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“I’ve never been in a snowstorm in Prescott.” Charlee studied the view—what there was of it. “Hopefully it won’t last much longer.”
Ace was truthfully hoping itwouldlast a lot longer. “I don’t remember the last time we had a storm like this.” He thought about it. “Maybe when we were kids.”
“Maybe,” she said.
“It’ll probably be clear enough to drive back to Prescott when you were planning to leave,” he said. “Although your Mustang might be buried in a snow drift.”
Charlee groaned. “I forgot all about my car. You’re probably right.”
“It’s likely going to be a challenge to change that tire,” he said. “But I’m up to it.”
“My hero,” she said as she tipped her face to look up at him with a smile.
God, he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to be her hero.
She was so damned beautiful. All that silky sun-streaked blonde hair to run his fingers through and full lips to kiss. That wasn’t all he wanted to kiss—he’d skim his lips over her soft flesh from head to toe and slide his fingertips over every other part of her firm body.
Damn.He hardened and he prayed like hell she wouldn’t look down and see how she affected him.
Her smile faded as their gazes held. As if she suddenly realized what she was doing, she quickly looked away.
Ah, hell.She probably read his expression, which told her how much he wanted her. He’d never been good at holding a poker face, so it had no doubt been obvious.
What is going on in that head of hers?he thought, but didn’t want to push it by asking.
He glanced out the window again before meeting her gaze. “Come on, sunshine, and show me where you have a saw.”
They bundled up and Ossie joined them as she took Ace outside to the carport, then to the tool shed he’d noticed earlier. He grabbed the saw and they walked out to the edge of the carport.
The snow was coming down, but not too heavy.
“There’s a good one.” Ace made his way through the snow, Charlee and Ossie following, to a tree that was no more than six feet tall, not quite his height.
Snow blew in his face and landed on his eyelashes as well as chilling his cheeks. Charlee helped hold the tree while he sawed it down in just a matter of minutes. Ace headed back to the carport, tree in tow, with Charlee and Ossie once again following as if he were the Pied Piper.
Charlee waited as he shook most of the snow off the branches then held it while she helped him dust off the rest. Ossie watched, tail wagging approvingly.
“We’ll leave the tree out here for a while until any leftover snow melts off it and it dries,” he said. “In the meantime, it’s still early, so how about that game of cards before lunch?” He kept his tone light. “I intend to beat the pants off you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I said no to strip poker.”
He laughed. “Not literally beat the pants off you. But if you insist.”
Laughter was in her eyes. “Don’t even think about it.”
Oh, he’d thought about it plenty. But he wasn’t about to tell her just how much.
CHAPTER5
Charlee went to a hall closet and picked out a deck of cards with New Orleans pictures on the back. “Just got these on our trip.” She handed them to Ace. “Shiny new and slippery.”
“I can handle slippery,” he said. Then thoughtslippery and wetwhen it came to Charlee.Damn,he had to stop thinking about her this way.
Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.
“I bought a bunch of games when I was first decorating the cabin, for when friends come up and stay,” she said. “I have poker chips in the closet somewhere, that I’ve never used.”
She moved boxes aside. “I’ve got Pictionary, which I’ve played with Bailey, Dara, and Sandy, a friend from the spa. Here’s Trivial Pursuit, which Bailey likes.” She partially disappeared into the closet and called out, “Then there’s Mexican Train dominoes, Scrabble, Monopoly, checkers, some of which have been played, others not.”
