Page 279 of The Cowbears of Curvy Bear Ranch

“A fewyears.”

“Years?”

“Yeah.” She hung her head as a fresh wave of shame washed over her. “Looking back, I can’t believe how stupidIwas.”

“He sounds like a typicalabuser.”

“Which I should have recognized, but I didn’t. I feel like an idiot,” sheadmitted.

“Hey,” Drew stood and walked over to her. He gave her shoulder a light squeeze. “You’re not an idiot. A lot of women fall into the same trap. I’ve seen men like your ex in action. They start out with little criticisms. Maybe your hair’s not right, or your dress is too short. And the next thing you know, everything’s yourfault.”

“You sound like you know my ex,”shesaid.

“I know the type. It’s cold over here. Come sit with me by the fire,” he said. “Let me refill yourcuptoo.”

“Okay.” She handed himthemug.

As he strolled toward the kitchen, she found a spot on the rug in front of the fire. While she waited for him to return, she stared into the flames. If only she could burn the past away and start over. The soothing crackle of the fire was just what she needed. By the time he returned, she’d reconsidered her desire to flee. She needed time to think and Drew’s family was giving it to her, so she may as welltakeit.

“Thank you,” she said as she tookthemug.

He sat next to her, close enough that she could catch a whiff of his aftershave. Piney and rustic, just like him. She sighed. Fate couldn’t have come up with a better form of torture. One minute she was on her way to meet the perfect man, and the next she was sitting beside a complete stranger who seemed revolted bymarriage.

“Would you ever consider getting married?” she asked. “You know, if you found the rightperson?”

“If I found someone I could stand being around for more than a week, I might consider it,”hesaid.

“What turns you off?” sheasked.

“Someone who needs to talk all the time. I like silence. I guess it’s just part of who I am because I spend so much time outdoors. I prefer listening to the sound of the wind than to the details of the latesttelevisionshow.”

“I get that. In the city, the only way to have a quiet moment is to put on a pair of headphones and listen to one of those naturetracks.”

“A nature what?” heasked.

“You know, recordings of thunderstorms or babbling brooks. Sometimes I put ocean waves on repeat for hours, especially when I try to sleep at night. It drowns out the policesirens.”

“When I want to hear nature, I go outside,”hesaid.

“It mustbenice.”

“I don’t think I could live anywhere else. All of the elements are here. If I want to be surrounded by water, I go to the lake. If I want the feeling of wind through my hair, I step outside. I love to walk barefoot during the warmer months when the ground isn’t freezing so I can feel theearth.”

“And fire?” she asked, naming the fourthelement.

“It’s all around us. In the lightning of a summer thunderstorm, in the geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone. Hell, I even have it in the fireplace when Iwantit.”

“I miss having that connection to nature,” she said. “When I was a kid, we’d go to the beach a lot. The salty air had a cleansing effect on me. It had a way of washing away all of myproblems.”

“Yellowstone is like that for me. Whenever I need to really get away, I go hiking in thebackcountry.”

“Aren’t you afraid of running into a bear?” she asked. “Didn’t a tourist get mauled by a bear last summer? I remember hearing something about it, but I can’t recall thedetails.”

“Some idiot went too close to a den last spring. If you respect a bear’s territory, he will leave you alone. Some people have no respect fornature.”

“Do you carry bear spray?” sheasked.

“I don’tneedit.”