Chapter 2
Two
Adrian
What the fuck am I thinking? Did I just offer this woman a place to stay? Why the hell would I do such a thing? I know nothing about her. She’s mysterious. I assume she’s harmless, but on top of that, she’s not playing with a full deck.
Did she honestly show up today, thinking she would move into this dilapidated piece of shit? Did she not see how unsound it was when she visited the property before buying? Maybe she didn’t actually visit. She could have bought it sight unseen.
She’s shaking her head. “Surely this place can’t be as bad as you say.”
I reach for one of the posts that’s holding up the awning over the small porch and give it a shake. The column easily moves, and the awning creaks as it threatens to collapse.
Probably not one of my best moves since we’re standing under it, but I have the sense to stop without causing too much damage.
“Blair, I wouldn’t trust the electrical wiring for one minute.
If you turned on the stove or the heat, the place would probably catch on fire.
And the water? Please don’t drink it. I wouldn’t bathe in it. ”
I can’t decide whether she’s stubborn or stupid. Well, not stupid, but ignorant about architectural safety. Probably both.
She swallows as she stares at me. I think I’m getting through to her.
“On top of that, there’s supposed to be a storm tonight.”
“There is?”
This woman did not look at a weather report…
“Yes, princess. Several inches of rain. When that happens, the roads sometimes get washed out and become impassible. I was just heading into town to grab a few last-minute supplies in case we get stuck up here for a few days.”
Her eyes widen. “You get stuck up here?” she shrieks.
I’m trying not to laugh. I’m not even exaggerating. This woman did no research before she bought the property. She doesn’t know enough about the area. It shocks me that she thought she was going to live here alone. And why? Who does that?
Well, me. And my entire family. We love living out of the public eye and slightly off-grid.
Technically, Gallant Mountain is not off-grid because we have every modern convenience we want.
That’s because we can afford it. But we’re living in a territory where everyone else around us is either intentionally or unintentionally separated from society.
Some people choose to live around the mountains because they like fresh air and abhor modern conveniences.
Other people live here because they can’t afford anything closer to the city.
And many of the locals have simply been here all their lives.
The mountains are what they know. Their ancestors came here three or four generations ago.
My story isn’t really that complicated. What’s Blair’s story? When I leave here, I’m going to dig around and find out. I have access to all information. Whatever her secrets are, I will know them by the end of the day.
“Yes, princess, we get stuck up here. This is a mountain. It’s unpredictable.
If you bought this land because you thought it would be beautiful, you were right.
It is stunning. The views are amazing. But it’s hard work, and it’s going to take years to get this property in a livable condition.
You aren’t going to accomplish that today. ”
She rolls her eyes. “I never thought I was, Mr. Fancy Jeans.”
I chuckle. Her nickname is absurd, but I don’t care what she calls me. She’s cute—in an innocent, city-girl kind of way. But I don’t like the idea of her being unsafe. It’s making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“Fine,” she barks. “You don’t have to continue to lecture me. I get it. I’ll assess the land and then go to the city for the night.”
“Good.” I hope she’s not blowing smoke at me. I’m going to worry. It’s in my nature. I nod in the direction of Gallant Mountain. “My family’s homestead is over there. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” I point above the trees. “See that cell tower?”
She shields her eyes from the sun as she tips her head back. “Yeah.”
“That’s ours. It’s in the middle of the property between all the cabins and next to the main house.”
She gasps. “You have multiple homes?”
“Yep. I have five brothers. All of them are married. We each have our own homes, which surround the main house.”
“Oh.”
I point toward the entrance to a walking path. “If you ever happen to be on foot, you can follow this path to our land. If you’re in your SUV, you’ll have to drive around the edge to get to the road. The path isn’t wide enough for a vehicle.”
“Got it. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Yep, she’s stubborn. “Okay, well, please be careful.”
“I will. I’m a big girl. I can handle a little rain. I’m not afraid to get dirty.”
“Princess, you’ll be a lot more than dirty if the roof collapses on you,” I warn.
She cocks her head. “Thank you for the advice, Mr. Fancy Jeans.”
Shaking my head, I hop down from the porch. “See ya around, princess.”
It pains me to drive away, but I don’t have a choice. As she pointed out, Blair is a grown woman. All I can do is make suggestions and give my advice. If she chooses to ignore me, it’s out of my control.
Except, I have a bad feeling about this situation. I don’t think she’s going to get into her SUV and drive away. She was obviously expecting to move into the dilapidated house, throw down a rug, and hang curtains today.
Stubborn woman.
I won’t be able to see her property on any of my security cameras.
The coverage doesn’t extend to other people’s homesteads.
The cameras keep strangers from wandering onto our land either on foot or by car without us knowing, but we can’t see this old piece-of-shit house from even the farthest camera.
After heading down the mountain, I quickly run my errands and return to the main house.
I left Asher in charge of security while I was gone.
He isn’t fond of spending much time around too many people—even though we’re all family—so he gets grouchy when I leave him to watch the cameras while I’m away.
The only thing Asher hates more than monitoring security is strangers wandering onto our property, so he does it. Plus, given the choice, he’d rather man the ship than be sent into town for supplies.
We probably could have done without the list of items I picked up. Lord knows we’re survivalists. We have enough food to last several months. But some of the wives planned to spend today baking, and they were lacking some specific ingredients, so I agreed to go pick up their requests.
When I return to the main house, I descend into the secure basement, where some of our offices are located. I can hear Asher complaining under his breath as I round the corner and step through the door. “What’s the matter?”
Emma is with him. She’s not just with him.
She’s standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders, massaging what I’m sure are very tight muscles.
She’s a fucking saint for putting up with him.
We’re all glad he found a woman who tolerates him, and he obviously worships the land she walks on. He loves her to pieces.
“Took you long enough,” he grumbles when he glances over his shoulder. He doesn’t elaborate. Instead, he points toward one of the monitors where he’s got the weather report scrolling. “It’s going to be a doozy of a storm. Looks like it’s coming in a bit earlier than expected.”
I frown. “What time?”
“Dinner, I expect. Or the stupid weatherman says. I’m convinced he’s guessing.”
I chuckle. “He’s a meteorologist. I bet he has a pretty good idea about when the storm is coming in.”
Asher stands and takes Emma by the hand.
Emma smiles sweetly at me. “Hey, Adrian. Did you check on the new owners of the Sharp property?”
“Yep. And that’s owner. Singular. Just one woman, Blair.”
Emma winces. “What’s she planning to do? Build a new house in the spring or something?”
I smirk. “Actually, I’m pretty sure she was planning to move into the standing piece-of-shit shack today. Hopefully, I talked some sense into her. I’m glad I went to check.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Asher barks. “Is she stupid?”
Emma swats at his arm. “Don’t be so mean.”
I sigh. “Yes, but I think the more appropriate word is ignorant. She’s not what I expected. She absolutely comes from money, and I suspect she has a college degree.”
“In what? Gardening?” he retorts.
“I don’t know, Asher. I used my visit to convince her not to set foot in that house again, let alone sleep there. I didn’t have time to interview her about her past.”
He rolls his eyes. “Right. Well, we’re going home.” He tugs his wife’s hand and drags her from the office.
She glances over her shoulder and sweetly calls out, “Let Rebekah and Hannah know that I’ll be back soon to help them cook.”
“Will do.” I’m sure I’ll see them. Rebekah and Hannah regularly spend time down here during the day. They’re married to Adam and Aaric, who work together handling the developmental side of our business. Their office is next to mine.
Aaron and Andrew have offices upstairs in the main house. Andrew’s wife, Jaclyn, is a lawyer. She works for our company, JNG Enterprises. Aaron’s wife, Cheri, is an author. She’s probably at home working on her latest novel.
As I sit at my desk, unease creeps up my spine. God, I hope that stubborn woman took my advice and went into the city. I kind of wish I’d been nosy enough to put a camera up facing the Sharp property so I could check on her, but that would have been illegal and invasive, so it didn’t happen.
I don’t know why I even care. She’s a grown adult. She can take care of herself. I warned her about the hazards. That’s all I could have done. Inviting her to come stay here was borderline creepy. She doesn’t know me or anyone else who lives here.
The words slipped out as if I had no filter. Before I knew it, she was staring at me like I’d grown an extra head.
There’s just something about her. I can’t put my finger on it.
She’s not my type, so I don’t know why I’m giving her so much space in my head.
For one thing, she’s feisty and argumentative.
I usually prefer women who are a bit more agreeable.
Though, how’s that working out for me? Ha. I haven’t been on a date in years.
I’m a thirty-year-old man who’s been focused on reclaiming my family’s land for so long that I haven’t taken a second to breathe, let alone date. And who the hell would I date if I wanted to? It’s not like there are dozens of eligible women living in town.
My interactions when I head down the mountain usually include Marge at the grocery store. She’s in her seventies. Then there’s Rolanda. She’s the receptionist at the mechanic shop. I think she’s eighteen. Far too young. Jessie Lynne is the town’s beautician. She cuts my hair. She’s in her fifties.
The pickings are slim.
Doesn’t matter because I’m devoted to dealing with the homestead right now. I have plenty of time to worry about finding a woman and settling down.
I run a hand over my face and stare at the monitors. I don’t need to watch them like a hawk. There are sensors that alert me when there’s movement. Sometimes that movement is wildlife, but occasionally it’s a visitor.
My brothers and I are paranoid. For good reason. We like to know who’s coming. We never want to be blindsided again in this lifetime.
Taking a deep breath, I shake all thoughts of Princess Blair from my head. She’s on her own. I did what I could.