Rolling her eyes, she let out a dramatic breath. “Seriously? In this weather?”
“Hey, it seemed odd to me too, but it still doesn’t change the fact that someone I didn’t know was trying to break into the lodge. As one of the owners, I take that seriously.”
“Oh.”
They simply stared at each other for several moments before Axel said, “So, um…yeah. I’m going to run out and grab the food and bring it in here because it’s closer than my cabin. I’ll dry off when I get back, so save me a few towels.”
His hand was on the doorknob when she stopped him again. He hung his head briefly before looking at her.
“I’m going to go down with you. I’ve got some stuff in my truck that I’d rather have in here. Nothing perishable,” she clarified. “But my computer and a few other things that I wouldn’t want to get ruined if the truck leaks.”
“You don’t know if your truck leaks?”
“It’s never rained like this before.” She shrugged. “I don’t want to take any chances.”
Well, damn.
He hated the thought of her going back out in the foul weather. She didn’t look like she couldn’t handle it, but it seemed a little too dangerous, especially considering that she wasn’t familiar with the grounds like he was.
“Tell you what, give me your keys and tell me what you need and I’ll get it. I don’t mind making a second trip. And if you wouldn’t mind, you might make us a couple of cups of coffee while I’m doing that.”
“Wow. Sexist much?” she said with more than a hint of attitude.
“No, not sexist much,” he mimicked. “I was just trying to do a nice thing! I’m in work boots and can handle the muddy path to the parking lot. Your shoes don’t look like they’d have any real traction, and I was trying to avoid having you fall and get hurt. But if you need to prove some feminist point…”
“Okay, okay, okay…sorry,” she murmured. “I didn’t think…”
“No, you didn’t,” he interrupted before holding out his hands. “Keys?”
“Oh, uh…it’s not locked. There’s a small hard-shell suitcase on the passenger seat and a small purse and duffel bag. If it’s not too much trouble.”
With a nod, Axel turned and braced himself. Normally he didn’t mind the walk from the lodge to the parking lot, but with the storm it looked like miles away instead of yards. His hoodie was already soaked, but at least the hood would be a small barrier between him and the rain. So he pulled it up and quickly stepped out the door.
It was so loud that it didn’t feel natural—the pounding of the rain, the steady stream of rumbling thunder, and the almost terrifying flashes of lightning. The sky was getting darker by the minute, and he swore he’d never seen anything like this in his life. And as much as he would have preferred to be down in his cabin, perhaps being on higher ground in the lodge was safer.
At his truck, he grabbed all his grocery bags and remembered he had a box of extra-large trash bags on the back seat. He tossed the groceries back down and quickly made himself a poncho out of one trash bag and then carefully layered all his grocery bags in another. Taking the box of bags with him, he moved over to Maisie’s truck and put her purse in with the groceries, looped the duffel bag over his shoulders, and grabbed the suitcase with his free hand. It was awkward as hell, but he made his way as fast as he could back up the stairs where Maisie was holding the door open for him.
Breathless, he carefully wedged past her to get inside and slowly lowered everything to the floor.
“Are you insane?” she demanded. “You could have fallen and hurt yourself carrying all that in one trip!”
Axel tore his makeshift poncho off before peeling off his hoodie and dropping it to the floor. “I was focused on getting out of the storm. And none of it was heavy, just awkward. It’s all good.”
Next, he was about to kick off his boots when he realized he really needed to go back outside again. Muttering a curse, he headed for the door.
“Now where are you going? You've got everything!”
“Not yet. I’ll be right back.” And before she could stop him, he ran out the door and down the stairs to a door that led to the storage room. He would have been fine if he were alone or if one of the guys were with him, but there was no way he was going to strip off his clothes and hang out with only a towel around his waist with a strange woman riding out the storm with him.
And he greatly doubted Maisie wanted to hang out in only a towel too.
In the storage room, he rummaged around a bit. Months ago, Walker had told him that there was a supply of brand-new robes and slippers and other toiletries. It didn’t take long for him to gather up a bunch of stuff—which was luckily all sealed in plastic—and make his way back upstairs. And just as she did before, Maisie was holding the door for him.
“What in the world…?”
Dumping it all out on the table, he let out a long breath as he shook off like a wet dog.
“What is all this?”
