In the Firelight, page 4
The heavy snowfall from the night before had the woods around her cabin blanketed in a deep frosting of drifts. Very little wind blew in her little gulch, although up higher at the top of the ridge, the hollow sound of the breeze blowing through the trees could be heard. The sun shone brightly down, dancing off the crystals of snow with a nearly blinding brilliance. Shea reached in the pocket of her coat for her sunglasses, simple aviator style, and grabbed the snow shovel beside the front door. Time to get to work.
Beginning with the stairs, she shoveled a path to the driveway that lay buried beneath the coldness of winter. Funny how, after a heavy snowfall, the emergence of bright sunlight made it seem even colder. Gramps used to say it was something about the clouds keeping in the heat of the earth, and, when they disappeared, it was like a protective blanket had been lifted to let in the chill.
Wolfie, in all his sled-dog ancestry, loved the snow and barked with excitement as she pitched a shovelful, leaping to try and catch some.
“Shhh… you crazy dog. You’re going to wake our guest,” Shea scolded and resumed shoveling, pushing instead of throwing the snow in what she hoped was a boring manner that her canine companion would quickly tire of. It worked, and he wandered off, sniffing out animals that had visited in the night, running along the edges of the yard and around the driveway to mark his territory.
After shoveling for what seemed like forever, Shea had a path cleared from the house down to the woodshed and alongside the lean-to that kept the snow off her truck. She set the shovel aside and reached for a few medium-sized logs on the woodpile inside the shed, heading back into the cabin to build the fire back up.
As she entered the cabin, Shea steadfastly avoided looking at where Rhys lay sleeping. All night she had seen him every time she closed her eyes, knowing he was so close. She had finally dozed off so very late, and only then from sheer exhaustion.
She placed the pile of wood on the hearth beside the fireplace, grabbing a few split pieces with their jagged edges to rekindle the flame. She set them on the coals and, with a few heavy puffs of air, the flames began slowing licking up the logs to warm the room.
Unable to delay it any longer, almost feeling his eyes on her, she finally turned around. And there was Rhys, lying on the couch, watching her. Still bare-chested in the early morning light, the quilt tucked around his waist.
Damn.
“Good morning,” Shea said softly. “I’m sorry that I woke you. It’s next to impossible to be quiet with a load of firewood.”
“No problem. I should probably get up anyway, see if the phone is working. If nothing else, maybe I could get a ride into town so I’m not inconveniencing you even more than I already have.” He spoke softly, considerately.
“You’re not so bad. I was a little tired and grouchy last night, and I probably shouldn’t have taken it out on you,” Shea conceded. “Let me check the phone, though. Heavy snow tends to trigger the utility companies to check things out, and they get on it pretty quick when they know a line is down.” She rose, placing the remaining chunks of wood in the tub to the side of the fireplace, and removed her gloves as she walked into the kitchen area.
When she hit the button this time, there was a dial-tone, so Shea quickly grabbed a phone book to look up the number for Frankie’s Towing Service. Frankie was an odd guy that she’d known since high school and the only tow truck in town.
“I’ve got a dial-tone,” she told Rhys as she dialed. “I should be able to get through.”
“Hullo,” the voice on the other end said.
“Hey, Frankie? This is Shea.”
“Hey.” She could almost see his goofy smile as though he was standing right in front of her. “What’s up?”
“Well, I came across a car stuck in the snow last night,” Shea explained. “I brought the guy home to call, but then the phones were out.”
“Shit, Shea. You should have brought him to town. Are you okay?”
“Fine, Frankie. Geez… But he’s still here and needs someone to pull his car out.”
At that moment, Shea turned to the living room and gasped loudly at the sight that greeted her—Rhys, standing in front of the fireplace while he shrugged on his shirt. His bare chest was mouthwatering, and his pants were unbuttoned to allow him to tuck the shirt in once it was on. Feeling her eyes on him, he looked up at her as he pulled the shirt on, and her face flamed.
“Well, shit, Shea,” Frankie was saying on the other end of the line, “I’ll get out there as fast as I can, okay?”
“Uh, huh…” Shea mumbled.
“Shea?” Frankie barked. “Are you okay?”
Shaking her head to clear the stupor that had overtaken her, Shea turned her back to Rhys. “Um, yeah… fine. Sorry. Okay, see you in a bit.”
Shea set the cordless phone back on the charger, taking a slow deep breath to regain her composure. Good God, she had thought he was beautiful in the firelight, almost expecting him to turn into an ogre by the light of day. But no… he was no ogre. He was probably the most mouthwatering man she’d ever met.
Stop it, Shea! she berated herself. It would just end eventually, like everything else, and she would be better off not even going there. With an angry determination, she looked back at him again.
“So, I’m going to make some coffee, and there’s some muffins in that container by the stove. Help yourself.”
Rhys walked into the kitchen, grabbing a muffin and taking a bite, watching her while he chewed. Shea felt clumsy and uncoordinated as she poured the coffee beans into the grinder, almost spilling them all over the counter. Rhys looked as though he was about to say something, and she immediately clicked the button, the loud chopping sounds of the beans effectively stalling any further conversation. As she finished putting everything where it needed to be to brew the coffee, she noted that he was still looking at her, a slight smile on his lips while he chewed large bites of muffin.
“Are you okay?” he asked, cocking his head slightly. “You look, um… kinda pissed off all of a sudden.”
Probably best if he thought she was a total bitch, Shea thought to herself.
“I just… I’m not used to having company. Like I said before, I like my solitude.”
Shea watched as he took another bite, licking his lips to catch a crumb of muffin that was straying. The sight of his tongue sent a shiver through her, and once again, her mind drifted back to last night, alone in her bed, thinking of him. She felt the heat rise up her face, and saw his knowing smile widen.
Okay, that’s enough.
“I need to go chop some more firewood. Frankie should be here in a half-hour or so,” she muttered as she grabbed her gloves and headed back out the door.
Shea was piling some more wood into the bin by the fireplace when a honk sounded from the driveway and the heavy tow truck pulled up in front of the house. Wolfie immediately paced to the window to check it out, followed by Shea.
“Well, Frankie’s here,” Shea told Rhys as he leaned against the counter drinking some coffee. “He’ll take you back to your car and get it all unstuck for you. You should probably avoid any more snowy mountain roads in that little thing, though.”
Rhys laughed as he set down his cup. Walking to the door, he shrugged into his coat and pulled on his boots. “Yeah, no worries there. My first order of business is to go directly back to the rental place and get a big ol’ four-wheel-drive. I grew up in this shit. I knew better.”
Shea walked over to open the door for him, relieved, yet strangely almost disappointed, that he was finally leaving. As he zipped up the parka, he stepped up to where she stood by the door. “By the way, thanks. I’d have probably been a popsicle by now if you hadn’t come along.”
Shea smiled up at him, genuinely, but a bit reserved, as she swung the door wide. “No biggie. I’m just glad I was there to help... I guess.”
As Rhys went to take a step out, his hand landed at the curve of her waist and he paused, looking down at her. His eyes captivated her, the blue reflecting in the sunlight pouring in through the open door. The bristle of his unshaved jaw lent a rugged, sexy air to his appearance. This was really the closest she’d been to him, and his thick build completely dwarfed her.
“No, really. Thank you,” he repeated with a husky lilt to his voice.
Shea’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes blinked in an attempt to pull her from the reverie, but to no avail. Her skin burned where his fingers lay on her. His heavy-lidded gaze trapped her, stopped her heart. A slight tilt of his head, and his lips began to lower to hers.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, frozen in place.
“I’m not sure,” he murmured back before he gently touched his lips to hers. Warm and firm, pressed tightly against her, his hand at her waist holding her steady. Shea’s eyes drifted closed, and a slight gaspy moan lit from her throat as she felt the light brush of his tongue against her lips. Instinctively, her mouth parted to allow him in. A thrill zipped through her as his hand cupped her cheek, holding her steady while his tongue swept across the straight edge of her teeth.
Shea subconsciously unfurled with the sweetness of the kiss. Sensations she’d never experienced, didn’t know she was capable of, tumbled through her, twisted her reality until she was only aware of him. Of his lips firmly pressed against hers. His height towering over her. The brush of his fingers in her hair.
All too soon, with too little movement, he lifted his head and gazed down at her. Unconsciously, her tongue darted out to taste the last vestiges of his kiss, and her lips pressed together to savor the warm coffee taste he had left behind. Shea fluttered open her eyes to look up at him.
“Damn…” he murmured, so close to her yet that his breath caressed her lips, still tingling from his kiss.
A sharp bark from Wolfie jolted Shea out of her daze, and she backed up until she was pressed against the railing of the heavy log stairs.
“Don’t… don’t do that again, okay?” she whispered breathlessly. “That’s… bad. Can’t do that.”
Rhys looked down at his feet for a second before nodding. He lifted a conflicted gaze to hers once more, and then he turned and walked out of the cabin. “Bye, sweetheart,” he said quietly before he shut the door behind him.
Shea could hear the crunch of his boots as he walked down the porch steps. She could hear Frankie introduce himself and Rhys tell him about how far away he thought his car was. Wolfie watched out the window until the men drove away, and then he went to lie down on his big doggie bed near the fireplace.
Shea remained frozen, shocked at the kiss. She hadn’t been that close to a man in years. She hadn’t so much as held a man’s hand, rarely even danced in the bar. She had steered so far away from all that, focusing instead on her home and her independence.
She needed to steer clear of this guy. At least, he wouldn’t be around long. The man completely tickled her senses, and that was the last thing she wanted to deal with…ever.
Chapter 4 ~ The Store
Shea meandered through the little Snowcreek Mercantile trying to remember what she had initially gone there for. Let’s see… She needed milk, beans for the chili, stewed tomatoes. Hmmm… Cayanne? No, that wasn’t it. She had that. Butter? No… Guh! Why hadn’t she made a list?
Typical of many stores in small Montana towns, the mercantile was a historic building, surviving the gold-mining days of the Old West. It had creaky wooden floors and high, tin ceilings, narrow shelves and no bar code scanners in sight.
A jingle at the door made Shea look up to see Trinity, gossip monger of the town, rushing in on a mission. Straight to the counter she went with a squeal.
“Oh my goodness, Laura,” she gushed at the cashier. “You should totally see the guy that just showed up at Mac’s Café. He is stunning!”
“Oh, heavens, Trinity,” the older, heavyset cashier huffed. “You think every guy is stunning.”
“No, he is really… Oh my God! He’s amazing! He’s tall and built and has the most amazing blue eyes…”
The image of Shea’s recent experience with tall and built with amazing blue eyes floated through her mind. Rhys. Trinity had to be talking about Rhys. And, yes, he was stunning. Just thinking of the man had her breathless all over again with the memories of that tender kiss he’d laid upon her as he walked out her door earlier that morning.
No… not thinking about him. Bad… bad Shea…
“I’m telling you, Laura, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone like him before. He was just finishing up with his lunch. I wonder if he’s staying for a while.”
Ah… cumin. That’s what she was forgetting. She was planning to make a big pot of chili since the snowy weather had her wanting to hibernate a bit, and chili just wasn’t chili without cumin. Shea made her way to the spices and grabbed a small jar, then walked up to the front counter where the flushed and excited young Trinity was still gushing over the new blood in town.
“Oh. My. God. Shea, you have to see this guy! Even you, who never dates, who never shows the slightest interest in any man,” Trinity blabbered out, “even you who I am starting to think is a lez, you’d even like this guy!”
Shea, scrunched her eyebrow at the younger, hyperexcitable airhead before her. “Gee, thanks, Trinity…”
“Really, Shea, you’d just go all ga-ga over him. I just know it!”
“Jeez, it’s like you’ve never seen a man before,” Shea muttered.
“Oh, but he’s not just a man. He’s, like, a God. Apparently, he got stuck in the snow and Frankie had to pull him out,” Trinity breathed. Then her eyes narrowed at Shea. “Oh my gosh… up near your place, Shea.” Trinity’s eyes grew wide. “Have you met him? Have you seen this guy? Was he at your house?”
“Of course not,” Shea blustered. “Pfffft… what the hell? Don’t even start…”
“But, Shea. He’s just… and your place… and he didn’t stay at the hotel last night and—”
“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s insane. Really…”
Suddenly, Trinity’s mouth seemed to hit the floor as she looked at the tall glass entrance to the store.
“Holy shit,” she whispered. “He’s coming in here.”
Shit! Shea didn’t want to run into him. And she definitely didn’t want anyone else to know that she actually had already run into him. Especially Trinity. That girl had a mouth on her, and it would be all over town before she knew it. The last thing she needed was anyone knowing that she’d sat with him by the fireplace in the dark of the night. That he’d kissed her sweetly before he left. That he’d totally made her feel things that she’d never felt, much less wanted to feel.
Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!
Shea ducked her head with back to the door, trying to be unobtrusive, hoping that she could maybe pay and squeak out of the store while he was perusing the aisles for whatever he came in there to find.
The bell at the door jingled again, and all three women were instantly quiet as mice. Shea’s heart began to pound, and she felt sweat bead on her forehead underneath her heavy wool hat. Trying to appear as nonchalant as humanly possible, she mechanically took the items out of her small basket and set them on the counter before Laura who began to pick them up one by one to ring them into the till. Holding a can of tomatoes as she glanced over to the door, Laura froze. Like a freakin’ statue. Like a God-damned pillar of salt.
At first Shea acted as though she didn’t notice Laura’s paralyzed state. Give her a minute… Really, how long would Laura stand there, mouth gaping, the damn tomatoes clenched in her ruddy fingers?
Then Shea contemplated chili without tomatoes. And cumin. And beans. And cereal without the milk she had in the basket. And…
Fuck! Maybe she should just leave.
The way Laura and Trinity were zombified by the entrance of Rhys—because it simply had to be Rhys—they probably wouldn’t even realize she had gone. Maybe she could just dig some old soup out of the freezer or something. Come back tomorrow.
Shea heard footsteps crossing the creaky old hardwood floor of the mercantile. Closer they came until they were only a foot or so away.
“Um…” she whispered quietly to nobody in particular, “forgot something.”
She turned to dart down one of the aisles, running into a shelf and knocking down a display of Peanut Butter PopTarts. Boxes hit the floor.
Kill me now, Shea silently pleaded.
“Here,” she heard Rhys say, “let me help you with those.” And his deep, sexy voice set her insides all aquiver.
“Um, thanks…” Shea mumbled almost incoherently, her head ducked low.
Feeling his eyes on her, boring into her, sending her into a dither, she attempted to set some of the boxes on the shelf without really looking. Oh, God. Please don’t realize it’s me. Please don’t say anything about knowing me.
“Shea?”
Fuck! With a heavy sigh, she lifted her eyes up to him. “Hey…”
Rhys smiled, causing Shea’s heart to skip a beat. Or two. Or ten.
Laura gaped even more.
Trinity appeared torn between sheer jealousy and abject glee about the juicy gossip being played out right before her very eyes.
“Funny running into you here,” Rhys cocked his head. “And very nice to see you again.”
“Not really so funny. It’s a small town, Rhys.” Shea forced her gaze from those striking blue eyes of his to look back over at Laura. “So, um… you about done there, Laura?”
Laura continued to gape. Frozen. Solid. She looked a bit like a cartoon character with her eyes bugged out and her mouth hanging open.
Trinity seemed to break loose from her own little trance, looking up at Rhys.
“So,” she looked back over to Shea for a moment, rather pointedly, before continuing. “Rhys, huh?”
