He was the first to look away, glancing down at his watch. “It’s late. Almost two. Toby, I can’t believe you let me keep our guest up this late.”
His dog cocked his head and whined a little and Gemma was charmed when Josh reached down and rubbed the dog’s head.
“You should probably get some rest, especially since we might have to ride Ollie out of here tomorrow.”
“Do you really think things might come to that?”
“I’m hoping the crews are at work clearing the slide away right now but we won’t know the status until morning.”
“If I had to stay another night, I wouldn’t mind.”
She hadn’t meant to say that out loud and could blame it only on her exhaustion and the seductive lassitude stealing through her.
“You wouldn’t?”
At his intense look, she shrugged. “I like your house. It’s quiet here. Restful. I haven’t had nearly enough peace over the past three years.”
He gave a bright, broad smile that again stole her breath. “I’m glad. You’re welcome anytime.”
He led the way holding two of the lanterns through a doorway off the great room. Though most of the room was filled with shadows, a cheery fire burned in the glass-fronted woodstove and the room seemed warm and cozy.
“I need to add another log to the fire so it will burn all night for you.”
“Thank you.”
He pulled a split half log from a basket next to the stove, opened the door on the woodstove and pushed it inside.
She had to admit, she liked him fussing over her.
After closing the woodstove door, he rose. “The en suite bathroom is through that door. I’ll probably sleep out on the sofa so I can keep an eye on the fire out there. Let me know if you need anything.”
You. Does that count?
She managed to swallow down the words before she could blurt them out. “Thank you again for rescuing me and feeding me. I enjoyed the evening very much.”
“So did I.” He paused, looking rather adorably uncertain. “I would really like to kiss you right now. Would that be terribly forward of me?”
Heat flared inside her, a warmth that had nothing to do with the fire crackling inside the stove. She took a step forward. “Not terribly. No.”
With a low sound, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
This was no gentle good-night kiss. His mouth was firm, hard, with a fierce intensity that left her knees weak.
His arms felt perfect around her, as if she had finally found a safe shelter she had been seeking for a long time without being fully aware of it. With a contented sigh, she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him back. She wanted the kiss to go on forever, until they learned each other’s every secret.
How was it possible for a man who had been merely a passing acquaintance eight hours ago to become so very dear to her? She didn’t know. She knew only that now she had found him, she never wanted to let him go.
CHAPTER FOUR
ALL EVENING, JOSH kept thinking this whole thing had to be an incredible dream.
This, though. This was beyond a dream. He didn’t have the imagination to make up something so perfectly right.
Gemma Summerhill was actually in his arms, soft, sweet-smelling, delicious.
He was the luckiest guy in the world right now.
It was crazy, how much an accident that had happened to strangers in another country could impact him. Josh’s meeting with Lord Amherst had been canceled because of the death of the man’s son and the injuries to his daughter. He had still met with company officials, still managed to seal the deal to carry their fly rods at Bailey Outfitters, so the trip hadn’t been wasted.
For three years, he had wondered about Gemma Summerhill, that lovely, laughing woman whose image in a newspaper had so impacted him. At random moments, he would wonder how she was and hope she had recovered.
He thought he would never see her again and then fate had played a weird trick on him by entwining their paths together here in Haven Point and then dumping her practically on his doorstep.
She was the one for him.
He didn’t know how he could possibly know that after only one evening spent with her but Josh didn’t question it for a moment.
While he wanted to push her back against that bed and spend the rest of the night learning everything she loved, he knew there would be time for that, once they knew each