He had to stop a few times and set it down to rest his shoulders and arms, but soon he had it resting on the side of the road. After taking a few moments to rest, he backtracked to the Rover, using his gloves to swipe most of the snow off the windshield before climbing inside and starting the engine.
Chase took the rest of the distance slowly, watching for any further obstacles that would hamper their ability to leave once the ice had melted enough for safe driving. It only took a few minutes to get to the cabin, and he pulled in under the carport, shutting off the engine.
Popping open the trunk, he grabbed Harper’s hefty suitcase and hauled it out before slinging his weekend bag over one shoulder. He was carrying the suitcase up the few steps into the cabin, debating how to negotiate the front door, when it opened and Harper stepped out, her eyes falling to their bags.
“Did you bring those all the way from the car?”
“Nope. I drove it over.”
When she glanced up at him, there was a little furrow between her eyes. “How did you drive it over when there was a tree in the way?”
“I moved it.”
Her jaw fell open, but she shifted out of his way as he neared the door so he could bring their luggage inside.
“You moved atree?” Harper was staring at him and he wanted to puff up with manly pride, but he resisted.
“It was a small tree.”
She gave an incredulous laugh, and he couldn’t help his grin. “Oh, just asmalltree. Not all that impressive, then.”
CHAPTER 8
The man.Had moved. A tree.
She’d seen the size of it yesterday, and while it might not have been the hugest tree, it was also not a little one. The thought of him hefting it out of the road made her press her thighs together, genuinely sorry she’d missed seeing it happen.
Chase was back outside changing the tire. She’d protested that he needed to warm up and should change it later, but he declared he was already plenty warm and would rather get it out of the way.
Harper raided the cupboards and found a can of evaporated milk and a few packets of cocoa. As the milk and cocoa heated on the stove, she rooted around and found half a package of dark chocolate chips and a bottle of vanilla. She added a few handfuls of the chocolate and a generous dollop of vanilla, whisking it all together until it was heated through and smooth.
She was pouring it into mugs when a blast of chilly air heralded Chase’s return. He lifted his head, scenting the air like a dog on the trail of a rabbit.
“Do I smell chocolate?” he asked, his eyes hopeful.
She smiled as she held out a mug. “I found cocoa!”
He inhaled before taking a healthy swallow. His eyes flared wide. “This is amazing.”
Harper shrugged. “Just packaged cocoa with some chocolate chips and vanilla.”
“It’s like swallowing heaven.”
She couldn’t help laughing at that. “I suspect it tastes extra delicious because you were outside in that bitter cold.”
His eyes narrowed as he considered. “You may be right. But it’s still damn delicious. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” There was no reason for her to blush, so why was it happening, dangit? She grabbed a cloth to wipe up nonexistent cocoa spills.
When she turned back to Chase, he was looking at her strangely. “What?”
His mouth curved into a small, mysterious smile. “Nothing. What should we do today?” He tilted his head back toward the living room. “Movie marathon?”
Movies, yes, good. That would mean she only had to sit in the same room and watch something on the TV instead of trying to make conversation all day long with the man she couldn’t stop thinking about in more and more intimate terms.
“Fantastic, yes, let’s do that.”
Chase busiedhimself building a fire in the fireplace while Harper perused the movie selection on the streaming channels. This might be a somewhat remote fishing cabin, but he liked having some of the comforts of home even here.
