COLTON PULLED ME IN close and kissed the back of my neck, waking me up. I shuddered in delight. We hadn't slept together yet, but if we spent more nights this way, I didn't know how much longer I could hold out.

I rolled over until we were face to face. "Do we have to get up?"

"Well, unless you want the tow truck driver to find us cuddling like this, we're going to need to get up. Plus," he said, motioning to the dwindling wood pile, "we're almost out of firewood." Smiling, Colton ran his hands up and down my bare back. "But maybe I want him to find us like this."

"Well, that makes one of us," I replied, playfully pushing him away.

"Are you sure?" he asked, nuzzling my neck.

I never wanted this moment to end. But a strange noise sounded, followed by several lights turning on.

"We have power!" I jumped up and lifted my arms in celebration. "Ouch! Too soon. Too soon."

"Okay, if you're not going to come cuddle me for another few hours, I'm going to get up and get ready," he said. "Allen should be here in about twenty minutes." Colton climbed out of bed and headed toward the kitchen. "PB and J or a cheese sandwich?"

"PB and J sounds good. Thank you!"

As Colton banged around in the kitchen, I got up and made my way to the bathroom. I inspected my face in the mirror and applied the burn cream to my cheeks, which were already starting to heal.

"I'm just going to change," I shouted to Colton. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

I left the bathroom and headed to the bedroom with my suitcase. I picked out a pair of dark jeans and a dark gray, long-sleeved shirt. I headed back to the bathroom and brushed my hair before twisting it into two French braids. Not too bad, considering I hadn't had a shower in two days. I looked through my makeup bag. Hmmm. I guessed the only thing I should wear was mascara. Didn't want to irritate my skin. I carefully applied the mascara to my long, dark lashes.

"Now, that's better," I said, looking in the mirror. I almost looked like myself, minus the bruises near my nose and the scabbed skin on my cheeks.

"Hey, Claudia! Allen is here," called Colton from the other room. "Are you ready?"

I stepped out into the hallway.

"Here's your..." Colton's voice trailed off as his eyes met mine.

"What's wrong?"

"You're—you're just so beautiful," he stammered.

"Stop," I said as I reached for my jacket.

"I'm serious. You're stunning," said Colton.

I slid my jacket on and tried to keep from grinning like an idiot. "You're not so bad yourself."

Knock, knock, knock.

"Coming," shouted Colton.

He grabbed my hand and kissed the side of my head before opening the front door.

"Good to see you, Colton!" said a short man with a pot belly.

"You too, Allen."

"And who is this?" Allen asked with a confused look.

"Allen, meet Claudia. This is her family's cabin."

Allen extended his hand and shook mine. "Nice to meet you, Claudia."

I smiled. "Likewise."

"Oh, wait! Claudia—as in the owner of the Honda Civic?"

I nodded.

"Ah, that's at Jimmy's place. He should have the parts soon."

"Thanks," I responded. "I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, darlin'." Allen turned back toward Colton's truck. "I've already hooked your truck up, so we're good to go."

We followed Allen out to his truck. He opened the passenger's side door. "Claudia, you might want to sit in the back. There's not a lot of room back there."

"I got it," said Colton, climbing in. "Claudia's a bit sore from the wreck the other day."

"Thank you for towing my car," I told Allen. "I really appreciate you getting it out of that ditch and to the mechanic's shop."

"Of course," Allen replied. "I'm just glad you didn't get in an accident once the weather turned."

"Me too," I said as I looked back. Colton was squished in the small cab of the truck.

Allen pulled the car into drive and headed down the bumpy road. It took almost an hour to get to Jimmy's shop. The snow drifts had blown onto the road, and Allen had to lower his plow to move it out of the way.

"Colton!" A tall man with wiry gray hair proclaimed. "I haven't seen you since you were just a boy."

"It's good to see you, Jimmy."

The two men shook hands.

Colton reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Thanks for the ride and the tow, Allen." He handed him several bills before giving him a quick embrace.

"Anytime," said Allen. "You two stay safe now, you hear?"

Colton nodded. "Will do." He turned to the mechanic. "Jimmy, this is Claudia."

The man held out his hand. ""Nice to meet you, Claudia. You're the owner of the Civic, right?"

I shook his hand. "Yup, that's me."

He smiled. "I've got good news and bad news."

I laughed. "You sound like Colton."

The two men exchanged glances and grinned. "Good news is that your car will be easy to fix. The bad news is that the storm slowed down the delivery of the parts. I should have them in two or three more days."

I swallowed the disappointment.

"Don't worry, I can take you anywhere you need to go," said Colton.

"Thanks, Colton. I just hate to impose."

He winked at me. "Hey, if it means I get to see you more while you're here, I might just hijack the parts and make sure you don't get them for another week or two."

Jimmy chuckled. "You just keep me in the loop, Colt."

Colton laughed. "Will do, Captain!"

I sat on a folding chair as Jimmy worked on Colton's truck. The two talked the entire time. I liked watching Colton with others. He was so calm and kind as he helped with the repair.

Two hours later, Jimmy closed the hood on Colton's truck. "I think that should do it."

"What's the damage?" asked Colton as he reached for his wallet.

"Luckily you didn't do any damage to anything else. The belt itself was five hundred and twelve dollars. Since you helped with the install, only fifty for the labor."

Colton grimaced. "Looks like I'll need to pay you with a credit card. I don't have that much cash."

My stomach twisted into knots. It was all my fault. It wouldn't have been damaged if he hadn't driven to my house in bad weather. Plus—he'd been out of work since his father passed.

As Colton handed over his credit card, he gave me a lopsided smile and shrugged.

I'll find a way to pay him back.

Jimmy came back with Colton's credit card and a receipt for him to sign. Colton signed the receipt and thanked Jimmy again.

"You ready, Freddy?" he asked me.

"You bet, Jet!" I responded with a giggle. "Jimmy, it was nice to meet you. Can you please let Colton know once my car is ready? My phone screen broke. I'm not sure where I'll be able to get it fixed."

He nodded. "Of course. Young love is a special thing. You two look after each other."

My jaw dropped, and Colton's cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson.

"Thanks, Jimmy. Talk to you soon," said Colton as opened my door.

"Bye, Jimmy!"

Colton got into the truck and backed out of the mechanic's shop. Before he turned onto the road, he looked at me. "That was a little awkward, huh?"

I tilted my head. "Yeah, a bit."

"Listen," said Colton.

I held up my hands. "I think I know what you're going to say."

He frowned. "Really?"

I dropped my hands. "Maybe."

He placed his hand under my chin and traced my lower lip with his thumb. "Look, I'm in kind of a weird place right now."

And now you're going to tell me that you never want to see me again. But playing house and making out for a few days was fun. I braced myself for the words I didn't want to hear.

"But meeting you, Claudia—it's been like a breath of fresh air. I've been down lately and really questioning a lot of fundamentals, but you—you've managed to throw all of the bad things I've been fixated on out the window. I know you're only here for a few weeks, and that you live far away, but if it's okay with you, I'd like to keep spending time together. Maybe see where this goes?"

I inhaled sharply.

"Oh," said Colton, his face falling. "Were you thinking something else?"

"No, no, not at all. I just thought—well—I thought you were going to tell me 'it's been nice,' but you were just hoping for a quick fling and said fling was over."

Colton frowned. "You think I'm that kind of guy?"

I shrugged. "I'm still getting to know you."

"Claudia, I've only had three serious relationships my whole life. I'm not a fling kind of guy."

The butterflies in my stomach went nuts.

"I mean, I know this is all really sudden," he said. "In fact, I've never experienced anything like it before. Honestly, Claudia, you've really caught me off guard."

My hands trembled. "Honestly, Colton. I really like you too. I thought this might just be a weekend thing, but I'm glad you feel differently."

He put the truck in park and reached over the middle. "You, Claudia, are amazing." His lips brushed against mine and lingered.

*******

Cliffhangers,

BUTTERFLIES! What do you think of Colton and Claudia's relationship? Will it last? 

Hearts and Daggers,

Kelly Anne Blount xoxo