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I give her a little grin. “What, you figured I only drink black coffee that I’ve cooked over a campfire?”
“And whiskey.”
I snap my head back, pretending to be offended. “That’s a little narrow-minded, Ms. Rutherford, wouldn’t you say?”
A broad smile crosses her face. “Yeah, well, if you want to talk about stereotyping people, you’re the one who made green tea for the girl from L.A.”
“You got me there.” I smile down at her. “Do you like tea?”
She rolls her eyes, then says, “I drink it every day.”
I burst out laughing. “So, I was right about you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and rub it in.” She laughs a little then turns red. “Hey, do you actually drink tea?”
I look up at the ceiling for a second, then say, “I’m more of a black coffee guy.”
“And whiskey?”
“On occasion,” I admit.
Julia’s eyes grow wide and she covers her mouth with one hand as she laughs.
Kyle clears his throat. “I hate to interrupt the fun, but we need to get going.”
I turn and see him standing by the barn door, packed up and ready to go. I give him a quick nod, then the three of us head out into the storm. Julia hurries as fast as she can in her high-heeled boots to the house while I go to the large equipment shed where I keep the tractor.
Five
Julia
I cannot stop smiling—not while I’m hurrying through the frigid wind to the house, or when I’m standing at the front window sipping the tea Ryder made. It’s getting dark out now but the sky is lit with snow that is to come. I wonder how Kyle will manage to drive to Great Falls and back in this storm. Then, when we finish the interview, we’ll have to make our way to Helena on these icy roads. My gut aches at the thought of us ending up in the ditch on some deserted highway.
I watch as Ryder drives the old tractor down the road to the rental, where Kyle is waiting for him in the driver’s seat of the truck. Ryder has to practically lay down under the vehicle to get the chains hooked up.
“He must be so cold,” I tell Axel, who opted to come inside with me. The dog looks up at me with his black eyes and wags his tail a bit before he returns his gaze to his owner. “I wouldn’t mind warming him up if you know what I mean…”
I sigh like a fool when the SUV is pulled out of the ditch. I’m torn as to whether I should go with Kyle to the city or stay here. I know how crazy it sounds, but I kind of want to stay. Not just because the wind is howling so hard that it’s rattling the windows. Not just because I’m scared to be out in a storm like this. But because I want more time with Ryder.
I watch as the SUV is pulled out of the ditch and onto the driveway, then watch as Kyle pulls up in front of the log house and Ryder drives the tractor back to the equipment shed. Kyle comes in the front door first, stomping his boots on the mat. “Are you coming?”
“I was thinking I’d stay here and work on notes for the next interview.”
The door opens again and in walks Ryder. When I see him, I want to put my palms on his cheeks to warm them.
“Ryder, do you mind if I stay here while Kyle goes into town? I need some time on my computer.”
When he looks at me, there’s a twinkle in his eye. “Sure. No problem.”
Six
Ryder
As soon as the SUV disappears down the road, I feel like a total asshole. They don’t know what I do, which is that the roads will almost definitely be closed before Kyle can get back here tonight. I should have told Julia so they could find a hotel for the night. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I want her here. There’s no denying it. Even though I’m playing with fire, I want her to stay.
She seats herself at my kitchen table and gets out her laptop while I wash my hands and take the ingredients out of the fridge to make supper. “How do you feel about meat?”
“Excuse me?” she asks, looking up from her computer with a little grin.
