Page 47 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“That’s it. Nice and easy,” JJ coached her, his arm still around her waist, his other hand touching her forearm as she pulled and fought with the fish.
With a little grunt, she wound the reel a little tighter and caught her first glimpse of the flailing fish.
“There it is!” she practically squealed, sounding more like a five-year-old than a woman in her late twenties.
JJ laughed. “Good job. Pull!”
The icy water splashed, and her feet nearly gave out on the slippery surface, but JJ held her tight, and she was soon holding the fish in the air and grinning like it was a golden trophy.
“I did it!”
He was beaming back at her. “You certainly did. That was well done.”
She watched with fascination as he took the hook out and dealt with the fish, still reveling in her triumph.
He was chuckling as he showed her how to add more bait and answered all her questions about the kinds of fish in this lake and the different styles of fishing.
Despite the fact that it was freezing out and they were sitting on ice, Dahlia was having a blast. She wasn’t even all that cold. How could she be when every time she started to feel the chill, JJ would take her into the tent to warm up by a fire or he would pour her some steaming hot cocoa from a thermos?
He hadn’t been exaggerating about making sure she was comfortable.
She hadn’t been this pampered since… well, ever. She wasn’t sure anyone had ever fussed over her like JJ was doing.
The sun was starting to sink in the sky when JJ declared it was time to take their catches home and fry ’em up. Despite his protests, she helped him pack up all the gear and load it into the truck.
“How does fish sound for dinner?” he asked.
They were dirty, tired, and smelly in the warm truck, and she wondered if she should be opting for a hot shower. What man in their right mind would want to spend more time with her looking and smelling this way?
He turned to face her with a sudden seriousness that took her aback. “You do like fish, right? I mean… to eat?”
She laughed and was a little appalled at how girly it sounded. “Yeah, I eat fish.”
He grinned. “Good. Because those two you caught are gonna be awfully tasty.”
She half expected him to take her back to the main house so they could share the feast with the others, but he turned and parked by the bunkhouse instead.
Her idea of a shower was slowly losing its appeal. JJ didn’t seem to mind her fishy stench, and she couldn’t quite bring herself to end this unexpected date.
“Should we unload the gear?” she asked as he helped her down.
“Nope. I can do all that later. I told Cody to clear out so I could make you a nice dinner. All you need to do is go clean up and find your way out of that mountain of clothing.”
She nodded, a silly grin still on her face. “If you insist…”
By the time she came out of the bathroom, her hands no longer smelling of fish and her hair somewhat tamed into a ponytail, JJ was already hard at work in the kitchen.
“Can I help?” she asked.
“Nope. But you can keep me company.”
She smiled and nodded. “I can do that.”
He lifted his chin toward the living area right off the kitchen. “I got a fire going. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable?”
She padded over to the fire and sank into a leather armchair. From where she sat she could watch him work. “You seem comfortable in the kitchen.”
He shot her a smirk. “Surprised?”
