Chapter 3
3
KINGSTON
G od, this woman was amazing. Not only did she get a lot of answers right, but she looked like a goddess doing it.
She’d kicked off her shoes and sat cross-legged, both socked feet on the cushion. Her hair was pulled over to the side as she sat back, relaxed and happy.
We’d both finished our meals, but neither of us had made a move to get up, even though the show ended long ago. Instead, she’d poured her second glass of wine while I polished off my second beer as we got to know each other.
“Pre-med,” she said. “Well, I was going to be a doctor, then a nurse, then maybe a vet. And finally, I just dropped out.”
I blinked in surprise. That progression sounded unusual. But “usual” was not a word I’d associate with Delta. Even her name was extraordinary. I’d been excited to finally learn it when she introduced herself during a commercial break. It had been a little hard to believe I’d sat in her cabin for a full ten minutes without knowing her name.
No, Delta was anything but normal. She was unique. Intriguing. The kind of woman you wanted to get to know. She was a woman who’d pulled up two TV trays for our first date and put on a game show her grandma watched.
Was this a date? I didn’t know if it qualified as one, but I sure as hell wanted it to be.
“College wasn’t for me,” she said. “I didn’t even enjoy the partying. I don’t know, I guess I just can’t see putting my entire living in the hands of some company or hospital or whatever.”
“So, you work for yourself now?” I asked. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
“Yeah.” She let out a laugh and took a long sip of wine before continuing. “It’s not exactly the highest-paying work. Not to complain. It lets me pursue my real passion.”
Now we were getting down to it. I was guessing she was a writer, maybe a singer. Yes, I could definitely see her sitting with a guitar, making music.
“Bees,” she said.
Or at least that’s what I heard. I nearly choked on the swig of beer I was swallowing. I quickly regrouped.
“Bees?” I asked.
“No, beads.” She held up her left arm to display a bracelet in a variety of eye-popping colors. “There’s an art to making jewelry out of them. But the supplies are expensive, and I barely sell enough online to break even. Being able to stay here for free is a huge help.”
He wasn’t paying her to house-sit? Didn’t house sitters usually get paid?
“I don’t have my own store yet, though. That’s a whole thing.”
“A shop? I’d bet you’d do well with a storefront in this town.”
“A storefront would be way too expensive, although I have thought about asking one of the local gift shops if I can put my stuff there on consignment.”
I didn’t know how any of that worked, but I did know enough people in this town that I could help her. I definitely wanted to help her, but I didn’t want to make promises I couldn’t keep. Maybe I’d do stuff behind the scenes and let her know if anything sounded promising.
“It’ll all work out,” she said. “I’m thinking about doing some ride-share driving too. There’s none of that in this town, and we’re really too far from an airport for me to do all that well, but I’m looking into it.”
The thought of this beautiful woman picking up strangers and driving them around bothered me. I had no right to be bothered by it, but I was anyway.
The surge of protectiveness startled me. I’d never been the possessive type, and I certainly wasn’t controlling, but had I ever really cared about a woman? No. Maybe this was a taste of what it was like to let my guard down and allow someone in.
“So what about you?” she asked. “We’ve talked enough about me.”
My immediate reaction was to slam a wall into place between us and hide over on this side of it. I didn’t like to let people get to know me—even in small ways. I kept to myself and watched the world move around me.
But I couldn’t do that this time. Not with the feelings I was having for this woman.
“Well, you already know I have a sweet tooth,” I said. “And I love a good taco.”
She gestured toward the TV. “And you’re pretty good at trivia. Especially history.”
I nodded. “My time in the military gave me an appreciation for our country’s history. The wars we fought. The best and worst of mankind.”
I was getting a little too deep here. Maybe a little dark too. But what I was really doing was shoving the attention off myself. If I talked about the military, I could make it about something besides me.
“I grew up in Detroit,” I said. “My dad worked in the factories there. When his plant shut down, we struggled. Going into the military was a way to help out a little. I’d send money back home, and they didn’t have to worry about paying for my college. In fact, I could have easily gotten a government job as soon as I returned, but there’s much more money to be made here. And I get to live in the mountains.”
“Yeah, I guess most government jobs don’t have views like you get here.”
“And I can’t work indoors. Well, I guess I could, but it wouldn’t be Seduction Summit. I love this place and the fact that it’s a town full of fellow servicemen. Even the lack of amenities is charming.”
“You’ve lived here a couple of years?” she asked.
I nodded. “You didn’t say what brought you here.”
There. I’d turned it back around on her. It was a trick I’d perfected over the years. People normally loved to talk about themselves, but something about Delta told me that wasn’t the case with her. She’d draw out all my deep, dark secrets, no matter how much I tried to keep her out.
But I didn’t want to keep her out. Looking at her now, I realized that, for the first time in my life, I wanted to let someone in. I was just so out of practice with it, I wasn’t sure I could. It would be a fight every step of the way.
“I grew up in Adairsville,” she said. “We’d come up to the mountains for fun when I was a teenager. I always loved this place. And now that it’s growing, I get to come up here and deliver bear claws to you. And live in the cabin next door.”
I smiled. She returned my smile. Our eyes met and held, and I felt something stir in me. It was more of a shift. And this was far more than physical attraction. I’d known that from the second I saw her.
This was different. This was the kind of connection that could last the rest of my life.
“The desserts.” She jumped up. “I almost forgot.”
She rushed to the kitchen. We’d cleaned up after dinner—her taking the dishes to the sink and me putting away the TV trays. But she hadn’t mentioned that there was another course.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said. “I should have brought dessert.”
“Well, I know you have your sweet tooth.” She shrugged. “Plus, this is nothing special. I thought about getting you more bear claws since you love them so much, but the bakery makes these delicious apple puff pastries.”
I pushed myself to my feet, feeling awkward. Should I go help? Stay here? She was rushing around the kitchen, grabbing bowls, silverware, and something out of the freezer.
“Do you need help?” I finally called out.
She shook her head. “No, you just have a seat. I’m about to indulge your sweet tooth.”
“Yeah, about that,” I said, sitting down as she crossed the room to where I sat.
Her smile fell. Her bright expression darkened slightly, and the frown that crossed her face was clearly one of worry.
“I don’t really have a sweet tooth,” I blurted.
Her footsteps faltered completely. She was now at a dead stop, looking from one bowl to the other.
“I mean, I love sweets as much as the next guy,” I rushed to add. “I’m just saying I don’t need bear claws four times a week.” I let out a breath. “I took them to our job site and handed them out.”
I’d eaten one, of course, but that wasn’t the point. I was trying to be honest here about the reasons I’d ordered from her so much. I took a deep breath and continued.
“I ordered so often because I wanted to see you. It was my excuse.”
There. It was out in the open. If it scared her off, so be it. She might be completely creeped out by this big, burly man—who filled up an entire cushion of her couch—summoning her to my front porch because I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
But when she looked up at me, her eyes were wide, and her expression had softened considerably. I even saw a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“You wanted to see me again?” she asked. “Why?”
“Because you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. And now that I’ve gotten to know you, I see it’s not just the outside, but the inside as well.”
Oof. Man, I was being a dork. I wouldn’t blame her if she left. Not because I was a stalker, but because I was basically throwing myself at her. I’d never done that before.
“I have a confession too,” she said. “I kind of picked the house next door because it was on the same street.” She hesitated, her cheeks turning pink. “I didn’t know it was next door at the time, but the idea of living near a hot lumberjack with a sweet tooth sold it for me.”
We stared at each other for a long moment. I couldn’t speak for her, but I had no idea what to do next. It was clear we were both attracted to each other, and now she stood holding two desserts.
So I said the only thing I could think of. “Let’s have dessert. I can’t wait to see what an apple puff pastry tastes like.”