She tried to storm ahead, but he kept pace. “I thought it was ‘leaves of three, okay for me. ’”
“No, goof. ‘Leaves of three, let it be. ’” He opened the passenger door of his truck. “Get in. I’ll drive you. ”
She hesitated, and he simply took her waist and hoisted her high onto the seat. She had to shove a couple of rain jackets and a pile of blankets out of the way. “What do you need all this stuff for?”
“The great outdoors, darlin’. ”
“Can’t you stow it in the back?”
“It’d get wet. ”
“It’s rain gear. ”
“Mm-hm,” was his only, maddening reply before shutting her door and walking around to the driver’s side.
She craned around, peering out the little rear window, and saw that there already was gear in the back. A toolbox, some tent poles, and a giant set of waders.
“You’re trusting,” she told him the moment he got in. “That stuff would last twenty seconds parked in San Francisco. ”
“I’ve been meaning to get a lid for the truck bed. ”
He turned the ignition, and the truck rumbled to life. He put it in gear, and they bounced and jostled out of the rocky lot.
She braced a
hand on the dash. “This thing is ridiculous. ”
“She’s got a V-8 engine. Over four hundred horses under the hood. ”
“Whatever,” she grumbled. She’d have protested more, but already she felt a prickling sensation. It was probably just adrenaline, but her legs were shaky with it.
When he pulled onto the main road, she demanded, “Where are you taking me?”
“I told you. I’m taking you to my place. ” He reached across the bench, and with a casual confidence that rattled her, he swept the hair from her face. “Don’t worry, beautiful. I’ll take care of your legs. ”
Twelve
He pulled into his driveway and hopped out of the truck, headed to the passenger side. He felt intensely self-conscious that she was seeing his cabin for the first time. He wished for her to like it but braced for some sassy comment to spill from her pretty mouth instead. Preoccupied, he plucked her down from the high bench seat.
She twisted in his arms to give him a funny look. “You don’t need to carry me, you know. ”
He put her down with a laugh he hoped didn’t sound nervous. Why was he so uncomfortable all of a sudden? He’d had scads of women at his cabin, so why was this one any different? “Yeah, sorry. ”
Who was he kidding? He knew why he was self-conscious. It was because the girl was so damned judgmental. He took the porch stairs in two quick steps, unlocking the front door. “It’s not much. ”
When she didn’t follow him in, he peeked back out to find her staring at the cabin, an unreadable look on her face. Here it came. “What, Laura? Did you think I lived in a cave?”
“Kind of. ” The smile she gave him made it impossible to get too mad. Then she shocked him by saying, “It’s actually kind of…darling. ”
“Oh. Seriously?” He joined her on the porch. It was a small thing, just one bedroom, one bath, a small kitchen and living area, with a wall of windows and a panoramic mountain view to knock your socks off. It wasn’t anything good for raising a family, but just right for a confirmed bachelor like him. “I built it myself. ”
“Get out. ” She stepped away to get a better look at his face. “Seriously? You built this?”
“Yeah, sure. ” He laughed at her dumbstruck expression. “Where do you think homes come from, sugar? Men build them. ”
“You did it all by yourself?”
“Jack and Scott helped. ”