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There was zero chance that she knew he and Van were right across the street. She would have picked a different place, but if she’d signed a lease there would be nothing she could do about it. Damn it. He wished it was summer. He could walk around without a shirt on if it was summer. He would look like an idiot if he did that now. A blue, frostbitten idiot.
Firewood.
He could chop firewood. That was manly. Women liked it when men chopped firewood. There were whole romance novels dedicated to lumberjacks.
“That’s the girl. Woman. That’s the woman Hale and I were seeing,” Van said before pausing. “Well, yeah, it didn’t go as well as we’d hoped. It was totally my fault.”
Hale had come to the conclusion that wasn’t true, but he wasn’t going to argue with Van. They had so little time left, and he wanted to spend it in friendly ways.
“How long is the lease?” Van asked as he moved toward the back of the cabin.
Hale watched as Elisa made it to the porch and took the keys from Marie. She opened the door and disappeared inside.
He happened to know that Jake’s place was due for maintenance in a couple of weeks, and who was scheduled to do the work? Yup. That was him.
If he thought for a second he was annoying her, he would back off, but the couple of times they’d talked, she’d been the one to initiate it and the one to keep the conversation going. She’d also been the one to watch him like she was ready to pounce. He could have told her he was available for any pouncing she would like to do, but he had to play it cool.
It might be time to heat things up.
“She signed a lease through the end of May. She’s there until Jake comes up in June. According to what Jake knows, she’s planning on staying there alone with the exception of her sister coming to visit her.” Van had slid his cell phone into his pocket and joined Hale again. “I think she’s planning on making a real go of it here.”
That was right about the time Van would be leaving. “Yeah. I heard she’s taking a job with the sheriff’s department.”
Van sighed. “Then she’ll probably get a look at my arrest record. So it’s for the best.”
Hale thought she was made of sterner stuff than that, but he wasn’t going to push it. “She’ll need help maintaining the place. She’s never lived outside a city. I know she was military, but that doesn’t mean she knows how to properly heat a cabin.”
“Oh, you should chop wood.” Van nodded beside him. “Women love it when dudes chop wood.”
It was good they were on the same page, but he couldn’t help looking at the dark side of things. It was kind of what he did. “Do you think she’ll be upset when she figures out we’re here?”
“How do you know Marie didn’t tell her?”
Hale pointed toward the cabin. “Because she’s obviously moving in.”
“We all decided we could get along. I’m not sure what the problem would be. I don’t know why she would refuse a place she wants to live in because there are two men she’s friendly with living across the street. I would think in this case it would be a plus. I know she’s competent and independent, but it’s the dead of winter in a climate she’s not used to. It’ll help to have two dudes who’ll pretty much move heaven and earth to help her.”
“Would you?”
Van went quiet, his eyes on the cabin in front of them. “I never said I didn’t like her. I said I didn’t want to get my heart ripped up when I have to leave. That’s all. I know you don’t believe me, but I was thinking about her, too. Now that I know you’re not coming with me, I think you should do everything you can to pursue her. Especially if she’s planning on living here.”
The words were said with a stiffness that made Hale wonder if Van had rehearsed them. He could point out that it was Van’s choice to leave, but that would start another fight. Instead, he would focus on what he could do. “Should we get the bad part out of the way? Or should we let her move all her stuff in before she catches sight of us?”
Marie was back on the porch, Elisa following behind. There was a big smile on her face as she spoke with Marie. She liked the cabin. She was excited to be here.
That was when Marie said something and pointed toward the cabin Hale was standing in, and Elisa’s eyes widened.
The urge to drop down and hide was strong, but he managed to resist. Elisa probably couldn’t see his face, but she was definitely going to be able to make out two dudes standing in front of the window looking out at her. And she didn’t look happy.
