A big tow truck pulled up outside. Katie expected a big guy to jump down, but it was a tiny, dainty-looking, fair-skinned blonde to enter the bakery wearing Carhartt weather overalls, steel-toed boots, and a quick smile. “Who’s the yo-yo who ran over a set of pliers?”
Katie raised her hand. “That would be me. Are you Harley?”
“In the flesh. You did a number on your tire. I think it’s fatal. Hope your spare’s in good shape.” The mechanic came forward, started to offer a hand, then looked down at it and stopped, shaking her head. Her short, spiky hair danced around her face. “Sorry, I’ve got grease all over me.”
“What’s new?” Serena asked her dryly.
Harley smiled. “Had to rescue a group of kids off the highway. They’d ditched school and driven up here from the bay hoping to snowboard. Keys, city girl?”
“Oh. Here.” Katie handed them over. Harley went out the door but was back in less than a minute, shaking her head. “No good.”
“What do you mean no good?”
“Your spare is flat too.”
“What?”
“Yeah, when’s the last time you checked it?”
Oh, about never. At the look on her face, Harley sighed. “You’re going to have to leave me the car. I’ll tow it to my shop, but I have a test to take before I can fix you up.”
“A test?”
“She’s going to school to become a fancy schmancy biologist so she can go work in the forest instead of beneath trucks,” Serena said.
“Yeah, I’m on the seven-year plan to a four-year degree. In any case, the test is online and shouldn’t take me long.”
“No problem, I can get a ride back to Wilder.” Or so she hoped. “I’ll just call the lodge.”
Harley lifted a brow and looked at Serena. “The lodge? The Wilder Lodge?”
“Yeah, I should have mentioned. Katie here is Riley’s temp at Wilder.”
“Oh,” Harley said, making the word about ten syllables. “So
“Okay,” Katie said. “What’s it going to run me?”
Harley shrugged. “How about the cost of the new tire and a couple of those free ski passes Wilder Adventures gives out sometimes?”
“No,” Katie said, “I mean what’s it going to cost me to have the two of you, to have everyone, stop looking at me like I’m stealing their favorite son?”
“Well, you could leave town,” Serena said helpfully.
“Play nice, Serena,” Harley said mildly.
“I was just kidding. Mostly.”
Uh-huh. Katie reached for the cookies, needing the sugar. “I’ll take a dozen to go.”
Serena picked up one of her black-and-white bags and started to fill it with a smug look on her face.
“
Chapter 18
Cam came back to Wilder after a long two-day trip and went straight up to the offices to check in with Stone.
Okay, lie. He went straight up to the offices to catch a glimpse of Katie.
Because he’d been wrong about the whole being able to breathe after sex with her. Very wrong. He hadn’t taken a good deep breath since the last time he’d seen her. He had no idea what exactly to do with that information. None. He only knew that he had to see her again.
“Looking for something?” Stone asked when he came out of his office and caught Cam staring at Katie’s empty chair.
“The mail.”
“Mail’s on my desk. Why don’t you ask me what you really want to know.”
“All right.” Cam searched his brain. “Where’s the schedule?”
Stone just looked at him. It was the same look he’d perfected years ago, the older brother what-have-you- done-and-what’s-it-going-to-cost-me-to-bail-you-out look. “Is it that hard to admit you’re attached to something, someone?”
“Okay. You’re right. I missed you.” Cam stepped close and hugged him, slapping him extra hard on the back. “Whew. Glad to get that off my chest.”
“You didn’t miss me.” Stone shoved him away with a laugh. “You know who you missed. You missed the pretty temp.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Cam turned to look at Katie’s desk.
“So you don’t care that she left a week early.”
“What? What the fuck-” He whirled back to Stone in time to see his brother’s wide-ass grin. “That’s just mean.”
Stone just kept grinning but was wise enough to back up out of arm’s length. “She’s at the bank.”
“If you sent her on the snowmobile by herself, I’ll-”
“Car. Christ, you’ve got it bad. And-” he said quickly, holding up his hands when Cam growled. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing. Which is why, maybe, you should ask her to stay instead of leaving next week.”
“Are you crazy? Why would I ask her to do that?”
“Oh gee, I don’t know. Maybe because you’re going nuts at the thought of her going?”
“I am not. I don’t care.” At Stone’s long look, he turned away again. “And she wouldn’t stay. She’s got plans. Adventures.”
“Then no one is more equipped to take her on than you.”
“So, what, I should up and leave again?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want you to. But the alternative is to walk away from her.”
“She’s walking.
“Come on, Cam.”
“What?”
“You know what.”
“You think
“Yeah, I do.”
Cam’s chest hurt, like he was having a heart attack. But it was a ball of anxiety and he knew it. He
“And maybe one of these days it’ll stick. You’ll stick.”
“Jesus, what do you want from me?”
Annie came up the stairs, took in the sight of them standing so close, steaming with temper, and quickly stepped between them, a hand on each of their chests. “What? What are you fighting about?”
Stone eyed Cam over Annie’s head. “I’m just reminding Cam he’s good at quitting.”
Annie’s hand was like steel against Cam’s chest when he pushed at her in response. “And I was just going to remind Stone what his face would look like with my fist in it,” he said through his teeth.
“Okay, back off, both of you.” Annie added a shove to the directive. “You want to fight and get out all this stupid tension, fine. I’ll even join you and beat the hell out of the both of you just for fun. But we do it outside. I like the furniture in here.”
Stone made a sound of disgust in his throat and turned away, and Cam’s chest hurt worse for it, because he knew.
Stone was right.
