’t take your money?—”
“I’ve done nothing but save it over the years. About time I had someone to spend it on,” I said, the words spilling out as if I’d claimed her.
From the way she stared, I could see her wrestling with her pride and independence. Two things I would never take away from her. She’d worked hard all theseyears with little support for her and Ro, and if anything, I just wanted to make life easier for her. Finally she nodded, tucking the bills into her purse.
“Thanks. I’ll pay you back. Now that my ankle is better and once the open house is done, I’ll need to find a job.”
