Cal got in the passenger side and I got behind the wheel. I turned the engine and immediately cranked the heat.
“I know you must think I’m all kinds of a fool for wearing a dress,” she babbled. “But I said to myself, Shelby, are you going all this way on a blind date in a pair of jeans and sneakers? I think surely not. I mean, it is August. Back home it’s hotter than a June bug’s ass. And I know what you’re thinking. How do I know how hot a June bug’s ass is? But that’s just a thing we say where I’m from. I had no idea what to expect here.”
“You mean in Alaska?” Caleb drawled.
I glared at him. “I think your dress is real pretty.”
“You do? Well, aren’t you the sweetest thing. So what happens next?”
“I rented you a cabin. We’ll take you there and let you rest up. Then I plan to pick you up for dinner. There is only one place to eat out here in Hope’s Point—it’s not much if you’re into fine dining. But tomorrow I’ve got some fun outdoor activities planned if you decide, after tonight, you’re willing to put up with me.”
I looked in the rearview mirror. She wasn’t listening to me. Her gaze was locked outside the window on the snow-tipped mountains that surrounded this tiny stretch of populated land.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as if she had entered some sacred church.
I thought she was more so.
* * *
Eli
I pulled up to one of the cabins Zeke had rented to us for the duration of our contest. Beyond being badass, he also owned several properties in Hope’s Point. Not that anybody did anything with them since he had built a new home for himself, Eve and little Z.
All of the cabins were pretty simple but kept in decent condition and perfect for what we needed.
I hadn’t been able to tell from his expression what he’d thought about what we were doing when we asked if he would rent us one of the cabins. Pretty sure no one in the history of all time ever gleaned anything from Zeke’s expression. But I had pointed out it might be nice for Eve to have young women around town to talk with. To which he’d grunted. All things considered, I took that as a positive.
“I’ll set you up inside and a get a fire going for you.”
Cal got out of the passenger side and Shelby bounced out behind him. I grabbed her duffel and walked up to the cabin. I used the key Zeke had given me and opened the door. A quick check confirmed it was critter free. Although it wouldn’t have been like Zeke to allow the structure of the cabin to succumb to the elements.
Shelby bounced in and clapped. “Oooh, this is so nice.”
Nice? I didn’t know that I would describe it as nice, but it was functional enough for however long she planned to stay.
“You ever deal with a pot-bellied stove?”
She shook her head. Right, of course. Daughter of an accountant and a nurse she probably grew up in some suburb. I started putting together what I needed to get the fire going and when I did, I showed her how she needed to use the mitt to open and close the stove to add any wood.
“You don’t need to feed it too much wood. You’re going to be surprised how much heat you get from it. And I made sure the blankets were all thermal, so you won’t get cold at night. Although it’s been fairly balmy this past week.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Balmy? Sugar, if you think this is balmy, then I’ve got some swamp land to sell you in the bayou.”
“Damn, I like the way you talk.” It just made me smile.
She smiled, and I liked that even more.
“Okay, I better go, or I might not leave. But before I go, can I take a peek at what you packed? I need to know if you have the kind of gear for what I’ve got planned.”
She frowned then. “I did bring jeans. And sneakers. But this is warmest coat I have.”
I nodded. “It’s okay. One of the things Hope’s Point does have is a cold weather gear shop. Olivia started making us stock female sizes because assuming everyone working on an oil rig would be male was, in her words, sexist.”
“I think I like Olivia. How come you didn’t ask her to be a chaperone?”
“Because Ark loses his shit any time she comes to town. And we need him focused.”
She wrinkled her nose, which was adorable. “Then I probably won’t like Ark.”
