Her cheeks were a blistering shade of red, but I couldn’t tell whether it was from being out in the cold for so long or the fire that flickered, casting shadows on her skin.
“Uh,” she stammered when I narrowed my eyes on her. “I really don’t need—”
She cut herself off when my stare sharpened. She cleared her throat.
“Tea.” She bit down on her lower lip. “I like tea.”
I turned and headed toward the kitchen.
I came back with a tray balanced in my hands, bearing a teapot, a cup, and a variety of teas I’d found in the kitchen. I hadn’t been sure what she’d like best, so I’d brought a bit of everything.
Her brows rose when I set the tray down on the side table beside her.
“Drink,” I instructed. “Get warm. Then I’ll show you to your room.”
I sat down on the couch across from her, deliberately leaning back, trying not to stare. The longer she sat there without drinking, the more irritated I was. I wondered—again—whether something was wrong with her.
I reminded myself of her references, and the way her past employers had raved about her. She had to be competent in some way, didn’t she?
Some of the tightness in my chest eased when she finally reached for the teapot and poured hot water into the cup.
I watched her from the corner of my eye as she selected a tea bag and dunked it into the water, deftly wrapping the string around the top of the handle. When she lifted the cup, she wrapped both hands around the ceramic and inhaled the steam rising from it.
She sighed softly, her gaze drifting to the fire. “Where’s Hailey?”
I turned my head toward her, as if I hadn’t been paying close attention to her this entire time.
“She’s in bed.”
Her brows pulled together. “Oh.”
She seemed disappointed.
“I was hoping to see her.”
She took a tentative sip of tea, her attention fixed on the fire.
“I’m sorry for the trouble,” she continued, so softly I almost missed it over the crackle of the flames.
I folded my arms over my chest.
“I can pay you for my room,” she added. “I really appreciate you letting me stay for the night.”
I wasn’t sure how to read her. I’d never had a talent for that the way my brothers, Graham or Reid, did. They could dissect people down to their bones with a glance and a few well-placed questions. Me—I relied on instinct. On feeling people out.
But Palmer was…confusing.
She seemed open, almost disarmingly so, but something else was there, too. Something she was holding back. Maybe something she was trying to hide.
It was my duty to protect my family, to protect this house. But I also had a responsibility to the town. I needed to go back to work. They needed me at the firehouse.
And here Palmer was, with a clean background check and a seemingly pristine employment history. I didn’t know whether I could—or should—even consider hiring this woman, but I had to figure something out.
Whatever I decided, the most important thing was what was best for Hailey.
I forced my gaze away from her.
“We’ll talk about that tomorrow,” I said tightly. “Drink your tea. Then I’ll show you to your room.”
