“Do you play cards?”
Jackson just stared at her. Had she said something?
“Hello-ooo? Earth to Jackson.” Clearly exasperated with him she rolled her eyes. “I said, do you want to play a game of cards?” How was it possible a woman this intelligent could be this oblivious to the one thing they could be doing tonight? Cards? The last thing he felt like doing in a secluded cabin with a sexy, intriguing, and utterly beautiful woman was playing cards.
“Cards?” he spat out finally.
His derision did nothing to hamper her enthusiasm. “Yes, cards! Maybe we could have a game of crazy eights?”
“Crazy eights?”
She frowned at him. “Stop repeating everything I’m saying like all my suggestions are imbecilic.”
“What the hell is crazy eights? That must be a game only small-town people play,” he said, purposely baiting her.
She crossed her arms. “How do you know I’m from a small town?”
“Honey, you’ve got small town written all over you.” His grin widened as her frown deepened.
“Oh really?”
“The books, the grandma hat, and bag—”
“Grandma hat! I’ll have you know that a nice—”
He made a sweeping gesture with his hand, trying not to laugh. “A grandmother.”
She stopped talking for a moment and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Well, yes she is a grandmother. Just not my grandmother. Whatever. It may be a small town, but it’s still close to civilization. Hope’s Crossing is a charming—”
“Hope’s Crossing? What kind of a name is that?”
She narrowed her eyes to slits and gave him a death glare. “It’s a town filled with good old fashioned values, and people who care about each other. Everyone knows everyone—”
“Ugh, that sounds awful.”
“But for your information, I grew up in the city.”
“Really?”
She nodded but looked as though she was ready to shut down that conversation. He realized that whenever she told him something about herself, she seemed to regret it. He wasn’t going to let her off that easy. “Why’d you leave?”
“I like small towns,” she said, crossing her legs and not looking at him.
“I hate them.”
“Of course someone like you would.”
“Someone like me?”
She held out her hand and began rattling off a list on her fingers. “Closed-off, antisocial, miserly—”
“Miserly?” he said, laughing.
“I think we need to get back to deciding what game of cards we’re going to play.”
“I like hearing about you,” he said, knowing she didn’t want to tell him anything more about herself.
She turned her nose and then leaned forward in her chair, unrelenting. “I know what game we can play. How about asshole? Surely you must be very familiar with asshole”
He’d never known any woman to openly insult him as much as Hannah. And he liked the sound of her laughter when she joined in with him, and the way it lit up her face and gave him a glimpse of the woman she was when she wasn’t afraid or worried. She was intoxicating. That realization made him stop laughing. “I’m not familiar with that game,” he drawled out, and stood up. He walked over to the liquor cabinet. “Do you want a drink?” He certainly needed one.
“What are you having?” She stared at him with a sparkle and a lofty smile.
“Scotch.”
“I’ll have the same.” He gave a half laugh, half grunt. Since when did he do a half-laugh? With Hannah he was constantly on the verge of laughing or yelling. She was full of contradictions.
“Maybe we should have the Sampsons over,” Hannah said with a suspiciously cheerful grin.
He rolled his eyes. “I think once this season is enough.”
“You’re horrible. I can’t believe you pretend you’re not home when they knock at your door.” She looked adorable as she tried to give him a stern frown even though her eyes twinkled.
“If I let them in once, that would be it. I’d never get rid of them,” he said, walking back to her. He didn’t want to think about all the things the Sampsons said about Emily being a gift. An angel.
“I think they’re charming, and so in love after so many years. What wonderful spirit to have matching Santa hats…”
“I’ve got to start drinking.”
Hannah threw her head back and laughed.
“Now if we’re drinking this straight, we’ve got to do something more interesting than playing cards,” Jackson said standing in front of her.
She raised a brow and tipped her head in silent challenge.