Chapter Three
How many times can I clean five hundred square feet?
Three times a day seems to be the answer.
I’m so fucking bored and have conned Aubrey into hanging out with me the last few days, but today, she has to work. She told me I could tag along, but the last thing I want to do is be around anything related to a wedding.
Your fiancé trying to kill you really sucks the joy out of all things wedding.
Tossing the remote onto the couch next to me, I stand and decide to finally be brave enough to walk around the property alone.
My skin feels like it’s going to crawl off my body if I don’t move.
I’m used to running miles every day to escape.
But I don’t know the trails around here.
Aubrey told me that Wyatt created a mile long trail for running on his property and showed me the general area it starts, but I don’t know if he wants me out there.
I don’t know if I want to be out there alone yet in unknown woods either.
Slipping on a pair of leggings and my sneakers, I grab my headphones to pop one side in. I need one ear free to listen to my surroundings. Something that I learned pretty quickly living with James.
The fresh air that wafts off the ocean from the back of Wyatt’s property is like a balm to my soul.
The salty air is something I didn’t know I needed, but it calms me.
I’ve gone to sit on the beach at Cooper’s family inn just as often as I’ve cleaned this house in the last few days, usually taking Aubrey’s daughter, Lily with me.
Stretching out my muscles as I walk down the dirt road, I catch sight of the cruiser I’ve been looking for and missing.
Giddiness courses through me. I haven’t seen him since my first night here when he brought me a welcome basket that he clearly put together with odds and ends from his own kitchen as an excuse to come over.
Not that he needs one. I’d happily strip that uniform off him and he wouldn’t even have to ask twice.
Fresh starts be damned.
Even if he seems to think I’m off limits.
I might have to convince him otherwise. Because a body like that shouldn’t be wasted.
The scar on his cheek gives him an air of danger.
While I’m sure that I should be avoiding anything to do with dangerous men, I wasn’t kidding when I said he was everything my fantasies could dream up.
And that makes him a massive red flag for me.
I never would have picked James for myself—he was chosen for me—but my whole world is dangerous men. It’s what I’m used to, what I was taught to want.
“Hey, goddess.” Wyatt stands, leaning on the back of his cruiser, drinking me in with his eyes roaming from my head to my toes.
Goddess.
I scoff at the nickname. It’s so fucking cheesy. I love it.
“Hey, Officer. How was your day? Find any moose murderers to arrest?” I saunter right into his personal space, making our toes touch.
“No, thank goodness. The moose are safe today. But I’ll let them know you’re concerned for their safety.”
Getting a closer look at him, I notice that the side of his lips with the scar doesn’t quite reach as high as the other side.
“Seriously, what kind of crime is committed in this town? Because I feel like it wouldn’t be enough to warrant even one full-time officer.” Spinning around, I pop my ass out to lean it back onto the bumper next to him, giving him a little show on the way.
He groans, and I know I succeeded in getting his attention. “I’ll have you know that we service multiple towns. And there are quite a few neighbor disputes that keep me busy.”
“So cranky, nosey, old ladies keep you in business?”
He rolls his eyes at me. “Are you going for a run on the trail? Aubs asked if she could show you.”
“I was thinking of going for a walk to get familiar with it first.” I glance at the start of the path.
“Are you scared of the moose?” He laughs, but I freeze.
“There’s moose out there?”
“You’re in Maine, Goddess. Of course there’s moose. Along with a multitude of other creatures.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I know there’s wild animals. I just… had an experience with a moose one time.”
“An experience?”
“Yes. Not a very positive one I might add.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“You know they typically run away from you. You have to really try to piss them off.”
Sighing, I say, “I know that. But there might have been some tequila involved. And a baby moose.”
He bends over with a full belly laugh booming from his lips. “Do not tell me you tried to pet the calf?”
“I most certainly did. He was cute.”
“And now you’re afraid of moose?”
“I most certainly am. Mama was not so cute.”
Standing up, he brings himself to face me. “Do you want me to come with you? I can show you the trail, the spots that branch off toward your house, and the spots where the wildlife usually are.”
I tap my chin, looking up at the sky and let him sweat for a minute. “I guess if you’re going to work out anyway you could come with me. I wouldn’t hate the company.” I drag my finger along his bicep.
“You’re fucking dangerous, Goddess.” He shakes his head. “Come on. You can wait inside while I change.”
I follow behind him into the garage, asking him a hundred questions about the local wildlife and annoying the shit out of him. Getting him riled up is quickly becoming my number one hobby here in Maine.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He drops all of his gear on the kitchen table and takes the steps two at a time.
“Hate to see you leave, love to watch you go,” I shout after him.
His head shakes from side to side, but I know his smile is wide even if I can’t see it. Not only can he take it, but he can dish it out too. I can’t remember the last time someone sassed me. No one sasses Hugh Chiave’s daughter.
I take in a deep breath, shaking the thoughts from my head. Not listening to Wyatt, I wander around his downstairs. It’s much homier than I would think for a single bachelor.
The back of the home is one large wall of windows from the floor up to the second story.
Large, plush, cognac leather couches fill a majority of the space in the living room with fluffy cream-colored blankets folded over the back.
The fireplace off the side of the living room separates it from the dining room, and you can see right through it with glass on either side.
The kitchen looks like a gourmet chef lives here.
A massive butcher block island sits in the middle under an iron rack for his pots and pans.
The gorgeous black granite counters boast a six-burner gas stove.
What I wouldn’t give for this kitchen.
“The kitchen was where I spent most of my money. And my master bath.”
I jump three feet in the air, whipping around to see Wyatt. How did I miss his footsteps? I never miss incoming footsteps.
“Jesus! What are you some kind of fucking ninja?”
“I’m a cop. I know how not to announce myself.” He shrugs.
“Well, could ya? Shit. I think you just took seventeen years off my life.” My hand still covers over my heart, feeling the rapid beat.
“Sorry. Didn’t realize you were so jumpy. Maybe it’s a good thing to have someone on the trail with you.” He moves around me to open his refrigerator and tosses a water in my direction.
Reaching out I snatch it from the air. “Thanks.”
“Ready to go?”
“I guess so. If you promise not to scare me again.” I bump my shoulder into his when he walks by me.
“I don’t make any promises.” He winks and holds the door open for me.
We walk in silence through his yard to the start of the path. He’s on my left, so his scarred side is closest to me, and I can see the line on his cheek stretching up to his ear.
“You can ask me about it. I won’t bite.” His gritted teeth would say otherwise.
“What if I like biting?”
He freezes. His feet stop moving. And I watch as he looks up to the sky.
“You’re going to be the death of me, you know that right?” he says, joining me again.
“I don’t know why you think I’m so off limits.” I shrug.
“You turned me down. Twice. Can I just point that out?” He rests his hand on my lower back turning me down a path to the left.
“A woman can change her mind. And my mind’s been changed. Sue me.”
“Aubrey would murder me. You’re off limits. You are the walking red flag, not me.” He pulls at the back of my red tank top.
Ha. Fitting. I snort at the coincidence in color.
“So. You wanna tell me about it? Or you want me to ignore it? I’m good either way. I get it.” I walk a few steps ahead of him, giving him the space to make the decision.
“Jack shot me when I tackled him on his way to Aubrey and Cooper. I couldn’t let him get that far.”
This time, I stop moving, and he slams into me, his hard-as-fuck chest taking me out. Warm hands wrap around my hips, steadying me before I can go down.
“You’re the cop who needed surgery. You had facial paralysis?”
“I see my reputation precedes me.” He laughs half-heartedly.
I shake my head almost imperceivable. “No. Aubrey felt like shit you got hurt. I was so thankful for you. You saved my best friend.” A tear manages to make its way to my eyes.
“Just another day on the job.”
Turning around in his grasp, I look him in the eyes, and reach out to trace the scar with my finger. “No. Not that day. Don’t downplay what you did for her. This scar is a sign of what a badass you are.”
He lets me go, backing away. I don’t know if my touch bothered him or the compliment. But I’m willing to bet on the latter.
“It was nothing really. Tell me about yourself. You’re here for college right, education?” He keeps moving along the trail covered by tall pines.
“Uh, yeah. I’m going online though.”
“Oh. I thought Aubrey said you moved out here to go to school. Why couldn’t you do remote in North Dakota?”
Shit. Fuck. Why did Ryder give college as a background?
“To be honest with you, I’m not really on board with what my family wants from me. I don’t see a reason to ring up a bunch of debt when I’m not that interested in education.” I look away from him, not wanting him to see the truth in that statement.
“What is it that you want to do?” We take another turn, and the trees disappear on one side of the trail, exposing the rocky descent to the water.
“Wow. This is absolutely stunning,” I breathe out.
Stopping, I take in the beginning of a sunset over the horizon. “Montana has some beautiful sunsets, but this is a million times better.”
“One of my favorite spots.” He smiles.
Finally getting back on the path we begin walking again. “So you grew up in Montana then with Aubrey?”
Montana? Shit. I just said Montana and not North Dakota. Double shit.
“Yeah. Moved to North Dakota in high school,” I lie.
“That’s hard I bet. Moving and losing all of your friends, as if high school wasn’t hard enough already.”
I scoff. “As if you had any trouble in high school. Oh my gosh, please tell me you had a chubby acne phase. There’s no way you get to look like this in high school and adulthood.”
“No. Looks have never been my problem, Goddess. Academics is where I struggled. Maintaining just enough of an average to play football. Or convincing the teachers to give me extra credit my g— my friend would do for me.”
I groan. “Of course you played football. I’d say you did pretty well for yourself somewhere along the way to have the home you have. Cops in this town must pay pretty well.”
He opens his mouth to answer me, but instead he reaches out, stretching his arm across me and stopping me. Holding a finger to his lips, he points with the other hand over to the left.
“Deer!” I whisper-shout.
“Don’t try to pet these ones, okay?” He chuckles and then reaches down, grabbing a stick and tapping on the tree next to us.
The deer runs off into the woods. And the moment is broken.
The rest of our walk is full of safe small talk, and neither of us let the conversation drift back to a place we don’t want it to. And for him it seems to be his past in high school. Or after high school. I haven’t decided which yet.
“Hey! That’s my house!” I point excitedly down the road. “How did we get over here?”
He laughs. “I’ll send you the map I had made so you can follow the different paths.”
Stopping at my porch, we stand awkwardly facing each other. I could just reach up on my tiptoes and take his lips with mine. And then he could strip me out of these clothes like I’ve been fantasizing about since I saw his muscular thighs in those gym shorts.
“Thanks for coming with me tonight.” I lean into him.
“You’re welcome. If you ever want to go again, just text me. You still have my number?” He doesn’t move away, but he also doesn’t lean down toward me like I was hoping he would.
“Sure do. On the fridge.”
“Okay, good. Well, I guess I’m going to get back so I can cook up some dinner and crash. I’ve gotta be back at the station to relieve someone at three in the morning.” He sighs, and his shoulders slump forward.
“Oh, yeah, sure. Thanks again.” Disappointment surges through me when he starts to walk away.
“Goodnight, Goddess.”
“Goodnight.” I wave like a fucking idiot, but then he returns the gesture.
Walking inside, I collapse on the couch and grab my phone.
Me: I finally went for a walk.
Me: With Wyatt.
Aubrey: Sophia. That is not a good idea.
Me: Okay, Mom. It was nothing. I ran into him when he got home before I got to the path. He offered to show me around and I was perfectly fine not venturing off into unknown woods alone.
Aubrey: If you say so. How was your day?
Me: Boring as fuck. I need a job. Or a hobby.
Aubrey: How about a girls night at the inn tomorrow night for dinner and margs?
Me: A thousand times yes. Tell me what to bring.