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A gust of cold wind made her shiver, and she was about to head back inside to wait, when a black truck pulling into the back entrance of the hotel caught her attention.
The size and shape of the truck were the same as the one that had almost mowed her over.
Staying where was, she watched as it drove past her to the front of the hotel. She was only able to catch a fleeting glance of the man and woman inside as she walked toward the end of the building. Then she saw Chelsea getting out of the truck to walk inside the office. From the way the truck was turned, she wasn’t able to get a better look at the driver before he drove out the front entrance.
She was tracking the truck’s route when Cole pulled into the parking lot, surprising her by parking before he got out of the SUV to open the door for her.
“You didn’t need to get out. I’m perfectly capable of opening my door.”
“Why should you when I can?”
Making sure she was comfortable before closing the door, Cole got back in the car.
“Why were you waiting outside?” He fastened his seat belt and gave her a frowning glance. “I told you I would text when I was outside.”
“I needed some fresh air,” she told him, not wanting to share how hyper-aware she was of Chelsea listening to every sound she made through the shared wall. Though her freezing her butt off had been unnecessary, anyway, with Chelsea coming in late.
Snuggling into a warm, heated seat, Megan put Chelsea out of her mind.
“So, are you going to finally tell me where you’re taking me to? I have to admit, when I said I would go out with you, I kinda imagined a dinner date, not a breakfast date. Not that I’m complaining,” she hastened to assure him. “Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.”
“I told you to keep your whole day open,” he reminded her.
Admiring how confidently he drove on the snowy road, she still started to get concerned as the weather was gradually getting worse. “The way it’s snowing, perhaps we should just postpone this for another day.” She really didn’t want to spend the whole day isolated in her hotel room.
The only reason she hadn’t found somewhere to live was that the need for a new car was greater. Without a reliable vehicle, she wouldn’t be able to afford an apartment, so it was a catch twenty-two.
“Don’t worry about the weather.” A secretive smile played across his lips.
“Okay, but if we get stuck in Jamestown, it’s going to be on you where to find a place to stay.”
“We’re not going to Jamestown.”
Megan shot him a surprised glance. “Jamestown is the only place this road leads to, unless you take one of the back roads to Virginia, and it’s snowing too heavily to drive through the mountains.”
“We’re not going to Virginia.” Slowing the SUV, Cole put the blinker on.
“Oh … I’ve never been on this road before.” She did not recognize the sideroad cutting through a heavily wooded area of the mountain.
“You haven’t?”
“Nope.” The surrounding woods gave no clue of what lay ahead. Eager, she sat up straighter, wanting to see where they were going.
When he turned a corner, she gave him a questioning glance. “Treepoint has an airport?”
“Yes, only small airplanes can fly out of here.”
“I guess that’s why I didn’t know we had an airport—I don’t have my own plane,” she joked.
“I don’t, either.” Parking the SUV next to a building, he turned toward her. “But I do have a friend who has offered me his pilot and plane for the day.”
Her eyes widened. “You want to fly me somewhere?”
“I have a sightseeing boat. A friend of mine runs it for me while I’m on vacation. Another boat scraped the hull, and Ian wants me to settle the damages before the owner of the other boat flies back to Santa Barbara. I thought you could keep me company.”
“I won’t be in the way?”
“No, the meeting shouldn’t take long. Then we can spend the rest of the day together. Are you game? I should have asked you, but if I asked you over the phone, I was afraid you would have told me no.”
Megan arched a knowing brow in his direction. “You mean, it’s easier to convince me when you’re with me.”
“That, too,” he admitted.
“At least you’re honest.” She laughed, unfastening her seat belt.
“So, you’ll go?”
“I should really put up more of a fight, but since my other choices are spending the rest of the day in my hotel room or watching Marty fry hamburgers, I don’t want to chance you’ll have a change of heart about taking me along.”
A mixture of emotions played across Cole’s face before he lifted her chin to lock their eyes together. “There’s something I should have warned you about me. My heart isn’t fickle. I’m steadfast and true. Once I love someone, I love them forever.” Leaning toward her, he brushed a kiss on her cheek. It was such a tender gesture that it brought tears to her eyes.
