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did you take it into your head to drive up here in a Sno-Cat by yourself?”
    She pressed her hands together and lowered her eyes. “I don’t know, except that I have a tractor at home and I thought I could do it. So I just did. I had no idea this would happen. You said the weather was clear.” She threw a glance in the direction of the window and the fog that swirled just outside the glass. “If you’re a weatherman, how come you didn’t know about this fog?”
    “I did know about it. I called Fred to tell him not to come up, but he didn’t answer, then his line was busy and then no answer. When I talked to you at noon there was no fog. It was clear from here to Vermont.”
    She stared at the window in disbelief. “Can you really see that far?”
    “Farther. If it clears up in the morning, I’ll show you.”
    Now it was her turn to look him over with narrowed eyes, and he had the feeling she was still trying to decide whether to stay or not, despite what he’d told her.
    He exhaled loudly. “Look, Ms. Morrison... Miranda, you’re stuck here for the night, whether you like it or not. I didn’t ask you to come up here. Okay, maybe I wanted to see if you’d really do it, but as you recall, I told you to leave the boots at the bottom of the mountain.”
    “But Fred said you were running out of food.”
    He took his jacket off. “Do I look like I’m starving?”
    “No, of course not.” She tucked a strand of her thick straight hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what I was thinking, except that it would be fun to drive a Sno-Cat. And now you’re stuck with me. I’m really sorry.”
    She looked up at him with liquid brown eyes and he felt a twinge of guilt for coming down so hard on her. But dammit, how was he supposed to know how to act around unexpected company, especially a woman whom he’d never expected to see in person? No wonder he’d made a mess of it. Awkwardly Max put his hand on her shoulder.
    “Don’t be sorry. I’m glad to have the company.” It was true. He felt an unexpected current in the air that wasn’t there before she arrived. “And I appreciate your bringing the boots.” He felt her stiffen and he took his hand off her shoulder as casually as he could, before he offended her further by sliding his fingers across her shoulders to see if she was really wearing that long underwear under everything. “Well,” he said brusquely, taking a package of frozen shrimp out of the bag and holding it up. “What’ll it be?”
    “Whatever you say. I’ve never had either one before.”
    He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What about blackened redfish?”
    “I’ve heard of it. Isn’t that Cajun cooking? I thought you were from Georgia.”
    Startled, he turned from the freezer to look at her. “How did you know that?”
    A flush crept up her cheeks and turned them bright pink. “Your accent?”
    He frowned. “I thought I’d lost it.”
    “You have,” she admitted. “Fred told me.”
    “I suppose he told you about my inheritance and how he questions my sanity for working here.”
    “Well…”
    “I did inherit some money from my favorite uncle last year but that doesn’t mean I’m going to live like some bon vivant in a condo in Palm Beach like he did. I like my job. I like the mountains and I like the solitude. Now that we have that out of the way…” He handed her a bag of frozen okra and a large cleaver. “We’ll have gumbo then. Can you chop these up for me?”
    She didn’t answer. She just stood there for a long moment in her stockinged feet, weighing the cleaver in her hand and looking at him before she started chopping.  He opened a can of tomatoes and heated olive oil in a pot. The kitchen was so small he kept brushing against her when he went to the sink or the stove. It was strange working around someone. Maybe strange wasn’t the right word. It was more... distracting. He could tell her to take a break and he’d take over. He really didn’t need her