Taming His Montana Heart(53)

Suddenly something from the past enveloped her. She wasn’t sure when Shaw had said what he had only that it had been before she’d told him about her mother’s murder.

“Haley, you didn’t go through what I did. You can’t possibly understand.”

What, she needed to know, had he been talking about?

“Anyway,” Alisha said, “I mentioned this to Nate. He thought it was a great idea. Just like a man, it wasn’t on his radar until I brought it up but now he’s trying to take credit.”

“What are you talking about?”

Alisha smiled. “Thanks to our snowmobile, Nate and I are going to spend tonight at our cabin. You know, getting some well-deserved rest after filling in for Santa and his helpers.”

“Rest?”

“All right. It’s possible we’ll be doing something we’ve gotten pretty good at. Unfortunately, we’ll only be there tonight because we have to go back to town.” She smiled again. “That means no one will be at the cabin tomorrow night. Lots of privacy.”

“What—”

“What am I getting at? Isn’t it obvious? What if we drop by either your place or office on our way home tomorrow. If you want the key, all you have to do is say yes.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”





Chapter Seventeen




Why was she so nervous?

Even as she posed the question, Haley already had her answer. When she’d told Shaw about Alisha and Nate’s offer, he’d asked if that was what she wanted to do. After she’d nodded, he’d squeezed her hand and suggested he meet her at the snowmobile shed after work. They’d said nothing about bringing along personal belongings let alone something as telling as protection.

Shaw didn’t arrive until after Daron had left, following a hectic Christmas Day. Even if he’d been there, Daron might not think much about seeing Shaw since Daron had decided to take a total of three online classes and was both nervous and excited. Shaw had cleared his schedule so wasn’t due back until the afternoon of the twenty-sixth. Haley had gotten Terron to cover for her during the same time period and had told Daron and Terron she’d be using one of the new snowmobiles. Probably people would put one and one together, but they wouldn’t know where she and Shaw were.

Instead of giving into the impulse to embrace him, she asked him if he wanted to drive. His response was a grin worthy of a sixteen-year-old being given the car keys. It was already dark, but the powerful headlight should make staying on the trail that went around the lake easy. They didn’t say much as they loaded their belongings, including the fixings for hamburgers, onto the snowmobile.

“I feel as if I’m playing hooky,” he said as they started out, “with my best girl.”

“Your what?”

“You heard me.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“No.” She grinned. “That makes you what, my guy pal?”

“Hardly, Haley, hardly.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Shaw, I have to ask you a question.”

“I figured you would and the answer is yes, I have my Glock with me. How do you feel about that?”

“I’m not surprised.”

“Good.”

Between the whooshing sound and the occasional crack of ice coming from the lake, they couldn’t carry on much of a conversation. Despite the distraction of having her arms around his waist and replaying what they’d said, she spent most of her time studying the terrain only she and Shaw were privy to. In the artificial light the trees rose like magnificent secret-keeping ghosts.

For years after her mother’s murder, she’d hated and feared night but something, maybe just growing up, had helped her get past that. Also, she learned that being in the wilderness was more relaxing than being in congested areas. She wasn’t alone because Shaw was the other half of this adventure, this hooky playing, but because he was occupied, in large part it was just her and her thoughts.

She and Shaw were on their way to a small, remote building. Hopefully the electricity would be working but if there was an outage, they’d make do with candles and lanterns. Sounds would come from the crackling wood stove inside and wind outside. There probably wouldn’t be any of what passed for neighbors around and no illumination beyond what the snowmobile and cabin provided. As a result, isolation would become a force.

It already had.

“I think we’re getting close,” Shaw said. “There’s the first cabin.”

He’d slowed which made it easier to hear him. Just the same, she leaned closer to make sure she caught his every word. He was in there somewhere, masculinity protected by bulky clothing. Maybe having thoughts that mirrored hers.

“Alisha said to look for a widow-maker near a cutout in the bank,” she said. “Hers is the second cabin after that.”

Shaw nodded and continued at the same slow pace. The snowmobile was making less noise now. As a result she heard or thought she heard him breathing. She’d been a mess of strange new emotions from the first time she’d met him. In the beginning, she’d been nervous about how she’d handle her interview but even then she’d been aware of him as a man. Long before their relationship started to change from professional to personal, she’d looked forward to seeing him. However, her need to protect herself had kept her from sending silent but telling messages his way. In the past she’d shied away from romantic relationships because she believed a man deserved more than a body to spend the nights with. He deserved an emotional connection. Honesty.