Taming His Montana Heart(46)

At his suggestion, she placed the tracks picture on the wall behind her chair so clients’ attention would be drawn to it. That way, he pointed out, she’d have the perfect opening to tell them about the remote possibility that they might see a wolf.

“I know you’ll downplay things,” he said from his side of the desk. “No need for anyone to arm themselves.”

She winced at the word arm which she suspected was deliberate but agreed. More than a week had passed since Shaw had placed her palm against his cheek and she’d told him about her mother. The gesture had broken through barriers she wasn’t sure he was aware of and she didn’t know how to handle. They’d twice run into each other in the evening, but this was the first time they’d been alone together for what felt like a long time. She wanted to be relaxed, to simply accept his presence, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. It was probably best that there was a barrier between them since she couldn’t look at him without wanting more. Darn his leg-hugging jeans and the sweatshirt that did a lousy job of hiding the width of his shoulders and depth of his chest.

“We never did get together to look at the collection of wildlife photographs,” she said.

He shifted his weight. “I thought you’d bring it up if it mattered to you.”

Oh no, he wasn’t going to dump that on her. “I came to the same conclusion about you.”

“Did you? Look, it’s been awkward between us since—I didn’t want to put pressure on you.”

She wasn’t sure whether to thank him or to insist he not treat her as if she was fragile. Right after her mother’s murder she would fall apart if anyone so much as spoke to her, but that had been years ago.

Because she didn’t know how to tell him that without putting too much focus on herself, she explained she’d gone to Kolina and Terron’s place after work on Monday where she’d selected the pictures she wanted to give to her family. Once Kolina had printed them out, Haley had placed them in a padded envelope and mailed them. She’d included a note letting her family know why she’d made the selections she had.

“I owe Kolina,” she admitted. “I’d really feel guilty for imposing on her if I didn’t know how much she likes showing off her collection.”

“I know.” Shaw had been looking at her since he’d come in. That didn’t change. “I did the same thing and got the same reaction from her.”

“Ships passing in the night,” she muttered.

“That’s wrong. Haley, I think we need to spend more time together.”

Her stomach knotted but just for a moment. “I’d like that. Uh, I have a stew in the slow cooker if you’re interested.”

“I’m interested.”





Chapter Fifteen




Haley had put her personal stamp on the mobile she was renting. The furniture wasn’t new, but everything was clean and well-maintained. More to the point, it felt like her. Her essence filled the space and spoke to him. Whispered of deeply personal, decidedly sexual things. Made him question his ability to act in a civilized manner. But even if he wound up doing or saying something he shouldn’t, he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

She’d arranged the two chairs and the couch in the living room so whoever was there could watch TV plus look out the large window. She’d placed several pine cones in a wooden bowl and set the arrangement on her dining area table. He imagined her making her choices based on her emotional connection with each pine cone. A photograph of Mount Lynx with a dusting of snow on it and another of a couple of men ice fishing on a frozen Lake Serene gave life to the walls. The picture of a man, woman, and two teenage girls had to be her brother and his family.

As he wandered around the living room while Haley dished up the fantastic smelling meal, he contemplated what she planned to do with the two flower pots that were on her porch come spring.

Spring.

Would she still be here?

“I don’t get the appeal.” He indicated the ice fishermen to give his thoughts a place to go. “Spending hours in the cold waiting for a bite—have you ever done that?”

“I’m not that patient. Besides, I can think of a lot of other things I’d rather do in winter.”

“Like what?”

She didn’t immediately respond, prompting him to study her, not that he hadn’t already done so. She’d changed out of her snowsuit into jeans and a light blue sweater that glided over her small but rounded form. Her hair was loose, her cheeks bright from the elements. He’d never seen a more sexual woman.

“I’ve done some cross-country skiing,” she said. “I brought my skis but haven’t had time to use them.”

“How about on your next day off?”

“I’d like to, but I haven’t been to town in forever. The larder’s pretty bare. Speaking of, this is as good as the meal’s going to get.”

By the time he’d taken two bites, he had no doubt the beef and vegetable stew was the best tasting meal he’d had in years. More to the point, she’d wanted to share it with him. He couldn’t say he was at ease in her presence. After too many days of longing to see her but making himself hold off, he was aware of every move she made, how her voice sounded, every time she glanced at him which was often enough to keep his nerves buzzing. Because he couldn’t tell her how she was affecting him, he informed her that if she got tired of dealing with snowmobiles and customers, he’d give her a job in the kitchen in a heartbeat.