He cocked his head to the side and met her stare through the mirror. “What else do you suggest, Miss Cavanaugh?”
“Well, what if you turn around and take me to the nearest town with an airport so I can go home tonight?”
“Sorry, no deal. I’m not turning back for anyone or anything. The nearest town that has an airport is several miles away, and you can just forget about me doing that for you. Besides, we’re about ten minutes away from the cabin.”
He started the Jeep and pushed it into gear. The vehicle lurched forward, causing her to fall back, bumping her head against the seat. Reflex brought her hand up to smooth the ache. Ouch! He was so impossible.
Brooke folded her arms. “Excuse me, but I’d like to bring up a point you’ve seemed to overlook. If I go back to the cabin with you and call someone to come get me, I’ll have to wait for them to pick me up, which, as you’ve rudely mentioned, is a three-hour drive. Since you want to be alone, why don’t you take me to the nearest town and leave me there to wait for my ride?”
A growl-like huff escaped his throat, but he kept driving. The obstinate man only raised his chin higher. “You have a point, but it’s still too far to drive in this snow. You’re coming to the cabin with me like it or not. I’ll figure out some way to keep you out of my hair until your ride comes.”
She slumped in the seat, still glaring at his reflection in the mirror. He treated her like some unruly child, yet he was the one throwing a temper tantrum.
Moving her attention away from the mirror, she pursed her lips. Once in a while she could feel his heated look upon her, but she wouldn’t give in to the temptation of returning his annoyed expression with one of her own. For all she knew, Mr. Meanie might take it upon himself to dump her in a snow bank and leave her until spring.
As soon as the Jeep stopped, she pushed open the door and flew out. When her high-heeled shoes sank into the almost calf-deep icy snow, a fierce shiver spread through her body. Frigid air came up from behind, biting at her bare legs, chilling her as large flakes of snow continued to cover the trees and ground in a heavy, white blanket. The shock to her system immobilized her limbs, making her body shake from the piercing cold. She took a few steps, stumbled, and lost her shoes in the process. She kept moving until the coldness penetrated all the way to her bones and she couldn’t even lift her legs to move.
Grumbling, she bent to find her shoes, but another gust of wind blew from behind and unbalanced her. Her cold legs gave way and the front of her head met the ground faster than she’d expected. A layer of snow coated her face like a mask.
Justin climbed out of the Jeep and laughed. Anger burned through her but did nothing to warm her skin. With frozen hands, she brushed off the snow and glared at him. If not for the quaking of her body, she would have believed she’d turned into an icicle.
The laughter stopped, but this time the slight lift to the corner of his mouth irritated her. Through her paralyzed state, she wanted to bellow out her frustrations, but couldn’t utter a sound through her chattering teeth.
“Well,” he asked, “are you going to stay in the snow and freeze or come in and get warm?”
Her body remained still. “I – I – I’m so c-c-cold. I c-c-can’t move.”
Justin shook his head. “Oh, for goodness sake.” He clomped over to her and scooped her up in his arms. “Women,” he mumbled.
Brooke wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to his warmth as he carried her to the cabin.
He awkwardly balanced her and slid the key into the lock. Although she’d sworn off men – and this one in particular – she gripped him tightly as he carried her into the cabin, relishing in the slight warmth from his all too masculine body. He carried her to a couch and set her down, practically peeling her arms away from his neck. After escaping her hold, he draped an afghan over her.
“I’m going to build a fire. Will you be all right?”
She managed a small, shaky nod.
Justin stepped to the fireplace, settling the wood and crumpled newspaper into place. Within minutes, flames licked around the pieces of wood. He stood and walked back over to her. His handsome face still held an irritated expression, but then he surprised her with his kindness when he picked her up and carried her to the raised stone hearth, sitting beside it as he settled her on his lap. The heat from the fire touched her cold legs, and within seconds re-awakened her body. After a minute or so, her teeth stopped chattering and her body relaxed, but her lips remained numb.
He glanced at her bare legs. Raising one foot, he rubbed her foot between his hands. It was strange having a man do this for her, especially when she’d promised herself never to let a man touch her again, but the friction warmed her skin and she didn’t want to stop him. He rubbed his palms underneath her feet and over the tops, bringing her body slowly back to a normal temperature. She bit her bottom lip, holding back the moan of satisfaction dying to be released from her throat as heat slowly filled her body.
Warmth spread through her, and painful tingles ripped through her blood. She didn’t know why her brain had shut down outside the cabin, but as soon as the sudden jolt of bitter cold had pierced her skin, all logic refused to work.
It was a helpless feeling she didn’t like at all.
After Chuck left her, she’d decided she was never going to rely on a man again. She wasn’t some simpering female. Yet here she sat in front of the fireplace on this strange man’s lap, while he rubbed her cold feet with his large hands. What was wrong with this picture? She shouldn’t allow him to touch her this way, but the warmth flowing through her body felt good – too good. Yet, she needed to take control.
Brooke pushed herself off his lap and scooted closer to the fire. “I’m much better now. I really appreciate your help.”
“No problem. I just wanted to get you warm.” He shook his head. “Good grief, woman, your lips were nearly blue.”
“Yes... well, thank you for your help.” She avoided his eyes and stared into the fire for several long moments, breathing slowly to regulate her heartbeat. When she was once again in control, she faced him.
She hadn’t noticed his attire until now. Although his clothes looked expensive, he actually resembled a cowboy. His shiny black boots matched the black jeans that hugged his thighs. The long-sleeved blue shirt didn’t have any fancy western designs, but still stretched across his wide chest.
Justin was magnificently built, and the hypnotizing good looks that matched his physique only made it worse. When he focused on her, his warm gaze pierced through to her soul, causing a turbulent range of emotions to build inside of her.
She shivered. “I guess I should call for someone to come get me.” She reached into her coat pocket and withdrew her cell. She quickly dialed a number, but there was no service this far in the mountains. She grumbled. “I don’t have any service.”
