Chapter Five

Brandon watched the tow truck and its special passenger turn the corner taking his heart with it. Shoving his hands into his pockets he hunched his shoulders against the wind and started for home. A home that would be dead without her.

“She has her own life Jake. Not much I could do about that,” he said to the dog.

Jake stared at his friend with a soul melting look of pity. As if to say, you poor bastard.

“Hey, don’t look at me that way,” Brandon snapped as he increased his pace. “What? Move to town. Jump back into that rat race. Work my butt off to achieve something? Life has to mean more?”

The dog didn’t answer him, didn’t point out the obvious lack of meaning in hiding on a mountain top.

What was he doing here hiding from the world? Meagan hadn’t asked him directly, but he knew she had wondered.

She’d been disappointed in him somehow and that hurt. It hurt because it was so true

By the time he’d returned to the small cabin, he’d convinced himself that is was for the best. They’d had six days of bliss. Enough laughs and pleasure to fill a lifetime.

Maybe if he told himself that enough times, he could put the pain behind him. Bury it like he did every bad memory. The only problem with that was that he’d have to bury the good memories too.

He’d have to forget about the way she laughed when he tickled her. The way her fingers nervously tucked her hair behind her ear whenever she got serious. The curve of her hip and the taste of her skin. All of it.

He’d have to forget it all if he was to bury the pain. 

 

.o0o.

 

Glancing at the phone for the thousandth time in the last two weeks Meagan shook her head. Why are you looking at the phone she asked herself? He doesn’t have one remember.

It wasn’t fair, wasn’t right. She didn’t even have a way to stalk him if she wanted to.

Stuck up there all alone, she couldn’t haunt his Facebook, couldn’t call, then hang-up when he answered.

None of the silly teenage stunts that she knew were ridiculous but that she felt an overwhelming urge to do.

What made it worse was the fact that there wasn’t anyone she could talk to about it. They wouldn’t understand.

Her friends would have giggled at the idea of her hooking up with some sexy mountain man and then teased her relentlessly for days.

Her mom would have admonished her for getting involved with someone so obviously un-realistic.

She’d have been nice about it. Couched in thoughtful caring terms. Meagan however would have known what she was thinking the whole time. That Meagan had made another mistake, much like throwing a college degree away so she could open an art gallery.

Focusing on the invoice, she tried to put Brandon out of her mind.

This was the slow time of the year for the Gallery. The tourists were few and far between. Normally she’d be hitting the road, looking for new artists, discovering those hidden gems.

Instead, she sat here each day praying. Sitting by the phone like some middle aged spinster waiting for her last chance at happiness.

Sighing to herself, she signed the invoice and pulled another for review. Her mind continued to wander.

You know, she thought, there is nothing so quiet as an art gallery on a rainy afternoon.

The soft tinkle of the bell over the front door brought her back to reality. She looked up and her heart dropped.

Brandon Erikson, in all his wonderfulness had stepped into her gallery.

He looked normal in a dark blue blazer, light blue dress shirt open at the collar and new jeans. Boy, the man cleaned up nice. Her heart fluttered and her mouth lost all moisture.

He wore his boots, she saw, and smiled to herself. The man was still clean shaven and eye popping great. A small part of her missed the grizzled outdoorsy look though.

Smiling shyly he glanced around the Gallery and nodded.

“I like it.”

“Thank you,” she said, her heart thumping like it wanted to climb out of her chest. What was he doing here? What did this mean? Why was he dressed that way?

These and a hundred other questions poured through her mind while she watched him walk towards her.

Her hands began to sweat and she prayed he wouldn’t want to shake hands.

“What are you doing here?” leaked out of her mouth before she could stop it.

Smiling once again he said, “I had to meet with the family lawyers and thought I’d stop by and take you up on that offer of dinner. If you’re free that is. I probably should have called ahead of time.”

Damn right, she thought to herself. If you’d called I would have worn something different, better, sexier. I would have been ready with something witty to say when you walked through the door.

“No, that’s okay. Uh … Yes dinner sounds great. I know just the place,” she said trying to remember if she had enough food in the house for a home cooked meal.

“Where’s Jake?” she asked as she desperately tried to calm her racing heart.

“In the truck.”

“You have a truck?” she said with surprise.

He paused for a moment as a smirk broke across his lips.

“I do now, It came with the house.”

“Hhhhouse?” she asked as she held her breath.

“Yea, I just bought this beat up little farm house just outside of town. It needs work, but it will keep me busy. And Jake like it.”

“But … but, I thought you didn’t like town.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “When a man loves a woman the way I love you, his priorities change.”

Meagan felt her world come to a screeching halt. Brandon Erickson had just said that he loved her.

“Come on,” he said. “If you want, we can stop by and I can show it to you.”

She shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“No,” she said, “if we go there, we’ll never get away. This time, we are spending the next six  days in my bed.”

He laughed and held out his arms for her to run into.

“I don’t care whose bed it is, as long as your in it. And just, so you know. I plan on a life time of having you in my bed.”

Meagan’s heart filled with joy as she wrapped her arms around her man. Yes, this was where she belonged.