Between the hot bath and wine, Taylor was feeling warm inside and out. The snow squall outside cocooned the two of them inside the cozy cabin with the warm heat from the crackling fire in the fireplace.

Not only that, but Taylor had a handsome man to talk with. He was not only handsome, he was interesting. She wanted to know more about him, but she was also willing to talk about herself.

“First of all,” Brayden said. “Why are you traipsing around in the woods?”

“I wasn’t traipsing. Maybe I was hiking.”

“Hiking my ass. Anyone who wears designer boots in the snow and a wool pea coat is traipsing.”

She chuckled. “Okay. I wasn’t hiking.”

“But you won’t admit to traipsing.”

“I’m still thinking about it.”

“Fair enough. Let me ask you a different way. What were you doing walking around out there? And off the trail at that.”

“I was looking for shapeshifters.”

Brayden nearly strangled on the sip of wine he’d just taken.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“No. I’m serious.”

“You really thought you’d see a shapeshifter?”

“Well, no. Not really. I was going to, you know, kind of check it out and see if it looked possible, then come back with a camera crew.”

“A camera crew?”

“Yeah. I need a story. Something that’s real news.”

“Why?”

“Michael suggested the shapeshifters. He said there had been sightings around here.”

“No. Why do you need real news?” Brayden glanced at the clock, then clicked the remote to turn on the television. He muted it and turned back to face her. “But you do the weather.”

“Yeah, but nobody wants to make a career out of doing the weather.”

“Is that so?” He flipped to the Weather Channel.

Taylor winced. “Oh no. That doesn’t count.”

Taylor had applied to The Weather Channel, several times, in fact, but hadn’t gotten so much as an interview. Another confirmation that she needed to make a change if she wanted to move ahead in her career.

Brayden flipped back to the local channel. Taylor watched as Becky Jackson, the girl filling in for her this week, predicted a sunny day tomorrow.

“Seriously?” Taylor looked at Brayden. “Sunshine tomorrow.”

“You disagree?”

“Don’t you?”

“When did you last look at a Doppler?”

“Hours ago, before I left to drive up here.”

“When do you think she last checked the Doppler?”

“She’s probably looking at it now.”

“Let’s make a bet.” He held up his glass. “If it’s still snowing tomorrow, you can declare yourself the best weather girl in the Colorado Rockies.”

Taylor laughed. It wouldn’t be a bad distinction to hold. Weather wasn’t the easiest thing to predict in the mountains. “Okay. Deal.” She sipped her wine.

And tried to remember when she’d had such an enjoyable afternoon.