just like him. Pine, spice, and musk. She burrowed under the quilt and pulled the soft fabric up under her chin. Resting on her back, she could see the fire dancing in her periphery. The pops and snaps, along with the plinking of raindrops on the rooftop, created the sweetest autumn lullaby.
Sleep came fast and easy, so much that she thought it was already morning when she awoke to a distant rustling sound. When her eyes first opened, the room was dim and much colder than before. But the walls suddenly flared orange and heat returned with a burst, like a flambé skillet doused in a splash of alcohol.
Seth’s shadowy figure stooped low by the hearth. He pitched another log into the growing flames.
Josie rolled over and squinted as his form came into focus. He was shirtless, wearing only flannel pajama pants that hung low on his hips. Cords of muscle pulsed in his back when he used the iron fire poker to rearrange the logs. Josie knew he was fit—it just went with the territory when it came to cowboys who did ranch work for a living. But Seth’s body was more than that. He was built, like he was carved from stone, molded from clay. Amber firelight kissed every patch of bare skin as it traced over his impeccable form. For a split second, Josie thought she might still be dreaming, the disorienting reality before her almost too much to process.
He suddenly pushed up with his hands pressed to his knees. Josie was still admiring him when he turned around and brought his gaze toward her, meeting her gawking stare. If his back had been a sculpture, everything else was a masterpiece. He had just the right dusting of hair across his chest and it trailed down rippling abs that would make a washboard look smooth in comparison.
Josie’s mouth went dry.
Seth seemed almost startled to find her awake. “I’m sorry. I thought I was being quiet.”
“You were.” She slid up on the couch.
“I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to check on the fire. And I’m glad I did. It was almost out.”
Josie scratched the back of her head and smacked her mouth. “Power still out?”
“Seems to be.” He took one step toward her, then, like he suddenly realized he was standing there shirtless, he folded his arms quickly over his upper half. Not that it did much. If anything, it now pulled her attention to his strong, broad shoulders and the arms she now imagined bound solidly around her…
“I hope you’ll be able to get back to sleep okay. I really didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I shouldn’t have a problem,” she said. “But I’m going to get myself a glass of water first. You think there’s still some in the reserve tank?”
“There should be plenty for a glass or two.”
Josie padded to the kitchen in bare feet. The storm had eased up but the large window above the sink remained streaked with wet, slithering trails and the sprinkling on the roof continued, just less furiously than before. She collected a glass from the cupboard and filled it halfway with tap water. Sleeping by the fire had parched her, but waking up to that vision did her in.
When she came back into the living room, Seth was next to the couch, the quilt held in his hands off to the side like a red cape in a matador’s grip.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to tuck you in,” he said matter-of-factly.
She lowered onto the couch, but gave him a cautious look. “You don’t have to—”
“I woke you up.” He placed the blanket over her gently, then leaned in. “It’s only right that I help you get back to sleep.”
Yeah, that wasn’t going to help Josie sleep at all. His chest muscles flexed as he jammed the fabric under the cushions and then he came over Josie to tuck them into the back portion of the couch, too. Josie felt like a mummy, her arms pinned at her sides like a constrictive straightjacket.
“How’s that?”
“A little tight,” she admitted with a grunt.
He let out a low laugh and if his stomach wasn’t impressive enough already, that reaction only defined every single muscle. Josie was not one to objectify another person, but having Seth this close looking this way did weird things to her resolve.
She flopped a little to untuck the blanket and breathed out once her arms were free. Then she sat upright.
“Sorry,” Seth apologized. “I’m new to this.”
“New