“You don’t know how to start a fire, do you?”
Her mouth dropped open. “Of course, I know how to start a fire.”
One look at the ash in the fireplace refuted that. There weren’t even embers. The fire had dwindled long ago. And evidently, Rachel hadn’t been successful in getting it going again.
“I can start it for you.”
She looked at him like he’d offered to build her a condo, not merely get a fire ignited. “I said I know how to start a fire.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
“It’s fine. My dad will be back soon and he can do it then. You can be on your way.”
Like a bee had stung her, Rachel jumped. She withdrew her phone from her back pocket and read the incoming text that made her leap out of her skin. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Holden didn’t know if it was even safe to ask, but he couldn’t keep his curiosity contained. “Everything okay?”
“No, everything’snotokay.” Her chin trembled. While that often indicated tears, in this instance, it was aggravation that had Rachel’s entire jaw ticking. “My parents are staying the night at the market. They said all the roads are closed and they can’t make it back up the hill.”
“Will they be okay there?”
She nodded. “They have a generator and sleeping bags. They’ve done it before.”
“So it sounds like your dad won’t be back to help with that fire, then.”
Rachel’s eyes narrowed. “I will figure it out.”
“You’d really rather spend a night shivering than let me help you?”
She loosened her arms previously crossed in defiance. “Fine. You can help start the fire. But you’ll leave right after that. I can take care of myself.”
Holden was sure she could. After all, surviving on her own in a city of close to one million people wasn’t for the timid. Rachel was a capable woman.
And an unbelievably stubborn one, too.
CHAPTER23
“Do you have some dry logs around here?”
“On the east wall of the house. You can go out through the side door in the garage.” Rachel moved a hand to stroke the top of Scout’s head. “She can stay here.”
Holden didn’t argue, which was good because Rachel didn’t have a comeback. She wasn’t sure why she wanted Scout to remain with her, but the thought of being alone in the dark house didn’t sit well with her.
But neither did being in the dark house with Holden.
“Maybe he’ll get lost out there,” Rachel mused. Scout’s chocolate eyes flicked up. “Oh. That’s right. Sort of your job to make sure he doesn’t, huh?”
He’d been right about the fire. She would never admit it out loud, but starting a fire in her apartment consisted of flipping on a switch. She’d tried for a good half hour to get the kindling and logs in the fireplace to ignite, but by the end of it she’d used up all of her matches and just as much determination.
Cozying up beneath a thick blanket and warm layers would just have to suffice.
But not with Holden around. He needed to go as soon as there was a roaring fire in that hearth. She still hadn’t forgiven him for sneaking around their property. And here he was, asecondtime, right outside her door.
Try as she might to be upset by that now, she couldn’t cling to that obstinate resolve. It wasn’t a lie to say she was a little grateful to see his snowmobile. Her parents had been gone longer than they’d predicted, the temperature within the cabin was easily dropping by several degrees per hour, and the candles placed throughout the house made creepy, elongated shadows dance on the walls. She wasn’t afraid of the dark, but her eyes played tricks on her.
And maybe Holden was to blame for that. The thought of someone sneaking around their property wasn’t one she’d entertained before, but after seeing that video footage of the noble fir fugitives, her mind filled with eerie thoughts.
As though sensing her suddenly elevated heart rate, Scout gently licked along Rachel’s palm, then nudged her head on her leg. Rachel scratched right behind the dog’s ears. “You really like all of this snow?”
