“Hello?” I hollered, which made my head throb. Did he leave? God, I hoped not. Ambulances and police were the last thing I needed.
I stood from the bed, dizzied, and braced myself on the nightstand as I closed my eyes and tried not to vomit while I waited for the room to stop spinning.
Finally, once the room stopped making me seasick, I cracked open a lid and saw that the lab was staring at me, head cocked. I reached down and let it sniff me. The pooch in turn gave my hand a good lick. Good. We were buds. I was gonna need someone on my side.
Regardless of how bad my head was pounding, I knew it was time to face the music. With the pooch following my every move, I somehow willed myself to get in the bathroom to dress. One problem.
Where the fuck were my clothes?
Thankfully, there was a long, white robe on a hook, so I threw that on while debating whether I was terrified or livid that this man had taken my clothing.
I glanced around for anything that I could use as a weapon, just in case, but came up empty. There was a window in the bathroom that I could climb out of to escape, but go where? My shoes, clothes, keys, essentially everything I needed was in the other room. So, I headed out to the living room to find out what awaited me.
The tall man towered in the tiny kitchen. He was clothed in a flannel jacket and jeans. From behind I could see a beanie covering his head, with a few blonde curls peeking out the bottom. He was hunched over the table, sifting through my belongings.
I cleared my throat. “Excuse me?” No response. I scratched my temple.
He continued to sift through my bag. Okay, he was pissed, but so was I. Yes, I’d broken into his place. Well, I was assuming it was his place. And as displeased as he must have been that I’d broken in, I was just as unhappy with him for taking my clothing and snooping through my belongings.
“Listen, I’m sorry I broke in. My car was stuck, and I was out of options,” I said. “Surely, you can understand my predicament.”
Still, he kept his back turned to me. The old man had said this owner wasn’t much to be desired. I was starting to see his point.
“Seriously? The silent treatment?” I swallowed the lump in my throat. I got it. I was a criminal and he didn’t want to engage with me, but he and I needed to come to an agreement. Preferably one that didn’t include calling the police.
Finally, I inched closer to him, putting my hand on his shoulder.
Jerking quickly, he turned toward me, knitted brow glowering with the most piercing green eyes I’d ever seen. I instinctively flinched and held my hands up to defend his blow, taking a few steps back.
“Please, don’t! I’ll pay for the place, I promise!” My foot caught the rug and I tripped, falling flat on my ass.
His head tilted to the side and he looked at me with the same wary expression that I probably had at the moment. Slowly, he reached down to pull me up, but the touch wasn’t what I was expecting. A soft, gentle tug slowly lifted me off the floor. His chin jutted back, and his brow furrowed into a deep, sorrowful crease, almost as if he was offended at the implication that I thought he’d hurt me.
I cleared my throat and lifted my chin trying to pretend like that didn’t just happen. “Well?” I asked again, crossing my arms over my chest, feigning confidence I didn’t have. “Can we talk about this, or do you want to continue to act like you can’t hear me? Or do you not speak English? Also, where are my clothes?”
A slight smile played at the tip of his full lips. Digging deep into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and began typing.
“Yeah, that’s great, call the cops. Wonderful.” I rolled my eyes and ran my fingers through my slightly damp hair. “You’re a real swell guy.” I massaged my aching temples as I stared at him. Head down, still typing away. What was he writing? A novel?
Finally, he stopped and offered me the phone.
I tilted my head to the side when he pushed it toward me again, urging me to take it.
Reluctantly, I took the damn phone and looked down at the screen. The notepad was open and on it was a typed message. I think we started off on the wrong foot. My name is Tanner Wilder, the owner and property manager of this cabin. And yes, to answer your questions I do speak English. ASL to be specific, since I’m Deaf. Your clothes were soaked, so I put them in the dryer for you. And you are?
My cheeks heated and I wanted to sink into the floor. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked up. Smug, toothless grin, and strong arms crossed over his flannel jacket, he was staring me down. “Gwenevere,” I said, miraculously recalling my fake name. “Oh shit. I’m talking. And you can’t hear me.” Could he read lips? “I don’t know much sign language. Can you read lips? Of course you can. You answered me. God, I’m such an idiot.” Shit. Shit. Shit. Why was I still babbling like a fool?
His shoulders shook as he silently chuckled. Yeah, okay, I was pretty sure he understood me. I looked back to the phone and typed my response.
I’m Gwenevere. I really wasn’t thrilled with my new name. On the spot, I decided I’d shorten it to Gwen eventually. I loved Gia, the name proudly given to me by my parents, my last connection to them really. They had long since passed. I’m sorry I broke into your cabin. My car got stuck and I had to get out of the weather before I froze to death. I saw the place was vacant, so I took a chance. I’ll pay for the rental and damages to the window, I promise. I handed the phone back to him with a shaky hand.
He read the message and then turned, looking over his shoulder at the broken window. His nose wrinkled and his lip curled as if to say, well, fuck, now I gotta fix that. The man seriously had the most expressive face I’d ever seen, and frankly, it was fascinating how I could interpret so much from just that alone. His fingers moved furiously as he typed again, then handed the phone back to me.
Funny, you don’t look like a Gwenevere, it read.
“Funny, you don’t look Deaf,” I mumbled sarcastically as his eyes judged me.
He snorted, and this time a soft, low rumble came from his throat. Okay, so, yeah, he could definitely read lips, and thankfully had a sense of humor. His grin grew a little wider and even though sex and men were the furthest thing from my mind, and even though he was a little more rugged and worn than what I was used to, I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly handsome he was.
“So, you can definitely read lips.” I cringed.
He nodded and smiled, but it was painful, as if it wasn’t something he did very often so his muscles were not used to it.
“Sorry, that was rude,” I said, blushing.
Unfazed by my smart-ass, he shrugged as if to say, eh, it’s the truth.
“Again, I’m really sorry, I hope we can work something out. I can pay you for the rental cabin. I’ve got some cash…” I rambled on.
He waved his hand, as if to say no biggie, then lifted his hands signing something. It looked like he was making a phone call motion. Was he asking me if I needed to call someone?
“No…” I shook my head. “I don’t have anyone that I need to call.”
Shaking his head, he breathed heavy through his nose and held his hand out, motioning for his phone that was still in my hand.
“Oh. You want your phone.”
His eyes widened, brows went up, and he nodded. Ding ding ding, we have a winner.