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“I’m not testing her,” Jake bit out, knocking the other man’s hand off of him and stepping away from the wall where he’d pinned him. “You need to back off and give her a chance to do the right thing. She’s gotta be strong enough and confident enough to believe in herself – and if you are doing it for her all the time, then when is she supposed to ever be okay on her own?”
Houghton stood there looking at him, silent.
“Look,” Jake began. “I would rather let you dig shrapnel out of my hide again without anything to numb it than to hurt her. Okay? I like her, and I’m not trying to hurt Lena.”
“Just make sure you aren’t toying around with her or testing her.”
“I’m not – now if you’ll excuse me?”
Jake moved past him and looked him directly in the eyes.
“I’ve got nothing, come from nothing, and have a smart mouth. I get it – but the one thing that I refuse to do is hurt that woman in there who looks at me like I’ve hung the moon. I do not intend to ever have that change either, so get out of my way while I go get her gloves for her.”
“Logan was right about you, you know.”
Houghton’s words stopped him in his tracks as he turned, looking at the man who stood less than ten feet from him.
“What did you just say?”
“Logan was right,” Houghton said quietly, looking at him. “He said you would do the right thing when you were finally ready… and now I owe the jerk twenty bucks.”
Jake smiled and dug out his wallet, handing the man a twenty-dollar bill.
“Tell him that I really appreciate him holding out on me – because this was much better than any stupid pen pal, and I needed this break.”
Houghton chuckled – and took the money.
“Will do, soldier.”
10
LENA
She was practically giddy with nervousness and excitement because Jake was asking her to go for a walk with him in the moonlight. It didn’t matter that it was in the thirties outside, that there was still a bit of snow on the ground, or that there were patches of ice in places where the sun had melted the snow, refreezing it only a few hours later.
This waseverythingand in so many ways.
Being here was like being enclosed in the safety of some magical wonderland. There was always something to see, some unknown bit of nature that she’d only read about in books, without having to fear for scorpions, tarantulas, snakes, or other things that there were back home in Texas.
Jill told her about walking through blueberry patches in May or June that would be so thick it was like wading in water, and the only thing you had to watch for was a hungry bear – which was frightening enough. Deer emerged from thickets on the edge of the forest, reminding her of some of the scenes from Bambi when she was a girl. Rabbits left little prints in the snow while chipmunks raced around leaving a second set of prints circling the first as if they were dancing together in some wintry ballroom.
Yes, it was beautiful here, and while she thought she would miss Texas, there was a majesty and wonder to be found here if you looked.
… And then there was Jake.
The confusing and confounding man captured her attention – both good and bad – from the first second that she met him.
It wasn’t that he was drop-dead gorgeous. His face was angular, his eyes sharp and aggressive, and when he was frustrated, those lips nearly disappeared into a flat line of displeasure. There was a fierce edge to him, a harshness that only came with years of bitterness and struggle – and she felt that so keenly that it touched her deep inside.
She understood that feeling and struggled with it personally.
He had a chip on his shoulder – mocked, smarted off, pushed people almost like it was instinct, but then he would look at her – really look at her.
It was like watching a ferocious wild dog suddenly lay down and turn belly-up. There was a softness in him behind that brittle shell, a gentle being hidden deep within, and it spoke to her. When she had been taking off his boot to help him, she saw it there in his eyes. It wasn’t weakness but rather a silent admission that there was more to him, and she was fascinated.
… And then this morning happened.
Lena closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, fighting back a smile as she waited for him to return with her gloves inside the warmth of the main cabin.
