There was mirth in his eyes, and I felt like that might have been the first unguarded thing he’d said to me.
I raised my eyebrows playfully, “If you think I’m scary in the kitchen, you should see what I can do to a bedroom.”
That stole the man’s words right out of his mouth.
His jaw worked, but nothing came out, and I swear a light flush landed on his cheeks.
Could a big, strong mountain man like this blush over a little joke like that? Maybe. I was learning more about Hall the longer I spent with him. And so far, I liked everything I’d seen.
Watching him get flustered excited me, as though I was causing this effect in him. Could it be possible? I eyed him carefully, but the man was back to being like a stone wall. I could tell there was a lot going on under the surface, but he kept what he was feeling hidden deep inside him.
I wonder what other people see when they look at him.
He was the quintessential wilderness man. A man who could make things happen. But did people see the quiet side of Hall, the side he hid from the world? I wanted just one glimpse of what was going on in his mind right now.
After dinner, we sat on the back deck, sharing a Kit-Kat bar as the sun painted the sky in shades of orange and pink.
“Is this your nightly ritual?” I asked, breaking off a piece of chocolate. “A Kit-Kat bar after dinner and a little bit of stargazing?”
“Something like that.”
I nodded toward the telescope set up at the edge of the deck. “That looks like a nice one. You must really love astronomy.”
Hall went very still beside me. “It’s just a hobby.”
“What do you look at? Planets? Constellations?”
“Whatever’s interesting.” He took a bite of his Kit-Kat, not meeting my eyes. “Stars. The moon. The valley.”
“The valley?” I turned to look at him, curious. “What’s interesting about the valley?”
For a long moment, he didn’t answer. I watched his jaw work, like he was wrestling with something. Then he just shook his head.
“Nothing. Just… checking on things. Making sure everything’s quiet down there.”
There was something he wasn’t telling me. I could feel it. But I didn’t push. We all had our secrets, and he was entitled to keep his private.
Chapter 8
Hall
The next afternoon, I drove my truck along the winding mountain road with Cassidy in the passenger seat and a borrowed wrench rattling around in the back.
We’d met with an insurance adjuster this morning and handled the details of her claim. Now we were heading out to the logging camp so I could give Amos his wrench.
I couldn’t believe how easily we’d slipped into a routine together.
Two days, and already her presence felt woven into the fabric of my life.
Our days started with morning coffee on the deck, her chatter filling the silence I’d grown so accustomed to. Then the one-sided conversation continued while she moved around my cabin like she belonged there.
But I knew it was false. We weren’t working right now, and that took the pressure of real life off our shoulders. This week existed outside of reality. Soon enough, the bubble would pop. She’d go back to her job in Fernwood, her house would getsorted out one way or another, and I’d be alone again on my mountain.
The thought made my chest tight.
Would I be able to live with the silence once she was gone?
I was hyperaware of her sitting next to me. Karina’s clothes fit Cassidy well, maybe too well.
