Chapter 7
It seemed as if Brennan had only just dropped back to sleep when a loud crack had him shooting upright and promptly tumbling onto the floor in another tangle of blankets.
This time he managed not to swear. But when the light from the small table lamp flickered, then died, plunging the room into almost complete darkness, he was tempted.
If a tree had taken down the power lines, it wouldn’t be an easy fix.
And if the still strong howling wind was anything to go by, it would be a while before they even started repair work.
“Again?” Her voice was soft, a hint of amusement flowing through it. “You really are having a horrible night, aren’t you?”
Only when he was awake. Asleep was a totally different world, one where she wasn’t so far away. And he wasn’t tangled in the blankets alone.
Brennan yanked them from around his legs and scrambled to his feet. Conscious of his minimal clothing, even with the darkness, he wrapped one around his waist. “Are you okay?” he asked. With not much light, it was hard to tell how she was reacting to the storm.
“I’m fine. I’m going to check the breaker. See if that’s all this is.”
He doubted it was as simple as that, but he’d seen this kind of behavior before. People in situations they didn’t like tended to do things to feel productive or allow them some control. “I can do that,” he said. “Do you have a flashlight?”
“I’ve got my phone, but there are flashlights and battery lanterns in the kitchen cupboard above the fridge. I’m fine checking. You’ll freeze.”
“Evie—” He stopped. The protest was futile. She’d already pulled on boots and was sliding her arms into a heavy jacket that had been hanging by the door.
“Get the lights. I’ll be right back.” She tugged a thick woolen beanie onto her head and disappeared out the door.
The cold air that rushed in sent a shiver through him.
Maybe she had a point. Brennan started towards the kitchen, but then stopped and frowned.
Evie voluntarily going out into the storm?
That didn’t make sense. Had he misunderstood Lacey earlier?
He suspected he was missing some pertinent information.
He made his way to the kitchen for the lights and then stoked the fire.
When she hadn’t returned by the time he’d set up lanterns in each of the rooms, he investigated his options for staying warm outside in case he needed to search for her.
His suit, admittedly warm, wouldn’t handle an extended trip into the elements or give much protection against the icy wind.
Having inspected the coats by the door—all too small—he contemplated how he could wrangle a blanket more securely around his body when the door suddenly opened and Evie rushed through. She closed it quickly and leaned against it, her breath coming hard and fast.
“Evie?”
“I’m fine.” She blew out a breath and shook the snow off.
“It’s a little colder and windier than I expected.
There’s a tree down. I don’t think it’s what knocked out the power though.
It missed the buildings and your truck, thankfully.
” She peeled off her heavy coat and nudged off the bulky boots.
“I also grabbed extra wood and put it outside the door for when we need it.” She made her way toward the fire, settled on the floor in front of it, and held her hands out to the flames.
Navigating his way around the furniture in the dim light was a challenge.
Doing so with a blanket wrapped around him, and avoiding her various piles of goods, made it one of epic proportions.
He managed, without any mishaps, and sat down next to her.
She was rubbing her hands together, so he caught them between his, hissing at the contrast between his warmth and the iciness of her fingers.
“You didn’t wear gloves.”
Evie shrugged. “The breaker box is hard to get into. I just didn’t think it was going to be that cold. Anyone tell you your hands are incredibly warm.”
“Good thing for you they are.” He wrapped them more completely around hers.
“I love a good storm,” Evie said. “But I could do with less freezing.”
She what? “You love storms?”
“Yep. Especially when you are all safe inside with a roaring fire, a mug of hot chocolate, and a good book.” She smiled.
“There’s something cozy and calming, I guess, about it.
I mean, sure, there’s danger, but most of the time everything is fine, and you’ll be in this safe little world, and everything slows down for a bit.
You don’t have to go anywhere or do anything.
You just wait and ride it out.” Her eyes went wide.
“Oh. Not that I wanted a storm to mess with Lacey’s wedding. I’m—”
Brennan chuckled. “It’s okay.” He got it. “I know what you mean. I’m usually on call at times like this.” It was odd thinking he was the only one of his brothers that wouldn’t be responding to this situation. He had to admit, as much as they annoyed him, he loved working with them.
“You like what you do?”
That had to be the first personal question she’d asked him. “Love it.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“It can be, but not all the time. I enjoy helping people.”
“You do it well. I was very grateful you took the time to help the kids in my classroom the other week.”
That was when Corbin was supposed to talk about fire safety with her class.
The time he’d backed out at the last minute, claiming a cold, and not wanting to infect the little ones.
Brennan had stepped in, even though it had been his day off.
Given Corbin didn’t like children—apparently they terrified him—Brennan added that incident to his growing list of suspicious activities involving his siblings.
“I had fun.”
“So did my kids. You were…” She smiled. “I saw a side of you I hadn’t seen before.”
“They’re good kids.” And he’d experienced a side of Evie he hadn’t known.
She may be free-spirited and chaotic—two things that had her crossed off his ill-conceived list—but her ability to keep a roomful of six-year-olds relatively under control was a skill he admired. And one he certainly didn’t have.
“You stayed longer than planned.”
“They didn’t want to let me go.” There’d been many questions from both the boys and the girls. It had been a challenge phrasing answers for such a young audience, but he’d loved seeing their excitement and the dreams in their eyes.
“I highly doubt Corbin would’ve stayed as long as you did.”
Brennan shrugged. “Probably not.” A spark of courage rose. “So,”—he grinned—“you noticed me?” There was a certain degree of protection in the limited light. If he screwed this up, at least he wouldn’t have to see it in living color.
“Hard not to. You are my best friend’s brother.”
“She has a lot of them.”
“She does.”
“And yet, you’ve never asked any of them to model for you.” At least he hoped she hadn’t. That unsettled feeling in his stomach at the thought was new.
Her gaze flew to his. Eyes wide, mouth slightly parted. The soft sound of air rushing past her lips reached his ears.
“Are you flirting with me, Brennan O’Reilly?”
Was he? “Is it working?” He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand.
“Maybe,” Evie said. “Depends on the answer to the next question.”
Her eye color was deeper, almost navy-blue. Was it an emotional change or just the effect of limited light? “What’s the question?”
“Why?”
The answer stumped him. Not because he didn’t know it, but because his mouth and brain had returned to their previous uncooperative state.
Why was he flirting with her?
Because he liked her. Because he wanted to see if there was more between them—hoped there was more.
Because he’d been crazy about her since the first time Lacey had brought her to the family dinner one Saturday night and sat her down next to him.
He’d spent the evening with Evie’s subtle scent distracting him through the entire four courses, her arm brushing against him, and the occasional bump of her leg against his.
But between the shadow of her being Lacey’s best friend, and the stupid list he’d pinned his future on, he’d done nothing about it.
And when his heart and mind had finally stopped arguing, his inability to make words happen around her had kept him at a standstill.
But with the strong possibility Lacey would actually approve, and here in this dimly lit cabin, with her hands in his, and no one else around, he wanted to make them happen. Could he, though? He wouldn’t know unless he tried.
“I—”
“We should get some sleep,” Evie cut in and pulled her hands from his. She turned her head away and rose. The window had closed.
But then she slipped.
“Oh!”
Her soft exclamation was all the warning he had before she fell sideways toward him.
Instinct took over. He caught her, but the force of her coming down on him, complete with an elbow to his ribs, took him by surprise.
Thankfully, he took the brunt of the impact, tucking her head safely against his shoulder as they ended up sprawled on the floor, with Evie lying on top of him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she attempted to push off him.
His arms tightened. “Don’t. Move.”
Evie froze.
“Just… give me a minute.” He drew in a careful breath, grateful that aside from a minor ache in his side, there were no shooting pains.
Now he just had to figure out how to extract her from their tangle of limbs and keep her away from a piece of his anatomy which was more than happy with her position. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” She shifted, and he groaned. She froze again and slowly lifted her head.
One glance at her wide eyes was all it took to see she was well aware of the effect she was having on his body.
The drop of her gaze to his lips and the darting of her tongue over her own was encouraging, sending another shot of courage through him.
He hoped he wasn’t about to make a fool of himself, but he’d let one window close tonight and he truly didn’t want to lose another opportunity.
“Evie.” His voice came out rougher than he hoped. “You have a choice to make. Move now and go straight to bed. Or stay, with the full knowledge I would really like to kiss you. And that if you choose to stay, it’s very likely to happen.”
She didn’t move.
“Evie.”
“What?”
“Why aren’t you going anywhere?”
“Why would I?”
He closed his eyes and took as deep a breath as possible with her still on top of him, desperately hoping this wasn’t another vivid dream.
“You promised me a kiss,” she whispered.
“I did.”
“And you’re a man of your word, right?”
“I am.”
Her lips dusted across his cheek. “So, what’s stopping you?”
Brennan opened his eyes. She was so close, the warmth of her breath danced across his face. He reached up and stroked her cheek before weaving his fingers into her loose hair and cupping the back of her head. “Are you asking me to kiss you, Evie Morgan?”
“I am.”