If I hadn’t already sworn off men, the lack of warmth and concern from Griff would have done it. He might not want to be friends, but we had to be able to at least tolerate each other. Pissed and looking for an outlet to release my rage, I narrowed my eyes and planted my hands on my hips. “You don’t happen to know anything about a camera pointing at my driveway, do you?”
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “It’s just a precaution.”
So, hewasresponsible. “A precaution for what? You’re spying on me.”
“Negative. Just making sure nothing happens to you while you’re playing house up in the woods.”
Just when I thought he couldn’t say or do anything more offensive, he surprised me. “I’m not playing house. You don’t know anything about me. How dare you make assumptions.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked and his shoulders visibly tensed. “I know you’re not cut out for a life like this. You don’t have the right boots, the right coat. Hell, Juniper, you don’t even know how to start a fire in the damn stove. If it weren’t for me, you would have frozen to death your first night at the lodge.”
I opened my mouth to disagree, but the truth was, he was right. Shoving my feet back into my frozen boots, I glared up at him. “Not all of us were born with a fire starter in their hand. Imight not have experience, but I’m a quick learner and I’m not afraid to ask for help when I need it.”
He rolled his eyes, and I about lost it.
“I hope you enjoy that bread because I won’t be bothering you again. There are plenty more people around here who can teach me what I need to know to survive up here. Some of them might actually enjoy it.” I stomped across his floor to the front door, pulled it open, and slammed it behind me. So much for being neighborly. The first thing I was going to do when I got back to the lodge was to find a ladder and pull that damn camera out of the tree.
CHAPTER 5
GRIFF
I didn’t haveto be such a dick to her. Rolling over in bed, I blinked my eyes. Sleep had evaded me all night. My mind wouldn’t let go of the way Juniper looked right before she slammed the door behind her. I should have gone after her, but I didn’t know what to say. She’d rocked my carefully constructed world, and I was still reeling.
Scout hopped off the bed, always eager to get the day started. I followed him to the kitchen, wincing at the sight of the foil-wrapped banana bread sitting on the counter. She hadn’t done anything wrong, and I’d treated her like the enemy. Truth was, I didn’t know how to respond to kindness. She’d caught me off guard, showing up at my place, fresh baked bread in her hands and a smile that could crack even the hardest of hearts on those full, pink lips.
I thought about calling Mama Mae back in Texas, but I already knew what she would say. She’d tell me to hightail it down to the lodge and say I was sorry. And she’d be right.
I stalled, finishing the banana bread along with two cups of coffee before I worked up the nerve to head down the mountain. Scout came with me. I could have made him stay at the cabin, but she might be more likely to forgive me if I had my dog in tow.
The wind blew through the trees. Soon winter would loosen its grip and the mountain would transform. I wondered if Juniper would be around to see it. If she enjoyed taking pictures this time of year, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself when spring and summer arrived.
Too soon I made my way up the drive and entered the clearing. I wasn’t used to apologizing. Wasn’t used to doing a lot of the things I’d been doing since Juniper arrived. I lifted my foot to step onto the porch and froze. Someone had nailed the carcass of a rabbit to the porch post.
My senses went on high alert. I touched the rabbit’s soft fur. It was still warm. Fresh tracks led from the woods to the porch and back again. Whoever had done this probably hadn’t stuck around, but I was tempted to crash through the trees anyway. Instead, I banged on the door, needing to know that Juniper was okay.
It took several seconds before I heard movement inside. I was about to break down the door when she pulled it open. Her hair hung around her shoulders in soft waves and she stood there in a pair of thin pink and purple pajama bottoms with cats all over them and a shirt reading “Keep It Up and This Pussy Will Purr” across her breasts. Fuck if that didn’t give me too many bad, bad, bad ideas. She blinked up at me, looking like a teenager who’d been woken up too early at a slumber party. I was instantly reminded of just how young and vulnerable she was.
“Grab your things. You’re coming with me.” Eager to get her back to my place where she’d be safe, I brushed past her and entered the main room.
“What are you talking about?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve had enough men trying to control my life. You don’t get to join that list just because you’re big and broody and know how to light a fire.”
I didn’t want to scare her, but she needed to take me seriously. “You’re not safe here. Someone left you a message on the porch and I need to get you to safety.”
She blinked the sleep out of her eyes. “What message?”
“It’s not important.” I scanned the room, looking for anything out of place. If someone had been inside… I wouldn’t consider the possibility.
Juniper stepped out onto the porch. I reached for her, but it was too late. She clutched her stomach as she stared at the rabbit. “Oh my gosh. I think I’m going to be sick.”
I held her hair as she puked over the porch railing. She might capture the local wildlife on film, but I doubted she’d ever seen something as gruesome as the message nailed to her porch.
“You okay?” My hand shook as I rested it on her shoulder. Not because I was spooked, but because I didn’t recognize the feelings surging inside me. The need to protect her overwhelmed me. I’d tried looking at her as just a body who’d moved in next door. But she was so much more than that.
“I’m fine.” She stood and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “Just wasn’t expecting that.”
“Grab what you need. I’m taking you to my place.” I tugged her useless coat off the hook by the door and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“I need my laptop.” She shoved her feet into her boots and grabbed her computer from the table. “My camera too. Oh, and I’m not going anywhere without Appie.”
