"Deacon!How's your new assistant working out?Is she awesome?"she asks as soon as she answers."Are you calling to tell me that I'm a genius and you're sorry for being a grouch about it?"
"You're a genius and I'm sorry for being a grouch about it."
Her silence speaks entire tomes."Holy crap," she finally whispers."She is awesome.What happened?Why do you sound so happy?Oh my gosh.Youlikeher!"
"She is awesome," I say softly, striding down the short hall toward my bedroom."And she'll be your sister-in-law if I have my way."
Nell squeals in my ear.
"I need you to find someone to look after shit up here for me, Nell."
"Seriously?"she gasps."You're leaving?"
"Yeah, I go where she goes."
"Oh, Deacon," my baby sister whispers."I'm so happy for you.I'm going to miss you so much!"
"I'm not gone yet," I say dryly.
"When are you leaving?Do I get to meet her first?You wouldn't let me meet her the other day," she complains."You said I'd scare her off.Rude, by the way."
"Yeah, I was wrong about that.She's crazier than you are."
"I am not crazy."
"Whatever you say.Can you deal with the problem or not?I can't live like this.It's driving me insane.I want it done now.I can't wait a week."
"The cabins are a problem?"
"They are when she's leaving in a week and they're standing between me and my future," I growl."I need to get someone hired to look after them so I can start making plans."
"I'll see what I can do," Nell says."Maybe Ford can handle things for you.He needs something to do to keep him out of here and out of my hair anyway.You'd think owning a fancy ski resort would keep him busy, but no.He's always in here, scaring off the tourists."
"If you'd marry him, maybe he'd stop growling at all the tourists."
"What?Ford doesn't want to marry me," she says like I've lost my mind.
"Nell, the man's been waiting for you to marry him since he met you."
"Whatever.We're just friends," she mumbles."Get off my phone so I can work magic for you."
"You're my favorite sister."
"I'm your only sister, you big idiot," she says."But I love you too."
ChapterEleven
CORDELIA
"Where did your crazy mountain man go?"I ask Tyr, squatting to scratch his ears when he butts his head against my leg in a silent demand for attention.Deacon was on the porch just a minute ago, but I guess he's gone back inside now.He must have gotten tired of watching me act like a lunatic.
I don't even care if he was judging me though.I found signal in the dead zone he calls home.It's been a good day.I got to catch up on what the girls are doing.Apparently, I'm not the only one busy falling in love.We're falling like bricks all over the place.Tabitha met a mob boss in Vegas.Cleary woke up married to a tattoo artist, also in Vegas.Gem is getting it on with an ex.Peyton is hooking up with a billionaire.Mandy is banging the guy who pretended to be her photographer.And Devyn is head over heels for her brother's best friend.
Maybe Drunk Me was onto something with thiswe're not moping on Valentine's Day, we're facing our fearspact.For the first time ever, my besties are all in love.We're a Hallmark movie in the making.Only with a lot more sex.High five for us!
"Let's go annoy Deacon," I murmur to Tyr, rising from my crouch.The muscles in my legs protest, making me giggle.Yeah, there's definitely a lot more sex in this movie.
Tyr follows me as far as the front porch and then flops down, refusing to come inside like usual.The dog is nuts.He likes freezing his cajónes off.Yesterday, I found him sleeping in a pile of melting snow like it was completely normal.Huskies are built different, I guess.
