Remembering that she was supposed to be conversing with him, rather than just ogling him and letting her thoughts wander off in directions they really ought not to, she dragged her mind back to the topic at hand.
Peaches. Right.
“We roasted them first with some honey and salt,” she said. “I was a little unsure how it would turn out when I first saw the recipe, but I definitely think it ended up being a winner.”
“You can say that again.” Calvin moved the remains of his popsicle away from his mouth. “I have to pause for a minute, otherwise it’ll all be gone before I know it. I want to make this last.”
The thought of him saying those words to her in another context, whispered in a low voice, suddenly struck her, and she shivered.
Not now! Leave the poor guy out of your inappropriate thoughts!
She didn’t think that was going to be possible, though. She could foresee many,manyinappropriate thoughts in her future, long after Calvin had left town.
The thought was depressing. Was this amazing guy really just going to pass through her life in the space of an afternoon? She didn’t think she’d ever be able to settle for anyone else again, after this.
This isn’t like me at all,she thought desperately.My libido has been reawakened at the least convenient time.
“How long are you staying in town?” she asked. Best to rip off the Band-Aid and get confirmation that she would never see him again as quickly as possible.
Calvin licked a long, slow line up the side of his popsicle in order to catch a stray rivulet, and Diana nearly combusted on the spot.
“I’m not sure, to be honest,” he said. “I was going to spend a few days camping a little way down the mountain, but my car and my phone both died, so I thought I’d come here and see if I could organize a tow truck. Since it’s getting late, though, I think I’ll camp out here for the evening.”
He did a double take, looking oddly flustered. “Nothere, I mean – not in your house. Outside. But not in your yard. At a campsite. In my tent. That I brought.”
Diana watched, fascinated, as he fidgeted with his popsicle, before taking a large bite.
If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought that he was just as nervous as she was. Which shouldn’t have been possible – surely a guy like this would be completely self-assured in all things?
Or at least,definitelywhen it came to women. Diana couldn’t imagine he didn’t have women hurling their phone numbers, addresses – hell, probably even their panties – at him everywhere he went.
But then what he was actually saying hit her.
He was looking for a place to stay?
… No. She couldn’t. That would just betooforward, even if she cleared the underwear off her bedroom floor first. And she didn’t think she’d be able to keep her hands off him.
He could sleep on the couch, she supposed, but there was no way he would fit. And she knew that he would refuse to take the bed if she offered it.
Still… she had to offer. It would be downright rude if she didn’t offer up her bed to the poor stranded man. Who was she to leave him alone in the wilderness?
“There’s a B&B nearby,” Ash said, and Diana almost jumped out of her skin. That kid could be so quiet sometimes that when he spoke up, it startled her!
Mentally, she cursed him just a bit… but itwasin fact the most logical option – as well as the option that would be the most likely to save her dignity, and her sleep schedule. She didn’t think it would be a great idea to have Calvin stay the night. Even if they were in different rooms, she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep just from the knowledge that there was a gorgeous man in suchclose proximity. And she didn’t want to do anything that would even slightly cause discomfort for Ash.
Besides a bit of awkward flirting, anyway,she thought wryly.
“That’s true,” she said. “It’s an absolutely gorgeous old mansion, renovated to be a guest house. You’d love it.”
“Sounds expensive,” Calvin said, frowning slightly.
“Yeah, it’s not cheap,” Diana said, before another thought hit her. “Though… it wouldn’t surprise me if they were booked out anyway, what with it being the last minute and all.”
She pulled out her phone, bringing up the B&B’s website. It was run by her friends Natasha and Kieran – both newcomers to Girdwood Springs, but they fit in so well with the town’s atmosphere that it felt like they’d been here forever – and she knew the address by heart.
She checked the availability, then shook her head.
“Just like I thought – completely sold out,” she said.
