Nick Of Time (Blue Ridge Romance 2) by Allison B. Hanson Page B

most of the work for you,” she joked, making them both laugh.
    He checked his phone and found he had a message from the tent guy. He listened as he looked around for his clothes, tossing her pants at her.
    “The tent guy will be here in twenty minutes.”
    “Oh!” She jumped up and started hopping into her pants. “I wish I had clean clothes and a toothbrush.”
    “I wouldn’t mind giving that giant tub a try.”
    “Maybe after he leaves?” She raised an eyebrow.
    “We might not have clean clothes, but we could at least take a bath.” It seemed like a valid point. She nodded in agreement.
    She made pancakes and started coffee while Tucker walked out to assess the road surface.
    “It looks good out there. Everything thawed. It’s just wet.”
    He wolfed down four pancakes before the tent guy showed up.
    To his surprise, Nichole stayed inside and let him take care of it. When they walked back to the house she verified everything, but still it was a start. She hadn’t checked up on him.
    Before the tent guy was gone the electrician had arrived.
    They all walked out to the lake this time. He wasn’t offended; she was in charge of the electrician.
    “So, can you run a cord to the house or do you have to use a generator?” Nichole asked a question he wouldn’t have thought to ask. Especially while following her down the trail, watching her ass.
    “I can actually put up a temporary line and blend it in with the trees.”
    “Excellent. I was concerned about the noise from a generator.”
    “Good thinking, Nic,” Tucker praised her with a wink. He watched her cheeks turn red, either from his approval or the cold, he wasn’t sure.
    With their duties complete, Tucker packed up his guitar as Nichole checked the house, gathering up any trash and making it look like the cabin hadn’t been transformed into a sex lair for the last twenty-four hours.
    But even the clean sheets on the sofa bed and the pillows arranged just so didn’t mean it hadn’t happened.
    The bigger issue was what happened now.
    “I think I’m going to pass on the bath,” she said.
    That was good. With his head swimming in thought, he didn’t think he’d be able to make the bath more than a cleaning event.
    He needed to know what she expected.
    He took her hand and led her over to the sofa. He took a seat on the chair, making sure to keep a safe distance.
    “So, we should probably talk about this.”
    “About what?” Her brows creased, and for a moment he wondered if maybe he had dreamed it.
    “About what happened between us,” he said.
    She let out a big, annoyed sigh. “What is there to talk about? We both wanted sex. It was great. End of story.”
    Huh?
    Women didn’t do that. He was expecting her to be clingy and demanding so he could push her away. He didn’t know what to do with this . . . this brush-off. Leave it to Nichole not to play the stupid games he was used to.
    “And you’re okay with it being the end of the story?” he asked, making sure. Maybe it was some kind of trap. She was really smart. Cunning even.
    She bit her bottom lip and looked at her feet for a moment before answering.
    “Look. It was really great. And I don’t want to go back to us hating each other or being in a competition for Cooper’s affections. But I’m looking for something more . . . substantial.” Ouch. “I grew up with a father, four stepfathers, and a whole passel of my mother’s friends .” She made air quotes around the last word. “I don’t want that. I’m not saying I’m on a desperate hunt to find a husband, but I’m looking. I want a stable home, with a husband who sticks around, and kids someday. I know you don’t want that. So let’s just chalk this up to the right circumstances producing one amazing moment, okay?”
    “Sure.” He was being dismissed. She wasn’t even going to consider him as stable-husband material. Shouldn’t he be cheering? Why was he wishing he could have a drink?
    He swallowed loudly and