Rick’s eyes sparkled in the low restaurant lighting. “Is this where you promise those intentions are honorable?”
“Oh goodness no. Where would be the fun in that?”
They shared a grin. When hers started to slip, Rick squeezed her fingers gently.
“You travel. A lot.” He sounded resigned.
“It’s part of the job. I want a home…I always have. I want that home to be in Moose Springs. But right now, a suitcase is the closest to that as I’ll get. And right now…”
“Could last a long time?”
“Pretty much.”
Lana chewed her lower lip, knowing it was probably messing up her lipstick but unable to stop herself.
“So my options are a short-term fling or—?”
“We could always be friends.”
He visibly flinched at her suggestion, and despite herself, Lana giggled. “I’m guessing that’s not your first choice.”
“Sweetheart, I’m not used to having a choice, first or last or in between. But if I did get to choose…” Rick drifted off, glancing out the window next to them, dark as it was outside. “I think that I’ve had more fun with you these last few days than I’ve had in years. So if I can get a little more of that, I’m willing to accept this is just for now.”
“A holiday fling?”
“Fling?” Rick grimaced at the wording. “That sounds…temporary. And kind of cliché.”
“We can’t do much about the longevity, but I love a good cliché.” They shared a smile before Lana added, “So I’m thinking you really should ask me out again. At the risk of not playing coy, you’ll probably get a yes.”
The man had no idea how sexy he was when he leaned in like that, his voice lowering a little. “Probably or definitely?”
“Definitely,” Lana heard herself murmur, a thrill of anticipation running up her spine as he took her hand.
“Good to know.”
She leaned in too because he had this look on his face as if he were about to ask her. Only the expected request never came. When she realized he was teasing her by making her wait, Lana said, “Or I could remind you that I’m perfectly capable of asking you out a second time, which is becoming less likely by the moment.”
Rick’s lips curved. “Changing your mind about me so fast?”
“Never. I know a good thing when I see one.”
He blinked as if surprised at the compliment. Then his hazel eyes grew greener, the way he was looking at her making Lana’s pulse race. Carl brought back the bill, and after Lana had waved off Rick’s offer to leave the tip, she signed the check and stood. The combination of Rick’s manners and appreciation of her capabilities was sexy beyond belief. She’d spent an evening in his company and had not felt like she had to prove herself, defend herself, or keep her defenses up once.
Taxidermy aside, it might have been the best dinner date she’d ever had.
“What are you doing tonight?” Rick asked her huskily. “Because I’d love to take you out again, someplace better. Dessert and drinks at the resort? I can call ahead, see if Hannah would score us one of those outdoor fireplaces on the balcony, the ones with the couches.”
“Are we talking ice cream and Kahlúa?”
“I was thinking red wine and chocolate cake.”
Sighing contentedly, Lana all but purred at the thought of snuggling next to this man by a warm winter fire. “You’re reading my mind.”
Rick’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “And this time, I’ll be lucid enough to enjoy a couch with you.”
“I was wondering if I was going to manage to get through tonight without that being brought up. You tranquilize a guy one time…”
Chuckling, Rick moved behind Lana as she started to put on her jacket, holding it for her so slipping her arms inside the sleeves was easier. Even though she was more than capable of putting on a jacket all by herself, Lana appreciated the gesture. It was as if every small kindness was innate to his personality, subconsciously done.
One meal together and Lana was ready to kiss Rick senseless. Unfortunately, a twitchy Carl was determined to ruin the mood.
“Hey, guys, it’s actually coming down really bad,” he said at them. “You two shouldn’t try to drive anywhere in this.”
The darkness outside the windows made it hard to see what Carl was talking about, so they went out to the parking lot. Sure enough, the light flurry they’d driven through on the way to dinner—the kind of snow so often encountered in this area—had turned into a heavy fall. The wind had picked up, making the visibility dangerously lowered.
“I didn’t think it was supposed to be this bad.” Lana frowned out at where the road should have been.
Rick scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Well, back home, it’s probably not as thick. We’re in a bit of a bad area, weather wise.”
“It will let up eventually though. Right?”
Hope tinged her tone, but Rick gave her a pained look. “Maybe. I’d hate to start out and get stuck in this. I don’t think freezing to death would be a great way to spend the evening.”
“You don’t mean…?”
“I wish I didn’t. Lana, I’m so sorry.”
“Nonsense. You’re not any more in control of the weather than I am.” Lana tried for breezy, but inside, her brain was screaming.
The idea of spending the night made her shudder.
There was no choice though. Lana could see the road they’d taken had become impassable, and the weather was only getting worse. The wind had made visibility half what it was getting there, and even as she stood outside the restaurant, Lana could see less and less of their vehicle parked in the parking lot.
As much as she wanted to escape this place, doing so would be downright dangerous.
Rick went back inside to talk to the staff while Lana stayed where she was, growing colder by the moment. She stared at the sky as if she could turn off the snow by sheer force of will. Rick returned, standing at her side with a piece of paper in his hand.
“They have rooms.” Twisting her head to look back at him, she could see the pained expression on his face. “One for each of us. I guess the third is permanently occupied.”
“Permanently occupied?” Lana’s eyebrow rose of its own volition. “Who lives here? It has to be one of the family or the staff.”
Rick shot her a wry look. “That’s the same question I asked. Apparently, the answer is none of the above. They also said the bathroom is shared.”