How the hell were these women getting me to say this shit?
“I mean, she helped me at city hall, and she returned Cash to me when he got off his lead,” I said, sounding lame even to my ears.
They all exchanged glances I was certain had meaning. And had something to do with me. I picked up my mug and drained it, wanting to curse. This time, though, I stayed quiet.
Emmy glanced around. “How do you plan on doing all the work?”
I held up my hands. “With these.”
“You can’t do it all by yourself. We have lots of strong men in the family. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask,” Dee informed me.
They all nodded again, having a silent conversation between them with their looks. I didn’t like it.
I didn’t tell them that wouldn’t be happening. I preferred to work alone, and if there was a job I needed help doing, I would hire someone. I remained silent.
They took my lack of response as their cue to change the subject. I ate a couple of scones and complimented Emmy on how delicious they were. They chatted about the area, and I pushed myself to remain polite. They were all kind, lovely women. Mothers. Caring and concerned, wanting to help. I mentioned I planned on shopping for a grill, and they recommended a place close to the grocery store they had mentioned. They told me about a great mechanic, where to shop for pet supplies that had a greater selection than the store in town, and a whole host of other information I didn’t ask for and had no idea I needed to know. But I smiled and nodded, allowing them to write down their phone numbers and email information. They didn’t force the issue when I didn’t offer mine in return.
Then in a flurry of goodbyes and hugs I wasn’t prepared for, they departed. I walked back into the house after waving them off and looked down at Cash. The house somehow seemed darker, duller since they left, which felt odd. Too quiet.
I preferred the isolation and the silence. I always had. It was all I knew.
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, boy.”
He woofed and thumped his tail on the wooden floor, seemingly agreeing with me.
I shook my head at the strange thoughts.
Chapter 7
Hunter
The rest of the week passed in a haze of days that bled into one another. I emptied one of the spare guest rooms which was the least full, but it still filled a quarter of the dumpster I had rented. The floors under the old, worn carpet were in good shape, so I planned to rent a machine and sand them, leaving the wide pine planks natural and adding a layer of varnish once I had done the same in the other room. I would paint both rooms in a light color to brighten them up. For now, I left it, reassembling the bed frame and adding in a new mattress I’d ordered online. I was getting tired of sleeping on the couch. The first thing I had done when I arrived was to take the mattress to the dump. It was old, lumpy, and musty, and I had no desire to use it. I even bought a set of sheets, grateful that the laundry machines, ancient as they were, still worked. I was looking forward to sleeping in a comfortable bed again.
I stayed busy morning until night. There was enough work to be done, I never had to worry about running out of things to keep my hands and mind occupied.
Still, she was there. On the fringes of my awareness, poking around the corner, the memory of her smile, her laughter, the way she teased me, stole food from my plate. Cut my hair. Kissed me back.
Ava.
The worst time was at night, when my body was tired from work, but my mind still awake. I would replay the hours I had spent with her. It didn’t matter who she was—or who her family was. All that mattered was how she felt in my arms. Tasted. The scent of her skin as I kissed her throat. I couldn’t seem to shake thinking about her. As I lay on the old but surprisingly comfortable couch, the moments in her company played on a loop in my head. The way it felt as she combed my hair and cut it. The intense look of concentration as she focused on the task at hand. She narrowed her eyes, and her tongue pressed on her bottom lip, her small white teeth worrying the edge of it as she worked. It was quite…adorable.
I didn’t do adorable.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about her. It was useless to do so. Ava was everything I admired in a woman and, at the same time, the very thing I avoided.
She was smart, witty, intelligent, and funny. Her smile was contagious and her laughter intoxicating. She was warm and personable. Bossy. Direct. In charge and in control.
She was also sexy as hell. In her power suits and heels, she was elegant and refined. Sure of herself. But dressed down, with no makeup and simply Ava? She was stunning.
I tried to ignore the picture of her sitting on the porch, relaxed and happy, that kept coming to my mind. But it wasn’t the porch the way it looked now, run-down and creaky. It was solid and sturdy, with a massive swing piled with pillows hanging to the right of the door, where the view of the water was amazing. I was beside her, our hands entwined, and the sensation I felt every time that image snuck into my head was one I couldn’t recall ever feeling in my life.
Contentment.
Where that came from, I had no idea, but I pushed it aside every time it hit me, and I ignored the little voice in my head telling me it was going to happen.
Obviously, I needed to get out of here for a while. Even I had taken being alone to the next level.
My phone buzzed, and I checked the voice mail, pleased when I heard that my permit was ready and I could pick it up. I glanced at the time and decided I would grab it this afternoon, then head to the bar for a couple of hard-earned drinks and a meal.
Maybe I would pick up something else.
Milly Johnson handed me the document. “There you go, Mr. Owens. All set.”
“Great.”
“The new porch will be a lovely addition.”
“I think so.”
“You have a lot of plans for the house.”
I nodded. “It needs some serious updating. I have no chance of renting it the way it is right now.” I chuckled. “It’s a time capsule—and a bad one, at that. As soon as I have the plans drawn up, I’ll be back.”
She smiled. “You plan on renting it, then? You aren’t staying?”
“No. It will be a good rental income. I’ll come check on it every so often.”
“With the view and the area, I’m sure it will do well.”
I smiled in thanks and picked up the file. My mind was already planning, thinking of the lumber I would need for the addition, the machines I would have to rent, the roof extension. I was so busy thinking, I almost missed her. I pushed at the door leading out as she pulled, and we both froze as we recognized each other.
Ava was dressed in slim-fitting slacks, a purple blouse peeking out from a tailored vest that hugged her torso and looked anything but masculine on her frame. Her hair was twisted up away from her face again, and her makeup was skillful and light. The heels she wore made her legs look long and sexy.
But it was the expression on her face that caught my attention. She looked tired. Defeated. Her shoulders were bowed, her eyes dull today. She smiled in greeting, but it didn’t reach her eyes—they remained leaden and distant.
“Hello, Hunter.”
“Ava.”
“We need to stop meeting like this,” she said, although the humor sounded forced.