My little talk with his brother went very well. Just as I’d expected actually and by the time I got home I was feeling loads better. Only thing left to do was come up with a plan. By the time I was done with him he wouldn’t know what hit him. Poor thing!

I knew a little more now than I did earlier, but I got the feeling that there was still a lot I was missing. I learned that he’d been living in the cabin for the past two years after building it himself. That he was a retired marine, which wasn’t very surprising, well except for the retired part.

It was obvious from the way he’d handled himself the night before that he was a military man. But he seemed a bit young to be retired if you ask me. “Oh hi dear. Where’s all your shopping? Do you need Smithy to run out to the car…?”

“Huh?” I looked at mom askance not understanding. Then I remembered my earlier lie and it was all I could do not to turn beet red and give myself away. “Oh-uh, there wasn’t anything I liked really. Plus I didn’t really feel like it after all.”

She nodded understandingly which only made me feel ten times worst for lying to her. She went on talking about something that her and my dad, were going to be doing later but I tuned her out. I’m pretty sure that whatever she was saying I’d already heard more than once.

Besides, I had more important things on my mind. Like how I was going to talk my way into one Braden Scott’s good graces. One second I was up to the challenge, and the next I’d remember his gruff coarseness and my belly would tremble with slight nausea.

But each time I waver, that feeling rears its head. Still, that wasn’t enough to get me anywhere with him, so instead of listening to mom prattle, I escaped into my room and put my mind to work.

In the end I didn’t need to. After a restless night spent trying to convince myself once again that it wasn’t me that he hated in between trying to come up with ideas for my approach, it took one phone call the next morning to get me what I wanted.

“Of course sheriff, I’ll be more than willing to help. I can’t think of a better way to repay him.” I’m getting way too good at this lying stuff, but it was for a good cause so no harm.

I hung up the phone feeling much better. I felt just a tad bit guilty for misleading the sheriff who still thought I was only doing this out of kindness and a need to repay a good deed. He had no way of knowing that I’d become obsessed with his brother.

Now to share the news with mom and dad. As grateful as they were for his help in saving me I’m sure they wouldn’t be too pleased about me cleaning his house. I know, I’ll tell them he was ill and I was going to play nurse.

Why that thought should give me a sweet tingle in my tummy is anyone’s guess. They’ve been coming more and more often now, usually anytime I think of him.

…“So you see, it’ll only be for a few days and it’s the perfect way to repay the debt I owe him.” This was the final part of my argument to convince my parents that it was a good idea to let me go out to Braden’s cabin.

At twenty-three I no longer need their approval, but after knowing them all my life I know how this works. The fact that I’m twenty-three and my dad came to pick me up from university while having my car transported should tell anyone what kind of relationship we have.

In their eyes no matter how old I get I’m still always going to be their little girl. So it was for that reason that I was going this far to convince them, to get their blessing.

Surprisingly they weren’t as opposed as I’d first expected. Well mom had a little more trouble accepting than dad, but in the end he convinced her that it was okay for me to go nurse my rescuer back to health.

In reality what I was doing was filling in for his housekeeper who had fallen ill and who was the only one he had taking care of him according to his brother the sheriff.

I’m not the world’s best cleaner seeing as I’d grown up with a housekeeper myself, but those years away at university had taught me how to take care of the basics at least.

And so it was that that Monday morning bright and early, after a night spent tossing and turning with nerves, I found myself pulling into his driveway again.

I had a moment’s hesitation once I was there, but shored myself up and got out of the car. Harley came rushing out the door as soon as it was opened and I used the excuse of greeting him to buy myself some time.

“Good morning Braden, did the sheriff call you?” He was supposed to call and give him the news that he’d found someone to come out and take care of him since his housekeeper couldn’t make it. Apparently she worked for both of them.

“Yeah he called.” And you don’t sound or look too pleased by this turn of events. At least he wasn’t running me off. Or was that look on his face supposed to deter me? Looked like gathering clouds on a wind torn day.

I planted a bright nonthreatening smile on my face and moved towards the porch and that open door. If I could just get inside I’d know I’ve won. I held my breath until I stood in front of him.

“Why don’t you show me where everything is. The sooner I start the sooner I can be out of your hair.” My mega watt smile seemed to throw him off and he stepped aside with a hand out towards the doorway.

Housekeeping my ass. If she’s ever held a broom I’ll eat my damn shoe. So why are you letting her in? Because my asshole kid brother threatened to send his annoying ass wife out here if I didn’t let this one in the damn house.

I showed her where everything was and tried to keep my displeasure to a minimum. Maybe because his other threat was to sic his kids on me for a week if I sent this one running again. The little runts love to come out here and destroy uncle Braden’s shit.

Not to mention the fact that every time they come out here for longer than five minutes my damn dog acts like a kid hopped up on Ritalin. No thanks. I love ‘em to death, but just no.

Why the hell is she so cheerful this morning? Had she already forgotten my behavior from the day before? No and now’s your time to make it up to her like you spent half the night wishing you could.

That’s a fucking lie! It was five minutes maybe ass hole, now get the hell outta here. Two minutes in this one’s presence and I’m already talking to my damn self.

I made some kinda half-ass excuse under my breath and headed for the exit and the great escape. Harley stayed back with her the little shit so I headed out back on my own.

I knew I was fucked when I found myself standing in the middle of my backyard looking around and wondering what the hell I was doing there. She ran me out of my own house.

I busied myself moving around shit that didn’t need it until the sun got too damn hot. You’re full of shit, you just want to go have a look at her. Oh for fuck sake don’t you know any other songs?

I stomped my way into the house and came up short in the living room. Who the fuck is she talking to in my house? I tiptoed my way to the doorway of the kitchen. She was busy at the stove stirring something that didn’t smell half bad and having a running one sided conversation with my dog.

The fuck is it with these two? “I hope he likes it, you wanna taste?” I stepped back out of her line of vision when she turned to the dog. I heard her ask where his bowl was and watched as she fed him some of whatever the hell she had going on the stove.

She asked the fucking dog if he liked it and that greedy fuck barked his approval. I cleared my throat and pretended like I’d just arrived as I headed for the fresh pot of coffee.

What was that scent she was wearing? I’d noticed it the day before, and that night too. It was subtle enough to barely tease the senses, but potent enough to linger.

“I’ve got your lunch started, it should be ready in a little while.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her I wasn’t hungry but my asshole brother’s threats kept me in check. I have no doubt that he’d follow through.

I grunted out an answer and made my escape all the while asking myself why it is that I find her so frightening. I’d accepted that fact sometime during the night. Attraction I can deal with. I can take her to my bed a couple of times and work that shit out of my system.

But there was more going on here than that and I had no choice but to face that shit or drown in it. After my brother had called with his bullshit story about Smithy I knew I had to do something. I can’t fight both of them.

My brother I know only too well, her not at all. Maybe the two of them have no idea that they’re after the same thing, namely sticking their noses in my shit. Or maybe they’re working together.

Either way if they’re gonna go to this much trouble I knew there was no point in me fighting. All I can do is let this shit play out until she gets the shit out of her system and move the hell on with her life, leaving me to mine.

So I answered when she called me in for lunch and made the necessary appreciative noises in all the right places and told myself that would be enough. But how was I to know that she’d stay in the damn room dusting and reaching and shit? Or that when she lifted her arm to clean a shelf in the kitchen that the light summer shirt she had on would ride up, exposing her creamy side.

And since when does your dick get hard at the sight of a woman’s side? I barely tasted whatever the hell it was she’d put on my plate. I knew it was some kind of vegetable pie thing with a flaky crust with what I assumed were little pieces of the venison she’d found in the freezer.

I guess from the look on her face when I got up from the table and left without a word that she was disappointed. She’d be more disappointed if I let my dick at her.

For the last five minutes I sat there watching her as she worked, with my head filled with visions of her bent over my kitchen table with her cunt stuffed full of cock, my cock.

I grabbed my phone from the bedroom and walked out of the house. “You gotta come and get this girl.”

“Why what’s the problem?” Little shit stain. Like I couldn’t detect the laughter in his voice. Obvious much?

“Just come and get her. Smithy made enough frozen meals to last me a while so I’m set for food and the place will keep until she’s feeling better so there’s no need for her to clean….

“No can do brother. If you want her gone you’re gonna have to do it yourself.

“You little….”

“You know on second thought, your niece was saying just this morning how much she misses Harley. Maybe…” I could still hear the fucker’s laughter after I hung up.

Wow, talk about rude. I wonder what’s eating him now? I’d made it a point to stay out of his way and not be too obtrusive. After not being turned away at the door the relief was so obvious that I was glad when he left right away after showing me where everything was. I didn’t want to give myself away after all.

As soon as he cleared the door I released the pent up breath I’d been holding since I pulled into his driveway. It didn’t take me any time at all to settle down once he was no longer there to distract me. I realized that his place had a calming effect, or maybe it was just being close to him again.

He hasn’t been very far from my thoughts these last few days; not since the night we met in fact. And once I stopped asking myself why that should be, and stopped trying to over analyze every little thing about our encounters, I found it easy to relax in his presence.

I hadn’t expected it to be this easy being all the way out here alone with him. But his home felt warm, welcoming, unlike its owner. And without his eyes following me, I took my time inspecting it.

You can tell a lot about a person by what you find in their home, and the more I inspected the sadder it made me. There was barely anything here except the basics. Everything was of the best quality sure, but there was no excess of anything.

The bookshelves were stocked with what I’d consider textbooks. Things like survival guides and the teaching of some Chinese philosopher. Not one fun read among the bunch.

I still hadn’t been able to bring myself to enter the bedroom though. I’d barely taken a peek in the door, long enough to notice the humongous bed that had yet to be made, before scurrying to the kitchen to make lunch. I’ll tackle the bed last.

While he sat eating and I pretended to be dusting I wondered if he noticed that I was cleaning the same place over and over again. He makes me nervous, check!

I released that breath again once he left though my feelings were just a little bit hurt. I thought for sure he’d appreciate the effort. As gruff as his manner was though, it didn’t dim my pleasure at being here.

That didn’t happen until I walked into his bedroom after I’d avoided it as long as I could without it being obvious and saw the lone picture on his nightstand.

My knees almost gave out and I had to lock them to stay standing or fall on the bed. She was beautiful, the woman in the photo, and my heart squeezed because I knew that she was someone he loved.

Why that brought tears to my eyes I don’t know. Or why I felt like running away and hiding. The dull ache in my gut and the pain in my heart I understood only too well though.

Somewhere between the time he’d stepped out of the dark to save me, and the next day when he ran me off, I’d gone and fallen for him. What a way to figure that out Cassie.

I stood there next to the bed for the longest time not able to move when I heard his gruff voice behind me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I jumped and dropped the picture I hadn’t been aware of picking up from suddenly lifeless fingers. I turned to see the look of rage on his face and felt real danger.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” I looked back at the picture that had fallen on the soft mattress thankfully.

“Get out!” His voice sounded so cold, so final. I didn’t move fast enough so he grabbed my arm, dragging me from the room.

“Where’s your bag? Get your stuff and go.” I’d left my bag in the car earlier but even if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have taken the time to look for it. I turned and practically ran out the door to my car, fidgeting around in my jeans shorts for the keys.

The dog came bounding around the side of the house from the back, barking as if telling me to stay but there was no way I was hanging around there. The fact that Braden had slammed the door after I left said it all.