Chapter 2 #2
Given the easy way she’d climbed into his truck and started a conversation without a second’s hesitation, he suspected she probably charmed the hell out of all the guests who came to visit the farm.
More than that, she probably had a dozen young men all swarming around, fighting to claim her.
He wasn’t about to toss his hat in that ring, although the thought of her with another man actually had him growling.
The sound captured Mila’s attention, and he cleared his throat in an attempt to play it off as a cough.
She only paused for a moment, then started talking about the stables on the farm and how many horses they had. “Remi leads trail rides, and I’m sure she’d love to show you around the mountain if you’re fond of riding.”
Boone nodded noncommittally, letting her continue to carry the conversation.
He recalled watching Mila teetering on that ladder as he was climbing out of the truck.
He’d taken off running, certain he wouldn’t reach her before she tumbled.
He didn’t want to think about how hurt she might have been if he hadn’t been there to break the fall.
The thought of her injured had him seeing red.
Jesus Christ. He’d just met the woman, and he was overwhelmed by the desire to keep her safe.
He wasn’t surprised by that impulse. Boone was a born protector.
His mother used to say he’d missed his century, claiming he was most likely a knight in a previous life, the kind of man who fought to the death to protect his woman.
He’d been that way with his ex, Lena, and she’d accused him of smothering her because of it.
Ever since Lena walked out on him and Sadie, those protective instincts had transferred to his daughter. And only her.
No other woman had stirred this desire in over a decade, and Boone didn’t like it, didn’t want a complication like Mila interrupting his well-ordered life.
“That’s the road to my farmhouse,” Mila continued, oblivious to his inner turmoil. “I live there with my sisters, Remi and Nora.”
Obviously, he was tired from the drive and stressed about the move and Sadie’s bad fucking attitude. Those were the only excuses he could come up with for this instant desire to claim Mila Storm and make her his.
He was typically accomplished at keeping his libido under control.
Not that he lived like a monk. In Williamsburg, he’d known a couple of women who were okay with occasional hookups, neither of them interested in relationships.
They were nice women, but emotions hadn’t been involved.
He hated the term fuck buddies, but that’s all his past liaisons could be classified as.
And even those hookups were few and far between, because it wasn’t like he was going to have sex at his place with Sadie sleeping down the hall.
There was something about Mila, however, that had his dick stirring with more than just a casual interest. She was the type of woman a man would keep in his bed for a good long time.
With so much blood residing south of the border, his dick was currently functioning as his brain, reminding him that while he wasn’t looking for love, slaking his lust was a different matter.
Jesus. Get a grip, Hansen.
He might not answer to Mila directly, but she was practically one of his new bosses, so there would be no casual hookups with her. Once he got more settled in his new job, he’d start looking around to see what Gracemont offered in the way of women who were fine with no-strings-attached affairs.
Mila was off-limits.
Because she was too young.
Because she was a Storm.
Because she was dangerous. There was no room in his life for any other woman than Sadie. She had to be his top priority, had to come first. He’d made that vow to himself after Lena abandoned them when their daughter was just two years old.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, his jaw tightened when he saw Sadie slumped back in the seat, staring out the window, though he doubted she was listening to anything Mila was saying either, that too-familiar scowling sulk on her face.
The same guilt he’d felt since accepting this job swamped him, but he was resolute in his decision to move to Gracemont, certain it wasn’t just him who would benefit from a fresh start.
Sadie had made a new best friend, Stella, at the end of the last school year, and she had not been a positive influence on his daughter.
Stella had a smart mouth, didn’t take her schoolwork seriously, and basically got away with bloody murder with her inattentive parents. If he’d had to hear Sadie complain one more time that Stella’s parents always let her…fill in the fucking blank…he figured he’d go out of his goddamn mind.
Separating her from Stella had felt like the solution to something that was becoming a big problem.
Of course, now she was pissed as shit at him for dragging her to this small town and away from all her friends in the middle of the school year.
She’d raged for weeks when he’d told her they were moving, and when she finally ran out of angry words about how he was “ruining her life,” she turned to silence.
Strangely, he preferred the shouting to the quiet.
It had been a long, wordless drive from Williamsburg to Gracemont today, but it didn’t matter what he did to try to convince Sadie this change would be great for both of them. She wasn’t having any of it.
Boone, on the other hand, was more hopeful. Because between spoiled Stella and the fact his ex, Lena, had moved to Florida last year with the latest in a long line of boyfriends, Boone realized there was absolutely nothing holding him in Williamsburg.
When Levi called to offer him the position of vineyard manager at Stormy Weather Farm, it felt like the answer to a prayer, a new beginning for him and Sadie.
“Here we are,” Mila said, pulling him from his wayward thoughts.
Boone was pleasantly surprised by how quaint the cabin looked.
The word cabin itself had him thinking rustic and perhaps even a bit run-down, but this small home, fashioned from logs, was beautiful.
It was tucked in the woods, providing privacy, but someone had taken the time to cut down just enough trees that visitors would have a stunning view of the valley from the front porch.
“Come on.” Mila hopped out of the truck excitedly. Her enthusiasm wormed its way into him, and even Sadie, who for the first time since they’d hit the road this morning, seemed mildly intrigued.
Mila led them up the four steps, stopping and turning on the porch to point out the view.
“Wait until fall. The colors are so beautiful, you’ll never want to go inside.
On that side of the house, just around the corner, there’s a firepit that will be perfect for roasting marshmallows and making s’mores when the weather warms up. ”
Unlocking the door, she handed Boone the key, then dangled a second key chain, looking at him, then tilting his head toward his daughter, seeking permission.
Boone nodded his head once, and Mila turned, offering Sadie her own front door key.
Sadie smiled slightly when she looked at the tiny crocheted kitten attached to her key chain.
“Didn’t know if you liked cats,” Mila said to his daughter. “If not, just let me know and I’ll crochet you a different animal.”
Sadie lifted her gaze from the key chain. “You made this for me?”
“I might have a wee crocheting addiction. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say yarn addiction. I own way too much,” Mila joked.
“Thanks,” Sadie said, and this time her smile was genuine, one that Boone hadn’t seen in months. Some of the weight crushing his chest lifted.
Unfortunately, this unwanted attraction to Mila was now laced with gratitude, because she’d managed—in less than twenty minutes—to bring back a bit of the daughter he’d been missing.
The three of them walked inside, and Boone decided the charm of the outside of the cabin was more than matched by the interior.
The entrance brought them straight into the great room, which consisted of a large living room, separated from the kitchen by an island, as well as a dining nook tucked inside a bay window that offered a view of the surrounding woods at the rear of the house.
There was a stone fireplace on one wall, a big-screen TV on another, a vase of flowers in the center of the table, and a plush rug on the floor in front of the couch.
The entire place was warm and cozy, and it was clear someone had taken care to make it special for them.
No. Not someone.
Mila.
If the word home had a picture beside it in the dictionary, it would be this room.
When Levi offered Boone the job, he said it came with furnished living accommodations, which had been a very nice perk.
It hadn’t been hard for Boone to say goodbye to his old furniture, a combination of cheap Goodwill buys and IKEA stuff that decorated the apartment he and Sadie shared.
None of it had held any sentimental value, so he’d simply called up Habitat for Humanity and donated it all.
“I put a few essentials in the kitchen, like condiments, bread, coffee, eggs, milk…stuff like that. Just to hold you over until you can make it to the grocery store. And I’ve included a sample pack of Rain or Shine beer and a few bottles of our wine for you to try.”
“You didn’t need to do that,” Boone said.
“Oh, it was no problem at all. Your room is over here,” Mila said to Sadie, guiding her to a door on the right side of the cabin. Boone followed, so he was close enough to hear Sadie’s soft gasp as they entered.
“This is mine?”
He understood his daughter’s surprise. The room was double the size of her previous one, and instead of a twin bed, Sadie would now be sleeping in a four-poster queen.