“Now she has no reason to go out in the snow anymore.” I crossed my arms, legs spread to warm by the fire. “And good. She has no reason to come up here, either. No more visits or chats.”I grunted. “Good.”
I slumped back into a chair. The flames of the fire danced, mesmerizing me for hours. I was alone, which was just how I wanted it.
I didn’t think about Claire’s dimples when she smiled her huge grin. Or how her eyes moved and widened as she listened intently to me. Or the flashes of Claire’s smooth skin as she slid down her pants.
I groaned and dropped my head to my hands, scrubbing them through my hair.
I was so fucked.
Chapter 15
Levi
The only goodthing about the early winter storm was the built-in excuse not to interact with Claire at all. She would have enough food and wood to last weeks if needed. The snow continued through the night, and we woke up to almost a foot and a half. I had to put Ripley in booties and a puffy vest before she even deemed it enough to sniff the air outside the door. Then I had to carve out a few cubic feet in the deep snow for Princess Feather Butt to use the facilities.
Things were settled with Claire. There would be no surprise visits to use the phone. She had her own internet now. And if she tried to go out and hike in this weather, well, there was only so much a man could do.
This was all good. Freedom from her wasexactly what I wanted.
I leaned against the counter the next morning, waiting for my coffee and mentally planning what I could get done in this weather.
My phone vibrated on the counter, and I glared at it. Claire sent a message.
I’d forgotten that she had my number from the listing, and we’d messaged for instructions all those days ago. It hardly seemed like we were the same people. It vibrated two more times before I sighed and finally picked it up to read her messages.
“Thanks for the internet!! You’re a lifesaver!”
“Now I won’t bother you anymore, I swear.”
“I will finish this article any day now!”
She had a problem with using too many exclamation points.
“Ridiculous woman,” I muttered, but when I looked up, I found half my face quirked in a smile in the reflection of the microwave. I fixed that instantly.
I didn’t respond.
For the next couple of days, she was true to her promise and was locked away and silent. I went out to work on my new piece, waiting for it to tell me what it needed, and got back into the groove of life. It was almost like I’d never met Claire at all.
After that initial storm, Colorado did its thing, and the sun came back out the following day. Within twenty-four hours, most of the snow had melted except for the shadowy areas that never got direct sunlight. I went around the property to check for felled branches or any other issues caused by the heavy snow.
The first time I had to pass the guesthouse, Claire was hunched over her computer typing. The next time, she was leaning all the way back in the chair, arms flung out to the side, pen in her mouth as she stared up at the ceiling. The last time I passed, she was hunched again and typing furiously, the pen now in her hair and her features creased in focus.
Not that I was checking on her.
When I got back to the house, I had another text from her. I grunted as I picked up to read.
“Tell me that was you that just walked past my window.”
Before I could even get my thumbs ready to respond, two more messages came through rapid fire.
“Follow-up question: do you have a gun?”
“Second follow-up question: can you teach me to use a gun?”
I scrubbed at my chin. My face on the reflection of the screen was doing that thing again. I scowled to fix it back into place.
“I was checking the property for damage,” I typed.
