Chapter 5
Whiskey
I’ve got her scared now. She eats dinner quietly, barely saying a word. Part of me feels a tiny bit bad. The bigger part of me—the one that wants this woman out of my cabin—is just relieved to know she’ll be gone within a day. Maybe two at the most.
She yawns after dinner, lifting her arms above her head. The movement causes her tiny corset thingy to rise. The resulting show of her curves has my mom watering. What would it be like to kiss my way across all that skin?
“I think I’m headed to bed,” she says. “It’s been a long day.”
I nod absently and clear our dishes. I can’t be thinking about her and bed in the same sentence.
Quickly, I load the dishwasher and wipe down the counters.
It takes me five minutes to do the kitchen chores then I head to my bedroom.
There are pillows and blankets piled high on my couch.
This is going to be even easier than I thought.
I suppress my grin and head down the hallway, reaching for my bedroom door. The handle is locked.
I rap on the door and wait for her to open it. When she doesn’t, I call out, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m trying to sleep,” she calls. “I put pillows and blankets for you on the couch.”
“You’re in my bed,” I barely keep the words civil.
“And it’s so comfortable. You really did spare no expensive on this mattress.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Get out of my bedroom.”
“This is a one-bedroom rental,” she explains, her voice a little too sweet.
“It’s not a rental!” I wonder if Judge Helen would throw the book at me if I dragged my trespasser into the forest. There are caves and dens out there. Heck, I’d even do the gentlemanly thing and give her pillows and blankets, the way she gave them to me.
“So you keep saying,” her voice is sing-song now, taunting me.
I could break down the door. For a second, I give it serious thought. I’d love nothing more than to burst in there and kiss that sassy mouth of hers. I’d kiss her until she was breathless and whimpering.
Nope, that’s not happening. Because I’m going to spend tonight making sure my little trespasser wants to run away in the morning.
I wait for hours until I hear her soft snores before I put my plan into action. It’s not lost on me that it took her far too long to fall asleep. Maybe it’s just the strain of being in an unfamiliar place.
She’s a restless sleeper, always kicking and moving about. Her dreams are anything but peaceful. We’re alike in that. As soon as I think it, I push the thought away and get back to my task. I don’t want to be feeling sorry for this girl or wondering what’s stolen her peace.
It takes me several hours but by the time the first pink ribbons of the sky start breaking through, I finished with my plan. I slip inside the cabin and onto the couch I made up. With any luck, I’ll be sleeping in my bed again soon.
Sophie
I blink awake in an unfamiliar bed, sunlight streaming through the curtains. My heart beats an erratic rhythm as adrenaline floods my system.
The events of yesterday come back to me, and I remember my little cabin rental. The rental that came with one very gruff landlord. The thought of his grumpy scowl actually has me smiling. I expected him to argue with me for a lot longer over who got the bed, but he just slunk away.
I reach for Tobias who is sleeping peacefully on my chest. Careful as to not wake him, I settle him on the pillow next to me before sitting up slowly.
Something is wrong. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end.
Then I place what’s different and relax.
Nothing is really wrong. The room has been moved while I slept.
I remember Whiskey talking about the ghost rearranging his furniture. He’s really trying hard with his little scheme to get me out of here. Well, if he wants me gone, it will take more than a lame ghost story and some furniture changes to get me out of here.
I’m itching to go for a run this morning. I slept last night but it was the kind of restless sleep that happens when you wake repeatedly and can’t settle. All night long, the sounds from that day replayed in my head. The screaming and the gunfire and the terror I tasted at the back of my throat.
Tobias meows softly, making that gentle kitten noise. In his sleep, he must have sensed my rising anxiety. I pull him close, petting him and murmuring to him that he’s safe now. We both are. If only my mind could believe it.
“Let me brush my teeth then I’ll get you some breakfast,” I promise. When I stumble into the attached bathroom, I almost laugh at the message written on the mirror. Scrawled in what looks like soap is one word: leave.
As pranks go, these two were kind of lame which means he didn’t really want to scare me and that he probably doesn’t believe in ghosts any more than I do.
When I’ve brushed my teeth and my hair, I shrug into a black robe and head toward the kitchen. The growly mountain man is asleep on his couch. Half of his body is hanging off the furniture, and other half his covered by his big dog, like a furry weighted blanket.
I chuckle as I take Tobias into the kitchen, thinking of his busy night spent moving furniture. “He wore himself out last night.”
All is fair in war, so I don’t bother creeping around the kitchen and trying to be quiet. Maybe I even accidentally clang some pans a little too loudly and play some music from the ancient radio he has sitting on the counter.
He finally stumbles up from the couch, his beard and hair tousled in a way that’s not entirely unsexy. Some women might even find it a tiny bit attractive. “You’re still here.”
I give the scrambled eggs a good stir. “Someone rearranged the bedroom while I was sleeping.”
He grunts and goes for the coffee machine, pouring himself a steaming mug. He adds way too much sugar and a splash of milk. Bella follows behind him, whimpering until he lets her out the backdoor.
“Do you want eggs?” I offer reluctantly. I mean, he did cook for me last night. Or rather, he shared what he was already making. It seems like I should return the favor.
He grunts again, and I’m not sure how to take that, so I divide the cheesy eggs in the pan. I add two crispy pieces of bacon and some leftover biscuits from last night to both plates.
He opens the backdoor and whistles for Bella. She trots in, and he pets her absently before settling at the table with me.
“Besides, re-arranging the furniture, our friendly ghost also left me a message on the bathroom mirror in soap,” I tell him halfway through the meal when he’s finally started to look a little more alive.
This mountain man without coffee could give all those zombies I work with a run for their money.
“Did she now?” He looks up from his food, holding eye contact. There’s not a trace of remorse on his face, though I could swear a see a flicker of amusement in his gaze.
“The message told me to leave.” I take another sip of my black coffee. I will never know how he can drink that sugary swill. Coffee is supposed to be dark and bitter.
“Sounds like good advice.” He feeds bites of his bacon to Bella, sharing it with the big dog whose tail thumps eagerly against the floor with every offered treat.
I narrow my gaze at him, wondering why he just won’t confess to the pranks. “Too bad I’ve never been the type to take advice.”
He drains the rest of his coffee, putting the mug down with a hard thunk against the wooden table. “You definitely don’t seem the kind to scare away easy.”
“That didn’t stop you from trying,” I point out.
He stands from the table. Last night, he took his time eating and spinning more tall tales about the bride who haunts this cabin.
But this morning, he seems eager to get away from me.
Maybe he’s figured if he can’t scare me away, he can simply avoid me.
“I’ll be gone for the day. Don’t get in trouble while I’m out. ”
“Where are you going?” I ask, gathering the dishes and putting them in the sink. For a second, I wonder if he plans to go down the mountain and file a complaint with the judge. I still can’t be arrested though. The deputy sided with me.
He crosses into the living room, yanking on some well-worn boots by the front door. The boots are huge, making my size ten feet look downright delicate. How is this man so big? What is it he eats everyday to maintain muscles like that? “I’m going to work.”
“And what is it you do around here?” Maybe he runs a secret gym where he trains other mountain men on how to bulk up and look intimidating and sexy at the same time. If he isn’t doing that already, he needs to consider that as a potential line of work.
He laces up his boots without answering me. Bella puts her nose to the front door, whimpering. She’s clearly ready to get on with their normal morning routine.
I put my hands on hips and blow out a breath in frustration. He’s so secretive. “What are you afraid of? That I’m going to steal your proprietary scowl and take over your life?”
He looks up then, his boots laced. The ghost of a smirk is on his lips, like he’s working hard to contain his amusement. “If you were, taking over my cabin would be a good start.”
“So then why haven’t you run down to the courthouse to get me kicked out?” I challenge. He’s not making any sense. He doesn’t want me here, yet he’s not willing to do anything the legal way.
He hesitates, and I remember that he told the deputy to keep the news of his appearance quiet. “You’d rather no one know you’re here. That’s why you won’t go down to the courthouse.”
He snorts. “Keep the door locked. Black bears roam these woods sometimes.”
With those words, he leaves the cabin and I stare at his retreating figure and his dog. Why would he be hiding out here? Whatever it was, it can’t be trouble with the law because he didn’t have a problem calling the deputy.
“Some people are a mystery, Tobias,” I murmur to my kitty.
With the gruff mountain man gone, I rinse the dishes and maybe do a tiny bit of research around his cabin, which involves opening every closet and searching all of his cabinets. But there’s nothing to tell me who he is or why he’d be on the run.
The only thing interesting about him besides that scowl is his pantry. It’s filled with so many canned jars of different fruits and vegetables. He’s easily spent months—maybe years—amassing this much food.
When I finally have to admit that I have more questions than answers, I slip into my faded running sneakers and start my favorite playlist on my phone. There are hiking trails nearby that are perfect for running. It was what made me want to rent this cabin in the first place.
Outside in the bright sunshine, I stretch slowly to give my muscles a warm up.
The first few minutes of my run are the hardest. They always are.
It’s the time when I want to give up. Everyone talks about how running creates endorphins.
They don’t talk about those long few moments before those endorphins show up.
I keep my run light and easy today since I’m not familiar with the trail yet.
But I’m still sweaty underneath the warm autumn afternoon sun when I head back to the cabin.
As soon as it comes back into view, that feeling of peace washes over me again.
I wish I could stay here forever. I’d love coming home to this little scenic spot everyday.
As I walk up the long driveway, I spot Whiskey kneeling by my car. He has it up on a jack, and he’s changing my tire.
“What are you doing?” I demand as I huff and puff up the steep incline. My face has to be red and glistening, and my hair is back in a messy ponytail. But when he takes one look at me, attraction flares in his expression.
“What does it look like?” He mutters, dropping his gaze.
“Like you’re changing my tire. Tires,” I correct the word to the plural form when I survey the other three old tires that are carefully stacked together. I knew the tires needed to be changed. I was planning to get around to that. “Why are you doing this?”
“So that when you leave, your car won’t go skidding off the side of my mountain.”
His words make my stomach swoop like I’m on a rollercoaster. He’s so confusing. He wants me gone, but he’s also worried about my safety.
“Yep, I’ll be gone in just twenty-nine days,” I remind him as I start back toward the porch that needs some furniture and throw pillows. I’ll miss the view, the running trail, and the autumn foliage. I will not miss the gruff mountain man.
He calls after me before I disappear into the cabin, “I’m counting down the days.”
“Don’t tamper with my brakes,” I yell over my shoulder and go inside with a smile on my face. Something tells me the next four weeks are going to be more fun than I imagined.