He froze like a statue put on pause. Only his eyes moved, down to my hand, then up to his face.

The Ice Block. He’d carried that nickname with him through his SEAL duty, law school, and political career. And I got it now.

His face was suddenly so devoid of expression. I couldn’t tell if he was upset or just surprised that I touched him.

Either way, it was now my turn to say… “Stay here.”

The words came out as a choke. And I had to swallow down the huge lump of fear in my throat to repeat, “Stay. At least until the storm passes.”

Chapter Five

Call Your Girlfriend

Josh did return to his car—but only to get all his stuff out of the trunk.

His face was as hard as his nickname when he returned to the cabin. I could tell the decision between risking his life to get to a hotel and staying here with me had been a close thing.

We’d both just have to make the best of the situation.

At least he had one of those flint fire starter thingies on his keychain. After he got the stove going, I was able to make dinner.

And while I plated it up, Josh figured out the one-chair problem, like the efficient soldier he was. He simply took a bunch of records out of one of the milk crates and flipped it over to make a stool.

Even on a milk crate, he was taller than me seated. So splendid and noble, it hurt to look at him across the table as we ate our dinner.

So I cast my eyes down and concentrated on the meal I made instead. Pork chops, mash potatoes, and roasted vegetables that were supposed to have lasted me at least a week.

During my creepy stalker period, I’d read that Josh ate at least two cups of veggies with every meal. And I was happy to share, but eventually, I couldn’t take the awkward silence anymore.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier,” I offered to break the terrible silence. “I like to drill down to the essence of my clients, and sometimes I don’t realize I’m too pushy until it’s too late.”

Josh visibly stiffened. “I’m not angry at you. This is my fault. I’ve had bad interviews before, and I know better than to let them get to me.”

Don’t, I warned myself. Don’t…

But the words came spilling out before I could even finish that censuring thought. “So that’s what you’d call a few questions about your private life? A bad interview?”

Something in Josh’s jaw ticked before he answered, “I showed up unannounced, and now you’re providing me with shelter due to my poor planning.”