Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
One hand on his hip, Atlas looks on approvingly as I pull on the gloves. “Alright. The mountain can’t get to you now.”
Grizz grins wide and bows in front of me. “Our snow queen.”
He’s joked with me before, usually to lighten heavy conversations, but I’m flattered nonetheless, and my cheeks heat in a way that keeps them warm for more than a few minutes after the three of us step out into the cold air.
I find myself wondering, not for the first time, how these three men came to live alone together way up in the mountains.
There’s no denying they’re good-looking, and the way they’ve been caring for me would make them excellent partners for a few lucky women.
It’s beautiful here, but it seems like it could get lonely. Atlas told me the nearest town is twenty minutes away, and there are no other houses in sight from any of the windows.
The isolation is very appealing to me with all that’s going on, but why did these men choose it for themselves?
CHAPTER 10
KIRA
Out front, I get my first look at the exterior of their handsome home, and it matches the interior well, with its dark timber frame, heavy beams, and rugged stone wainscoting. The steep gable roof peaks out beneath a heavy layer of snow.
There’s a big, black pickup truck in the driveway, and a snowmobile off to the side. The three of us start down a path that branches off from the driveway. Though I can’t see the ground under the snow, banks along the sides of the path show that it’s wide enough for vehicles. Two sets of snowmobile tracks were made since the last flurries fell.
Pine trees are all around us, their branches heavy with powder. Beyond them, the sky is a brilliant, deep blue. Though the air is cold, breathing it into my lungs is like a gift.
“Let us know if we’re going too fast,” Atlas says.
I’m touched by his consideration. I’m sure they’re already walking at a much slower pace than they usually would.
Grizz looks down at me, his brows lifted. “Warm enough?”
I give him a smile. “Plenty.”
A minute later, he points at a small outbuilding. “That’s my workshop.”
“Can I look inside?”
He seems surprised by my request, and, if I’m reading him correctly, suddenly shy, when he dips his head and pivots toward the building.
From the outside, it’s simple. Metal siding, wide double doors, nothing fancy. But when he pushes the doors open, I inhale sharply. Shelves and walls are filled with neatly arranged tools and heavy-duty equipment. A massive work table is covered with various projects that seem to be in different stages of assembly or repair.
I recognize what appear to be deadbolt locks and window latches. A welding mask sits nearby. “Did you make these?” I gesture to multiple items.
Grizz lowers the zipper on his jacket and pulls his hat off, ruffling his thick brown hair. “Most of it. Built the workbench, too.”
“What all do you build?”
“It would be quicker for him to tell you what he doesn’t build,” Atlas says. “He made most of what’s in the house, like the dining table and the benches. He designs hardware and gear for the business, too.”
I look up at Grizz. “You made the dining room table?”
He nods, clearly uncomfortable with the attention.
“Why is it so big … for just the three of you?”
His eyes meet mine for a second before he puts his focus on the tools laid out on his table. “Seemed like a waste to make something that couldn’t handle company.”
It hits me then that two things can be true at once. They could choose isolation, living up here in the wild, and still be lonely.
“I fix things, too,” Grizz says, breaking into my thoughts. “When Viper breaks something, it ends up in here.”
Atlas huffs. “Viper doesn’t break things. He wears them down.”
Straightening a few metal objects on the table, Grizz shrugs. “Semantics.”
I enjoy their teasing, but I’m preoccupied with what surrounds us. Everything in this workshop radiates capability and competence. It’s the hands-on side of their work, reinforcement behind all the high-tech stuff they do in their operations center.
Between them, these men can build anything, find out anything, and fix anything.
Survive anything.
For as powerful as my ex seemed to think he was, when my car got a flat tire, he told me to call a towing company, and when the faucet in his fancy townhouse started leaking, he called a plumber.
Following my gaze around his workshop, Grizz says, “It looks like a mess, but Viper says this place is operational chaos, which I take as a compliment.”
“It’s not a mess. It’s impressive.”
The tips of his ears turn a little pink. “Thanks.”
Atlas rests a hand at the small of my back. “Let’s go see the cameras.”
Back outside, the three of us continue along a narrower path, the men matching their pace to mine, and stepping closer to me whenever the ground looks uneven.