Page 5 of Cozy Cabin for Two
“It has a couch up there that I bought off someone in town. Cleaned it up good. Big enough for a little girl to sleep upon, I guess. And the main bedroom and a bathroom are here for you.” I pointed to the door behind me on the main level. “Think you two will be comfortable?”
Judging by the smile on Willow’s face she approved. It meant the world to me, even though it shouldn’t have mattered.
“Yes, thank you. It’s cozy enough for two,” she said.
I choked, and cleared my throat. “Right. Cozy. There’s a stocked fridge, but let me know if you need anything else. Oh—can you cook on crutches?”
“We’ll manage,” she assured.
“I should leave you to it then,” I blurted, but at the same time she started to say, “We should talk.” We both chuckled.
“Where do you live?” She asked.
I ran a hand through my hair. “I’ll be in the bunkhouse with the guys. Do you have a phone? Let me give you my new number in case you need anything or if you spot a bear or something.”
“Bears? Cool!” Rosie ran down the stairs to join us.
“No. Not cool at all. Give me your phone,” Willow demanded, taking it from me and putting her number into it immediately.
“It’s no big deal, city girls. I’ll protect you.” I wanted to reach out and lightly ruffle Ro’s hair, same as I used to do to Scott when we were younger.But I heldback..
“Why do you call us city girls?” She giggled, her dimples appearing, definitely from the Rhodes’ side of the family.
“Because you come from California, land of too many people and palm trees,” I pointed out. “Here in the country, a lot can happen.”
“I’m glad we have a man like you to keep us safe.” Willow fluttered her lashes and, damn, wearing a prim and proper floral sundress like it was her Sunday best made me wish I could find out what womanly body she had underneath. This woman was entirely too tempting. “You didn’t have to put us up like this, but I’m grateful to you, Ash.”
“I figure if there’s a cosmic force keeping tabs, I sure as hell at least owe you a place to stay for a while. I’m sure Scott would have wanted that.”
She seemed to bristle at this, her eyes suddenly shooting at me. “We don’t want to be a burden to you. We’ll be out of your hair as soon as I can manage.”
Still stubborn as hell? “You’ll stay here as long as you need. Now, let me show you how to work the furnace. The autumn nights can get cold up here, so keep an eye on it. I’ll put some logs on the back porch if you want a fire in the fireplace.”
As I explained the thermostat dials, she stoodway too close and observed, her scent so sweet, I could eat her up right now.
She’d be the closest I had let a female get to me since I moved out here. I took on the challenge of building this ranch for Chris and didn’t let complications like relationships deter me from my mission. As a result, work had me wound up tight for months.
When I finished messing with the dials, I peered down into her lovely face and got lost. An unexpected distraction.
“Well, it’s getting late.” I backed away, remembering who she was—not mine. Scott’s.
“Yes, I’m sure we’ve taken up too much of your time for a Friday night.”
“But I want to see the horses,” Ro whined.
“No, honey. We’ll see them tomorrow,” Willow countered.
“Yeah, I should head out. Got some more work to do.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets like I didn’t know what to do with them. Do I hug her or not? What about Ro? What would an uncle do—or at least one she had never met? Talk about overwhelming.
“No date tonight?” Willow cocked her brow.
“No. Nope. Absolutely not. I mean, there’s always something to do around here. Ro, you can come up tothe barn tomorrow and I’ll introduce you around. We probably have a pony you could ride.”
“Really? Yes! I love Montana already.” Her eyes wide, she trotted off to the kitchen.
“Well, at least one of us is getting what she wanted,” Willow muttered under her breath as I walked out the door, but I caught it. What did she mean? “See you tomorrow, Ash?”
“Sure. Tomorrow.” I nodded and hurried away and drove to the bunkhouse. I didn’t relish having to put up with the guys again or explaining why my new cabin was suddenly unavailable.
