Leah huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, you look like you, um, like you have a healthy metabolism.”
Like he worked out a lot, was what she really meant. Now that he’d finally stripped off his coat entirely, she could see the outline of muscles under his shirt. He looked like he could lift her over his head without breaking a sweat.
Surprisingly, Jeff’s smile turned a little shy. She hadn’t thought anything she could say would embarrass him—he seemed so easygoing and confident.
“I’m pretty active,” he said after a minute. “Rangering, you know. You run around a lot.”
“Makes sense,” she nodded. “Well, I wish there was more food here so you could show off your cooking skills. Peanut butter and oatmeal don’t give you much of an opportunity.”
He hesitated again, looking...nervous? What could be the problem now?
“Maybe once we get out of here...well, I bet you’re going to have to hang out for a bit while your car gets fixed, so maybe I could cook some dinner for you and Emily, and you could see for yourself.”
Leah blinked.
Somehow, she hadn’t thought about what Jeff might do after they got out of the cabin. Apart from crazy, self-indulgent fantasies where he somehow magically solved all their problems, she corrected herself.
But something like inviting her and Emily over to his place and making dinner for them...that was almost more overwhelming than the fantasy. Because it seemed impossible, but it could actually happen. He was offering to make it happen.
His shy expression was starting to fall a bit. “But if you don’t want to, if you just want to go to a hotel or something—or with one of the ranger families, I know I could find someone who’d be happy to put you up until your car’s fixed—anyway, if you’d rather not, that’s completely fine. You should do whatever makes you comfortable.”
“No!” Leah said. “No, no, dinner with you sounds...that sounds wonderful.” She blinked again, hard, this time because her eyes were starting to water.
What a kind, generous, wonderful man.
“Thank you,” she managed. “I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting...such a generous offer.”
Now he looked alarmed. What had she said?
“It’s not generosity. I like you and I like Emily. I’d be happy to spend some more time with you after we get out of here.” He waved a hand around the cabin. “You’d be doing me a favor. I don’t have guests very often.”
The firelight had lit his face, making his skin look warm and tan, and glinting in his blond hair. This whole night was like a fantasy, Leah thought—rescued from the snow, brought to this cozy, firelit cabin that smelled like cedar and pine, eating dinner at a little table where her knees brushed against this handsome man’s.
Even Emily banging her hand against the table and whining for more peaches didn’t quite break the spell.
“Well, still thank you,” Leah said. “Okay, honey, you’re not starving, here you go—I would be happy to spend time with you, too, Jeff. I—I like you.” That sounded a little too bald, so she quickly added, “And Emily likes you, too.”
“That’s what I was trying for most.” Jeff grinned at Emily, whose face was covered in peaches. “You have good taste, huh, kiddo?”
“You’re good with babies. You must not have been kidding about all those nieces and nephews.”
“Nope. I have five siblings, and they’re all married. That means a horde of babies running around at every family gathering.” Jeff smiled again, and this time it looked wistful.
“I’m sure you’ll be a great father, whenever you get married,” Leah offered, again shoving down her jealousy of Jeff’s future wife.
“I hope so,” he said. “No one’s stepped forward to volunteer for the other half of the equation yet, so it’s all theoretical so far.”
“Oh.” Leah took a big bite of her sandwich to keep from having to respond any further. She didn’t want something like, I volunteer! How about me? to fall out of her mouth by accident.
"What about you?" Jeff asked her. "Do you have any siblings?"
Leah swallowed her peanut butter with some effort. "No," she said. "My parents got
divorced when I was a baby, and my mom never remarried, so I never had any siblings."
"What about your dad?"
Leah shrugged. "He wasn't around much after they split. I'm not sure where he is now."