Page 48 of Wilde Flame

Smiling, I pulled a blanket off my sofa and wrapped it around myself. “We had to get back to reality.”

“If I’d known your heater wasn’t working, I would have followed you.”

I laughed softly. “There was no way either of us could have known. I found his number and I’m going to call him now. I’ll head to my store and wait for him to let me know when it’s fixed.”

“You could come back to the ranch.”

Closing my eyes, I drew in a slow, deep breath before answering. “What we shared was beautiful, Caden, but you and I both know it’s better for me if I don’t.”

“I know,” he softly said. “You’ll let me know if you need anything though, right?”

“I will. Thank you again for everything, Caden.”

“Bye, Lili.”

My eyes closed, and I forced myself to sound happy. “See you around.”

I hung up the phone and waited a few moments before calling Larry. He apologized a dozen times and said he’d send someone right away.

I grabbed my keys, made my way back to my car, and headed to my store. Thankfully, they had cleared Main Street, and I could park right in front. I got out and carefully made my way to the door. Once inside, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was toasty warm in my shop.

Looking around, I tried to decide how to pass the time. I ended up taking inventory and jotting down things to order for the Christmas season. A knock on the door about twenty minutes later caused me to glance up in surprise. No one knew I was here except for Larry.

I made my way to the door and saw Ensley. I quickly unlocked the door and opened it.

“Hey, what in the world are you doing out?” I held the door for her while she hurried in.

“Thanks! I had an appointment, and thankfully, River Falls is on top of clearing the roads.”

“You had an appointment today, and you actually went to it in this mess?”

She smiled. “I did. This was a rescue horse, and he really needed a good trimming and re-shoe. Crazy little fellow, though. Kept trying to stick his tongue in my ear. Truthfully, it’s the most action I’ve gotten from a man in a long-ass time. And I’m not gonna lie, I kind of dug it.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that slipped free.

“Anyway, was driving by and I saw your car parked out front. Why are you here?”

“The heat at my place isn’t working.”

Her brows shot up. “What?”

“Larry, my landlord, said he was sending someone over right away to fix it. I came here to stay warm in the meantime, since the roads in town were pretty clear.”

She glanced around. “Do you need help with anything?”

I smiled. “No, but thank you.”

Ensley nodded and took another look around.

“Ensley…what’s the real reason you stopped?”

She looked at me, at first acting innocently confused. Then, rolling her eyes and sighing, she threw up her hands. “Fine! When I saw your car, I had to stop by and ask what happened at Caden’s.”

My brows drew down. “What do you mean?”

“Come on, Lilibeth. You guys can hardly be in the same room together for two minutes without fighting. Yet, Emeline told me you called her, and you said everything was fine. Fine! What does that even mean?”

“It meant everything was fine.”