6. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Hunter
M y back hurts from sleeping on the damn couch. I'm halfway through getting Evie ready, and that curvy siren who invaded my cabin yesterday and nearly burned it down still hasn't shown her face. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I hate myself for feeling that way.
I'm not looking for a wife. I swear I'm not. The problem is that when I see her shapely body and sassy attitude, it makes me want to keep her despite my better judgment. My daughter is feeling much better today, which helps my plans for the day.
Once I've got everything packed and ready – daughter included – I go knock on my bedroom door.
"Elena, it's late."
I hear some rustling behind the door, which opens slightly. I can only see one red eye and a runny nose.
"Have you been crying?"
"I need some time to get ready, Hunter."
"I'll give you forty-five minutes. I'm going to leave Evie with a babysitter, and when I return, I want us to go to town and see if we can find somewhere for you to stay or make a plan for you to go back home."
"There's nothing back there for me, Hunter."
Her voice is raspy, and I feel a pang of guilt. I shouldn't have allowed her to sleep in the room with the remnants of the fire.
"I'll show you around town, then—for now, at least. How's that?"
Her chin came up. "I'll be ready when you come back from your errand."
"There's some breakfast for you on the stove."
She hesitates, then nods. The door shuts in front of me, and I'm left standing there like an idiot. This is my house, for God's sake. I pick up my daughter and her bag, but I can't stop thinking about how unfair this is for Elena.
Mrs. Brown offered her babysitting services, so I went to her house first. She's had Evie stay over often, so I don't mind leaving her there. She and her companion love to teach Evie new games and different activities, which makes my daughter happy.
I'm amazed at how easily I can make certain choices now. If it's good for Evie, I'll go for it. If it's not, I'll pass. What would it be like to share those decisions with someone else?
Stop thinking about her, Hunter.
When I saw the fire in my room, I felt shocked. As a firefighter, I thought my house should be safe from fires. Then I thought about Evie and her well-being, but what worried me the most was that I was terrified that Elena would be hurt.
I just met the woman and I'm far too concerned about how she is and what she feels. I need to remember that I want her gone as soon as possible. I also need to get the old biddies to take my profile down from that agency's website.
As I return to my cabin, my mind is swirling with thoughts. When I get there, I see Elena sitting down on the front steps waiting for me. This makes me so mad, and I don't even stop to wonder why. I stomp up the sidewalk to the front of the house and glare at her.
"What are you doing? You must be freezing!"
She jumps up and starts poking me in the chest with her finger.
"You're late!"
I should start noting that Elena's moods are constantly changing, but I know one way to appease her.
"I'm sorry. Mrs. Brown wanted to chat. But how about we go to the coffee shop you like?"
Deep inside, I want to shout at her and tell her that she could have waited inside. I'm not going to do that. I don't want to butt heads anymore with this beautiful woman.
"O-okay."
"If you're ready, we should go. I want to stop by the fire department before we go to the coffee shop."
"Can't we do the coffee first?"
"I want to spend some time in Perfect Brews talking to the owner, so that will take a while. Don't worry, the seats on my truck are heated."
I walk next to her and open the truck door so she can get in. When she's seated, I lean forward to buckle her seatbelt. The sweet scent of peaches and vanilla invades my senses, and I'm frozen for a minute.
"Wha-what are you doing?"
Snapping out of it, I step back and close the door, avoiding her gaze. Her eyes follow me as I move in front of the truck and remain on me while I prepare to drive. I ignore the look she's giving me and simply perform the usual checks I make before starting the engine.
Having her attention on me is a bit unsettling, but in a good way. If I weren't embarrassed about having sniffed her, I would love it if her beautiful amber eyes were on me. We get going, and the atmosphere is so tense you could cut it with a knife.
When we arrive at the fire station, all my colleagues swarm Elena, and I begin having doubts about bringing her. Marc opens the car door and helps her out. Everyone surrounds her, and they start asking her questions.
Thankfully, she just smiles at them and seems to be making small talk. I look around and see Captain Miller approaching me.
"Hey, Captain."
"What was this about a fire last night at your house?"
"Small accident. Nothing to worry about."
"How's Evie?"
"Tons better, but now I have a new problem," I say, looking at Elena.
"I don't know, Hunter. That's a beautiful problem to have."
"I need to find her somewhere to stay. She left everything to come here and marry me."
"I don't see the problem. My wife can plan a party in less than a week."
"Captain!"
"What?"
"I don't want a wife."
I say this a little louder than I should, and everyone turns to look at me. I see dismay in Elena's face before she's pulled away by a group of firemen who are off duty.
"I don't know what else to do, Captain."
"Well, she's here. Why don't you give her a chance?"
Why don't I give her a chance? Maybe it's because I dislike change. Maybe it's because my life was turned upside down when Evie entered it, and I don't want to do that to my daughter. Maybe it's because I'm afraid.
"Can't your wife find her somewhere to stay?"
"She's right where she needs to be, Hunter. Stop fighting this. She's a sweet woman and was very excited to finally meet you."
"Yeah, thanks for dropping her like a hot potato and rushing off. You owe me big."
I shouldn't be talking to my Captain this way, but we're friends, so I can get away with it. He just laughs and walks away. He points to where all the men are probably sweet-talking my woman. Wait. Where did that come from? I can't stand here and think about her and her beautiful eyes anymore, but deep inside, I know I have to get her away from the attention of all these men.
It takes me a bit to push away the men surrounding Elena. She's smiling, which makes her look radiant. The smile vanishes when she spots me, and that makes my heart hurt a little bit.
"Are you ready?" I ask her, a harsh tone in my voice.
She purses her lips and then puts on a fake smile. I know it’s fake because her eyes are not lit up like they were just a few minutes ago.
"I think you might be off the hook, Hunter. These wonderful gentlemen were all very gracious and gave me their phone numbers. Before you know it, I'll be married to a firefighter."
She brushes the pieces of paper in front of my face, and I grab them, tear them up, and toss them in the garbage can. I'm not sure what just came over me, and I'm afraid to look Elena in the eyes, but she's laughing as she gets into my truck.
I'm going to have to have a talk with these damn fools that work with me. I stomp all the way to my truck and get in. Once again, the ride is tense, and I don't know what to think about my own actions. One thing I won't forget is how beautiful Elena looks when she smiles. Maybe if I were nicer to her, she'd smile more often.
We arrive at Perfect Brews. The place is packed, but I'm sure Carly, the owner, will sit with us and help us figure things out.
"Wait till I get you. The sidewalk is slippery."
"Okay."
I go around and open her door. Her face is pink from the cold, and I'm glad we're going inside, where it's warm. I make her grab onto me, and we walk together to the establishment's door. I open the door for her, and she walks in before me.
There's one table open, and she goes for it. I look around and find Carly and wave her over. We both sit down, and I take a look at Elena's face to gauge her mood. I don't know what to say, so I blurt the first thing that comes to my mind.
"The pastries are really good here."
"Oh, yeah. I ate here yesterday."
"What did you have?"
"Does it really matter?" She snaps at me.
Thankfully, Carly picks that moment to approach us.
"Hey Elena, I see you found your groom. How are things going?"
I tense up. Elena has already made friends in this town, and it's only been twenty-four hours.
"Carly, can you spare us a few minutes?"
"Yeah, sure."
She pulls up a chair and sits down. She eyes me, and her brows go up as if surprised.
"Well, you don't look like you liked your surprise," she grins.
I ignore the comment. "Do you know if there's anyone renting a room? Elena needs somewhere to stay."
"Why can't she stay with you? That's the best way to get to know one another."
"Carly, please. Elena doesn't have anywhere to go."
She squints her eyes at me and looks like she wants to hurt me.
"Hunter Granger, your grandmother would be ashamed of you. This beautiful soul came all the way to Hope Peak to meet you and hopefully build a family and a future with you. And you're trying to get rid of her as if she doesn't matter?"
I see the hurt look on Elena's face when she hears Carly's words. She hunches down as if she wants to hide from the world.
"I didn't ask those busybody octogenarians to meddle in my business, Carly."
"That doesn't really matter, does it, Hunter? She's here, she's amazing, and you should consider yourself lucky that such a woman would even want to give you a second look after the way you've treated her."
Her words fluster me in a way I haven't been since I was a teenager.
"So, you're not going to help me."
She turns to Elena and squeezes her hand.
"What can I get you, honey?"
"A cappuccino, please."
"Great. I'll send you some of our best pastries as well."
She gets up and leaves us. I'm not proud of my behavior, but I'm too stubborn to change it just yet.
"Elena…"
"Just, don't. You've made yourself clear."
Her bangs are covering her eyes, but I can tell tears are ready to fall.
"Fuck. I'm sorry, Elena. It's not your fault."
I go to touch her hand, but she pulls it off the table and hides it underneath.
"Tell me something."
"Perhaps I should just go. Get on the next bus, no matter where it goes."
She starts to get up from her seat, but I pull her back down.
"Tell me why you would be willing to marry a stranger."
She seems surprised by my question.
"I want a family, Hunter. I know I'll make a good wife and mother."
"I'm sure that you will, but wouldn't you have preferred a real connection with someone?"
"It's not that easy, Hunter. The city is different, and when someone recommended the agency, I thought it was something I could try instead of going to bars or doing speed dating."
"People still do speed dating?"
"It's a thing." She shrugs.
"Did you pay a lot to this agency?"
"I think it was worth every penny."
"Even with the way that I've treated you?"
"Don't you want a mother for Evie?"
I'm taken aback by her question.
"I think we've been doing well so far."
"A mother's touch is crucial in a young lady's life."
"We're getting off topic."
"What happened to her mother?"
My shoulders tense up even more. Do I want to talk about the most difficult thing I've lived through after my parent's deaths? I've only known Elena for twenty-four hours, but I feel like telling her every little secret that I carry in my heart.
"She died."
"I'm so sorry, Hunter.” She looks sincere. “How long were you together? I didn't see any pictures of her in the cabin."
"It wasn't…I wasn't…Evie is my sister's daughter. Sissy passed away from lung cancer. It happened really fast, and then I had a daughter, and my life was upside down."
She gasps and then reaches out to take my hand. I feel her warmth seep through that connection, and it starts to melt my heart.
"You're an amazing dad to Evie, Hunter. I've noticed how well you care for her. I'm sure your sister is watching over you from heaven and is happy that you’re raising her daughter."
"You believe in heaven?"
"I believe in a lot of things. If you got to know me you would find that out pretty soon."
She smiles at me, and I'm struck by her beauty, quick wit, and kind heart.
"I'm sure that is true."
I place my other hand over hers and fix my gaze on her round, angelic face.
"Tell me about your sister," she says softly.
For the next two hours, I tell Elena about my family. How my parents died, how my grandmother took us in, and how me and Sissy were inseparable. I have to hand it to her, Elena listens to every word I say and asks relevant questions. I've never felt more heard than I do at this moment.
"I think it's time I stopped talking. Do you want to go grab some dinner? There's a hot dog festival at the diner today. It's a small-town thing, but it's really fun."
She smiles but hesitates.
"I really need to find somewhere to stay. It's too late to take the bus now."
I don't know what's wrong with me, but my stomach hurts when I think of her leaving town.
"Stay with me."
"What?"
"Stay with me, Elena. At least until you figure out what you want to do next. I've been a jerk. My only excuse is that I really don't like people making decisions for me."
"I think I see your point. Are you sure, though? It might take me some time to find a place to live."
"I'm certain."
"Can we drop by a grocery store? I want to make you a special dinner as a thank you."
"You don't have to do that, Elena."
"Come on, it will be fun."
We picked up some pastries for dessert and went to the store. I discovered the hard way that Elena loves to save a penny, which means she keeps comparing prices on every product she needs. It took us nearly an hour to gather the ingredients for a homemade lasagna. I almost suggested ordering takeout, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Seeing her smile had somehow become one of my priorities.
On our way home, we picked up Evie from Mrs. Brown's house, and against my better judgment, I let Elena carry my daughter to the car. She decided to sit in the back with her while I drove us home. I could hear her talking to the baby, but I couldn't make out the words because she was whispering.
Back home, I let the girls play for a bit while I changed and put away the groceries, leaving the ingredients for the lasagna on the kitchen counter. I already had Evie's food prepared, and Elena offered her services as a feeder.
By the end of Evie's meal, they were both covered in mashed potatoes, and Elena was no longer smiling. I guess she thought taking care of the baby was easier than it actually was. I should have known this homey scene was too good to be true because, by the end of the night, I had to put out another fire.