I didn’t respond, choosing to glare at him instead. He grinned at me and got out of the car. I followed him up to the cabin, thinking I would have loved coming out here if it was under different circumstances. And with a different travel companion. He’d grabbed the bag and held it in one hand while unlocking the cabin with his other.
Stale air hit me as soon as we stepped inside. There was one room with a high ceiling, a double bed in the corner, a couch in front of a fireplace, and a small table near the kitchen, making up the entirety of the furniture. No closet or bookshelf, only a wooden board screwed to the wall in the kitchen that housed a variety of cans and jars and a few bags of coffee beans.
One door led to what I hoped was the bathroom since I didn’t do well with doing my business in nature. And a shower would be welcome as well.
“Home sweet home,” Gunner said, sweeping his arm around the small room. “The bed is all yours, but you might want to wash the sheets first. I haven’t been out here in almost two years.”
“This is yours?” I asked, my surprise making me forget about my vow of silence.
“I bought it ten years ago when I needed to get away from everything. Lived here for a year. And I usually come out once or twice a year to unplug.”
There was so much more to Gunner than he let on. I hadn’t even scratched the surface yet.And why hasn’t he been out here in two years?Not that I want to know more about him.
I got to work pulling the sheets and blankets off the bed. I walked past an open door that led to the bathroom and then opened the only other door into what looked like the laundry.
At least I wouldn’t have to pee in the woods.
“There’s electricity?” I asked when I spotted the washing machine.
“I have a generator. Should last us for a while. It’s got a full tank, and I have extra gas in the shed.”
I found the laundry detergent, and after adding a liberal amount, I turned the washing machine on. There was no way the sheets would be dry in time though. I hoped he had more somewhere.
“There are spare sheets and blankets under the bed,” Gunner said from the living room, as if he’d read my mind. “But I’m not sure if they’re any less dusty than what was on top of the bed. I put everything in plastic containers, but sometimes the mice get in.”
While mice weren’t my preferred roommates, the only time I lost my head was when it came to spiders. Too many legs and eyes. I stepped back into the living room, hugging my arms around me. It was getting cold, and I wasn’t dressed for our expedition.
“I’ll get the fire going in a minute. Just want to make sure the fridge is working first. I’ll go hunting tomorrow so we’ll have fresh meat,” Gunner said from where he was wedged behind the fridge.
I cringed at the thought of eating anything he shot. I wasn’t a vegetarian by any means, but I preferred my meat to be unrecognizable. I was a committed hypocrite like that.
The fridge hummed to life, and he came out from behind it and pushed it back against the wall.
I didn’t know what to do next, so I stood in front of the bathroom door like a forgotten piece of furniture.
“You hungry?” Gunner asked on his way to the front door.
“A little,” I said, not moving.
He left and came back in a few moments later with an armful of wood, stacking it next to the fireplace. “Help yourself to whatever is on the shelf and underneath the counter.”
I walked into the kitchen and perused the long shelf above the stove that was stacked with a variety of tins. I decided on baked beans and tuna for lack of other options. I lifted the sheet that covered the area underneath the counter and found more of the same.
The oven was gas, and I lit it with the matches I found in one of the drawers. I dumped three cans of baked beans, one can of corn, and two cans of tuna in a pot and heated it up.
I pulled out two plates, rinsing them off before putting the food on them. Not even I was that big of an asshole to only make dinner for myself.
Gunner joined me at the table where I’d put his plate with his gourmet meal.
“Thanks,” he said after taking a seat, not batting an eye at the sloppy mess in front of him.
The fire heated up the small room in no time, the crackling and hissing of the flame lulling me into a comfortable serenity I hadn’t felt in a while. If only there wasn’t the little kidnapping and possible murder issue, I could almost pretend we were on a weekend getaway.
Gunner cleared our plates and did the dishes. I raised my brows at him when he looked over to where I was still sitting at the table.
“The cook doesn’t have to clean,” he said and turned back to the sink.
“You’re the first male to ever tell me that,” I said. My brothers wouldn’t even have said thanks for dinner.
