The cabin door swung open, and the air rushed from Robert’s lungs.
There stood golden-eyed Jessie in his WSU sweatshirt, looking adorable and all too feminine despite the baggy hoodie.
Memories rushed back to him of sharing his jacket and sweatshirts with Jessie, then wrapping her in his arms when they weren’t warm enough.
“Hi, Robert.” Jessie gave him a hesitant smile.
“Hi.” He sucked in a quick breath and stepped into the cabin, catching a whiff of the perfume he gave her for Christmas years ago. Man, he loved the way it smelled on her.
The scent put his senses on high alert, and the temperature inside the cabin skyrocketed. Resisting the urge to fidget, he held out the paper bag from Sylvia. “Your mother sent a few things.”
When she reached for the bag, he shifted his fingers so they wouldn’t accidentally touch, like they did when he took her suitcase the other day.
Jessie frowned but said nothing.
He stepped away but watched as she pulled two books from the bag. He glimpsed the titlesLife After DivorceandOvercoming Abuse.
Jessie’s face reddened, and her posture stiffened.
“Um, I’m going to go chop some firewood,” he said in a rush, before darting out of the cabin.
For the next thirty minutes, he berated himself for still being attracted to Jessie and feeling bad for her discomfort. Except for the hair color and the defeat and uncertainty in her eyes, she looked like the woman he used to love.
After dumping his second load into the wood box, he shuffled his feet. The energy spent on splitting the wood wasn’t enough to chase away the attraction or the memories.
Jessie sat with her legs curled beneath her in a chair near the window, watching him.
“So, how have you been?” He rubbed his palms on his uniform pants.
She gave him a small smile. “Good. Bored.”
“You’re uh... Pendleton showed up at your mom’s house this afternoon.”
Gasping, Jessie swung her legs out and leaned forward. Her brow furrowed. “Did he hurt her?”
“No. She refused to let him and called me. I hurried over there and managed to convince him you weren’t there and that he needed to leave.”
Jessie frowned. “Just like that?”
Should he tell Jessie he’d been sure her husband wanted to throw a punch at him? A part of Robert wished he had. He’d have loved to throw the jerk back in jail.
Robert grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “We had a bit of a stand-off, but he realized I’m bigger and stronger than him, so he did the smart thing and walked away.”
She didn’t smile like he expected. The furrow between her brows only deepened. “He’ll be back. He’s never been one to give up easily.”
Robert doubted that, but he wouldn’t tell Jessie so. He didn’t want to offend her or make light of the pain she’d suffered.
He shifted from one foot to the other. It would look rude for him to leave so soon, but he couldn’t stay in the cabin filled with so many memories.
“So, um... would you like to get out of the house and go for a walk?”
“Yes!” Jessie sprang from her seat so fast; Robert fell back a step. “Give me a minute to get my tennis shoes on.”
Too restless to sit, Robert wandered around the great room after she disappeared down the hall.
A black book—the one Jessie had gone back after—lay open on the couch. Jessie had always kept a diary of sorts. He stepped closer to the couch, curious whether she still sprinkled drawings throughout her journal.
The haunting image of a dejected mother bird, worm in mouth, sitting on the edge of an empty nest, filled the page.
