Her Lone Wolves by Diana Castle

about to go towards the kitchen, she heard a voice behind her.
    “There’s food in the fridge.” Avery stood in the walkway between the kitchen and the living room.
    “I set some aside for you,” he said. “I wanted to come and get you for supper, but Everett said not to.” He went over to the refrigerator and took out a plate. “I’ll heat this up in the microwave for you. You’re probably starving.”
    “I am. Thank you.” She sat down at the table.
    “Did you sleep any?” Avery asked after he’d gotten the microwave going.
    She nodded. “I also found some books to read.”
    “What sort of books?”
    Jane shrugged. “Mostly travelogues. And a book of poetry.”
    “You like poetry?”
    “Not really. I mean, I like poetry that rhymes. This one was a book of cowboy poetry.”
    “It was my mother's.”
    “Oh, I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I didn't mean to pry or anything.”
    He smiled. “You don't have to apologize. It's not like she can read it anymore.”
    Jane didn't know what to say to that. Talking to people about their dead relatives always made her uncomfortable. Avery took the plate out of the microwave and set it before her. The smell of beef and potatoes wafted up to her nose. Her stomach growled. She eagerly dug into the food. As usual, it was delicious. Avery was certainly a good cook.
    “Where's Everett?” She hoped the question sounded casual.
    “He went out.”
    Jane frowned. “Out?” She looked over at the kitchen window. The snow was falling again. Sudden hope flared within her. “Did he go into town? Has he found a way through the pass?”
    “Nope. We checked it this afternoon. It's still blocked. He’s checking his traps.”
    “Traps?”
    “It's one of the ways we get fresh meat.”
    Jane looked down at her now empty plate. She wondered if she’d been eating beef after all. “Did Caleb go with him?”
    Avery firmly shook his head. “Those two need to keep their distance from each other for the time being.”
    “What exactly is going on between them?”
    Before Avery could answer, a voice roared from the front room. “Where the hell are you, Avery? If you don't get your ass in here and move your piece, I'm gonna move it for you!”
    Avery flashed a white grin. “I’d better get back to the game. You coming?”
    Jane thought for a moment. Maybe it would be best if she went back to her room, but she was tired of being alone. “Sure.”
    She rose from the table and followed Avery into the front room. Fire blazed in the stone fireplace. Caleb sat in front of a chess set. He glanced up as she and Avery entered the room.
    “Well, it looks like her highness has finally decided to grace us lowly peasants with her royal presence,” he said smirking.
    “I wouldn't put it exactly like that.” She sat on the couch. She wasn’t going to let him get under her skin. She noted that Avery didn't return to his seat across from Caleb, but stood in the no-man's land between the couch and the chess-set.
    “I was ordered to my room by your lord and master,” she went on. “Don’t you remember?”
    Caleb scowled. “So why aren’t you still there?”
    “I’ve been in that room all day. I’ve done nothing wrong. I want to leave this place as much as he wants me gone. It wasn't my fault I got stuck here.”
    She hadn’t meant to say all of that, but her growing frustration with the situation was starting to boil over.
    Caleb stared at her and his gaze was so hot that Jane felt her nipples hardening and her sex softening. She squirmed against the couch.
    Caleb finally drew his gaze away from her. He looked over at Avery. “You gonna sit or just stand there?”
    “You know I don't like playing chess,” Avery replied. “I told you to wait until Everett gets back.”
    Caleb frowned. “I don’t want to play against him.” He looked back at Jane. “What about you? You want to play?”
    “As I said before, I haven't played in years.”
    Caleb gestured with his chin for her to