The sun had set completely by the time they arrived at the cabin. She could make out a timber structure with a wide front porch and lots of windows, but that was about all. Nick pulled the car next to the house and hurried to unlock the front door, flipping on the porch light before returning and starting to unload the car. Darcy grabbed a couple of shopping bags and joined him inside.

This wasn’t the rustic cabin she had expected. The living room ran the length of the house and had a full glass wall on one end. A river rock fireplace spanned one wall, and cozy furnishings were scattered about. The walls, the floors, and the ceilings were all constructed of wood with a warm, rich finish, and here and there soft rugs made pools of color.

“Wow. This is a cabin?” Darcy looked around appreciatively as she moved to place the bags she carried onto the granite island. “It’s more like a mansion.”

Nick laughed. “Not hardly. But when there are lots of people in a family, and most of them are men that are pretty good with tools, you can make something fairly special.”

“Indeed,” was all she whispered, still taking in the spaciousness of the place.

“We’ll put these groceries up, and I’ll give you a tour.”

“Sounds good to me.” She turned and went back out to the car to retrieve Warlock’s carrier and a suitcase. One more trip for the last of the groceries and they were finished bringing stuff in, and then Darcy turned to putting away the provisions. Nick helped, pointing out where things went as he stowed their purchases. She couldn’t help but notice the well-supplied pantry filled with canned goods and staples.

“My mom and the girls make sure to keep the place stocked up,” Nick confessed. “Okay, now I’ll show you where you can sleep.”

They grabbed their bags and headed up the stairs with its beautiful twig railing and landed in a large, spacious loft with four sofa beds scattered about. She leaned on the railing and admired the open view of the floor below.

Nick waited just a moment then took off to the left and opened a door into an end room.

“This is where you’ll stay,” he informed her.

“It’s beautiful,” Darcy exclaimed.

Nick’s eyes twinkled. “I knew you’d like it.”

“I love it.” She twirled around as she took in the brass bed, the colorful patchwork quilt, and a small wooden rocker in the corner. Apparently, Warlock liked it, too, she thought as she watched her cat turn in a circle before lying down in the middle of the bed.

“I’m on the other side of the loft,” he told her. “If you ever need me during the night, just holler.”

No, no way. She would not need him during the night. That was way too risky.

“Come on, I’ll show you the basement then we can grab a bite to eat.”

Darcy followed him downstairs and saw a finished basement that included a pool table and another huge bedroom and bath. Wow, her little house could fit in half this basement alone.

Darcy was still stunned when they returned to the kitchen. She couldn’t get over the beauty of the cabin. It felt welcoming, peaceful and warm, safe and secure. She mustn’t drop her guard, though. There was too much at stake.

“How about a grilled cheese sandwich and a can of soup?” Nick asked. “I can rustle that up.”

“As tired as I am tonight, I’ll take it.” She flipped her braid over her shoulder and smiled wryly. “I’ll make breakfast in the morning.”

“Is that a promise?” he asked.

“I promise.”

“That’s a deal.” He smiled warmly and started to whistle as he began buttering bread. She noted with shock that the tune he whistled was Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.

 

After they finished eating, an awkward feeling fell over Darcy. They were going to basically be living together for at least a few days and she barely knew him. All she knew was she really liked what she saw. Nick was big and strong and hot as hell. Being isolated here with him was going to be…well…. challenging.

Darcy carried their soup bowls to the sink and rinsed them before sticking them in the dishwasher. She had to admit, though, she was intrigued by more than his looks. He was dedicated to his work, devoted to his family. And, she sighed, Warlock liked him. Warlock had been known to slash the cheek of one of Darcy’s dates he didn’t approve of. But he accepted Nick without question. She knew it sounded silly, but she trusted her cat’s judgment.

There was just one thing stopping her jumping his bones, she thought as she ran a damp cloth across the countertop. He was a cop.

She’d never forgotten the night her father died. Darcy had been busily making him a birthday card, her mother in the kitchen icing his cake. Her mom had never been very domestic, but she tried hard. The cake she’d made was a five-layer chocolate cake, but unfortunately, it was only about three inches thick. Marie Campbell was busily piling on extra thick chocolate frosting trying to make the cake look taller when the doorbell rang.

Darcy hadn’t paid much attention until her mother’s scream cut through the air. When hysterical sobbing followed the outburst, Darcy had tiptoed from her chair and peeked around the dining room wall. Her mother was on her hands and knees, her chest heaving and her two large police officers hovering over her. She heard her mother say over and over again, “I want to die. God, take me now, I have nothing to live for.”

Her mother had never been the same afterwards. She’d been so dependent, so reliant on Darcy’s father that she simply was never whole again. It was like both her parents had died. Marie changed drastically. She became even more nervous and unsure. Never having handled finances before or held a job, she floundered. She turned away from Darcy, who looked so much like her father and tried to drown her pain in alcohol and other men.

Those were hard years for Darcy. Her mother barely functioned, rarely cooking, often drinking too much. There were times her mother brought men home. One night she’d awakened and found one of those men standing over her bed. She’d screamed in terror, and he left, but her mother slept through the whole thing.

And then Marie met Bruce. Bruce was good looking, big, and smooth. Marie seemed hypnotized by him. But he was mean. He was mean to her mom and mean to her. One night he punched her mother in front of Darcy and Darcy went wild, leaping at Bruce with her fingers clawed and fire in her eyes. Of course, as a 12-year-old Darcy didn’t have a chance against a two-hundred-pound man. He tossed her off like he was batting a mosquito, sending her rolling across the floor and crashing into a buffet. When she came to, she found her mother dead and Bruce gone.

“Darcy.” Nick’s voice seemed to come through a cloud. Lost in her memories, she realized she’d been staring into space. “Darcy.”

She shook her head and rinsed out the cloth she’d been using.

“Sorry. I guess I’m more tired than I thought. I think I’ll go upstairs and unpack and go to bed.” Darcy wiped her hands on her jeans and moved to leave. “Good night.”

Nick didn’t say anything, just eyed her for a long moment from under his thick, long lashes. When she was past him, he called her name, placing his palm on her upper arm. She paused, turning to face him.

“Sweet dreams,” he murmured, a soft smile on his lips.

Sweet dreams. Not likely, she thought. Not with thoughts of her mother, Pasquale, and Nick himself swilling through her mind.

“Thanks. You, too.” She managed a weak smile before hurrying from the room.