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The woods around her cabin are quiet for most of the day, except for a couple of hikers walking nearby. I straightened to my full height and gave them a good look at me as I started for them. They quickly scurried off. I doubt they meant any harm, but I’m not taking any chances where Scarlett is concerned.
My conflicting emotions are still driving me crazy. Protecting Scarlett feels good…it feels right. Keeping watch over her feels like something I’m made to do, something wired deep in my biology. But that doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty about watching her like this, sneaking around, unable to tear my eyes away from the beautiful young angel who I have no business wanting this damn badly.
It’s not until I have to get back to my cabin to make dinner that I finally drag myself away, hurrying back home through the woods. Seven rolls around fast once everything is in the oven, and my heart is racing as I hear the sound of a car pulling up outside followed by a door closing and a tentative knocking.
I open the door, my mouth dry as sandpaper as I stare at Scarlett. She looks so fucking gorgeous in a pink dress that she wasn’t wearing earlier. The fabric hugs her curves and I have to force myself not to look down, keeping my gaze on her pretty blue eyes, which blink up at me nervously as she smiles.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hi, you look…” I open my mouth to find a word strong enough, but I can’t think of one, so I have to settle on, “You look really nice.”
Scarlett beams and my eyes flicker to her plump red lips. “Thanks! So do you.”
I beckon her into my cabin, and she looks around appreciatively.
“Wow…you have a beautiful home,” she says, looking around wide-eyed, laughter in her voice. “Your living room is the size of my whole cabin!”
I follow her gaze as she takes in the handsome fireplace, the large windows overlooking the mountains, the high wood ceiling and assortment of rustic furniture. She’s right—it’s a big place, too big for a guy who lives alone and spends most of his time out in the forest.
“I’m glad you like it,” I tell her, ushering her into the dining room where I’ve laid the table for two. It’s been a hell of a long time since I had guests, but I’ve done my best. I want everything to be perfect for Scarlett. She’s so sweet, immediately giving compliments on everything from the furniture to the table arrangement, looking genuinely delighted by it all. My throat tightens as I watch her looking around at my home with such wonder on her face, and I’m gripped by the urge to hold her, pull her tight to me and never let her go.
“So how are you liking your new cabin?” I ask once I’ve served us drinks.
“Oh, it’s perfect,” Scarlett gushes immediately. “Small but so cozy.” She looks thoughtful for a moment, taking a sip of her wine. “Sometimes though, I swear I can hear…”
Her voice tapers off, and my heart starts to thump as I ask, “Hear what?”
Scarlett’s eyes meet mine.
Am I imagining it, or is there something questioning in her gaze?
“Nothing,” she says eventually with a shrug. “Just noises outside, cracking branches and stuff. I guess I’m still getting used to the sounds of the wild after living in a city for so long.”
I eagerly seize on the new subject. Ever since I met Scarlett, I’ve been burning to know what brought her to Colorado.
“Do you miss the city?” I ask carefully, trying not to sound too curious.
Scarlett shakes her head. “I mean, I only just left it, but even so…I don’t think I’ll miss it.” She frowns slightly, a shadow passing over her face for a moment as she adds, “I know I won’t.”
“You didn’t like it?”
Scarlett is silent for a few moments.
“It’s not the city I didn’t like,” she says eventually, her voice barely a whisper. Her eyes flicker up to my face, like she’s deciding whether or not she should elaborate.
“What didn’t you like?” I ask, trying to urge her on.
She grimaces. “It’s…it’s…oh, Gunner, you don’t need my sob story.” With a sigh, she takes another sip of her drink.
“I want to hear everything about you,” I tell her firmly, my eyebrows knitting together. “Anything you want to tell me.”
Scarlett peers at me over the top of her glass, and suddenly, she says in a frantic rush, “I came to Crave County to get away from my parents.”
My heart sinks at the mingled look of fear and pain on her face, and I instinctively reach out across the table, grabbing her soft hand in mine, sending a bolt of electricity up my arm. Scarlett looks down at our joined hands in surprise, but she doesn’t unlink them. Instead, I feel her give my hand a feather-light squeeze.
“What happened, Scarlett?”
She swallows hard, blinking at me, a sheen of tears glittering in her sky-blue eyes. And she begins to talk. My jaw clenches tighter and tighter the more she speaks. She tells me about her parents and their abuse. How they belittled her, told her she was unwanted, a mistake, a burden…how they laughed at her dreams of being an author, treating her like a servant, trying to steal her wages…I’m trembling as red-hot fury pumps through my veins; all I want to do is get the next flight to Oklahoma City, find Scarlett’s shitty parents, and beat their sorry asses for the way they’ve treated her over all these years.
