This Winter Night

She left before he could say anything else, closing the door firmly behind her.

Colton looked around the spacious room with its pine floor, vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, and a natural stone fireplace. He’d heard she was an architect. As a builder he could see the thought and skill that had gone into its design.

Right now, though, a nice warm shower was what he needed. He wasted no more time peeling off his clothes and stepping into a steamy bath.

* * *

Having taken the time to put on jeans and a long-sleeved cotton shirt, Lauren stood in the kitchen, heating up some of her hearty beef vegetable soup she’d made earlier that day. As she stirred it with a wooden spoon, she wondered how Veronica was doing. Veronica and Frank had to have been married nearly forty years. What did you do when you lost someone you’d been with for that long? Someone you adored? Frank had a reputation for being a hardnosed businessman but with Veronica he’d been nothing but loving. The time Lauren had spent with them up in the mountains, sharing meals and playing chess with Frank who once told her that she and Veronica were the only women who’d ever bested him at the game, would now be dearly cherished memories.

Their son, though, was a mystery. She knew only what others had told her about him. He’d taken over the company when his father had retired. The Rileys had been in the construction business for more than half a century in the Raleigh area. They were known for being trustworthy and for producing quality private homes and commercial buildings. On the other side, Lauren had spent the entire length of her marriage listening to Adam complain about “those damned Rileys” who “have had a monopoly in this city for too long.” Adam was the upstart, and in order for the newcomer to triumph over the standard-bearer, deals were made that might be conceived as manipulative, perhaps even downright illegal. In return, Lauren had started to dislike her ex-husband long before she discovered he was having an affair.

Back in the guest room, Colton had showered and brushed his teeth, and then found a pair of jeans that would fit him and a soft denim shirt in the closet. No underwear, which was fine with him. Unless he found a pair of briefs fresh out of the package, he wouldn’t be wearing anything that had once been that close to Adam Eckhart’s body.

He did find a package of thick, white athletic socks, which he opened, selected a pair and pulled onto his feet. Appropriately dressed now, he went in search of his hostess. He let his nose lead him to the kitchen. Whatever she was cooking smelled wonderful. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was. He’d left Raleigh hours ago, his trip a meandering blackout until he recognized some familiar landmarks and realized he was headed to the family cabin, a place where he’d spent many an idyllic summer fishing, swimming, hiking and kayaking and generally making his older sister, Jade’s, life miserable. She’d been such a neat freak that he’d gotten a kick out of throwing her in the pond, or putting frogs, snakes and insects in her bed. He’d been a total jerk to her back then. It was a wonder they had such a close, loving relationship today. He’d left Jade in Raleigh with their mother. Which reminded him, by now they must be worried sick about him. He needed to call and tell them that he was fine. He felt bad for making them worry on top of the grief they were feeling due to his father’s recent death.

Where was his cell phone? He found his jacket by the front door where Lauren had hung it on the coat tree to allow it to dry. He rummaged through the damp pockets until he found it. No lit-up display indicated it was in need of a recharge.

A few seconds later, he was walking through the kitchen doorway. Spotting Lauren ladling soup into a bowl, he said, “Thanks. I think my body temp’s back to normal again.”

She looked up and smiled, “Good. You’re not a vegetarian, are you? I’ve got some beef vegetable soup. Would you like coffee? Or maybe hot chocolate?”

Colton sat down at the place setting she’d provided for him at the high-counter kitchen island. “No, I’m definitely not a vegetarian. That soup sounds good. And a hot chocolate, please,” he said. “Thank you...”

“Call me Lauren.”

She smiled again, and his heart skipped a beat. He hoped he wasn’t becoming infatuated with Adam Eckhart’s ex. It didn’t help that the woman was kind and generous to a fault. She was also drop-dead gorgeous with her fresh face, skin so clear and golden-brown with a hint of red as if she was blushing underneath. She’d taken the towel off her head and her blue-black hair fell in waves about her heart-shaped face. She was adorable without makeup. He’d seen her all dressed up at the Black and White Ball last year. She’d been on Eckhart’s arm with him beaming like an idiot, and no wonder—she’d been the belle of the ball. She’d been breathtaking then but not as appealing as she looked now, so vulnerable, as if her emotions were barely being contained. He supposed she was hurting from the divorce. Could that be why she was up here alone—contemplating her lost marriage? He would not broach the subject. Even if he’d known her for more than an hour, which he hadn’t, he would never bring it up.

“This looks good,” he said just before sampling the soup. It was savory with a tomato base, tender chunks of beef, and just the right amount of red pepper for spice. He looked up at her with appreciation. “You made this?”

“Homemade,” she confirmed with a smile.

“Delicious,” he said.

“I’m glad you like it,” Lauren said softly as she busied herself making hot chocolate.

Momentarily, Colton put down his spoon and regarded her. “I’m sorry for intruding on your downtime. But when I got to the cabin I found out there was no electricity, and no wood for a fire, so I had no other choice but to come knocking on your door.”

She was smiling as she poured hot milk into two mugs. “You don’t have to explain. I know Veronica and Frank never had backup generators put in. I tried to convince them to but they insisted their place was more rustic and somehow more romantic without the generators.”

She stirred cocoa, sugar and a touch of vanilla into each mug. “They were the perfect couple.”

Colton cleared his throat when he felt a lump forming in it, and tears at the backs of his eyes. He couldn’t start bawling in front of a stranger, even if she was a sympathetic stranger.

He took a deep breath. “Yeah, they were pretty devoted to each other.”

Lauren placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of him and sat down across from him at the kitchen’s island. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I understand. I got out of Raleigh shortly after I got word my divorce was final. I wanted time to myself before my family began to smother me, wanting to know if I was all right.”

He noticed she spoke with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, which by contrast were sad. Because he didn’t like her ex-husband he couldn’t imagine a woman not being overcome with joy after being declared free and clear of the buffoon.

He ate his soup in silence as she sipped her hot chocolate.

Although neither of them actually looked at the other, there were a lot of quick secret glances. Lauren had noticed his short, naturally dark brown hair was still damp from the shower and he had strong hands. He ate slowly, savoring each bite, which made her wonder if he did other things in that manner, as well. No rush, just lingering and appreciating, enjoying the moment. His skin was the color of cinnamon, and his eyes were dark gray, like his father’s. His photographs didn’t do him much justice, and the few times she’d seen him at public functions she had not given him much thought because after all she had been a married woman.

Colton could not help inhaling the clean feminine scent of her. Fresh out of a bath, he figured since she had opened the door in her bathrobe. Even half-frozen, he hadn’t missed that. Her silhouette was classically beautiful, the slender neck, that square chin with the dimple in its center, angling up to a full mouth with lips that looked soft and inviting. Damned if a near-death experience didn’t make you more observant, and appreciative, of things you might never have noticed before. When she breathed in and out, he imagined her full breasts heaving with desire, for him.

Once or twice while he was finishing his meal they smiled at one another, but uttered not a word. When he was done with the soup, he looked up at her. “That was wonderful. You saved me.”

Lauren laughed nervously as her eyes met his. “What was I supposed to do, let you freeze to death?”

His gaze went to her mouth. Her tongue flicked out and moistened her lower lip. She rose and reached for his bowl. “Can I get you some more?”

Suddenly, his heart was thudding in his chest, and his manhood, already going commando in his borrowed jeans, began to stir. He knew he had to get out of her presence before he said or did something that would embarrass them both.

“Um, no, thank you. I think I’ll just go to bed. I’m more tired than I thought.”

If he wasn’t mistaken, she looked relieved at his announcement. Was she feeling the same attraction he was feeling?

“Of course,” she said, hurriedly crossing the room to put the bowl in the sink. “You know the way. If you need an extra blanket, they’re on the top shelf in the closet.”

“Good night, then, and thank you,” Colton said hoarsely.

“Good night,” she said softly, chancing a shy glance in his direction. “Hopefully, we’ll have better weather tomorrow.”

Chapter 2

Colton got all the way to the door of the guest room before he realized he hadn’t asked Lauren if the phones were working. He could not with good conscience go to bed without attempting to let his family know he was safe.

Lauren was washing dishes at the sink when he returned to the kitchen. She heard him enter and placed a dish on the draining board before turning to face him. “Is there a problem?”

“My cell phone’s out of juice and I have no way of recharging it. Do you have a working phone I can use?”

She was drying her hands on a dish towel as she walked toward him. “The landline’s down due to the storm, but I have a satellite phone you can use.”

“A satellite phone?” Colton mused. “You have to be outside when you use that, right, underneath open sky?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Lauren confirmed with a smile. “I take it with me when I hike in the woods or the mountains.”

She hung the dish towel on a rack attached to the oven door and walked over to the large window in the kitchen and drew aside the curtains. The wind had died down and it wasn’t snowing any longer. Colton joined her at the window.

“It’s not as bad as it was out there earlier,” he said contemplatively.

“There’s a hooded, insulated jacket in the front hall closet that should fit you. You won’t even feel the cold in that baby,” Lauren told him.

“All right,” Colton agreed, “I’ll go put on my shoes and try on that jacket.”

“And I’ll go get the phone,” Lauren said. He watched her walk away, the gentle sway of her hips a thing of beauty.

They met up again at the front hall closet where she helped him into the jacket, reminding him of his mother bundling him up for the cold when he was a child. Then she explained how to use the phone. “It’s simple, and it works anywhere in the world, so there shouldn’t be a problem reaching your mother.”