“Like what? Hiding bodies in walls?”
“Well, yeah. You’ve got the perfect job for body disposal. Inside walls, in concrete foundations, chopped up with a saw?—”
“Jesus. I don’t know whether to be shocked you think I’m a killer or intrigue with the way your mind works.”
She grinned. “You’re not scared? I could kill you and—” Her eyes popped wide before her head whipped around. “Where’s my belt? My gun?”
“Don’t panic. They’re in the bedroom. On the dresser.”
“Motherfucker. I can’t believe I left my weapon unattended.”
He grabbed her elbow when she took a step toward the bedroom. “Relax. It’s safe. And it’s not like I can steal it.”
“You might.”
“And do what with it?” He looked at the window. “And where the hell would I go to do it?”
Frowning, she slipped from his hold and walked over to the window next to the back door. “We’re stuck.”
“Yep.”
“For days according to everyone I’ve spoken to.”
“Seems so. Last report I heard we’re looking at forty-eight hours of this before it slows down and possibly another day or two of lighter snowfall after that.” He’d been through his share of snow storms, both here and when he lived in New York City, and he thought they were probably snowed in for a week at the least. “You can use the phone whenever you want.”
“Huh?” She looked at him over her shoulder.
“The satellite phone. If you want to call someone, feel free.”
He didn’t know her well enough to know if she’d be a good or bad forced roommate. Nash could handle the isolation easily enough. Especially when he could keep busy. Uncovering the fireplace would be a day or two worth of work. What he’d do after that he wasn’t sure. The thing he wanted to do most wasn’t on the table.
Indicating the kitchen, he said, “Make yourself at home. If you like to cook or bake feel free to use whatever you can find.”
“Actually, I’m not much of a cook. Carly got all the domestic goddess genes. I’m more interested in fixing up the fireplace.”
“Then get over here and help me pull the rest of these boards off.” Nash had caught the brief flash of uncertainty in Laura’s eyes when she confessed her lack of domesticity. He didn’t know what she could be unsure of. He’d take a woman who knew her way around a hammer over one who didn’t want to get her hands dirty any day. “Once we get it opened up I can get a look up the chimney to see if it’s clear.”
“Is that another one over there?”
Nash turned to see her pointing to the section of wall he’d spent last week closing in. “No, that’s the archway to the rest of the house. I closed it in on both sides and packed it with insulation so I wouldn’t lose the heat from in here.”
“So how do you get into the rest of the house?”
“Through the front door or the French doors that open onto the deck on the lake side of the house. Although the deck is in need of repair so until I make that safe I’ll be going through the front,” he explained as he yanked the next piece of plywood off the old fireplace.
“Do you have a plan for this place?” Laura grabbed the board and move it over to stack on the others.
“Yes and no. I’ve got a vague idea.”
He pried the next three boards off before she pushed him for more.
“And? What’s the plan?”
There were only two boards left so he concentrated on those before answering. Once they were off and neatly stacked on the pile Laura had made, he said, “The vague plan is to turn the place into a private residence and an inn.”
“That’s what it was before.”
“Yeah, but it was combined. I want the private and public areas to be completely separate.”
