I’m about to go meet her when I hear the unmistakable, chirpy timbre of River as his boots rapidly crunch on the driveway.
“Mornin’!” he hollers, approaching Molly in full uniform, and she turns to regard him curiously.
“Fuck me,” I mutter in a growl that aligns with my name and quickly turn from the window, snatch my hat off the top of my dresser, and stampede my way out of the room. Throwing my cap on my head, I bust through the front door of my cabin and hotfoot my way toward the lodge.
“You’re here to seewho?” River leans back like he’s literally blown away. “Are youkiddingme?” he says as Molly’s eyes drift over his shoulder and meet my gaze.
I’m moving in for the kill, no holds barred. I grab my little shit of a brother by the scruff of the neck, I grab his official ball cap out of his hand, and slap it on his head for him. I turn him one hundred and eighty degrees and give him a parting shove “What thefuck, Wolf?!” he yells.
“Get the fuck to work,” is all I offer before resting my hands on my hips and turning to Molly as if I’ve simply taken out the trash.
The basket hangs in her hands as she squints after him. “How old is he?”
“Twenty-two.”
“And why do you treat him like he’s nine?”
I look over at River, who yanks open the door of his Jeep before cupping his hands around his mouth. “Hey guys! There’s agirlhere to see Wolf!”
My blood pressure elevates slightly as he hops behind the wheel, and I turn back to Molly. “That’s why.”
She gives a nod in understanding. “And why is he the only one who wears an official uniform?”
“Hazing,” I state simply. “He’ll get to choose his own wardrobe when he’s been in the job long enough to earn the right to not give a shit.”
“Got it.” She nods again and hefts the basket back up. A considerably large muffin peeks out from under the cloth.
“What’s with the muffins?” I hold my hand out to take the basket from her.
She blinks, looking slightly uncomfortable as she adjusts the cloth. “Oh… I um, have this thing where I bake when I get stressed. It helps me deal with everything. I know, it’s weird.” Her cheeks flush pink.
“Looks like you’ve been under a lot of stress,” I say, not trying to be funny. But I am amused at myself—when I’m around this woman, I’m not reduced to monosyllabic words mixed with grunts.
She chuckles, a good sign, and says, “Anyway, I was thinking you could share them with your…coworkers?”
“Brothers.”
“Oh.” Her chin draws back in surprise. “Okay. Brothers. And, I was hoping we could talk.”
“Sure.” I search my mind for where to go before deciding on the lodge’s back deck. I motion lightly with my hand for her to follow me around the side of the big building and up the steps of the expansive deck. The deck faces east, and it’s still early enough that the light lands perfectly on the hardwood planks , as if the sun is putting the deck on display.
Molly and I are just settling in across from each other at the large farm-style table when the sliding glass door rolls open, revealing another fucking brother.
Forest stands in the open space looking between us. “What is this, opposite day?”
“I’ll take that to mean you woke up alone this morning?” I snap back at him. “Something I can help you with?”
“Just had to see it for myself.” He grins innocently and steps down onto the deck in a pair of sweatpants, a rumpled white T-shirt, and his hair fucked nine ways to Sunday, gravitating toward the basket of muffins.
I grab the basket handle and shove the whole package at him. “Muffins,” I growl at him. “Go put one in your mouth.”
I don’t have to tell him twice as he takes hold of the basket handle with one hand while the other hand immediately dives under the cloth. Despite being adequately in shape, Forest is an eater. He walks back toward the sliding door, cramming one of the muffins in his mouth. “Mmm, they’re still warm!” he exclaims, his words garbled around the bear-sized bite he took. “Huckleberry…tastes good in my mouth.”
I hold up my middle finger and stare him down until he turns around, still chuckling. Then I take a breath and adjust my ball cap. “So what’d you want to talk about?” I fold my arms on the table and face Molly, realizing what a dumbass question it is. The last time we saw each other, I proposed marriage before telling her to think about it and get back to me. What the hell else could this be about?
“Well, there’s no way to say this without looking like a complete imbecile, so I’m just going to go for it. Does your offer still stand?” She tilts her head and squints an eye against the sun.
I’m taken in by the hints of auburn the light showcases in her hair and the dusting of freckles that dance across her high cheek bones.
