Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jake

I argued internally before assuring myself I was making the right decision. I needed to get away from her. Being with her in my house made me feel weird—disjointed somehow. I felt trapped and escaping to Gabe’s sounded like the best option.

“If I don’t see you before I get back, take care, Calla,” I said, taking one last look at her.

I opened the door, and hesitated a second before walking out of my cabin and leaving Calla behind.

“Casper!” I called the dog, a little frustrated he hadn’t followed me out like he usually did. Damn dog was curled up on Calla’s lap.

When he didn’t immediately come to my side, I whistled. That got his attention. He jumped off the couch and came to stand next to me on the porch. I closed the door behind me and put on my snowshoes. The walk to Gabe’s would do me good. I needed to clear my head.

I dragged in deep, icy breaths, letting them wash over my body. It was still below freezing. The ice over the snow actually made it a little easier to walk with the snowshoes. I loved the way it looked after a heavy snowfall. Everything was covered in white and looked pristine. I did my best to avoid the heavy branches hanging down. Thankfully, my hood was cinched tight and when the snow did slide off the limbs, it didn’t go down the back of my neck. I had learned that lesson the hard way my first year on the mountain.

It didn’t take me long to reach the Gabe’s house. There was smoke rolling out of the chimney, which told me he was home and obviously just fine. When he opened the door, I felt a huge sense of relief. I had been a little worried about the guy. He wasn’t all that much older than me, but he wasn’t in the best of health.

“Well, hell, it’s about time you made it. I was beginning to wonder if you had fallen off the face of the earth,” he greeted. “I thought you would have been over earlier.”

“Nah, been busy,” I answered.

“I bet you have. Come in, get out of the cold.”

I took off the snowshoes and walked inside, Casper on my heels. Thankfully, Gabe liked the dog and welcomed him inside.

“Want some coffee he asked?”

“I brought some along,” I said, pulling out my thermos.

He grinned. “Need a little something to warm it up?”

I smiled. “Damn straight.”

He poured us each a glass of strong bourbon, the coffee ignored.

“How’s it been going with your lady?”

“She’s not my lady.”

Gabe guffawed. “You keep telling yourself that. I saw the way you looked at her. I saw the way she looked at you. Don’t try and tell me you two ain’t been fucking like bunnies over there.”

I considered denying it, but finally admitted my sin, without actually saying the words. It was a slow nod. While I didn’t really know much about fathers and sons, I had a feeling this is what it would have felt like to be called out by a dad. The man was a straight-shooter.

“Tom come and pick her up? Is that why you finally came over to check on me?” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

I shook my head. “No. She was still there when I left. I assume Tom will be by soon enough. Maybe already has been.”

“Why are you over here then? You could have radioed me,” he asked, surprise on his face.

I took a sip of the smooth bourbon. “I did. You didn’t answer.”

He laughed. “You could have tried again. I would guess that would have been easier than hauling your ass here.”

I shrugged. “I figured I better get over here and check on you. You’re old and damn near decrepit. Can’t have your dead body stinking up the mountain.”

He scoffed at the thought. “Running away from your lady, huh? I get it. You did your thing and now you’re running away. You don’t have to lie to me. Too bad, though. You need to find yourself a good woman to settle down with.”

“She’s got a life back in the city. It was a nice day or two, but it’s time for her to go. I don’t want her to be there when I get back, and I definitely didn’t want to deal with any weird goodbyes,” I lied. “It was a fling. It’s over.”

He nodded in understanding, but I knew he didn’t believe a word I was saying.

“I think you need to finish your drink and then haul your ass back home. You’ll regret not saying goodbye.”

“We already did,” I explained. “Neither of us expected anything more.”

He nodded his head and I knew he understood. “Thanks for checking on me, but I’m good. I got everything I need.”

“Good. I’m going to finish my drink before you push me out. You okay with that?” I said, with a scowl.

I finished my glass and held it out for a refill. When he didn’t move to pour it, I reached for the bottle and did it myself, filling his as well.

“I thought you were going home,” he grumbled.

I smiled. “Nope. This is really good and I’m going to mooch off you for a bit longer. Deal with it.”

He chuckled. We leaned back on his couch and chatted about nothing in particular. I was glad he didn’t bring up Calla again. My goal for visiting him was to forget about her. When my glass was empty he took it from me, not giving me the chance to ask for a refill.

“Go. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow. Tell your girl goodbye the right way. You may just decide to ask her to stay,” he said with a wink.

I laughed and stood up, feeling a little woozy for a split second. “I doubt that. Thanks for the drink. Damn good stuff there. I owe you.”

“Yes, you do. Be careful out there. You never know when that storm is going to sneak up on you.”

I put my gear on and headed back. The temperature had dropped with the sun slowly fading. I would be alone tonight, and was only a little surprised to find I was anxious to get back, hoping she was still there. I knew it was unlikely, given the late hour. I had purposely stalled as long as I could. As I walked through the trees, I thought about Calla naked on my bed. She was a beautiful woman and I couldn’t shake her. She was under my skin, in my every thought. I could smell her even when she wasn’t near me.

Jesus, I had it bad. I could recognize that. It was an infatuation, though. It would pass, I just had to give it some time. Once I didn’t have to see, hear or smell her, I would forget all about our time together. I would go into town and find a woman to help me erase the memory of sinking into Calla’s tight pussy. There were plenty of women who would be more than happy to invite me into their beds. I had a bit of a reputation around town as a really good lay.

The thought made me grin. I hadn’t purposely set out to earn such a reputation, but I didn’t go out of my way to deny it either.

“Almost there, buddy,” I said the words aloud, meaning to comfort Casper, but they were more for me.

The bourbon was making me feel warm on the inside. Mingled with memories of Calla, I was downright warm. I silently prayed she was still there. I shouldn’t have left things the way I did. It was a cowardly thing to do. I didn’t know exactly what we were, but there was something there.

When my cabin came into view, I picked up the pace, anxious to see if she was still there. I steeled myself for her to be gone. When I pushed open the door, a sense of relief washed over me when I saw her leaning on her elbows on the kitchen counter. Her ass was in the air and my mind immediately went to sex.

I froze when I heard a man’s voice come through the walkie, which I saw her holding in her hand.

“I will,” she replied, looking over her shoulder at me. “Blake, I’m fine.”

I could see guilt. I knew the look well.

The male voice came over again. I didn’t know who Blake was, but I didn’t like him. He sounded like one of those guys who had a man bun and wore scarves as a fashion accessory. I didn’t like him, even though I’d never met him.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Is that man making you uncomfortable?” the squeaky voice came through again.

Calla looked at me, rolled her eyes and once again assured Blake that everything was fine. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Blake. I’ve got to go now.”

“I’m worried about you,” the man whined.

I couldn’t stop the inner caveman inside me. I found myself gritting my teeth and growling low in my throat. Who the fuck was Blake?

“Blake, stop. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She put down the radio and picked up a glass of what looked to be straight whiskey.

“Sorry, about that,” she mumbled.

“Who was that?” I said, kicking off my boots.

“Blake. I only answered the radio because it was someone from the lodge looking for you. Once I figured out how to work the thing, I was able to talk to some guy named Tom.”

I nodded my head, slowly stalking towards her.

“He said they won’t be here until tomorrow morning. I hope that’s okay?”

I watched as her lips closed over the edge of the glass. She gulped down the last bit of whiskey in the glass, and I could tell she was a little buzzed.

She looked at the glass and then nervously looked up at me. “I helped myself. I was a little bored and figured what the hell. I’ll pay you back,” she promised, biting her lower lip.

“Tom had a message?”

“Yes. He told me to tell you their snow cat broke down and the roads were too treacherous to put the snowmobiles on. I assured him I was okay. And then my assistant, Holly, well she was having a panic attack, so I had to let her know I was okay. She tends to get a little freaked out if I don’t check in,” she rambled.

I could see she was nervous, which confirmed my suspicion that she was feeling guilty about something. The moment I got close to her, she spun around and went into the kitchen, pulling the whiskey bottle off the counter.

“Want some?” she asked.

I glared at her and I could feel the green eyed-monster rearing its ugly head. I wasn’t a man prone to being jealous. I had never really cared about anyone enough to be jealous. If a woman I was fucking stepped out with another guy, that was fine by me. I didn’t care. This was different. Calla was different.

“Okay, well, I’ll pour you a bit. I don’t have any coffee on the stove. I didn’t know when you would be back,” she carried on.

She filled her glass and took a shot.

I stared at her, waiting for her to tell me who the fuck Blake was.

“So, looks like I’m crashing at your place again,” she said, with a fake smile. “What’s for dinner?”

I walked into the kitchen, cornering her for a split second before picking up the glass she had poured for me and slamming it down in a couple large gulps. I slammed it on the counter and looked at her. She was practically sweating under the cloak of guilt I could see clinging to her.