I opened my mouth to say as much, and he narrowed his eyes, just the slightest narrowing and that was when self-preservation kicked in. I climbed from the bed, grabbed my jeans and pulled them on. My tee followed. I didn’t bother putting my sneakers on, grabbing them and my purse. I was flanked, him in front of me and his demon hounds behind me.
“I can’t go if you’re blocking the exit.”
He was leaning against the doorjamb now, looking both at ease and amused. He moved slightly to allow me to pass. I brushed past him, walked to the door. I was glad Liam was on the welcoming committee last night because this guy would have had me driving right out of town.
I yanked the door open, refrained from slamming it behind me. Took the stairs two at a time, walking right out the front door. I didn’t have my car, but I wasn’t waiting around for Liam. It wasn’t likely they had Uber, but then I saw the yellow cab. Hailing it, I gave him my address then prepared to face off with the raccoons because they were far less frightening.
The cab drove down the long drive, all of which was my property. There were patches of trees, fields of wildflowers. A decorative spilt rail fence acted as the entrance. It was falling apart, but I’d have it fixed up. And then the house came into view. I paid the cabby then stood and stared. It needed work, but the cabin itself was a small, A-frame log cabin that backed up right against what was technically a large hill, a grass and wildflower covered hill that rose up behind the cabin. There was no front porch, but I was fixing that. There was a detached garage for my Jeep. Excitement raced through me. I had work to do, but I really loved it.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been home when Liam’s truck pulled up the drive. “I’m sorry,” he said in way of greeting. “I don’t know what he said to you, but I’m sure it was—”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault he’s an ass.” I turned back to the cabin. The movers were arriving tomorrow. I wanted to get the place somewhat livable. “How long did this sit empty?”
“A couple years.”
“I had it inspected,” I said.
“Yeah, who did it?”
“Graham Hawke.”
“He’s good. What did he say?”
“The bones were good, the electricity and plumbing fine.”
“So it’s just cosmetic,” Liam said. “That’s good.”
“Yeah. A little elbow grease.”
“You want help?” he asked.
I turned to him, and again thought how much different last night could have gone if he hadn’t been the one I ran into. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m actually looking forward to the me time.” That was the truth.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright. I’ll give you my number. You need anything, give me a call.”
“Thank you. You were pretty awesome last night.”
He grinned, pushed his hands into his pockets.
“When I’m settled, I’ll make you a home cooked meal.”
He grinned. “Deal.”
We both heard the rustling; I stepped a little closer to him before I said, “Clinton at the feed store is my first stop.”
Liam helped me bring my stuff in from my Jeep, checked the rooms in the daylight to make sure nothing was living inside that shouldn’t be. After he left, I stood in the living room of my new home. What had sold me was the huge stone fireplace that ran up the one wall to the rafter ceiling. The kitchen was in the back of the house, the bedroom and bath down the one hall and there was a loft. It wasn’t big, but it was the view. Stepping back outside, moving around to the side of the house, I looked out at nothing but wide-open space, a forest in the distance, the hill. It was breathtaking. My wakeup call, notwithstanding, I knew I’d finally found the place I could call home. At some point, I’d need to find a job, but I saved most of what I made at my six figure advertising job, and the cabin only cost a fraction of what I’d gotten from selling my condo. I was good for a while, but I needed to work. I wouldn’t be able to be idle for too long. I’d cross that bridge once I got my house in shape.
I had cleaning supplies with me, enough to clean the shower before I used it. Dressing in my khaki capris, tee and sandals, I pulled my dark hair into a knot, grabbed my purse and went to explore town. My cabin was only about ten minutes from Main Street. I parked at the curb and climbed out. The storefronts looked like a scene from a Wild West movie. The streets were paved, but it would be so easy to see them as dirt, horses walking down them, the sheriff leaning against the porch support in front of his office, the saloon with scantily dressed ladies lingering at the push through door. That thought had me thinking about my wakeup call. The man was a dick, but the sight he made with his dogs was definitely memorable. I was guessing he was the man that woman was looking for. I understood her interest, well, based on his looks; his personality left little to be desired.
I hit the hardware store first and got all kinds of cleaning supplies before I loaded them into my Jeep and drove to the feed store. Stepping inside, I was greeted by the elderly man behind the counter. “Morning, what can I do for ya?”
“Hi. I just moved into the place on Willow Lane.”
“Yes.” He moved around the counter, offering his hand. “I’m Clinton.”
“Cedar, nice to meet you.”
“Let me guess, you’ve got raccoons.”
“I do.”
“Not surprising with the place sitting for so long. I can trap them and move them somewhere else.”
I was hoping he’d say that. I didn’t want to hurt them, but I didn’t want them living with me either.
“The best deterrent is a dog. You might want to look into getting one, particularly living out there alone,” he suggested.
I’d already been thinking about getting a dog. I wanted the companionship, but I wanted the protection too. “Is there an animal shelter here?”
“Right down the street. Let me get down your information. I’ll be out this week to set the traps. To help deter others from coming, keep your trashcan in the garage and make sure you keep the place lit at night. Motion sensor lights help to keep them away. Graham can help you install them.”
Graham and I had been talking for a couple of weeks. I googled him, checked his references then got down to business because I had plans for my cabin and didn’t want to wait. “I will give him a call. Thanks, Clinton.”
“Welcome to Little Hill.”
I left the feed shop and walked to the shelter. The redhead behind the counter walked around it. “Hi. Can I help you?”