The weatherman predicts snow, but I don’t need the television to tell me that. I can smell it in the air. There’s a wet, brisk bite to the air, which is why I’m chopping some wood. A couple of years ago, I miscalculated my wood and when I got snowed in, I nearly froze my ass off. I won’t be making that mistake again.
But despite it being just below thirty degrees today, I’m hot as hell. My shirt drips with sweat and if I didn’t have a teenager on the way, I’d shed it and finish my task. The ax is heavy, but it’s perfect and I keep it sharp just for this task. Some birds caw in the distance as they fly over Lake Newell. I’m just wondering what I’ll make for dinner when I hear a car crunching gravel in the distance.
Mateo and his daughter.
Unease skitters through me, but I quickly breathe through it. I deal with teenagers all damn day. I can handle one for extended periods. I’ll lay down the law and she’ll have to obey. Bottom line. For Te, I’ll make sure she stays on the straight and narrow.
It’s been a few days since he called, but it’s given me time to prepare for a house guest. Mom came over and deep cleaned my cabin while sprinkling in her two cents. She cooked meatloaf, so I didn’t even mind the lecturing about how inappropriate it would be for a student and her principal to share a cabin. I’m extremely professional in all aspects of my career. And after we recently dealt with our own guidance counselor at the high school going to jail for messing with some students, I’ve been extra vigilant.
An expensive black sedan comes into view, kicking up dust along the way, before pulling in next to my midnight blue Ford F150. Of course Mateo would have a driver bring him from the airport rather than rent a car like a normal human. Money has made him a bit of a diva.
The car door opens and he steps out. Same guy I remember. A little shorter than me and stockier, but an infectious grin that used to have all the women in the vicinity turning his way. He beams at me before sauntering my way. His black suit is probably more expensive than all of mine combined.
“Renner,” he greets, bypassing my outstretched hand and going in for a hug.
I hug my friend. “Bonilla.”
We pull apart and he pretends to sniff his suit in disgust. “They make showers, man. Use them.”
I chuckle and shrug. “Where’s the kid?”
He glances over his shoulder, then frowns at me. “She’s not happy.”
“I can’t say I blame her. Her dad just pulled her out of her school, moved her to a different state, and is dropping her off to spend the remainder of the school year with her principal so she’ll stay out of trouble. I think it’s safe to say you’re her least favorite person right now.” I rub at the back of my neck, the ever-present tension making its throbbing presence known. “She’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to her and I’ll protect her as if she were mine.”
He lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” The wind whips around us and some sleet pelts me in the face.
“Bad weather is rolling in tonight. They say by tomorrow we’ll have snow,” I tell him as I peek at the sky.
“Which is why I changed my flight back home from tomorrow to two hours from now. I have a meeting Friday afternoon that I can’t miss,” he says with a groan.
I keep my features impassive, but it irritates me that he’s going to dump his daughter and run. Sure, we’re friends and have been for a long time, but he doesn’t know if I’ve changed in the past sixteen years or so. I’d expected him to stay for dinner and give his daughter time to get acclimated.
“Elma!” he hollers. When she doesn’t open the door, he curses under his breath before stalking over to the vehicle. He wrenches the door open and gestures at my small cabin with his hand.
Turning to give them some privacy, I swing my ax into the log I was hacking away at and brush my palms off on the front of my jeans. When I look over my shoulder, I’m confused. For a moment, it’s as though I’m staring right at his wife, Valencia.
Dark, almost black hair is twisted messily on top of her head. Her face is painted in such a way that her lashes accentuate her wide, deep brown eyes and her lips are stained a pouty red. But what has my attention is her outfit. It’s cold as fuck and she’s dressing like she’s still in Florida. She wears a soft gray open sweater that goes all the way down to her calves. Under the sweater is a tight black V-neck tee that plunges deep, revealing way too much cleavage.
My dick twitches and I grit my teeth.
Quickly skimming over this girl’s tits, I’m even more shocked to see her bare belly button and a silver piece of jewelry hanging from it. She wears frayed jean shorts that are ridiculous in this weather. Her boots are the only thing winter-ready and they’re those expensive fuzzy boots all the girls at the school wear. Uggs or some shit. But what looks even more goddamn ridiculous are her black knee-high socks.
Just an entire outfit of all the wrong clothes.
Mateo needs to get his head out of his ass.
At my school, she’d get sent to the office wearing this shit.
“Adam, this is Karelma. Last time you saw her she was about a year old,” Mateo says, a proud grin on his face.
She’s texting and chewing her gum, refusing to look up. It grates on my nerves.
“Nice to meet you,” I rumble. “I hope you brought warmer clothes.”
At the sound of my voice she lifts her gaze to mine. Her expression changes from bored and irritated to shocked. It’s then I realize she’s probably looking at my scars or how I’m sweaty as hell. I didn’t think out this whole first impression very well.
“Karelma—” I start, but she interrupts me.
“It’s Elma.” Her smile is fake before she goes back to texting.
“Sweetheart, I have to go. Be a good girl for Adam and I’ll call to check on you this weekend.” He holds out his arms for a hug.
She peels her gaze away from her phone long enough to step into a side hug from her dad. Mateo doesn’t seem bothered by the fact she’s being kind of rude. He simply kisses the top of her head.
“We’ll be in touch. Take care of my girl,” he says as he hands me her suitcase. His phone rings and before he makes it back to the sedan, he’s barking out orders to someone. I don’t get so much as a wave before he’s gone.
“Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death,” I mutter.
She grumbles something about me killing her in my cabin, but I ignore her. I’m used to teenagers mouthing me when I turn away. I focus on not limping even though my leg hurts like a motherfucker with the cold weather heading in. The last thing I need to do is give her any ammunition against me. She’s quiet as I show her my small cabin.
“I’ll sleep out here and you can take my room,” I tell her as I motion for the only room in the cabin.
She makes a sound of disgust. “My bedroom back home is bigger than your whole entire house.”
Ignoring her comment, I take her suitcase to my room and set it on my bed. She stands in the doorway with her lip curled up and her nostrils flaring.
“I can’t fucking believe he sent me here,” she hisses under her breath.
I want to get onto her for her language, but I bite my tongue this time. “Make yourself at home. There’s some leftover meatloaf in the fridge for dinner. Just heat it up in the microwave. I’m going to take a shower and then we’ll talk about your class schedule for tomorrow.”
“Yippee,” she mocks. Her tongue darts out and licks her juicy red lip, causing my dick to jump again.
Fucking hell.