"Well that's all very romantic," Travis said. "But even though you clearly love him passionately, it's not a very interesting story."
She looked at him. They just held hands, now. "It's a practical story."
"Sure. But you're going to have grandchildren someday. And they're going to beg you to tell them how you and grandpa fell in love. And wouldn't it be much more interesting to say that you met one fateful night when you were caught together in a snowstorm. After which you spent four days talking and laughing and falling in love. Now that's a good story."
Arden tried to come up with something withering to say. But he was holding her hand and looking at her like she was something glorious. And she wanted him like she'd never wanted anyone before. She wanted to touch him and taste him and memorize him. She wanted to rip his shirt off of him and nestle her face in the soft hair on his strong chest.
Of course, those were all physical things. And it would be wrong to give in to physical attraction that had no basis for a future when she was engaged to a perfectly good man. So what if Nick didn't excite her like this. She owed him her loyalty. He was attractive in his own way. In fact, he was just what she'd always wanted. Tall, trim, well-dressed and always smelling good. She should focus on learning to be turned on by Nick and stop thinking about Travis. Besides, it was only boredom and isolation that was driving these thoughts.
Travis was stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. When she looked at him she saw he was lost in his own thoughts. He wasn't even looking at her. Just staring at their hands, his brow furrowed.
"Travis," she said softly, "I think if you'll just realize that we're bored out of our mind here. I could be any female. You could be any male. Of course we're going to want to do things we shouldn't. It'll go away once we're back to our own homes and lives. You probably won't even think about me anymore. And I'll forget all about these feelings I'm having for you right now. Because they're not real. They're not deep. They're basic human instinct. But we're rational people and we can fight it for another day or two."
Travis looked at her, a mild expression of disgust in his eyes. "Don't act like you know how I feel," he said.
She was surprised by his bluntness.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, closing his eyes. She saw then that his feelings were deeper than what she'd just described. She jerked her hand away. "I'm engaged," she said.
"No shit," he said.
"I'm not interested in you."
"Yeah, I'm figuring that out. But thanks for being up front about it." He turned and sat up on the edge of the mattress, his back to her. He dug his palms into his eyes for a second and then stood and went into the kitchen.
Arden rolled over and pulled the blanket up to her chin. It smelled like him. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes.
CHAPTER TEN
Travis hiked back to the truck on his own. He didn't want Arden slipping through the slush and mud in those stupid heels of hers. When he got to the truck he was relieved to see that the ditch it was in wasn't nearly as deep as he'd remembered. With the snow mostly melted, he figured he wouldn't even have to disconnect Arden's car. It took a couple of tries to get the engine to turn over, but then it started. He climbed in and waited while it warmed up.
While he waited he thought about Arden. His Arden. In only four full days and nights he'd come to think of her as his. She was, too, she just wouldn't admit it to herself. Fine. Whatever. He could wait. He was fully aware and accepting of the fact that most people didn't fall in love as quickly as he did. He simply had the ability to see a person for who she was, flaws and all, and love her. It was the way all of his friendships had evolved.
He remembered meeting Tonya when they were kids. Only twelve. He'd whistled at her. She'd turned around and punched him in the face, making his nose bleed. And forever after he'd been in love. With Arden it felt almost exactly the same. He was twenty-plus years older than that first love, but the sensation was unmistakable. If he went home alone, he would be in a great deal of misery.
The truck warmed up, Travis shifted into first and pulled out of the ditch, fast enough to get out, but not so fast as to spin his tires in the soft, clay road. He made it out with no problems. Arden would be pleased. She wouldn't have to wait much longer to go back to her perfect life.
Inside the house, she was packing away the last of the romance novels and games into boxes. She'd already tidied the kitchen and re-covered the furniture. Earlier that morning they'd returned the mattress upstairs.
She looked up from where she knelt next to the box of books and smiled. "You got it out okay?"