Chapter Nine
Dallas
The scent of grilled meat and sauteed veggies hits me when I emerge from the bathroom. My mouth waters as I stand in front of the fireplace. I hear the sound of cracking eggs and wonder what she’s making, but after my cold shower, getting warm takes priority over my curiosity.
A few minutes later, Marti is scooping food onto plates. A lot of food.
When she notices I’m in the room, she sets them on the table and sighs. “Cell service is down again.”
“Damn. I thought we’d have it longer.”
“You probably should have called whoever before your shower.”
I sit at the table. “Nobody to call.”
I feel her staring at me. She wants to ask me something but doesn’t.
Brunch is incredible. She made hash out of the leftover steak and potato. And the omelets, let’s just say my taste buds are exploding. I shovel another bite in. “What did you put in these?”
“I found a can of crab meat. I hope you weren’t saving it for a special occasion.”
I don’t bother telling her there will be no more of those. I just compliment her culinary skills and enjoy my meal.
“Can you try and climb the cell tower?” she asks.
One glance out the window confirms it’s still snowing. “Not in this weather. Besides, with more snow expected, it would be wasted energy since it’ll most likely go out again.”
“I understand that. But Asher suggested calling the authorities to let them know you’re running out of propane. That would make getting to us more of a priority.”
I set down my fork, maybe a little harder than I intended. “Asher?”
The strangest feeling runs through my body. I have an inkling about what it is, but I don’t like it. I don’t like it one goddamn bit.
“My brother,” she explains.
I ignore the fleeting feeling and say, “We’re not going to freeze, Marti.” I nod to the fireplace that can also serve as a stove. “I have a shit ton of wood. The cabin is small, so it’ll stay warm enough. We can cook. And I have plenty of food.”
“It’ll spoil.”
“It’s freezing outside. It won’t spoil. I have some coolers. We can use snow to keep everything cold.”
“Or just keep the food outside.”
I laugh. She knows nothing about this area. Or camping, apparently. “That’s a great way to attract bears.”
She slumps over until her head meets the table next to her plate. “Great. As if I needed anything else to stress over.”
“Listen, this isn’t my first rodeo. I ran out of propane about eighteen months ago. It was March and an ice storm came through. I was fine then, and we’ll be fine now. I’m very capable of keeping you alive.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I wince. The voice in my head tells me I should know better than to make promises I might not be able to keep.
“Oh, shit,” I say, a second thought occurring.
She looks up, concerned. “What is it?”
“Abe. The only other guy who lives out here. I should check on him.” I scold myself for not thinking of it before now.
“Wait. There’s another guy who lives out here? And you’re just telling me this now? He could have a vehicle that could get me out of here.” She stands, hands on her hips as she glares at me, and huffs out that all-too-familiar irritated sigh. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get my stuff and go.”
I scoop another bite of food into my mouth. “Sit down.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Marti, Abe Miller is ancient. He’s got to be eighty-five or ninety years old. And believe me, his truck will not get you out of here. It may be as old as he is.” I shake my head. “Damn, I should have called to check on him before I took a shower.”
I glance at Marti, knowing the reason I didn’t make the call. I’ve been… distracted.
“He has cell service too?” Her puzzled expression turns into a glare. “Oh, my god, why didn’t you say anything? Maybe his is still working.” She sneers at my blasé attitude. Then she actually puts a hand under one of my armpits and tries to make me stand.
I shrug her away. “Calm the fuck down, woman.”
She steps back and glares daggers at me. “Dallas Montana, did your mother teach you any manners at all? You don’t ever tell a woman to calm down. And you certainly don’t tell one to calm the fuck down.”
“You do when she’s acting all crazy like you are now.” I motion to her half-eaten plate of food. “Finish your meal and I’ll tell you about Abe.” She doesn’t move a muscle. She’s nothing if not determined. “Fine, look, Abe’s tower is my tower. When I bought this place, his was the only other cabin around. I made sure the tower was erected an equal distance between us. Then I bought the old guy a cell phone.”
Her face visibly softens. Then she sits, almost reluctantly, as if following my instructions means she’s admitting defeat.
She takes a bite, then says, “I suppose that was a very nice thing for you to do.”
I try not to smile, because that might be the closest thing to a compliment to come out of her mouth since we met.
“I’ll go check on him after we eat.”
“How far away is he?”
I point west with my fork. “About three miles that way.”
“That’s not bad. I’ll go too.”
“Not a good idea.” I nod to her Nikes. “Those are still wet from this morning’s hike. Besides—and this isn’t me having poor manners—I’ll make better time going alone.”
I can tell she wants to argue the point. But facts are facts. I’m a more experienced hiker than she is.
“What if…” She pauses and looks around the cabin. “What if something happens and you don’t come back.”
I shake my head. “Not possible.”
“Dallas, my ex just dropped dead from an AVM nobody knew he had. My mom died of cervical cancer before I hit my first birthday, and my dad succumbed to a massive heart attack eleven years later. And, well… it is possible. It just is.” A pained look crosses her face.
Fuck . This woman has been through a lot. I stare at her, thinking she’s more like me than I thought.
“You’re right. Bad shit happens all the time. But nothing is going to happen to me.”
“You can’t possibly know that for sure. Lots of things can kill you. Bears, trees… not to mention it’s freezing out there.”
I hold up a hand to stop her. “Okay, okay, fine.” I take a deep breath. “Wait, trees? How can trees kill me?”
“I don’t know. You could trip on a root. Or a branch could fall on you. It could happen.”
I shake my head at her paranoia. “If I don’t come back, my wood pile is over behind the truck, my keys are in the drawer by the bed, and you’re welcome to all the wine. Just wait for the snow to melt and cell service will return. You’ll be fine, Marti. I promise.”
Don’t promise , my subconscious reminds me. But it’s too late, I already did.
“How long do you think it will take?”
“A couple hours. Three tops.”
She looks at the time. “And if you’re not back in four?”
I stand, walk over to the wine rack, and pull out a bottle. “If I’m not back in four, open this. I guarantee it’ll take your mind off things. It’s my best one.” I point to a cabinet. “Glasses are over there.”
Finished with my food, I do the dishes. Then I bundle up, put a few things in my backpack, and head for the door.
“Dallas?”
I turn. Her expression morphs from her usual one of stubborn determination into one I’ve never seen before. Her hazel eyes bore into me with an intensity I’ve never experienced. “Yeah?”
“Please don’t make me open the wine.”
I don’t say anything. The way she’s looking at me. The pleading in her alluring eyes. The helplessness in her enchanting gaze. The pure fucking beauty of her entire being. I don’t say anything because I can’t. The only thing I’m capable of doing is giving her a slight nod and walking out the door.
And damn it if I don’t spend the entire hike to Abe’s thinking of the pretty brunette sitting back in my cabin.