Page 4 of Cozy Cabin for Two
“Ash and I are no strangers to tension,” she said on a breathy chuckle. Fuck, what was that scent she wore? Honeysuckle? It bowled me over.
She sat like a vision I never thought I’d see again.Pale hair wild around her shoulders, reminding me of the way it used to fly when she’d ride her bike over to study with Scott after school. Perfect for my hands to run through if I would let them. And too much temptation considering how the woman used to exist only in my deeply forbidden thoughts.
Colt gave her a sideways glance. “I take it you and Ash know each other well?”
“You could say that. He was my brother-in-law.My husband passed away.” She answered matter-of-factly, while inside I cringed. “I haven’t seen or heard from Ash in years, despite my attempts to reach out.”
I grunted again. “You’re not going to let that go, are you?” I grumbled.
“Hm. When somebody does someone wrong, they usually apologize. So, no. Not letting it go yet.” Willow crossed her arms.
Damn. Same spitfire, same pouty mouth I’d like to kiss.
I sighed through my nose and tried to shake it off. “How’d you get that injury, anyway?”
Her eyes flicked down to Ro, the two of them exchanging glances.
“The same night I got laid off, I slipped off a curb carrying groceries into our apartment.Just a severe ankle sprain. Seemed like the last straw in a long line of things not going our way.”
My mouth twitched. “Still clumsy, huh?”
Her head snapped toward me. “Excuse me?”
“You don’t remember slipping in the cafeteria and dumping your lunch tray on the cheer captain—on spaghetti day? And what about the time you fell asleep in church and knocked over a full rack of hymnals during your father’s sermon?”
“You did that in Grandpa’s church? You never told me,” Ro gasped and glanced between us like she wasn’t sure who to believe.
She couldn’t be more like the spitting image of my brother if she tried. That might even be Scott’s old 49ers’ ball cap she wore, barely hiding dirty blond strands of stringy hair.
Willow narrowed her eyes to slits. “Well, now that you’ll be spending time with your uncle, who apparently is a walking archive of my most embarrassing teenage moments, he can fill you in.”
Ro perked up. “You know a lot about my mom?”
“Some people you never forget,” I admitted.
The cab went still as if the air itself was holding its breath, and I caught Willow’s eyes. As if no time had passed, the attraction between us unmistakably brewed beneath the surface.
“Almost there.” I blinked and broke the moment, reverting my attention to the road.
This shouldn’t be happening. She was my sister-in-law. The love of my brother’s brief life. From the day he was born, I was his protector from Dad, and from the world. Then we met Willow.
It became clear Scott had wanted her from the start. So I avoided her and eventually left home and never looked back just so he would have her to himself without me getting in the way. She was too good for me, and perfect for him. I never expected to see her again.
Finally, the trees opened up ahead, and the dirt road crested over a small hill. The ranch came into view ahead of us, wild and beautiful.
Lush prairies flanked either side of a rambling river, the banks dotted with pockets of pines. Tall grasses swayed in the breeze, and horses and cattle grazed lazily among them. A frosted mountain range framed it all, the tops fringed with fall snow.
“Look at all the horses,” Ro cried and pointed excitedly at one of the front fields bordered by a white fence. Every color and type dotted the herd from large to small.
“Welcome to the Off-DutyRescue Ranch,” I announced, and sat straighter with pride at the view of the place I now called home.
I sentColt off to find Knox. He’d get the new guy squared away in the bunkhouse. Meanwhile, I watched Willow and Ro take over my cabin.
They toured the interior. The light-blonde logs and huge windows filled the space with a bright ambiance. The furnishings were simple, minimal, but nice and new, in shades of blue and brown.For a guy like me, I think I did alright at filling this place with all the comforts of a home.
Rosie ran around, checking it all out, from the great room to the loft upstairs.
“I've got dibs on this space up here,” she called down from the railing above.
