And when I do, they're going to wish they'd never heard the name Rona Quinn.
Chapter Eleven
Rona
I'mgoingabsolutelyinsane.
Three days. Three whole days of being cooped up in this cabin while Darhg avoids me like I'm carrying the plague. Three days of watching him throw himself into manual labor with the kind of aggressive determination that would be impressive if it weren't so obviously designed to keep him away from me.
He's been like this since we got back from town. Chopping wood until there's enough to heat three cabins.Fixing a perfectly functional roof. Deep-cleaning every surface until the place gleams. Anything to avoid being in the same room as me for more than five minutes at a time.
It's driving me absolutely mad.
Right now, I'm sprawled on the leather sofa, my sketchbook balanced on my knees, supposedly working on some meaningless doodles. But my eyes keep drifting to the kitchen where Darhg is currently attacking the oven with steel wool and what appears to be enough elbow grease to power a small village.
His black t-shirt stretches tight across his muscular back as he scrubs, the fabric pulling taut over every ridge and valley of those impressive shoulders. His cargo pants hug his perfectly sculpted ass in a way that makes my mouth go dry. I trace the line of his spine with my pencil, sketching the powerful curve of his shoulders, the way his biceps bulge as he works.
I'm just adding shading to capture the way his muscles shift under that sinfully tight shirt when the sound of an approaching engine cuts through the dreadful silence between us.
My heart immediately jumps into my throat. Could it be Gribble Nix? Has he found us?
Darhg drops his cleaning supplies instantly, moving to the front window in a few long strides with a predatory kind of grace that makes my pulse skip. His entire body goes rigid with alertness as he hugs the wall and carefully pushes a corner of the curtain aside to peek into the darkness of the early evening.
"Stay back," he commands, his voice sharp with authority.
Of course, I completely ignore him and follow right behind, practically stepping on his heels. The man really should know me better by now.
"Rona, step back," he growls, not even turning around.
His anger is cut short by my squeal of absolute delight.
"It's Elga and Jennifer!" I announce unnecessarily, since Darhg can obviously see them too.
Through the frost-covered glass, I watch as a familiar pickup truck rumbles up our gravel driveway. The driver's door opens, and Elga emerges like some kind of divine force of nature, her black hair whipping in the winter wind. Jennifer follows from the passenger side and waves at the cabin with a mittened hand. They circle around and open the back door of the truck and retrieve what appears to be enough supplies to feed an army.
Elga holds a massive cast-iron pot that probably weighs more than I do, while Jennifer carries what looks like fresh bread and some kind of dessert container. They're bundled up against the cold, but their faces are bright with determination and what might be mischief.
“Oh my! They brought dinner!” I squeal, jumping up and down and clapping my hands like an elementary school child.
He relaxes slightly, but I catch the way his jaw tightens. He's probably not thrilled about having company. I wonder if he’s ever happy to see people or if he would be perfectly happy to toil away all day, all alone in thislonely cabin.
Well, tough luck, because I happen to love having people around!
Elga marches up to the front door and pounds on it with enough force to rattle the entire frame.
"Darhg Rooke, I know you're in there!" she calls in a tone loud enough to be heard three counties over. "Open this door before I break it down!"
I grin at Darhg, who looks like he's seriously considering pretending we're not home. When he hesitates a moment too long, I sidestep him entirely and walk to the door with my head held high and my back straight. Let him try to stop me from opening that door.
"Elga! Jennifer!" I throw my arms wide in welcome as the cold winter air slaps my face, making me take a step backward. "What a pleasure!"
"I hope you’re all hungry," Elga announces, pushing past me into the cabin with her enormous pot. The rich aroma of something incredible fills the air immediately—garlic, wine, herbs, and what smells like perfectly braised meat. My mouth waters immediately at the smell. "Can't have you two living like hermits all the way out here without paying you a visit."
Jennifer follows with a much more reasonable entrance, giving me a warm hug that smells like fresh bread and vanilla.
"We brought coq-au-vin," she explains with a smile. "Made from Elga's mother's recipe. And fresh baked bread, plus apple crisp for dessert."
Darhg finally stops scowling and steps aside to let them fully enter. His stomach chooses that exact moment to emit a rumble so loud it's practically seismic.
