7. Sadie
Chapter 7
Sadie
“ J ust let me do it,” Barrett says to Ginger, tugging the dish towel from her hands and stomping to the sink. “Go sit and annoy your ugly husband or something.”
“Did I mention you’re my favorite brother?” She asks in a sing-song voice. Greer and Noah grilled enough hotdogs to feed a small army while Ginger passed out chips and cold drinks to everyone.
But no one brought paper plates, so the family ended up using her dishes. She slipped away to clean the mess in the kitchen, but Barrett followed her. He’s insisting on being the one to tidy up.
“Yeah, yeah,” he mutters as he flicks on the tap for the sink.
She chuckles and gives me a wink as she leaves the room. “Then I guess I’ll go find my mountain man.”
I wait until she’s gone to join him. We’re alone together in the warm cabin, the breeze wafting in through the window above the sink.
Outside, birds chirp cheerful songs as the wind rustles through the tall mountain grass. The air smells fresh and pure, the way it always does when nature is untouched by the city. There’s the quiet hum of power tools mixed with the good- natured laughter and teasing that I’m learning is part of every Maple family gathering.
I offer to help, and Barrett looks up, surprised to see me here. He must not have realized I followed Ginger in with the exact same plan he had. He gives me a jerky nod when I repeat the offer.
We work together in silence. I rinse the dishes, passing them to him. He loads the dishwasher, and the whole thing feels like something we could do together every day.
“You made it fit,” I say, impressed with his stacking skills when we’ve finished loading the dishwasher.
He gives me a smirk. “It’s easy when you’re used to working with big things.”
I blush, feeling my entire body heat. He can’t keep looking at me like that. My panties might just spontaneously combust.
“How are you doing now?” He asks as he adds the dishwashing pod to the machine.
While everyone was working earlier, Greer accidentally took a nail through his work glove. Other than cussing a blue streak, he was fine. But Evie’s little brothers, Chase and Parker, were scared.
While Evie helped stop the bleeding, Barrett entertained the boys. He distracted them with a card trick and kept their attention off of what was happening.
I spent most of the time with my head between my knees. I don’t do so well with the sight of blood. My doctor said it was a vasovagal response, just another part of my fainting condition.
Barrett paused during one card trick to ask if I was doing OK, and I told him I was fine. My ears were still ringing, but the world was slowly regaining color. When I faint or get close to it, I feel like I’m in a dark tunnel. I know the episode is improving when everything stops being that murky gray and becomes colorful again.
“I’m feeling better,” I reassure him. “You were good with the kids earlier. Where did you learn those card tricks?”
He gives the counters a swipe with a dish cloth, not looking up at me. “I was a shy, abused kid who pissed himself every time he got scared. I learned early in life I had to work harder than other people to be liked.”
My heart breaks for the kid he was. It seems unfair that those who need love the most have to work the hardest to get even the slightest affection. “For the record, I like you a lot.”
He tosses the cloth into the sink and finally meets my gaze. He holds out his hand. “Take a walk with me.”
I put my hand in his big, calloused one. The familiar tingles dance across my skin. I’m learning that happens every time we touch.
He leads me from the cabin into the forest. It’s so quiet and comforting out here, like stepping into a fairytale. Coco darts ahead of us on the path, pausing to sniff at rocks and bark at scary things like the overgrown bushes.
Barrett chuckles at her antics. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.”
“This is Coco. She’s a fierce little warrior,” I tell him. Well, she is until a spooky noise sounds at night. Then she burrows under the pillows until I investigate the clanging water pipes and reassure her that we’re fine.
“She takes after her mama.”
“She found me when I needed her most,” I say softly.
When I visited the animal shelter last year, I didn’t expect the little furry girl to curl up on my lap. When the volunteer explained that Coco had suffered the loss of her previous owner, I knew she was meant to be mine. We were both orphans without a family.
“Pets have a way of doing that. Animals sense what we need more than another human sometimes,” he says, perfectly understanding.
“Do you have a fur baby of your own?” I wonder what the inside of his house looks like. Is he the kind of person who has a cat or a dog? He definitely seems like a dog person.
“Baby is a strong word,” he mutters. “More like I got a maniac dog on three legs who thinks bolting every chance he gets is funny. I’m pretty sure Skip just needs to know I’m going to go looking for him.”
“And you always do?” Overhead, the sky is darkening and thunder rumbles. The humidity, which was suffocating earlier, has dropped.
“Every time.” He frowns at the sky, his eyebrows crinkling together. “We should head back.”
“Maybe not quite yet.” Although it’s probably a smart idea, I’m not ready to go back just yet. I want this quiet moment with Barrett. I thought I was into him because he has a beautiful body, but the more time I spend around him, I realize he’s beautiful on the inside too.
Something about the way his gaze softens when I tell him I don’t want to go back yet makes me think he’s enjoying this as much as I am.
He asks, “What about you? How did you land in Courage?”
“A few years ago, I had a job working as a waitress in another city. One customer came in every week. He was an older guy, sweet, friendly. He seemed kind of lonely, so I’d talk to him, refill his coffee, and let him stay to closing. It wasn’t anything huge. Then one day, I noticed I hadn’t seen him around in a couple of weeks.” I stop and swallow, thinking of the man. I wasn’t close with him, but every time I saw him, I tried to brighten his day. “His lawyer contacted me. He told me the man had passed away and left me some money. Enough to quit waitressing and figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”
He reaches for my hand, squeezing it gently. “You cared about him. That had to be tough.”
“At first, I thought I would go to college. I had this idea that I would be a lawyer and right the injustices of the world.” I shake my head.
“But you decided against that path?”
“It might sound funny, but being at college wasn’t making me happy. I realized I didn’t want to spend my life fighting battles. I just wanted to be happy.”
“And making donuts makes you happy.” It’s not a question. It’s a statement he makes with the gentle rumble of conviction.
I study him from my peripheral. “How did you know that?”
“It’s on your face. When we were stacking inventory, you talked me through the process of how you make your donuts. You couldn’t stop smiling.”
“It does make me happy,” I tell him then add, “Courage County also makes me happy.”
“I hope to be added to that list very soon.”
I don’t tell him that he’s already on that list because the sky chooses that moment to open up. Lightning flashes and thunder roars as chilling rain pelts us.
“We’re near a cabin,” he says as he takes my hand in his. He picks up Coco, tucking her close to his chest. Then the three of us are sprinting forward in the driving rain. I can’t see anything, but I trust Barrett.
We jog through the rain with the thunder so loud I can barely think or hear his voice. I’m beginning to suspect that we are hopelessly lost when a cabin comes into view. I blink, trying to clear the moisture from my eyes.
It’s useless until we’re on the covered porch.
He fumbles around until he produces a key from under the mat. He ushers me into the cabin that smells slightly stale, like it’s been shut up for a while. It’s darker in here than it was outside, but there’s still natural light pouring in through the big, picturesque windows.
I flick a power switch, relieved when the lights click on. I hate the dark. It’s why it’s so hard for me to sleep at night.
“Where are we?” I call as he strides down the hallway of the cabin like he’s been here before. It’s too nice to be one of the nearby hunting cabins.
I follow after Barrett because I don’t like the idea of being alone in this unfamiliar place. What if the owners show up and yell at us?
“Rafe owns this cabin. He spends most of the year out of the country. I check on the place for him every month,” he explains.
He opens the door to the primary bedroom and guides me to the bathroom. “There should be towels in the linen closet.”
I step inside, my teeth chattering. Quickly, I peel my soggy clothes from my body and wrap myself in a thick, plush towel. “Why is he overseas?”
“He fell in love with a princess and married her. They come back here to visit sometimes,” he answers. “I found girl clothes.”
I open the bathroom to grab the clothes from him, but he’s standing in the doorway. The moment I do, his gaze roams over my body. I know everything is covered by this extra-large towel, but the way he’s looking at me is stripping me bare.
I swallow hard and call his name. After all of my teasing, this is it. This is the moment when the hot cowboy is finally going to ravish me.