Page 45 of Love on the Run

“It’s the extra stick of butter,” Jake confessed. “And by the way, don’t think I didn’t notice you swiping a few cookies while I was at the stove.”

“Yes, officer.” She rolled her eyes.

He laughed as he pulled her plate away. His rangy frame made it impossible for her to reach it. “No dinner for people who mock the law.”

“But I didn’t finish my potatoes,” she protested, falling back on her innocent pout to make him laugh.

He handed back the plate with a pretended expression of warning. “Fine. Next time, though…” He stopped suddenly, aware there probably wouldn’t be a next time that he shared a dinner with Callie. The idea took away his happy mood.

“Is something wrong?” Callie asked, noting the change.

“Nothing.”

Liar, she thought, but didn’t feel right pressing him on an answer. She tried to think of a safe topic. “You said you have marshmallows. Is that true?”

“Of course.”

“Because I was just thinking. I’ve never actually had a roasted marshmallow.”

“What?” he asked incredulously. “Never?”

“I’m a city girl, remember,” she shrugged.

“Well, I’m going to fix that,” he promised, not clarifying whether he meant the marshmallow or the city girl statement. “I’ve got a fire pit off the deck. Won’t take ten minutes to get a fire going. You hold tight.”

Jake headed outside. Callie ignored his order and took the dishes back to the kitchen. She rinsed them off and tidied up. She wanted to make herself useful.

“I thought I told you to hold tight.” Jake reappeared in the house.

“You did. I didn’t listen.”

“She’s difficult,” he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. “Fire’s going. I’m going to find the marshmallows. It’s getting nippy outside. You might want to change into jeans.”

“Okay,” Callie nodded. “I’ll be right out.”

She went up to the loft to change, and pulled out her single pair of jeans. She noticed her clothes were a bit sweaty and dusty from the hike, and she realized—after a glance in the little mirror on the wall, she was also sweaty and dusty. Determined to correct her appearance, she headed downstairs to the bathroom with her clothes. It suddenly seemed important to look like a lady.

* * * *

Jake was sitting on his heels by the firepit, poking the flames with a stick to get the fire going the way he wanted it. When he heard the door open, he looked up, and promptly forgot the fire altogether.

Callie had changed into the jeans, sure. But she had also washed the trail dust from her face and had done something to her hair so it fell in waves past her bare shoulders, the red reflecting the flames. Her top was black, a sophisticated tank edged with little jet beads that caught the light, and only thin spaghetti straps to hold it up. Together with her slim dark jeans, she looked more like a model than anything that belonged in Montana. She looked like a Calista, not a Callie. Only her bare feet gave away that she wasn’t at some Hollywood party.

“Hi,” Callie said nervously. She watched Jake, but she couldn’t read his expression. She suddenly felt presumptuous and shallow for wanting to look pretty.

“Hey,” he responded faintly. “That’s a new look.” And he couldn’t stop looking.

“It’s what was clean,” she said, playing down her choice. “I didn’t really think when I packed my bag, I guess.”

“You look nice,” he said lamely. “Why don’t you come over and sit down?”

Callie approached the fire slowly, not sure if Jake thought she was being silly. She grabbed the low wall that surrounded the area with the firepit, and sat down carefully, testing the flexibility of her right leg. Then she pulled her legs up and hooked her arms around her knees, leaving her feet to be warmed by the fire. “So, are we going to roast marshmallows?”

“We have to wait to get some embers first. Any experienced roaster knows that. If you tried to cook one now, all you’d get is a charred lump. The secret to marshmallows is the embers. And I’d like to point out I told you my secret even though you didn’t tell me about the pancakes.” He arched his eyebrow.

Callie threw her head back and laughed, making his heart jump. She was the same old Callie again. Except dazzling.

“You told me the secret to the potatoes, too.”

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