Whoosh Thwack… Whoosh Thwack… Awakened from a deep sleep, I lay in bed trying to figure out what that sound was.

Whoosh Thwack.

Again and again, it repeated. The clock next to the bed showed six in the morning. What in the hell was so important it needed to be done at six in the morning?

Dressed in a robe and my bunny slippers, I dragged myself to the front porch to investigate the noise. There was nothing to report there except for the beautiful sunrise that hit the pond at the perfect angle to create a reflection of the sky on the still water.

My robe was pulled tight around my center to combat the chill. I stepped off the porch and went in search of the source of the racket. The sound was loud and clear and it came from the area behind the cabin. Midway between the big house and my cabin, Colton chopped wood. His strong arms controlled of the ax with ease. The wood submitted to his power. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead and eased down to his chiseled jaw. Once I got past his bad attitude, I could see he was handsome in a rugged outdoorsy way.

Yesterday, I spent the entire day frustrated and angry with the man, but from a distance, he didn’t seem so fierce. I had no idea how much time I stared at him, but suddenly it dawned on me that the clash of the ax against the wood was gone. Standing in the distance, Colton leaned on the ax handle and stared back.

“Good morning, Nik, how’d you sleep?”

“Great until you started chopping wood. Does that have to be done this early?”

“It’s an important part of survival out here. If there’s no wood, there’s no fire. If there’s no fire, there’s no heat. There are very few ways to generate heat out here, Nik. I can think of only one other option, but I would need a willing partner. Are you volunteering?” He stood up and walked back to the pile of splintered logs. “Let me know, and I’ll stop chopping wood now. Otherwise, daylight is wasting, and I have a lot to do.” He looked at me with a glint of mischief in his eye and a smile on his face.

Did he just ask me to warm his bed in exchange for some peace and quiet? Incapable of speech, I spun around and sped toward the safety of my cabin.

Outside, I could hear him roar with laughter.

That man had some nerve. No wonder he lived alone in the middle of nowhere. He was impossible to be around for more than a minute. How that poor dog lived with him was a mystery. No doubt he was trying to escape when he knocked me flat on my ass.

Since I was up with the sun, I dressed and walked outside to take a look at the garden. The area where last year’s garden had grown was obvious. A rough timber fence surrounded the freshly tilled soil. Bent over, I ran my fingers through the cool dirt.

“Watch out.” I heard Colton scream. “Bo, stop.”

Uh-oh, I knew exactly what was coming. Within seconds, I was flat on my rear end—again.

“I’m so sorry, Nik, I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He isn’t normally this bad. Let me help you up.” Colton took my hand and stood me on my feet.

“He needs training. My butt is black and blue because of you two, and I’ve only been here a day.” I brushed off the dirt from my jeans and limped toward my cabin.

“You’re limping? Are you hurt?” He asked with genuine concern in his voice.

“Just my bottom and my pride.” I turned back toward him. “Hey, while I have you here, do you have a few minutes to answer some questions?” Too bad the man was a barbarian because he showed so much potential.

“What do you need to know?” He leaned against the timber garden post looking like a misplaced model for Urban Outfitters.

I dragged my eyes from the stretched cotton of his shirt, the roped muscles of his arms, the sleek fit of denim on his thighs. Not sure where to begin, I pulled out the piece of paper and pen I’d tucked into my back pocket and began. “I’m going to start the garden today, and I need to know what you want me to plant. Also, where is the garden equipment located? I need a shovel, rake, hoe and various other gardening tools.”

“You’re going to plant the garden?” Colton looked at me as if I have grown a separate head, and then he began to laugh. “This I have to see.”

“Don’t look so surprised. I’m totally capable of planting a garden, so take that smug look off your face.” Why did this man insist on irritating me? “What do you want in your garden?” My voice grizzled with irritation.

“I have seeds from last year in the greenhouse, but it may be a little late to start plants from seed. You may have to buy seedlings. Plant stuff like lettuce, zucchini, squash, green beans, and cucumbers. Tomatoes don’t do well here, so you can skip them. Corn takes too much space. Anything else you want to plant is up to you.”

Colton turned and walked away from me. His pace was quick—like he was trying to run away as fast as he could.

I hollered over my shoulder. “One other question, if you don’t mind.”

He came to an abrupt stop.

“Daylight is burning.”

I ignored his comment. “How do I get to town? I need a few things, and I need access to the Internet.”

“Follow the dirt road back to the main highway and turn right, that will take you straight to Marathon. As for the Internet, you may be able to connect from your cabin. You just need to locate the best spot. I think Cara always had luck sitting at the dining room table, next to the window. If you need to use the Internet and can’t connect from your place, I have access at the main cabin. I’ll get you the password when I get a chance.”

“You never said anything about having an Internet connection.” The damn man explained everything from septic tanks to mosquitos, but failed to mention my only connection to the outside world.

“I keep the internet hooked up for business reasons. There are no phones, and cell service is choppy at best. Anything else?” As soon as I shook my head no, he disappeared.

* * *

Marathon was not a bustling metropolis, but it did seem to have everything a person could need. I was able to get a post office box and start the process of forwarding my mail. I found the grocery store and stocked up on canned goods and instant coffee. I decided to wave the white flag and invite Colton over for dinner. Although avoiding him was the smarter choice, getting him in my corner was the only choice.

The grocery store was my next stop. Roasted chicken, with potatoes, and vegetables, sounded like a good truce meal. Then it was a trip to the bookstore to get a manual on training rotten dogs.

Across, the street from the bookstore was G’s Garden Center.

“Hi, how can I help you?” the clerk at G’s asked.

“I’m new in town, and I’m planting a garden. I have lots of questions. Is there anyone here who could answer them for me?” I must have looked lost and pathetic because she picked up the phone and asked for an expert.

Gordon showed up promptly, and we took a seat in the stockyard. He was unhurried and happy to educate me.

“You’re new in town.” I was pretty sure a new face never went unnoticed in Marathon. Gordon was the kind of man who knew everyone on a first name basis, and it was obvious by his widened eyes that he recognized me, but he was too much of a gentleman to admit it. My celebrity was world-renowned. Not many girls grew up with a box office legend as a mother and producer as a father.

I flashed him my Hollywood smile. And it was just that, for about twenty grand you could have straight, blinding white teeth. Mine were a gift for my fourteenth birthday. “I arrived yesterday from California. My name is Nik.”

“Where are you staying, Nik?”

The question was one I couldn’t answer. I only knew how to drive there.

“I have no idea what you would call the area, but I’m renting a cabin from a man named Colton.”

A large grin swept across his face. “Taking Cara’s place, huh?”

Insulted that he would think I was anything but a renter, I set him straight. “No, I’m renting a cabin, and I promised to help with the garden.”

“Cara used to plant the garden, so if you are doing it this year, then you’re taking Cara’s place.”

“I can assure you, I’m no Cara.” Wanting to get the conversation off Colton’s ex and back to the task at hand, I asked him for advice. “Can you give me some hints on how to grow a successful garden? You see, Colton thinks I’m going to fail, and I want to prove him wrong.” The man looked me up and down as if deciding whether I was worthy of his time and efforts.

“First off, let me take you to the area of the store that will interest you the most.” He guided me to the fruit and vegetable plants. “You’ll want to use starter plants this year. It’s too late to start from seed. The Texas heat can be brutal during the day and the cold a killer at night, so we need a leg up. We can get that by using plants that are a few weeks to a few months old. Take these tomatoes, they’ve been growing in a greenhouse for nearly three months.”

“Colton says that tomatoes won’t grow on his land.”

“That’s nonsense. Tomatoes will grow anywhere. There is a trick to getting them to grow well. I’ll tell you the secret and then you can surprise Colton with a bumper crop of tomatoes this year. The trick is to protect them from rapid temperature changes.” The grizzled old man told me his tomato growing secret, and I loaded up on starter plants. Growing a garden wasn’t cheap. The plants took up two-thirds of my weekly budget. It might have been cheaper to buy produce in the store, but proving to Colton I was competent enough to grow a garden would be more satisfying.

Gordon wrapped his arm around my shoulder in a warm fatherly manner. “You’re a long way from home, Nik. I’m here if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Gordon.” I looked around the store to see if anyone was paying attention to us. “I’m here to grow, but I’m starting with the garden.”

“You can learn a lot from a garden.” I paid for my purchases, and the old man helped me to my car. As I walked away, he gave me some words of wisdom. “Everything needs to be watered, fertilized and cared for to thrive.” He was talking about more than tomatoes and lettuce.

My last stop was the diner down the street. I settled into the booth with a cup of steaming coffee and called Max.

“Nik, how are you?” His voice was a soothing balm to my frayed emotions.

“I’m good. I made it through my first night—barely. Colton is an obnoxious asshole. I can see why he lives off the grid.” I looked around the diner and hoped no one could hear me. “No one could stand to be near him for any length of time.”

“Come home,” he pleaded. “That’s not your life. Your life is here, where there’s a Java Bean on every corner, and you can order takeout every day for a year and never eat the same thing twice.”

“You know I can’t.”

I gave Max the 4-1-1 about everything from Bo to the garden, and he begged me once more to reconsider.

“I’m going to stick it out here. I’m not taking the easy way out this time. I’m growing a garden, and I’m going to train that mutt if it’s the last thing I do. I bought a book on training dogs. Maybe some of those methods will work for his owner.”

“What? Keep him on a leash until trust is built, and if trust can’t be built, put him in a choke collar?”

“You may have something there. I’ll keep that in mind if my chicken dinner doesn’t make him sit up and beg.”

“Beg for a stomach pump.” Max was on his game today, which had to mean he got laid last night. Probably in my house. Maybe in my bed.

“You didn’t do it in my bed did you?”

He laughed hard enough to snort. “No, we did it on your couch, then the table, then your desk.”

“Gross. I’m not coming home unless Hazmat clears my apartment.” I shuddered at the vision of him doing it on every horizontal surface of my home.

I lifted my cup towards the waitress, silently signaling that I wanted a refill. This kind of conversation needed the reinforcement of caffeine. Besides, this would be the only good coffee I’d get for a while. It wasn’t Java Bean, but it was ten steps up from the instant I’d be drinking at the cabin.

“I’m joking, I went to her place.” There was a pause between sentences. “Tonight we’ll do yours.”

“I don’t want to know.” I didn’t care. I knew Max well enough to know he’d never do it on a hard surface like my desk, or my table when there was a king sized bed waiting for him. Hell, my bed would be grateful. It had been a long time since it had seen any action.

I thought about Colton. He made my heart race from fear and attraction and those damn tight cotton T-shirts. “Oh, by the way, I don’t want the dirty details, but I can get email through Colton’s Internet. I don’t plan to drive into town until next week, so if we don’t e-mail, we won’t be able to connect again until then. Phone connectivity is bad in the boonies.”

“Nik, be safe and remember I love you, girl. I’ll talk to you soon. Watch your back, or should I say, watch your butt?”

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask, why the second date? Is this girl special?” Max was somewhat of a serial dater, and it would be nice if he could find the right girl.

“Just like the rest of them, dinner, drinks and sex.”

“Why do you have sex on the first date?” Max used first date sex as a gauge to decide if there would be a second date. If the girl put out, it was usually a no go, but this girl was different.

“You ask why? The answer is simple. It's because I can. As for the second date, the first was so good I wanted a repeat.”

“Goodbye, Max, and grow up.” I laughed as I hung up the phone.

“Can I get you anything else sweetie?” the waitress asked. She was grandma-like in her features. Gray hair. A weathered face. Soft, kind eyes.

“Nope, just the check please.” It wasn’t the Java Bean, but the coffee was good, and they had Wi-Fi. I liked this place.

“Here you go sweetheart, come back soon okay?” She turned to leave but swung around to face me once more. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Nikola Stone?”

I stifled the urge to roll my eyes. “Yes, I get that all the time.” I paid my check and headed back to the cabin.

I exited the Jeep with caution. Somewhere out there was a big yellow dog waiting to attack.

The coast looked clear. I unloaded my groceries first and the plants second. I hid the tomato plants in the greenhouse so they wouldn’t freeze overnight and walked to the woodpile to chop wood for tonight’s fire. The sun was beginning to sink, leaving little daylight for the task ahead.

The ax was surprisingly heavy. I lifted it above my shoulder and let it fall onto the log I had placed on the chopping block. The blade hit the wood, but rather than split in two, the log rolled off the block and landed at my feet.

Not deterred by this setback, I positioned the log again. With a strong swing of the ax, I hit it dead center, and the blade buried itself into the wood. A sense of pride filled me knowing that I’d hit my mark. My joy was short lived when I saw I couldn’t get the log off the blade. I banged and pulled, and to my dismay, neither the wood nor the ax would budge.

“Hey, Nik, do you need a hand?” Colton’s voice startled me.

I had no idea how long he’d been watching me, but it must have been a while. He leaned lazily against a tree with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His dark curly hair was tousled giving him a sexy just out of bed look. A look of amusement painted his face. So happy, I could entertain him with my lumberjack skills.

“I’d love it if you could tell me how to get this damn wood off of the ax.” I stood on the log and pulled on the handle. Nothing budged.

He walked over to where I stood and moved behind me. He ran his hands slowly down my arms, so they covered mine. Tingles turned into gooseflesh from his touch. The feel of his muscled chest against my back sent chills scurrying down my spine. He scooted up close, so the curve of my ass was tucked against the front of his jeans.

“The wood is stuck, and we have to get it to release. We’re going to raise the ax and hit it against the chopping block. The force of the hit will split the log in half. Are you ready?” He shimmied forward a bit. Any closer and he’d be living in my skin.

“Yes.” I had no idea if I was ready or not, but I needed him to finish this lesson fast, or I would do or say something I’d regret. His nearness jumbled my brain. How could I dislike someone so much, yet have this reaction to his body? It had to be a sexual thing. I hadn’t had sex in a while, and my baser instincts were kicking in. Nothing else made sense.

With the swing of the ax, Colton’s hands guided the log onto the block, and the wood split in half just like he said. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew there was a cocky I-told-you-so smile plastered on it.

“That’s all there is to it.” He released me and stepped aside leaving my body longing for his touch. I needed to get a grip on things.

“You made that look easy. It must have something to do with upper body strength. Can I buy chopped firewood? I didn’t even chop one log, and I’m already exhausted.”

“Sure, you can buy it, but if you want an authentic experience, you need to cut it yourself, or barter for it. People trade for services all the time.”

“Barter for it? What do I have to barter with?”

“Oh, Nik, you have a lot to barter with.” He said, giving me a teasing look. His eyes took in my body from head to toe. “How about we make a compromise? You plant the garden, and I’ll chop your wood, but you can’t complain about my early morning sessions. Do we have a deal?”

I jumped up and down and clapped my hands. The barter system was working out for me today. “Deal. By the way, since we got off to a rough start, I thought I’d invite you to dinner. Nothing special. I’m making roasted chicken. Are you interested?”

He appeared to weigh his options. “That sounds great, what time should I come over?”

“Seven?”

“Can I bring something, maybe some wine?”

“Perfect, I didn’t think about getting wine. Oh, and I’m going to need firewood.” With pep in my step and a smile on my face, I turned toward my cabin to start dinner.

Whoosh thwack, whoosh thwack is a beautiful sound when you know it’s going to keep you warm at night. It was amazing how your perspective changed as your needs changed. A few days ago I would have called someone and had them deliver firewood. I wouldn’t have asked how much it cost. Today, I was able to barter my gardening services for firewood. How exciting was that?

When Colton brought up the subject of bartering, he had that look in his eyes most men got when they were thinking dirty thoughts. I couldn’t say it bothered me much. He was too hot for my good. However, he’d be sexier if he didn’t have such a bad attitude.