Chapter 1
CHAPTER
ONE
Tessa Callahan rotated her head as she drove.
The heavy Chicago traffic had fried her nerves.
She should have left the city sooner, but she just couldn't get herself organized enough to do so.
Her meeting with her boss ran later than she'd hoped.
He said he understood her need for a leave of absence, then proceeded to extract a date for her return.
She'd finally broken down in tears, which effectively pushed him back.
In the end, she left with an open return date of sometime in October.
Now, three hours later, the traffic finally dissipated, and the road turned into a two-lane country road.
Quaint roadside stands selling apples, cherries, syrup, apple cider, jams, and jelly now greeted her.
Antique shops dotted the roadway in between.
A sign to horseback ride greeted her around the next corner.
"I just might try that," she said aloud.
Her SUV climbed a hill easily, and the little stands and antique stores were no longer set up, due to the rocky hills dotted with resilient trees determined to grow. As soon as she crested the hill, her shoulders relaxed.
The sun was just beginning to set on Copper Moon harbor, and it was breathtaking.
It truly was copper colored as the sun's final rays teased the water below.
The copper-colored water was dotted with white boats, and the rippling caused by their bobbing in the water created a kaleidoscope of colors reflected on the buildings along the water's edge.
"Wow."
She swallowed to wet her throat and slowed her descent on the other side of the hill to see the little town below.
Most of the buildings were painted white with various colors of shutters and front doors.
Little clothing stores, several little bars, and two hotels extended down Main Street.
She turned right at the stop sign and slowly navigated between the people crossing the road and cars trying to pull away from the side of the road.
The town was bustling, but nothing like Chicago.
This bustling seemed to take on a slower pace.
The speed of vacationers hurrying to the beach was far different than the helter-skelter of city life.
The road turned to the left, and she navigated another hill as the little town of Copper Moon faded into her rearview mirror. Her GPS said, Turn left in 200 feet.
She watched for the sign to the cabin she'd rented. The pictures of it made her feel far more peaceful than she'd felt in years. The kitchen looked like it had been well loved, and she couldn't wait to make a cup of tea and sit on the little deck and watch the water.
She turned left on White Gull Lane. Her GPS instructed her that her destination was ahead. She grinned. "No kidding."
The road narrowed to one lane. Trees connected over the top of it, shading it completely, and she already felt cozy.
As she rounded another corner, the driveway appeared at the end of the road, and she sighed.
The little white cabin stood out against the waning sunlight and the deep cover of trees.
She pulled to a stop next to a pickup truck and wondered if that was the owner here to greet her.
They'd given her a code to open the door, but perhaps something had to be done on it inside before she arrived.
Either way, it would be nice to meet the people she was renting from.
She understood they were older and lived nearby.
She stepped from her vehicle and stretched. It had taken her four and a half hours to get here from Chicago, which wasn't too bad. Door County, Wisconsin, had always been a place she'd hoped to visit. She’d had colleagues tell her it was beautiful. It was too bad she arrived a bundle of nerves.
She pulled her suitcase from the back seat of her SUV and rolled it to the door. She tapped in the code and heard the beep. Opening the door, she was greeted by the soft sounds of country music.
"Hello?" she called out.
Pulling her suitcase inside, she tentatively stepped farther into the cottage. A door opened to her right, and a man wearing only a towel stepped out. They stood staring at each other, both shocked, neither able to say a word.
The man was massive. His arms were tattooed and muscular. He stood about six foot four inches. His broad chest had a dusting of blonde hair twinkling in the dim light. His eyes were a light blue. And right now, they looked angry. Maybe surprised.
Unable to stop herself, she let her eyes travel down his body, noting he only had a white towel slung low around his waist. His bare feet had dots of water on them.
She scanned his body on the way up and noted his hair, though buzzed short on the sides and back, but longer on top, like a high and tight, looked damp.
"Hel...hello," she managed.
"Hello," he replied cautiously.
She swallowed. "I...My name...Who are you?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
"I asked first."
His brows shot up, and he turned to face her. He set his stance wide, and the sheer size of him blocked the entire hallway.
"I'm Tessa Callahan."
He took a deep breath. "Okay, Tessa Callahan. I'm Brian Knight." He crossed his arms over his broad chest, and she worried the towel would fall off. She wasn't hoping it would. She worried about it. He continued. "Now, please tell me why you are in my house."
"I rented it. This is your house? The owners are old. The rental company told me they were elderly."
"The former owners are elderly. I'm the new owner. I don't rent my cabin out."
"But I paid in full."
"Sorry."
"I don't have anywhere else to go."
"Again, this is my house. I'm not taking any renters, and if you paid in full, you didn't pay me."
"But what will I do?"
He took a deep breath and scraped his hands through his damp hair. "Do you have a phone number for this rental company?"
Her hands shook as she reached into her purse and pulled her phone from inside. She tapped the contact information she had for the company. "It's Copper Moon Rentals."
Turning her phone, she showed him the information. He responded with, "Call them."
She swallowed the large knot in her throat.
She was beginning to shake more, and tears threatened to spill.
Exhaustion, a horrible meeting with her boss, a long, harried drive, and now this; it was all coming to a head.
She tapped the call icon, then tapped the speaker icon so this bully could hear the rental company tell him this was her place.
"Copper Moon Rentals. This is Jake."
"Hi...Hi Jake. This is Tessa Callahan. I rented the Crystal Cottage from you. Do you have the paperwork there?"
"Sure, hang on." Papers rustled, and she waited as her knees began to shake. This big oaf could at least have some manners and let her sit down.
"Sure, Tessa. I have your rental papers here. You've rented it for two months, paid in full. I see we did send you the code to get inside. Is there an issue?"
"Yes. There's a giant standing in front of me, telling me it's his home."
"A giant?"
Finally, Brian spoke. "My name is Brian Knight. I own this property. I inherited it from Mr. & Mrs. Matthews. I took possession last month."
"Can I put you both on hold while I touch base with the Matthews?"
She nodded. "Yes."
Brian stood in front of her, apparently unwilling to let her any farther inside.
Also, he seemed unconcerned about putting clothes on.
She glanced at the place on the towel where the tiny piece of fabric was tucked into the side.
It didn't look like it could last much longer. She wondered if he cared.
"Thank you for holding. So it seems the Matthews deeded the land over to Mr. Knight, and the property is his. They are sorry, they forgot to let us know. Both of them are quite old, and Mr. Matthews is suffering from dementia, so this was forgotten. I'm so sorry for the confusion."
She swallowed again. "What am I to do? Do you have another place I can stay? Transfer my payment over to another place?"
"I'm sorry, we don't have any openings right now."
"But I paid. Where will I go?"
Jake kept his tone low. "I know this is unorthodox, but Mr. Knight, will you let Ms. Callahan stay with you? I'll send you the funds she paid first thing in the morning."
"I don't take in renters."
"I understand. But there isn't another place available in town this weekend. It's the annual craft fair."
She glanced up into Brian's eyes. Hers instantly teared up and her shoulders slumped. She didn't want to sleep in her car. And she'd have to wait for the return of her money anyway.