by Vivian Wood
Another grimace.
“Actually, I was going to be staying there alone for Christmas.”
That was something Shelby understood all too well.
But she still couldn’t help fishing a little when she asked, “Well, is there a girlfriend or wife that you want to call? Or your parents?”
Wolfe just shook his head, not meeting her eyes as he slid his arms through the sleeves of his coat.
“Nope, it’s just me,” he said, too preoccupied with putting on his gloves to face her.
He doesn’t have anyone to call that would be worried about him? Shelby thought sadly. She couldn’t even be happy about confirming that he was single, the revelation overshadowed by the fact that he seemed to be so alone.
Just like me.
But that wasn’t quite true.
Shelby may still have been living the single life, but at least she had friends and family that loved and cared about her. To have no one was just…
Unimaginable.
Shelby felt her resolve form just as Wolfe was pulling on his wool stocking cap.
“You know, Wolfe, you could stay here at the cabin with me, if you want. At least until you can get your truck back on the road.”
To his credit, Wolfe didn’t openly balk at the forwardness of her offer, as she had feared he would.
Though he was hesitant about accepting.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, reaching up as if to run a hand through his hair before belatedly remembering that he was now wearing a hat. His arm fell heavily back down to his side. “I’d hate to put you out like that.”
Shelby shook her head, sliding off the stool so that she could stand.
“Oh, nonsense,” she said, waving a hand as if doing so would dispel his doubts. “There’s plenty of room for two people here, and I’ve got more than enough food and supplies for both of us to live off of for the next nine days, at least. And besides,” Shelby added with a conspiratorial smile that made Wolfe’s eyebrows rise. “It’d be handy to have someone around to haul in all the firewood from outside.”
Wolfe seemed to mull it over for a moment, but Shelby could tell that the offer was starting to appeal to him.
“Are you sure?” he asked eventually, his dark eyes leveling her from across the room.
“Absolutely!”
Wolfe nodded slowly.
“Alright, then; I’ll stay. But only until I can get a tow truck up here,” he added with a wink. “My manly pride couldn’t take imposing on you longer than that.”
Shelby laughed.
“Great, then it's settled,” she said, clapping her hands together in finality. “I’ll just go grab my coat, and then we can be off.”
That gave Wolfe pause.
“What do you mean?” he asked, his eyes following her as she walked past him toward the hall. “You don’t have to come with me to get my stuff.”
Shelby turned to face him, walking backward toward the bedroom door. She gave him a taunting smile.
“Oh, yes I do. I’m not entirely convinced that you can survive out here without me just yet.”
And with that, Shelby spun around and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her with a satisfied little snick.
Leaving a speechless Wolfe gaping after her.
5
The smart mouth on this woman will be my undoing, Wolfe thought ruefully to himself as he stood out on the little front porch of the cabin, waiting for Shelby to come and join him.
The woman was a complete enigma to him, and all the unanswered questions he had about her were beginning to drive him a little crazy.
Chief amongst them being: Just who the hell was Shelby River?
She was insanely beautiful, to be sure. And Wolfe figured a lot of men in his position would stop wondering about anything more about her once striking gold like that. But Wolfe couldn’t help it; there was something about Shelby that had hooked him from the start, and he wasn’t ready to let go of the mystery just yet.
It wasn’t just that she’d saved his life, though that was certainly impressive. Shelby was obviously smart and compassionate, and he could tell already that she had a wicked sense of humor, which Wolfe found remarkably refreshing in a woman.
But what he couldn’t wrap his brain around was why she would be out here in the mountains all alone like this. A girl like that had to have a boyfriend hidden away somewhere; there was no way she could be single.
But what sort of “taken” woman would invite a male stranger to stay in a vacation cabin with her?
The only viable answers to that question that Wolfe could come up with all fell on a spectrum somewhere between cheater and crazy, which didn’t sit well with him in the least bit.
Wolfe shook his head, as if doing so could physically dislodge his current thread of thought.
You’re way overthinking things, man, Wolfe scolded himself, just as the front door opened and Shelby stepped outside.
Wolfe couldn’t suppress the sudden burst of laughter that escaped him when he caught sight of her.
Shelby was completely bundled in multiple layers of clothing from head to toe. She had to have at least four layers on, if not more. Wolfe was just amazed that she could still walk while wearing so much thick fabric.
“What?” Shelby said, her voice muffled slightly by the heavy scarf that was wrapped around her neck, concealing the bottom half of her face. Her crystalline blue eyes narrowed suspiciously at him from beneath the oversized wool stocking cap that she had pulled low over her head.
Wolfe quickly recovered himself from the initial shock of her appearance, though he couldn’t help the smile that tugged persistently at his lips when he looked at her.
“Nothing,” he said, poorly feigning nonchalance.
He had to clear his throat to cover another laugh when Shelby tried to cross her arms in a display of sternness, only to realize that she was wearing too many clothes to execute the movement. She settled for hands-on-hips instead, raising an eyebrow at him in silent challenge.
“It’s just that…don’t you think you’re overdoing it a little?” Wolfe said cautiously, waving a hand at her getup for emphasis. “You’re going to overheat within your first twenty minutes of walking dressed like that.”
“Says the man who nearly froze to death last night,” Shelby shot back, defiant.
Ouch, that one stung a little.
But before he had a chance to reply, Shelby’s shoulders sagged and she let her hands fall back to her sides, defeated.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes downcast. “That was too far.”
Aw, hell, Wolfe thought as he saw her dejection. It was a look that he never wanted to see her make again, not if he had anything to do about it.
“Hey,” he said consolingly, taking a step forward and gently grasping her arm in his gloved hand.
Her eyes slowly lifted to meet his, still contrite. Wolfe had to fight back the irrational urge to ask her for her forgiveness, if only to make her sassy smile return again.
“It’s fine. I know you were just joking,” he said, giving her a smile and reassuring squeeze on the arm. “Besides, you do have a point.”
Shelby shook her head, but Wolfe was pleased that she looked less morose than she had a moment before.
“It’s just that, I’m not very familiar with weather like this. I’m used to the perpetual warmth and humidity of Louisiana, not this insane winter wonderland,” she said, her gaze flicking over to assess the endless world of white around them. “All this snow kind of freaks me out.”
Wolfe chuckled softly and Shelby’s eyes snapped back to his face in silent question.
“I’m just surprised to hear that, is all,” he said by way of explanation. “The way you knew how to combat my hypothermia last night made me think that you had experience in the mountains.”
Shelby shook her head again, a wry smile creeping onto her lips.
“Nope, this is my first time. Everything I did for you I learned f
rom books or movies.”
Wolfe felt his eyebrows rise in surprise at that.
“Well, let me give you a few pointers,” he said smoothly, taking another step toward her so that they were now standing toe-to-toe.
He heard Shelby intake a sudden breath, but when she didn’t protest the close proximity, he continued on. “First off, wearing a lot of layers is a good idea. But if you overdo it, like what you’ve got going on here, you’ll start to sweat. If that happens, your sweat will cool and make you even colder than you were to begin with. So maybe we should remove a layer or two?”
Shelby just nodded, wide-eyed as her cheeks began to turn rosy with a blush that Wolfe was already starting to become familiar with.
He decided that he rather liked being the cause of it.
Watching her eyes for any hint of discomfort for what he was about to do, Wolfe released her arm so that he could take ahold of the zipper of her puffy coat.
“May I?” he asked.
Shelby nodded in mute consent, her eyes never leaving his.
Wolfe slowly unzipped her coat, the intimacy of the otherwise innocent action taking him by surprise. He slid the coat from her shoulders, trying not to make more physical contact than was absolutely necessary as he did so.
Once off, he hung the neck of the coat off the doorknob so that it would stay free of the snow, balancing her scarf and hat on top of that once they were also removed.
“Okay,” he said, turning back to face her. “Arms up,” he commanded, his voice a little huskier than it had been before.
Shelby silently complied, raising her arms as he grasped the hem of the thick fleece pullover she was wearing.
Again, Wolfe met her eyes, looking for any signs of protest. He found none.
Ignoring the sexually charged tension between them, Wolfe pulled the fleece up and over her head, revealing the form-fitting green sweater she’d had on earlier that was hidden underneath.
Wolfe tucked the fleece under his arm as he offered back her hat and scarf. She took them with a quiet “thanks,” putting them on as he grabbed her coat. Once she was ready, Wolfe helped her back in to the coat, zipping it back up and adjusting the scarf so that she could breathe easier.
“There,” he said, taking a step back to admire the final result. “That feels better now, doesn’t it?”
Shelby nodded, flexing her arms to test her new range of motion.
“It’ll have to do, I suppose,” she said haughtily, before throwing him a wink to let him know she was kidding.
Wolfe was relieved to see her teasing nature return. He sketched a bow, enacting the role of southern gentleman once more.
“Anything to please my lady,” he replied, straightening back up and grinning at her.
Shelby just rolled her eyes, but Wolfe didn’t fail to notice the lingering blush on her cheeks.
“All right, mountain man,” she said with a smirk, taking her discarded fleece from him and tying it around her waist. “We’re losing daylight just standing here playing dress up. Let's go get your bag so we can return before we have to relive the events of last night all over again.”
Shelby waved out her arm in a silent demand for him to lead the way.
So he did, fairly certain that he’d do anything she asked of him at this point.
6
“Okay,” Shelby said, slightly breathless from exertion. “So tell me your story, Wolfe.”
Wolfe, who was walking slightly ahead of her, stopped and looked at her over his shoulder, eyebrows raised.
“My story?” he repeated, dubious.
Shelby nodded, coming up to stand beside him.
They had spent the past half hour or so of their journey in a comfortable silence, too focused on traversing the frozen terrain to talk much. All the while, Shelby had been virtually frothing with internal curiosity about the man who had become her unexpected companion.
She couldn’t hold back her questions any longer.
“Yes, Wolfe, your story,” she said, raising her own eyebrows back at him. “I, for one, would like to know a little more about the lone man who showed up on my doorstep in the middle of the night.”
When he still seemed hesitant, Shelby threw her hands up in exasperation.
“Oh, come on! You can’t honestly tell me that you don’t have any questions about me as well, can you?”
Wolfe shook his head, his eyes giving away his amusement at her little outburst.
“So, if I answer your questions, you’ll answer mine?” he asked, sounding thoughtful.
Shelby swallowed, but nodded. She hadn’t really thought far enough ahead to foresee this counterstrike to her demand about his personal information, but tit for tat seemed fair enough in this circumstance.
“Sure,” she said, sounding more confident then she felt. “But I get to ask my questions first!”
Wolfe chuckled at her stipulation.
“Of course,” he said in mock placation, laughing again when she stuck her tongue out at him in response.
“Alright, what’s your first question?” he asked as they resumed walking again, this time keeping pace with each other.
Shelby opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, he cut her off.
“And none of this vague, ‘What’s your story?’ stuff either,” he added, giving her a pointed sidelong glance.
“I wasn’t going to,” Shelby grumbled, though she had totally been about to do just that.
Wolfe just watched her out of the corner of his eye, unconvinced.
Shelby huffed and rolled her eyes at him, but the bastard just smirked knowingly at her.
“Anyway,” she drawled, steering her inquisition forward once more. “Where are you from?”
“Originally?” he asked, looking over at her.
Shelby just gazed at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue on his own.
Jesus, this is going to be like pulling teeth with him.
Wolfe sighed heavily, but went along with their game.
“I grew up in several different towns in this area,” he said, his eyes trained somewhere in the distance as he spoke. “I was a foster kid, so I moved around a lot when I was young.”
“Oh,” Shelby said softly. She hadn’t been expecting that.
Wolfe just nodded, still facing forward.
“I never knew my father. And my mother didn’t have any close relatives that I know of, so, when she died when I was six, it was off to the foster care program with me.”
“I’m so sorry,” was all Shelby could think to say.
And she was. Her heart was breaking for this man.
Wolfe shrugged, but gave her a small half-smile as he finally looked at her for the first time since he started talking.
“It wasn’t all bad,” he said, kicking at a piece of a fallen tree branch that was in his way. “The foster parents I had were always pretty nice, but they had a hard time putting up with the angry little shit that I was back then.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I used to be quite the troublemaker. I was always cutting classes or starting fights; getting expelled from school became a regular occurrence with me.”
Hmm, sounds a lot like three certain brothers that I know, Shelby thought, quietly amused at the similarities. The Roman brothers had certainly been a bunch of rowdy idiots in their teenage years as well.
“What did you do after that?” Shelby pressed, anxious to keep him talking now that he’d started.
“Well, I eventually dropped out of high school, opting for a GED instead,” he said, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe his own past stupidity. “When my eighteenth birthday rolled around, and I had finally aged out of the foster system, I figured I didn’t have much going for my life, so I decided to up and join the Navy.” He gave her a little wink. “My drill sergeant straightened me out pretty good after that.”
Shelby stopped dead in her tracks as she gaped at him, shocked.
Talk about similarities…
&nbs
p; Wolfe took a couple more steps, but stopped to turn around when he noticed that she was no longer walking with him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, perplexed as to why she was staring at him like he’d suddenly sprouted a second head.
It can’t be. There’s no way my life is this colossal of a coincidence.
But, out loud, she heard herself ask, “You weren’t a SEAL by chance, were you?”
Wolfe cocked his head to the side as he assessed her, both confused and suspicious of her question.
“Yeah, why?” he said, somewhat defensively.
Shelby shook her head.
“It’s nothing, really,” she said, wanting to brush past his little revelation before she was forced to explain to him about the Roman brothers.
And Walker…
Wolfe was still watching her, his eyes narrowed as he tried to understand her abrupt strange behavior.
He opened his mouth to say something…
But Shelby was saved from further conversation when she caught sight of an unnaturally shaped mound of snow in the distance.
“Hey,” she exclaimed, squinting in a useless attempt to see better as she pointed at the object. “Is that your truck over there?”
Her distraction worked.
Wolfe wheeled around to face the direction she was pointing, their interrogations momentarily forgotten.
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Wolfe said after a moment, raising his hand to shield the sun’s glare from his eyes.
They picked up their pace after that, quickly approaching the truck. Shelby felt a bead of sweat roll down her neck and between her shoulder blades, and she spared a thought of gratitude for Wolfe convincing her to take off a layer of clothing.
Though recalling their moment outside the cabin together made Shelby hot in a completely different way.
Once they’d reached the truck, Wolfe walked up and wiped away the snow that had built up against the driver’s side door and window. Shelby stood back and took the opportunity to catch her breath.
Walking through the snow was a hell of a lot harder than she’d originally anticipated.