“She dodged a bullet. Poor thing,” she said again. “Take care of her.”
“Will do.” I hung up.
Summer Kerrigan took care of herself. It was why I’d needed a couple of seconds after seeing her get slapped. No one crossed Summer without knowing what they were in for. Touch one Kerrigan, you riled the whole sister nest. A guy in town had multiple slashed tires to show for it.
But then she’d just stood there, staring at her ex, her eyes wide, while he’d crowded her. I’d never regret stepping in.
I might regret bringing her to my place.
I’d slept fitfully in case she started roaming around, looking for food or for the bathroom. Silly, since there was a bathroom in her fucking room. Who was I fooling? I’d stayed awake in case she wanted company in an unfamiliar house.
I had a beautiful woman in my house and I was on high alert. But of all women, Summer was the last one I should be thinking about in that way. She had been my brother’s true love.
She wouldn’t consider me in that regard either. I’d been deluded enough to think so once, hopped up on pain meds I hadn’t wanted but had needed, and I’d chewed into her for even talking to me. I’d been an idiot then, and I wouldn’t make the same mistake now. I was no Boyd Harrington.
Before the accident and the scar and the limp and my downgrade in attitude, I’d dated enough women, but they’dbeen the opposite of Summer. Women who hung out in bars instead of running them. Women who wanted a good time, not a long time. I hadn’t had time outside of my hobbies to make room for a relationship. Now? The type hadn’t changed, but it was them who didn’t want a relationship with me. I was the guy women bragged about sleeping with—once. The oldest Dunn brother who looked like he’d murder you in your sleep after he fucked you senseless.
That was a direct quote. And people wondered why I only went to town out of necessity.
I went to the sink and gazed out the kitchen window. Only about three inches of snow had fallen so far. Every so often, the wind would pick up, send the flakes swirling, then back off, making the weather unpredictable enough to stay off the roads. Not bad enough to be stranded for long. The front would pass, the roads would get cleared, and I could get Summer to her mom’s place.
This weekend would’ve been perfect to work. My parents wouldn’t have worried that I wasn’t getting out much because I’d have been snowed in, and I could have worked around Mom’s daily check-ins.
The floor creaked above my head. Then came the sound of water running through the pipes. She was using the bathroom upstairs.
While she was busy, I made a fresh pot of coffee. I knew she drank the stuff. I’d seen her leaving Mountain Perks a few times over the years. Would my black tar be too plain for her? Too strong? Not strong enough? Fuck it. I had creamer in the fridge. It wasn’t like I’d had a chance to prepare for company.
The water shut off and I waited, the smell of fresh coffee filling the house. Another squeak came, from thestairs this time. The staircase was on the other side of the kitchen wall. The rest of the house opened up into the living room and eating area. My bedroom was under the guest room upstairs. I had planned an addition if needed, but my youthful foresight had been unnecessary.
The whisper of stockinged feet.
Summer crossed the living room while staring out the windows. Her damp blond hair tumbled down her back, and she wore a short-sleeved sundress that hung past her knees, but she had on gray fluffy socks that were familiar.
My socks. I must’ve missed a drawer of belongings when I’d moved out of the room upstairs. I wouldn’t have noticed jack or shit missing when I had switched bedrooms. Resentment and fury had filled me in those days, along with bitterness that the move had been needed in the first place and pain exacerbated by the multiple trips up and down the stairs.
I leaned against the counter, taking the weight off my left foot and knee. She went to the glass and gazed outside.
When she turned, I took a drink from my mug. Yesterday, she’d had a face polished with makeup she didn’t need, but it had enhanced the golden brown of her eyes and the natural blush on her cheeks. Freshly scrubbed, she was radiant. Her lashes were still thick, but lighter, and the light from the window made the gold in her eyes glow. Her dress was too fancy for a mountain cabin, and not heavy enough for winter, but she looked like she belonged here anyway.
Shame burned behind my chest.
She was Eli’s girlfriend, asshole. If he hadn’t died, she might’ve been my sister-in-law. Fate had had a differentfuture in store for her, but she’d just broken off a wedding. I shouldn’t be thinking about her belonging to anything related to me.
“Morning,” she finally said.
For less than an hour, it’d still be considered morning. “Want some coffee?”
Relief filled her eyes. “Yes.”
Did she think I was going to tell her to load up her belongings into the truck as soon as she opened her eyes? Was that why she’d stuck to her room until now?
She padded across the wooden floor. I liked a cool environment. Those socks would keep the chill from leaching into her feet, but I could also turn the furnace up.
I didn’t move as she peeked in the cupboard above the coffee pot. A small triumphant sound left her when she spotted the two other mugs I had.
She filled her cup three quarters full and glanced around.
“Creamer’s in the fridge,” I said gruffly. The sight of a woman making herself at home resonated deep inside me, but that it wasthiswoman was wrong.
