Page 22 of Mistletoed with the Mountain Man
I ring the doorbell.
The door opens and my heart still manages to skip a beat despite my best efforts.
He does look pretty torn up though—stubble darker than yesterday, exhaustion bruising the skin under his eyes, hair sticking up like he's been running his hands through it repeatedly.
"Ms. Wallace." His voice is formal, distant. Like we're strangers instead of two people who had their tongues down each other's throats less than twenty-four hours ago.
"Deputy Giles." I match his tone, stepping past him into the cabin. "Where would you like me to start today?"
“You’re welcome to get some coffee or a snack, first,” he offers.
“No need. I had my breakfast already.”
He nods. "Okay, well…the dining room needs some attention." He doesn't quite meet my eyes. "I'll work on the upstairs bedrooms."
Separate rooms. Excellent.
I nod curtly and head toward the dining area, my boots clicking on the hardwood. Behind me, I hear him exhale—long and slow, like this is extremely difficult for him.
Good. He should suffer.
I mean, apparently, I’m a mistake, and I can’t make my own decisions.
But whatever.
The morning drags. I string fresh pine and velvet ribbons around the dining room windows more aggressively than necessary.
I try not to think about last night. How his hands felt all over me. The taste of him. The way he'd pressed me against the wall and?—
Stop it, Nia.
I attack the centerpiece arrangement with renewed vigor, when suddenly, I hear a strange noise.
A scrabbling sound comes from the fireplace. Then there’s a small avalanche of soot, followed by an indignant chittering noise.
Oh no.
A gray blur explodes from the fireplace in a cloud of ash.
It’s a squirrel.
A very angry, very sooty squirrel now loose in the cabin.
"KADE!" I scream, jumping onto the nearest dining chair. “We have a situation!”
There’s thundering footsteps on the stairs, and then he's in the doorway, eyes wide. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"SQUIRREL!" I point at the furry demon now perched on top of the china cabinet, surveying its domain.
Kade blinks. "That's what you—you scared the shit out of me, Nia!"
"It's a wild animal in your house!"
"It's a rodent. A small rodent."
The squirrel chooses that moment to leap onto the chandelier, which swings wildly, sending crystals tinkling.
"A DEMON rodent!" I clutch the chair back. "Do something!"
