by Anthology
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes.”
Her mouth turned up at the corner. “Well, I never said he’d give you what you want, City. I said he’d give you what you need.”
“Is this some kind of joke?” He looked around like he was searching for a hidden camera. “I feel like Scrooge in a holiday special, about to get a visit from the three ghosts of Christmas.”
She gave another shrug. “I don’t know what to tell you, City, other than you might be stuck here for a few days.”
“The name’s Carter,” he said.
“I know.” Turning from him, Josie opened her door and jumped from the truck. “Let’s get him inside.”
City climbed out, and the second he opened the back door, the wolf sat up, jumped from the back seat, and darted in to the woods.
“What the hell?”
Josie ran around to his side of the truck and clapped excitedly as she watched the animal run off, his beautiful, powerful body completely healed as it effortlessly negotiated the mountainous trail. “He’s okay,” she said. “I knew he would be.”
City scrubbed his chin. “I hit him. I saw the blood. How did he…”
“I told you, the white wolf is magical. Now come on. Let’s get inside and get you out of those clothes.”
3
Carter stepped into the small cabin and was instantly assaulted with two wet noses in his crotch. Well, wasn’t his day just going from bad to worse? He jerked backward, but there was no escaping the curious hounds.
“Meet Sasha and Bear,” she said, ruffling the heads on her two big dogs.
“You have dogs.”
“Way to state the obvious,” she teased. Then she looked at him. “Wait, you don’t like dogs?”
“Something like that.” It wasn’t that he didn’t like them. Not really. It was just that he’d given up on wanting one. He’d long ago decided that he didn’t need a dog and a dog didn’t need him. In fact, he didn’t need anybody. Not anymore, anyway. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and checked for a signal.
“It might be hard to get a signal. Too many mountains.” She grabbed her dogs by their collars and put them outside. She closed the door behind them and kicked off her boots, leaving them in the middle of the floor.
Giving up on his phone, he stuffed it back into his coat pocket. “How do you communicate?”
Whipping off her gloves and tossing them onto a small side table, she pointed to a landline. “The old fashion way.”
“Do you even have internet?”
“Of course. This is Stone Cliff, not the stone ages.” She pointed to her laptop that was currently plugged into the wall. “All the cottages are equipped with internet.”
She shrugged out of her jacket, tugged off her hat, and tossed them onto the back of the sofa. As she flung things haphazardly, Carter flinched and resisted the urge to grab her coat and hang it up properly.
She turned to him, and the second he saw her pretty face, along with a petite body all wrapped up in tight jeans and a soft white sweater that showcased her curves, he almost forgot how to breathe. Jesus, she was cute, in a wholesome, girl-next-door kind of way. Blonde hair in a messy little pixie cut that most girls couldn’t pull off made her looks all that much more adorable. She blinked those big brown eyes at him, and in that instant, his thoughts shifted. Wouldn’t it be nice to hole up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with a sweet thing like her. There were a lot of ways could do to pass the time.
“You hungry?”
Carter sucked in a breath to kick-start his brain and caught the smell of gingerbread and everything Christmas. He stole a glance around the small cabin, taking in the decorations, the massive tree, and all the twinkling lights on the windows. Not only was the place the epitome of Christmas, she even had a goddamn fire going in the wood stove. Seriously? Had he just stepped right into a holiday special?
He shot a glance around to look for a hidden camera. Of all the girls in all the world to come to his rescue, it had to be one who loved Christmas as much as he hated it. She pushed past him and flicked on the radio. When holiday music reached his ears, he turned toward the door, because no way in hell was he staying in this cottage—which might as well have been Santa’s village in the north pole—for one more second. He wanted to forget about the holidays, and being here with a girl who clearly loved them just wasn’t going to work for him.
“I’ve got a ton of food,” she said as she pulled open her fridge. “I guess it’s a good thing I found you on the road. Now I have someone to share it with.”
He looked into her stocked fridge. Why the hell did she have so much food? Perhaps she didn’t live alone. He checked her ring finger to find it empty, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a guy who couldn’t make it home. Damn, if he had a sweet thing like her waiting, he’d brave the storm barefoot. Wait, what? Hadn’t he just decided he needed to get the hell out of there?
“Listen, I really need to get back to my car,” he said.
She pulled a big turkey from the fridge and placed it beside a tray full of sugar cookies on her counter. His stomach took that moment to grumble, a reminder that it was late afternoon and he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“What’s the hurry?” She grabbed a knife and began carving thick pieces from the breast, laying them out on a plate.
The dogs barked at the door, and she waved her knife toward it. “Would you mind letting them in?” She smiled. “They probably smell the turkey.”
“You feed your dogs turkey?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
Carter pulled open the door, and the wet dogs barreled past him, shaking snow all over the wood floor. They skidded to a halt near…come to think of it, he didn’t even know her name.
“What’s your name?”
“Josie,” she said, filling the dog bowls with meat.
Josie. It was cute, like her.
“I’m Carter,” he said, introducing himself again.
Her dogs stared at her, and she gave the command for them to eat. They raced to their bowls. “I know who you are.”
He eyed her. “How is it you know me again?”
Swaying to the Christmas tune, she grabbed a loaf of bread and a bottle of cranberry sauce. “Everyone in town knows who you are and why you’re here.”
Ah yes, he should have known. Another local who hated him after finding out about his client’s plans. “Then why are you being so nice to me?”
“It’s Christmas,” she said, like that explained everything. Damned if she didn’t have the same attitude as Mayor Walker.
As she spread cranberry sauce on the slices of bread and loaded them with turkey, he glanced out the frosty window, but the snow was coming down so hard he could barely see her truck.
“You can come in, you know.”
He turned back to find Josie smiling at him. “What?”
“You’re still standing at the door.”
“That’s because I’m not staying.”
“No?” she asked.
He did a quick calculation and estimated the time it would take for him to reach his car by foot. “I’m going to go back to my car and grab my bag. If I walk to the main road, maybe someone will come by and I can catch a lift to the airport.”
“Okay,” she said. “Suit yourself. You already missed your plane, so you might as well have something to eat and let me hook you up with some warmer clothes. You’re going to burn a lot of energy trudging from your car to the main road.”
“Yeah, okay.”
She disappeared behind one of the closed doors and came back with an armload of clothes. “I think these will fit.” She pointed to the one other door. “Bathroom is in there.”
She watched, almost amused, as he tugged off his heavy, wet wool coat and hung it on the empty coat rack by the door. He removed his soggy shoes, placed them on the mat, and then, unable to help himself, grabbed her boots and set them beside his.
He took the armload of cl
othes from her as her dogs finished eating and cantered off to their beds in front of the fire. “You don’t think whoever owns these will mind?” Yeah, he was fishing for information, not because he was curious about her status, but because he wanted to know if she had a boyfriend who was going to show up and kick his ass for being there alone with her.
She shook her head and said, “No, I don’t think so.”
He tossed the clothes over his shoulder and made his way to the bathroom. After undressing, he tugged on the jeans, warm socks, and sweater. He folded his clothes carefully and left the bathroom to find Josie talking quietly on the phone. She hung up when she heard him and went back to setting the table.
Carter put his wet clothes on the mat beside the door and held out his arms. “It’s a good thing your boyfriend is the same size as me.”
She turned to him. “I…” her words fell off as her glance left his face and traveled downward. Her gaze lingered for a moment on his stomach, then dropped to the vicinity around his belt. Her eyes widened.
“Oh,” she said.
He checked his zipper. “What?”
She went back to laying out napkins. “Nothing.”
Wait! Was she checking him out?
Hell yeah, she was. That was interest in her eyes. Carter moved toward her, his stomach grumbling louder as he looked over the table and the tray of finger sandwiches she made for them. He couldn’t help but grin when she filled the two tall glasses beside their plates.
“Milk?”
She topped up his glass. “A growing boy needs milk.”
He laughed. Was she for real? Honest to God, where he came from, he’d have to search high and low for someone as innocent and wholesome as her, and he was still pretty sure he’d come up empty-handed.
“I’m twenty four. I stopped growing years ago,” he said.
She pulled out her chair and sat. “We’ll see.”
Even though he had no idea what she was talking about, he lowered himself into the seat across from her and took a big drink. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a glass of milk or home cooked turkey on whole grain bread. These days, he mostly ran on coffee and take out.
“Help yourself.” She waved her hand over the tray of sandwiches, then placed one on the plate in front of her. “There’s plenty more where these came from.”
Carter grabbed one and took a big bite, nearly eating the whole thing at once. Lord, that had to be the best thing he’d ever tasted. He chewed, swallowed, then shoved the rest into his mouth, chasing it with a swig of milk.
“Good,” he said, reaching for another.
“Thanks.” A wide smile split her lips, and he damn near choked on his food. She was so sweet and…sexy.
Even though they were opposite in almost every way, he was a guy, and guys thought about sex. A lot. Well, at least he did. She licked cranberry sauce from her lips and he stifled a groan. Damn, she had the nicest mouth. He didn’t know much about her, but he could only imagine she’d taste as sweet as the cookies on her counter. For a brief moment, he thought about kissing her to find out.
But he quickly squashed that thought. A sweet girl like her probably took her relationships seriously and would likely want more than he could give. All he could offer her was a quick, hot lay, and nothing more. Logic dictated it was time to stop thinking about her sexually. And, of course, he couldn’t forget about the boyfriend who was still out there.
She leaned forward to grab another finger sandwich. He caught a flash of her creamy white skin and his damn cock thickened. O-kay. So apparently he was a growing boy, after all. Okay, a hot roll in the sack would be nice, but since every move he made was careful and calculated, he needed to get his shit together. Sleeping with a sweet thing like her was not in his own best interests, for numerous reasons. She opened her mouth and slid half of the finger sandwich in. Oh Christ. How could he be expected to stay composed when she did things like that?
Cool it, Carter.
“Mmm, so good,” she said and slipped the last bite in. Just like that, his mind returned to sex.
What the hell was wrong with him? He was a lawyer for God’s sake. Composed. Careful. Logical.
So why the hell was he still thinking about the two of them naked when he knew getting involved with a girl like her was all wrong? Perhaps it was because he was high up in the mountains and not getting enough oxygen to fuel his brain. Yeah, that had to be the logical conclusion.
But then she dropped her napkin and bent over to get it, and therein laid the true reason why he couldn’t think rationally. She was hot.
Looking for a distraction, he asked, “Why do you have so much food? Were you expecting company?”
She frowned. “It was for the shelter. I spent days preparing it.” She shrugged easily, like she was brushing it off. “If we don’t get out soon, I’ll just freeze what we can’t eat and start again. I like to bring fresh food.” Smile restored, she looked at him. “I guess it’s a good thing you took the wrong road. Now I have someone to share this with.”
Did she always see the bright in everything? Honest to God, a sweet thing like her was probably a regular on Santa’s nice list.
“But I’m not staying.”
“Yeah, you said that already,” she responded, like she didn’t quite believe him.
He looked around the small cabin with the big window overlooking the snow peaked mountains. “So do you live here?” he asked.
“No, this cabin belongs to Stone Cliff Resort, and they’re letting me use it to for a few months while I write my thesis. My family lives in town, and I’ll be joining them for the holidays.”
“Your thesis is on wolf behavior?” he asked, interested to know more about her.
She nodded. “Yeah, pack animals fascinate me, but I’m mostly interested in the lone wolf.”
At the mention of the lone wolf, he looked out her window and thought he saw a flash of blue. But then he shook his head. That white wolf with the strange blue eyes had to be long gone by now, and he believed in logic, not legends. Besides, if what she said was true, and the wolf would give him what he needed, he’d damn well be on a plane home right now. Because what he really needed was to be in his apartment, alone, away from the holidays and what they made him remember…feel.
“What is it about the lone wolf that interests you?” he asked.
She took a drink of her milk and wiped her mouth. “I study how those pushed from the pack, or those who remove themselves for their own reasons, try to start their own family or work their way into an already established one.” She played with a crumb on her plate, then looked back at him, a real sincerity in her eyes when she added, “It’s not natural for any animal to be alone. Some think they don’t need anyone, but I can tell you they really are miserable deep down.”
“I don’t know if I believe that.” Hell, he’d removed himself emotionally from all those around him, and he was doing just fine. “I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule.”
She blinked up at him. “You think?”
“Sure.” He gave an easy roll of his shoulders. “I like being alone.”
Her brows arched. “Yeah? So you live alone?”
“Yeah, in a high-rise in the city.”
“And you like that?”
He nodded. “Which is why I want to get home.” Feeling oddly uncomfortable as she studied him with those big brown eyes—in much the same manner as Mayor Walker stared at him—he grabbed his glass and drained the last of his milk.
“Hmm.”
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She reached for the carton of milk. “Here, have some more.” She poured then looked past his shoulders through the glass window. “It’s getting dark.”
“I should probably get going before it gets too late.” He pushed away from the table and she jumped up.
“Hang on.” She darted to the back porch area and came back with a man’s coat, a hat, and a pair of boots. “You can’t get back into your
wet coat and shoes.”
“Thanks.” He walked to the door and shrugged into the heavy brown coat and boots. Another perfect fit. “I’ll send these back after I get home.” He took another look around at her cozy cottage and gave her dogs a quick pat on the head when they came rushing over like they were expecting him to take them for a walk. Their tails thumped against the cupboards excitedly. “Listen, thanks for everything.” When a log on the fire splintered and another Christmas tune came on the radio, he turned and reached for the door.
As soon as his hand curled around the knob, Josie asked, “What are you doing?”
He spun back to face her. “Going to my car.”
“Didn’t you want me to drive you?” She grabbed her coat off the back of the sofa and pulled it on.
“I figured I could walk.”
“What’s with you, City?” Why would you do that when I have a perfectly good truck sitting outside?”
“I’m not about to ask you—”
“I know you’re far away from home, so I’ll cut you some slack, but just remember, around these parts, we all help each other. All you have to do is ask.” She pulled on her boots and pushed past him. He tightened his scarf against the blowing wind and raced after her.
He climbed into the truck, and when she sat there staring at the dashboard, her lips twisted into a frown, he asked, “What?”
“It doesn’t look like you’re going anywhere.”
He leaned into her and looked at the dashboard. “What are you talking about?”
She tried to turn the key over, but nothing happened. “The truck won’t start.”
“What the hell?”
She nodded like everything made sense. “The wolf,” she said matter-of-factly. “It’s keeping you here.”
“I don’t believe in your legend, Josie. It’s probably dead because it’s freezing out and you didn’t plug in your block heater.” He looked out at the driving snow. “Besides, it’s still light enough for me to walk.” Barely, but if he hurried…
“Okay, suit yourself,” she said. Was she always so easygoing, taking everything in stride? “Be careful out there.” She jumped from the truck, and he plugged in her block heater as she turned back toward her cottage.