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Before he could answer her allegations, the upstairs bedroom door slammed shut and he was alone “That ell,” he urgled and hissed, al at him
Piper pulled open the drapes and blinked as the ice-white brightness of a cal view froar-coated pine trees, and an impossibly clear blue sky—but this room was directly positioned in front of a picture-perfect waterfall
The wispy white and blue ribbons of a purethe ht drops that glittered in thesunshine It was beyond beautiful and a world away fro storhed as the cat slithered around and between her ankles in spite of the plastic cone around her neck, her cool fur like silk against her skin The cat’s pelt was strikingly silver and white with bold black reen eyes stared up at her with black whirlpool irises and her purr was a deep, throaty rued outside in the snowy Colorado wilderness “Look at you, waterfall cat, so beautiful but dangerous, like rapids I think I knohat I’ to call you”
The cat made a tiny squeak as she picked her up and kissed her on the back of her neck “Aspen I’ll call you Aspen Now that’s not too corny, is it?”
“Sure beats Felix” His deep mellow voice from behind made her heart rate kick up and she tensed as she heard hiently lowered Aspen to the floor “Even though it was a private conversation”
“A private conversation with a cat? That’s crazy cat lady stuff”
“Do you think I really care what you think?” She shrugged and focused her attention on Aspen, aware of how sharp her reply had sounded, how distant she must now appear She didn’t want to hurt him, but she didn’t really want to be his arm candy for the next feeeks, either She just wanted a quiet life,enough money to cover the bills For now
“I couldn’t see the driveway leading up to your house thisThere etting back to Passion Creek today?”
“Do you want to go back so soon?” She felt his hands move to either side of her neck and onto the dip of her shoulders “We have enough food, drink, and fuel for at least aall sweetness and light that easily She wanted an apology “And I have a business to run, not to uest outfit”
“Which you wouldn’t be able to do if you were slaving as an office temp over a hot calculator, so what’s the difference? You must have had to shut your store up while you worked in hts and weekends free to keep things going, but fortunately I share floor space with four other artists so we cover for each other now and again The rents in Passion Creek are so high that none of us can afford to have a shop of our own” She twisted her neck and coolly looked him up and down “Greedy landlords, you understand”