Chapter 5
Jaxon hustled McKenna’s ass through the back door and slammed it behind him. She wheeled around and yanked off her hood. Her cheeks blazed bright red from the cold, accentuating the paleness of the skin around her eyes.
He unzipped his coat as she shed her winter gear. “What the hell was that?” she wheezed.
“Someone’s fucking with us—you—that’s what.”
She shook her head, making the tendrils of her hair dance over her shoulders. “That’s crazy. I mean, something’s not right, but why mess with the generator? Why sneak into my shed?”
“There’re holes in the gas tanks that are in there.”
Her mouth formed a large O. He shoved the arousing images from his head. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking of all the things she could do with her pretty lips.
“It has to be a mistake.” Her voice trembled.
He snorted and dropped into a kitchen chair. His hunger had vanished, but it didn’t change the fact that they needed to eat and stay warm. Her hands fidgeted in front of her as she slowly sank into the chair adjacent to him.
“They’re bullet holes. That’s what the noise was after the generator went out.”
Her face turned somber and fear shone in her eyes.
“Eat,” he said, shoving her plate closer.
She wrinkled her nose, once again reminding him of the tantalizing Samantha from Bewitched. “I’m not hungry.”
“Well, I cooked for you, so I’ll be insulted if you don’t. Whoever was here is gone . . . at least for now. No way someone’s going to sit in the cold that long. Besides, the footprints disappeared into the woods.”
“If they were still out there, now they know you’re with me.” Her voice wasn’t as shaky anymore.
He gave her a small smile. “Good.”
She sighed, lifted the fork, and shoved some eggs into her mouth.
“Tell me who would want to hurt you,” he said. The statement sounded pushier than he would’ve liked, but if she had an inkling about who was behind this, he needed to know.
One slight shoulder lifted, and she ripped off a piece of her toast. “No one. I mean, Trevor was bent out of shape. But that was months ago. Besides, he’s done everything he can to avoid me. I think he’d be flat-out mortified to get caught here again.”
Jaxon sucked back a mouthful of the kombucha she’d poured. The fermented tea tingled his tongue, and the sensation was followed by the rich flavor of vanilla and some kind of fruit. A moan breezed out of his lips. “Man, that’s good.”
She grinned. Her eyes lit up for the first time since he hauled her inside. “It’s a new recipe. Vanilla and wild cherry.” She moved the eggs around on her plate. “You like the grapefruit sage, right?”
Warmth heated his belly. She did remember.
“This is my new favorite.” He took another sip.
As much as he wanted to get lost in conversation with her, to get to know the real McKenna, now wasn’t the time.
Which was really shitty considering he’d probably never get the chance to be this close to her again.
“So who else might be upset with you?” He raised his eyebrows, determined to continue their previous conversation.
She tucked in the corner of her mouth. “I had an irritated client last week, but other than that—”
He frowned. “Irritated how?”
She took another bite and returned her attention to his face.
“I’ve been working with a woman for a couple of months, and let’s just say she’s not willing to give up the things that put her body in an unhealthy position to begin with.
I explained to her that she won’t see results from our treatments if she’s insistent on keeping her bad habits. ”
Jaxon dragged his thumbnail over his beard. McKenna’s reasoning made sense. He knew firsthand that he could work his ass off at the gym and get minimal results if he didn’t change his diet. “She didn’t like that?”
A tense guffaw escaped her delicate lips. “You could say that. She basically called me a phony and stormed out.”
“But do you think she’d try to mess with you? Damage your property?”
“No, of course not. But I also didn’t think she’d fly off the handle like she did.”
“Hmm. All right. Anything else? What about back home?”
“Home?”
“Yeah, you said you were a registered nurse before you moved here. Is there anyone from your past who would want to reach out to you?” He’d chosen his words carefully, not wanting to spook her out of confiding in him. Tampering with her generator and fuel was a far cry from “reaching out.”
She stabbed a chunk of egg with her fork. “Not that I can think of.”
“You didn’t piss off anyone in the medical field before you left?”
Her eyes met his. Laughter sparked in her irises. “Yeah, I’m sure everyone has a vendetta against me they’ve been holding on to for six years.”
He shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.”
“Not to me. People thought I was weird leaving a stable career that I’d gone through four years of school for, but no one ever held it against me.”
“Hmm. Okay, well someone’s got something against you, and the sooner we figure out who your enemies are, the better we’re able to stay one step ahead.”
She shoved the last bite of food in her mouth and carried their plates to the sink. “Heck, it could be a kid playing a prank. We’re better off focusing on staying warm and keeping a lookout for more trouble. The snow has to clear soon.”
He could think of a million ways to keep warm with McKenna, all of which would make him perfectly content to be holed up in a cabin for the next few days.
He watched as she rinsed and washed their plates.
Her hair trailed down her back, and his fingers ached to twirl in the silky strands.
But even more, he wanted to kiss her full lips.
She’d probably taste like kombucha and incense or—
He coughed into his arm and cleared his throat. She spun around and her eyes narrowed.
“Have you been taking the silver and elderberry syrup?”
“No. Just last night.”
She made a tsk-tsk sound and brought both bottles to the table. He accepted the liquids she measured out and slammed them back. “Thanks.”
She settled her palm on his pec. Her cold extremity chilled his skin through the material of his shirt. “We should get some movement in your chest.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “How should we do that?”
“I could do some needling, and cupping would be great to push out any blockage in the lungs.” Her tone was professional. Concerned. If she had any inclination to get him naked, she wasn’t showing any signs. “If you’re comfortable with that, of course.”
“Does it hurt?” The question was moot. If McKenna wanted him half naked on a table, he’d gladly oblige, needles and all. And if he was completely honest with himself, the thought of seeing her at work—and learning more about her craft—excited him.
He wanted to know her. Everything about her.
“Nope. Some people even fall asleep.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s almost noon. We can do a treatment later. I want to dig out all my necessities so we’re prepared for when it gets dark. Think you can start a fire?”
He followed her gaze to the fireplace and stood. “No problem.”
And damn if his chest didn’t puff out. Thumping his pec like a gorilla would’ve been less primitive.
* * *
Nausea swelled in her belly, and McKenna fought down another swallow.
Between the asshole creeping around her property and the prospect of treating Jaxon, her nerves were shot.
If it hadn’t been for Jaxon’s coaxing smile, she wouldn’t have been able to get down a bite of breakfast. After glancing at his crouched form in front of the fireplace, she swooped her hair into a ponytail and skirted to the hall closet adjacent to her room.
She unfolded the stool from the closet and stretched on her tippy-toes to reach the box of items she’d put together in case she ended up snowed in without power.
Which was stupid. If she ever had to access the dumb box in a hairy state, climbing onto the stool and rummaging in the dark wouldn’t be the safest option.
But her tiny cabin had few storage areas, and she’d learned the hard way how difficult it could be to find stuff in a small, cramped space.
Organization was key. Besides, she needed every cupboard in the kitchen to dry herbs and store all her remedies.
She tugged the box into her hands over her head and its awkward weight shifted her balance. Her ankles wobbled on the small plank. “Shit,” she breathed.
Firm hands grasped her hips. She jumped, but Jaxon steadied her. “Don’t fall. You’ll knock yourself out on one of these walls.” He nodded at the tight hallway.
She sighed and regained her footing, but he didn’t let go. One hand wrapped around her waist and the other took the box from her grip. Grabbing the doorframe, she stepped down from the stool. His hold fell away and her body screamed for it to return.
“Thanks.”
His mouth lifted in a smirk. “These are your life-saving necessities?” He gave the box a shake and she took it from his hands.
“I’ll have you know I’ve got six months’ worth of food and water stored in the cold room.
” After the words were out, she clamped her lips tight.
No one but Josie and Dez, her friends and fellow hippies in town, knew about her supplies—but they also had their own.
Telling people about your survival stash wasn’t a good idea, just in case there was a bad shortage one day.
Nothing made people more vicious than fear.
Jaxon’s eyebrows inched up. “Six months, huh? Preparing for a zombie apocalypse?”
She headed for the living room. The crackle of roasting firewood met her ears, soothing her jumpy nerves. “No, that’s what my underground bunker is for.”
He stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened. “For real?”
She scoffed. “Of course not. Who do you think I am, James Bond?”
“Darn, you were starting to seem really cool for a minute there.”
Her laugh boomed out from her throat. She lowered the box to the old wooden table her grandfather had made years ago and fought the urge to press her fist to her lips. Where had that laugh come from? So deep. So personal.
Like Jaxon.
“I’m the coolest person you know,” she said with a grin. “You just haven’t realized it yet.”
His eyes held a playful glint. “You’re growing on me.” He dropped into the armchair he’d passed out in the previous night and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his gaze watchful.
She removed the lid and turned the box to show him the contents: a flashlight, batteries, candles, matches, and some other miscellaneous items. “At least we’ll have light when night comes.”
God, he’d worked her into such a ball of nerves. It was just after noon and she was acting as if they needed light sources, for god’s sake. The blizzard outside did block a lot of natural light, though, so it would get darker earlier.
Jaxon smiled, and the cleft in his chin flashed.
Her stomach muscles loosened. Why did he have to be so sexy? Why couldn’t she have been forced to shack up with one of the many old folks in town? Like Dr. Lots, her neighbor. Although he’d probably crack jokes about how she fixed his clients better than the medications he prescribed did.
Being stuck with the hottest guy in Whistlemore was nothing short of a cruel twist of fate.
The important thing was that she didn’t act on any impulses. She couldn’t afford to be the subject of any more gossip. Being known as the town witch was bad enough, and the rumors Trevor had started didn’t help.
“Mind if I use your shower? I feel pretty gross after last night.”
She jerked her head up and her cheeks heated. “Uh, yeah.” The image of him in her shower, using her towels, touching her things, naked, burned a path of fire to her loins. “Might as well use the hot water that’s in the tank. It’ll be cold in about eight hours.”
He stood and sidled around the table, bringing his body inches from hers. “Care to join me?”
Her stomach dropped. Heat scorched her ears. Her face ached to give him a sardonic smirk, but the muscles around her mouth refused to cooperate.
It took every ounce of her willpower not to accept.
She bent, snagged the flashlight from the box, and slapped it to his chest. “Don’t use all the hot water,” she managed to say, before turning around and fleeing to the kitchen.
The soft click of the bathroom door reached her ears. She dropped into a kitchen chair and pressed her palm to her chest to still her racing heart.
It didn’t slow.