The Snow Leopard's Home (Glacier Leopards 3)

Zach was eying the house. “Your mother sure looks angry,” he said. “Is that just because you’re going on a date?”

“Just because,” Teri confirmed. “Well, also because of earlier today. And because I didn’t tell her I was going on a date until thirty seconds ago.”

“Seems wise,” Zach observed, and pulled away from the curb.

Teri relaxed into the passenger’s seat. Away, away! She could feel her muscles unknotting already.

“So,” Zach said tentatively, “you’re local, so you’d probably know better than me where to go. The only place I’ve spent much time at here is Oliver’s.”

Oliver’s was the local diner, more of a burger-and-fries place than a pasta-and-wine. Teri’s lips curved into a smile. “I would love to go to Oliver’s.”

Zach glanced at her. “You’re not just saying that? Because I’m happy to expand my restaurant repertoire. I even asked the guys for advice.”

“Oh yeah?” Teri asked curiously. “What’d they say?”

Zach hesitated. “Oliver’s.”

Teri burst out laughing. “It’s really the best place in town,” she told him. “And I don’t want anywhere fancy. I have enough walking on eggshells back home.”

“Fair point,” Zach said, and turned his attention to the road.

“I just want to mention,” he said after a second, eyes fixed ahead, “I’m a careful driver, but if you see anything I’m doing that you don’t like—speeding, or anything reckless—please tell me. Or you’re welcome to drive.”

Teri looked over at him, startled. “I am?”

He shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable. “I know you were just in a bad accident. And you said people have to drive you everywhere. So just in case you wanted some more control over the vehicle...”

Teri smiled, touched. “Thank you. But I’m okay. Really,” she added, when he glanced over at her as if to make sure. “I was driving the night of the accident, so if anything, it’s my own driving I shouldn

’t trust. But I do. It was just dark, and icy, and bad luck.”

“Okay,” Zach said. “Just wanted to make sure.”

Teri settled back into her seat and reflected on the difference between Zach’s concern and her family’s. Because Zach was being solicitous, trying to take care of her here, wasn’t he? But somehow it was completely different from how her family did it.

The difference, she decided, was that Zach was asking her what she needed instead of telling her.

And, maybe even more importantly, he was asking her if his behavior was a problem. Not telling her that she was being a problem.

It was like having a refreshing drink of water after being stuck in a desert for three months.

“Thank you for doing this,” she said sincerely. “It’s such a relief just to get out of the house. I really appreciate it.”

Zach smiled a little, the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth in a way Teri found impossibly endearing. “Well, I’m not just doing it out of the goodness of my heart. I mean, I also get to take a really great woman out on a date.”

That filled her chest with warmth. Maybe he was just being nice—he wouldn’t tell her if this was a pity date, after all, he was way too kind for that—but he sounded like he was telling the truth. She was going to believe him, at least until any evidence for the contrary showed up.

“Good to know,” she said. “So tell me about your hardware project. Did you end up getting the tools you needed for whatever you’re working on?”

The smile spread over Zach’s face, wide and happy. “I’m not quite working on anything yet. But I got a good set of tools, enough to start a small project, anyway.”

“Anything planned, then?” Teri wondered what she would make, if she had any carpentry skills and the options were all stretching out in front of her. A door with a lock for the den, probably.

“Not sure yet. One of the guys I work with, Grey, is really handy with furniture, so I might ask him if he’d be willing to teach me a thing or two. Joel and I could use another couple of chairs.” Zach looked thoughtful. “Although one thing I’d really love to build would be a deck for the house. Someplace to sit out and look at the mountains, have barbecues in the summer...”

“That sounds fantastic.” Teri let herself imagine it: relaxing in a deck chair with a cold drink, Zach manning the grill, maybe a few friends over, some neighbor kids running around...

Then she caught herself. Wow, she was building fantasies a bit too quickly, there. She was going on one date with Zach, and she was already picturing them living together in his house? Time to slow down.