Page 20 of Until You Found Me

He tilts his head toward his trailer, silently asking her to follow.

Her lips purse in a sassy way that prompts all the blood in his body to venture south. “Something you wanna give me? In your trailer?”

It’s a teasing innuendo that has him blushing on the spot.

“Sorry.” She rubs the space between her eyes, a confused wince forming on her face. “I dunno why I said it like that.”

“Don’t be sorry about having a dirty mind.” He’s deadpan until she gasps in fake indignation.

“That could be who I am. Dirty-minded. This could be a personality trait coming back.”

“You and my sister would have gotten along then.” He gets up, holding out a hand to help her to her feet and they fall in step side by side to his house, the chill cooling his bones and ruffling her coat.

“Do you see her much?”

“No, she followed her boyfriend out west a long time ago. Me and her were always butting heads so distance is a good thing. Haven’t spoken for years. Keep trying to get her to visit for Christmas.”

“Family can be difficult and this time of year, the holidays, makes it worse. I know that even without remembering mine.”

“Never been one to celebrate, anyway.” He opens the door to his trailer to let her inside.

“So, no other plans this year? No stocking full of treats for the dog?”

“Pfft. He’s lucky I feed him at all, and no, I’ve got no plans.”

“Why did you name the dog Vegas? Favorite place?”

He huffs. “Never been and I didn’t name him. He came with it.”

She slides him a sideways glance as he affectionately pats the dog in question on the rump. “Well, I like it. It suits him. Do you know what else I like? This trailer. I love airstreams.”

“It’s not much…”

He tries his best to keep it clean. The house was always a mess under his father’s roof, and he swore he wouldn’t live that way when he finally left. It’s modest and simple, but her compliment rings sincere, her attention falling on the area further down where he stores his bow and arrows. A quiver full sits propped up against the wall near fresh wood ready to be transformed.

“Do you make these yourself?” She picks up a slim half-done arrow.

“Mhmm. Not hard to do once you know how.”

He watches her poke a dangling, fluffy fish hook from the tackle box.

Logan clears his throat, changing the subject back to what he brought her here for. It seemed like a good idea before but now that he’s faced with following through shy heat prickles his neck as he pulls open a kitchen drawer and offers her one of two walkie-talkies.“You were on to something when you mentioned these at the cliff.”

She takes it with a curious bite of her lip, pressing the button and speaking into the receiver. “What is this for? Over.”

Her voice echoes off the trailer walls as it emits from his own radio, and she smiles at the noise she made.

“Figured it’s safer. They’re old, but they work fine and therange is enough to reach from here to the dome. You don’t have a cell phone for emergencies, so this is the next best thing. If I’m here, I’ll hear you.”

“It’s a good idea. Thank you,” she says as if he’s given her some magical present when it’s only practical. Then her tone gathers lightness again and she speaks into the receiver with a smirk. “Are you sure it’s just for emergencies? What if I want to talk about dolphins at three am?”

“No dolphins.”

“World peace, then? I’ll push it to four am, that seems reasonable. Over.”

Her words ring through the trailer from his walkie-talkie again and he lets out a good-natured groan. “Oh my god. What have I done?”

“Mistakes might have been made here. This is my only real entertainment now.”

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