Chapter 5
five
Andrew
My cabin is the closest one to the main house.
Before we returned to the mountain, my brothers and I planned the layout for the homestead rebuild and cabins for each of us—particularly where we wanted them built.
Each of us added custom touches to the basic three-bedroom, two-bath cabins, but some aspects were common to each of us: namely, a safe room.
Everyone except Asher. He continued to live on the mountain after the fire, even once we all left.
None of us heard from him much during that time, but eventually he broke through the grief that had held him in a stranglehold and rejoined the family.
I think our return to the mountain helped him, but Emma healed something inside Asher, and now he’s finally the person we all knew he could be.
Years of work at JNG Corporate Headquarters ensured we all knew the business inside and out, and each of my brothers found their niche.
I was the only one with no choice. Dad groomed me from my teens to take over from him one day.
None of us had been ready for it to be shortly after I’d graduated with my master's degree from Stanford, his alma mater.
I work from my office in the main building most days, though I can work from my cabin.
After years of going into the office, it’s been hard to break the habit, just like wearing business attire, albeit business casual on the days when I don’t have conference calls with JNG HQ.
My brothers accuse me of being a workaholic, and I don’t disagree.
Adrian, who handles our security, and Aaron, JNG CFO, who interacts with me on a day-to-day basis, complain the most. As CEO, the responsibility to make sure everything runs smoothly sits on my shoulders.
It’s something my dad stressed for as long as I can remember.
Not letting him down weighs heavily on me.
Since it is such a short walk to the main building, I rarely use my SUV unless it’s nasty weather.
Mostly, it stays parked in the garage next to my cabin.
Exactly where it is right now. When I grab her suitcase and stride toward the kitchen to grab Jaclyn, I remember she’s wearing heels.
Stilettos aren't the best footwear for the paths around the homestead. Should I go get my car to drive her to my cabin? It’s the gentlemanly thing to do—the option my father would have picked.
One my parents raised me to choose, but thinking about her stumbling against me and needing my help convinces me to leave the SUV where it is.
My smirk turns into a genuine smile when I reach the kitchen doorway.
Seeing Jaclyn and Emma chatting makes me happy. All the women in our family are sweet, but Jaclyn will probably relate better with Emma, since she also grew up in the city.
“Ready to head out, Jaclyn?” When she looks over at the doorway and sees me, her cheeks pinken. I wonder what the two of them were talking about if seeing me causes such a dramatic reaction.
“Yes, thank you,” she answers, then turns back to Emma. “Maybe I’ll see you before I leave.”
Emma looks at where I’m leaning against the archway and smiles at Jaclyn with a gleam in her eyes. “Oh, I guarantee it.”
I catch identical smirks on my brothers’ faces when my gaze wanders from Jaclyn as she strides across the kitchen toward me.
Their thoughts are obvious—and they’re not wrong.
There’s no denying what I want. Sure, I could try, but it would be ridiculous.
Too bad admitting it to myself is the easy part.
The hard part? Convincing Jaclyn she’s mine, so she won’t run.
“You okay?” I ask and rest my hand on the small of her back so I can steer her toward the back door to take the shorter path to my cabin.
“Umm, yeah. Where are you taking me? I thought we were going to your room.”
My room? What does she—? Oh, I said she was staying with me…
“Not exactly. You are staying in my room, but it’s not here in the main house. We’re going to my cabin.”
“Wait.” She stops and looks up at me. “What do you mean, your cabin? Away from everyone else? That can’t be right. You’re my boss, not directly but still…” Her voice is higher-pitched than I’ve heard it all night.
Is she nervous or scared? Either way, it won’t change anything. I’m not letting her out of my sight. Overprotective? Maybe, but I don’t care. I’ve accepted that she’s mine. Alone in my cabin is the best place to persuade her of that.
“Are you worried I’ll hurt you? I assure you, you’re perfectly safe with me, Sweetpea.”
“Can’t I stay with Emma or Rebekah? Surely, that would be better.”
“What are you worried about, Jaclyn?” My hand gently urges her toward the back door.
“I told you earlier, my job is important to me. When I go back to California, and my coworkers find out, even if HR doesn’t fire me, I’ll have to find a new job. The last thing I want is anyone thinking I’m only getting ahead because I’m sleeping with the boss.”
I struggle not to chuckle. She’s adorable, but she’s never going back to Sunnyvale or San Jose.
The sooner she realizes my intentions, the better.
“Trust me when I say this, you don’t have to worry about losing your job.
At least, not unless we find out that you’re the one trying to undermine the company. ”
She doesn’t realize we’re outside when she stops and flattens her palm against my chest. It’s the first time she’s touched me without me causing it. Not that she’s strong enough to stop me from continuing to our cabin. Yup, I’m already thinking of it as ours.
“Shit. Is that what you think? That I’m trying to undermine the company? Is that why you forced me to come here?”
“Little bit, I didn’t force you, merely asked for you to come and supplied the means. No one dragged you kicking and screaming to the airport, or drugged you and carried your unconscious body on the plane.”
Her eyebrows slide up her forehead at my words.
What the heck? Did she think we would drug her?
After a moment, she blows out a breath and then turns toward the path, barely visible in the moonlight.
“Okay, that might have been a slight exaggeration, but it doesn’t explain why I need to be here.
Do you really think I’d do something to sabotage JNG? ” Her voice wavers, sounding defeated.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what’s going on. Something’s happening with JNG. We’ve been trying to unravel it for months. When your email showed up in my inbox, you became the place to start to get answers. If you’re innocent, I’m sorry. But you won’t be hurt, no matter how this turns out.”
“I swear on my best friend’s life, I only found the discrepancy. I don’t have anything to do with whatever you think is going on.” Her breath is uneven, and her hand is trembling where it still rests against my chest.
Fighting the urge to take her in my arms and calm her, like I did earlier, I soften my tone and grip her chin, tilting her face to meet my gaze.
“Jaclyn, it’ll be okay. We’ll figure it all out tomorrow.
But right now, you need to get some rest. It’s been a long, frustrating day for all of us. Okay?”
She inhales deeply and then lets it out slowly—a classic self-soothing behavior. Jaclyn is no stranger to panic attacks. Hopefully, after spending some time here, the mountain will heal her, like it has the rest of us.
“Jaclyn? I need your words…” I hate pushing her, but I need to know she’s with me and not about to break down.
“Yes, okay. Sleep sounds great.”
“I agree,” I reply, a gentle smile on my face. I release her chin. “The cabin is just ahead, not far at all.” Even though she hasn’t said anything, I’m sure she’s wondering whether I’m taking her deep into the forest.
“Is that it?” She must see the lights shining through the cabin windows. They turn on automatically at dusk—another safety procedure we’ve added.
“It is. Told you it wasn’t far.” I don’t know what I expect, but not her next question.
“Why do you have separate cabins? The house is enormous. You seem so close, why not just live together?”
It’s a good question, not one anyone has brought up before. I could give her a pat answer, but I want to make a lifetime with this woman. My mom used to tell us we should start the way we plan to go on, so I’ll give her the truth.
“It’s safer this way. I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of stories about my parents.
” I stop and give her a chance to nod. This is one time I don’t need her words.
“We lived together in the main house—the only home any of us knew. My parents moved here to keep us away from the insanity of Silicon Valley. Even back then, it was easy to run JNG from here.”
Now it’s me who stops. We've made it to the cabin. Before I hit her with the next surprise, I want her to understand why we do things the way we do. “When the fire took our parents’ lives, we vowed never to live here again. It took years to realize what they’d known all along.
That the mountain was where we belonged.
Asher never left. He kept watch over the land, but the rest of us have only been back for about a year.
Once we all agreed to return, we made sure it would be as safe as possible.
Living in separate cabins was the answer, that and a ton of precautions that didn’t exist ten years ago. ”
She surprises me again when she nods and says, “Thank you for telling me. I am really sorry about your parents. I can’t even imagine how horrible that loss was for you and your brothers.
” In the light pouring from the front windows, her expression is easy to read—genuine, not the fake sympathy I’m so used to seeing.
“Thank you. I’ll always tell you the truth.” Shaking the weight of the past from my shoulders, I amp up my smile. “Ready to go inside and get settled?”
“Yup,” she says, waiting for me to lead the way.