Chapter 4
FOUR
LYDIA
Ican’t tell if today was a success or a total nightmare.
I should consider cutting my losses, especially because Cade Abernathy clearly wants nothing to do with whatever his lawyer concocted. I never thought he would be so…growly about it. Not quite mean, but…
Yeah, he’s a little mean.
And for some reason, getting under his skin is exciting. A challenge. I feel like I haven’t had one of those in a long time. Living under the same roof as my brothers meant a lot of challenges, sure. Getting under their skin, though, was always too easy.
I want to blame this fascination with getting under Cade’s skin on my brothers.
I just don’t know if it’s that easy.
Here on the mountain, it feels like an entirely different world. The sky is so dark the stars look endless, covering the darkness like little pinpricks, allowing enough light to make the rest of the landscape feel unreal.
It’s not like this is my first time up the mountain to see the sky. But standing on the deck of Mr Abernathy’s cabin and seeing it from his view feels…different.
I feel the mountain man before I see him. He has an air about him, an unfathomable presence that makes a shiver roll down my spine. Before, I have no doubt he’d been powerful.
Hell, I know he was. He’s the man who brought a new life to Willow Ridge. Who expanded our once tiny, easy to miss town into something that could be admired by even the most insane elite.
And he’s also the man who let it all fall away.
From the corner of my eye, I admire the way his hair falls around his shoulders in soft waves, and the neat trim of his thick beard, which covers his strong jaw.
Unlike most men I know, there’s no sign of his nose being broken, though then again, he’s got enough money that if he ever did break it, he could get it fixed, and none would be the wiser.
It’s his eyes, though, that take my breath away. They’re so startlingly blue that when I’d first looked into them, they’d appeared unreal.
When those eyes meet mine now, I can’t stop the heat rushing through my body. I clear my throat and look away, blinking hard. “Don’t tell me, I’m not allowed out here, too,” I say, gripping the railing. He’s already banned me from his side of the house, so I wouldn’t be surprised.
The mountain man snorts as he leans back against the railing, crossing his arms over his broad chest. It is so unfortunate that he’s so…hot. Especially when he’s so damned mean. The man is basically Scrooge, or maybe the Grinch, with the way he acts.
It doesn’t give me much faith in my ability to reshape his image. Not in the eyes of the town or his boardroom.
I shift to face him and match his stance, crossing my arms. “What? You going to tell me again how you don’t want me here?
How you wish your lawyer didn’t hire me?
” His eyes flicker to mine and harden, a tick forming in his jaw.
It’s just too easy getting him annoyed. “I’ve already started, Mr Abernathy.
I can assure you, you won’t regret it. But you have to work with me. ”
“And what type of work have you already put in? I don’t see any board members in my emails,” he says, pushing off the railing to stare down at me. “So, tell me cowgirl, what have you done?”
“I’m not a cowgirl,” I growl, heart pounding.
I draw in a breath, catching his aftershave, which smells like a mix of whiskey and toffee, a little bit of heat mixed with something sweet.
“In order to look good to your board, you need to be seen as the face of your company. There are three major events happening in the next month that could use you there. They would be great places for you to be seen, and an excellent way for your board to be reintroduced to you—other than actually going into the office in person, but I doubt you’ll want to do that. ”
“Let me guess,” he says, unfolding his arms, one hand moving to the railing while the other forms a fist. “They’re all in New York.”
“Yes.”
He shakes his head firmly. “No.”
Raising my brows, I take a step towards him. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean…” He matches my step, putting us nearly chest to chest. This close, all I can see is the swirling blue of his eyes, how deep and unreal they appear. “I will not leave Willow Ridge.”
Confusion swells within me as I blink hard. “Why?” It’s all I can think to ask. I know he’s been isolated up here for a while; I’d been warned about it when I got my initial package for the move in.
Why would he want to stay here after everything that’d happened with the lodge?
A man like him…I would have expected him to have moved on or rebuilt.
I’d taken a glimpse at his finances, and a quick internet search revealed his supposed net worth—billions unfortunately.
But I don’t see why he could be so attached to our town.
Locals whisper about him like he’s the bogeyman. A terrifying creature, a myth concealed only to our town.
But the longer I stare at him, I don’t see that. I never took stock in what the grumpy old vets or my brothers said about him, and especially now, it becomes clear that something else happened that night.
Something flickers in his eyes, a quick moment of vulnerability that quickly disappears when he breathes in. “Look—”
Something rustles the trees below, catching his attention. Immediately he stiffens, eyes darkening. “Go inside,” he says, turning towards the sound.
My skin prickles with awareness, stomach dipping. “Why?”
“Just go in,” he commands without looking at me.
A small part of me wants to agree and just do as he says, especially when the branches rustle again. But I also don’t scare easily. It could be a bear, but chances of it doing more than wandering around the yard is low. It might just get spooked by the Grinch beside me.
I go to take a step to see what he’s looking at when my foot catches on his boot. Sure as fuck—and much to my embarrassment—I trip into the hulking mountain man with a yelp, and in that moment, something flashes from below as his strong arms curl around me to stop my fall.
I’d recognise that flash of light anywhere. But it’s too late. The rustling becomes louder until all I hear is the crunch of feet on gravel as they run and Grinch curses under his breath.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he hisses, though he doesn’t let me go. I’m smothered against his chest as he breathes hard, his heart pounding beneath my ear.
When I try to pull away, his arms tighten around me, almost like he’s unaware he’s holding me.
I should be fighting him.
But instead, I’m trying not to melt into his hold.
“What is it?” I ask, though I’m not entirely sure the mountain man hears me. His arms just become tighter, holding me like I’m anything but his new assistant.
Mr Abernathy curses under his breath again, and it’s only then that I start to feel him tremble. As much as he’s pissed me off since arriving, I can tell there’s something else wrong, and it’s not just because of a camera.
This isn’t New York. One of the draws of Willow Ridge is the fact that you could be Angelina Jolie and most of the town would leave you alone. When the lodge was still operating, we had our fair share of Hollywood stars visit, from a Spider-Man to rising star, Harper Cabot.
But Mr Abernathy is just a billionaire hiding away. What makes him paparazzi material? Other than his ties to the lodge…but even that doesn’t sit right with me.
Somehow, the trembling becomes enough that I can pull myself out of his embrace and take one of his hands. He allows me to pull him into the cabin, saying nothing as I push the door shut behind us.
I get him to the leather sofa and push him down into it, saying nothing. Only when he’s sitting does he actually look at me, and the way he does has my heart clenching.
His eyes are so full of guilt and shame it takes my breath away. But not only that, there’s fear in his striking blue eyes.
I swallow hard, heart pounding, ready to pull my hand out of his.
“Wait,” he says, voice hoarse. “I—” He blinks hard, clearing his throat, but releases my hand. “Sorry.”
“What was that?” I ask quietly, hesitantly taking the seat beside him. “What happened?”
His jaw clenches as he shakes his head. “Nothing. But you’ll need to keep an eye on the tabloids. It won’t take long for that to hit the front page.”
My brows furrow, but he doesn’t look at me. “Why would a photo of us hit the front page?”
Grinch snorts and rubs a hand down his face, sitting back on the sofa. “You don’t want to know.”
“I need to,” I tell him, trying to keep my voice firm yet gentle. “I’m here for your image, and I can’t do my job properly if I don’t know all the facts. Especially if you’re worried a photo of us will become front page news.”
“Let’s just say I did something, and it’ll have repercussions,” he replies sharply. “That’s all.”
“Does this have something to do with the fire?” I ask, stumbling back a step.
But he rises from the sofa and without looking at me, he walks away.
I startle awake at the sound of clanging in the kitchen.
For a moment, I’m disoriented, staring around a dark room I know isn’t mine. It isn’t my apartment, and it definitely isn’t my room back on the ranch.
Something crashes again, pulling me out of the darkness and right back to my reality.
I’m in Mr Abernathy’s cabin on Jade Mountain.
And I have a feeling he’s not the type of man to go around rifling through the kitchen at midnight.
With trembling hands, I grab for my cell and slip out of bed. I turn the flashlight on and creep out of my room, which is in the back of the cabin, and start down the hall.
All the lights are out, except for one in the kitchen, but even then, it reveals nothing. From the hall, I notice the back door leading onto the deck is closed, and when I look towards the other entrance into the cabin, it’s also locked shut—just as Grinch left it.
So, no one snuck in…or at least, I don’t think so.
Oh, God, what if he’s hiding someone in his room and that’s why he’s so pissed about me being here? And what if that someone decided to make themselves known?
Now that could explain his earlier reaction. What if there’s a secret girlfriend? Or boyfriend?
None of it makes sense, and it definitely—
I walk in on a shirtless Grinch and come to a stop, breath lodging in my throat.
Not because he’s one fine man, and definitely not because getting a midnight snack doesn’t make sense.
I stop because of the giant burn scar on his shoulder and running down the left side of his back.
The man turns as if sensing me, eyes dark. “Snow’s falling hard,” he says, pulling what I could only assume is a just in case the power goes out pack. “Hope you didn’t have any plans. The road will probably be covered by morning.”
My stomach sinks, and Sunday family dinner seems like a far off possibility now that I’m trapped with this man.
Maybe he’s more of a mystery than I ever thought possible, not because I know nothing about him, but maybe because I now know too much.
And I have a feeling that this has just made things so much more complicated.