His mom nodded, looking up at the TV as the Jeopardy theme started. “She couldn’t get a better guide. I told her I hoped our Bighorns would be inspirational. Keep me updated on how long she’s staying and I’ll make sure the staff knows to treat her as a family guest.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
He kissed her forehead then watched her skirt through the bodies sprawled on pillows and the beanbags she’d bought when the lodge hosted a Boy Scout retreat. They’d proven to be perfect to toss out when there were groups like the wedding party. He shook his head. Like his mouth when he was nervous, his brain tended to wander off course. His mom was explaining the controller and game to Ty and Crystal. He took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. Having her know the extent of his interest in Annie turned up the pressure.
Alcohol flowed and stupidity followed. Jeopardy had been ditched soon after one of the groomsmen had made a snide remark questioning Crystal’s intelligence. His stage whisper to Tyler saying at least his wife was pretty still had Annie pissed off. She’d left Tyler to deal with that cluster fuck. He hadn’t been too damn happy with his friend. Now a game of Truth or Dare had broken out and was getting raunchier by the second. She had a feeling this was not the evening in front of the fire CJ had envisioned. He’d been attentive, but quiet.
She stared longingly out the big windows. The snow was still falling, but the wind had let up for the time being. God, fresh air sounded good about now. She looked down at her pajamas. The fleece was heavy. If she pulled on boots and a coat over it she should be okay for a few minutes.
Leaning into CJ’s side she whispered, “I know this sounds crazy, but I don’t suppose you’d like to get a little fresh air?”
“Who do I have to kill?” he muttered back.
Annie pressed her face against the ball of his shoulder to muffle her laughter. “Maybe no one if we do this right, but be ready.”
He gave her a covert thumbs up and stood, pulling her up as well. Sticking to the perimeter, they managed to make it to the coat room without challenge. Bumping into and shushing one another like kids, they pulled on winter wear over their pajamas and slipped out the side door. Pulling it shut with exaggerated care, CJ sighed.
“Thank you for getting me out of there.”
“Thank you for coming with me. My poor tongue couldn’t take anymore biting and if I’d let go, Tyler would be short a groomsman.”
“If that’d been me, Scott would’ve needed more makeup to walk down the aisle than the bridesmaids,” CJ grumbled.
Shaking her head, Annie took a deep breath of the frigid air and slowly blew it out, watching it crystallize in the moonlight. A lot of the stress went with it.
“Even cold is beautiful here,” she whispered. “You’re lucky.”
CJ nodded. “I’ve had a lot of clients ask me why I live here. I tell them I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“Hermit or not, I miss watching nature. Growing up, it was common to see deer in our backyard in the morning or around dusk. Squirrels were always scampering around on our deck railing. Almost every year there was a fat raccoon with waddling babies. In the city, I have a gorgeous view of the Grand River and there is a park right there, but it’s just not the same.”
“Did you choose to move into the city when you left the nest or did your family move?”
She turned away. Following the side of the lodge, she wandered further from the door. Playing with her scarf, she searched for an answer to his question. The way he’d phrased it, she could dodge the painful part. Any other time, any other person, and she would have. CJ was different. She wanted to get to know him and in order for that to happen, to give this any hope, she had to open up too.
“I moved into the city when my parents died. I was eighteen and didn’t think that I could handle the responsibilities that came with a house and property. Not to mention the memories.”
Snow crunched behind her. Strong hands landed on her shoulders, turning her against his chest.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her.
Annie shook her head, her nose rubbing against his worn black Carhartt. “It was a long time ago.”
“I don’t think the loss of a parent is something you just get over. Let alone losing both of them.”
“Yeah. You don’t picture losing both of them at the same time. At eighteen, you aren’t really thinking about it at all.”
“Car accident?” he asked, his lips pressed above her ear.
She nodded. “I was at home, dancing around, basking in the glory of having the house to myself for an entire weekend.” Annie paused, swallowing against the choking guilt, even after all these years. “Then I’d have given anything for them to walk back through the door.”
CJ swayed slightly, one hand stroking up and down her spine in a comforting caress. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Legal adult or not, eighteen is young to be completely on your own. Especially with what you were going through. Wasn’t there family that you could…?”
Annie nodded vehemently. “Absolutely. Everyone wanted to help. I had my choice of several offers. Crystal’s parents literally begged me to move in with them. As horrible as it sounds now, I was feeling smothered and overwhelmed and just wanted to be left alone to grieve.”
“I can’t say I know what you went through, but I can understand a need to be alone to sort through things.”
She knew she should step back and pull her shit together, but it was easier not to have to meet his eyes.
“By the time everything was settled, I’d graduated so the school district wasn’t an issue any longer. With the sale of the house, insurance money, and a settlement from the trucking company, money wasn’t an immediate problem. My aunt and uncle helped find me a nice condo in a new building with parking and good security so they wouldn’t worry as much. I liked the view.” She shrugged. “It took a while to get used to the quiet up there, but now its home.”
“Is that when you started writing?”
That was safer ground. She took a step back, wiping away tears. CJ shifted, keeping one arm around her and leaning against the side of the lodge.
“It’s when I decided to put it out there. I’d been writing since grade school. I have boxes in my storage locker stuffed with notebooks full of my scribbles. I’d always known I wanted to be a writer. My parents were a little more practical. They wanted me to go to college, get a degree, and have something to fall back on. I would’ve done it their way if they’d been there, but their death made me look at how short life can be. They spent all of those years scrimping and saving so that someday they could retire and do all the things they wanted to do. What good did it do them?”
“They made sure you were taken care of.”
She hid her face in his chest again and punched him lightly. “There you go saying the perfect thing again.”
“I’m telling you, this is on you,” he said against the top of her head.
“Uh huh.”
“It never happened before you.”
“Thanks.”
He pulled his head back to look down at her. “For what?”
“For listening. For not judging.”
“What’s to judge? I’m thirty years old and if I lost my parents tomorrow, I’d be a wreck. I don’t think you’re ever ready for that. Like you said, at eighteen you weren’t even thinking of the possibility. I admire the strength it took to face it all alone.”
“Thank God writing is like therapy, only cheaper.”
CJ chuckled. “That’s how I feel about nature. It doesn’t matter what time of year. If I’m feeling stressed, I grab a pack and hit the trails.”
Annie searched the endless sea of dark pines. “You could wander for days out there and not see another living soul.”
The thought was comforting and terrifying at once. She shivered and he pulled her closer.
“I should get you back inside before you freeze or your family co
mes looking for you.”
“Are you more worried about your reputation or mine, big guy?”
CJ chuckled. “Being caught alone with you would only boost my reputation.”
“So you think. Ignore any pitying looks from my family.”
“I’m enjoying getting to know you, figuring out what makes you tick.”
”I’m a writer. My mind is a scary place.”
“I don’t scare easily.”
Annie paused at the door, hands resting against his chest. “That sounds promising.”
CJ’s finger hooked under her chin, lifting her face. His lips were warm and firm against hers. For a moment, the soft beard made memories of her dad flash through her mind. Then he deepened the kiss and all such thoughts fled. She blinked up at him when he finally pulled back. Her hands were fisted in his coat, body leaning into him. Nothing parental in that. Already on tiptoe, she slid a hand behind his neck and tugged him back down to steal another kiss.
He hijacked what was meant to be a brief brush of her lips. One of his hands cupped her jaw. His lips were teasing and tempting. They kissed until her lungs and calves burned. Thank God he was still holding her when he broke the kiss. Dizzy and breathless, she rested her forehead against his chest. Finally, she cleared her throat and nodded.
“Very promising.”
Stomping his boots off, CJ blew into the cup of his cold hands. He’d been up early this morning trying to help their limited crew clear some of the snow. Now he was looking forward to hot coffee and, hopefully, a glimpse of Annie. Sleep had been hard to come by last night with her face haunting him every time he closed his eyes. When he’d finally dozed off, she’d been right there with him. If her retro polka-dot bathing suit hadn’t been enough to make him contemplate the cost of putting a hot tub in at his place, his dreams had.
“Good morning.”
CJ spun around, a blush already starting to crawl over his chilled cheeks. The subject of his fantasies stood in front of him holding out a mug of steaming brew. He prayed she couldn’t read his mind.
“Good morning and thank you, thank you,” he said eagerly accepting the offered coffee. He took a sip and sighed. “You’re a goddess.”
Annie laughed and put a finger to her lips. “Not too loud. With that kind of flattery, you’ll have the girls fighting me to bring you coffee at the door.”
“I don’t think there is too much fear of that.”
She nodded toward the door. “How does it look out there?”
“The wind has let up and the snow coming down is minimal. I would say if it stays like this, the plows will clear the roads by tomorrow,” he said stripping off the last of his gear.
“I hope so. I love my family, but I’ve had enough togetherness for a while.”
“Another rough morning with the bride?”
Annie rolled her eyes. “The mother of the bride this time. My aunt is stressing over everything from return flights to the freshness of the cake. Like anyone ever really enjoys the frou-frou frosting monstrosity that is wedding cake. When I make that leap, I’m thinking cheesecake.”
“You can’t go wrong with cheesecake,” he agreed, nodding sagely. “Baked, frozen or boxed. It’s all good.”
“Right? They even sell the filling in a tub now so all us lazy people have to do is spread it in a graham cracker crust and throw the topping of our choice on top. Boom! Dessert. Or, if a girl is feeling blue, she could eat it right out of the bowl with a spoon. Breakup bliss.”
CJ couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. Annie nudged his arm but couldn’t help joining in.
“You’re not supposed to find our angst quite so entertaining.”
He shook his head, trying to rein in his amusement. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure if it was your enthusiasm for the cheesecake topic or the image of the stereotypical chick-flick heroine crying on the couch with the half-gallon of ice cream.”
“Watch a lot of chick flicks do you, stud?” she asked, turning to face him with her hand on her hip and mouth twisting in a smirk.
“I could lie and say that you can’t watch TV without seeing the sappy previews, but I will admit to seeing a few. Sometimes it’s just part of the price a guy pays for a date,” he replied with as much dignity as possible.
Annie bit her lip, eyes sparkling. Shaking his head, he tugged her back to him and headed them toward the breakfast buffet.
Annie’s fingers tightened on the handle above the Jeep’s passenger window as the 4x4 bounced. She grinned, remembering her dad referring to the one in his truck as the ‘oh shit bar’. The title had been fitting a time or two as CJ navigated the rough terrain. While the roads weren’t passable, the trees created a shelter here, limiting the buildup and drifting. They fishtailed but CJ spun the steering wheel easily, straightening the vehicle. Pine boughs squeaked across her window. She hid a smile in her scarf. Was he actually following a trail or just dodging trees?
The Jeep rocked to a halt. The trees were further apart here, whether by man or nature’s design. Nestled among the sturdy spruce and slender aspens was a log home flanked by a long rustic barn. An empty corral extended from one side. Unblemished snow covered everything in a blanket of white, swirling over the open areas before mounding against the buildings. The view was breathtaking. Tearing her eyes from it, Annie turned to CJ. She didn’t need to ask if this was his. The look on his face said it all.
“It is gorgeous,” she whispered.
The adjective seemed inadequate.
“It’s not fancy, but I’m proud of it,” CJ said, shifting the Jeep back into gear.
The snow was deeper in the open area, but CJ kept his foot on the gas and plowed his way through the drifts to a relatively shallow spot between the buildings. Tugging her hat down, Annie hopped from the Wrangler and waded in his footsteps to the barn. The smell of warm horses, hay, and clean leather enveloped her. A whinny echoed down the aisle. In the dim light, she could just make out two dark heads hanging eagerly over stall doors. The overheads flickered on, showcasing a tawny buckskin and an unusually colored companion. Frowning, she moved closer to admire the light dapple on the dark brown coat.
“Topper’s a Rocky Mountain. That chocolate coloring and flaxen mane and tail are a trait of the breed. They’re excellent trail horses.”
“Beautiful,” she murmured, introducing herself and then stroking the horse’s strong neck.
“And this little girl is Aries.”
The buckskin rubbed her face into CJ’s shoulder.
“It seems you were missed.”
“She’s a lover.”
“So are they,” she said looking down at a couple of cats already rubbing figure eights against their legs. Annie squatted down and tickled the orange tabby under the chin. “What’s this one’s name?”
Silence met the question. She looked up to a deer caught in the headlights expression.
“They don’t have names?” she asked.
“They’re barn cats,” he said, like that explained it all.
“Would you have a dog or a horse without naming it?”
“Probably not, but I had a couple of pigs, four cows, chickens and a dozen rabbits until fall. None of them had names.”
Now he was trying not to laugh at her.
Standing up, hands on her hips, she kept her voice soft and patient. “Are you planning on eating the cats?”
“No.”
“Then just maybe that’s where you draw the line.”
“You’re…” His words fell off at her look and he shook his head, grinning.
“I’m what?” she demanded.
“Such a girl,” he said with a chuckle.
Annie bent back to the purring cats. CJ squatted beside her, holding his hand out to allow the black and white cat to walk back and forth under it, in truth petting itself.
“Since you’re championing them, do you have any suggestions?”
“We’ll keep it simple for you. How about Sunny and Socks?”
&nb
sp; He snorted and played with the black cat’s little white toes. “That works, and I appreciate the allowance for my intelligence.”
Annie gave his shoulder a shove making him teeter over. Settling on his ass, he slid closer to her.
“I’m just teasing you,” he cajoled.
“And I’m just blowing you shit,” she whispered, grinning at him over her shoulder. “Did you really think I was that much of a city girl?”
A full grin spread across his boyish face, highlighting a dimple hiding in his dark beard. “Nice.”
She accepted his congratulatory high-five and stood up, catching hold to help him to his feet.
“That was slick,” he said, tugging her against his side. He looked at her sidelong. “Does this mean I don’t have to name all the meat in my freezer now?”
“Not for me, but if you do you should probably keep it simple too. Bessie, Bambi, Prissy, Thumper, Porky…”
“What about the buffalo and elk?”
“Umm … Billy and Bullwinkle. Shit. No. Bullwinkle is a moose.” She frowned for a moment. “I like Eli for the elk.”
“I’m calling you for all naming advice in the future,” he said, still chuckling.
Working together it didn’t take long to give both stalls a muck and see their inhabitants squared away again.
CJ topped off the canister on Sunny and Socks’ auto-feeder before asking, “How’re you doing temp wise? Are you warm enough to see the wood shop, or would you rather go in and warm up first?”
“I’d love to see the wood shop. It’s not actually bad in here and the labor has me toasty,” Annie said, stroking Aries velvety muzzle.
“The barn is pretty well insulated. The other side has large propane heaters to take the chill off when I’m working.”
“Sounds like you put a lot of thought into things.”
He shrugged as he held the door open leading to the rest of the building. “I had a lot of years to dream and plan while I was saving. Unlike a lot of people who buy their first home with the intent of trading up, I knew that this was it for me. My parents gave me the land. As you saw, it butts up to the resort property. With real estate prices the way they are, it would’ve been way out of my range. Even in Wyoming, it’s all about location and with the national forest right here, this area is prime. So I took my time, doing as much of the clearing and stuff as I could and when I was ready, I used the property to secure the loan.” He gave a rueful grin. “And you know the story from there. In twenty years it will be all mine.”
Why not Wyoming? (Wyoming Wilds Series Book 1) Page 4
