She huffs out a laugh. "Always on, aren’t you?"
“Yes, ma’am.”
I get the fire going while she searches the shack for anything useful. The kindling she had was too damp, but there's a stack of split pine in the corner that's been drying in here since beforeI was born, and once I get it lit, the stove starts pulling as if it's grateful to be useful again.
"I've got a duffel in the truck I keep behind the seat," I say. "Some spare clothes, blankets, and things for emergencies."
"Wow,you’reprepared? I’m impressed."
"To be fair, I just keep alotof dumb things behind the seat. Today the dumb things actually paid off."
“So you’re lucky, rather than organized.”
“Bingo.”
She laughs as I start to go get the bag, but she stops me. “No way. I’ll get it. You stay off that ankle as much as possible.” I want to argue, but I know it’s futile.
After grabbing my keys, she goes out and comes in with the duffel. She sets it on the one warped table and unzips it.
She starts pulling out my clothes…T-shirts, flannels, sweatpants, a couple pairs of wool socks. "This will do nicely,” she says. “Now turn around."
I turn my back and stare hard at a knot in the pine wall while I hear her stripping out of her wet clothes behind me—the heavy slap of denim hitting the floor, the slide of fabric over her body.
"Okay, I’m done."
I turn back around and she’s a vision. She’s drowning in my flannel, the hem almost hitting her knees. She's rolling up the long sleeves as much as she can and she's got my wool socks pulled up as high as they’ll go.
It’s cute as all get out.
She looks so soft and small and sexy in my clothes that I have to brace one hand on the table to keep my feet under me.
She catches the expression on my face and one corner of her mouth twitches. "Don't laugh."
"Oh, I wasn’t gonna laugh.”
"You werethinkingabout it."
"Darlin', most of what I think about involves you, but laughing wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
She actually blushes, turning away as I start peeling off my own soaked outer layers.
She turns away.
“I don’t mind you watchin’ me undress,” I say, throwing on a T-shirt and dropping my jeans for the sweatpants. It takes me longer than usual, because I have to remove the brace and then put it back on.
“I’m happy you’re so comfortable with your body,” she replies, laying a blanket over some straw on the floor.
“I’d like to get more comfortable with yours,” I say. I can’t help it.
She shakes her head at me as I get down onto the blanket, propping myself against a post and opening my arms to her.
To my surprise, she gets down beside me and tucks into my side, pulling the other blanket around us.
It’s really nice. “I could get used to this.”
The fire is starting to warm the space, even as the rain comes down in sheets outside.
I take the time to enjoy holding her for moment. "Laurel, I need to tell you something."
