I bit my tongue to keep from commenting.
“I love the fact this place is a log cabin. It fits the bill of being a lumberjack shack.”
It was apparent she was trying to make up for the insult she’d thrown out in the car. “I get a real Paul Bunyan vibe from this place. I bet the food is amazing too.”
“It is some of the best in Montana. A real home-cooked meal from one of the top chefs in the area. If he didn’t own the place, I’d worry someone else would steal him away,” I said. Truthfully, I’d been trying to steal him away to come work with the boys at Eagle Tactical full-time, but he wouldn’t do it. He loved cooking too much to be back in the field permanently.
Heavy footsteps hit the stairs, and a moment later, Lincoln stepped into the restaurant.
“Jaxson, what are you doing here?” Lincoln asked.
While I may have been hungry, the look on Ariella’s face told me she was starving. “Grabbing some dinner. We haven’t eaten yet, and I was hoping you’d make us something in the kitchen.”
“The kitchen’s closed, but for you and the pretty lady, I can make an exception,” Lincoln said and grinned. “Where’s Isabella? Shouldn’t you be getting home to her? It’s late.”
Was he trying to kill any shot I had with Ariella? I didn’t have a shot in hell, but I liked to think I did. “At home, asleep.” I didn’t further elaborate. Why did my egg headed military brother have to bring up Isabella?
“Do you have a menu?” Ariella asked Lincoln.
The way her eyes scoured over his body made my heart thump wildly in my chest. I wanted her to look at me like that, not him. Was I the jealous type? I never thought about it much, considering there weren’t that many women to fawn over in town.
Lincoln smirked and rolled his eyes. “You’re not one of those vegetarian types, are you?” He leaned in closer and whispered, “I can make one hell of a salad, but the bear around here is mighty tasty and to die for.”
Her eyes widened in horror, and I tried not to laugh at Lincoln’s joke. He usually wasn’t quite so funny, but it seemed Ariella definitely wasn’t from this side of the woods or even the state.
“I will have a salad,” Ariella whispered. She sounded parched.
I couldn’t help but stare at her, completely taken back by her beauty. Under the warm amber glow from the restaurant lighting, I finally got a good long look at her rosy complexion and freckles dusting her nose and cheeks. Her hair dark and olive eyes that took my breath away.
She was gorgeous and not just because she was the newest resident of Breckenridge, and we didn’t get a lot of ladies in town, let alone single ones. However, I guessed that she was single. I had no idea. I was just hoping she wasn’t taken, given that she wasn’t wearing a wedding band. That didn’t mean anything, though. She could have been getting it sized.
Then again, if she was married, where was the bastard who let her drive to Breckenridge in that shitty car that couldn’t make it up the mountain in winter? I’d kill him if he ever so much as hurt a hair on Ariella’s head.
I exhaled a heavy sigh, not realizing how protective I’d become over a stranger. That’s all she was, a young woman who I’d rescued out in the cold. The thing was, I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to discover who she was, why she was here, and well, if she was single and looking for a warm bed to crawl into.
I couldn’t throw caution to the wind and sleep with her just because I had needs. No. Those days were over.
“Lincoln’s just joking about eating bear. He makes a mean sandwich, and his stew is to die for.”
“Stew. That sounds delicious,” Ariella said. She rested her hands on the wooden table as we sat down. She removed her coat and hung it on the chair behind her.
“Okay, good. I’ll fix you up something in the kitchen. Just sit tight and try not to fall victim to this one’s lame attempts at flirting,” Lincoln said, pointing at me.
I wanted to slug him.
“What brings you to Breckenridge?” I asked, watching her my heart pitter-pattering in my chest. While I knew she’d bought a cabin along the river, I didn’t know why. Mason had said little other than he sold the place to an out-of-towner.
“Fresh start. I enjoy camping and thought, what better place to live than the middle of nowhere.”
I laughed, and while I doubted that was the entire story, if she didn’t want to tell me, I wouldn’t push the issue either. “You picked the farthest corner of the world, didn’t you?” I teased her. “Where are you from, Ariella?”
“New York, but I grew up in Nebraska,” she said and held up a hand. “No Cornhusker jokes, please.”
“I’m not sure I know of any.” It was clear she wasn’t a fan of Nebraska, not that I could blame her. I probably wouldn’t like it much either. I loved Breckenridge, though, and while winter could be brutal, it was also beautiful up here.
“Good,” she said and laughed. Her eyes met the table before glancing back up at mine. “Can I ask you a question?”
I shrugged. “Go for it.”
“Is Isabella your wife or girlfriend?”
She glanced down at my hand on the table. I wasn’t wearing a wedding ring either, and it was obvious she was taking a long hard look.
“No, she’s my daughter.”