Chapter Six
Mitch
Standing in the shadows, I watched them both exit the car and walk toward the house, Leo’s flashlight showing their way. The moon’s reappearance made them easier to see. One light, one dark—they were a complete contrast.
Leo Taylor.
There was something about him that consistently drew me in. I found him so easy to talk to, which came as quite a surprise, considering how I’d not wanted to talk to anyone since Katie had died. I wanted to get to know him better, find out why he’d returned to Melrose Bay, which was also another first for me. Normally, I didn’t give a rat’s ass about people or their opinion, but him… I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what made him different, and I purposely refused to look too deeply into why.
Then, of course, there was Gabriel Sanchez, such a total opposite in every conceivable way. Brash, and so damn arrogant, all I wanted to do half the time was punch him in the face. And I’d been so close today, when he’d smugly advised me he owned as much of the house as I did, my anger had scared me. Forcing myself to go for his stomach, instead, to make my point and not cause any real damage in the process.
My grip tightened on the shovel I’d been using to clear out the horse stalls, the wooden handle creaking under the pressure I exerted. No fucking way would the cabin ever be his. Ever. It’s ours, Katie’s and mine.
Bit by bit, I managed to calm down. No one got under my skin the way Sanchez did. One smart comment out of his mouth and the full, sensuous lips I repeatedly stared at, and the red mist descended. I needed to stop letting him get to me, or I’d blow wide open and never recover. Him, I definitely didn’t want to get to know.
Wait a second…full and sensuous lips?
What on earth? Perhaps, being alone so long had finally turned my brain to mush if I was thinking anything positive about the guy. And yet, I continued to watch them both as they walked in the snow.
Not one, both.
They disappeared into the cabin, leaving me in the kind of eerie silence only heavy snowfall brought. Usually, I found the quiet settling, a comforting heavy blanket enveloping me, but not tonight. The peacefulness I craved wasn’t happening and deep down I recognized my restlessness had to do with the two men taking off their coats and about to relax on my couch.
They’d come with the sole aim of getting me to sell, but I’d never allow their pressure to break me. I’d invested my whole life here, though with me being behind on the mortgage and the bank talking foreclosure, I wasn't sure how long I had left. Even so, there were too many memories etched into the fabric of our home for me to ever think about giving up without a fight. This had been our dream, together, mine and Katie’s. We’d planned on restoring the barns and stables for storing our gear, as well as building the lakeside cabins, allowing us to rent them out in the summer when the forest and its views were at their most stunning. We’d also planned on setting up a small campsite for ecological-minded tourists, or offering guided trail rides for kids in foster care or whose parents couldn’t afford to take their children on vacation, and who needed it the most.
I refused to give all that up or let Katie down again.
It would be the end of me.
Our dream was all I had left.
Turning my back on the cabin and the men inside, I pushed down all the emotion threatening to overwhelm me. I had work to do before retreating into the warmth. Work, because of them and their interfering, I’d neglected far too much today. With so much to do, I had to push everything else out, keep my focus on the one thing I did control, however futile, which is to keep this place going, keep our dream going. Moving away from the darkness I headed back inside the stables.
A couple hours later, and with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I braced for the evening ahead. I reluctantly opened the front door and stepped inside. Comforting warmth washed over me from the open fire blazing away. The dogs instantly stood from where they had laid in front of the flames, happy to see me.
“Hey, boys,” I greeted them. “Were you staying warm by the fire while Daddy does all the work?” Their tails wagged like a couple of windshield wipers on high as their noses snuffled at my hands. “Good boys. Daddy’s good boys.”
Removing my boots, cap, and jacket, the smell of cooking food hit my senses, instantly bringing back memories of when I’d get in from work and Katie would have had dinner ready. Deliberately forcing the memory away, I pushed down the anger coiling in my belly at someone invading her space, remembering the agreement I made with Leo to try to be civil.
Civil. In my own damn house.
“Oh, hi.” Leo appeared from the kitchen, giving me a nervous smile. “I, um, hope you don’t mind.” He gestured behind him. “We got hungry and”—he shuffled uncomfortably from foot to foot—“as you were out, I thought…we thought, we’d make some food.
“We?”
He swallowed. “Y-yes. Gabe and me. We made dinner.”
He stood there, a deer caught in the headlights, and in spite of my annoyance with them both—well, Sanchez mostly, moving around the house as if he owned the place—my stomach had other ideas and let out a long, loud growl.
Leo’s grin lit up the room. “Sounds like you’re hungry too.”
“Guess so,” I grudgingly admitted. “I need to shower first. I’m covered in horse manure and straw.” Leo wrinkled his nose, and I laughed. Damn city boys who never got used to the realities of country life. “Give me fifteen minutes.”
He beamed at me, warming me right through. “Sure. It’s a stew of some sort. Gabe took over.”
Course he did. I impressed myself by not actually spitting the words out loud; instead, I nodded and went into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me and letting out a sigh of relief at having some time to get my head securely in the game.
As agreed, fifteen minutes later, I entered the kitchen and stopped dead. The table I’d hardly used for the last four years had been formally laid with cutlery, napkins, and glasses, both water and wine. The food smelled unbelievable, and I reluctantly had to give Gabriel Sanchez his due credit. If the meal he made tasted as delicious as it smelled, he was a mighty fine cook, considering the simple food staples I had in my cupboards.
Leo stood on the other side of the kitchen, cutting up large chunks of bread into a bowl, leaving me to focus on the man I considered the enemy. As if he sensed me staring, Gabe turned his head to look over his shoulder at me, eyebrows raised in question.
“Dinner will be another ten minutes,” he said after I offered nothing. “Why don’t you go do whatever you normally do, and Leo will call you when the food is on the table.”
In other words, go away.
Not a chance.
I went to the refrigerator, took out a beer and, after twisting the cap off, threw it at the trash can beside Gabe. It missed. I pulled out a couple chairs from underneath the table and sitting down, raised my left leg to rest on the edge of the table, and placed my right foot on the other chair. Taking a long drink of beer, I savored the hoppy feel of the craft ale and smacked my lips. “I’m good here, thanks,” I responded airily, and the way he clenched his jaw, I almost heard his teeth grinding together. Other than that, he barely reacted, only gave a nod, and an insincere smirk before concentrating on the contents of the pot he was stirring.
Leo came over, placing the bread on the table. “I told him,” he whispered to me. “I wanted to wait until you came back, but you were gone awhile, and I didn’t see the point in not saying we weren’t leaving, considering it’s all he asked about.”
It was a shame I’d missed the conversation as I’d loved to have seen the look of horror on his face when he worked out he’d be stuck with me for the next few days but found I wasn’t overly annoyed. Go me!
I waved him off. “No problem, I understand.”
His look of disbelief almost made me smile.
“Honest.” I beckoned him in closer and whispered, “How’d he take it?”
“You do get it’s not like on the TV shows, right?” Sanchez interrupted, making us both look at him. “Simply because I’m more than three feet away, doesn’t mean I can’t hear what you two are saying.” He turned toward me. “And just so you know,” he gave me another insincere grin. “I’m fine with it.” He once again returned his attention to the stove, humming softly.
My attention returned to Leo, a resigned expression on his face. “He’s fine with it.”
Hmmm.
I wasn’t, but I’d already vented my anger at my old colleagues in the forest service on the phone so had a bit more time to get used to the idea. And shoveling horse shit for a few hours, kind of puts things into perspective.
“Good. I’m glad.”
Leo released a long breath, both relieved and surprised at my laid-back attitude. “Okay. Great.” He made his way over to the wine rack, pulled out a bottle, and quirked an eyebrow, silently asking if he was okay to take it. I nodded. I mean, why the hell not? These people had invaded my home, my life, my privacy, so sure, go ahead and raid my pantry and the wine collection I’d built up over the last few years while they were at it?
Leo uncorked the wine and poured himself and Gabe a glass of one of my better reds. At least he had good taste. He offered one to me, but I shook my head.
“I’ll stick with beer, thanks.”
Between them, they served up the food ten minutes later, and then we all sat awkwardly around the table. Two of us on one side and Gabe the other, so I guessed Leo had decided we needed a barrier between me and him. He was probably right. We ate in complete silence, the occasional sound of someone chewing or a fork hitting a plate the only sound.
Awkward didn’t cut it.
The one thing making the meal bearable was the food: some sort of Spanish meat stew. Annoyingly, the tender beef in a tomato and red wine sauce, tasted absolutely delicious, though I’d never tell him so, of course. He already had enough of an inflated opinion of himself, and he certainly didn’t need his ego puffed up any more or we’d never fit in the cabin.
Already near to finishing my meal, I eyed up the stew remaining in the cookpot, determined not to give Gabe the satisfaction of watching me serve myself another helping, despite wanting to enjoy more of the delicious food.
Leo had finished his smaller portion a few minutes ago and currently sipped his wine. He took another before he turned to me. “How is this going to work, exactly?”
I frowned. “This?”
“This.” And he waved a finger in a circle indicating the three of us. “Where are we going to sleep for starters? You only have one bedroom and one bed.”
Still trying to wrap my head around having them here for the next three or so days, I hadn’t had time yet to figure out the logistics of our living arrangements.
Another sip of beer gave me a moment to formulate a solution. “The dogs can sleep in with me and you two can take the couch. It turns into a full-size bed.” I let that tidbit sink in for a second before adding, “You’ll have to share.”
“Share?” Leo repeated.
“What the hell?” Gabriel ground out.
I lounged in my seat, continuing to sip my beer. This was way more fun than getting to hear Leo tell Gabriel they were stuck here for days. I half shrugged my shoulders. “It’s entirely up to you, of course. One of you can take the bed and one can sleep in the chair. Or…” I regarded Gabe. “You could always sleep in the Jeep as you appear to enjoy it in there so much.”
“You bastard.” Gabe rapidly stood, pushing his chair away on the wooden floor, the scraping sounding loud in the kitchen. His eyes flashed as he leaned into me over the table. “You think this is a joke? We’re stuck here. All of us fucking stuck here for God knows how long, and you think it’s a fucking joke?” He balled up the napkin he held in his fist and threw it on the table before turning to Leo. “You have the sofa.” He stalked to the countertop and grabbed Leo’s car keys. “I’ll take the fucking Jeep with pleasure. Anything to get away from this—” He raised his voice. “—shitty—” He continued. “—cabin.” And stomped out of the kitchen and straight through the front door.
“Fuck,” Leo cursed softly, casting me a reproachful look. I hated Sanchez. Really hated him for what he’d turned me into. I wasn’t that person but seemed unable to keep from behaving badly whenever we were in the same room. Watching him leave, after graciously giving up the sofa and warm fire to Leo, made me feel like the bastard he said I was. I could blame my actions on the fact I resented him for stealing half my property right out from under me, but I’d be lying. I was being an ass because for the first time since Katie died I’d been forced into a social environment I hadn’t been prepared for. I’d rarely allowed anyone to visit the cabin, in years, and now these two men were in my private space, and them being here made me realize how much I’d missed having people around. They were thawing out the ice I had running through my veins, and I had no clue how to handle it.
Leo’s calm, soothing presence kept drawing me out, making me smile, allowing me to lower my guard a few times.
Whereas Sanchez fought me at every turn, relished the challenge even, and I fell into his trap every single time. It was like he persisted in poking me with an extremely sharp stick, continually digging the point in at different angles, so I had no way to determine where he’d stab me next, only react to him each time he made contact. Although I’d never admit to enjoying our encounters, I did relish the fire he stoked between us.
Despite how alive they made me feel, I still needed them gone. Both of them. Preferring my life when I buried everything deep, deep down in my soul. Them being here confused me, forced me to think, to react, to fight through the apathy and indifference I’d sunk into, and I couldn’t cope. I needed to remain numb inside, or I’d never survive the rest of my life.
However, that didn’t excuse me for being an asshole.
“I’ll clean up,” Leo murmured, rising from his chair. Quieter than either Sanchez or me, he gave the impression of wanting to keep from being noticed. It didn’t work, as one look and he was permanently etched into my brain. For a big guy, he moved fluidly across the kitchen, barely making a sound as he collected the dirty plates and placed them in the sink.
He didn’t say another word, and I didn’t like his silence. I didn’t know the guy at all, yet him thinking badly of me didn’t sit well. For some strange reason, I didn’t want to disappoint him, which was odd, as normally, I didn’t care who I disappointed, but him…
I released a long, frustrated sigh. “I’ll go speak to him, apologize.”
It took forever until he answered, and I’d already gotten up to leave when he spoke. “Why do you do it?” he asked, turning around to face me, the upset clear in his deep blue eyes. “Why do you provoke him so much?”
I shifted awkwardly at his discomfort.
“It’s not been eight hours, and I’m not sure I can do this for another eight seconds, let alone a few or more days.”
The expression on his face nearly broke me, but I steeled myself not to react to his feelings, resorting to anger instead. “He now owns half my property. Half , Leo. Do you understand how much that affects me?” Leo shook his head. “My parents lived in this cabin all their married lives. As did my father’s parents before him. I was born here, and after Dad died intended to live here with my wife for the rest of mine.” I turned away, no longer able to look at him at the mention of Katie. “When I decided not to sell, he didn’t give up.” I planted my feet and crossed my arms, needing to feel on solid ground, needing to feel strong. “What did he do? He went behind my back to my brother and coerced him into selling instead.” Okay, while that statement might not strictly be true, I had no proof otherwise, except Gabe’s verbal confirmation.
I walked over and stood in front of Leo, staring directly into his eyes. “Next, he waltzed in here and told me he owns fifty percent of what I put my blood, sweat, and tears into for the last five years. He owns fifty percent of my memories; fifty percent of my fucking life, and you wonder why I get angry? Why I resent the fact he’s here on my land and in my home?” My chest rose and fell rapidly as emotion threatened to take hold. But Leo had asked, and I was damn well going to answer. “Isn’t that enough?” He didn’t move, didn’t respond. “Well, isn’t it?” I shouted at him, making him flinch. His slight tilt of the head signified he might finally have got the message.
He tentatively placed his hand on my arm, his touch warm and comforting. “I’m sorry I didn’t take the time to fully understand.” He rubbed my forearm. “It won’t happen again.” He stepped away, leaving me feeling cold all over when he released me. “I’ll go speak to Gabe, somehow figure out a way to get us out of here tomorrow morning and leave you in peace.”
He went to walk away but halted at my “Wait a second.” I had to stop from taking a step toward him, the instinct to be close so strong. I scrubbed a hand over my hair. “I’ll go and bring him inside.”
“You sure? I don’t mind.”
I shook my head. “It’s my mess. I should clean it up.”
He gave a small nod. “Okay,” he replied, before returning to washing the dishes.
Moving past him, I stopped when I drew level with him. “Thank you,” I said softly, “for listening.”
He glanced over his shoulder at me, his sweet smile making my breath hitch unexpectedly.
“You’re welcome.”