Chapter 8
Sierra
I woke up slowly, almost immediately recognizing that I was suffering from a migraine hangover.
My brain was foggy, and I felt the normal bone-deep exhaustion that I usually did after a migraine.
I blinked, trying to focus because the room was pretty dark.
The comfortable bed beneath me and the feel of expensive sheets on my skin told me that I wasn’t in the closet of my apartment anymore.
My head might feel like it was filled with cotton, but I had vague recollections of getting into my closet because of the migraine.
I sucked in a sharp breath as those memories extended and I recalled someone being at the apartment.
Asher.
I looked around the dark room and my eyes caught a large, bulky figure sitting in a recliner not far from the bed. I could tell that it was Asher because of the faint glow of his phone in the darkness.
Shit!
I was in his bedroom, sleeping in his bed.
I could see enough to recognize the bedroom I cleaned on a regular basis.
Why had he brought me here?
I’d called and left a message for him to let him know that I wasn’t coming to work.
I couldn’t see his face that clearly, but I could tell that he was frowning as he read something on his cell phone.
“Asher?” I said hesitantly.
His head popped up immediately, and he rose from his chair and strode to the side of the bed.
“You’re awake,” he said with relief in his tone. “You’ve been out for a while. I was just reading some information on migraines.”
Okay, it was incredibly sweet that he was interested in my condition, but I still wanted to know why I was here.
“How long?” I asked as I sat up carefully and reached for the lamp.
“The light—”
“It will be okay,” I assured him softly. “My headache is gone.”
The lamp illuminated the room with a small glow that helped me orient myself a little.
“You’ve been sleeping since yesterday when I carried you out of that closet. It’s early afternoon right now.”
Yesterday?
God, I’d slept an entire day away.
“I don’t understand why you came to my apartment. And why am I here?”
He sat on the bed slowly, like I was fragile glass that he was afraid he’d break.
“You didn’t give me much information about what was wrong with you,” he said unhappily.
“You sounded like you were in pain. I called you back, but you didn’t answer.
I thought you might need help, so I drove to your apartment.
Did you think I was just going to leave you in that damn closet in pain? ”
My heart squeezed as I realized he’d actually been worried about me.
No one except my mom had ever really worried about my well-being, so it was something I definitely wasn’t used to.
“Thanks,” I murmured as I rubbed the back of my aching neck. “I know I was more comfortable here. Was Reese here or was I imagining things?”
My mind was starting to wake up.
Of course I was more comfortable here, in a very luxurious bed and a room with blackout shades.
“Reese was here,” he grumbled. “I called her because I had no idea what you needed. She sent the meds I gave you and then stopped by last night after work to check on you.”
The meds…
I remembered now that Asher had given me something more than once while I was sleeping off the migraine.
Between the comfy space I was in and the medications, it was no wonder I’d slept for so long.
“That was really nice of her,” I told him. “I’ve only met her once or twice in town.”
He shrugged. “I can’t say that I know her much better, even though she’s my cousin’s wife. We don’t exactly socialize. But I appreciated her help just the same.”
My heart hurt because Asher had been so damn isolated.
People gossiped about the Remingtons a lot in Crystal Fork, and I’d heard that the cousins had never been close as kids because their fathers didn’t speak.
Now, when he actually had the chance to get to know them, he wasn’t capable of forming that bond with his family.
He will someday.
Asher would heal at some point, and he’d establish those relationships he should have had long ago.
Little by little, Asher Remington would fight his demons and come out the winner.
I knew he would.
“Oh, God,” I groaned. “I have to get home. Lucky is going to freak out, and she’s going to be hungry. I’ve never left her alone this long.”
Asher raised a brow. “Lucky?”
“My cat.”
He nodded toward the corner of the room. “She’s been extremely well-fed. I think she’s in a food coma right now because I asked Devon to drop some treats off for her this morning. I took her food from your place. She didn’t stop pestering me until she tried every treat he brought.”
I turned my head and my jaw dropped.
There was Lucky…out cold on her bed.
Asher had obviously brought her along when he’d driven me to his place.
“Devon brought you cat treats?” I asked in an astonished tone.
He shrugged. “I asked him to do me a favor. I found most of the things I needed for the cat, but she didn’t have any treats.”
“She doesn’t usually get them,” I confessed. “She gets a very small amount of tuna once in a while, but high-quality cat treats are kind of expensive.”
“Why in the hell didn’t you just tell me that you needed higher pay?
” he asked in an annoyed voice. “You live in the worst area of Billings, in what is probably the biggest shithole in the city. Everything is broken in your apartment. You have no damn furniture and almost no clothes. It doesn’t surprise me that you’re hungry because there’s no food in your home.
All you had to do is tell me your pay wasn’t enough and I would have raised it, Sierra. ”
“You pay me more than enough,” I said in a rush.
“It’s complicated, Asher. I send all of the extra money I can to my mom in Texas.
She had to retire from her cleaning jobs, and at the age of seventy, she should have retired way before she did.
She doesn’t really make enough to live on, and she certainly doesn’t collect enough retirement to fix all of the things that need to be fixed in her old house.
She really needs a new roof, so I’m saving as much as I can.
She was a single mother. When I was a child, she gave me everything she had.
I need to take care of her now. You pay me plenty, Asher, way more than you should.
Things are just really tight for me right now. ”
“Why do I have a feeling that things were tight when you were a child, too?”
“Most of my life, actually,” I confessed. “But I still felt lucky when I was a kid. I had a mother who loved me, and she made things fun even though we didn’t have a lot of money. I know my place isn’t much, but it’s what I can afford right now.”
He shot me a warning glance. “You’re not going back there.”
I let out a huff. “Of course I’m going back there. I live there.”
He crossed his arms over his muscular chest stubbornly. “Not anymore. You’ll stay here with me. It will be a better arrangement when the bad weather comes anyway.”
He actually stunned me into silence, which was unusual for me.
I was so shocked that I simply stared at him.
Asher Remington wasn’t the kind of guy who would want to share his space with anyone, especially a housekeeper.
“You don’t want me to live here,” I said, my voice a little shaky.
“I do want you to live here,” he corrected. “How old are you, Sierra?”
“Thirty-seven,” I said defensively. Was he going to tell me that I should have my life more together at my age?
Asher was in his early forties and he was a billionaire. He’d been wealthy at my age, and he’d started with nothing.
God, I knew I should have my shit together by now, but I didn’t want to hear that from Asher.
He frowned. “You look younger.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve heard that before.”
To my surprise, he didn’t say a word about what a mess my life was right now.
“I want you to live here,” he said huskily. “I want to make your life easier from now on. I think I’m going to have to insist on it. Your position here just became a live-in job.”
I should be indignant that he was being so high-handed, but I knew he was trying to help me in a typical Asher sort of way.
“When exactly did you decide that the position had this new requirement?” I asked, my tone slightly miffed.
“Since I saw your apartment,” he said drily. “That got me to thinking about an arrangement that would work for both of us. It would be convenient for me to have you here. You’re not going back there, Sierra. You can’t even lock your damn door, for fuck’s sake.”
I knew it wouldn’t really be convenient for him to have me living here.
He was just trying to make me feel better.
Honestly, I really wanted to take him up on his offer. I was tired of trying to get things fixed in my apartment.
It really was a dump, but it was all I could spend until I was able to take care of my mom’s immediate needs.
I knew I really needed a new place to live, but that would cost me more than I could afford at the moment.
I’d save gas money getting to work every day, and the wear and tear on my older vehicle, too.
I was a pragmatic woman.
It really would help me to live here with Asher.
It was a big place, and I could try to stay out of his way.
“You’d have to pay me less if board is included,” I insisted.
“Not happening,” he said firmly. “That’s not negotiable. I’m not going to argue about this. You’re still recovering from that migraine. How are you feeling now?”
“A little tired, and I’m starving.”
“Are you feeling well enough to grab some food at Charlie’s?” he asked. “We don’t have to stay out long. You missed breakfast this morning, but we can do a late lunch or early dinner. I’m not a great cook and you could use a good meal right now.”
I sent him a surprised look. “I’ve heard the food is really good there. But do you really want to go to town?”
“I’m not going to expect you to isolate yourself at the ranch with me, and I’m going to have to start getting out if I want to get over my aversion to people and crowds.
I guess it’s time that I try to reconnect with some of the good people in Crystal Fork.
I’m not suggesting that we go to the Mug and Jug on a Saturday night, but I think I can handle sitting in Charlie’s. ”
Tears sprang to my eyes.
I knew that desensitizing was something he was going to need to do but knowing that he was willing to speed up the process simply to make me happy nearly killed me.
“I’d like to go, but you’ll tell me the second you get uncomfortable,” I said firmly.
He nodded. “Do you need help getting out of bed?”
I suddenly realized that I wasn’t in the clothes I’d had on when I’d entered my tiny closet in my apartment.
I’d still been in my pajamas, but that definitely wasn’t what I was wearing right now.
“What am I wearing?” I asked as I stroked my hand down my scantily clad body.
“One of my old T-shirts,” he informed me. “You were wearing what appears to be your only pair of pajamas, and you were sweating in that damn closet. You needed something clean and dry.”
“You changed my clothes?”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” he grumbled. “I didn’t look. I just pulled off the nightgown you were wearing while you were under the sheets and threw my T-shirt over your head.”
I knew he was telling the truth. If he actually had surveyed my half-naked body, he would have been peppering me with questions right now.
He looked so disgruntled that I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
Maybe it should have bothered me that he’d changed my sleeping attire, but I preferred him changing my clothes to sleeping in sweaty garments and on wet sheets.
I sighed. “I can get up myself.”
He rose from the bed and strode to the door. “I’ll be in my office. Come down whenever you’re ready.”
I waited for him to leave before I tossed the covers off my body.
I knew I’d be a little slow to get up at first, but I’d be fine once I got my bearings.
I’d be even better after a hot shower.
I walked into his master bathroom slowly, startled when I saw that he’d left me a clean pair of jeans, a casual top, and some underwear.
He’d obviously brought my clothing from my apartment.
A sense of gratitude flowed over me as I turned on the shower.
Living with someone like Asher wouldn’t be a sacrifice.
It would probably feel more like a dream come true.