Page 39 of Snowed In with her Mountain Men
“C’mon, it’s time to call it quits,” he said. “It’s too fucking dark, and too fucking cold. Besides, Camryn’s inside.”
I stood up a little straighter, stretching my tired spine. “She’s finally back?”
“Yeah, turns out she worked a shift at the diner. She brought food back with her, though. Groceries too.”
The sand swallowed my shovel as I pitched it downward, blade first.
“Sold.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” smiled Ryder. “Apparently she’s got something to show us, too.”
~ 21 ~
CAMRYN
The dry-erase calendar fit perfectly on the kitchen wall, centered between the fridge and the stove. It was one of those peel-and-stick kits, that came with a whole array of colorful markers.
“And what fresh hell is this?” chuckled Ryder. “Achorechart?”
I pointed back at the table, sternly. “Set your cute little ass in that chair and I’ll tell you.”
He did what he was told, but not without a cunning smile. Maybe he liked being told what to do. Or maybe he knew he had a cute ass. Either way, all three of them eventually settled into their seats, beers in hand. I took a bag from the counter and pushed it their way.
“Sliders,” I nodded, and they tore into the bag like lions. “Some dickwad ordered a dozen of them right before we closed, and never picked them up.”
I let them eat and drink for a minute, noting their general disposition. It was already fairly late. Jaxon and Oakley had just come in from outside, and were covered in mud. I could hear the roar of the machine they’d been running when I pulled up. Their square-jawed, rugged look was right up my alley, and I stared shamelessly as they shed their jackets, peeled off their flannel shirts, and stretched their tired muscles.
Ryder, on the other hand, had been home for a while. Freshly showered and shaved, I’d helped him load the boiler and restock the wood pile near the fireplace. He smelled better and better every time we passed each other, and neither of us had been shy when it came to stealing glances. Not being shy was part of my plan, though. After what the four of us had done, the last thing I wanted to do was go backwards.
“Alright, so you guys have been gracious enough to let me stay here,” I began, “and you’ve even given me a space of my own. I’ve offered to kick in for rent, and none of you will have it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t earn my keep in other ways.”
I turned around, and tapped my chart.
“I’m putting this up to show all the ways I plan to pitch in,” I said smoothly. “I can cook, I can clean, I can shop for the house, mostly on the days I’m not working. I can also run errands, if you need me to. Of course I can’t do everything all the time, but I can fill in the gaps and help out. It’s just one of the ways I can show the three of you how grateful I am to be here.”
Ryder raised his hand, like we were back in school.
“What are the other ways?”
His smirk said everything — maybe even what the others were thinking. Of course I was thinking it too, so I couldn’t really blame them.
“You need something?” I ignored him and went on. “You put it on the list. You want something done, or picked up, or dropped off? Write it down, and if it’s within my power, I’ll do it.”
Jaxon crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Oakley, however, looked even more thoughtful.
“Just like that, huh?”
I nodded and snapped the dry-erase marker into its convenient plastic holder. “Just like that.”
“Anything within your power,” he repeated.
I paused for a moment and shrugged. “Sure.”
With that he got up, popped the marker from its mooring, and removed the cap. Neatly, under the day of the week that just so happened to be today, he wrote:Sleep in Oakley’s bed.
He put the marker back and sat down, looking pleased with himself. When he finally glanced up again, his eyes were full of challenge.
“That okay?”
