Kat just wrapped her arms around her knees and watched the dancing flames of the fire.
Leo sighed again then headed for the linen closet. He grabbed a heavy comforter and moved toward Kat. Without preamble, he draped the blanket around her shoulders. She jumped, her eyes darting up to meet his. Then she offered him a sad smile. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t,” she murmured.
He cocked his head. Why didn’t she want his apology?
It was as if Kat could hear his thoughts. “Don’t apologize. You’re right. This was my fault.”
Leo shook his head. “I shouldn’t have?—”
“Contrary to what you might believe,” she tossed him a glance out of the corner of her eye, “I’m actually more level-headed than I portrayed today. I shouldn’t have taken off.”
He watched her carefully, waiting for her to… what? Did he really expect her to tell him she was kidding and she still blamed him? He wouldn’t put it past her. But when she didn’t say anything further, he blew out a breath and settled down on the floor beside her. He propped up his forearms on his bent knees and stared into the fire. Embers popped and crackled, adding to the roaring sound of the storm outside. Every so often, lightning brightened the space accompanied by rolling thunder.
He lost track of how long they sat there watching the fire, letting their argument settle into dust between them. This wasn’t what either of them had been expecting for the day. He doubted that Kat had ever wanted to spend the night in a cabin like this one. If he had to guess, he would have put her in a luxury resort cabin. He could see her wrapped in a fur blanket watching the rain fall outside a large bay window. She might be reading a book or writing something in a journal.
A smile tugged at his lips unbidden.
“What’s that for?”
He jumped and looked over to her to find her staring at him. Immediately, his smile fell. “Nothing,” he muttered.
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Clearly, the most I’ll ever get out of you is that you don’t care about me, right?” He opened his mouth to argue, but she continued. “You know what’s weird? Up until recently, I never really cared what someone thought about me besides my father. I didn’t care if people thought I worked too hard or if I was getting special treatment. I didn’t give any of them a second thought.” She turned her face to the side and rested her cheek atop her knees. “Theweirdthing is I’m suddenly finding it incredibly difficult to brush off your judgment.”
He listened in silence. Her words were doing something to him he couldn’t describe. What did she think he’d say to that? This wasn’t the sort of confession that he’d ever expected from her. And yet he couldn’t deny how good her admission felt.
Just as quickly as that feeling arrived, it disappeared. He wasn’t the only person in her life whose opinion she cared about. Leoknew she had another man in her life. Chaz. His lip curled at the thought of the man’s name.
Kat’s brows knit together and she lifted her head slightly as she studied him further. He looked away, not willing to admit why his expression had changed.
Thankfully, she didn’t ask. She merely turned her focus to the fire. More crackling filled the air before she broke the silence. “I’ve been mulling it over—when I was stuck in the woods earlier. Honestly, I could only come up with one reason that makes sense.”
He waited, holding his breath. Would she admit that she had a crush on him? Or that while she despised him, there was a degree of respect?
As much as the thought frustrated him, he’d have to acknowledge that he had a small degree of respect for Kat. She couldn’t have come this far in her career if she wasn’t smart and hard working. He didn’t care what anyone said. Being related to the boss couldn’t get herthatfar.
“My dad’s going to give me the business.”
He stiffened, not understanding how that had anything to do with what she’d been saying.
She sighed. “Well, maybe. He doesn’t want to give it to me unless I can prove myself. And apparently, he didn’t think I could.” Her voice took on a sour tone. “Can you believe he wants me to marry Chaz?”
A low growl seemed to rumble deep in Leo’s chest. He knew there was something between them. Thankfully, the sound was covered up by a roll of thunder.
She laughed bitterly. “He had the gall to tell me that an arranged marriage would be a good idea because then we could run the company together. Together! I’ve been working my tail off to show just how capable I am. This is all I’ve wanted since I was a kid.” She turned her head to look at him again. “It’s ridiculous. But I’m just his daughter, so what do I know?”
His frown deepened. “Tell me this is some kind of joke.”
Kat waved a hand in the air. “Right? I wish. But nope. My dad said I could either agree to marry Chaz so we could run the company together, or I could come out here to Montana and oversee this project. If I’m successful, then he’ll hand over the reins, no pun intended.”
A smile tugged at his lips, but he resisted the urge. Instead, he set his glower on the fire. “You’d think he was still trapped in the past. We live in modern times. He can’t force you to marry anyone.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she sighed. “My dad is set in his ways.” She shifted in her place and returned her chin to her knees. “Honestly? If it takes coming out here, living in the middle of nowhere in order to get what I deserve, then I’ll do it. My job is more important than love. I never planned on getting married anyway.”
For some reason, his blood ran cold. His heart came to an abrupt stop before it set off racing. “Why?” he demanded a little too sharply for his own good.
She eyed him briefly, a small smile playing at her lips. “What? Because I’m a woman, I automatically want to get married and start a family?” She rolled her eyes. “You’re almost as bad as my dad.”
