I could see it in the brightness of her eyes and the parting of her lips as she gazed out over the panoramic view. I wanted to pull her close and kiss her hard and heavy. But I'd been doing plenty ofthatalready, and watching her reaction now felt nearly as satisfying.
Nearly, but not quite.
Still, we had plenty of time forthatlater. I smiled at the thought. If I had my way, we'd have years.No. Decades. A lifetime.
We were standing in my living room, gazing out through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my mountain-top home.
With laughter in her voice, she said, "So you call this a cabin, huh?"
"Hey, it's made of logs."
She snickered. "Yeah, but it's got like ten bedrooms."
"Oh yeah?" I teased. "How do you know?" It was a valid question. We'd been here for less than five minutes, and during that time, Becka had barely moved from the window.
She was smiling like a kid at Christmas.And I loved it.
She asked, "How many miles can you see?"
"On a clear day? Fifty-six."
She turned to face me. "Seriously? You know the exact number?"
I shrugged. "Hey, I'm not one to guess."
"I believethat," she said, turning once again toward the view. Outside the window, the fall colors were on full display in patches of orange and red in the trees below.
At this elevation, autumn came early, and spring came late. And, as far as winters, well, let's say it was a good thing I kept the place fully stocked for those times when the road became nearly impassable, even for me.
She said, "I bet this is great for entertaining."
"I wouldn't know."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean, you're only the second guest who's been here."
"Oh come on," she said. "You can't be serious."
"Wanna bet?"
She turned to study my face. After a long moment, she said, "Actually, no. I think I'll pass on that whole betting thing."
I smiled. "Smart girl."
"But only two people, huh? So who was the first? Imogen?"
I laughed. "Hell no."
"Really?" she said. "You dated her for a while, so I guess I just figured–"
"Sorry, but you figured wrong. You want the truth? You're the first girl I've brought here."
She beamed up at me. "Seriously? Why?"
The answer tothatwas easy. I reached out and took her hand in mine. "Because they weren't you."
She leaned forward and laughed against my shoulder. "Hah! I bet they just chickened out."
