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“What does that mean?” I slowly reached for the bat, making certain I didn’t force the issue. When she allowed me to wrap my hand around it, I took that as a winning point.
But the battle was far from over.
She had more baggage than I did, which was saying something. The girl was acting tough for a reason.
“None of your business.”
The moment she released the hold on the bat, I noticed her collection of movies. Almost all of them were for children, the small group of them either Disney or much older VHS tapes from years ago.
Swallowing hard, she seemed to sense what I was looking at, her muscles immediately tensing. She sidestepped around me, once again backing away, crossing both arms over her chest. “So what do you want, Mr. Cawthorne? I’m busy.”
“Call me Sebastian, Jessie. Mr. Cawthorne is my father and was my grandfather.” I don’t know if I really expected my invitation for something less formal would break the ice, but it was easily apparent it hadn’t.
“Fine, Sebastian. Get on with it. State your piece. I’m certain you have far more important things to do than talk to a country girl like me.”
The chip on her shoulder was larger than I thought.
“Any chance you have something to drink?” I asked, softening my tone as much as possible. It wasn’t that she needed to be handled with kid gloves. No, something was wrong, as if she’d been threatened by someone.
Her hard glare continued. “It’s a little early. Isn’t it?”
“You tell me. I think we need to call a truce between us. How about you?”
The way we were staring and studying each other could easily turn into gasoline, a single spark lighting up the cabin in seconds. While I was more attracted to her than I’d been to anyone else in my life, she needed to lower her defenses so we could have a decent talk. Maybe liquor would help. At this point, I was ready to try anything to break through her defenses.
She looked away, nodding once. “Maybe so.”
There was such sadness in her eyes that I was thrown more than I had been before. Why was it that a man like me suddenly had the need to take care of a girl I didn’t even know?
Another comment my grandfather had made pushed into the forefront of my mind, one of the few things he’d said about the woman who’d stolen his heart when he was a teenager.
“When you find a good woman who can stand up to your bullshit yet be there to comfort you with bright eyes and a loving heart when you’re down, then you’ll learn you’ll do anything to convince her to fall in love with you. Sometimes, it takes you being hit over the head with a bat before you realize you’ll walk through fire to see her smile. But when you do, you’ll never look at another woman the same way again.”
At that moment, I wondered if there was any truth to his words of wisdom.
And as I watched Jessie, an unfamiliar ache formed in my system.
CHAPTER 13
Sebastian
“I only have cheap red wine. Given what little I know about you, I’m certain that’s hardly good enough.” Jess’s words were suddenly stilted, full of embarrassment.
“Then you have no clue about my tastes. That will be just fine.”
My answer forced her to back down, her defenses falling just a smidgeon. “Okay. You can lean the bat behind the door.”
“Are you expecting trouble in the near future?”
“You have no idea but no, it’s still none of your business.”
I found myself smirking as I placed the bat where she wanted it. “Do you mind if I take off my jacket?”
“Feel free.” She moved into the kitchen, keeping her back to me as she pulled boxed wine from the cabinet.
After placing my jacket on the back of the couch, I unbuttoned my sleeves, walking closer to the galley kitchen. She heard my approach, stiffening once again. When she glanced over her shoulder, I could see she was handwashing a wineglass. She offered a heated gaze, allowing her eyes to fall very slowly all the way to my shoes. There was something about the way she wrinkled her nose that made me feel guilty for wearing shoes that likely cost more than the furnishings of the living room.
When she realized I’d noticed her expression, she exhaled and snapped her head away. I folded my sleeves over my elbows, refusing to be daunted by her hatred of me. The tension was thick, similar to what it had been the day before yet more pronounced given we knew each other’s names and reasons for coming together.
