Hard to Fight

I force a smile and we ride in comfortable silence for a while. I watch as the countryside changes and the trees start getting closer together, thicker, prettier.

“Tell me about your family,” Raide finally asks.

I sigh and stare out at the road whizzing by. “My dad is great. He’s the most important person in the world to me. He always understood me. He always supported me. I love my mom and two sisters, but they’re the beauty queen type.”

“Jesus,” Raide mutters.

“You’re telling me. From the day my sister Gretchen was born, she was enrolled in every pageant. She’s pretty, the perfect little showcase Barbie doll. Then my other sister, Stacy, decided to get involved, and suddenly Mom’s time was gone. I never fit in. I hated anything pretty. I was always out fishing with my dad, hanging with his friends, and playing with boys instead of girls.”

Raide chuckles. “I can see that. I’ve seen you take down a fully grown man.”

I smile for real this time. “I know how to protect myself.”

“What do you do?”

I flinch. Shit. I haven’t even thought of an answer to such an obvious question. My mind twists quickly for a lie, and I give him a job typical for most girls my age. “I’m a waitress.” Ugh.

He raises his brows. “A waitress?”

“Yeah.”

“A waitress?”

I laugh. “Yeah, Raide, a waitress. Is that so surprising?”

“Absolutely.”

It’s my turn to raise my brows. “Why?”

He shrugs. “You ain’t the waitressing type, lady.”

“There’s a type?”

He grins and my heart flutters. “Yeah, baby, there’s a type. You ain’t it.”

“Care to elaborate?” I ask, removing my foot from the open window and turning toward him.

“Nope, I just know it ain’t you.”

“Well, it’s what I am.” This guy knows how to read people. That’s scary. “Any reason we’re going away for a few days?” I ask after another long moment of silence.

“Need time away.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

I frown. “You don’t seem like the ‘go away for no reason’ kind of man.”

If I didn’t know better, I’d say his jaw tightened. “I said that’s it,” he says low. “That’s it.”

Hmmmm. Interesting. I decide to change the subject because he doesn’t look happy.

“Okay, so tell me where we’re going.”

“Up into the mountains.”

My brows shoot up. “The mountains?”

“Yeah, the Colorado mountains.”

I let out a whoosh of air. “I’ve lived here my entire life, and yet I’ve never been into the mountains. I’ve seen them, they look amazing, but I just haven’t gone up into them.”

“You’ve been missin’ out. Prettiest mountains you’ve ever seen.”

“And we’re going into those mountains because…?”

He nods. “Got a cabin up there.”

“You do?” I squeak.

“Yep. Bought it about six years ago. Spent my free time fixin’ it up. Now I go up there when I can, just to get away.”

A cabin.

I bet that’s where he planned on hiding out when the heat started crashing down on him. A cabin. A secluded, hidden cabin. I shudder.

“It’s a good thing I trust you, Raide. I can trust you, right? Because don’t forget I have a gun.”

He laughs, and it’s a rich, beautiful sound that makes my skin tingle. “I’m still not sure a tiny thing like you can use a gun safely.”

“Hey, I’m not tiny,” I protest. “And I use it just fine.”

“Sure about that?”

I snort. “Of course I am. Probably better than you!”

He cocks a brow. “That a challenge?”

“Sure.”

He grins and murmurs low, “Accepted. I win, I get you for an entire night.”

I bite my lower lip.

“In the bath,” he rasps.

Oh man.

“On the table.”

I shiver.

“Bent over my couch.”

“And what exactly is this challenge?” I say, but my voice comes out breathy and lusty.

“Target shooting. Got a few targets set up on my land.”

I straighten and smile. “Challenge accepted—I rock at targets.”

“You haven’t stated what you want if you win.”

I swallow and stare at him. “I want you to take me on a romantic date.”

He looks disgusted. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. No one has ever taken me on a date that was beautiful, like the movies.”

His top lip curls. “I’m not dancing.”

I laugh. “Okay, handsome.”

“Not lighting candles.”

“Candles are a must.”

He frowns and mutters, “Fuck me.”

I can’t hide my grin. “I guess you’d better win, then, huh?”

He flashes me a quick, sexy look. “Oh baby, I’ll win.”

Challenge accepted.

* * *

We roll into Colorado Springs just after lunchtime. Raide stops at a gas station, and we fill up the tank, grab some sandwiches and shakes, then we’re back on the road. Raide tells me his cabin isn’t far, another hour or so, up into the mountains a little more. I fall asleep as soon as I’m finished with my sandwich and wake up only when we arrive at Raide’s cabin.

It’s gorgeous, with thick trees, the sounds of running streams, and a breeze that washes my hair back. I close my eyes, breathing it in. Then I get out of the car, stretch, and stare at the cabin in front of me. It’s not huge, but it looks homey—the perfect vacation retreat. I could imagine coming up here to escape the everyday tortures of life.

Raide comes around the car and takes my hand, pulling me up toward the cabin. He jostles some keys and then shoves one into the lock. With a loud squeak, the door opens. He steps in, fiddles about, and then flicks on the lights.

I gasp. Oh. Wow.

I’ve seen some beautiful places in my life, but nothing like this. It’s a cabin in it’s truest form. Exposed logs on the inside as well on the outside, one large living space, windows all around, and a patio running across the front length. There are no walls, the only separation is for a shower and toilet in the far right corner. Everything else is out in the open. The kitchen, the living, the bedroom, the fireplace.

Oh God. “This is—” I stop to catch my breath. “Amazing.”

“Took a long time to get it like this,” Raide says, walking in and dumping our bags beside the large bed.

“You’ve done an amazing job, Raide. It’s perfect. Where do you get the money to do all this? It must cost a lot.”

I don’t realize how rude my question is until it pops from my mouth. He doesn’t seem offended, he just shrugs. “I worked hard getting a job as soon as I could. I saved every penny, never spent anything on myself. This place, it mattered from the moment I saw it, and so I poured all my savings into it.”

Makes sense. “That’s nice.” I smile softly.