Chapter Four
C olt was accustomed to country life. Back roads and potholes were the norm. But the noise of gravel crunching under the truck tires was the first bad sign.
“Didn’t you say this was a paved driveway?”
Aspen glanced down at her phone, reading the description of the second cabin they were visiting. “It does say paved driveway.”
“Paved with gravel, looks like.”
The bone-rattling ascent to the property had her bouncing in the seat. They hit a jarring rut that rocketed her forward. She grabbed on to the console to steady herself.
“The driveway could use a little work before I’d book any guests.”
He had a bad feeling about this cabin. After the last, he realized that owners who listed these places as vacation stays didn’t give a damn about anything but money in their pockets.
By the time they reached the small cabin carved into the side of the mountain, the sun was dipping low, emphasizing the jagged peaks in the distance.
He rolled to a stop in front of the structure that looked more like a cold, gray box in Siberia.
“Wow.”
She snapped her head to look at him. “People make the exteriors of their homes look a little rundown so they pay less taxes on them. The inside is probably very nice.”
He shook his head. Nothing about this place looked warm, inviting or remotely comfortable. Unless all of Aspen’s clients loved the Cold War aesthetic, they weren’t choosing this as a destination.
He rolled his shoulders, stiff from driving, and studied the front. A second look revealed that the cabin had once been painted red, but now it was peeling, exposing gray, weathered wood beneath.
The wind struck in a hard gust on the north-facing cabin, a shutter swinging back and forth like a broken wing.
“Rustic charm? Check.”
“Are you always so negative? Give it a chance, Colt.” She climbed out of the truck. Those white boots only a city girl would wear in the mountains were sure to be caked in brown muck by the time she reached the front door.
He hurried to intercept her. “Let me go in first.”
“Oh okay, big man.”
He threw her a look. “When was the last time anybody checked out this place? There could be a family of raccoons living inside.”
She let out a small squeak and jumped behind him.
His chest rumbled in a silent chuckle as he located the key she told him was hidden under the moldy mat and opened the door. Feeling along the wall, he located a switch and flipped it on.
“At least there’s electricity.”
Her soft sigh of relief sounded behind him. “It feels warmer in here. The heat’s running.”
Colt explored the front room, head swinging right and left.
“You’re not looking for raccoons, are you?”
He paused, throwing out his hearing. “Do you hear something beeping?”
Their gazes met as they both listened hard.
He took off into the bedroom. A quick sweep of the space showed a bed that was in better condition than the one in the last cabin as well, but the old carpet wasn’t something Aspen would want to curl her bare toes into.
He almost bumped into her coming out of the room.
“How is it?”
“You’re going to want to wear boots to bed, but I didn’t find the source of the alarm.”
Her eyes darted past him to the bedroom. Then she wrinkled her nose in the most adorable way.
As he passed by a closed door, he automatically slid his hand to his spine where he kept his sidearm. Aspen let out a gasp.
“What are you doing!”
“I don’t trust closed doors.” He grasped the old handle and twisted. Pushing the door inward, he shot a look around. No one was in the room, but he did find the source of the beeping.
“The carbon monoxide detector is going off. Get out, princess—now!”
She whirled in a cloud of curls and shot to the front door. He rushed out behind her and slammed the door.
“Get in the truck. On the way down the mountain, you can call the owner and let him know what’s happening.”
They slammed their doors at the same moment. He started the engine while she dialed the owner.
The call went to voicemail, so Aspen left a message detailing what they found upon entering the cabin.
As the truck bumped down the rutted driveway, she gripped the seat with both hands and silently weathered the latest storm all the way to the main road, where it was smoother.
“What now?” he asked her.
“Don’t worry. I have reservations at a third place.” She recited the address.
He stopped at an intersection and took a moment to punch the address into his phone. One look at the exterior on the photo and he groaned. “I have a bad feeling about this. Do we want to risk it?”
Stare glued to her phone screen, she sank her teeth into her bottom lip and nibbled. “I don’t know. But I have a new problem.”
“Worse than someone stealing firewood or poisonous gas?”
“So much worse.”
“What the hell could be worse?”
“A billionaire just contacted me. He needs a retreat booked ASAP.”
He gaped at her. “If that’s worse than being gassed in a dilapidated cabin, you have your priorities all wrong.”
“You don’t understand—this is my career. My livelihood .”
He wanted to bring up the fact that she traveled by private jet and likely didn’t need a job. But he didn’t know her situation and held his tongue.
“I was afraid this would happen. After talking to him a little bit, I knew what he was looking for. I also knew I didn’t have any places that would suit him. It’s why I was taking time to search for new places to add to my portfolio.”
“Okay, so what do you need?”
She leaned forward to peer up at the sky. “Will I have uninterrupted phone service? I need to start searching for places that are open on such short notice.”
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing back up the mountain. “I think that place is open. You want to set your billionaire up here?”
“Hell no.”
He held back a chuckle. Coming from a woman wearing white pants and boots, not to mention a sweater that was probably hand-knitted by Scottish grandmothers from the finest lambswool harvested by monks, her use of profanity amused him every time.
He studied her profile for a moment. Her rounded cheek had a few small freckles spattered across it. A small nose added to her soft appearance. And those pouty lips she occasionally nibbled while in thought weren’t things Colt should be noticing.
But he did.
At that moment, she twisted her head and pierced him in her gaze, catching him staring at her.
“Are you still trying to decide where we’re going next?” she asked.
“I can tell you one thing—it’s not going to be this cabin.” He held up his phone, flashing the photo of the front. He wasn’t risking another one of her cabins.
“I’ll call my flight crew. Maybe the plane’s ready.”
He nodded and sat back, waiting for her to place the call. After a few moments, she had her answer. By the slump of her shoulders, it wasn’t the news she wanted to hear either.
With a shake of her head, she lowered the phone from her ear. “They’re having trouble finding the right part. It’s being shipped in.”
“I have a plan.”
“What kind of plan?”
“I know a place.”
“You just know a place?”
This was his vacation. He had a right to enjoy it in a place that wasn’t going to give him a disease or kill him.
“It may be an alternative for you. One that will be up to billionaire standards.”
“Where is this place?”
He sent her a hint of a smile. “I’m no travel concierge , but I know a better place than any of the ones you’ve come up with so far.”
* * * * *
The soft glow of Aspen’s phone screen was starting to blur, and her eyes burned with fatigue. After searching for cozy yet romantic retreats for her client… Well, she hadn’t come up totally emptyhanded.
But she was a little shaken by the last two hideous cabin failures.
She looked up from the screen, aware that her temples were throbbing to the thrum of the truck tires on asphalt. “My brain is starting to melt. I need to take a break.”
Colt sat like a statue behind the wheel, hardly moving or speaking over the past hour they’d been driving.
“Where are we going anyway?” Curiosity bubbled inside her. The Black Heart Ranch was well-kept, which took money. But she couldn’t imagine Colt would know a good place if it jumped up and bit him.
As they passed a gas station lit like a fluorescent oasis, he slowed and then rolled through the parking lot. Instead of stopping at the pumps, he parked in front of the convenience store.
He eased the truck into park. “You hungry?”
She stared at the front of the building. “I don’t see a restaurant.”
“This is a travel concierge gas station.”
Narrowing her eyes on him, she attempted a glare while battling a laugh. She twisted her head before he could catch her being amused.
“You like hot dogs?”
She wrinkled her nose. “As much as corned beef.”
His gaze traveled over her face, lingering on her lips before lifting back to her eyes.
“Surprise me.” She waved a hand and went back to scrolling for elite properties off the beaten path for her client’s next getaway. She had so much work to do if she was going to keep this client happy. Pleasing people like this billionaire would only help her business remain at the top.
When the truck doors locked, she realized Colt had locked her inside.
A little tingle sparked through her. Her mind jumped to that moment back in the cabin when he reached into his waistband and put his hand on a weapon she didn’t know he was carrying.
It all made sense—the SEAL in him was a protector by nature and prepared to face down any danger. It was hot. Very hot.
If she had to be stuck with a stranger traveling through the mountains, she was glad it was a man who had her safety in mind.
Not to mention his looks. Did she say he was hot?
She stared through the big wall of windows, watching Colt interact with the clerk at the counter. Whatever he said made her laugh and toss her head in a ripple of blonde hair.
So Colt Malone wasn’t always broody.
The pair chatted for a minute while the clerk moved around behind the counter, out of Aspen’s sight.
When he accepted a bag and a box the clerk pushed across the counter, he paid and exited the store. He unlocked the truck doors and slid behind the wheel, thrusting a box at Aspen as he did.
She stared at the red and white box. “Pizza?”
“Not just any pizza. See here? Famous Pizza from the Romano brothers.” He tapped a finger on the box over the name.
“I see. Are we planning to eat in the truck?”
“Yup. Hand me a slice, princess.”
The box rested on her thighs, making her aware that grease was probably soaking into her white pants.
She lifted the lid and looked at the pizza. Oily pools gleamed on the sauce and cheese. It was speckled with about ten different kinds of meat.
“Hope you like meat lovers. Drinks are in the bag.”
She didn’t, but it had been a long time since the dry granola bar she had for breakfast. She was starving.
She started to reach into the box and stopped. “Did you get napkins?”
He popped the console and reached inside, pulling out a thick wad of napkins collected from different drive-thrus. She was surprised that small town Colt lived in even had a restaurant, let alone one with a drive-thru.
She took the whole stack from him. A small packet fell out, right onto the pizza.
With a groan, she looked down.
“Uh.”
“Oh damn. Sorry. Forgot that was in there.” He reached over and plucked a condom off the pizza. He used a napkin to wipe it off before dropping it back into the console and shutting the lid as if nothing at all happened.
Aspen shook her head and picked up a slice of pizza for him. He took it, folding it in half lengthwise and gulping it down in four big bites.
Apparently, the man did get around enough to carry condoms in his truck. He was good-looking— hot —and she imagined women swooned over him.
“You looked friendly with the clerk.” She lifted a slice to her own lips. As soon as the flavors hit her tastebuds, she swallowed back a moan. Gas station pizza wasn’t supposed to be good.
Maybe the Romano brothers know their stuff.
“Let me grab another slice.” He flipped open the box lid and helped himself while she waited for a response to her statement. None came.
“Well? Did you know that woman?”
He paused mid-bite. “What woman?”
“The clerk!”
He grunted. “That’s not a woman. That’s a young girl.”
Aspen straightened. At least he had standards. But that made her wonder how old he was. Maybe Aspen was a lot older than he was.
Who gave a damn?
“Can I ask how old you are?”
“I’m thirty-three. How old are you?”
Normally she’d give some coy answer that a lady never shared her age, but it was only fair since he’d told her.
“I just turned thirty. I spent my birthday in Paris.”
What a birthday it had been too. A milestone she always thought she’d spend with loved ones had been spent entirely alone. She almost hadn’t even taken the trip, but her dear friend’s words echoed in her head. Your mother would want you to enjoy your special day. Celebrate life.
Suddenly, the pizza felt stuck in her throat, and she barely managed to swallow the lump along with her food.
She had to get out of her own head if she was going to survive what was turning out to be the second longest day of her life.
Colt reached for a third slice. “Well, happy birthday, princess.”
Her throat thickened. He had no way of knowing that he was the first and only person to wish her happy birthday this year. He probably didn’t think it was a big deal to say it since he had a big family. After doing some checking into the Malones, she knew they were a large bunch with several siblings she’d seen at the weddings.
Been in photos with.
She inwardly groaned but her pizza went down a little easier. After they finished their meal, Colt took the empty box to the trash can outside the store.
Aspen snuck a look at the console. What else did he have in there? He carried a concealed weapon in his jeans and condoms in his truck.
He returned before she could steal a peek. Soon they were on the road.
After a short drive, he took a turn. A sign flashed past her vision.
She twisted in her seat. “Did that sign say airport?”
“Yup. Private.”
She blinked at him.
“I know a guy.”
Ten minutes later, they were parked and had their luggage in hand. Colt ushered her across the tarmac to a private jet. This couldn’t be happening. He had connections? Why hadn’t he told her that in the first place?
As they approached the aircraft, the pilot nodded at them in greeting. “Colt.”
“Ashford.”
“Make yourselves comfortable. We’ll be taking off for California in a few minutes.”
Aspen spun on Colt. “California?”
“Yup.”
“Are you trying to dump me?”
His lips usually just twitched, but this time both sides eased upward into a real smile. “Nope.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”