by Skye McNeil
Jared rubbed his hand up and down her arm but didn’t speak.
“Of course, my cousins and sister ran off to get help. I was stuck in a tiny mine shaft for four hours before they dug me out.” She shivered despite his body heat. “It was horrible. Just darkness and the occasional bug to thoroughly creep me out.”
His lips drifted to her temple. “I’m sorry, Bobbi.”
“Me too.” Her heart slowed little by little. Being in his embrace silenced her demons more than any anti-anxiety pill. “At least this time around I have someone with me.”
He didn’t retort, simply grabbed a quilt from the top of the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders. Once she was snug, he met her eyes. “Will you be all right if I call from the phone up front?” The worry in his green eyes did wonders for her nerves.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“I’ll make it fast.” He patted her hands then stood. “Do you have the number for your grandmother?”
Racking her memory, she closed her eyes and rattled off the numbers.
“Great. Be right back.”
He vanished through the door, but she heard his heavy footsteps as he headed to the front counter. The low rumble of his voice eased her wayward thoughts of dying amid poor replicas of fossils for sale.
“No one answered, so I left a message. Are you sure they’re at the cabin?”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “Damn. I think Grandma Jane was taking our parents on a tour of Timberline, which includes chatting with the neighbors. She knows everyone up there, so I doubt they’ll be back anytime soon. One of her favorite hobbies is to gab the night away.”
He glanced at the clock overhead. “They’ll return for dinner. Asher will make sure.”
Bobbi smirked, tension leaving her body the longer she looked at him. “You’re right. We just need to survive a little longer.”
Jared plopped down on the couch and brought her to his chest. “I think I can manage. How about you?”
Nodding at a slow pace, she agreed. “As long as you don’t leave, I’ll be okay.”
He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I’m not going anywhere, I swear. Ever.”
She wanted to read into his words, but the steady thump of his heart persuaded her otherwise. She’d survive, she knew it, but her heart may not.
“So, where’d you and Erin run off to?” She had to ask. It’d been on the tip of her tongue all day.
Jared scooted down on the sofa, his ankles hanging over the armrest on the other end. Even cramped, he was stunning, and she had the perfect view beside him. “Just down the mountain a bit.”
“Why?”
He propped an arm under his head and stared at her. “Because I needed to talk to her.”
Letting out an aggravated huff, Bobbi cuddled the blanket around her and glared down at him from her seated position. “Jared, tell the truth.”
He chuckled and glanced to the ceiling then back to her. “Honestly?”
“Yes?”
“At the airport in New York, I asked her to sort of flirt with me while I was up here,” he admitted.
“What? Why?” She couldn’t believe her ears.
“I needed a buffer,” he confessed with a sheepish grin.
Bobbi tore off her gloves and stuffed the pair in her coat pocket. “For…”
“To decide if what I was feeling for you was real or not.” Jared offered her a smile. “It was too. All of it.”
“Oh.” His admission stilled the rest of her sentence.
He licked his bottom lip. “When I ran into you in New York, it felt like fate.”
“Or our siblings playing matchmaker,” she argued.
Jared gathered her hands in his warm ones. “Yeah, it could’ve been them too. Either way, it brought up all the time we spent together during Asher and Jessie’s wedding.”
Her cheeks heated, recalling the never-ending kisses and shameless flirting. “It was a week of fun, nothing more.”
“Yeah, and a lot of it.” Hovering above her lips, Jared’s eyes darkened to a mossy hue. “I fell for you back then, Bobbs, but I was too damn afraid to do anything about it.”
Swallowing the fear and excitement bubbling within her, she nodded for him to continue. It was the most he’d spoken the entire time she’d known him. There was no way she would stop him now. Not when she desperately needed to hear his words.
“I spent the next months thinking about you.” He smirked. “Well, trying not to, yet it happened anyway. I left for a two-month deployment, and you were the face I saw when I closed my eyes during those long sixty days.” Bobbi pulled off his scarf, carefully unwinding it from his neck. His brow was glistening with sweat. She was sure he didn’t need the wintry device any longer.
“I told myself we couldn’t be anything. You were on the rebound, and I was headed overseas. It worked until I saw you again.” One by one, he unbuttoned her long coat and pushed it off her shoulders. Bobbi shrugged out of it then unzipped his as he kept talking.
“I was nervous because of how we ended things last time. I thought maybe you still felt something for me but wouldn’t admit it. It was stupid, but I asked your cousin to help make you jealous.” He sat up fast, nose grazing hers. Her breath hitched at his act, but he wasn’t done yet. His eyes trained to her lips. “But it didn’t work. Whenever you were in the same room, I’d wonder if you were having a good time. And when you weren’t around, I’d wonder if you were safe and what you were doing because being around you makes me feel invincible.” His cheeks turned crimson. “Sorry. You must think I’m some kind of creep.”
Cradling his jaw with both hands, she slid closer and forced his eyes to meet hers. The longing and devotion in his gaze captivated her more than any other man. She’d never see its equal. “Not at all, Ranger. It’s the protector in you.” Her lips daintily touched his. “I like it about you. I know I’m safe when you’re around.”
“Unless you’re driving a snowmobile,” he teased.
“Okay, yes, but the accident was my fault, not yours.” She sighed as she realized he truly was someone she could trust with her body. Despite his flowery words, she wasn’t convinced on the heart yet.
“I suppose so.”
“Well, let’s see, you have a gorgeous girl and you’re snowed in a general store.” Her eyes dipped over his frame. “Whatever will you do with me, Army boy?”
Jared didn’t give her time to think on it. He crushed her lips to him until she saw stars. The second she opened her mouth to breathe, he was there, tongue probing out hers. Heat soared in Bobbi’s body. She hadn’t been with a man since her devil of an ex, and the way her stomach fluttered, she doubted she’d ever experienced anyone like Jared.
Just when she clasped her arms around his neck and pulled him on top of her, he stopped. Gulping for air, Bobbi sat in confusion as he remained inches away from her, not once dropping her gaze.
“As much as I’d love to make these walls rattle, I doubt they stock condoms and I don’t want to give you a souvenir from our time up here, Bobbi.” He brushed his fingers alongside her face and whispered, “But when I take you, I don’t want to worry about our families walking in at any given moment.” He kissed her neck. “Or how loud I’ll make your pretty mouth moan.”
Goosebumps of lust trickled down her torso at his seductive promise. When, not if. He made it perfectly clear when he kissed her again.
“Just you and me and plenty of desserts if breakfast from the other day is any indicator.”
She giggled, though the sound was foreign to her ears. No other man made her feel like a stranger in her body, and he hadn’t even disrobed her.
“I never took you for the chivalrous type.”
Jared’s hands enveloped her breasts, and he grinned. “I’m usually not.” His lips caressed hers gently. “You must be the right poison to tame me.”
She blinked several times before finding her voice. “Or the proper antidote.”
∙•�
��
It took more self-control than he thought possible not to ravish Bobbi. While they awaited rescue, her carefree moves caused a primal reaction in him. His body wanted it, and she wanted it, but he wouldn’t give her an excuse to hate him if he knocked her up. Eyeing her, he knew she wouldn’t, but he couldn’t chance it. She meant too much to him. The old Jared wouldn’t have cared, but he didn’t want to lose the pretty woman a second time. He’d made the mistake once. He wasn’t about to repeat it.
Bobbi rustled through the assortment of sweatshirts on hangers, holding up a few to review in the mirror. They all looked good on her, but the baby blue was the best. It brought out the tint to her eyes. It put all other shades of blue to shame.
Dialing the number to her grandma’s again, he hoped this would be the hour someone picked up. The last two hadn’t been so lucky, yet he held out nonetheless. The families would return there eventually, and he’d blow up the line until one of the Davises answered.
“Davis residence, this is Jessie.”
Jared hopped to his feet, clamping the phone. “Jessie, it’s Jared.” Bobbi sprinted over to him at his words. “We’re stuck at St. Elmo general store.”
“What? How?”
“Snow fell from the roof. It’s blocking the door. The store owner hasn’t come back yet either,” he answered, though Bobbi was clambering on him to hear the voice on the other end.
“Jared, is that you?” Now Asher was on the line.
“Yes, now get your ass up to St. Elmo before we freeze.” He glanced to Bobbi who was gripping the counter with enough force to break nails. “Hurry, please.”
“Be there soon. Sit tight…er…never mind. On our way.”
Hanging up the phone, Jared let out a relieved breath. “They’re heading up here.”
Her face lit up, and the worry lines on her brow eased. “Thank God.”
Half an hour and four shovels later, Jared stepped into the blustering snowstorm which had popped up during their time stranded. Shielding Bobbi as they ran to the warm truck, he was glad they hadn’t been walking around when the storm hit. He’d thought sweating to death was bad during his desert deployment, but knowing he could’ve fallen asleep—he held Bobbi to his chest—she could’ve fallen asleep, and it would’ve been all over was much too close of a hit for him.
“We’re okay, Jared. You don’t need to squeeze me to death,” she reminded. Her nose was bright red and cheeks as well, but she was fine.
Nodding, he looked out the window as they drove down the mountain. Almost losing her not once but twice had him thinking seriously. Sure, he could pretend it didn’t matter—that she didn’t matter—but it’d be a lie.
Her peach body wash drifted from her skin to his nose. Despite all the havoc, it remained a constant. Her hand rested on his thigh while her head lolled on his chest. Living without Bobbi? No, he couldn’t imagine it anymore.
Taking in her new St. Elmo sweatshirt covering her legs, he grinned at the hat on top of her head. It was his, not hers. They must’ve switched on accident in the store before their rescue. Yet another thing to cross off your damn list.
His heart jolted at the possibility of Bobbi attempting the list to see if it worked on a man, and he was just the guinea pig for some other guy. He clenched his jaw at the thought. If it were the case, he’d need a whole continent between them. Still, as she snuggled deeper into his embrace and her shallow breathing steadied to slumber, Jared rejected the notion. She didn’t play games. Well, none he didn’t know about he hoped. Surely, she felt similar emotions for him too. Or was it all a ruse? Closing his eyes, he didn’t want to know. Not yet. Not while he held on to her for the next few days at least. Afterward, he may never know how to see snow without thinking of the food lover in his arms. She never admitted her feelings for him, but he couldn’t be wrong about this. Could he?
Chapter Ten
Christmas carols were the very last thing Bobbi wanted to do the next day. Too bad for her, it wasn’t optional. Most things with the Davis clan weren’t optional over the years. She didn’t mind any other time, but today was different. She just wanted to snuggle under a blanket and stare at Jared’s strong jawline until she passed out. It was probably a stupid dream, but she was sticking with it.
“Aw, come on, Bobbs. You’re a great singer,” her sister, whose belly seemed to have doubled since their arrival, encouraged. No doubt, her niece or nephew would debut within weeks. She was rather looking forward to fawning over a cute infant as the doting aunt.
“All right, fine, but I’m not Rudolph this time.” She stuck on a headband with an elf on it and green slippers with golden bells on the pointed tips.
Glancing at the rest of the family, she grinned. Everyone looked as if they’d stepped out of a Christmas magazine. Her dad wore a Santa suit while her mom was a naughty elf. Gross. The Whitaker patriarch was military Santa—yes, it was a tradition with the Davises since her grandpa was in the service—Mrs. Whitaker resembled a female version of a loveable cartoon snowman, and everyone else was either an elf or reindeer. She saw Grandma Jane throw a blanket over her lap. Well, except her. The little old lady sported a gingerbread man vest, brown slacks, and a gingerbread man hat. All in all, the living room looked and smelled as if Christmas was upon them.
“You look festive,” she commented, stepping near the woman who smelled like the ginger cookies she wore.
Grandma Jane patted the seat next to her. “As do you.”
Bobbi sank down into the familiar couch. They’d sat many a time here. Her grandma used to attempt to teach her to sew when she was a kid. As she grew, their time was quiet for the most part, each reading their own book. Bobbi preferred the outlandish romances, whereas Grandma Jane liked a little of everything. Watching the woman’s face, Bobbi hoped she’d never forget her. Family was precious, and she realized it twofold after her failed wedding. The Davises were there always whether you needed them or not.
“How goes it with the Ranger? I hear he’s quite the charmer.”
Her grandma’s question startled her from the memories of the past. “Oh, um. Jared’s fine.”
“Bah. He’s more than fine.” She swatted her granddaughter’s thigh. “Why the man saved you not once but twice. In my book, he’s a genuine catch.” She leaned over and added. “Plus, you can’t forget how he’s sporting one attractive ass.”
“Grandma! Oh, my God.” Her face flooded with humiliation, and she was glad no one else heard the exchange.
“It’s the truth.”
Bobbi’s cheeks heated. “We really need to get you a filter.”
Grandma Jane rolled her blue eyes. “I’m an old lady. I’ll say what I want when I want.”
“Clearly.” Bobbi giggled. The short woman never changed. It was why she looked up to her and became a bit too much like her, if her parents’ repeated comments meant anything. She didn’t mind one bit. Her grandma had lived a life full of adventure and love. Who wouldn’t want to follow in her footsteps?
An off-key start to Jingle Bells began, but neither joined in. Watching Jared stand still as Gretta plastered a pair of elf ears on him was too adorable.
“I like his smile,” her grandma noted.
She attempted to wipe it from her lips, but it wasn’t any use when Jared started singing. He wasn’t horrible. The smile more than stayed in place—it broadened.
“You complement one another well.”
This time, Bobbi snorted. “I’m a nutritionist who loves junk food, and he’s an Army Ranger who most likely eats meat all the time.” She scrunched her nose. “Not a big fan of meat.”
“Neither am I, but I’d make an exception for him if I were you. He’s not someone you want to slip through your fingers…again.”
Bobbi’s eyes widened as she stared at her grandma. The woman was watching as the song ended in attempted harmony.
“I’m moving to New York,” she confessed. “New York City, to be exact.”
“Good for you. What does i
t have to do with anything?”
Reviewing the phone conversation she’d had earlier in the day, Bobbi worried her bottom lip. The hospital wanted her to start straight away. She didn’t know what it’d mean for her and Jared. They weren’t anything official, yet she wanted to discuss it with him anyhow.
“And Jared will be deployed again soon I’d bet.” She jangled the bells on her slippers. “It’s a nice concept, him and me, but it won’t work. I can’t handle being on edge each time he leaves for a trip.”
She paused when Jared walked by them and headed to the kitchen. She prayed to God he didn’t hear the half-truths she was spewing. If they would get her grandma off her back, then she’d bring it all home. “He’s a player.” She wracked her mind to come up with more excuses. In honesty, she didn’t believe it herself. “And he’s dangerous.”
“My dear, don’t forget you’re no saint,” Grandma Jane reminded.
Bobbi didn’t want to think about her ex-fiancé and the deplorable things she participated in as a stupid kid. Shaking her head, she stood. “No, I’m not, but even demons were angels once. Trusting another man is harder than I anticipated. I need more time.”
Grandma Jane picked up her nail file and set it to work on her left hand. “Then I suggest you move your ass or another lady will snatch your Ranger up.”
“She can try,” she mumbled under her breath, seeing Daisy flirting with Jared.
“Say again?”
“Nothing. I should get over there. Somebody needs to carry a tune.” She didn’t wait for a response. She needed space; time to think. Joining the group, Bobbi cursed to herself when she was paired with Jared for a round-robin edition of Silent Night. She needed distance between him to mull it all over. Given her current situation, it was doubtful she’d get either one.
∙•∙
Jared accidentally overheard Bobbi and her grandma talking. He did his best to ignore Bobbi’s words, but he couldn’t. It was the reason he lay awake hours later as he stared at the popcorn textured ceiling. The basement bed in the second cabin wasn’t as lovely as the one in Bobbi’s room, but she was missing in action.
