The sound of rain hitting the roof stirred memories from the night before and all at once it came back to her. She stiffened when she heard a low grumbling sound behind her. Her eyes flew open and she shifted, only to find that Leo’s arm was what pinned her against him. His hot breath beat against the back of her neck.
Barely any light filtered into the room, but she could make out that she was on the bed. They were both on the bed.
A barely contained squeak of surprise slipped from her lips as she did her best to scramble out from beneath Leo’s embrace. She scooted to the edge of the bed and pulled her legs over the side before glancing back at Leo.
His hair was mussed in the most adorable way. The scruff around his jaw made him look even more enticing. His features were relaxed. Gone were the hard lines and judgmental stares she had grown to expect from him.
Her heart fluttered wildly as she took him in. He hadn’t stirred when she’d slipped away from him which gave her the chance to ease off the bed and limp toward the fireplace. There was a chill in the air, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been last night when her hair had still been wet.
How had she gotten to bed? She couldn’t recall much once it got really late.
Maybe something had passed between them when he’d come to her rescue. Or had they agreed on a truce that she didn’t remember?
Either way, they weren’t going to be at odds with each other and for some strange reason, that idea sent waves of warmth through her body that she couldn’t control. Goosebumps appeared all over her arms and legs and she stifled a soft laugh.
Despite her headache, she could tell today would be a good day.
After starting the fire back up, Kat hobbled over to the propane stove in the corner of the room. She grabbed a jug of water from the shelf near the kitchen area and poured it into a kettle. Then she started up the propane stove and set the kettle on top. While she waited, she stared out the window.
Kat could still smell Leo. When she brought her shirt to her nose, his distinct scent mingled with the smell of the rain outside and the crackling fire in the hearth. She closed her eyes and breathed it in, reveling in how it made her feel.
There wasn’t any power in the cabin. That was one of the things Leo had mentioned last night among other things. She’d have to limp out to the outhouse if she needed to relieve herself. That idea was less than ideal seeing as her boots were still wet and the idea of heading back out into the inclement weather made her body go cold all over again.
While the water on the stove heated, she rummaged through the cupboards. It didn’t look like anyone had been in the cabin for a while. There were coffee grounds and crackers. Nothing else.
It was as good a breakfast as they were going to get. With another look out at the drizzling rain, she pondered if they’d be able to head back at all today or if they were stuck for another night.
Kat brought her shirt to her nose again, not quite ready to admit to herself that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she were to sleep beside Leo one more time. They’d both been fully clothed, using each other for body heat. There had been nothing sensual about the exchange, and yet her tattered soul seemed to heal just knowing Leo cared enough to get her into bed.
It was crazy, this truce of theirs. She knew the second they got back to the ranch that Leo would end up returning to his usual brusque self. All she could hope for was that they’d be able to enjoy each other’s company while they were here.
“Morning,” a deep, low voice echoed through the small cabin.
She startled, whirling around to face the intrusion. Leo leaned against the wall nearest the fire. His arms were folded, and his hair was still adorably sticking up at odd angles. And yet he was as gorgeous as ever. She blinked wildly. “What… when did you get up?” she rasped.
He frowned, pushing off the wall and coming closer. He didn’t stop until he ate up the space between them. If she could have, she would have backed away from him. As it was, the stove behind her prevented such an escape.
Leo’s gentle hands cupped her face. The action was almost too intimate and she sucked in a surprised breath. “Are you sick?” He moved his hand to brush the back of his fingertips across her forehead and it all made sense. He was touching her not out of affection, but to see if she had a temperature.
She ducked away from his touch and put some distance between them. The movement was far from graceful seeing as she still limped on her bad ankle. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice still scratchy. “It’s not from the rain. Or it might be, but I don’t think so. I yelled for you when I got stuck.”
Guilt emanated from his entire body. His shoulders slumped and his eyes searched hers. For a moment she thought he might apologize, but they’d already done enough of that last night. They stared at each other for longer than she was comfortable with—long enough that she had to force her eyes away from him. “I heated some water for coffee. There’s not much else in the cupboards besides crackers.”
When he didn’t respond, she looked up to find his eyes still trained on her.
Kat fidgeted. “What?”
Still, he didn’t speak. His eyes flicked to the window and his jaw tensed. “If this doesn’t let up, we might be stuck for another day.”
She almost asked him if that would be so bad, but she held her tongue. Instead, she pulled some paper plates from thecupboard and split the crackers. Leo grabbed the coffee grounds and filter before pouring them each a cup. When they were settled on the floor in front of the fire like they had been the night before, Kat offered him the plate.
Their truce felt strange—foreign even. She didn’t know how to behave with him when he stared at her like she might be someone he could start to like. Heck, she didn’t want to add another person to the growing list of people she would miss when she left here. So, as he took the plate from her hand, she murmured, “I still hate you.”
He chuckled. It was low and warm. It filled her with a different kind of joy she hadn’t thought possible. And dang it, his chuckle was infectious. The corners of her lips quirked upward and she allowed herself to meet his gaze.
“And you’re still infuriating, Princess,” he murmured before popping a cracker into his mouth.
The rain let upa little after lunch. They’d taken a detour, in an attempt, to locate her phone but the mud was too hard to traipse through and she called it a lost cause.
