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CHAPTER 1
Meet Paul Bunyan
Josie
Oh shit.
I shifted my rental car into park and got out to walk around to the back of the Ford Explorer. Frowning at the small dent on the bumper, I was at least glad the pushy agent had talked me into getting the extra insurance. Why was there a random pole sticking up here anyway? I sighed.
Whatever.I’d deal with it all tomorrow. It had been a long-enough day already. What should’ve been an eleven-hour drive here from New York City had taken fifteen because of a flat tire and standstill traffic in a few states, all while managing constant texts and calls from my ex, Noah. I turned to get back in the car, but stopped when I noticed something red sticking out from under the rear tire.
Was that…a mailbox?
Shoot. Guess this wasn’t a random pole after all. I looked up at the house it belonged to and debated not knocking until tomorrow. But I was going to be here a while and didn’t want to start out on the wrong foot with the neighbor. So I pulled the crushed metal box out from under the car, carried it up the driveway, and knocked on the front door.
When the door opened, I momentarily forgot why I was standing there.
Wow.Hotwasn’t a strong-enough word. Green eyes with a hint of gray, square jaw with just the right amount of scruff, and a perfectly straight blade of a nose. Not to mention, he was super tall. Six three? Six four? His broad shoulders filled the entire doorway. He might’ve been the largest man I’d ever been this close to. I briefly wondered if he could buy shirts in a regular store. Noah wore an extra-large, and this man looked like he could squash my ex like a bug. That thought made me smile.
It did not, however, make Paul Bunyan smile. He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the pummeled mailbox in my hands. “Something you want to tell me?” He lifted one brow.
“Ummm…” I held the box up. Why? I have no damn idea. But I felt the need to do something with my arms. “I think I hit your mailbox.”
“Youthink?”
“No, no…” I nodded. “I definitely hit it. I meant I wasn’t positive if it was yours.”
“Where was the mailbox when you hit it?”
I turned and pointed to the grassy area at the end of the driveway, the same driveway I’d just walked up in order to get to the door. The lonely pole remained. “It was over there.”
“And yet you’reconfusedwhich house it belonged to?”
“I, uh…” Oh, this guy was a jerk. He didn’t have to mock me. Things happen. Like car accidents. It wasn’t like it wasthatbig of a deal. I’d replace it. “Yes, I hit your mailbox. I apologize. It’s been a long day, and I’m not such a great driver, and it’s dark out. I was trying to back into my driveway, and well…driving backward isn’t as easy as forward.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “Yourdriveway?”
I pointed to the house to the right. “That one.”
He stole a glance. “You’re staying in that run-down shack?”
“Run-down?” I looked next door, but unlike this house, the porch light wasn’t on, so I couldn’t see too well. “The real estate agent said it needs some sprucing up.”
The guy’s lip curled. “Whatever you say…”
Great. Can’t wait to see what the place looks like now.I shook my head. “Anyway, I’ll replace your mailbox. Did you get it around here?”
He lifted his chin. “At Clifton’s, the lumberyard down the road.”
“I’ll get a replacement first thing in the morning. Do you mind if I keep it until then, so I can make sure I get the right one?”
Paul Bunyan shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”
“Alright, well…” I lifted a hand and waved awkwardly. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
I walked down the driveway, feeling his eyes on me, but I refused to turn back. Though once I got to my car, which still needed to be backed into the driveway next door, I had to face the house again, so I peeked up at the door. Sure enough, the grumpy giant remained standing there, watching. I waved awkwardly a second time, then slipped into the car and set the mangled mailbox on the passenger seat.
I glanced up at the house yet again after starting the engine.Yup. Still watching.
