Page 21 of Double Take

She craned her neck. “I don’t see any lights.”

“No,” he agreed.

“How do you know we’re headed the right way?”

“I have an excellent sense of direction,” he said with a slight boast, arriving at a metal gate. It squeaked as he pushed through and moved toward the dark shape of a cottage.

“I don’t think anybody’s home. The place looks deserted.” She eyed shapeless, gnarled forms that were probably shrubs. The garden appeared overgrown.

“Doesn’t look promising,” he agreed and stomped up rickety steps to a porch. “I’m going to set you down,” he said.

“Okay.” She needed to move under her own steam anyway. It was disturbing how much she liked being held in his arms.

He eased her to her feet.

A bit dizzy, she swayed. Instantly, he gripped her elbow.

“I’m all right.”

He rapped the heavy door knocker. No lights came on. No one called out.

“Deserted,” she said.

“Yeah.” He rapped the knocker again and pounded his fist on the door. “Hello? Anybody home?”

“Somebody would have answered by now—if only to tell us to go away.” Her shoulders slumped.

He twisted the knob. The door opened. A musty odor wafted out.

“Hello?” he called. “Nobody’s here. Let’s go in.”

“We can’t break in! This is somebody’s property!”

“You said yourself it’s deserted. Nobody has lived here in a very long time. We can go in, or we can spend the night outside in the rain.”

“I guess you’re right.” She followed him in. The interior smelled dusty and stale, and she thought she heard a skittering of rodents. But they were out of the rain. Shivering, she hugged herself. It was still cold.

He moved behind her. She heard the flip of a switch. “No lights. Not that I expected there to be.” He bumped into a table. He chuckled. “Of course,” he murmured.

There was asnap, then a tiny flash of light as he struck a match, and a second later, soft illumination lit the cottage. “No electricity,” he said. “But there are candles and matches.” He lit another from the first one, and the cabin brightened.

Candlelight caressed the angles of his face and warmed his gaze. In the shadows, he appeared even larger, fit and virile.He has to be in great shape to carry me all that way.He wasn’t even out of breath.

Stomach fluttering, she tore her gaze away to inventory their accommodations.

The stone cottage consisted of a single room furnished with a hand-hewn table, two sturdy wooden chairs, and a rope bed pushed against the wall. A mattress roll lay atop the rope lattice platform. The only other furniture was a large wooden chest. Even in the dim light provided by the candles, she could see a thick layer of dust coated flat surfaces, and she spied cobwebs in the corners.

There was a fireplace. However, the small stack of logs atop the raised hearth wouldn’t last long. She blew on her frozen hands. Fortunately, they’d only be stuck here for one night. Tomorrow, help would come.

She risked a glance at him. He’d removed his shirt and draped it over a chair back to dry. The sight of all that smooth bronzed skin further disturbed her shaky equilibrium. The whole situation felt weird. How could she be attracted to a stranger who looked like the late husband she despised? “You called for help, right?” she said, wiggling out of her wet jacket and hanging it over the other chair.

He pulled a shattered comm device from his pocket. “Tried to. My MCD didn’t survive the tuck, duck, and roll down the embankment.”

“My tech-tab was in my overnight bag.” Protected by her clothes, it might have survived the impact.

“I never thought to check your bag. I saw the house. I assumed we could call for help from here.”

“Well, crap.” She hugged herself. She wished she had her bag because it contained a change of clothes. She was soaked through.

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