She stood up. “He’s a sweetheart.”
“Yes. He is.”
“How old is he?”
Nick shrugged. “Nine. Ten. I’m not sure, but for a dog his size, that’s old. I try not to think about it.”
She looked at him. No smile on that handsome face, just a glimpse of honest emotion.
“I know,” she said softly. “That’s the tough thing about large breeds.”
“I’ve been lucky so far. He’s been with me for seven years.”
Most people would say they’d owned the dog for seven years. She liked Nick’s wording better. Too bad she didn’t like Nick, but at least he had the right attitude about something.
“Well,” she said briskly, “I’m going for a walk.”
“A walk?”
“A walk. You know. You move one foot forward. Then you move the other foot forward. One, two, one, two—”
“Don’t be stupid. It’s twenty degrees outside.”
So much for attitude.
“Thanks for your concern,” she said coolly, “but I’ll be fine.”
“Like that? Oh, yeah. You’ll be fine.”
“I don’t know how to break it to you, Gentry, but I don’t have to ask your permission to take a walk.”
Nick glared at her. “Didn’t you bring a coat? Boots? Did you bring any warm stuff with you, or did you think Montana was on the Mexican border?”
“I thought it was in the United States,” she said coldly, ?
??where spring is a recognized season.”
His lips twitched. She had a sense of humor. He’d always like that in a woman. She had a fast mouth, too. A soft mouth. He remembered that vividly from last night—except remembering last night was not the way to go.
“I’m going into town.”
“Good for you.”
“The highway’s passable.”
Her smile would have cut glass.
“Good for the highway.”
“I’m going to lay in some supplies.” He paused. “I want you to come with me.”
She looked as if he’d just asked her to accompany him to the moon. Well, hell, he couldn’t blame her. So far, he hadn’t handled things between them very well. Not even that apology this morning, because maybe it hadn’t come out exactly the way it should have.
“What on earth for?”
“You’ll be here another day. Maybe even two.”
“Let’s hope not, and what does that have to do with anything?”