Page 47 of Cole

He started to chuckle, thinking about how they already covered so many topics, but when he saw the firelight dance in the intensity of her gaze, he just nodded. “Yeah. Anything.”

“Has there ever been anyone special… or I guess I should ask if there is currently anyone special… with you?”

He wasn’t sure why she asked. Maybe just curiosity or perhaps interest. But as his breath seemed to be trapped in his lungs, he realized that he really hoped it was interest. Thinking of his response, he answered truthfully. “Over the years, a few serious relationships. Exclusive. One, many years ago, that I thought might become permanent, but she couldn’t handle the distance of my military career. She’s married now, with three kids and a good husband, and I get a Christmas card from them each year. Since then, a few that were exclusive for a few months. But, deep inside, I knew they wouldn’t last.” He shook his head. “That makes me sound like a prick, stringing a woman along, but honestly, as soon as I knew there was no staying power, I broke things off.”

“I could never imagine you being a prick, Cole. You’re too nice,” she said with a smile, still leaning over the bed, her gaze pinned on him. A moment passed, and she pressed, “And now?”

He shook his head again. “No. There’s been no one special in years. As soon as I left Maine, I was helping to build LSIMT. No time for a relationship and no interest in just dating someone when I wasn’t… when I didn’t feel something immediately.”

“Oh… okay.” She offered a tiny smile, but uncertainty seemed to fill her expression as a little crinkle formed between her brows. She rolled onto her back, and he instantly felt the loss of seeing her face.

After another moment, a whisper hit his ears.

"Good night, Cole."

His chest squeezed at how he wished he was lying in bed with her like earlier. Just to be near her. Instead, he was on the floor, where he could be between her and anyone who might come in. Protecting. Guarding. Honest to God… caring. "Good night, Janice."

Sleep was a long time coming as he lay there, hyperaware of her presence just feet away, replaying every moment of the day, every word of their conversation, every look that had passed between them.

And wondering how the hell he was supposed to keep things professional when all he wanted was to spend more time getting to know her… in a way that had nothing to do with his profession.

21

Janice woke to the pale morning light filtering through the cabin windows, the lingering warmth of last night's conversation still wrapped around her like a blanket. She lay still for a few minutes, eyes closed, replaying the evening in her mind.

She'd learned so much about Cole. About his childhood in North Dakota, his father who'd taught him to fly, the family he still visited when he could. About his time in the Army, the missions he couldn't talk about but that had shaped him into the man he was. About finding Montana and finally feeling like he'd come home.

But mostly, she'd learned about how he protects himself when threatened, how he handles danger with calm competence, how he'd come to her rescue without hesitation even though he barely knew her.

And that knowledge stirred something in her chest that felt dangerously close to feelings she had no business having for a man she'd known less than two days.

But is that all I am? she wondered, staring at the rough-hewn beams of the cabin ceiling. A damsel in distress? Someone who needs rescuing?

She'd never been that person before, having always prided herself on her independence, her competence, her ability to handle whatever came her way. But here she was, relying on Cole for safety, for warmth, for the very basics of survival in a situation that had spiraled beyond her control.

I've never been just a damsel and sure as hell don't want to start now.

But maybe that wasn't how he saw her. Maybe he recognized that she was capable in her own right, that the circumstances had simply been bigger than any one person could handle alone. He'd listened to her talk about her work with genuine interest, had respected her expertise with the samples, had trusted her knowledge of the terrain and wildlife.

So maybe she wasn't just a damsel to him. Maybe she was something more. The thought made her pulse quicken.

Janice rolled onto her side, tucking her hands under her cheek, and let herself think about Cole in ways she'd been trying not to since he'd first appeared in her cabin. The way his dark eyes crinkled when he smiled. The steadiness in his voice when he'd talked her across that creek. The solid warmth of him in the shower, his body shielding hers, keeping her safe and warm without a single inappropriate touch or comment.

No one falls for someone so quickly, she reminded herself. You can't have insta-love. Love takes time to grow, doesn't it?

Her parents had always talked about the first time they met. That story had been told so many times over family dinners that Janice could recite it by heart. They'd been in vet school together, partners assigned to a farm during a large animal medicine rotation. Her mother had been up to her armpit in a pregnant horse, her father holding the mare steady, and their eyes met over the animal's swollen belly.

"I knew right then," her mother always said with that soft smile that made her look years younger. "I knew he was the one I wanted to be with. Maybe I didn’t know if it was forever, but I knew I wanted to find out if it could be forever."

Her father would always add, "Your mother was arm-deep in that mare, covered in Lord knows what, hair falling out of her ponytail, and she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I thought, 'That's it. That's the woman I'm going to marry.'"

And they had. Got married the summer after graduation, opened their practice together, and built a life together that had weathered thirty-five years and counting.

So maybe insta-love was possible. Insta-lust? Absolutely. And maybe, at least, insta-connection and insta-recognition that someone could be important to you.

Janice felt heat creep up her neck at the thought. Now that she could understand. Cole was gorgeous in a way that seemed effortless, like he couldn't care less what he looked like. Dark hair that fell across his forehead, warm brown eyes that seemed to see right through her defenses, a body that was all muscle and strength and controlled power. She'd felt every inch of that body pressed against hers in the shower, had been hyperaware of him in ways that had nothing to do with hypothermia and everything to do with pure physical attraction.

The combination was thrilling in a way she'd never experienced before. Not with previous boyfriends. Not with anyone.