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“So?”she prompts me.
“It was time.I spent years elsewhere, only to realize that Bearclaw Ridge is where I belong.When I heard this cabin was for sale, I jumped at the chance.It still needs renovating, but the foundations are solid.Having a home base again feels great.”
She nods.“I can imagine.Didn’t you have time off?”
“I worked on an oil rig, Little Sloane.My hours were brutal, and I only had one week off every month.I spent my days off flying water planes for an ecological adventure tour company.Thrill seekers could book a weekend on a remote island and live off the land.”
“Why would anyone do that?”
“I get it.You’re away from the world as you know it and spend your days living.You know, catching crabs and scraping mussels off rocks, filtering your water, sleeping in a tent with a can of bear spray next to your pillow.”
“Benson never mentioned you did that kind of work.It sounds cool.”
I grin.“Guys tend not to be big talkers.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”Her rich, feminine laugh cuts straight to my heart.“What was your role on the oil rig?”
“I worked as a drilling expert.”
“Really?Interesting.”
Her gaze flicks to my sweatpants, and I choke back a laugh.I’m pretty sure she’s checking out my package.Is that what she thinks about when I mention drilling?If only working at an oil rig would be as tantalizing as sex.
“Sounds like you had a good thing going on,” she says.
“I did, but there’s only so many years a man can work on an offshore oil rig.I made a ton of money during those years, so I bought this cabin outright.It’s a great place to raise a family, don’t you think?”
A look of surprise flickers in her eyes.“Why?Do you have a secret baby I know nothing about?”
“Hey, I’m an honorable man.I wouldn’t knock someone up or keep it a secret.I’m waiting for the right woman,” I say and lock eyes with her.
“I see.”She averts her gaze and puts her empty glass on my coffee table.“So, what’s for dinner?I’m hungry as hell.”
I laugh.“You’re a cheeky woman, Little Sloane.”
“Sorry, it’s just that I’m starving.”
“First, I save you from a fallen tree, and now you want me to cook for you?”I joke.
“How about we cook together?Remember that one night when our parents were out of town, and we made authentic Italian spaghetti from scratch?”
“How could I not?You burned the damn meat.It was like eating charcoal.”
Her rich laugh fills the air again, making my body react in ways it shouldn’t—not around your best friend’s little sister.
“I was so happy that you and Benson finally included me in something that I didn’t pay any attention to the food itself.”
I frown.“What do you mean?”
She shrugs.“I knew you guys were too cool to hang out with me.No twenty-year-old wants their baby sister tagging along, or, in your case, your best friend’s baby sister.When you guys finally noticed me, I was ecstatic.”
She thinks I didn’t notice her or didn’t want her in my vicinity?Wow.If anything, I loved having her around.I always hoped I could catch a glimpse of her in the kitchen or through her slightly ajar bedroom door.I vividly remember her lying on her bed, immersed in music while flipping through a magazine or leaning over the bathroom sink, trying to color her hair.And then there was the one time she almost set her room on fire and refused to talk about what had happened.It still puzzles me to this day.
I liked her so much back then that I tried to avoid spending too much time with her.Not that Benson would’ve killed me if I pursued his sister, but we did joke about it once.It was my subtle way of gauging the situation.He made it clear he was relieved I wasn’t into his sister and repeatedly told me how weird and awkward it would be if we started dating.
So yeah, I backed off.I didn’t want to risk my friendship with Benson or make things awkward between us.That, and I was too young to realize that it was a lousy reason for not giving in to your feelings.It’s only now that I’ve grown up that I realize Benson wouldn’t have been able to stop me even if he’d tried.
“Let’s see if I have everything to make some spaghetti,” I say, jumping off the couch as if it’s on fire.
