Anna stared at the food that she was preparing for dinner tonight. Diced carrots, celery, potatoes, spices, and anything else she could find to make the stew. She was all but crying from cutting up the onions, but she wanted to make him a nice home-cooked meal, wanted to show him that she wouldn’t just be sitting around. That wasn’t like Anna. She had always worked her ass off, made sure others came before her, and now was no different. No matter how bad her day had gone, going home and seeing her mother had always made her feel better. Since her illness though, that hadn’t been the case.

The meat that Landon gave her was fresh, something he’d gone out and hunted for just before she’d arrived. The deer was done defrosting in the sink, and as she stared at it she couldn’t help but picture him out there in the wilderness, his rifle slung over his back, his focus intent, all of his senses on alert, looking every bit the alpha as he hunted.

God, thinking about him going all mountain man shouldn’t have turned her on, but it sure as hell did. The thought of him ready and able to protect her aroused her.

The sound of him working in his workshop was crystal clear, even though she was inside. The fact he’d built this home with his own hands, and made his living building things for others, did amaze her.

Once she had everything in the pot for the venison stew, she put it on low and let it cook. Anna walked over to the large window that overlooked the front of the property. She pulled the curtain inside and stared at where the garage was located. The massive bay doors were open, and she could see Landon inside.

Over the last week he’d given her space. At first she thought he’d want to get right down to consummating their marriage. But the fact that he’d given her her own room, and didn’t push her into being with him, spoke volumes about what type of person he really was.

Over the last several days she’d been acclimating herself to being a wife. Although honestly, she felt more like she had a roommate. He didn’t touch her, but he stared at her plenty of times. Anne could literally feel his gaze on her, like fingers skating over her body. She couldn’t deny that he didn’t arouse her, because that would be a lie. Just looking at his big, strong, and muscular body made her wetter and had her nipples pushing through her shirt.

And the sexual chemistry was definitely there.

Anna did want Landon, was attracted to him, and she knew he felt the same for her. But he was being a gentleman, controlling himself, and because of that she found herself falling hard for him.

Yes, in only this short amount of time she was falling for the burly woodworker.

She found herself moving away from the window and opening the front door, and stepping out onto the porch. She watched him work, using the various tools to make these gorgeous, beautiful wood sculptures. The fact he worked at home made them getting to know each other a lot easier. But a part of her wished things weren’t so stilted. A part of her, the part she didn’t know had existed until meeting Landon, wished she was more brazen and could just give herself over to him without overthinking things.

But she’d always been that way, and she couldn’t jump head first into things she really wanted to do.

Like be with Landon in every way.

She thought about her mother, and was very pleased that in just over a week her brother had been able to care for their mom without having to worry about buying food, paying bills, or getting the care that she needed. They wouldn’t have to worry about that for a long time.

And she would’ve sacrificed herself to ensure that her mom and brother were taken care of. She just happened to get lucky in getting Landon. It wasn’t lost on her that things could’ve definitely been a lot different.

He set his tools aside and stepped out of the garage, wiping his face off with a rag. She couldn’t help but stare at him, at the way his T-shirt stretched across his chest, his muscles pronounced through the thin material.

To be honest, she didn’t know how long she could last in refraining from being with him. It wasn’t like she was a virgin, but it had been a long time since she had been with a man. She was nervous, didn’t know if things would be lackluster. Although she had a very strong feeling Landon knew exactly how to please a woman. A man who looked like him, who had an air of confidence, surely knew how to make a woman scream out in pleasure.

God, just thinking about that had her wet, had her wanting to call him inside, say fuck being polite and giving each other time, and just go for it. Anna needed to control herself.

But maybe I don’t want to. Maybe I should be the one to make the first move. Maybe I should show Landon that I’m ready to take that next step.