Why not Wyoming? (Wyoming Wilds Series Book 1) (4 page)

“That would be wonderful. You know, if she would be more
comfortable we’ll have rooms here.”

“I told her that,” he said, giving her a side glance. “She was
waxing poetic about your fieldstone fireplace and the awe-inspiring view. I
offered to show her a little more of our scenery if she stays.”

His mom nodded, looking up at the TV as the
Jeopardy
theme started. “She couldn’t get a better guide. I told her I hoped our
Bighorns would be inspirational. Keep me updated on how long she’s staying and
I’ll make sure the staff knows to treat her as a family guest.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

He kissed her forehead then watched her skirt through the
bodies sprawled on pillows and the beanbags she’d bought when the lodge hosted
a Boy Scout retreat. They’d proven to be perfect to toss out when there were groups
like the wedding party. He shook his head. Like his mouth when he was nervous,
his brain tended to wander off course. His mom was explaining the controller and
game to Ty and Crystal. He took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. Having
her know the extent of his interest in Annie turned up the pressure.

Alcohol flowed and stupidity followed.
Jeopardy
had
been ditched soon after one of the groomsmen had made a snide remark
questioning Crystal’s intelligence. His stage whisper to Tyler saying at least his
wife was pretty still had Annie pissed off. She’d left Tyler to deal with that
cluster fuck. He hadn’t been too damn happy with his friend. Now a game of
Truth
or Dare
had broken out and was getting raunchier by the second. She had a
feeling this was not the evening in front of the fire CJ had envisioned. He’d
been attentive, but quiet.

She stared longingly out the big windows. The snow was still
falling, but the wind had let up for the time being. God, fresh air sounded
good about now. She looked down at her pajamas. The fleece was heavy. If she
pulled on boots and a coat over it she should be okay for a few minutes.

Leaning into CJ’s side she whispered, “I know this sounds
crazy, but I don’t suppose you’d like to get a little fresh air?”

“Who do I have to kill?” he muttered back.

Annie pressed her face against the ball of his shoulder to
muffle her laughter.  “Maybe no one if we do this right, but be ready.”

He gave her a covert thumbs up and stood, pulling her up as
well. Sticking to the perimeter, they managed to make it to the coat room
without challenge. Bumping into and shushing one another like kids, they pulled
on winter wear over their pajamas and slipped out the side door. Pulling it shut
with exaggerated care, CJ sighed.

“Thank you for getting me out of there.”

“Thank you for coming with me. My poor tongue couldn’t take
anymore biting and if I’d let go, Tyler would be short a groomsman.”

“If that’d been me, Scott would’ve needed more makeup to walk
down the aisle than the bridesmaids,” CJ grumbled.

Shaking her head, Annie took a deep breath of the frigid air
and slowly blew it out, watching it crystallize in the moonlight. A lot of the
stress went with it.

“Even cold is beautiful here,” she whispered. “You’re lucky.”   

CJ nodded. “I’ve had a lot of clients ask me why I live here. I
tell them I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

“Hermit or not, I miss watching nature. Growing up, it was
common to see deer in our backyard in the morning or around dusk. Squirrels
were always scampering around on our deck railing. Almost every year there was
a fat raccoon with waddling babies. In the city, I have a gorgeous view of the
Grand River and there is a park right there, but it’s just not the same.” 

“Did you choose to move into the city when you left the nest or
did your family move?”

She turned away. Following the side of the lodge, she wandered
further from the door. Playing with her scarf, she searched for an answer to
his question. The way he’d phrased it, she could dodge the painful part. Any
other time, any other person, and she would have. CJ was different. She wanted
to get to know him and in order for that to happen, to give this any hope, she
had to open up too.

“I moved into the city when my parents died. I was eighteen and
didn’t think that I could handle the responsibilities that came with a house
and property. Not to mention the memories.”

Snow crunched behind her. Strong hands landed on her shoulders,
turning her against his chest.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her.

Annie shook her head, her nose rubbing against his worn black Carhartt.
“It was a long time ago.”

“I don’t think the loss of a parent is something you just get
over. Let alone losing both of them.”

“Yeah. You don’t picture losing both of them at the same time.
At eighteen, you aren’t really thinking about it at all.”

“Car accident?” he asked, his lips pressed above her ear.

She nodded. “I was at home, dancing around, basking in the
glory of having the house to myself for an entire weekend.” Annie paused,
swallowing against the choking guilt, even after all these years. “Then I’d
have given anything for them to walk back through the door.”

CJ swayed slightly, one hand stroking up and down her spine in
a comforting caress. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me too.”

“Legal adult or not, eighteen is young to be completely on your
own. Especially with what you were going through. Wasn’t there family that you
could…?”

Annie nodded vehemently. “Absolutely. Everyone wanted to help. I
had my choice of several offers. Crystal’s parents literally begged me to move
in with them. As horrible as it sounds now, I was feeling smothered and
overwhelmed and just wanted to be left alone to grieve.”

“I can’t say I know what you went through, but I can understand
a need to be alone to sort through things.”

She knew she should step back and pull her shit together, but
it was easier not to have to meet his eyes.

“By the time everything was settled, I’d graduated so the
school district wasn’t an issue any longer. With the sale of the house, insurance
money, and a settlement from the trucking company, money wasn’t an immediate
problem. My aunt and uncle helped find me a nice condo in a new building with
parking and good security so they wouldn’t worry as much. I liked the view.”
She shrugged. “It took a while to get used to the quiet up there, but now its
home.”

“Is that when you started writing?”

That was safer ground. She took a step back, wiping away tears.
CJ shifted, keeping one arm around her and leaning against the side of the
lodge.

“It’s when I decided to put it out there. I’d been writing
since grade school. I have boxes in my storage locker stuffed with notebooks
full of my scribbles. I’d always known I wanted to be a writer. My parents were
a little more practical. They wanted me to go to college, get a degree, and
have something to fall back on. I would’ve done it their way if they’d been
there, but their death made me look at how short life can be. They spent all of
those years scrimping and saving so that someday they could retire and do all
the things they wanted to do. What good did it do them?”

“They made sure you were taken care of.”

She hid her face in his chest again and punched him lightly.
“There you go saying the perfect thing again.”

“I’m telling you, this is on you,” he said against the top of
her head.  

“Uh huh.”

“It never happened before you.”

“Thanks.”

He pulled his head back to look down at her. “For what?”

“For listening. For not judging.”

“What’s to judge? I’m thirty years old and if I lost my parents
tomorrow, I’d be a wreck. I don’t think you’re ever ready for that. Like you
said, at eighteen you weren’t even thinking of the possibility. I admire the
strength it took to face it all alone.”

“Thank God writing is like therapy, only cheaper.”

CJ chuckled. “That’s how I feel about nature. It doesn’t matter
what time of year. If I’m feeling stressed, I grab a pack and hit the trails.”

Annie searched the endless sea of dark pines. “You could wander
for days out there and not see another living soul.”

The thought was comforting and terrifying at once. She shivered
and he pulled her closer.

“I should get you back inside before you freeze or your family
comes looking for you.”

“Are you more worried about your reputation or mine, big guy?”

CJ chuckled. “Being caught alone with you would only boost my
reputation.”

“So you think. Ignore any pitying looks from my family.”

“I’m enjoying getting to know you, figuring out what makes you
tick.”

”I’m a writer. My mind is a scary place.”

“I don’t scare easily.”

Annie paused at the door, hands resting against his chest.
“That sounds promising.”

CJ’s finger hooked under her chin, lifting her face. His lips
were warm and firm against hers. For a moment, the soft beard made memories of
her dad flash through her mind. Then he deepened the kiss and all such thoughts
fled. She blinked up at him when he finally pulled back. Her hands were fisted
in his coat, body leaning into him. Nothing parental in that. Already on tiptoe,
she slid a hand behind his neck and tugged him back down to steal another kiss.

He hijacked what was meant to be a brief brush of her lips. One
of his hands cupped her jaw. His lips were teasing and tempting. They kissed
until her lungs and calves burned. Thank God he was still holding her when he
broke the kiss. Dizzy and breathless, she rested her forehead against his
chest. Finally, she cleared her throat and nodded.

“Very promising.”

Stomping his boots off, CJ blew into the cup of his cold
hands. He’d been up early this morning trying to help their limited crew clear
some of the snow. Now he was looking forward to hot coffee and, hopefully, a
glimpse of Annie. Sleep had been hard to come by last night with her face
haunting him every time he closed his eyes. When he’d finally dozed off, she’d
been right there with him. If her retro polka-dot bathing suit hadn’t been
enough to make him contemplate the cost of putting a hot tub in at his place,
his dreams had.

“Good morning.”

CJ spun around, a blush already starting to crawl over his
chilled cheeks. The subject of his fantasies stood in front of him holding out
a mug of steaming brew. He prayed she couldn’t read his mind.

“Good morning and thank you, thank you,” he said eagerly accepting
the offered coffee. He took a sip and sighed. “You’re a goddess.”

Annie laughed and put a finger to her lips. “Not too loud. With
that kind of flattery, you’ll have the girls fighting me to bring you coffee at
the door.”

“I don’t think there is too much fear of that.”

She nodded toward the door. “How does it look out there?”

“The wind has let up and the snow coming down is minimal. I
would say if it stays like this, the plows will clear the roads by tomorrow,”
he said stripping off the last of his gear.

“I hope so. I love my family, but I’ve had enough togetherness
for a while.”

“Another rough morning with the bride?”

Annie rolled her eyes. “The mother of the bride this time. My
aunt is stressing over everything from return flights to the freshness of the
cake. Like anyone ever really enjoys the frou-frou frosting monstrosity that is
wedding cake. When I make that leap, I’m thinking cheesecake.”

“You can’t go wrong with cheesecake,” he agreed, nodding
sagely. “Baked, frozen or boxed. It’s all good.”

“Right? They even sell the filling in a tub now so all us lazy
people have to do is spread it in a graham cracker crust and throw the topping
of our choice on top. Boom! Dessert. Or, if a girl is feeling blue, she could
eat it right out of the bowl with a spoon. Breakup bliss.”

CJ couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. Annie nudged his
arm but couldn’t help joining in.

“You’re not supposed to find our angst quite so entertaining.”

He shook his head, trying to rein in his amusement. “I’m sorry.
I’m not sure if it was your enthusiasm for the cheesecake topic or the image of
the stereotypical chick-flick heroine crying on the couch with the half-gallon
of ice cream.”

“Watch a lot of chick flicks do you, stud?” she asked, turning
to face him with her hand on her hip and mouth twisting in a smirk.

“I could lie and say that you can’t watch TV without seeing the
sappy previews, but I will admit to seeing a few. Sometimes it’s just part of the
price a guy pays for a date,” he replied with as much dignity as possible.

Annie bit her lip, eyes sparkling. Shaking his head, he tugged
her back to him and headed them toward the breakfast buffet.

Annie’s fingers tightened on the handle above the Jeep’s
passenger window as the 4x4 bounced. She grinned, remembering her dad referring
to the one in his truck as the ‘oh shit bar’. The title had been fitting a time
or two as CJ navigated the rough terrain. While the roads weren’t passable, the
trees created a shelter here, limiting the buildup and drifting. They
fishtailed but CJ spun the steering wheel easily, straightening the vehicle.
Pine boughs squeaked across her window. She hid a smile in her scarf. Was he
actually following a trail or just dodging trees?

The Jeep rocked to a halt. The trees were further apart here,
whether by man or nature’s design. Nestled among the sturdy spruce and slender
aspens was a log home flanked by a long rustic barn. An empty corral extended
from one side. Unblemished snow covered everything in a blanket of white, swirling
over the open areas before mounding against the buildings.  The view was
breathtaking. Tearing her eyes from it, Annie turned to CJ. She didn’t need to
ask if this was his. The look on his face said it all.  

“It is gorgeous,” she whispered.

The adjective seemed inadequate.

“It’s not fancy, but I’m proud of it,” CJ said, shifting the
Jeep back into gear.

The snow was deeper in the open area, but CJ kept his foot on
the gas and plowed his way through the drifts to a relatively shallow spot
between the buildings. Tugging her hat down, Annie hopped from the Wrangler and
waded in his footsteps to the barn. The smell of warm horses, hay, and clean
leather enveloped her. A whinny echoed down the aisle. In the dim light, she
could just make out two dark heads hanging eagerly over stall doors. The
overheads flickered on, showcasing a tawny buckskin and an unusually colored
companion. Frowning, she moved closer to admire the light dapple on the dark
brown coat.

“Topper’s a Rocky Mountain. That chocolate coloring and flaxen
mane and tail are a trait of the breed. They’re excellent trail horses.”

“Beautiful,” she murmured, introducing herself and then
stroking the horse’s strong neck.

“And this little girl is Aries.”

The buckskin rubbed her face into CJ’s shoulder.   

“It seems you were missed.”

“She’s a lover.”  

“So are they,” she said looking down at a couple of cats already
rubbing figure eights against their legs. Annie squatted down and tickled the
orange tabby under the chin. “What’s this one’s name?”

Silence met the question. She looked up to a deer caught in the
headlights expression.

“They don’t have names?” she asked.

“They’re barn cats,” he said, like that explained it all.

“Would you have a dog or a horse without naming it?”

“Probably not, but I had a couple of pigs, four cows, chickens
and a dozen rabbits until fall. None of them had names.”

Now he was trying not to laugh at her.

Standing up, hands on her hips, she kept her voice soft and
patient. “Are you planning on eating the cats?”

“No.”

“Then just maybe that’s where you draw the line.”

“You’re…” His words fell off at her look and he shook his head,
grinning.

“I’m what?” she demanded.

“Such a girl,” he said with a chuckle.

Annie bent back to the purring cats. CJ squatted beside her,
holding his hand out to allow the black and white cat to walk back and forth
under it, in truth petting itself. 

“Since you’re championing them, do you have any suggestions?”

“We’ll keep it simple for you. How about Sunny and Socks?”

He snorted and played with the black cat’s little white toes. “That
works, and I appreciate the allowance for my intelligence.”  

Annie gave his shoulder a shove making him teeter over.
Settling on his ass, he slid closer to her.

“I’m just teasing you,” he cajoled.

“And I’m just blowing you shit,” she whispered, grinning at him
over her shoulder. “Did you really think I was that much of a city girl?”

A full grin spread across his boyish face, highlighting a dimple
hiding in his dark beard. “Nice.”

She accepted his congratulatory high-five and stood up,
catching hold to help him to his feet.

 “That was slick,” he said, tugging her against his side. He
looked at her sidelong. “Does this mean I don’t have to name all the meat in my
freezer now?”

“Not for me, but if you do you should probably keep it simple
too. Bessie, Bambi, Prissy, Thumper, Porky…”

“What about the buffalo and elk?”

“Umm … Billy and Bullwinkle. Shit. No. Bullwinkle is a moose.”
She frowned for a moment. “I like Eli for the elk.”

“I’m calling you for all naming advice in the future,” he said,
still chuckling.

Working together it didn’t take long to give both stalls a muck
and see their inhabitants squared away again.

CJ topped off the canister on Sunny and Socks’ auto-feeder
before asking, “How’re you doing temp wise? Are you warm enough to see the wood
shop, or would you rather go in and warm up first?”

“I’d love to see the wood shop. It’s not actually bad in here
and the labor has me toasty,” Annie said, stroking Aries velvety muzzle.

“The barn is pretty well insulated. The other side has large
propane heaters to take the chill off when I’m working.”

“Sounds like you put a lot of thought into things.”

He shrugged as he held the door open leading to the rest of the
building. “I had a lot of years to dream and plan while I was saving. Unlike a
lot of people who buy their first home with the intent of trading up, I knew
that this was it for me. My parents gave me the land. As you saw, it butts up
to the resort property. With real estate prices the way they are, it would’ve
been way out of my range. Even in Wyoming, it’s all about location and with the
national forest right here, this area is prime. So I took my time, doing as
much of the clearing and stuff as I could and when I was ready, I used the
property to secure the loan.” He gave a rueful grin. “And you know the story
from there. In twenty years it will be all mine.”

“It takes a lot of smarts and drive to tackle all of this and
start your own business at the same time.”

“There are more than a few people around here that would disagree
but thank you. That means a lot.”

Running a gloved finger over the edge of a lathe, Annie turned
in a slow circle. Like everything else about CJ, it looked like a lot of care
had been put into arranging the saws, sanders, and the various other power tools
around a scarred work table. 

“My dad would’ve loved this. I remember him hanging sheets of heavy
plastic across the front of the garage to block off a small work area because Mom
kept complaining about sawdust getting all over her car.”

“Smart man,” CJ said with a small smile. “I have to admit that
if I’d been married going into all this, I don’t think I’d have made it this
far.”

“With the marriage or your dreams?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” 

He looked serious and a little sad.

“I guess it would depend on the woman and on you. You don’t seem
like a quitter. The way I see it, life is about learning what you can and can’t
compromise on,” she said with a soft shrug. “Which probably explains why I’m
still single.”

“You and me both,” CJ said with a bark of laughter.

Smiling to herself, Annie circled a rocking chair that was a
work in progress. The letter D circled by an intricate chain of flowers was
carved into a wider center slat in the chair back.

“That’s for some friends of mine that are expecting their first
baby. The first of many if she’s to be believed. Their last name is Davidson. I
thought it would be nice for the nursery and then maybe their front porch.”

“They’re going to love it. Did you do the carving?”

“Yeah. It’s something that my grandfather used to do, whittle
and carve. I picked up some of it from him.”   

“Is there anything that you can’t do?”

“So many things,” he said and waved to a couple of doors on the
far end of the room. “The rest of this is storage, office and freezer space for
my guide work. There are better examples of the finished furniture in the house.
How about something warm to drink before we head back?”

“That sounds great and suspiciously like changing the subject,”
she said, peeking up at him as he led her to the door. “I want to hear more
about these perceived shortcomings because there hasn’t been any evidence.”

“Ouch. Don’t say shortcomings to a guy.”

Annie shook her head at his exaggerated wince and shudder. “Now
I know you’re hiding something. That sexual innuendo was classic deflection.”

“I’m not good at basketball.”

“You’re dead to me. With my height you know basketball is a
huge part of my life,” she said sarcastically.

“I can see that.”

Keeping her hands in her pockets, she nudged him with her
shoulder. “You know what? I can’t dunk, but let’s see LeBron do a Yurchenko
full vault.”

“I’m not sure what that is, but I’d pay to see him try vaulting
at all.”

“My point exactly. He’s considered superhuman, but really he
does one thing. That doesn’t mean he can do anything else. There are plenty of
people not good in one sport or another. Some people aren’t athletic at all. What
else do you have?”

“You’re tough.”

“You seem pretty perfect to me. You’re going to have to work to
convince me otherwise.”

“That wouldn’t be very smart of me.”

“Before I break out the rubber hose, let’s try this. What was
your least favorite subject in school?”

“How do you do that? You just zero in on a person’s weakness.”

“Years of advanced people watching. I should have been a
profiler.”

“Really? In that case, why don’t you tell me what my weakest
class was?”

“Hmm. You enjoyed history and geography. It could be math, but
I saw a piece of paper in the shop with some pretty impressive numbers, long
hand. Very old school. You’re hesitant to tell me. I’m going to go with
English-Lit. You told me you read a lot so it was the grammar and/or writing
part of the class that tripped you up.”