A Deal With the Devil Read Online Free PDF Page A

encounter down the road if they kept going.
    “We need to head back to the cabin,” Jake said, his tone making it clear he’d broach no arguments. “There’s nothing to speak of between here and Chicago and we can’t risk running into more trouble.”
    More trouble. Like that was even possible. Her blissful weekend of solitude was not off to a good start. So far, it was decidedly short on bliss and could no longer be considered solitary.
    They were quiet on the drive back and Amanda’s mood grew as black as the moonless night. She poked along at a snail’s pace, which caused their return trip to take nearly an hour. The silence was broken only by Jake’s occasional sighs, which she guessed to be related to her driving skills.
    Despite his apparent disapproval, at least she hadn’t put them in the ditch, which she would’ve pointed out had he dared to challenge her. He didn’t.
    When they arrived, Jake carried her bags back into the cabin and built a fire. Then he sacked out on the couch, watching sports highlights. He held a bag of frozen peas to his left temple, which now sported a large purplish red knot similar to the one she might have inflicted had she whacked him with the blow dryer as she’d been dying to do earlier.
    She glanced at him surreptitiously and stifled a giggle. You can’t outrun karma, big boy. Clearly the universe agreed with her. Jake deserved to be punished.
    Amanda allowed herself to feel a small measure of satisfaction as she sidled up to the fire, rubbing her palms together and working on her attitude. She felt cursed. Aside from Jake’s bump on the head, which she considered a mark in her column, the fates appeared to be conspiring against her. There could be no other explanation for her recent run of bad luck. She’d just wanted a weekend alone. Had that really been asking too much?
    She peered over her shoulder. He looked ridiculous holding that bag of frozen peas against his head. If she hadn’t been in such a foul mood, she would’ve been tempted to sneak a quick pic with her cell phone. The Facebook posting and resulting comments from her girlfriends would have been priceless.
    Amanda turned back to the fire. A year ago, she would have considered being snowbound with Jake to be pure heaven, but given the brutal finality of their break-up, this situation had disaster written all over it. She watched the flames lick greedily at the dry kindling. After he’d dumped her, she’d vowed to avoid him at all costs. That had been pretty easy to do while he served in Iraq. Not so easy now. The cabin only consisted of four rooms.
    Her stomach grumbled—a not-so-subtle reminder she hadn’t eaten since noon—so she headed to the kitchen in search of food. She peered into the freezer, moving items around until she found two steaks and some frozen asparagus. Coupled with the bottle of Shiraz she’d brought, her find should make for a very nice dinner.
    Forty five minutes later, she loaded two plates and carried them to the living room, returning a few moments later with the wine.
    “Thanks,” Jake said, gazing up at her in surprise. “I figured I’d have to fend for myself.”
    She shrugged and gestured to the bag pressed against his temple. “I thought you might like a steak with those peas.”
    “Hilarious.” He set the vegetables on the table and eyed the steak with lust. “Have we declared a truce?”
    “Let’s not get carried away.” She poured the wine and handed him a glass. “I considered tossing this at you, but it would be a shame to waste such a good bottle of wine.”
    He grinned. “Given your attitude the last couple of hours, you seemed more likely to stab me with this fork than to cook me a steak.” Jake waved the fork, then picked up his knife and dove into the meal with gusto.
    She sipped at her wine and watched him devour his food. Her appetite had vanished and she planned to drink dinner. She couldn’t believe just three hours had passed since he’d