“Ironic, though, if after all that time, we finally… well, unless you have a husband, in which case….” The nightmare scenario took a turn for the worse. “You’ll not only bring him when you retire, you’ll drag him to the ranch every blessed time you visit.”
“And even more fun, I’ll get to know whoever you’re with.”
Denial rose in his throat. He tried to swallow it, which resulted in a caveman grunt of dismissal. Not particularly attractive.
“I don’t like thinking about you with someone else, but I’d better get used to the idea. Some lucky lady will be enjoyingall this.” She swept a hand around the room. “Your packed bookshelves, your cute little tree by the fireplace. Is it real?”
“The tree’s real. The fireplace is electric.” Leaning toward the nightstand, he opened the drawer.
Her breath hitched.
“I’m getting the remote for the fireplace.”
“Oh.”
“But I’d be happy to grab a condom while I’m at it.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
He looked over his shoulder. “You could, you know. After what we just discussed, you’d be smart to cut your losses.”
“Do you want to?”
“No.”
“Neither do I.”
“Alrighty, then.” He tossed a condom on the nightstand and picked up the remote. “But first, some atmosphere. Do you like crackling logs, glowing embers or something in between?”
“Can I play with it?”
“You can play with anything in this room, including me.” He handed over the remote.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She pointed the remote at the fireplace and went through the settings. “I’m in the mood for this one — gentle flames so you get a flicker but it’s not loud.”
“Good choice. Want music?”
She smiled. “You have a remote for that?”
“Yes, and before you ding me for my seductive setup?—”
“I wasn’t gonna.” She picked up her water and settled back against the pillows.
“But you were thinking it.”
“Maybe.”
“Ninety percent of the time I’m alone in here. Since February, it’s been a hundred percent. Just me and my laptop.”
“You write in here?”
“A lot, yeah. During the day I sometimes sit at my old rolltop desk. I have a great view of the Sapphires from that window.” He took several swallows of water.
“But there’s no door to close. And now you have Granny here.”
“That lady’s amazingly quiet. Never interrupts me, except for the time a bear strolled past the cabin two days after she moved in. But you make a good point. I sink into the story more when I’m in here with my music on and the door closed.”
“And surrounded by books. I think you have more than me.”
