He studied her for a beat. “You didn’t tell me you were taking the books to charity.”
Sophie shrugged. “Didn’t seem important.”
Wolfe began to strap on the snowshoes. “Well, I think it’s cool.”
“Still. This is a pretty big thing you’re volunteering to do.”
He brushed her concern aside as he stood. “It’ll give me time to think about Hannah and clear my head a bit.”
Right. Hannah. His ex-girlfriend who wanted to come back into his life. For a moment, Sophie had forgotten about her. She looked down at the blanket on her lap. “Oh, yeah, sure. Well, um, thanks. I really appreciate it.” She looked up at him. “Hey, you should text me when you get there. Just so I know you made it and all.”
Wolfe grinned as he slung the bag of books over his shoulder. “Worried I’m going to twist my ankle and make you carry me back?”
Sophie snorted as Wolfe pulled out his cell and handed it to her so she could put in her number. “Sorry to have to tell you this, but you’d be getting dragged back. It wouldn’t be a very pleasant experience.” She handed his phone back.
Pocketing it, he started for the back door. “Well then, I better stay upright. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Sophie found herself looking after him long after he’d left.
10
Wolfe didn’t come back until close to dinnertime that night.
At noon, she got a text from him saying he’d gotten to WAMA safely. At one, he said he was staying to help Gina and the other volunteers load boxes into the van. The snowplow had been through their area, and the volunteers were ready to drive the presents to residents. And at three thirty, he said Gina was insisting on feeding him, so he’d be a little while longer getting back.
Sophie had also gotten a concurrent text from Gina saying, I LOVE HIM!!!! WHERE DID YOU FIND HIM??? To which Sophie had replied, He sort of found me, actually??
The back door of the cabin opened, bringing with it a gust of frosty winter air. Wolfe followed, red-cheeked, tousle-haired, and shiny-eyed. The sky outside was pitch black, with not even a moon to mar the blackness. In the dim glow of the light inside the cabin, he looked like a healthy lumberjack, come home from a long day of hard labor.
He took in the elaborate spread Sophie had laid out on the kitchen table ten minutes ago, when he’d texted her that he was on his way. “I—Oh, wow. What’s this?”
Sophie hobbled from the kitchen to the table, her cheeks suddenly hot. The special-occasion hand-painted plates were definitely overkill. And the little sprig of pine she’d put into a bud vase in the center of the table to freshen things up. Oh, and the pretty jewel-toned placemats she thought would pull everything together.
This had all seemed like a good idea when he wasn’t here, but now … now she felt a little stupid. Like she was trying to play the part of a diligent housewife or something. Which she was not.
“Just some, um, hot cocoa and cookies.” She tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear. Wolfe continued to alternate staring at the table and at her, his hazel eyes wide. “I bought way too many for the party,” Sophie hurried on, when she couldn’t take the silence any longer. “And I figured they’d just go bad in the cupboard eventually. Also, snowshoeing burns a lot of calories, and loading all those heavy boxes in the van … I mean, if you don’t like hot cocoa or coo—”
“Sophie.”
She stopped talking and looked at him.
A gentle smile touched the corners of his mouth. “This is really nice. Thank you.”
He shut the door and unbuttoned his coat, draping it over the back of a chair before plopping down with a great big sigh. Melting snow dusted his dark hair, sparkling like diamonds.
“Oh.” Sophie sat too, perched at the edge of her chair, still feeling a little unsure. Was Wolfe actually being un-sarcastic and nice again? “Sure.”
He chewed a thumbprint cookie and swallowed it, then took a huge sip of hot cocoa before saying, “But you shouldn’t have done all this. I can’t imagine your ankle’s too happy with you right now.”
Sophie had changed out of her snow pants into more comfortable sweatpants while Wolfe was gone (not an easy task when you only have one working foot), but even so, her ankle was beginning to throb. She raised her foot onto the adjacent chair and shrugged. “It’s not too bad.” She studied him; he was onto his third cookie already. “You did a lot of work for Gina—and me—today. She was really gushing about you.”
He waved her off. “It really wasn’t that big a deal. I just felt bad for them, you know? Loading the van up while having to wade through all that snow—not fun when you’re twenty-five, let alone fifty-five. I was happy to do it.”
“But still, carrying me this morning and then loading all those boxes. Those muscles of yours must be fatigued.” Sophie immediately raised her hot chocolate mug to her mouth to stop herself talking. Why the hell had she brought up him carrying her? And why was she talking about his muscles, for fuck’s sake?
A corner of Wolfe’s mouth lifted. The hot cocoa mug sat in front of him, plumes of steam curling around his face, making him look like a very handsome vampire or a dark winter wizard. Or maybe that was just her imagination, running wild as usual. “I’m okay, but my muscles appreciate your concern.”
Oh, god. Sophie’s cheeks were now as hot as the hot cocoa in her hand. She set the mug down and twisted her fingers together in her lap, under the table, where he couldn’t see. “Great. Yeah. Sure. Uh huh.”
Setting his elbows on the table, Wolfe
