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I throw my last pair of jeans into the drawer and shove it shut with my hip. The damned thing sticks, making my hip bone connect with the old wood way harder than I intended. So after cursing the old dresser sufficiently, I decide to have a snoop through my cabin.
The wine decides to come with me, and even though my brain knows better than to get drunk the night before my first day of work, Rhett’s bad attitude has me taking another sip. But the little house they put me in is perfect. It’s one story with one bedroom and one bathroom.
The kitchen is my dream. It looks like a little cottage fairy lives here. I run my hands along the butcher-block countertops and then check the few plants they have lying around to see if they need water. But they’re all good. Someone must come here and take care of them.
The living room boasts a huge fireplace that someone is definitely going to have to teach me how to use. There’s a pile of wood sitting next to it, but I have not the slightest clue of how to make a real fire. The last place I lived just had gas, and all I had to do was flip a switch.
All of the walls are painted a creamy white that makes the whole place feel clean, while the furniture and blankets thrown around everywhere make it feel cozy. I open a few windows to get the breeze blowing through the house and then fall back onto the worn leather sofa. I carefully set my wine on the floor next to me and close my eyes.
It’s so quiet. I can hear the tree frogs and the crickets come out as the sun starts to set. I’m exhausted, and the silence is letting me slip inside my head. I really hope I made the right decision. Until Rhett reared his ugly head today, this had felt like the best decision I had made in years.
There’s that anxious but excited feeling in my stomach that’s churning, and my shoulders feel like ten years of stress has been lifted. There’s something about this place, from the moment I set foot on the property, that has done something for me. I’m far away from friends and family, and I’m completely starting over, but I’m not scared. I’m excited.
I know Wells is going to make a great friend, and from the way his dad was when I met him, I know this family is welcoming and loving. Despite the asshole that says he’s the one in charge. That attractive, built like a brick shit house asshole that has decided to come in and kill my high, squashing it like a bug.
The sun sets, and the breeze gets cooler. I look up to make sure I’ve hooked the lock in the screen door, then tug one of the blankets over my body. I should get up and move into the bedroom, but I’m so comfy. And it’s still so early. I can just take a nap and then move into the plush king-size bed in a bit.
Oh, and I can have a little snack after my nap. He said they got me groceries, and I’m pretty sure I saw some tasty-looking frozen lasagna in the freezer when I was snooping. My stomach growls, but I ignore it, rolling onto my side and snuggling up against the couch cushion, choosing sleep instead.
There’sa loud pounding coming from somewhere that wakes me up and scares the absolute shit out of me. I go to roll out of my bed and turn my alarm off but roll off a couch instead, whacking a wine bottle and spilling it all over myself and the cream rug it was sitting on.
I am not in my bed. I am in Montana, on my new couch, and the fucking sun is up.
“Shit,” I swear under my breath.
“Shitis right!” the asshole shouts from the screen door. Not that he needs to shout because, like I pointed out, it’s a screen door, not a solid one. He may as well be shouting in my damn ear.
I stumble to my feet, picking the wine bottle up off the floor as I do. The mess is catastrophic. Why did I have to pick the red wine? Jesus fucking Christ. My first day and I’m already late,andI’ve managed to inflict property damage.
When I finally make it to the door, Rhett’s angry eyes give me a once-over and widen when they land on the wine bottle hanging at my side. His nostrils flare, and his face turns a hilarious shade of red. If I wasn’t looking at my very angry boss, I’d probably be laughing. But I do not have a death wish.
“Are you adrunk?” He practically spits when he says it, and I watch his hands curl into fists. It makes the muscles on his forearms bulge in delicious ways.
I sigh.
“No, Rhett. I am not a drunk. I had a few sips last night, fell asleep before I could set an alarm, and then whenyoudecided to scare the shit out of me, I fell off the couch and spilled the wine.”
One dark eyebrow lifts up as he looks me over.
“You’re still in your dress.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious.”
He grunts. “Get dressed.”
I give him a salute and then not so subtly slam the door in his face, clicking the dead bolt into place and feeling very good for doing so.
“You know I have the key, right?” His voice sounds bored, but I can practically hear that stupid little proud smirk.
“That’s an invasion of privacy!” I shout back before I mumble, “Get fucked,” under my breath as I stalk away to get cleaned up. I’m hoping even if I do it quickly, he’ll get the hint and go away. I can make my own way to the rescue barn. I don’t need his supervision.
But when I open the door, dressed in more work-appropriate clothing, he’s still there. But thankfully, so is Wells.
“I tried to stop him,” Wells says, rolling his eyes at his brother.
“I’m really sorry, Wells.” The door shuts behind me. “I was just so tired. I passed out on the couch and hadn’t set an alarm. It was actually my intention to get up and eat dinner before going to bed, but…clearly, that didn’t happen.”
“You haven’t eaten?” Rhett asks, his voice deep and stern. I glance in his direction and see him staring me down, that scowl he loves so much giving him a groove between his eyebrows.
