shoulders slump before she turned and faced him. “Both.”
Both? “What?”
A ragged breath whished through her teeth. She looked up at the night sky as if the star-studded heavens offered strength. “Jake didn’t have any cabins left, Nick. This wasn’t what I’d pictured for the night either. I thought we’d find a hotel with adjoining rooms so I could keep an eye and ear on you while you slept. Nurse’s orders, remember? I can’t leave you alone until I hand you over to Uncle Mitch.” She came up for air, her words tumbling over themselves like gymnasts. “I never dreamed we’d spend the night at a fishing lodge.”
Her hair whipped across her eyes. She shook her head to the side and slid her hand up along her cheek. Her long fingers locked the strands away from her face accentuating her miserable expression. “I didn’t plan this, Nick, you’ve got to believe me. Since Uncle Mitch had gone ahead to Casper Sunday night and left Bert all alone, he needed help loading the new stock Uncle Mitch had bought over the weekend. When we finished, it was after three. If I had picked you up from the hospital at one o’clock like I was supposed to, we’d probably be close enough to Casper now that I would have chanced driving a little in the dark. What a mess. I–-”
“Whoa,” Nick interrupted. Someone had to stop her tirade before she blew a gasket. How could anyone talk so fast? Placing his palms on her shoulders to steady her, he waited until she calmed. “It’s not the end of the world. C’mon, let’s get in out of the cold and think rationally, ‘K?”
A dejected nod answered him. This was another side of Rachel Hill that Nick didn’t care for at all. Bossy and sassy ran hand in hand with ignorable. But vulnerable and apologetic hit a part of him unprotected by his emotional armor. The desire to reassure her tightened his muscles until they hurt. Kneading her shoulders, his thumbs tangled with strands of her wind-blown hair. “You okay?”
Her muscles relaxed as she nodded. He ran his hands down her arms and squeezed before releasing his hold. Comforting women wasn’t his forte and he saw no reason to try now.
“Fool,” he grumbled as he pulled the screen door and jammed the key into the lock. The door swung open with a loud squeal. The surprising scent of cinnamon greeted him as he stepped into the warm room. He flipped on the switch for light and a soft glow from a hanging lamp chased away the shadows.
A pair of overstuffed couches sat at right angles to each other with a square coffee table in front of them. A vinyl recliner and magazine rack occupied the back corner and a rectangular table with two chairs sat beneath a paned window dressed in lace curtains. White shelves stair-stepped up the back wall displaying healthy plants in colorful pots, framed needlepoint pictures and an assortment of candles in various shapes and sizes. A pot-bellied stove in the corner with a tiny flame behind the grate and throw rugs scattered over the worn oak floor completed the homey scene.
“The cook and her fix-it guy husband live here,” Rachel explained as they entered the apartment and closed the door behind them. She pointed to an open area off to the side. “There’s a couple of beds over there for the road maintenance guys that get stuck here during the winter. Like I said, Nick, not quite the accommodations I would have chosen, but the Lord has provided.”
“Hallelujah,” he mumbled under his breath as he followed her across the room. The back area offered the bare necessities, but at least it was warm and dry. “It’s not much, but it’s home,” Nick tried to joke as he dropped his duffel bag in the middle of the room.
“Look, Nick, it’s just one night.” Her hands went up in surrender. “Tomorrow, I promise to get you to Casper.”
One night. Somehow he knew this would be one of the longest nights of his
Both? “What?”
A ragged breath whished through her teeth. She looked up at the night sky as if the star-studded heavens offered strength. “Jake didn’t have any cabins left, Nick. This wasn’t what I’d pictured for the night either. I thought we’d find a hotel with adjoining rooms so I could keep an eye and ear on you while you slept. Nurse’s orders, remember? I can’t leave you alone until I hand you over to Uncle Mitch.” She came up for air, her words tumbling over themselves like gymnasts. “I never dreamed we’d spend the night at a fishing lodge.”
Her hair whipped across her eyes. She shook her head to the side and slid her hand up along her cheek. Her long fingers locked the strands away from her face accentuating her miserable expression. “I didn’t plan this, Nick, you’ve got to believe me. Since Uncle Mitch had gone ahead to Casper Sunday night and left Bert all alone, he needed help loading the new stock Uncle Mitch had bought over the weekend. When we finished, it was after three. If I had picked you up from the hospital at one o’clock like I was supposed to, we’d probably be close enough to Casper now that I would have chanced driving a little in the dark. What a mess. I–-”
“Whoa,” Nick interrupted. Someone had to stop her tirade before she blew a gasket. How could anyone talk so fast? Placing his palms on her shoulders to steady her, he waited until she calmed. “It’s not the end of the world. C’mon, let’s get in out of the cold and think rationally, ‘K?”
A dejected nod answered him. This was another side of Rachel Hill that Nick didn’t care for at all. Bossy and sassy ran hand in hand with ignorable. But vulnerable and apologetic hit a part of him unprotected by his emotional armor. The desire to reassure her tightened his muscles until they hurt. Kneading her shoulders, his thumbs tangled with strands of her wind-blown hair. “You okay?”
Her muscles relaxed as she nodded. He ran his hands down her arms and squeezed before releasing his hold. Comforting women wasn’t his forte and he saw no reason to try now.
“Fool,” he grumbled as he pulled the screen door and jammed the key into the lock. The door swung open with a loud squeal. The surprising scent of cinnamon greeted him as he stepped into the warm room. He flipped on the switch for light and a soft glow from a hanging lamp chased away the shadows.
A pair of overstuffed couches sat at right angles to each other with a square coffee table in front of them. A vinyl recliner and magazine rack occupied the back corner and a rectangular table with two chairs sat beneath a paned window dressed in lace curtains. White shelves stair-stepped up the back wall displaying healthy plants in colorful pots, framed needlepoint pictures and an assortment of candles in various shapes and sizes. A pot-bellied stove in the corner with a tiny flame behind the grate and throw rugs scattered over the worn oak floor completed the homey scene.
“The cook and her fix-it guy husband live here,” Rachel explained as they entered the apartment and closed the door behind them. She pointed to an open area off to the side. “There’s a couple of beds over there for the road maintenance guys that get stuck here during the winter. Like I said, Nick, not quite the accommodations I would have chosen, but the Lord has provided.”
“Hallelujah,” he mumbled under his breath as he followed her across the room. The back area offered the bare necessities, but at least it was warm and dry. “It’s not much, but it’s home,” Nick tried to joke as he dropped his duffel bag in the middle of the room.
“Look, Nick, it’s just one night.” Her hands went up in surrender. “Tomorrow, I promise to get you to Casper.”
One night. Somehow he knew this would be one of the longest nights of his
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