sideways to squeeze past the toilet to the shower. The view in front of Josie as she clambered out of the bed of the truck was something else entirely.
Like Gray's house, it was a cabin built from wood, with a solid stone foundation and a porch positioned for the best view of the mountain peaks. One side sloped down to a creek, where a deer stood gazing at them while her fawn drank from the water that rushed between the frozen banks. The workmanship seemed sound, the roof supported by massive timbers, the windows framed in varnished knotty pine. A huge stone chimney took up most of one wall.
Seemingly every surface of the house had been embellished with carving, from the lintel over the door with its design of pine cones to the porch railings that ended in what looked like huge bear claws. A whimsical carved gnome stood sentry near the steps, and another appeared to be climbing one of the posts. A pair of redbirds fed at a birdhouse carved to look like a miniature replica of the cabin. The longer she looked, the more delightful details Josie saw.
Knox might be an alpha, but he was also every bit an artist. The man surprised her at every turn. Josie turned to watch him get out of the truck, holding her breath as his huge, powerful form unfolded from the cramped space.
Damn, the man was something to behold, built as thick and solid as a damned tank. She was surprised he didn't splinter the wooden steps as he led the way to the front door.
"You coming?" he said, turning to look at her.
Josie worried her lower lip with her teeth. "You sure you want me in there?"
"You'd prefer to stay curled up in my truck like a stray?"
That did it, shattering the romantic illusion that had temporarily taken up residence in her head. What Josie really wanted was for people to stop referring to her as a stray. "I've slept in worse places," she said. "I can endure anything for a couple of nights."
"A couple of nights?" Knox echoed, laughing. "Oh, sugar, it's going to take a lot longer than that for Mari's friends to come through with that scanner…if they come through at all. We'll both be lucky if that gadget gets here in a couple of weeks."
Weeks? Oh God. How the hell was Josie going to survive the Boundarylands for weeks, not touching anyone, not even getting too close?
It was going to be rough…but not impossible. Of course, it would be a hell of a lot easier if she wasn't living in an alpha's home. Though she had to admit it would be much more comfortable with a fire in that huge fireplace than stuck in a cold metal box like she'd been all night.
As if on cue, it started to snow—big, fluffy flakes that landed on her cheeks and dusted Knox's hair.
"Josie," Knox prompted, making her blush. How long had she been standing there staring?
"Um, yeah," she mumbled, her blush deepening. Was that really the best she could do? One-word answers and standing around moping after she'd been invited into someone's home?
It wasn't like Olivia didn't know how to be polite. The only child of wealthy parents who moved among San Francisco's most elite circles, she'd been subjected to etiquette classes since the age of seven and groomed for her debut in society until the day she left for college. From the very start, Olivia had chafed at the seemingly endless rules of behavior. And as soon as she figured out there were more direct ways to change the world than by writing checks at black-tie fundraisers, all that social grooming was the first thing to go.
But around Knox, she had all the charm of a cable company customer service agent.
She hurried through the snow and up the steps to the open door Knox had disappeared through. Cautiously, she followed him inside.
Knox was waiting in the center of the large room that made up the bulk of the cabin. It had gleaming knotty-pine paneled walls, hardwood floors scattered with bright-colored rugs, and large windows with views of the meadow and the creek. In one corner was a kitchen and a table; in the other, she could see into a small bathroom. There was evidence of his artistry everywhere, in the carved wooden furniture and the cabinet fronts and door frames and the shelves full of old books along one wall. A block of wood just beginning