Chapter 14
14
AXTON
I f anyone other than Sheriff Stone were at the door, I would have pitched them headfirst right down the driveway.
He glances over my shoulder as I hear Hazel gasp.
I wave him inside. “Hazel, this is Sheriff Stone. It’s okay. He’s a good guy.”
As soon as Stone realizes that Hazel is fine, the table is set, and we’re clearly about to have dinner, his expression softens. “I’m so sorry to intrude, ma’am. But your father?—”
She holds up her hands. “I know. I’m so sorry. He’s…a control freak.”
“That’s a polite term for it,” he says, cautiously stepping closer. “Raving asshole is another one. There’s other words that I won’t use in front of a lady, but he certainly did.”
“What did he want?” Axton glowers.
The sheriff grimaces. “The only thing I could say to stop him from going completely ballistic was to promise I would come up here and personally check on Hazel. Apparently, he had a report that some giant brute of a man had his daughter under his thrall and brainwashed and…” He trails off and shrugs. “Man, city folk are fucking uptight.”
He nods to Hazel. “I’m sorry, but I also had to promise him that I would have a conversation with you alone.”
She hesitates, looking at me.
“Make it quick,” I mutter to Stone. “Dinner’s coming out of the oven in ten minutes.”
I step outside, closing the door behind me. There’s a lull in the almost constant breeze, and the forest is so silent that I’m able to catch a few phrases from Stone like “free will” and “no coercion” and “voluntarily.”
I can’t catch Hazel’s words, but she’s obviously jumpy. My poor sweet girl. If this ruins her Valentine’s night, I’m going to find her father and…well, I don’t know what, but it’s going to involve some broken bones.
Sheriff Stone opens the door and I come back inside. “Everything okay?” I ask.
“Yes.” Stone shakes his head. “This lovely young lady seems to be perfectly healthy and safe – and about to have a dinner that smells incredible, by the way.” He’s usually a bit of a hard ass, so it’s good to see him chuckling.
“What are you going to tell my father?” Hazel’s voice is high and strained. “You’re not going to give him this address or anything, are you?”
“Hell no. And if I caught him asking around town, I’d kick his ass right back to the highway.” Stone looks between us. “What do you two think I should tell him?”
“ I want to tell him that neither of us gives a flying rat’s ass what he thinks,” I reply promptly. “But let’s be civil. Tell him that Hazel is safe, healthy, and with a man who is completely devoted to her needs. You okay with that, baby?” She smiles and nods gratefully.
Stone smirks. “Shit, Axton. You’ve gone all sappy for Valentine’s Day.”
“Maybe so. But if you tell anyone, I’ll have to shove a boot straight up your?—”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. My lips are sealed. Have a good night, folks.”
I lock the door behind him, then clasp Hazel’s hands, pulling her to the couch. “I was going to tell you this during dinner, but maybe I’ll just get it out of the way now, so we can eat in peace.” My eyes flick dramatically toward the door. “I hope .”
“I’m sorry,” Hazel sighs. “As soon as I can put some distance between me and my father, my life won’t be this dramatic. Really.”
“It’s fine, baby. I just want to tell you that… I didn’t mean to keep anything from you. You assumed that the cabin was my main home, didn’t you?”
She frowns. “Yes.”
“I didn’t realize that at first. I hope this is an acceptable surprise.”
She glances around the space. “Um, yeah. I think I’m okay with all of this.”
“Also… Some things happened back on Wolfe Mountain…” I know I have to spit this out, but I can’t look into her beautiful eyes while I do, so I gaze at the ceiling. “The short version is that my younger brother Scott trusted his friends when he shouldn’t have. He took Pete’s word for it that the ice was thick enough for a snowmobile. Took Dave’s word that they hadn’t been drinking. It all ended with him going through a hole in the ice and drowning. It messed me up and gave me serious trust issues. I swore I’d never rely on anyone again. Not ever.”
Looking back down, it guts me to see that Hazel’s bottom lip is quivering. “It’s okay, baby. I dealt with it a long time ago. I just needed some space from the whole situation, so I came here to a mountain that isn’t run by my family. My great-grandfather, Adler Wolfe, is the namesake behind Wolfe Mountain.”
“Are they a bad family?” she whispers. “I mean, even if they are, I wouldn’t judge you by who you’re related to, just as I hope you won’t do that with me.”
“Actually, they’re amazing. Thanks to them, I’m set up quite well with a very comfortable life. But I still don’t want to rely on them or anyone else ever again.” My fingers thread through hers. “But I want you to rely on me, Hazel. I need to be your man more than I’ve needed anything else in my life. I want you to move in here and let me love you with all my heart forever.”
I hadn’t realized those words were coming. They just popped out.
Hazel’s bottom lip quivers again as she blinks rapidly. “You don’t have to decide immediately,” I say gently. “Take your time. Stay for a week, see what happens?—”
“I can’t believe you just said that,” she whispers.
Leaning forward, I kiss the tip of her nose. “Well, I guess I should say it properly, especially considering what day it is. I love you, Hazel.”
Her eyes are slightly misty. “I love you, too.”
A bell rings in the kitchen, making her jump, then we both laugh. “I guess that’s the signal to shake off all the seriousness?” I ask.
“Sure.”
“Good. Let’s have a fantastic dinner and think about all the wonderful ways you can tell off your father when you call him later.”
For the first time ever, I see Hazel’s eyes narrow with anger. “There is going to be some spicy language in that conversation.”
“Awesome. Maybe I can teach you a few choice phrases first.”