It was the morning after some of the most satisfying sex I could ever remember and I was in a bit of shock. It still didn’t seem real. I didn’t regret it, but it was certainly not something I wanted to make a habit of. No, scratch that. I wanted it to happen again and again and in every way possible, but it couldn’t. She had some kind of power over me. I would be spilling my guts and telling her my life story if I wasn’t careful.

I had loved Cara very much, and sex with her had been fantastic. It was different with Jenna. I wasn’t sure if it was because it had been a while or it was the newness of it all, but I had nearly snapped in two when my body erupted deep inside hers. It had been cataclysmic, like no other orgasm I had experienced before.

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered, staring at popcorn ceiling.

Phenomenal sex wasn’t worth my life. I had to keep my distance. I’d get her out of my system soon enough. I’d get my welder fired up and keep busy. I saw there was a gym in town on my last tour down some of the side streets. I could at least keep up with my training. I wanted to stay in shape. I had worked too long and hard to get soft and weak.

I rolled my head to the side, saw the time and was a little surprised to see how late I had slept. To be fair, I’d been up half the night burning a lot of calories. I was starving. I climbed out of bed, pulling on my shorts before heading into the kitchen for something fast.

Pulling open the pantry, I groaned at the lack of quick options. I settled on a bowl of Abby’s over-sweetened cereal. My mind kept going back to Jenna. If only life was different. If only I had met her in Boston before shit had hit the fan. Before I found myself knee-deep in a world of trouble that would end bad for me in every way.

I smiled thinking about how sassy she was. She didn’t take shit from me or those guys in the diner that day. I liked that she had a presence about her that said she was strong, but not bitchy. She was sweet, sassy and hot as hell.

“Hi bug,” I said, in a cheery voice when Abby made her way into the dining room. “Want some cereal?”

She nodded her head. I quickly poured her a bowl and sat down at the table with her. I hated to admit it, but I was a little bored. I’d never not had something to do or some place to be. I wasn’t going to be able to do this. I couldn’t sit in the house day in and day out.

“I’m going to get dressed and then why don’t we go check out that park we saw the other day?”

Her eyes lit up. “Can I take my doll?”

“Of course.”

I headed into my bedroom, righting a bottle of cologne that had been knocked over in our haste to get naked last night. I sucked in a deep breath, closing my eyes and letting her scent wash over me. I could still smell the evidence of our night together.

Sickened that I was going to be one of those guys, I knew I had no choice. I had to be a dick—it was a one-night-stand. That was it. The fact that she lived next door was a minor issue. I’d just have to ignore her until she got the hint. I’d ghosted women before, but never a next-door neighbor. I suppose I could try to be friendly and see if she was interested in a friends-with-benefits arrangement. No. No, I couldn’t do that. I had to keep myself closed off. Getting close to anyone could get them dead or hurt. I wouldn’t do that to her. The chances of them finding me here were slim, I knew that, but it was still a chance. If they suspected I was close to anyone, they would use that person to get to me. It was bad enough I had Abby with me, but there was nowhere else for her to go. Besides, I knew that when it came to protecting her, I was the best man for the job. No one could protect as well as I could.

“Abby,” I called out, knocking on her closed bedroom door.

I opened the door when I heard her say to come in. She was wearing a pretty yellow dress, which I wasn’t sure was the best outfit for playtime at the park, but I would let her decide.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yep.”

“We’ll play for a bit and then I have a few errands to run. Okay?” I said, pulling on my baseball cap and grabbing my aviator sunglasses. It wasn’t exactly a disguise, but it would make it a bit harder to notice me.

There were a few kids at the park when we arrived. I parked myself on the opposite side of the benches, not wanting to get friendly with the other parents. I could see a couple of the mothers whispering about me. Either they thought I was a pedophile hanging out at the park or they were interested. That was just the way it was, even back home in Boston. Guys like me hanging out at a park with little kids were one of those things that scared people.

Watching Abby like a hawk, I never sat down. I stayed on my feet, ready to attack anyone that got too close for my liking.

“It’s time to go,” I hollered, watching her come down the slide once again.

She pouted. “One more time?”

“Fine, one more time.”

A woman had walked close to where I was standing. “They all say that,” she said, with laughter in her voice.

I nodded my head, keeping my eyes on Abby as she climbed the ladder. “I guess they do.”

“How old is she?”

“Four.”

“Oh, such a fun age. Izzy is seven. Are you two new in town or just visiting?”

Inwardly, I sighed. This was why I wasn’t looking forward to small-town living. Everybody knew everything about everyone. It did little good to try and lie low. I was new in town. I was bound to attract some attention.

“We’re visiting,” I said, not wanting to be rude and really stand out in her mind.

“Oh, do you have family here?”

I bit back the groan. She was irritating me, and I hated nosey people anyway. I knew she was just trying to be friendly, but it was still annoying.

Clearing my throat, I replied, “No, we’re from up north and headed out west. We’re just exploring the country, looking for a place to call home.”

“That’s exciting! I love a good adventure.”

Thankfully, Abby came running toward me, giving me the break I needed.

“Alright, we better get going. We still have a few errands to run,” I said, keeping my hat pulled low and not making direct eye contact.

“Take care! I hope we’ll see you around again.”

“Who was that, Daddy?” Abby asked me.

“I don’t know.”

Abby seemed a little confused by my answer. I picked her up, making the walk back to the Tahoe much faster. I didn’t want anyone getting a good look at me or trying to chat.

I drove to the gym, took Abby inside with me, and spoke with someone about a trial membership. I would start in a few days. It wasn’t exactly a Gold’s, but I noticed they had decent equipment. That was all I needed. I couldn’t exactly go for a run in the morning and leave Abby at home all alone, and I was certainly not going to drag her along with me.

“Okay, let’s head to the grocery store!” I said, with renewed enthusiasm about our little home in Nebraska. We could make this work. I’d find a groove and that creativity I needed to make pieces that would sell for good money, ensuring I could stay on the run for as long as necessary.

We took our time at the grocery store, picking up a cartload of freezer meals along with a few basic staples. I knew I had to improve my cooking skills, though I had no idea what I needed and ended up buying a little of everything.

At the checkout, the young cashier tried to flirt. I was new in town. Fresh meat. The mystery man with the kid. I wasn’t an idiot, I knew what the draw was. If they only knew how dangerous I was to them they’d be barking up another tree altogether.

I quickly unloaded the groceries from the cart and slammed the back of the Tahoe shut, then came face to face with two of the guys from the diner incident.

Shit.

“Oh, look who it is, Darren. It’s our little friend with the hard-on for Jenna,” said the one who tried to fight me at the diner, walking toward me.

“You need to keep on walking,” I said, turning my hat to face backward.

Darren, I gathered from the use of his name, smiled at me. “You think so? The way I see it, there’s two of us and one of you.”

I shook my head. “And even then, it isn’t fair. Trust me, you want to back the fuck up and stay away from me.”

“Bryce, check this dude out. He thinks he can whoop both our asses.”

I sighed. They were young and stupid. I couldn’t kick their ass and feel good about it. I mean, I could have kicked their asses, but that would be wrong.

“Walk away,” I said again, with a little more force in my voice.

Bryce stepped forward, invading my personal space in a way that made me want to lay him out on the shitty paved parking lot of the grocery store.

“Who do you think you are, man? You can’t show up in our town and act like you own the place.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Look, you’re starting to piss me off. I’ve got my little girl in the vehicle. I’m not going to fight you with her three feet away.”

“Pussy,” Darren spat.

“If that’s what makes you feel better about yourself.”

I saw a sheriff’s car pull into the parking lot and immediately went on alert. The car came to a stop behind mine. An older, pudgy man got out, hitching up his pants as he did.

“Afternoon, gentlemen,” he said, sauntering toward where the three of us were standing. “Everything okay here?”

“All good, Sheriff Weston,” Bryce said, with his thousand-watt smile. “We were just introducing ourselves.”

The older man looked at them both before looking at me. “Well, isn’t that mighty nice of you. Now that you’ve all gotten to know each other, why don’t you boys head on out of here.”

Bryce and Darren sneered before walking toward the store, muttering under their breath before turning to look at me, flipping me the bird.

“They giving you trouble?” the sheriff asked.

I shrugged a shoulder, turning my hat back around. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“I’m Sheriff Weston. You are?”

I hesitated, “Colton Jones.”

“Jones, huh? That’s a generic name.”

I chuckled. “I suppose it is. Only one I’ve got though. If you don’t mind, I’ve got my little girl in the rig. I’d like to get her home now.”

He nodded his head. “Watch out for those two. There’s a third one that’s usually with them. They’re obnoxious, but their daddies own this town.”

I smirked. “That explains a lot. Good to know. Thanks.”

He climbed back into his car as I got into mine. I couldn’t afford to be having run-ins with the local police. I had no idea if there was an APB out for my arrest or not. Murder charges were no joke. One of these local yokels would get a real thrill if they could collar a murderer. I wasn’t going to give them the chance. At the first sign of trouble, I’d be out of town and gone in a flash.