Daisy vaguely heard the cell phone ringing. Jet lag and exhaustion had taken her down so deep she couldnt seem to jolt herself awake. It was cold. Her brain got that right away. It was also daylight, because the unfamiliar room was much lighter than the night before.
Slowly more reality managed to bully itself into her mind, forcing her to seriously wake up. She was at the Cunninghams. Shed kissed the stranger. She was in the middle of a blizzard. Damn, had she ever kissed the stranger. The fire was still going strong, ashes piled deep and glowing, fresh fed fairly recently-by someone who wasnt her. Shed not only kissed the stranger lying next to her, shed come on to him like a fresh-freed nun. Her family was all out of town; she was broke as a church mouse; her entire life was in shambles. She seemed to be still wrapped around Teague Larson as if they were glued at the hip and pelvis.
And it was his cell phone ringing, demanding someone get up.
She pushed out of the blankets, had the cold air slap at her skin and decided that a girl only needed so much reality.
Yeah, she snapped at the sheriff when she finally grabbed Teagues cell phone in the kitchen. Im well aware the powers off, George. Im going to look this morning to see if I can get the Cunninghams generator going. If I cant, then Ill bring in the wood from their garage. No, I dont know how my patients doing
Blah, blah, blah. Twenty-three inches of snow. Still snowing, not as hard, but big winds, some six-and seven-foot drifts. The town was busted except for absolute emergencies for a few days. Like everyone in Vermont couldnt guess the days news report?
She yawned, then waited until she could get a word in. All right, all right. So were not on a level of heart attacks and babies being born. But Teague really was hit hard on the head. And I know his ankles hurt. You keep us on the rescue list, you hear? And, yeah, Ill check in a little later today, so you know how were doing.
As she walked back in the living room, she reminded herself to contact her parents and sisters pretty quickly. They didnt know she was back home in White Hills. She also hadnt told them the whole story of her divorce from Jean-Luc, but that was a different issue. The only immediate problem was if they tried to reach her in France and couldnt, theyd worry.
She raked a hand through her sleep-tumbled hair, her mind still galloping a zillion miles an hour, then stopped dead.
So did Teague.
For some unknown reason he was on his hands and knees, emerging from the back of the couch like a little kid playing hide-and-seek-at least until she spotted him. Or he spotted her. Whichever came first, both of them seemed to freeze in unison.
Daisy didnt move, but her pulse suddenly lunged-just as it had last night when shed touched him. When shed judiciously crawled under the blankets with him to conserve heat. When shed extremely unjudiciously started running her hands all over the man. It was as if someone had taken over her mind. How else could she explain how this confounding man had her hormones in such a buzz?
What are we doing? she asked tactfully, since he didnt seem to be moving from his crawling position.
I was looking for something behind the couch.
Uh-huh.
I dropped something out of my pocket last night. A key. Its not like I needed it this minute, but when I realized it was missing, I thought Id better find it before I forgot-
She cut to the chase. Your ankle is that bad? You cant walk on it at all?
He scowled at her. He had no way of knowing that shed been lied to by the best. Her ex could lie to the Pope on Easter and look innocent.
I can walk on it, Teague said irritably.
Ill tell you what, she said. You crawl to the bathroom-in fact, well call that your bathroom for the duration. Ill use the one upstairs. No more showers or cleaning up for either of us, though, until the power goes back on, okay? But the point is-
Theres a point coming?
The point is, Ill try and rig you up some kind of cane. And some ibuprofen. When you get back, you go for the couch, well get your weight off the ankle and ice it.
I can do all that.
He kept singing that refrain all day. Daisy might have become exasperated except that, damn, he kept getting cuter by the hour. Every time she started to do something, he crawled after her, determined to either help or do it himself. After being prey to the most dependent guy in the universe for the past several years, Teagues bullheadedness was a treat.
I know how to get the generator started, he said.
Im sure you do. And its been years since I watched my dad do ours when we were growing up. Im not sure I remember what he did, or that I can do it besides. But the generators still in the basement.
So?
So you cant get down to the basement with that ankle. So it has to be me. Go sit on that couch.
Ill sit at the top of the stairs in case you come up with questions.
She screwed off the sweeper end of a broom to create a makeshift cane. Brought in another load of logs. Tended the fire. Battled the generator in the basement, couldnt figure it out, braved Mr. Cunninghams desk to see if she could find a file of appliance instructions, tried a second time to get the generator going. Failed again.
So they were going to be cold. At least they had the fire and firewood. Nobody was going to get frostbite or die or anything. But if the darn wind would quit howling and the sky quit dumping buckets, the power would have a chance to come back on. Then the snowstorm would just be a pain in the behind, but not really uncomfortable.
I can go down in the basement, Teague argued again.
Yes. But what if you fell on that ankle? I couldnt possibly carry you back upstairs.
I wouldnt fall.
He was so male. Only a male would make such a ridiculous statement. By that time shed fixed them both an early dinner. Eat, she said, looking to divert him.
It worked. She looked at the wound on his head every time she could sneak a glance-which wasnt easy, when he kept claiming it was fine. It wasnt remotely fine. The gash was a good three inches, with a lump under it that looked bruised and swollen. On the other hand, she reasoned, he couldnt be too injured if he could eat like a wolf at his last meal.
I dont understand how you could make this out of a nonexistent kitchen, he said.
Are you kidding? This is the kind of cooking thats all fun. You get to use your imagination instead of just opening a can and punching a microwave. Truthfully, he was giving her a bunch of unwarranted praise. She hadnt been that creative, just unearthed some clothes hangers to twist into spits, then raided the Cunninghams freezer for a couple of steaks. She was going to owe them all kinds of supplies when this was over with. Anyway, shed rubbed some garlic and tarragon and a few other surprises on the steaks. Wrapped some potatoes in foil. Added this and that. The thing was, everything always tasted good by fire. Its not as if shed pulled off a miracle.
It wouldnt be so hard if we just got the generator going. I know I could do it-
That again. If she kept him out of the basement, itd be a miracle. She tried diverting him again. So exactly how did you get into the demolition business?
Demolition?
Yeah. You know. Tearing up kitchens. Tearing down walls. Getting to use power tools all day, make noise and lots of sawdust. I mean, have you always had this calling, or did you just never grow up?
He almost choked-but Teague, it was clear, was never going to waste a good bite of steak, even when he had to fight not to laugh.
I was playing with wood from the time I was a little kid. Couldnt shake the love for it, so made a career out of it. The Cunningham job, though, was more a favor than the kind of work I normally do. They were going to be out of town for a few weeks, so I could fill in here when I had time from other projects. Mostly, though, I do reconstruction stuff. Old wood. Uneven floors. Tilted ceilings. Ruined woodwork-
She could hear the joy building up in his voice like an opera singer letting loose with an aria. Now, dont go have an orgasm on me.
He grinned. I cant help it. Thats the stuff that pulls my chain. I went to college to be a lawyer. Just wasnt for me, hated every minute of it. Went back to do the apprentice thing with a master carpenter.
So. Why are you working solo and how on earth did you get stuck in White Hills?
What makes you think Im stuck?
Because I know you didnt start out here. Id have known you-wed have gone to school together. Or I think we would have. How old are you?
Thirty-four.
A few years older than me. Which means Id definitely have known you, because I knew every cute boy who was a few years older than me. And Ill bet you were downright adorable in high school, because youre so delectable now.
That almost made him choke on his food a second time. Campbell, you are one bad, bad woman. You always tease like this?
Good grief, no. Only with people Im stranded with. Especially when Im stranded with someone for an unknown period of time without deodorant or enough water to take a shower.
Theres deodorant in the downstairs bathroom.
She lifted a brow. Theres some upstairs, too. I was just trying to make the subtle point that were stuck with each other for company, so we might as well enjoy it. Which means I think you should tell me why in Gods name you picked a rustic village like White Hills to live.
Hey, there are lots of old homes here. Homes, historic buildings, stores, churches. And thats what I love best. Restoring stuff. Not necessarily restoring it back to how it looked historically, but taking something thats turned ugly and bringing it back to life.
Thats cool. But you couldnt find any place more exciting than White Hills?
Maybe I didnt want to.
Maybe youre hiding a deep, dark secret, she suggested instead.
He looked amused at her nosiness. For the record, Im making money hand over fist in your little burg.
Thats nice. But it doesnt answer the question why you picked this town to live in.
I had a job here once, liked the place. And since moving here about five years ago, Ive built up more work than I know what to do with. The only thing really holding me back is being so unartsy.
She cocked her head. You need to be artsy to be a carpenter?