“Ha, ha, hilarious. Honestly, though, why the grump face? Are the muffins not fresh enough to your liking?” Allie grinned and nodded towards the apple cinnamon muffin untouched on my plate.
More like the woman from my dreams I met last night.
I groaned and scrubbed a hand down the side of my face and over my thick beard. “I didn’t sleep well is all.” I gulped the rest of my coffee, loving the way the bitterness burned my throat.
“I hate nights like that.”
“Yeah, me too.” All I thought about was Maisie. Her eyes, her smile, her hair I wanted to yank on and expose the tender flesh of her neck.
It took all my strength not to drive over to the Appleridge market and find her so I could tell her.
She’s mine.
How was this possible? I didn’t even know the woman’s last name.
“Ravi, sometimes I think I know you better than you know yourself. Something’s on your mind you’re not telling me.”
“It’s nothing, Al. It’s been hard adjusting to work, the long hours, and while I love our cabin, it’s so quiet, I can hear every little noise. I miss the sirens.”
Allie sighed. “I didn’t want to say anything but—” Her voice trailed off, and my stomach tightened. I shouldn’t have brought her here. I should’ve taken the lumberjack knob and moved here alone. But I needed to protect her. Being raised by a single mom put me as the man of the house. I’d always protect my baby sister. Especially when our father wasn’t a good man. He was in prison now for theft and drugs, but I could never be too careful. My mom, on the other hand was badass. She could stand on her own.
She couldn’t leave her job in the city just yet, so my sister and I moved here first. I didn’t want my mom to worry about Allie while she worked her late nights. “I don’t like it either. And I miss Mom. A lot.”
“I know. I do, too. How’s your job going?” Allie took a job at the library, helping with shelving the books and working with customers.
“I don’t mind it. Keeps me from being bored every day. At least I’m surrounded by what I love in my favorite place. You know, I could visit mom in the city for a bit. Keep her company.”
“Allie, no. You know it’s not safe.”
“You need to stop worrying. He’s in jail. He won’t hurt me.”
I blew out a breath and pushed away my muffin. “I’m not hungry, and I need to get to work.” I stood up from the table and gathered my dirty dishes, grabbing a to-go bag from Ruby for my muffin. She owned the bakery, Appleridge Sweets, and always had a warm smile on her face. “I’ll drop you off at work.”
As we walked outside, Allie wrapped her arm around my waist and tucked herself underneath my arm like she’s done several times before. “I know you worry, big bro, but trust me, he’s not getting out of jail.”
“I know, sis. I know.”
As my mind flooded with my usual worries, her face became my primary focus once more.
I needed to forget her. I wasn’t planning on seeing her again. I’d drive to the next town over for groceries if I had to.
Shit. How did my life suddenly feel so out of control?
CHAPTER THREE
Maisie
“Okay,start again from the beginning. You fell and a Greek God appeared out of nowhere and tended to your wounds?”
“Alright, when you make it sound like that, it’s stupid. Never mind.” I turned around in the store break room and stormed away.
“Wait, Maisie!” Alicia laughed. “I’m only kidding. I’m hungover. Give me a break.”
“Well, it does stupid when I say it out loud. Just forget about it.” I walked out of the break room, ignoring Alicia’s calls. Why did I bother saying anything? It sounded silly and much better in my head. I needed to forget the whole thing even happened. I knew the guy’s first name. Nothing else. No other information. How far could I possibly get?
“Maisie, wait. Nothing is stupid. I was laughing my pain away, okay? I’m miserable and I’m jealous you’re not hungover. Besides, there were no cute guy’s last night. Like none. Okay, I’ll stop being selfish now.” Alicia wrapped her hand around mine and I held back my smile. I could always forgive my sister, evenwhen she acted like a little brat. We all had a little brat in us. “Please tell me what happened.”
“I fell on my ass, went to my car and cried, wishing a man rescued me, but of course there wasn’t any, until one knocked on my window. He grabbed a first aid kit from his truck, fixed my wounds, and was gone. All within a matter of five minutes. And now I can’t stop thinking about him.” I threw my hands up in the air. “Ugh. Why me?”
