“What do you do in the evening?”
She shrugged. “Sometimes I sit outside and listen to music and read, or I watch movies. I don’t like TV shows, so that doesn’t take up my time. I enjoy doing hard work during the day and then sitting with a glass of wine. Tomorrow evening I’ll be missing you, but I’ll be exhausted and have some wine.”
“What do you do to get exhausted?”
“Now that both cabins are done, not much. I want to build a woodworking shop. So I’ll probably start that in the next few months.”
“Nice. I’ve never done woodworking.”
“There is this one guy who chops wood on social media. He has a huge following, and honestly, since I finished fixing up the cabin, I’ve thought about doing something like that. I need to wear myself out or I get bored.”
“Chopping wood on social media? What do you mean?”
Elowen threw her head back, laughter spilling out. “Oh, he’s popular. He has a huge following. But it’s a guy. I don’t know how many people would watch a woman split wood.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Guys would watch anything a woman does.”
She laughed again. “Yeah, but I don’t want gross interactions. This thing with the cameras and someone possibly coming into my house, that has turned me off being in the public eye. Seriously, why are people so weird?”
He held her close so her head was resting on his chest. “I don’t know. If I did, I would fix it.”
She closed her eyes because she was tired, but she didn’t want to sleep. Rest would come after he was gone.
Her hands drifted down his body and the vibration of his moan went straight through her. He was ready for another round, and she welcomed him with open arms. She would miss his touch, miss his love, but she would be in San Diego soon enough.
The next morning, she watched as their cars pulled away. Sadness enveloped her. The tears she’d held back flowed freely now as she entered the cabin and started cleaning. The alarm was set on her cabin, and the door was locked. She felt safe though she was alone.
Griz’s friend, Thario, hadn’t found any connection to the cameras or the men who’d helped her work on thecabin. Only two of them were still in the area. The other six had moved to areas with more construction. None of the guests were candidates, either. There was no one connected to her past who had placed the two cameras or come to her cabin.
She had ordered a camera for the front entrance, but it hadn’t arrived yet. The idea of having everything on camera made her feel weird. She would be the only one watching, unless someone hacked into the camera.
A shiver slid down her spine. The idea of someone watching her repulsed her. She’d watched movies where women were stalked, and it was always some very creepy person planning on attacking them. She was glad she had the alarm, and she knew how to use a gun. Still, if someone was watching and wanted to take her, she would be at their mercy if they set a good trap.
Cleaning the cabin didn’t take long. They’d cleaned the toilets and vacuumed. They’d also cleaned out the refrigerator, and the grill. The last load of dishes was finishing in the washer, and the towels were already in the dryer. She would be done before two in the afternoon.
There was a level of appreciation for what they’d done, but she also wished she had enough work to keep her busy until after five. The worst group had left a mess that took her until seven in the evening to finish cleaning, but Griz and his friends were nothing like that other group.
After she finished cleaning, she went home and showered, then decided to go into town and fill up her truck and buy groceries to last until the weekend. She could grill steaks and maybe buy some fish. Fishing wasn’t an activity she enjoyed, so she didn’t do it often. Maybe she’d pick up more wine and some ice cream to drown her sorrows over Griz leaving. It hadn’t even been a full day, and she missed him something fierce.
Chapter 21
Jenkins had takena job loading and unloading at the feed store. His plan to spy on Elowen meant he needed to buy more cameras and equipment. It was obvious he had to up his game after the last week.
She was too pretty to belong to someone else. He would have to make sure she knew her place, though. He could never tell her how pretty she was. Keeping her on her toes was the best way to lead.
He’d finished unloading the weekly delivery when he spied her truck pulling into the gas station across the street. The air in his lungs grew thin as he tried to breathe.
Jenkins couldn’t have her seeing him, so he moved where he could watch her but she wouldn’t see him unless she really looked. She was alone. The asshole who he’d seen kiss her had found his camera and destroyed it. He should have gone out to her land and killed that bastard the next day for messing with his things and his woman.
Now as he watched her fill up her tank, he wondered if tonight would be a good night to get her. Where would they go? The barn he’d used the last time had burned tothe ground. That had been his way of getting rid of the blood. If the police had stepped one foot into the barn with all the blood and evidence, it would have all been over for him.
This time he would keep Elowen. The last one had been too flighty and dumb. She’d made him mad and hadn’t been good enough. Elowen was good. She was smart, and he could trust her not to be an idiot.
Maybe he could take her this weekend. She wouldn’t expect it. He’d been careless leaving the cameras where she could find them. If he decided to drop another camera on her property, he would have to put it somewhere good, somewhere she couldn’t find it. Soon she would be his, and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Jenkins,” his boss called from the loading doc. “What are you doing?”
He came out from the place he’d been watching Elowen, an inane smile on his face. “Just taking a second after unloading.”
