Page 70 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
But that wasn’t the case. Clearly.
And maybe it had been stupid of her to hope for it.
A few minutes later, Dahlia had promised to call just as soon as the storm passed with an update on when she would be back in the office.
The silence after she hung up felt weighted… but nice. She took a second to revel in the sound of wind moving through the trees overhead before turning to face JJ.
When she did, she jerked back in surprise at the glare he wore.
She blinked, temporarily speechless. She’d never seen JJ looking angry before, and for a second, her insides went into turmoil trying to figure out what she’d done wrong.
What had she said to faze the seemingly unflappable mountain man?
“We should get back.” He nodded toward the cabin.
She fell in step beside him, still mystified by his behavior. She should just ask but wasn’t sure she wanted the answer. JJ was the one person in Montana who she didn’t seem to irritate. She didn’t want to lose that.
But then he reached for her hand and gripped it, steadying her through the uneven snow. If he was really mad, he wouldn’t help her, would he?
Maybe his frustration wasn’t about her.
She told herself that had to be the case, and her steps felt lighter on the way back. Maybe because it was mostly downhill. Or maybe because she’d gotten that dreaded call over and done with.
But the second the cabin loomed into view, that light feeling evaporated.
There was no avoiding that small space any longer. The sun hadn’t even started to set yet, but the sky was already dark with heavy storm clouds.
And Dahlia had a feeling that this was going to be the longest night of her life.
24
JJ was so riled, he didn’t even notice the first few snowflakes that fell, even when they landed on his face.
It was only the fact that he was holding Dahlia’s hand that kept him from flying off into a royal rage. But when she stumbled over a tree branch, he came to a stop to steady her, and he took a deep, calming breath.
When he glanced over, he saw Dahlia staring up at him with blatant curiosity.
He tried to ease some of the tension from his features. A smile wasn’t happening, but he didn’t want to scare Dahlia with his temper.
“You okay?” she asked.
Her voice was quiet, but there was genuine concern in her eyes. He looked away, expelling a sharp exhale as if that might help rid him of this roiling fury.
He wasn’t quick to anger. In fact, his younger sisters used to tease him that he had the patience of a saint. But when someone did light his fuse, look out.
His temper only came out when he was feeling protective. Like when he’d caught Bobby getting too handsy with Dahlia, for instance. Or just now, when he’d heard those vile city folk talking to Dahlia like she was beneath them somehow.
“I’m fine,” he muttered. But when she cocked an eyebrow in clear disbelief, he gave a huff of rueful amusement. “All right, maybe not fine. I just…” He turned to face her. “Why do you put up with those fools?”
Her eyes widened, her lips parted, and… oh heck. Did she have any idea how kissable she looked right now?
The woman was temptation itself. With snow falling around her and flakes catching in the dark hair that fell over her scarf. With her delicate features all flushed and pink from the cold…
He cleared his throat and looked away before he could do something to make their situation even more awkward than it already was.
“You… You’re angry because of my bosses?” Her voice was soft and uncharacteristically high.
He glanced back down, amused and irritated by the confusion written plainly across her features.
