Chapter Two
Cole
“You know this isn’t ideal for me either, right?” I lean against the back bookshelf with one arm crossed over the other as though I’m upset by the current situation.
“Please.” Tess rolls her eyes and pokes into the bakery station, pulling out a tray of banana crumble bread and a few sugar cookies. “You’re loving this.”
“A queen such as yourself would believe I live to serve her.”
“Yeah?” She tilts her head to the side and bites into a slice of the chocolate banana bread with a moan. “What amazing things did you have going on today? Last I heard, you were dodging a bounty hunter.”
“Dodging? Please. We made a deal. I’m turning myself in after Christmas.”
“Nice.” Her voice rises with sarcasm as she says, “Glad to hear how seriously everyone takes their jobs around here.”
I laugh under my breath, snagging a cookie before dropping into one of the velvet chairs beside her. “If I were in jail, who would fix the heater?”
She raises her brows and twists her long red hair to one shoulder.
“True, and Lord knows it was you that made the room so much hotter.” Her eyes roll to the side with more of that signature sarcasm that Tess loves so much.
“What’s the official charge, anyway? You steal something?
Your sister was always vague about what happened. ”
I don’t like talking about my mistakes, who does, but I figure if we’re going to be spending the night together, better to get the facts straight, though I’m not sure how to tell someone you beat the shit out of a man without saying you beat the shit out of him.
“The long and short of it, I got a little heavy handed in my explanations on how to treat a woman. He’s still alive, so I like to think I showed kindness,” I laugh. “The courts don’t agree.”
She glances toward me and then away again. “And I suppose you think you’re a hero for standing up for her?”
“Nope. Not a hero. I fucked up. It’s fair to say that if my sister walked away with some bruising, the exchange rate should not be a month in the hospital going in and out of a coma.” I glance down at my hands, tracing the callous on my left thumb. “At the time it made sense.”
She rolls her eyes, rising without a word. At the coffee stand, she pours two cups of tea and returns, setting one in front of me. “Still doesn’t make it right.”
I nod, fingers curling around the hot mug. “No, it doesn’t, which is why I’m going to jail after Christmas.”
She shakes her head again as snow falls heavy behind her. “And why is this bounty hunter being so understanding? Did your abs help get you out of this one too?”
I grin and lean back in the chair. “Nah, he started dating my sister, so he cut me a deal. It’s that or… my sparkling personality.”
Her eyes roll as she takes a sip of tea, the steam rising from the cup. “Security is horrible here. It’s part of why I’m moving back to the city. Bad stuff happens, but at least the cops are doing their job.”
“You’re moving back already? I thought you just got here.”
“Eight months ago.” Her expression stays flat as she holds the mug against her chest. “I romanticized the mountains. I blame Hallmark.”
I laugh under my breath. “Let me guess… you wanted a man in flannel who worked with his hands and kissed you under the mistletoe.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“But I’m right.”
She huffs out a sigh and glares at me with the intensity of a laser. “Is it wrong to want love? I mean, I think I’m a catch. I work hard, I roll with the punches, but damn if it isn’t hard to find a man who can handle a woman who speaks her mind.”
“Maybe you haven’t tried on enough flannel yet. How much dating did you really do up here?” I’m asking like I’m here to be helpful, but really, I’m just curious.
“Nothing serious,” she says, shrugging as she enjoys the scent rising from the red mug she’s holding.
“I was seeing a logger for a while. He was a total loner, really set in his ways. I don’t think he wanted a long-term thing.
Then, I started seeing this contractor who was really great at first, but it turns out he hated children, so…
yeah, not the Hallmark movie ending I was hoping for. ”
My gaze widens as I take a sip of tea. “Damn. That’s rough. If it helps, finding women isn’t easy either.”
She shifts in her seat and feathers her hair back in one fluid motion. “Mathematically speaking, there are far more women to go around.”
“Quality women, though?”
That comment prompts another eye roll. “Since when do men care about quality? They all want the same thing.”
“How old were the guys you dated?”
“What?” Her face turns up like I’ve overstepped.
“I’m just saying, if you were dating twenty-somethings, they were probably focused on sex. Most of them are. But… older men tend to have different motives.”
Her gaze widens, her sarcasm sharp as she says, “Wow. So you’re saying I should date older men? How much older? Should I go down to the nursing home and wheel home the husband of my dreams?”
“Hey, don’t knock it,” I laugh. “You never know.”
“Oh, I know.” Her eyes roll toward the window, green light catching in them. I let my gaze linger. She’s gorgeous. “So, are you one of those old men who have motives outside of sex?”
I grin, lifting my mug in mock salute. “My motives lately are cookies and staying out of jail. Haven’t dated in years.”
She scans my frame and scoffs. “And I’m sure you haven’t hooked up with anyone either, right?”
I flash a crooked smile. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Her eyes harden. “No, actually, I wouldn’t.”
“You asked…”
She exhales sharply and glances out the window behind me. “How do we get out of here, country boy? Doesn’t that truck of yours have twelve-wheel drive or something?”
“Try fourteen. It’s practically a spaceship, but I have this no eye roll policy in the cab,” I smirk, “if you can manage it.”
Her lips twitch, and she stands from the chair, saving the exaggerated glare for the back of my head. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Do you really want to be stuck here with me? We’re going to drive each other crazy. Plus, we can’t survive on muffins and tea, the heater isn’t working, and—”
“Come on.” I push from the chair and catch her hand in mine before she can protest.
“What?”
“Just trust me,” I say, grabbing her coat off the hook by the door. “We can make the best of this.”
I hear her grumble something from behind, but I don’t pay her words much mind. In fact, I like the sarcasm. It’s her, and deep down, I know Tess is just protecting herself.
Thing is, I think I want to protect her too.