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“How is she going to get comfortable with me when you won’t even let me walk her to the trailer?” Matthew ran a trembling hand over his closely cut hair.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t be around her, just not tonight. Your emotions are all over the place. Hell, I thought you were going to jump over the table when she was eating dessert.”
Storming toward the couch, he threw himself down irritably. Knowing his brother was right didn’t make admitting it any easier.
“This sucks,” he groaned, burying his head in his hands.
“Fynn, Ezra, you can get started on the dishes,” Silas ordered.
Matthew felt the couch sink down next to him. Then Silas laid a comforting a hand on his back. “It could be worse.”
“How?” Matthew lifted his head to glare at his older brother.
Silas watched Fynn leave the room before giving him a sly grin. “You might have blue balls, but at least you don’t have a case of morning sickness, like Ginny usually does,” he said meaningfully.
Matthew frowned, thinking Silas had lost it. Then realization dawned. Reaching his hand down to the side, he pulled down the lever to raise the recliner.
“You want to watch the game?” He couldn’t bear another lonely night alone in his trailer, not when Alanna was just steps away from his.
Silas gave him another pat, getting up. “I’ll get the beer.”
Isaac sat down across from him on the other couch, making himself comfortable. “Grab me one, too.” Isaac threw a smirk in his direction. “And can you get me some more of that strawberry truffle? Make sure you put plenty—”
Matthew didn’t let Isaac finish what he was about to say. He couldn’t. A fist was blocking his airway.
Chapter Nine
Matthew looked at the time on his cell phone. Was eight too early? Unable to take pacing around his trailer another second, he went outside.
Taking a steadying breath, he made his way to Silas’ house. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, he unloaded the dishwasher that Fynn and Ezra had started last night. It would be one of the jobs which would be given to Alanna once she started work. The simple job was one that had become habit for all the brothers when they stopped by the house. They all pitched in to do the main house chores so Silas could come into a clean house. Their older brother did the majority of the work on the mountain, only pulling them off their pursuits when he needed their help.
Pouring another cup in a thermos, he started a new pot. Silas would start the first pot of the day when he woke up, normally around six. Throughout the day, several other pots would be made by whomever emptied the last.
His brothers and he all had their own coffee pots, but it was a habit to come by Silass’s—his tasted better. He didn’t know why, since they had the same coffee setup as Silas.
Glancing at the time on the coffeemaker, Matthew carried his coffee cup and the thermos outside, heading toward Jody’s trailer. From the smoke coming out of the workshop, Isaac was finishing up the order for an iron gate they were scheduled to set up on Monday.
His heart started pumping hard as he approached the trailer where Alanna was staying. Placing the extra thermos in the crook of his other arm, he ran his hand over hair. He had gotten a trim just the day before yesterday. Alanna preferred men with shorter hair.
Knocking on the door, he anxiously waited for her to answer. When she didn’t answer immediately, he frowned, knocking again. He was about to pull out his cell phone to call her when the door was jerked open to reveal a groggy Alanna holding a shoe in her hand.
“Sorry. I overslept.” Craning her neck to look over his shoulder, she held the edge of the door, as if ready to shut it in his face. “I hope your sister hasn’t been waiting for me.”
“Ginny is under the weather, so she called and asked me to show you around. She should be feeling better by the time we make it to her house.”
“Oh … okay. Just give me a second to put my shoe on.”
Matthew raised an eyebrow when she closed the door.What the fuck? Does shethink I’m going to jump her if she lets me inside?
Moving off the steps, he waited for her to come out.
She’s just nervous,like I am, he thought to himself, giving her a reassuring smile when she came out.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, I had trouble sleeping. I kept hearing things moving around outside. I live in a high rise, so being out here in the wilderness will take some getting used to.”
She considers this the wilderness?Maybe it was, and he was so used to it that he was wrong.
“You’re good. We can get started at Silas’ home, and I can show you the chores there then move along to the rest of the places.”
