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Calliope sat quietly and let Wyatt concentrate on the road He ht turn and headed down the narrow street She was glad her house was only a couple blocks fro it that far was treacherous driving There were no other cars on the road This was a bad storlad it wasn’t uphill

"Got your keys ready?" he asked when he turned the engine off

She’d already tugged the gloves off and handed theed the keys froloves back on And don’t get out of the car until I coet you You don’t have boots on"

"You’re co in with ave her one of those "You’re kidding ave wo--like climb a mountain "My truck is four-wheel drive I canon the road "I’ll rinned and waited for him to coain as the cold blast of air, sleet and snow smacked her body They made a mad dash for her front door--as much of a dash as two people could make in snow that deep Wyatt unlocked the door and they rushed inside He pushed the door shut and locked it

She shuddered against the cold and stripped off the hat and her coat, then toed out of her soaked tennis shoes "I need to change clothes"

Wyatt stood on her front hall rug and did his best i to stand here and defrost"

She laughed "You are not Take your coat off and coe clothes I’ll et started on that soup"

She ran into her bedroorabbed some sweats and dry socks, then made a quick stop in the bathrooh She cleaned the wet spots off her glasses, but otherwise there wasn’t much hope for her wet hair, and she didn’t think Wyatt would appreciate her taking the time to shower and put on some makeup He likely wanted soirl

She fluffed her wet curls as best as she could, stuck her feet into slippers and went into the kitchen

She inhaled when she walked in "I smell coffee"

"I raided your cabinets and made myself at holad Sorry it took "

"It didn’t I don’t think you need to wait ona pot of coffee"

He poured her a cup She reached into the fridge "Crearabbed the sugar bowl on the kitchen table and scooped a spoonful into her cup, stirred and watched him

There were never men in her kitchen She dated on occasion, but never invited the coffee for her

Seeing Wyatt, his tall, lean body relaxing against her counters, was a little disconcerting He was so big and her kitchen was s of the kitchen…

She took a s of coffee, then set it aside "Let et started on that soup I prorab her soup pot and grinned up at hi" She put the pot on her stove, then went to the freezer to dig out the chicken stock she was so glad she had on hand

She put the container in the erator, also happy she’d gone to the grocery store yesterday

"What can I do to help?"

"How are you with a knife?"

He went to the sink and rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands "Expert"

"Good" She laid celery and carrots on the cutting board "Start slicing"

While he got busy with that, she tossed the chicken in the stock, added a little garlic and ginger and a few more spices Soon the soup was bubbly and thick and she put a loaf of bread in the oven to heat up, then added the carrots and celery Wyatt had sliced

She had a few minutes to rest while the soup simmered and the bread cooked, so she refilled her coffee Wyatt was sitting at her table, one she’d found at a garage sale

"You rent this house?" he asked

She shook her head "No, I’m a homeowner"

He arched a brow "Really This and the day care center"

"Well, this place is tiny Only a one-bedroom But it’s a house and it’s what I wanted when Iand single I would think a condo or apartpeople do that"

She took a sip of coffee "You make it sound like I’m sixteen and you’re ht this little cracker box of a house because it was all I could afford When randmother died and left half her money to me, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it--invest it in the day care center

"But I also wanted a house I didn’t want to throw money away every month on an apartment I found this place It was so sle, have no kids, no husband, no boyfriend So as an initial invest at her with that unfatho of what he was thinking

"What?"

"You surprise me"

She turned to stir the soup "Yeah? In ay?"

"I always think of you as being a kid But you’re not You’re all grown-up"

"I’ve been a grown-up for a long time now, Wyatt Maybe it’s past tiuess it is"

She felt his gaze on her, but didn’t turn around He could just simmer on what she’d said

The soup and bread were ready, so she served it up and they ate, drank, and asof all--they actually talked

Wyatt told her about the progress on the roo projects their construction co She could tell he really loved his fah his brothers seemed to irritate him

"I understand familial relationships," she said as theyroo She had poured theence--brandy Maybe she could get hie of him "Families can test you under the best circumstances, but underneath I know you love your brothers"

He nodded and swirled the brandy around the glass "They try my patience--I’m sure on purpose at least half the tis hi up on me"

"Most likely to irritate you on purpose because you’re so naturally cranky"