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Pete was silent for a long while.
“Can’t,” she finally said in a whisper. She tensed and started to pull away, and a million things became clear. She was moving from my embrace before she thought I’d push her away. My arms tightened, holding her there. And…I was willing to bet her jerk of an ex had used this knowledge as a weapon against her. No wonder she’d fled home.
I’d always wanted kids, but I’d never felt about a woman the way I did my Flower. There was no consideration to be made past that. If she couldn’t; we couldn’t. Was it weird that I could know that so quickly? From the outside, someone might think that. I just knew, though.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“You’re not going to ask?” she asked just as quietly.
“It’s not my business until you want it to be.”
“You reallydohave sisters. I feel like I need to send them all thank you gifts.”
“Please don’t. They’re already a bit unbearable sometimes.” I chuckled because really, I adored my sisters, but they never let me forget I was theirlittlebrother.
She laughed with me. “We should eat, but it so comfortable, right here.”
Pete snuggled into me to amplify her point.
“I can probably reach our food. If you’re hungry.”
“We need to fuel up, feeling hungry or not. Survival 101. It burns a lot of energy to keep the body warm.”
I ignored the obvious alternatives to heat us up, not wanting to bethatguy, and hugged her tighter before releasing her when I just wanted to hold and kiss her some more.
Eight
Pete
“Yeah, we’re okay,” I said, lifting my face toward the bright sun. “Up to our knees in snow, but okay.”
“You need a rescue?” Jory asked.
“First of all, no. Second, there’s no need to send anyone out into this for no reason—even if you want an excuse to snowmobile up here. Plus, you know one of them wouldn’t get up these trails.”
“Fine. Ruin my fun.”
I grinned, glancing over at Mikaly and watching him pile wood near the fire we’d started as soon as we’d emerged from the tent this morning. “We’re fine. We’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“If you’re sure…”
“Trying to get out of plowing the roads, Jory?” The Sweetville firefighters took over plow duties whenever it snowed.
“Caught,” he said.
“Go bother your wife. I’ll call to check in this evening. Let Elvin know we’re all good.”
“Will do—on both fronts. I think it’s time to go scam a cinnamon roll off Penny.”
I snorted. They entire town joked that Jory fell in love with his wife because of those huge cinnamon rolls she made for her Simply Sweets bakery. They also teased him and told him he had to get himself to the gym because of his sweet tooth—not that one would know looking at him. With all the physical work he did at the lodge and for his shifts at the fire station, he was in great shape.
Not as great a shape as Mikaly. My eyes drifted to him again. He’d grabbed the water collector to get water from the stream. The lodge’s head of the ski program, my assistant, cut a powerful figure against the white landscape in his red cap, gray ski jacket and jeans.
It was movement beyond him that got my attention.
Mikaly froze, and I gasped.
“Bear. Got to go, Jory. I’ll call you back,” I rushed to tell him, already in action. One hand shoved away the phone while the other reached for the canister in my other pocket.
