Page 72 of A Cowboy's Claim
“Thanks. You don’t need to do the food stuff all the time. We’ll work together for the rest of the day.”
“Nothing doing, buster,” Sydney complained. “I don’t want to besentto the kitchen because, trust me, nobody wants me full-time in charge of their food. But I’ll admit I’d prefer to be in here than out in the barn.”
“It’s quite nice out there once you make it through the rain,” Declan said thoughtfully. “I’ll take you on a tour later today. If we can find some time in our busy schedule.”
“I found a deck of cards,” Sydney offered.
“Excellent. That means strip poker.”
She scooped up a serving of oatmeal. “We’ll need more wood in here to keep it toasty. Since you’ll be walking around naked.”
“Don’t you wish.”
Sydney waggled her brows then tugged the brown sugar container toward herself.
For the next two days, they had a break from reality. The weather was the worst Sydney had seen in a long time, but they were quite comfortable in the small cabin. Even taking the wet trip across to the barn with Declan a couple times a day turned out to be enjoyable. As always, there were kittens to be found and the dogs to play with. Nagy only had a few pigs and chickens, which meant not a lot of work but the sweet reward of fresh eggs to add to their meals.
Declan showed Sydney the old-timer’s under-the-house cold storage, lifting away a section of the floor in the back pantry. The flashlight flickered over a set of narrow stairs to reveal a dark and cool hiding spot that held a surprising amount of canning.
“The really good bachelors know how to do it all,” Declan said easily.
“I’ve never seen canning around your place,” Sydney teased.
“Because I’m not a really good bachelor,” he confessed. “I like companionship too much. I liked being married, and I like spending time with my brothers. I’m definitely a herd animal.”
Which made Sydney laugh all over again. “So I’m a dog, and you’re a cow.”
He snorted. “Please. I was thinking horses.”
They played some cards and shared meals. By some unspoken agreement, they didn’t go back to the problem of Sydney’s grandfather. As if putting it on the shelf until they could talk to the rest of the family.
It was too big a box of trouble to unwrap by themselves.
A couple times a day they made love. With every touch and kiss, every caress as Declan drove her wild and took her up and over the top again and again?—
It was abundantly clear that he’d shared the truth. It might’ve started as only sex between them, but it hadn’t been that way now for a long, long time.
On Wednesday when they woke, sunshine stretched golden fingers across the floor through the crack in the curtains.
Declan was still at her side, and she rolled in his arms and poked him gently. “Looks like the weather’s turned.”
“Looks like it.” He nuzzled his nose to her neck. “I was kinda into ignoring the rest of the world. I like having you all to myself.”
“It’s been sweet,” she agreed, “but I want to keep moving forward. I want to problem solve and find out how we fix what’s broken.”
“Including us,” he reminded her.
“Including us,” she agreed.
There was no miraculous return of the Internet, and when they walked down the road to the edge of the mudslide, it was clear no one was getting through the disaster without a massive bulldozer and a lot of work.
Declan pulled out the forestry service maps he’d found and spread them across the table, plotting out a route.
“What about the animals?” Sydney asked.
“We’ll make sure they have plenty of water and food. Once you and I get out, my brothers or I will come back in on horses or quads if we have to. It’s a problem, but it’s another one we can solve.”
They packed up using the equipment they’d found over the past three days. Food, water, and emergency supplies if for some reason they had to shelter overnight. Declan was convinced they could make it to one of the nearby farms in under four hours walking.
