4. Weston
4
WESTON
I’m reluctant to leave Audrey, but I need to head for the grocery store so I can buy us something for dinner. Despite the darkness that surrounds me as I drive toward Cherry Hollow, it’s only eight-thirty, so Cherry Grocery will still be open. I also brought my towing equipment, so I can take Audrey’s car back to my cabin.
When I left her, Audrey was still sitting in my armchair, texting Lila about her plans to stay with me for dinner. It was nearly impossible to tear myself away from her—she looked so fucking beautiful in the warm glow of the fire. But I had to go. After what she’s been through today, she deserves a delicious meal.
The grocery store is emptying out when I get there. I fill my cart, grabbing everything I think Audrey could like before heading back outside into the chilly parking lot. I’m just about to get in my truck and drive away when a familiar voice calls my name.
“Weston!”
I turn to see my brother crossing the street toward me, holding a saw beneath his arm. I raise an eyebrow in surprise. Dane rarely ventures into Cherry Hollow.
“Hey, buddy,” I say, reaching out to slap him on the shoulder. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Broke my damn saw.” He nods at the new one beneath his arm. “Had to get to the hardware store before it closed.”
The streetlamp above us throws light on Dane’s scarred face, and I feel a familiar flicker of guilt. I was Navy; my brother was Army. Even now, it bothers me that I escaped the military unscathed while he was scarred for life.
“You want to come over for a beer or something?” Dane asks, pulling me from my thoughts. “I was thinking of grabbing a pizza while I’m here.”
Dane is the only person I’m close to, especially since our parents left for Florida. Usually I’d be happy to head over to his place for the evening, but tonight, things are different. There’s an angel waiting for me at my cabin, and I need to get back to her.
“Can’t tonight,” I tell him. “Got company.”
It’s Dane’s turn to look surprised. “Yeah?”
I quickly explain to him what happened earlier, how I found Audrey at the bottom of the slope, and Dane shakes his head. “She’s lucky you were there. Damn city folk, always getting themselves into trouble.”
Usually, I would agree. Hell, it’s exactly what I thought when I found Audrey. But now, I feel a flicker of defensiveness in my chest when I think of her, the way she let me clean her cuts without flinching, the warmth in her eyes when she grabbed my hand and thanked me.
“She wasn’t doing anything wrong,” I say. “Was just bad luck that the ledge gave way.”
Pretty damn hypocritical considering the way I lectured her when I found her, but defending her is my instinct, even to my brother.
“Guess so,” Dane says with a shrug. “Anyway, better let you get back to her. Hope her wrist feels better soon.”
“Thanks, I’ll tell her.”
Dane’s gaze lingers on me for a minute, his brow furrowing. I wonder if he can see my feelings written on my face. My brother always did know me better than anyone. I turn away quickly and lift my hand in a wave as I get into my truck and pull away from the grocery store. I begin the drive up Cherry Mountain, mentally working out where Audrey’s car must be parked based on where I found her. Before I left, she told me it was a red Honda Civic and gave me the license plate number.
It doesn’t take long to find. I park in front of her car and hook it up to my truck, taking a second to inspect the ledge where Audrey fell without getting too close. It still bears all the marks of a recent rockslide, and something freezes in the pit of my stomach when I see how far down the drop looks.
She was so damn lucky.
Thank God.
Shaking off the tightness in my chest, I hop back into my truck and begin towing the car back to my cabin. It’s only been an hour since I left, but it feels like so much longer. There’s something pulling inside me, a desperation to get back to Audrey. It freaks me out more than I’m willing to admit. I’ve always been a lone wolf, more than happy to do my own thing. With the exception of Dane, I avoid people as much as possible. There’s freedom in being alone, and I’ve always savored it.
But now…
Hell, I don’t know.
It doesn’t make any sense. I just met this girl, and already I feel ‘wrong’ without her, like something is missing, an emptiness in the air around me. I try not to think about it, but I can’t ignore the flood of relief that washes over me when my cabin comes into view through the trees, smoke puffing out of the chimney.
I unhook the tow equipment from Audrey’s car, grab the groceries from my truck, and hurry into the cabin, heart thudding with anticipation.
It’s only been an hour, goddammit.
She’s still sitting where I left her, dozing by the fire. Her eyes are closed, mouth open slightly, and I stare at her like I haven’t seen her for years. I shut the front door as quietly as possible, but she starts awake when it clicks, blinking up at me.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”
She smiles, her eyes a little sleepy. “It’s okay.”
“I found your car. Towed it here with me.”
“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver…literally.”
The gratitude in her eyes makes something stutter inside me. Audrey is looking at me like I’m some kind of hero, and I suddenly feel twenty feet tall.
“Don’t mention it. Glad I could help.”
Audrey pushes herself up from the armchair, moving gingerly toward me. “Can I help you with putting the groceries away? Or making dinner?”
“No. Stay there and rest your knees, okay?”
“They don’t hurt as much anymore. And it’s my left wrist that’s sprained—I can still use the right one.”
She hobbles toward the kitchen, grimacing slightly in pain. Before she can reach it, I close the space between us and rest my hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back into the armchair. “I’m not letting you lift a finger, Miss Denver. You need to look after yourself.”
“But—”
“No buts.”
I give her a firm look, and she softens, relaxing against the armchair. “Okay, you win. But will you at least let me go get the luggage out of my car?”
“I’ll do it. Where are your keys?”
Those pretty blue eyes glitter at me as she reaches into her pocket and hands me her car keys. My gaze flickers to her full red lips as she says, “It’s in the trunk. Just a small suitcase.”
“Got it.”
“Thank you, Weston.”
I nod, forcing myself to tear my gaze away and head outside, blood pounding in my ears.
“This is delicious,” Audrey says, spearing a cheesy slice of potato onto her fork.
The table is laden with dishes—steak, several types of potatoes, roasted vegetables, and crusty bread. I cut Audrey’s meal into pieces before I brought it out so she wouldn’t have to use her bad wrist, and she seems to appreciate the gesture. Her wrist still looks red and swollen, but she doesn’t look as pained, and there’s more color in her cheeks than when I found her at the bottom of the slope.
“Glad you like it,” I tell her.
“I love it. God, I’m so hungry. Falling down a cliff really gives you an appetite.”
There’s humor in her tone, but as I think back to the ledge, the long sloping drop, my stomach rolls over. I quickly change the subject.
“So, Miss Denver…what do you do back in the city?”
She finishes chewing and says, “I’m a social media manager.” She must read the cluelessness on my face because her mouth stretches into a grin. “I didn’t think you’d know what that was. Especially after you called it Instachat instead of Instagram earlier.”
“So, enlighten me. What is a social media manager?”
Audrey launches into an explanation of her job—how she creates content and videos for various companies in Denver and runs their social media accounts. It’s all gibberish to me, but I listen intently, desperate to hear more about her world.
“I really like it,” she says brightly. “It lets me be creative and use my marketing background all at once. It can be a lot of work though—lots of clients, high expectations.” She contemplates me. “You don’t use social media for your rental cabins?”
“No. We have a website and an email address, but that’s about it.”
Audrey’s brow quirks slightly, a shadow passing over her face. “We? Do…do you run the cabins with someone else? Like, your wife?—”
“No, my brother, Dane,” I say hurriedly. “He owns three cabins, and I own the other three. But we list them all together on the same website.” Clearing my throat, I add, “I don’t have a wife. No girlfriend either.”
Am I imagining it, or does she look relieved?
“Me neither,” Audrey says. “No boyfriend, I mean.” She looks down at her plate, not meeting my gaze. “Sorry, I don’t know why I said that. You didn’t ask?—”
“Doesn’t mean I didn’t want to know.”
The air thickens between us, and suddenly, the cabin feels swelteringly hot. Audrey is the first to break the silence, her cheeks pink. “I…um…well, anyway, have you always lived in the mountains?”
I nod. “Grew up in this cabin. It was my childhood home. Only left it when I joined the Navy.”
“Oh.” Audrey’s eyes widen. “How long did you serve?”
“Twenty years.”
She lets out a whistle. “Almost my entire life.”
“Damn. Now I feel ancient.”
“Sorry.” She giggles slightly before her face turns serious. “Do you miss it?”
“No.” My answer is immediate. “I don’t regret my service, and as a younger man, I loved it. But you get sick of it after a while, being cooped up all the time. All that wide open ocean around you, but you’re stuck inside a vessel. The older I got, the more claustrophobic it felt.”
Audrey listens intently. “Wow. I can’t imagine…I guess it must be a relief to be back on Cherry Mountain? All the forests, the open space.”
“Exactly. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
A comfortable silence falls, nothing but the scrape of cutlery until Audrey says, “Was your brother in the Navy too?”
“Army.” I open my mouth to elaborate but close it again. She doesn’t need to hear about all that. Dane would hate to think of me talking about it. He hates to be pitied.
Audrey seems to sense that she’s hit a nerve because she doesn’t push the subject. We keep things light, talking about the rental cabins and her life back in Denver as we tuck into the creamy vanilla cheesecake I bought for dessert. Time seems to pass at double speed, and all too soon, the meal is over, the table is cleared, and it’s time for Audrey to leave.
“Thank you so much for everything,” she says, shuffling toward the door. “You’ve been so good to me, Weston. I really don’t know how I can thank you.”
Something squeezes in my gut as I watch her standing by the door, about to step out of my life forever. Her eyes are sad, the sparkle dim, and desperation claws at me.
Not yet.
Just a little more time…a few more hours…
“I think you should stay the night,” I tell her, my voice hoarse. “You don’t know these roads, Audrey. They can be dangerous if you’re not familiar with them.”
I’m expecting her to disagree, and a counter-argument is already forming in my head. Anything to convince her not to go just yet. But she surprises me.
“You’re sure?” she asks. “I’ve already inconvenienced you so much.”
“You haven’t. Not at all.” I take a step toward her, wishing more than anything that I could reach out and pull those soft curves against me. “I can have the guestroom made up for you in five minutes.”
To my relief, she doesn’t take much convincing.
“That would be great.” She shakes her head, smiling. “God, I really need to figure out how I’m going to pay you back for all this. You saved my life, fed me steak and cheesecake, and now you’re giving me a room for the night.”
“I don’t need repayment, Miss Denver. I like having you here.”
The words are out before I can think them through. It’s the truth—hell, it’s the understatement of the century—but the last thing I want is to freak Audrey out by showing her how strongly I feel. It’s already freaking me out, so God knows how weird it would be for her.
“I like being here,” she says softly.
It happens again—the tension in the air—the crackling atmosphere, just like at dinner. My skin seems to sizzle, the world narrowing around us until all I can see is Audrey, beautiful Audrey, with her shiny black hair and eyes like the summer sky…
Fuck, what is happening to me?
“I’ll go get everything ready,” I say.
Audrey nods, thanking me again, and I turn around and head to the guest bedroom, changing the sheets and starting a fire in the small hearth in the corner. An ache is growing inside me. It throbs beneath my boxers as I touch the covers that will soon be wrapped around Audrey’s body, hugging her curves. I wish like hell I could carry her to my bed instead. It’s wrong—not something I should think about. But I can’t help the heat that burns through my veins when I imagine her sprawled out beneath me, cheeks flushed with pleasure, eyes rolling back as I fuck her tight, wet?—
“Anything I can help with?”
My heart leaps into my throat as I turn to see Audrey standing in the doorway. My cock twitches, and I pray she can’t see the bulge in my jeans.
“No,” I say. “It’s all ready for you.”
“Awesome. Thanks.”
She joins me in the cozy bedroom, the fire casting a warm glow on the bed between us. I’ve never felt this way before. I want her so fucking badly it hurts. I want to taste her, claim her, make her mine in every way. But I can’t. She’s so damn young: a sweet and pretty city girl, way too perfect for a grizzled old mountain man like me. And although I’ve managed to stretch out our time together a little, there will be no more excuses in the morning. She’ll continue on her way to see her friend, then return to her life in Denver.
I round the bed, passing Audrey as I head for the door, gritting my teeth as our sides brush.
“Goodnight, Weston,” she says, her sweet voice tugging at my heart, begging me to turn around and look at her. But I don’t dare. My resolve is hanging by a thread. If I look, I’ll have to kiss her. I won’t be able to help myself.
“Goodnight, Audrey.”
I close the door behind me without looking back.