Difference here? A big ax rested in a wide stump with split wood all around it. The sight of that sharp, heavy ax left her skin prickling. It was a tool, sure, but she also saw it as a weapon.
When she heard a sizzle, she jerked around and spotted Hunter up on the deck, placing steaks on the grill. Without looking at her, he said, “I never leave the ax outside. I’d planned on chopping wood, but then I got curious about you.”
A thousand questions went through her mind. She thought of those binoculars, and she literally felt the presence of that ax behind her. She also heard the sound of the creek and the soft clucking of the chickens. She felt the warmth of the setting sun on her face and smelled the scent of grilling beef.
Still without looking at her, Hunter asked, “Would you like me to put it away?”
Why was she so damned tongue-tied around him? That shit had to end right now. “You planning to chop more wood?”
“Possibly.”
She wouldn’t mind seeing that... Wait. What? No, she didn’t give a fig about seeing Hunter shirtless, maybe sweating, laboring while his muscles flexed... Definitely not.
Striding forward, she feigned a confidence she didn’t quite feel. “Then why put it away? You just keep cooking so we can eat.” And then she could escape to her miserable little home, where she’d likely be awake all night fighting invisible demons.
But hey, after doing that for so long, she was getting better at it. Invisible Demon Fighter—her own personal superpower.
Going up to the deck and leaning on the rail, she eyed him. “What do you mean, you got curious about me?” God knew, she was plenty curious about him.
With a shrug in his tone, he said, “You’re small, and female—”
“So?” she asked with a lot of antagonism.
“—and as far as I could tell, the place wasn’t habitable.”
“You were wrong. It’s fine.”
“I’m glad.” He stood in profile, his attention on the grill, his movements suspended...until he suddenly turned her way. “Not what you want to hear, I’m sure, but I was concerned.”
A weird mix of insult and surprise narrowed her eyes. “Concerned about losing your privacy, or because you think I can’t handle myself just because I’m a woman?”
His mouth twitched to the side and he went right back to staring at the grill. “If I say both, will that take the chip off your shoulder?”
“Definitely not.”
Making it clear her affront didn’t matter, he grinned. “So originally, it was the loss of privacy. I chose this place for a reason, and it wasn’t to have a neighbor show up. But you have to admit, you’re small. Granted, you have a big presence, but still.”
“I do?” His continued teasing only honed her suspicion. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing insulting, I swear.” He got rid of the grin, but she still saw the humor in his expressive blue eyes. “You carry yourself like a woman who can handle anything.”
It pleased her that he’d noticed. “Most things.”
“There, you see? No bragging, just confidence, but with the admission that you aren’t invincible, which also makes you intelligent.”
“You thought I was dumb?” she asked, just to be contrary.
“You moved out here, into a dump, so...”
“It is not a dump.” Not entirely.
“If you insist the place is great, I’ll take your word on it.”
“Great?” She snorted. “Wouldn’t go that far.” Joining him by the grill, she asked, “Forget about my house. Tell me, what can I do to help?”
“Sit. Relax.” He slanted her a look. “Tell me what you have planned for the place.”
Jodi rolled her eyes, but she liked the way he bantered with her.
As she watched, he liberally seasoned the steaks. “You mentioned windows,” he prompted. “Anything else?”
All in all, it seemed like a neutral enough topic to dig into. “Nothing fancy like your digs, that’s for sure. Mostly I just want to repair what’s broken, make sure it’s clean—” and safe “—and make it comfortable.”
Dark blue eyes met hers again. “Tell me, Jodi, what does it take for you to be comfortable?”
The way he asked that, she figured he already knew, but hey, she was going for the everyday life, right? Chitchat was part of it, so she sat on the bench facing him, folded her arms on the tabletop and answered as if she didn’t have a care. “Not a lot. See? I’m easy to please.” That was the biggest lie of all. “Like you, I’m big on peace and quiet. I enjoy honest work.” She looked him over. “And as long as I have enough weapons to protect myself, I’m as cozy as I need to be.”
* * *
SHIT. REMMY GARDNER stared at the signs of occupancy—a truck parked in front, lights in the windows—and he knew they had a big fucking problem. “Someone’s moved in.”
Beside him, Danny Giggs shifted with impatience. “So?” He touched the hilt of the deadly knife sheathed in his belt. “I’ll gut the bastard. Problem solved.”
There were times when Remmy felt like Giggs lacked a soul. “We won’t do anything until I talk to the boss.” Easing back into the trees, Remmy withdrew his phone. He was told that reception out here used to be iffy. Once the guy farther up the road moved in, things had improved. Fortunately, the neighbor’s lights didn’t reach this far, and it was—or had been—easy to slip in unnoticed.
They usually didn’t come out here until night, but today was an exception. Danny was to retrieve something from inside while Remmy, as usual, kept watch. He didn’t get into the weeds on details. He figured the less he knew about King and his business, the better off he was.
The boss answered on the second ring. “What’s the problem?”
He knew Remmy wouldn’t have called for any other reason. Getting straight to it, Remmy explained, “Someone moved into the shack.”
Three seconds of tense silence preceded a surprised bark of “The hell you say,” followed by a booming laugh.
King was nothing if not unpredictable. Then again, who would have thought someone would want to live in that dump? Giving the boss time to wind down, Remmy eyed Giggs. That lunatic looked ready to crawl out of his skin, likely with the need to hurt someone.
Finally, with one last chuckle, King said, “Check it out. Carefully.”
“Understood.”