Chapter 6
Tex
She was huddled up at my kitchen table, sipping a mug of hot tea.
Chloe looked like a lost elf in her winter coat. She had a flush of red on her cheeks from the cold.
“It’s cozy in here,” she said as she looked around.
That wasn’t how I’d describe the place. It was utilitarian and functional. But I did keep it warm. I spent enough time outside in the winter that I liked being warm when I was home.
I’d looked up the road conditions map online for Arkansas. The map showed too many red, purple, and blue lines. That was for ice, snow and slush. Already there were multiple accidents reported where people had slid off the roads.
The woman sitting across from me didn’t know it yet, but there was no way in hell I was letting her leave tonight. Even if that meant she’d have to stay here with me.
And with the size of the storm we were anticipating, I didn’t know if the roads would clear up enough by tomorrow for her to leave. I was estimating my place would be snowed in for at least two days, potentially more. Which would put her here in my cabin through Christmas morning at a minimum.
Mountain folk don’t play with safety. We know when it’s safe to be out and when it’s not.
She took another sip of her tea, and I had time to notice how threadbare her coat looked. Not that I was into fashion. The faded color and tiny stains didn’t bother me. But the worn patches did. That coat looked like it should have been retired a few years ago.
And where was her scarf? Her gloves? Her hat?
She should know better than to drive through the Ozark Mountains in the winter without basic winter gear in place.
“Have you lived in Fernwood your whole life?” I asked, kicking myself even as the words left my mouth.
I shouldn’t be trying to get to know her better. Women were wicked, and they liked to toy with men’s hearts. They were like cats teasing their dinner before eating it.
She shook her head. “No. I moved here for… well, for something that didn’t pan out. And then I didn’t have the money to leave, so I became a transplant. I like Arkansas, though. And Fernwood is… nice. Although it’s gotten pretty expensive in recent years. It’s hard to—”
Chloe stopped talking and barked out a laugh. “Well, you don’t want to hear my life story.”
Actually, I did.
“Why’d you move to Fernwood?” It was like I couldn’t help digging deeper.
Her eyes skittered to mine, an anxious flush on her cheeks. “You know…”
“I most definitely don’t.”
She sighed. “It was an online relationship. Todd was my dream man online. He checked every box. Turned out he wasn’t my dream after all. I’m just lucky I got out before we married or had kids. Love can be confusing at times, and I think hearts can lead a person astray.”
She was pragmatic, like me.
“I agree with that. Women and men don’t cohabitate well. Not in the long run. It’s best to steer clear.”
She winced and took another sip of her tea. “I guess you’ve been burned before.”
I laughed. It was a harsh sound, nothing funny about it. “Enough times that I don’t believe in love anymore. Or destiny. Or fate.”
A ripple of emotion flashed across her face. “Mm. That makes you smarter than most people.”
Chloe was almost at the end of her tea. She would try to leave after that. It was time to level with her.
“Look. I checked the road conditions. It’s getting bad out there. I can’t let you leave tonight. You’ll have to stay here.”
“With you?!”
“Yup.”
“I-I-I can’t! I have a shift in the morning at the diner, and you’re a stranger. I don’t even know your name!”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like I’m a serial killer.”
She pursed her lips. “I don’t think you’re a serial killer. Don’t be silly. But the roads aren’t that bad. They won’t be bad until later. If I leave now, I can get home before dark.”
“It gets dark in twenty minutes. There’s no way you can make it back to Fernwood that fast. And the roads are already icing up.”
Chloe shook her head and stood. “Well, delaying isn’t helping anything. Thanks for the tea, Santa. But I’ve got to go. The quicker I get on the road, the better the drive will be.”
I stood up too. “No. You aren’t leaving.”
She wheeled around and stared fiercely up into my eyes. Our closeness caught me by surprise, and all I wanted to do was lean down and kiss her.
With a feistiness I didn’t know she had in her, she said, “I’m a big girl, and I can handle myself. I don’t need to be saved by Santa tonight. I’ll drive slow. Twenty miles an hour. I’ll be fine.”
She was heading to my front door fast. But I got there first, right behind her, pressing the door shut with my hand as she tried to turn the knob.
“No, ma’am. You’re staying here. There have already been fifteen accidents reported between here and Fernwood. You’re not driving off the mountain on my watch.”
She whipped back around, and now we really were too close. Her pretty green eyes were stormy. “I don’t need a knight in shining armor. I need to get back to Fernwood so I can work my shift tomorrow. I’ve got bills to pay.”
Now I was the one wincing in discomfort. The words tumbled out of me before I could stop them. “How much do you get paid for a shift? I’ll give you the money.”
I couldn’t handle the idea that she might drive off the edge of the road tonight. No one should be out there tonight, even in a good vehicle. And her old sedan looked rickety as hell. I bet she didn’t even have snow tires on that thing.
The expression on her face changed. “I-I couldn’t take your money.”
“It’s a done deal. Call your boss and tell them the roads are bad, so you won’t be in. What do you get in a shift? A hundred dollars? Two hundred?”
She stuttered out, quietly this time, “But I don’t even know your name.”
Shit. I was getting in too deep with this one.
I’d successfully evaded womankind for years. And all it had taken was her hopping in my sleigh one time. Now I was lost. My heart was already leaning towards her whether I wanted it to or not.
“I’m Tex. Tex Harris. And I’m not trying to trick you into sleeping with me. I really am worried about you getting out on these roads. You don’t know the mountain the way I do. It’s not safe out there. Not tonight.”
Chloe swallowed hard.
I could tell she was thinking about it. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she said, “I’m Chloe Simmons. Nice to properly meet you. Are you sure about this?”
No. Not at all.
“Yup. Never been surer in my life.”
“And no sex. I’ll sleep on the couch,” she announced.
“Uh, there’s only one problem with that.”
“What?”
“I don’t have a couch.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she stammered out, “So we’d be sharing a bed?”
Something warm and out-of-control raced through me. A frisson of energy flew between us. We both wanted each other. Bad. That had been obvious from the first moment we’d seen each other a few weeks ago.
If we shared a bed, I wouldn’t be able to promise to keep my hands to myself. But I could damn well try.