Page 22 of Snow Balled

Hunting—ugh. I’d never even liked to think about it.

Slowly, I picked my way up the path back to the cabin. Back to the other two strangers. For all I knew, they hunted, too. Or who the hell knew what they did. I certainly didn’t.

They were strangers, and they were men. In my experience, those were two very good reasons not to let my guard down.

Ever.

11

SIERRA

When I was in the bedroom that evening, my phone rang and the picture of a pretty, dark-eyed woman flashed across the screen. I smiled as I answered it. “Hey, Ronnie!”

“How’s my favorite hermit?” she said, amusement in her voice.

“Stranded.”

“I know. Kylie told me you woke up under a tree yesterday.”

It didn’t surprise me that they’d talked. Ronnie was the one who’d introduced me to Kylie during the filming ofThrill of the Chaselast year. “I didn’t get knocked out or anything, but I sure as hell was stuck. I’m sorry I didn’t contact you. It’s just been busy since then.”

“Yeah, living with three strange men. Boy, does that sound familiar.”

I laughed. “Trust me, it’s not anything like your situation. Or Kylie’s.” Jeesh, why did I have so many friends who were dating multiple men?

“That’s too bad. I was hoping you’d found someone to warm your bed.”

“I did, but it was a dog.”

“They have a dog? Bonus!”

“Yeah, he’s a good guy.” I just wished I was as sure about his human friends. “How are things back home?”

“Never better. Tanner taught me to ride a motorcycle, and I’m taking a class to learn some trick riding.”

That definitely sounded like something Ronnie would want to do. Though she hadn’t been a stuntwoman for long, it was a great fit for her. “Just be careful, okay?”

“I’m not the one who had a tree fall on her.”

“True.”

“So, tell me how it’s going. Are they impressed to be sharing their space with a genuine Hollywood star?”

I glanced at the door to reassure myself it was closed. “They don’t know I’m an actress.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Because Ronnie had met me on a big movie set, she always assumed I was more well-known than I was. “Prior to Aiden’s movie, I mostly did indie stuff. Or those movies I did when I was a kid. Not exactly the kind of thing grown men are likely to have seen.”

“You could tell them you’re an actress.”

“No thanks.” I stretched back on the bed, my forearm shielding my eyes.

“Why not?”

“Because people always act differently once they know.”

“And bypeople, I’m guessing you mean men,” she said.

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