Page 7 of The Marrying Kind
He groaned as he called out to her again. “CJ,” he said in a warning tone. “Be serious.”
She took a few steps back and planted her hands on the bar in front of me. “Austen is the best. You have nothing to worry about if you decide to stay with him.”
I looked between each of them for a moment and then smiled. “Thank you, CJ.”
She nodded and sauntered to the other end of the bar.
Austen looked at me expectantly. “So, shall we head to my place?” He seemed way too happy, like he’d just won a prize.
Honestly, the attention only made me feel good, though. How long had it been since a mega-hottie with a freaking dimple gave me this kind of attention? Too long. Never? I wasn’t sure.
“Why do you care?” I asked, narrowing my eyes in a final test. When his smile twitched slightly, I added, “I mean, maybe I’m better off just going home. My bucket-list trip is not off to a great start. This could be a sign.”
He shrugged. “Maybe so, but unless you plan on driving through the night, you’ll need somewhere warm to stay. Come to my place for the night, and you can sneak out first thing in the morning if you want.”
I thought it over, but he was right. One of the reasons I’d picked this town was because I’d wanted to see what it was like up in the mountains, but that also meant I’d need to drive at least three hours to get back down the mountain to find another hotel. Not that it was many miles, but the steep, winding roads meant it would be a slow-moving prospect.
Since it was already dark out and a light snow was falling, I had to hedge my bet.
Either call around and find the nearest hotel, then drive down a slippery mountain road in the dark, or take the offer of lodging from this friendly stranger.
My decision was made.
• • •
As I followed Austen up the winding mountain road to an even higher and more remote location than Velma’s Tavern had been, I made a mental note to add to my bucket list.
Number 100: Stay the night with a stranger.
After all, if I was going to have a set of weird and wacky experiences, I was sure as heck going to both list them and cross them off.
It gave me a sense of pleasure being able to cross an item off my list. Seeing things checked off. Experiences completed. Memories made.
Though, judging by the desolate-looking place Austen was leading us to, I was reconsidering whether I needed to change the item toget killed in the woods.This place was seriously creepy at night. Hauntingly beautiful, sure, but also a little terrifying.
When he finally turned into a gravel driveway leading to a cheery-looking A-frame cabin that was all lit up, I sighed in relief. There weren’t any claw marks on the doors, or bloody handprints in sight, no corpses hanging from trees. So far, so good.
I laughed to myself as I shifted the car in park. If this wasn’t adventure, I didn’t know what was.
I grabbed my bag and met Austen at the door as he was turning the key in the lock. When it swung open, a waft of sexy-smelling man hit my nostrils. Like leather and eucalyptus.
“Home sweet home,” he said as he stepped inside, and I followed.
He flipped a switch on the wall and the whole place lit up. It was an open floor plan, so I could take it all in at once. The modern kitchen with black stone countertops and warm gray cabinets, the plush cream-colored couch with its deep-set cushions and thick tweed fabric, a wood-burning stove in the middle of the space.
It was cozy and tasteful. Even his decor was on point, from the heavy wooden plane propeller that hung over the tall windows to the tray of candles on the coffee table that was made from an old wooden wagon.
“This is incredible,” I murmured, marveling as I followed him inside.
“It’s nothing massive, but it suits me. My brother Noah likes to nag me about how small it is.”
“Seems big enough for one person,” I said.
“Exactly. And if that changes down the road, I can always add on.”
“Did you build this yourself?” I asked, wondering what it would be like to know how to turn trees into beautiful homes.
Austen motioned to the couch, and I joined him. He leaned forward to light a few of the candles.
