The Mountain Man's Secret Twins(11)

“Things were good for a while. At least, in my eyes they were,” she said, images of Austin passing through her mind. “I thought we would surely get married. I’m 25 now, and he’s a few years older. I genuinely imagined picking out baby names with him.”



Bryce didn’t interrupt her, although she gave him every reason to. She jumped around, speaking about her mother, about her stepfather, and about the real estate business, all to try to paint a portrait of why she had arrived in these mountains all alone, without a single ounce of fire-starting ability to her name.



“Anyway, I thought I’d surprise him for lunch a few days ago,” Kenzie said, getting to the end of her story. She pressed her lips together, hoping her teeth weren’t stained red with wine. “I stood outside, stupid enough to think the owners of the apartment were the ones making love inside. But when I called Austin to explain what was happening—”



“A phone rang from inside?” Bryce asked, finally breaking his silence. His eyes were dark now, and he was clearly upset by the story.



“And it was him,” Kenzie whispered. “I couldn’t believe it. Tori was good looking, sure. Huge boobs and long blond hair. Not even a caricature, really. She was smart, funny, a true 10 if you’re rating her.” Kenzie blushed, knowing she sounded foolish. “I couldn’t compete with her.”



“So you quit your job,” Bryce said, taking their plates and setting them in the sink without rinsing them. He refilled their glasses. With his free hand, he kneaded Kenzie’s tense shoulders, noting that she’d scrunched them up mid-story.



“I can’t afford it,” Kenzie whispered, swiping her fingers beneath her misty, near-tearful eyes. “But I took a few days off. Pathetically, my boss knew about the affair. It seemed the entire office did, but nobody bothered to tell me.”



“You can’t go back there, Kenzie,” Bryce said, his voice deep. “It’ll destroy you, body and soul. Running away from your problems is sometimes the only thing that keeps you alive. Give yourself the out.”



Kenzie considered his words, biting her lip. The thought of never returning to her career in Concord filled her with dread. She got up from the rustic dining room table and wandered toward the window. As she sipped her wine, she realized the snow had stopped falling, leaving a glistening blanket over their vehicles and the twiggy trees.



“It stopped,” she murmured, thinking Bryce would probably want to drive her home, especially now that she’d birthed such a dramatic, girlish story into his solitary cabin.



“It’s gorgeous. It’s the perfect time of night to see it,” Bryce whispered, appearing beside her.



Kenzie paused, wanting to ask him about his personal life, about why he’d moved here in the first place. She craved knowledge about him. But as her eyes slipped toward him, she sensed a barrier he’d built, perhaps long ago, between himself and the outside world. She swallowed harshly, trying to clear her head. But still, even as minutes ticked by, Bryce made no mention of Kenzie needing to return to her frigid cabin.



“I have an idea,” he said. He scratched at his beard, looking contemplative. “But it might be reckless. And it might hurt those weak ankles you were talking about.”#p#分页标题#e#



Kenzie laughed. “Pay no attention to my weak ankles. I’m stronger than I look.”



“All right,” Bryce said, making penetrating eye contact with her once more. His eyes seemed to drink her in, making Kenzie feel uneven. “I’ll ask you, point blank, and then you’re required to answer honestly. I’ll be able to tell if you’re lying.”



“Are you sure? I am a real estate agent,” Kenzie said, smiling.



“Decently sure,” Bryce said. “Do you want to ice skating with me?”



Kenzie blinked wildly, her mind jolting from answer to answer. “I’m—um, isn’t it a little late to go ice skating?” she asked.



“Absolutely not. It’s the perfect time,” Bryce said, turning toward an antique trunk positioned against the wall near his bedroom. The trunk was rugged and had clearly been lugged on countless moves and stationed in old, creaky cabins for many years. Bryce unlatched it like cracking open a book and then lifted two pairs of ice skates from the bottom. The skates gleamed in the soft light from the fire.



“Wow,” Kenzie whispered, awestruck. “You’ve just had these lying around, waiting for some girl to come ask you for firewood?”