Before his brain could pounce on that thought and inspect it obsessively from every possible angle until he was three seconds away from chucking out his entire hockey career to go live in the woods, Shelby let her comforter drop. He tightened his grip on the cast-iron pan before he dropped it on his toe and found himself out of the lineup even longer.

Ian had never been a guy with a type. Every woman had something about her that was sexy and intriguing and grabbed him by the balls, demanding his admiration. Seeing Shelby, though, in the soft light being thrown by the huge-ass fireplace and all the candles he’d dug up did something else. It made his gut flop and his toes sweat just like before a big game when everything was on the line and the stakes had never been higher. It made no fucking sense. The woman had fucked up his life. That she hadn’t done it on purpose didn’t matter. Intent didn’t eliminate responsibility.

It was going to be a long few days before a snowplow got to them.

…

Belly full from a perfectly cooked steak and warm baked apples, Shelby started shuffling the cards she’d found in the drawer of the wooden coffee table with a scene of deer in the meadow carved into its polished finish. Across from her, Ian was sucking down the last of the orange juice, seltzer, and one scoop of rainbow sherbet that had been her go-to treat drink since she’d gotten out of rehab. Thank God the Airbnb people had stocked the fridge and pantry. At least they wouldn’t starve. Maybe it was because the hangry had abated, but they hadn’t sniped at each other since dinner had started, and Ian had only grunted twice.

And with hours to go until bedtime, the books on her tablet weren’t going to do her any good, since she’d forgotten to charge before the power went out. Beyond anything else, not having access to her latest read when she only had four chapters left to go and everything was chaos was pretty much the definition of sucking big-time.

“You gonna deal or just shuffle for the rest of the night?” Ian asked as he adjusted the pile of pillows he was sitting on, then adjusted them again and again.

Shelby bit down on her lower lip as she watched him be all snarly with the pillows, stifling the giggle desperate to escape. It shouldn’t be funny, but it was. He was like the princess and the pea over there.

Once he finally settled, she finished shuffling and put the cards in the middle of the table. “Did you decide what game you want to play?”