Zoe's hands shook in his and she tried to brush away thetears but he couldn't stand to let her go, to lose an inch of contact, so she ended up shrugging her shoulders and wiping her cheeks on her shirt. She snuffled and squeezed his hands. "I have one condition. Well, two."
"Anything," he said. He almost launched over the table to hug her. She would stay. She wanted to stay. "Anything you want, Zoe, it's yours."
"I want to buy that land you talked about." She set her shoulders and got that determined look on her face that was so adorable he almost couldn't stand it. Simon had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from saying anything. Zoe frowned at him, even as more tears shimmered in her eyes. "So there's more room for your trips and cabins and the adventure camp. And for bear things."
"Bear things?" He struggled not to laugh.
"Right. Hunting and climbing trees and roaming around. Right? Isn't that what bears do?"
Simon couldn't wait and lurched up to drag her to her feet so he could kiss her. He wanted to breathe her in, to taste her, hold her close until she smelled like him and no one would ever doubt their connection. He held her close and chuckled, stroking her hair back so he could see her face. "I can't wait to show you what bears do, Zoe. I really can't."
She snuggled into his embrace and rested her cheek on the flat plane of his chest, her hand resting just over his heart. "And I want to build that cabin behind the lodge. So it's just ours. And you let me sleep in until at least nine. At least. Ten would be better."
He laughed, squeezing her so he could lift her off the ground and spin them both around. "You'll be my mate, Zoe? Stay with me and be my mate?"
"Maybe eleven," she said, voice muffled against his shoulder.
Simon put her back on her feet and held her at arm'slength so he could see her green eyes and that hint of a smile, the laughter he heard in her voice but desperately wanted to see on her face. "Zoe Stewart, will you be my mate?"
Her eyes searched his and her palms rested flat on his cheeks, maybe so she could feel his smile when the beard hid his joy. In that too serious voice she used, she said, "Yes."
And that was enough to set him spinning again, carrying her with him until they whirled through the bar and knocked over tables and chairs and almost broke the bottle of whiskey. He didn't care at all. He didn't want to stop dancing with her for even a moment.
20
ZOE
It took a month for the land purchase to go through. The neighbors were happy to sell to Simon, and even though they didn't understand who Zoe was, she didn't care. The land was in her name as well as Simon's, so it was even more of a commitment than the mating ceremony he insisted they have. Eventually, Zoe always added, because there was a part of her that knew it was too good to be true. She waited for the other shoe to drop, for Castellano or his guys or something bad to show up and ruin it.
But as she waited for the lawyers and realtors to do their thing, and for the long process of transferring the digital money into real money without getting caught at something illegal, Simon started building her cabin. Zoe didn't know how he did it while running the business, taking the guests on long fishing trips into the backwoods, and working with the game wardens to track predator levels throughout the newly acquired land. But Simon advertised needing some construction help down in town, and all the young men with extra time on their hands or a desire to show Simon Crawford theycould work hard showed up to cut logs, split shingles, and mix mud.
Zoe still helped in the lodge but focused on getting Simon's books in order. It turned out her business degree was worth something after all. She spent most days in Simon's office, especially since he spent so much time out and about, and usually wore one of his sweatshirts just to remind herself what he smelled like. She frowned at the new computer she'd made him order, clicking through the accounting software she installed to try to re-create his archaic ledger in a manageable, useful format. Zoe didn't look up as the door swung in and Simon appeared. "Hey."
He grumbled something that might have been a greeting, but she could tell he was tired. He walked around the desk and waited until she stood up, then took his place in the big chair. He pulled her onto his lap, just like he did every night, regardless of how much it distracted her from what she needed to get done. Zoe concentrated on the computer as he sighed and relaxed in the chair and drew shapes on her back. She flipped through the ledger and exhaled in irritation. "This is a ridiculous way to run a business, you know."
His hands settled at her waist and she jumped. Simon didn't comment on it, but she knew it bothered him that she still wasn't entirely relaxed around him. She couldn't help it. It still felt too good to be true, too much a dream. As if she would wake up any moment and it would wisp away like fog in the sun. Simon squeezed her sides and wrapped his arms around her to draw her back against his chest, nuzzling her neck. "Maybe it's a good time to pause. I have a small surprise I want to show you."
"A surprise?" She wiggled to face him in his lap, rewarded with a groan and immediate evidence of how much he liked having her there. "What kind of surprise?"
"A good surprise." Simon stood her up and closed theledger, turning off the computer monitor before he led her out of the office.
Zoe's heart beat a little faster as she followed him out the back of the lodge and down the narrow deer track toward where their cabin would be. The guests and the guys, including Tate, congregated around the fire pit behind the lodge, so no noise disturbed the night as Simon meandered through the trees. She squeezed his hand. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise, girl. Be patient."
"Did I ever tell you I don't really like surprises?"
"You'll like this one," he said, and paused long enough to kiss her. "Now hush."
Zoe rolled her eyes but followed along, and when they turned a small bend in the trail, she saw the cabin. She hadn't seen it in a week or so, and stopped dead in her tracks. It looked nearly complete, the walls up and the roof shingled. She covered her mouth to keep from saying something ridiculous. Simon chuckled and picked her up, carrying her the rest of the way to the cabin and through the doorway. He kissed her and set her down, and for a long moment, Zoe could only stare at what waited inside the cabin.
A fire crackled in the stacked stone fireplace, and though the floors weren't finished, he'd spread a small mountain of blankets, sheepskins, and furs across the area in front of the fire. A few candles cast just enough light to see by, and a bottle of wine and two glasses waited as well. She turned to look at him, speechless, and Simon laughed.
He rubbed a hand through his hair until it stood up in spikes. "We're so booked up with guests, I wanted to stay with you here for the night. For a little privacy."
Zoe laughed; she knew what that meant. He didn't like being quiet when they made love.
He closed the door behind them, then caught her handand laced their fingers together. Zoe almost couldn't see through a blur of tears as Simon led her to the big open space to the right of the door. "This is going to be the kitchen, and over there is the living room. I thought we could put the dinner table here, and in the back..."
