The Rancher Meets His Match (The Millers of Morgan Valley #4) - Kate Pearce Page 0,69
why you smell like a mechanic,” Kaiden said.
She gave in to temptation and leaned into him, rubbing her cheek against his jacket.
His hand settled gently over her hair. “It’s okay,” he said again. “We’ve got the same truck, and I definitely have a working spare tire. We can put it on your truck so we both can leave.”
“It’s too dark to do that now,” Julia said against the solid warmth of his chest. “And, it’s just about to start raining.”
“Then we’ll stay the night here and get it done in the morning.”
She nodded as he steered her toward the cabin and opened the door.
“Looks like you’ve already got this place all warmed up.”
“There are a couple of lanterns and I brought some wood in,” Julia said as she surveyed the one-room log cabin. “There wasn’t much there.”
“I can fix that.” Kaiden turned around the compact space, his presence making it feel way smaller. “Any food here?”
“Three tins of canned chili and beans,” Julia reported. “Still in date.”
“Cool.” Kaiden walked her over to the small couch. “How about you keep an eye on the fire while I go and get some stuff from the truck?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve got a blow-up bed in there.”
Kaiden grinned and glanced back at the bare mattress and bed frame. “Nope, but I do have a sleeping bag.” He pointed at the couch. “Sit. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She grabbed his hand. “Wait, what about my dad? He’ll be worried sick.”
“How do you think I knew where you were?” He gently rubbed her palm with his thumb before releasing her hand. “He called me, I talked to Nate, and when I’m outside, I’ll call Nate and let him know the situation.”
“There’s no reception out here.”
“Which is why Nate gave me a radio.” He pointed at the couch. “You look worn out. Stay put and tend the fire.”
Julia only realized how exhausted she was when she didn’t mind Kaiden giving her orders. The thought of her father knowing she was safe was a huge relief.
Eventually, Kaiden came back through the door with a pile of stuff that he dumped on the small table. “I think there’s still some coffee left in my flask, if you want it.”
Julia was already on the move before he left again searching through the pile to discover the promised coffee. Not that she considered herself an addict or anything, but six hours without caffeine had been horrible. After finishing the dregs of the coffee she took an inventory of what he’d brought inside.
He took quite a while to come back the second time, but as the wind was rising, and the fire needed help to survive the gusts coming down the chimney, she was too busy to be worried. When he finally returned, his jacket was dark from the rain, and he carried a huge stack of wood.
“This should see us through the night.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Julia said. “You’re soaked through!”
“And now I’ll have a fire to warm me up and dry my clothes with.” He set the wood down and straightened with a groan. “I haven’t chopped wood that fast for a while. I’m going to be stiff tomorrow.”
“How come you have so much stuff in your truck?” Julia asked.
“Because you never know when you’ll need it out here.” Kaiden dusted off his hands and came toward her. “Is the water on?”
“Yes.” She showed him how to work the pump. “Just cold. We’ll have to boil it on the stove.”
“Sounds just like home.” He stripped off his jacket and shirt, washed his hands and face, and dried them on the sleeve of his flannel shirt. “My dad didn’t believe in wasting hot water when we were kids.”
Julia shivered at the thought.
“He said it toughened us up.” Kaiden studied her. “You might want to wash up yourself. You’ve got a streak of oil on your forehead.”
“Really?” Julia groaned. “I got so busy starting the fire that I forgot about how I looked.”
“Well, you weren’t exactly expecting visitors, were you? You’d look even better minus the oil. I left some soap on the side of the sink.” Kaiden walked toward what passed as the kitchen. “Are you hungry? Where’s the chili?”
* * *
The can opener was rusted and useless, so he used his knife to open two of the cans of chili, dumped them in a pan, and heated them on the stovetop, which still had gas. He’d packed some sandwiches and chips he’d picked