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Goddamn, the woman was tough as nails, as bitter and rebellious as any woman I’d ever met. And I’d met plenty who made certain others knew they were special. Only those women had been raised in posh surroundings, acting like little spoiled princesses. This woman was salt of the earth, a vixen with a caustic mouth.
Somehow, I couldn’t help but to find that irresistible.
“Well, it seems there are no formalities in order since you already know my name,” I countered, stating the obvious just to see her reaction. “However, I’m here by myself.” Why was I bothering to tell her? We weren’t destined to be friends or anything else for that matter.
She gave me a look like I was an idiot. “Why, how intelligent of you. If I wasn’t smart enough to figure it out, good ole Hank Barclay made certain I knew you were out for blood. Have you terminated the employees yet or is that next on your agenda.”
“Oh, he did now, did he?” I should have crushed the bastard when I’d had the chance. Maybe a follow-up meeting was in order. Another reason to bury the slug of a man.
“Yes, he did.” She opened the door wider. I found it curious that she was obviously having difficulty looking me in the eyes. It was also apparent she had been expecting someone else. The girl was a fighter, something I admired, but it could get her in hot water if she wasn’t careful. “Are you really not one of the members of his fan club?”
“Ah, no. If we hang around each other long enough, you’ll quickly learn there was a single man in my life I looked up to.”
She eyed me warily.
“My grandfather.”
A look of surprise filtered across her face and I almost felt vindicated. Almost.
I stepped inside the quaint home, noticing two things immediately. She was a very organized, neat person for one thing. The other was that she was likely barely making ends meet. Between the ugly couch that had been in fashion thirty years ago to the cheap television stand she probably bought at a low cost chain store or maybe even at a flea market to the tiny kitchen table with only two chairs I could see from where I was standing, it was obvious. No wonder the girl worked two jobs plus had a job taking care of the horses.
She slammed the door behind me with enough anger and force that the single picture on the wall in the living room rattled.
“Look. I understand you were left the place, which remains a shock, but you should know a few things. You might be here to evict me, Mr. Cawthorne, but I do have a lease agreement I signed with your grandfather.” She walked in front of me, still holding onto the bat as if it was her lifeline.
“Alright. Then let me see it. While you’ve heard I’m a ruthless man, I will honor all contracts and agreements entered into by Walter. It’s the least I can do.” At least I’d have a decent excuse to hold off on the sale if I found that valuable or necessary.
She continued to eye me warily. “Okay, I admit I can’t get my hands on it at this point, but I will find it and when I do, you won’t have a rat’s ass on tossing me out. Not fucking one. I don’t care how much money you make or where you come from, I’m not budging. This is mine. Do you understand? Mine. It’s not much but I’m thankful I have a roof over our heads that’s decent and not one of those shitty places like subsidy housing. They are terrible places to live, infested with crime. And your grandfather would never have wanted me to suffer like that. He was a kind man, probably unlike you in your six-thousand-dollar suit and pricy taste in liquor. My guess is you’re from some fancy place where you own six Ferraris and maybe a yacht. Yeah, you seem like a yacht kind of guy.”
She’d worked herself up to a point a single bead of perspiration was starting to trickle down her forehead. I found myself studying it, admiring her verve and determination.
Even if I hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise.
As she took gasping breaths, I took a step closer.
“Calm down. I’m not the bad guy here.”
“You’re not?” she demanded, her entire body shaking. Why did I have a strong feeling there was a hell of a lot more going on than Sarah possibly being forced to move?
She took a step backward, one much larger than mine. Oh, this was how we were going to play this? The crackle of electricity between us was stronger than ever. Maybe I was attracted to women who didn’t mind using whatever weapon they could get their hands on. I took a giant stride in her direction and she scuttled backward, slamming against the back of the couch, which startled the hell out of her. Her stunning face flushed, the redness adding to the rosy appearance of her lips.
I was surprised I found her even more incredibly attractive in the daylight. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised about any aspect of the beautiful lady. I sensed a grin building on my face, the girl’s vehement words amusing me. “Are you finished yet?”
She huffed more than once, rolling her eyes as I’d also seen before. “Yes. Just say your piece and get the fuck out.”
“Do you think it’s possible we could start over again? I’m not your enemy and I’m not here to evict you, Sarah.”
“Yet, and my name isn’t Sarah. I go by Jessie, my middle name. Not Big Red. Not hey girl. Not come here, princess. Jessie.”
“Oh, I thought your middle name was Trouble.” I was trying to tease her but as with everything else regarding her, it didn’t go over well.
“I’ll add asshole to the bastard label.”
“Whew. You’re a tough one. Jessie.” I wondered how I hadn’t given it any thought that the woman I’d met could possibly be one and the same. The truck should have given it away. I’d seen it parked at the gas station where she’d almost been killed, the color drawing my attention.
There was no good reason to invade her personal space when she was obviously so upset, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. I moved even closer, wedging her in. She didn’t try to run away, but her jaw was clenched so tight that I was certain she was ready to spew another round of hatred. I brushed the single bead of sweat away and she flinched but the same almost overwhelming rush of electricity I’d felt with her before swept from my arm to her face, her eyes lighting up like firecrackers.
“I have no choice but to be.”
