Chapter 2
Sophie
“I’m not a witch,” I scowl at him, feeling my cheeks heat. It’s nothing new to hear. All those years in high school as the weird goth girl taught me not to show weakness. I don’t know why I thought there was something different about this mountain of a man.
“Look, I don’t care where you hang your broom tonight, but it’s not going to be here. Now, take your kitty and your caldron and get gone.”
“I have a legal right to be here. I can prove it,” I answer, remembering that my mom made me print everything for this trip.
She insisted I print the contract, the welcome packet, and even the map. I couldn’t do it at my apartment because I don’t have a printer. I had to go to her place. I thought it was just her way of spending time with me the night before I left.
He rakes his hand through the top of his hair, tugging on the longer strands. “One and only chance. Get out of here, and I won’t call the cops.”
“Go ahead. The law will be on my side,” I insist and stomp out of the kitchen, my boots clicking with every step I take into the living room. I dumped my overnight bag on the floor when I came inside. I bend over and unzip it at the same moment that I hear a sharp inhale.
A second later, there’s the unmistakable tinny sound of a phone ringing.
“Hey, Deputy. It’s Whiskey. Yeah, it’s really me.
This isn’t a prank. Listen, are you still in the area?
I’ve got an intruder. I don’t know. Some lunatic that thinks she’s a witch.
Probably drunk. Just come get her. Let her dry out in a cell. ”
“I’m not drunk,” I call over my shoulder and set Tobias in my bra. He often sleeps on my chest when I’m streaming TV at night.
I yank all of my clothes out of the bag, plopping them on the floor beside me. I have to find that paperwork. It’s crumpled at the very bottom of my bag, underneath my G-cup bras. Yeah, high school was a nightmare for more than one reason.
I produce the paperwork after he ends the call, clutching it tightly. The mountain man crosses the floor in three strides. “Give it to me.”
I hold it out of reach even though that’s useless. He could take it from me if he really wanted to. He’s huge, the kind of guy that could pin a girl up against the wall and make her forget her nightmares. “No, I’ll show the deputy then you can apologize and leave.”
“Apologize for what?” He gestures his thumb toward himself, outrage coloring his tone. “This is my cabin on my land on my mountain. Everything on this mountain belongs to me.”
“You can’t own a mountain. A mountain belongs to the earth. Besides, I have paperwork to show I have the right to be here. What do you have?” I demand, refusing to back down. I have a right to be here. Why is he acting so strange?
“The start of a migraine,” he mutters. Suddenly, for the first time, I notice the dark circles under his eyes as if he has just as much trouble getting a good night’s sleep as I do. Could he be so sleep-deprived that he forgot renting his cabin to me?
Tobias meows again, reminding me he hasn’t had dinner. “I’m going to feed my cat while we wait for the deputy.”
I’ve just settled Tobias with his food, pausing to scratch him behind the ears when there’s a knock on the door.
That should be the deputy. He can clear this up and then the sleep-deprived mountain man can leave.
I rented the cabin for myself. There was no mention of a roommate I’d have to share it with.
When the mountain man opens the door and steps back, another large, bearded man comes through the cabin. Are all the men in town this huge?
He takes off his hat, revealing wavy dark hair that’s the same color as his beard. “Whiskey, I haven’t seen you in…what’s it been? Years, now? I didn’t know you were back.”
Whiskey crosses his arms over his chest. “Most folks don’t know. Try not to spread it around.”
The deputy nods and seems to switch back to business mode. “What seems to be the problem tonight?”
He grunts. “She thinks it’s OK to freeload.”
My mouth drops open before I quickly snap it closed again. “I am not a freeloader.”
“And she’s a witch. Possibly,” Whiskey adds.
“You know what? I give up. You’re going in my next caldron. I’ve been looking for eye of the asshole for a month, and I finally found it.”
He arches an eyebrow at the other man like I’ve just proved his point. OK, so we know the hot mountain man doesn’t know how to take a joke. Big surprise there.
“But first, detective—”
“Deputy. He’s a deputy,” Whiskey corrects.
I fight the urge to flip him off. It’s like he’s trying to get under my skin. “Deputy, this cabin was on a short-term rental site. I paid the deposit, and it’s mine for the next four weeks. I can prove it right here.”
The deputy accepts the stack of paperwork I pass him. He reads through it slowly, one page at a time. He’s one of those readers that his lips move, and you can hear him muttering the words as he goes.
After a solid fifteen minutes, he finishes reading. “Well, it looks legitimate. Do you know what company this is?”
“I’d never heard of it,” I answer.
He shows it to Whiskey. A muscle works in his jaw, and I swear I hear him grinding his back molars. “Look, that’s my company. It’s the shell I used to buy the cabin and the land and the mountain, which I also own.” He pauses to glare at me. “But I didn’t sign any of this.”
“Well, what about these emails?” The deputy asks.
Whiskey yanks the paperwork from the other man’s hands and quickly begins skimming it. His expression growing angrier by the second. “This is my address. But I haven’t logged into this account in months.”
I give the other man my sugary sweet smile, the one that can usually get me what I want. “Deputy, do you have a program that does wellness checks on senile people in your town? If not, might I suggest that you start with—”
Whiskey rakes a hand down his face. “OK, you know what? Great joke. I’m laughing on the inside. Now, let’s call it a night, and you two can go down the mountain, so I can eat my dinner in peace.”
It’s my turn to fold my arms. “I paid a deposit. I’m not leaving.”
He stomps from the living room into the kitchen.
“Not the most personable host,” I tell the deputy.
He grins at me, sharing the joke. “That’s a kind way of putting it.”
Whiskey returns a second later with a canister of oats. “How much did you pay?”
“You’re going to pay me in breakfast food.” I don’t bother hiding the sarcasm in my voice. Maybe he really is the unhinged one here.
He opens the canister and pulls out a wad of cash. “This should more than cover the cost of your deposit. Now, take your black cat and your bag and here, I’ll throw in the wooden spoon that you seemed so fond of.”
I put my hands on my hips and don’t reach for the cash.
He’s easily offering me double the money.
But it’s not about the money. It’s not even about what’s right.
It’s about finding the first place where I’ve felt peace in a long time.
OK, so I felt peace until the big mountain man clomped in here with his adorable scowl. “I’m not leaving. I’m here legally.”
He shoves the money back into the canister. “I didn’t want to have to do this. Deputy, arrest this woman for trespassing.”
My mouth drops open. “I can’t be arrested because I’m not trespassing.”
“She’s correct,” the deputy answers, siding with me.
“You can’t be serious. The contract isn’t legal if I didn’t sign it, and I didn’t sign it!” He repeats, his voice growing louder with every word.
The deputy grimaces. “That would make this is a civil matter, Whiskey. You can take it up with Judge Helen. I think she has some openings on the docket in November. Or was it December? Doesn’t matter. Should be soon.”
“See? I’m here fair and square.” Maybe I smirk a little at the mountain man when the deputy isn’t looking at me. “Now, Deputy, you can see from the papers that I’m supposed to be here without a roommate. It explicitly states the place will be empty. Could you remove this trespasser from my rental?”
“I can’t trespass on my own damn cabin!”
The deputy barely hides a grin and rubs the back of his neck. “Again, we’re looking at a civil matter. I’d recommend that both of you come down to the courthouse first thing in the morning and make this a matter of public record.”
Whiskey blows out a breath. “Tell you what. I’m going to give you all the money in this canister and pay for your lodging elsewhere. Anywhere in the world you want to go, you say the word, and I’ll find a way to make it happen.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He sends one last frantic look to the deputy who shrugs. “Sorry, Whiskey. It looks like she’s here for good.”
Tobias meows as if agreeing with the law. It looks like the two of us are stuck together for the next month with the grumpy mountain man.