In the main part of the cabin, Logan was at the stove warming up
some soup, and he turned to find Raine Montgomery coming out
of the bathroom. She had changed out of her wet clothes, and
though the skimpy skirt she’d been wearing had given him a good
view of her long, shapely legs, the jeans and T-shirt hugged her
feminine curves in all the right places. Ignoring the tightening he
felt in his groin, he turned back to the stove.
“There’s soup, if you want some,” he said.
She didn’t answer, but walked over to stand beside him. Peering at
the beef stew, she wrinkled her nose. “Don’t you have anything
without a dead animal in it?”
Logan clenched his jaw. Somehow, he’d just known that she would
some soup, and he turned to find Raine Montgomery coming out
of the bathroom. She had changed out of her wet clothes, and
though the skimpy skirt she’d been wearing had given him a good
view of her long, shapely legs, the jeans and T-shirt hugged her
feminine curves in all the right places. Ignoring the tightening he
felt in his groin, he turned back to the stove.
“There’s soup, if you want some,” he said.
She didn’t answer, but walked over to stand beside him. Peering at
the beef stew, she wrinkled her nose. “Don’t you have anything
without a dead animal in it?”
Logan clenched his jaw. Somehow, he’d just known that she would
| Excerpt |
© Paige Tyler and ABCD Webmasters, 2007
The Cabin
be a vegetarian. “There’s a can of green beans in the cabinet.”
She wrinkled her nose again. “Something not out of a can.”
He could tell right now that she was going to be one, long, continuous pain in the ass. “If you
want something fresh, go to the grocery store in town,” he said dryly.
Ignoring her, he ladled some of the stew into one of the bowls he had set out on the counter,
and then walked over to the table. Pulling out a chair, he watched her from the corner of his eye
as he sat down. She stood a moment, frowning at the remainder of stew before reluctantly
picking up the ladle and filling the other bowl. Taking the spoon from the counter, she came
over to sit down opposite him.
They ate in silence for a time, which suited Logan just fine, but his guest, it seemed, couldn’t
take the quiet.
“So, what’s your name?” she asked abruptly.
He lifted his gaze to look at her. “Logan,” he said, and then added, “McBride.”
She nodded thoughtfully, as if considering the name, and he wondered for a moment if she had
heard of him, but then quickly dismissed the idea. He had the feeling that Raine Montgomery
didn’t know anyone who didn’t live in her Hollywood world.
“How can you stand it out here?” she said. “I mean, this is as in the middle of nowhere as you
can get.”
He shrugged. “I like the solitude.”
“But still,” she prompted, not taking the hint. “How can you like living here? There’s absolutely
nothing to do.”
He swallowed before answering. “I don’t live here; I live up in Seattle. I only come out here to
paint.”
She nodded, as if that explained everything. “You mean, like houses?”
He had never met anyone so condescending in his entire life. “No,” he said. “I’m an artist. I
paint landscapes.”
She looked surprised. “An artist? I wouldn’t have thought that.”
The insult was pretty clear, and Logan had to fight the urge to throw her out the door, snow or
not.
“Well, you can’t paint all the time,” she insisted. “And I don’t see a TV or a radio. What do you
do to keep from being bored out of you mind?
Finished with both his dinner and the conversation, Logan pushed back his chair and got to his
feet. “Sleep,” he said curtly, and walked over to the sink to wash out his bowl.
Raine stared at his retreating back. You’d think she’d insulted him or something, she thought.
Finished with her soup as well, she got to her feet and started toward the sink just as Logan was
finishing up.
“I’ve already put out a pillow and some blankets so you can make up the couch,” he said,
walking into the living room.
Raine frowned as she realized that he expected her to sleep on the couch. “A gentleman would
let me use the bed,” she said tartly.
He turned to scowl at her. “I did; that is the bed,” he said. “I’m sleeping on the floor.”
She looked at him incredulously. “You’re telling me that you don’t have a bed? Then what’s in
there?” she asked accusingly, folding her arms and jerking her chin toward the door beside the
one that led to the bathroom.
“It used to be a bedroom, but I converted it into my studio.”
That had to be one of the most stupid things she’d ever heard, but before she could tell him so,
Logan had picked up his bag and gone into the bathroom. A minute later, she heard the shower
running. God, but that man was infuriating!
Surprised to discover that she was a little tired, Raine dropped the dishtowel on the counter
and went over to where her bag sat on the floor. Listening to make sure that the shower was still
running, she quickly undressed and changed into her pajamas. They were little more than a
snug little tank top and skimpy pair of matching blue shorts, but as she huddled beneath the
blanket as she was sure to be, Logan McBride wouldn’t be able to tell what she was wearing.
She was just making up the bed when she heard the shower turn off, and she just had enough
time to jump beneath the covers before Logan came out. It was silly, she supposed, considering
she’d been in movies wearing less clothing than she had on now.
Logan had changed, too, she noticed. He had traded in his jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt for a
pair of dark blue pajama bottoms and another long-sleeved shirt. Huddled beneath the blanket,
she watched in silence as he stoked the fire, and then made up his own bed on the floor.
Raine thought she’d be tired enough to fall asleep right away, but the couch wasn’t nearly as
nice as a bed would have been, and no matter which way she laid, she couldn’t seem to get
comfortable. She was unaware that all her tossing and turning had been keeping Logan awake,
too, until he spoke.
“Go to sleep, already.”
Frustrated, Raine threw back the covers and sat up. “I can’t. This couch isn’t comfortable,” she
complained. Throwing her legs over the side, she got to her feet and tried to straighten the
blankets. “You know, if you’d just taken me into a hotel instead, then we’d both be sleeping
right now. But no, you didn’t want to drive a few more miles.” She was probably making more of
a mess out of the blankets, she thought, but she didn’t care.
“You can leave any time you want, you know.”
Logan’s voice was curt in the darkness, and she whirled around to face him. He was lying on
his back, an arm beneath his head. Hands on her hips, she regarded him disdainfully. “You
have got to be the rudest man I’ve ever met!” she told him scathingly. “First, you almost run me
down. And do you apologize for it? No! You don’t even try to dig my car out. Nor do you take me
where I want to go. Instead, you drag me off to this cabin where there’s no heat, barely any hot
water, and no bed! I...”
“That’s it!” Logan snapped, getting to his feet.
He came toward her, and Raine took a nervous step back. “What are you...?”
But the words turned into a startled little gasp as Logan grabbed her arm, sat down on the
couch, and yanked her face-down over his knee. Stunned, she lay there a moment in
confusion. “What do you think you’re...oh!” she cried as she felt a sharp smack on her upturned
bottom. The bastard was actually spanking her!
She wrinkled her nose again. “Something not out of a can.”
He could tell right now that she was going to be one, long, continuous pain in the ass. “If you
want something fresh, go to the grocery store in town,” he said dryly.
Ignoring her, he ladled some of the stew into one of the bowls he had set out on the counter,
and then walked over to the table. Pulling out a chair, he watched her from the corner of his eye
as he sat down. She stood a moment, frowning at the remainder of stew before reluctantly
picking up the ladle and filling the other bowl. Taking the spoon from the counter, she came
over to sit down opposite him.
They ate in silence for a time, which suited Logan just fine, but his guest, it seemed, couldn’t
take the quiet.
“So, what’s your name?” she asked abruptly.
He lifted his gaze to look at her. “Logan,” he said, and then added, “McBride.”
She nodded thoughtfully, as if considering the name, and he wondered for a moment if she had
heard of him, but then quickly dismissed the idea. He had the feeling that Raine Montgomery
didn’t know anyone who didn’t live in her Hollywood world.
“How can you stand it out here?” she said. “I mean, this is as in the middle of nowhere as you
can get.”
He shrugged. “I like the solitude.”
“But still,” she prompted, not taking the hint. “How can you like living here? There’s absolutely
nothing to do.”
He swallowed before answering. “I don’t live here; I live up in Seattle. I only come out here to
paint.”
She nodded, as if that explained everything. “You mean, like houses?”
He had never met anyone so condescending in his entire life. “No,” he said. “I’m an artist. I
paint landscapes.”
She looked surprised. “An artist? I wouldn’t have thought that.”
The insult was pretty clear, and Logan had to fight the urge to throw her out the door, snow or
not.
“Well, you can’t paint all the time,” she insisted. “And I don’t see a TV or a radio. What do you
do to keep from being bored out of you mind?
Finished with both his dinner and the conversation, Logan pushed back his chair and got to his
feet. “Sleep,” he said curtly, and walked over to the sink to wash out his bowl.
Raine stared at his retreating back. You’d think she’d insulted him or something, she thought.
Finished with her soup as well, she got to her feet and started toward the sink just as Logan was
finishing up.
“I’ve already put out a pillow and some blankets so you can make up the couch,” he said,
walking into the living room.
Raine frowned as she realized that he expected her to sleep on the couch. “A gentleman would
let me use the bed,” she said tartly.
He turned to scowl at her. “I did; that is the bed,” he said. “I’m sleeping on the floor.”
She looked at him incredulously. “You’re telling me that you don’t have a bed? Then what’s in
there?” she asked accusingly, folding her arms and jerking her chin toward the door beside the
one that led to the bathroom.
“It used to be a bedroom, but I converted it into my studio.”
That had to be one of the most stupid things she’d ever heard, but before she could tell him so,
Logan had picked up his bag and gone into the bathroom. A minute later, she heard the shower
running. God, but that man was infuriating!
Surprised to discover that she was a little tired, Raine dropped the dishtowel on the counter
and went over to where her bag sat on the floor. Listening to make sure that the shower was still
running, she quickly undressed and changed into her pajamas. They were little more than a
snug little tank top and skimpy pair of matching blue shorts, but as she huddled beneath the
blanket as she was sure to be, Logan McBride wouldn’t be able to tell what she was wearing.
She was just making up the bed when she heard the shower turn off, and she just had enough
time to jump beneath the covers before Logan came out. It was silly, she supposed, considering
she’d been in movies wearing less clothing than she had on now.
Logan had changed, too, she noticed. He had traded in his jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt for a
pair of dark blue pajama bottoms and another long-sleeved shirt. Huddled beneath the blanket,
she watched in silence as he stoked the fire, and then made up his own bed on the floor.
Raine thought she’d be tired enough to fall asleep right away, but the couch wasn’t nearly as
nice as a bed would have been, and no matter which way she laid, she couldn’t seem to get
comfortable. She was unaware that all her tossing and turning had been keeping Logan awake,
too, until he spoke.
“Go to sleep, already.”
Frustrated, Raine threw back the covers and sat up. “I can’t. This couch isn’t comfortable,” she
complained. Throwing her legs over the side, she got to her feet and tried to straighten the
blankets. “You know, if you’d just taken me into a hotel instead, then we’d both be sleeping
right now. But no, you didn’t want to drive a few more miles.” She was probably making more of
a mess out of the blankets, she thought, but she didn’t care.
“You can leave any time you want, you know.”
Logan’s voice was curt in the darkness, and she whirled around to face him. He was lying on
his back, an arm beneath his head. Hands on her hips, she regarded him disdainfully. “You
have got to be the rudest man I’ve ever met!” she told him scathingly. “First, you almost run me
down. And do you apologize for it? No! You don’t even try to dig my car out. Nor do you take me
where I want to go. Instead, you drag me off to this cabin where there’s no heat, barely any hot
water, and no bed! I...”
“That’s it!” Logan snapped, getting to his feet.
He came toward her, and Raine took a nervous step back. “What are you...?”
But the words turned into a startled little gasp as Logan grabbed her arm, sat down on the
couch, and yanked her face-down over his knee. Stunned, she lay there a moment in
confusion. “What do you think you’re...oh!” she cried as she felt a sharp smack on her upturned
bottom. The bastard was actually spanking her!
