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“You said Hazel’s okay, right?”
“Yes, she’s with Chris.” Zoey had popped her head into the living room a few minutes ago to announce Hazel and her dad were okay, other than no power. That seemed to be the case throughout most of Rendezvous Falls. “Sis, I gotta call a few other people yet, and I only have so much battery left. You’re sure Nana’s okay? And the pub?”
“Yes. Timothy brought Nana to his place for the night because he has a generator. Finn said the pub is still standing, but there was a roof leak in the dining room.” She paused, saying something about ice cream to someone near her before coming back to the call. “I promised the kids we’d ‘rescue’ the ice cream in the freezer before it melts. Tim said the roads are a mess—trees down, power lines down. Utility vehicles showing up everywhere. But he drove by your house and said it looks okay. I don’t know about your office, but I heard that downtown wasn’t too bad.”
“That’s what Logan said.” He walked over and looked out the window before remembering there was nothing to see out there but darkness. “A big limb did some damage to the garage behind the inn, but he walked over to Main Street and said the storefronts all look okay.”
He made one more call after talking to Mary. Owen Cooper had recently opened a landscaping business in town. His new bride, Lucy, ran the flower shop on Main Street. Owen answered after the third ring, sounding out of breath.
“Owen, is everything okay at your place?” he asked.
“Mike? Yeah. We’re good.” He blew out another heavy breath. “We just got back inside from inspecting things, and I tripped over a damn limb that came down. Knocked the wind right out of me, and amused my wife to no end. How about you?”
Mike explained the situation at Zoey’s, with a tree that needed removing before he’d be able to leave. Obviously it would have to wait for daylight. There was a long pause.
“You know I’m a landscaper and not a lumberjack, right?”
“Yeah, but you still deal with trees,” Mike replied.
Owen laughed. “Dude, I plant saplings.” He paused. “Let me make some calls. I know Zayne Rutledge has a chainsaw and has done some tree work. We should be able to at least get it off the driveway, but not until morning.”
He could hear Zoey’s laughter in the kitchen as he ended the call. The sound was irresistible. He followed it to find her sitting at the kitchen table with her knees under her chin and her feet on the chair seat. For a tall woman, she was pretty flexible. He quickly banished all thoughts of her flexibility from his mind.
She was in jeans and a flannel shirt worn open over a T-shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. He sometimes teased her about theZoey Uniform, but it suited her. She looked up at him with a wide smile, holding the phone to her ear.
“I promise we’re fine, Whitney. I’m glad the winery is okay. You guys stay warm and safe tonight.” She listened to Whitney’s reply and rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Mike and I are friends, and I have a spare room. This is not an only-one-bed situation.” Another pause. “I’m hanging up now.” She half sang the words, then put the phone on the table and shook her head. “Now that our friends are all getting married, they’ve turned into mushy romantics.”
He grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the counter and two glasses from the cupboard. Then he joined her at the table and splashed whiskey in both glasses. He held his glass up with a grin.
“I’m not sure I know how to drink with you using actual glasses instead of red plastic cups.” He drained his glass, closing his eyes as it warmed him from the inside. Zoey returned his toast and took a sip.
“Ooh, that feels so good...” The words came out as a coo, soft and sensual.
Damn. He’d done so wellnotthinking about Zoey sleeping in a bed just one room from his tonight. Now it was theonlything he could think about. Would she wear a nightgown? Pajamas? Did she sleep in the nude? What wouldthatlook like? He refilled his glass.
Zoey let out a long sigh. Her cheeks had just a touch of pink by the lantern light. Was that from the whiskey, or was she thinking the same thing he was?
She took a bigger gulp of her drink, then coughed a little as it went down. Before he could say anything, she dropped her feet to the floor and stood, looking determined.
“Speaking of sleeping, we may as well head up and get some.” Her cheeks darkened. “Somesleep, I mean. The power’s not coming on anytime soon, so there’s not much else to do.”
He could think of several things to do, but she was right. It was early for him to go to bed, but the sooner they got themselves into separate rooms, the better. He stood and handed her one of the lanterns, then followed her up the stairs. Zoey’s very fine backside swayed back and forth in front of him, and, well—hewasa man, after all. He forced his body to stand down, but it wasn’t easy.
She pointed to her dad’s old room. Mike hadn’t been upstairs in this house in years, but he knew the way. Rob had taken the smaller room so that Zoey could have the master suite as her own as a teen. She’d told Mike she’d moved right back into it after she and Hazel took up residence, because Hazel wanted the long, narrow bedroom with the view of the wooded hill behind the house.
He started toward his room, then stopped, turning to ask Zoey where the sheets and towels were. To his surprise, she was right behind him. So close she almost walked right into his chest when he turned. Her eyes went wide.
“Whoa.” She cleared her throat, but didn’t step back. “I was just going to tell you to be careful in the bathroom. It takes a while for the hot water to get up here from the basement. And it’s brimming with teenage girl stuff. It’s basically Hazel’s bathroom, so...sorry.”
“I think I can handle it. Where will I find sheets and towels?” He didn’t step back, either, so they were face-to-face in the hallway. Almost touching. Staring at each other.
Shadows from their lanterns moved across the walls like ripples of water. He felt the moment when the mood changed, almost as if someone had flipped a switch. His adrenaline spiked. Oddly enough, he had a fleeting thought of Becca. How he’d been afraid to begin a family. Afraid to commit. Afraid, period. And here he was, with Zoey standing so close. And he was afraid again.
Zoey’s pupils dilated, and her nostrils flared just a little. She’d felt it, too.
She cleared her throat. “Right. Uh...the bed is made. Towels are in the linen closet.”
She pointed, and the motion brushed her arm against his. She froze.
