Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Intrigued, I went to her and stood behind her, resting my hands on her hips and my chin on top of her head. There was nothing but white as far as the eye could see. Snow covered every surface, several feet high and it was still coming down. “Is this normal?”
She shrugged. “It’s not abnormal but it’s been a few years since we were hit by this kind of storm.” She was so calm and relaxed about it all, it was damned impressive. “I ought to check my messages.” She freed herself from my hold and darted back upstairs, leaving me to follow her.
I stopped in the guest room and rolled my eyes at my phone, stuck on twenty-nine percent because my charger was still in my car which was likely buried under six feet of snow. “Mine is low on juice.”
“Mine is almost fully charged,” she called out before she met me in the long, narrow hallway. “The problem is that I can’t get a damn call through.” She tapped her screen multiple times, grunting after every failed attempt to call out. “I’ll keep trying but right now, coffee sounds good.”
Coffee sounded amazing but I wasn’t sure how to get it done without electricity to power the coffee pot. “Do you have magical powers or something?”
“Of course I do.” She filled a small pot with water, grabbed coffee grounds from a small glass container and settled the water on the edges of the fireplace. “You were an Eagle Scout, this isn’t new to you.”
“We did things in the great outdoors and I was too young for coffee.”
“All I hear are excuses, Mr. Lancaster.”
My brows shot up in surprise, but my body responded at her breathy words. “Coffee sounds good.” I watched as she busied herself making two mugs of coffee, smashing the coffee grounds in the bottom of each mug before she added hot water.
“Okay, all we need now is milk if you take it and a sweetener. I have brown sugar and maple syrup.”
“Brown sugar is perfect, thanks.”
Nix handed me a mug with a smile before she took a fortifying sip from her mug. “It’s not the good stuff but it’s good enough.”
I took a sip and bit back a groan at the bitter taste of the instant coffee, smiling at her as if it was the best thing I’d ever drank. “Is it?”
She reached for my mug. “If you’re in a position to be picky then you can wait until the gourmet coffee delivery services knocks on the door.” She rolled her eyes and reached for my mug, which I quickly snatched from her grasp.
“Maybe next time. Gourmet coffee does sound incredible.”
She rolled her eyes. “Gourmet coffee is always incredible but we’re stuck inside for at least the rest of today, possibly tomorrow depending on how long it keeps snowing.” I couldn’t tell how she felt about that and the fact that I was worried about it, annoyed the hell out of me.
“Is that okay with you?” I shouldn’t have even asked the damn question but there was something about this woman that made me care. I held my breath and waited for her answer.
Nix nodded first and licked her lips. “I’m more than okay with it. And it’s not because I don’t have a choice.” She didn’t even try to hide her amused grin.
“You’re a bit of a smart ass aren’t you?”
“More than a bit,” she shot back. “As much fun as it is to tease you, we have to figure out a few things including what we’re going to eat to keep up our strength today.”
That sounded like last night wasn’t just a one night thing. Didn’t it? And this was exactly why I didn’t get too close to women. They were confusing as hell and I never cared enough to question it. “Anything I can do?”
“I’m going keep trying to call Torey to see what’s going on in town and then I’m going to check the pipes downstairs. If you have any culinary skills, they will be very much appreciated. Later.” Her eyes sparkled and a short laugh escaped before she left me in the living room.
She was a damn fine woman. Gorgeous and capable. She didn’t need me here, didn’t require me to make all the decisions to keep us safe and warm. It was refreshing, actually. “Okay Lee, figure it out.” I dressed again in her brother’s clothes and headed to the kitchen to see what I could make for breakfast, at least I thought it was breakfast but the sky was gray and everything else was white so it was unclear.
Luckily I was trapped inside with a chef who kept her fridge stocked with essentials. The problem was, like I told Nix, I hadn’t cooked over an open fire since I was a boy. Then again, it had been a long time since I wanted to impress a girl. I spotted what looked like homemade sausage, eggs and everything I needed to make breakfast.