CHAPTER TWO

JESSICA SAT IN the passenger seat of the ratty tow truck as her unlikely chauffer drove her to town. She needed a glass of wine, a hot bubble bath and maybe some carbs—no, she wouldn’t submit to the carbs tonight. The day had been hell and it didn’t seem to be ending soon as she caught sight of the town.

“This isn’t much of a town, is it?” she looked from left to right.

“Welcome to Blue Creek.” The man laughed as if he knew something she didn’t.

She looked down at her phone which was still searching for a damn signal. “I hope the hotel has WiFi.” She said.

“Bad news,” he chuckled.

“And what bad news do you have?”

“We don’t have a hotel here.”

“Then where am I supposed to stay?” her voice rose with aggravation and worry. She was now stranded in a town with no lodging options.

“Well, if you can pull the stick out of your ass, I’ve got a couch you can crash on.” He offered.

“I do not have a stick up my backside.” She defended.

“Anyone wearing a fur coat has to have something wrong with them.” He grumbled.

“This is one hundred percent mink and it cost a ton of money.”

“Then that’s where two fools met. You could’ve gotten a fake for next to nothing on the internet.”

“From the look of you, I’d say you know nothing about fashion and probably even less about the internet,” She scoffed.

“And from the look of you, I’d say you’ve been sniffing too much hair spray or nail polish.”

Jessica closed her mouth. She was too tired to trade any more insults with him and she really needed a place to sleep for the night. If she pissed him off too much, she’d be sleeping in the nearest cardboard box. “I will take the offer of your sofa for the night. If the offer is still open, that is.” She waited for his reply.

“Yep.” He focused on the road. “The name’s Maiken Douglas, if you care to know.”

“Jessica Cristobel.” She replied.

Nothing else was said until he parked the truck in front of a small home on the main road in town. “Be right back,” he pushed his door open, then hopped down.

As she waited, Jessica sat there hoping the gasoline smell in the cab didn’t permeate the delicate fur of her coat. She rolled her eyes at the entire situation and could only imagine that whoever resided in heaven must have had one hell of a sense of humor.

“Here, sit in the center,” Maiken lifted a small child up into the truck and helped him get buckled in.

“Hi, I’m Lincoln,” The little boy said.

“Jessica,” she said back. “How old are you?”

“Seven and a half.” The child leaned forward, messing with the buttons on the truck radio.

“Leave them alone, Linc,” the stern tone of Maiken’s voice had even Jessica coming to attention.

“Daddy, I want to listen to music.”

“You should listen to your father,” Jessica offered her piece of advice.

“You’re not my mom!” Lincoln screamed, causing Jessica’s ears to ring.

“And I wouldn’t want to be,” she laughed.

“Enough!” The booming voice caused Jessica to whip her head toward Maiken with wide eyes. The authority in his tone told her he meant business, so she remained silent for the rest of the ride. Had she said something wrong? Her experience with children was limited—thankfully.

When they arrived at a large two story home, she looked around in confusion. Wasn’t a guy like him supposed to live in a rundown trailer park?

“Get upstairs, brush your teeth and put your PJ’s on. I’ll be up in a bit to tuck you in,” he instructed Lincoln.

Jessica helped herself down from the truck, waiting to be invited into the house. Instead, he rounded the truck and got in her face. “Do not say anything like that to my son again, understood?”

“I was just trying to help.”

“You’re not helping by telling him you wouldn’t want to be his mother.”

“It’s true. I’m sure his mom is a wonderful woman.” She tried to smooth things over.

“His mom is dead.”

Talk about feeling only a few inches tall. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah,” he began walking away as he motioned her inside the home. “Couch is that way, bathroom is upstairs.” He immediately went into the kitchen area and opened the fridge.

“Listen, I really am sorry for what I said,” she followed him.

When he slammed the door on the appliance, Jessica stepped back, her rear end bumping the counter. “You’re only here for one night. Try to stay out of my way.”

She nodded, then made her way back to the living room. When she took a seat on the sofa, she was surprised at how comfortable it was. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad sleeping there for the night. It wasn’t a four star hotel, but things could’ve been much worse.

“Here,” She startled when Maiken’s voice sounded behind her.

When she stood and turned to him, he was holding a blanket and a pillow. “Oh, thank you.” She gave a small smile, hoping he wouldn’t take some sort of offense to it.

“Just a heads up, Linc has nightmares and screams in his sleep sometimes,” he handed the stack of items off to her.

“Thank you for the warning,” she turned away. Jessica was a stranger in her surroundings and she was feeling that fact deep down. She’d managed to make an ass out of herself and she hadn’t even been acquainted with Maiken for but a couple of hours. For the first time in a long while, Jessica felt guilty for what came out of her mouth. Living in New York, she had to be somewhat thick skinned. Especially working in the fashion business. She’d finally reached her goal of being a successful designer with her clothing lines being sold around the world. J. Cristobel was one of the top labels for luxury fashion on several continents. Even so, Jessica didn’t feel like herself now that she was stuck in Blue Creek with a guy who clearly hated everything about her, including her mink coat.

***

Maiken lay on his back in bed, staring up at the ceiling. His arms were stretched up behind his head with his fingers threaded together. The woman downstairs was infuriating beyond belief and he was honestly surprised he invited her to sleep on his couch. Hell, there hadn’t been a woman in the house for eight months—including his sister, Izzy. Having a female there felt wrong on a few levels, even if it was just a platonic situation. He’d struggled with so many things when Coleen passed away, including the adjustment to being a single father. Izzy had stepped in to help, but when it was only him and Lincoln, Maiken felt like his world was shattered. Not to mention, it would soon be time to show Linc the ropes of the pack. His first shift would be close to his eighth birthday and that was coming all too soon. There weren’t many things in the world that made him feel broken, but as of late, he didn’t know if he could even begin to piece his life back together.