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“Where are you going?” she asked when he stuffed his foot into a boot.
“I need to check out the car situation and call someone out here to deal with it,” he grumbled.
Natalie stared at the last embers of the fire Declan must have kept burning all night. As grumpy as the man was, he sure was good at taking care of things. She swallowed again, reminding herself that he wasmarried.
Although…why wasn’t his wife here? It was almost Christmas. Surely they’d be celebrating the holiday together. She scanned the wood-on-wood walls and floors, the huge stone fireplace that sat in the middle of built-ins that held a million books and a television. Natalie couldn’t imagine a woman skipping a trip to this magical place with her family.
Her phone buzzed on the table, and, seeing her best friend’s name on the screen, she accepted the FaceTime request.
“What the hell happened to you?” Melissa demanded without a hello.
“What?”
“Yourface.” She pointed at Natalie through the screen. “You didn’t have that on your forehead when we talked yesterday.”
Natalie’s hand drifted up to the bandage she’d forgotten about.
“Wait, Nat, what happened?” TJ’s head popped into the frame next to his wife.
“I’m fine. Minor accident, that’s all.” Natalie sighed, knowing that wouldn’t be enough.
“What kind of an accident does that to your face?” TJ asked.
“It’s a long story.”
“We have time,” he deadpanned.
“Neither of us loves that you’re up in the woods alone, and now you’re sporting a massive bandage, so start talking.” Melissa shook her head.
Natalie huffed. They were going to make a big deal of this. “I hate that you married my brother.”
Melissa laughed. “No, you don’t. You love that I’m officially your sister.”
Most of the time, that was true. But not at times like this. Not when they’d gang up on her. She started at the beginning. Her brother’s eyes narrowed the further she got into the story, even as Melissa laughed out loud.
“You’re telling me that you’re stayingalonewith some rando in the woods?” TJ’s jaw clenched. “We’re driving up there.”
“No, not a rando. He owns the house. I’m fine. Please stop. I’m a grown woman. I don’t need my big brother coming to babysit me.”
“I’ll come. Just me. It will be fun,” Melissa said.
“I’m not sending my wife and my sister to be murdered in the woods,” TJ growled, then proceeded to bicker with his wife over safety and how it was hisresponsibilityto take care of the women in his life.
“Oh my gosh, enough. I’m good. I’ll call if I need something, but I’m hanging up.” She chuckled and shook her head. Once she ended the call, she set her phone on the table and stood up and straightened the couch cushions. She’d just folded the blanket and draped it on the back of the couch when Chris came into the room.
“Morning,Natalie.” He frowned, like her name somehow offended him.
Was he mad that she was still here?
He watched her for a beat, hands on his hips, still in his Mario Kart pajamas, his dark brown eyes assessing her. The child really was a shorter, lankier version of his father. Even the slightly cranky air about him matched.
“Where’s Dad?” Chris turned in a circle before he directed his focus on her again. “And will you tell him I called youNatalieand not naked lady or Goldilocks or damn woman? Because he said we can’t call you those names anymore.”
Although Declan was downright ornery, she had to hold in a chuckle at Chris’s saltiness.
“Your dad went to look at my car.”
His mouth turned down into a frown. “But I’mhungry.”
