“Sure, that would be nice.”
I couldn’t avoid human contact forever, and Reese and Kade seemed nice enough. Plus, they didn’t know how stupid I’d truly been.
I followed the gravel path through the trees, squinting at my phone to double-check Reese’s pin. The screen’s brightness hurt my tired eyes. After the adrenaline crash from yesterday’s forest adventure and this morning’s knife appraisal bombshell, exhaustion had set in hard. Moving my pitiful collection of belongings into the RV had taken the last of my energy reserves.
That RV, though. It seemed too good to be true, which usually meant it was. But for now, I’d take the win.
The scent of cooking food reached me first, followed by the low rumble of voices and laughter. The path curved around a cluster of pines, and a gorgeous cabin came into view. It had a porch that wrapped around to the back.
Following the voices, I reached the steps of the sprawling deck. It had perfectly placed cedar planking, a professional-grade outdoor kitchen setup with a massive grill where Kade stood, and plenty of outdoor furniture.
Reese was next to Kade, drink in hand, looking relaxed in a way that made me acutely aware of how long it had been since I’d felt that way myself.
I hovered on the steps, feeling like I was intruding.
“There she is!” A sandy-haired man spotted me first, bouncing up from his chair with infectious enthusiasm. “The mystery woman arrives!”
His energy hit me like a friendly tidal wave. I hadn’t expected such immediate warmth from a complete stranger. The man was tall, though not as imposing as Kade, with tousled hair and bright green eyes that sparkled with happiness.
So, this was part of the “testosterone” Reese had mentioned. I’d assumed she had sons, not a grown man who looked like he moonlighted as an outdoor gear catalog model.
“I’m Atlas.” He extended his hand as I walked toward him. “Professional wilderness guide, amateur comedian, and full-time third wheel until I find my… queen.”
I shook his hand, surprised at how immediately comfortable I felt with him. “Liz. Professional... well, currently unemployed.”
Kade turned from the grill, giving me an assessing look like I was a building inspection he wasn’t sure would pass code. “How do you like your steak?”
“Medium, please.”
He nodded once and turned back to the grill. Communication complete.
“Let me get you a drink,” Reese offered, guiding me toward the table. “Wine? Beer? Something stronger? We have it all.”
“Wine would be great.” I sank into a chair, grateful to be off my feet. “Red, if you have it.”
“How was moving into the RV?” Reese poured me a glass from a bottle she already had open on the table. “Everything working okay?”
“It’s fantastic.” I took the glass of wine from her and took a sip. “Though the awning is a little stubborn when you?—”
The words died in my throat.
A man came out of the house, and something—everything—in me went completely still.
He was tall, with light brown hair, shorter on the sides and longer on top. It worked with the sharp lines of his face and the short beard.
But that wasn’t what stopped me mid-sentence. Something slid up my spine and lodged at the base of my skull. It wasn’t cold or hot, but a sudden, hyper-awareness that my body apparently thought was important.
Fantastic. Exactly what I needed right now.
“—try to extend it,” I finished, picking up my sentence a beat too late. “I think it needs a little WD-40.”
My voice sounded normal, but the prickling sensation remained, humming beneath my skin like static electricity.
The man’s blue eyes found mine across the deck, and for a split second, they seemed to flash with something impossibly vibrant and almost purple. Then he blinked, and they were blue again.
I must have been more tired than I thought. Or hungry. Or both. I filed the strange reaction underlow blood sugarand took another sip of wine.
Atlas’s eyes moved between me and the man. Kade and Reese were at the grill, but their attention was on us too.
