Chapter 2
DEX BELMONT WAITED for Allie to hightail it back into her car and take off, but she just stood there, her pretty brown eyes never flickering away. He could tell he affected her, but he didn’t know whether it was because he pissed her off or because she was attracted to him, and he was more than tempted to find out which.
That wouldn’t be a smart move on his part, especially since she would be living next door. She’d get attached, and once she found out he wasn’t the kind of guy for a long-term relationship, drama would ensue.
And he was over drama.
“Are you going to show me the cabin or kiss me, Dex?”
Her question sent a shock wave of awareness through him, and for a second, he thought it was a proposition. Until …
“Fair warning: if you attempt the latter, I know six easy moves that will leave you broken and bleeding on the floor.”
Picturing this short, curvy woman bringing him low made him burst out laughing. He dropped his arm and let her pass. “I like the brass on you, Allie.”
She frowned as she surveyed the kitchen, and he could tell she wasn’t happy with its current state. Hell, he couldn’t blame her one bit. The place did look like shit, but he was supposed to have had more time. She’d called him a week ago and said she wouldn’t be arriving until the first week of November. Then two days ago, she’d called again from Nebraska to let him know she’d be there two weeks ahead of schedule.
“I know it looks bad, but really, there are no leaks and I’ll have it looking brand new in just a few weeks. You know, the few weeks I would have had if you’d given me more notice?”
“Fine, you have a point,” she said. “I shouldn’t have changed the game plan on you like that, but with all the work I have to get done at the hospital and with the weather report saying that it’s supposed to get bad soon, there didn’t seem to be any time to waste. Plus, I have to get to know the doctors and nurses, and judging by some people’s reaction to my age and gender, I can’t imagine all of them will be too welcoming.”
Dex nearly choked as he tried to hold in his laughter. Including his best friend, Hunter, there were four trauma surgeons at the hospital who were all seasoned military vets. He could just imagine how they were going to react to this curvy blonde with just the slightest New York accent walking in there and pointing out everything they were doing wrong.
Actually, he’d pay money to see that … or at least charge admission.
“Yeah, that’s true. If you want to whip that place into shape, you will definitely need a firm hand and a good night’s rest, which won’t be a problem. She might not look like much, but this cabin’s sturdy and safe. I’m putting up the new porch railing this weekend, but like I said, I reinforced the deck, so there’s no problem there.”
Dex saw that she was staring up at the hole in the ceiling and could feel warmth steal up his neck. Okay, so he felt a little guilty for misleading her, but when Heather Dolan at the real estate office had asked him if his cabin was ready to be rented, he’d jumped at the chance to get a little extra scratch during the winter months. Not that he was struggling, but he liked to have a nest egg, something he’d learned from his parents. It was about the only thing he’d inherited from his mathematician father and psychology professor mother. As a child, he’d had to beg his friends’ dads to take him along on their camping trips, while his parents had preferred museums and working on their latest publications.
Of course they had loved him, but they’d never really understood his love of the outdoors. Or his decision to become a search-and-rescue specialist after eight years in the army. He’d stopped trying to explain it years ago, and just let it be. He was happy, financially stable, and doing what he loved. His parents came to visit a couple of times a year and spent most their time doting on his quiet, bookish younger brother. It worked.
That being said, if his mother ever found out he’d been less than forthcoming with his current tenant, he’d be in for a damn long lecture on ethics and honesty.
Maybe that was why he was so defensive with the irritated woman standing before him.
“I’ll be fixing that, too,” he said.
Allie crossed her arms under her breasts and he tried like hell not to look down as she berated him. “I can’t believe you rented this place to me in this condition. Even if I had told you I wouldn’t be here in three months, the amount of work this place needs … ”
She turned away from him as she trailed off, her gaze scanning the room again, taking in all the things that were wrong with the place. Dex knew for a fact that the repairs weren’t as extensive as she assumed. He’d had a contractor out months ago to give him an estimate, but Dex had sent him on his merry way. Dex could do everything he’d listed for a quarter of the guy’s “conservative estimate.”
“Wow, so you’re a construction worker, too?” he asked.
She turned those big brown eyes on him. “No, but I don’t need to be to tell you this place needs a lot of work.”
“Not as much as you think, sweetheart. A little patch here and a bit of paint there, and it will be grand.” His fake Irish accent didn’t even crack the skeptical look on her face. He’d never met a woman immune to it before.
“I’m sure you think so, but until you get the repairs done, I’m withholding rent.”
Outrage blazed through Dex and he took a step toward her. “Now, just one damn minute—”
“No, Mr. Belmont”—the way she exaggerated his name, he knew it was meant to rankle him—“you already admitted that the cabin isn’t ready for me. I may have had a change of plans, but when I called two days ago, you could have told me the truth and I would have made other arrangements. As it stands, I am not going to pay you to live in a place that probably has a leaky roof, because you weren’t honest. Now, you can tell me to get the hell off your property, and I will be happy to find a hotel while I search for another place to live. Or you can get started on the repairs right away, and as soon as they’re complete, I’ll reinstate our original agreement.”
Then she actually smiled at him like she’d invited him over for tea.
“So what do you say? Do I stay or do I go?”