Page 8 of His Wood Her Fire

I’d been caught staring.Oops.Or not.I mean, I was human, and he put on quite the show.

A soft meow startled me, and I grinned at Frou-Frou who was winding between my legs.

“What’s the matter, Frou?Need some mommy cuddles?Come here,” I murmured and lifted my little fur baby in my arms.

He immediately started making biscuits on my sweater, and I was laughing until he decided to use his claws on me.

Little stinker.

“Oh, Frou, what must that sexy mountain man think of me, huh?”

While I pondered that question, I closed my eyes, picturing his enormous frame and well-built body in all its perfection.I set out food and water for Frou, making sure to set it up exactly as he liked it before picking him back up and placing him on the special food mat I had brought and set up on the counter.

Too many nights eating alone with no one for company, but this little guy made eating with my cat on the table perfectly normal for me.

I knew other people objected to having a pet where humans ate, but phooey on them.Frou-Frou was my ride or die and he was welcome at any table I sat at.

My fur baby was a certified house cat and would never step foot outdoors.He was groomed regularly, and I always kept pet wipes handy.As well as sanitizing wipes that worked on any surface.

My eyes strayed back to the window, and I wanted to moan.Jesus, that man was fine AF.And he liked animals.If not for his rude behavior, I might have actually considered having a little holiday fling with the sexy mountain man.

I’d always had a thing for large men.But that was probably because I’d always been a big girl.My father used to call me pleasantly plump, but my cousins always said fat was fat, and at forty, I hadn’t changed much.

I mean, I’d gotten older.My girly bits and pieces weren’t as perky as they used to be.But my ass was still fluffy.

I wasn’t bad looking or unhealthy, though.I had nice skin and thick, shiny hair.Also, my tatas were bigger than my belly, which was nice.

Unfortunately, my ass was also pretty damn sizeable.

There was no getting around it.I was chubby, but I was not lazy.I enjoyed taking nature walks and light hiking.I swam.Took some yoga.

And at home, I had the neatest little foldable row machine that I did not use nearly enough.

But watching that giant of a man swing that axe over his head and bring it back down with enough force to halve those cut up logs left me breathless.It was like catnip to my libido.

Seriously, I thought my ovaries were gonna explode every time I caught sight of the man.As if they were shouting “take me—it’s our last chance” at every turn.

Traitors.

Maybe I was premenopausal or something.

I recalled my mother telling me how she went throughthe changeearlier than her two sisters.

Anyway, it didn’t matter.Bo did not show any sign of being interested in me like that.

I was still shaking my head as I walked into the bathroom and started the tub.

I’d been too afraid to try the fireplace on my own, but after researching how to do it, I felt fairly confident.

The Christmas decorations I’d brought with me graced the mantle.I brought a stocking, and a snow globe with a music box built in, and I’d even hung fairy lights from the curtain rods.

It was still morning, but why not?I could watch the sun make its way across the sky and enjoy the warmth from the flames as I read or napped, or well, anything.

My boss had told me to take the two weeks, since I’d finished arranging the gallery showing of B.D.’s work.She just requested I go to opening night, which meant cutting this trip short by two days since that was on Christmas Eve.

But I could do that.

It was a two-hour drive to the gallery from here, and if I really wanted to come back, it wouldn’t kill me to make the trip.