The Stranger in Her Bed

by Janet Chapman

  "I am not climbing out the window," he snapped, walking back around the bed to pick up his shirt.

  "Anna!" Damon hollered again from the kitchen. "Where's the birdseed? These chickadees are driving me nuts!"

  Anna finished buttoning her pants, turned to the mirror to make sure she was presentably dressed, and gasped in horror. "Oh God, I look like a madwoman." She walked to the door, opened it, and shouted down, "In the canister on the counter! And let the dog out!"

  She shut the door and walked back to the bureau, working the snarls out of her hair with her fingers. "Will you get out of here!" she hissed, glaring at Ethan in the mirror.

  "My boots are downstairs."

  She leaned over her hands on the bureau, closed her eyes, and sighed. "This is exactly why I ran away from home."

  Strong fingers came around her shoulders. "Let it go, Anna," he said, his voice gently soothing. "Our sleeping together is nobody's business but ours."

  She opened her eyes to see Ethan behind her in the mirror, and immediately blushed with the memory of their standing in this exact position last night— and what he'd done to her and what he'd made her feel.

  He slid his hands up her shoulders and encircled her neck, lowering his mouth to her ear. "If it will make you feel better, I can let him beat me up."

  It didn't seem to matter that they'd just spent the entire night exploring every inch of each other's bodies; his hands on her pulse and his mouth moving against her hair sent a shiver of desire coursing through her.

  She leaned back into him. "You're right, I'm a big girl. And I won't let Damon beat you up." She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Considering I already did that last night— before and after we hit the sheets," she finished with a grin, grabbing his hand and leading him out the door before he could respond to her outrageous boast.

  * * *

  While Anna rushed down to greet her brother, Ethan hung back at the top of the stairs and sized up the man who was staring at the large pair of boots sitting next to his sister's smaller ones.

  Anna had accurately described him as compact and potentially lethal. And since Ethan had been in more than one fight with a French Canadian woodsman, and at this point barely had enough strength to keep breathing, he decided he'd put on his civil face and try not to let the man goad him into doing or saying anything stupid.

  Anna skipped the last step and threw herself into her brother's arms. "You've come to see me, Damon!" she cried excitedly. "I'm so glad to see you!"

  Damon easily caught Anna and held her in a bear hug against his chest, but his eyes were locked on Ethan. Without so much as a word or facial twitch, Damon Segee quite aptly expressed how he felt about finding a man exiting the bedroom with his baby sister.

  Ethan decided to remember that look, to use on Delaney's dates when his niece started dragging home boyfriends.

  "We've brought you your truck, belle enfant," Damon said, finally setting Anna on her feet.

  "We?" she asked in surprise, looking around.

  "Jean-Paul followed me down to drive me back. He's out inspecting your property." He captured Anna's wild hair and cupped it to her face as he looked deep in her eyes. "How are you surviving your self-imposed exile, bébé?" Damon asked, his gaze inspecting her body. "You've lost weight."

  "I've only lost what that blasted desk job had put on me," she countered, trailing one finger down his scowling cheek, then throwing herself back against his chest. "Oh, I've missed you so much! How's Claire? And the others? And… and Daddy?"

  "Ah, bébé, we've been miserable without you around to pester us. Especially papa. He puts on a face to everyone, but Claire has caught him up in your room more than once, just sitting on your bed staring at nothing."

  Ethan held in a snort. If Damon called Anna beautiful child or baby one more time, he was going to be sick. She was twenty-nine, for chrissakes, not nine. And what sap of a father couldn't handle his grown daughter moving out?

  When she tried to hug him again, Damon took hold of Anna's shoulders and held her still as he made a point of looking up at Ethan. "Are you going to introduce me?"

  "Oh, yes!" she said, turning to the stairs. "This is my boss at Loon Cove Lumber, Ethan Knight. Ethan, this is my brother, Damon."

  "Knight?" Damon repeated, one brow raised as Ethan walked down the stairs, sat on the bottom step, and put on his boots. "Of the NorthWoods Timber Knights?"

  "Yes," Anna answered before Ethan could. "His family just purchased Loon Cove Lumber last month. And Ethan was kind enough to come over today and help me fix the plumbing in the upstairs bathroom."

  Ethan barely caught himself from rolling his eyes as he stood up. Did she think her brother would actually believe that? "Damon," he said, holding out his hand. "Segee Logging and Lumber's loss is our gain, it seems. Anna's been single-handedly running Loon Cove for months now."

  It took him a while, but Damon finally reached out and shook his hand, and it was Ethan's turn to silently get his point across as he merely held his own against a grip strong enough to strangle a moose.

  Apparently Anna knew exactly what was happening between them, because she pulled Damon toward the front door. "I can't wait to see my truck. Tell me where Daddy hid it."

  "About twenty miles north of the Debec mill," Damon said, letting her lead him out onto the porch. "It was inside an abandoned trailer parked in one of our gravel pits. But he must have forgotten there aren't any roofs on chip trailers. I never would have found it if I hadn't been flying back in the chopper from our Jacquard cutting." He shook his head with a laugh. "It just barely fit inside, and I have no idea how he drove it in there and then got out of the damn thing. He must have climbed out through the sunroof."

  "Which shows exactly how angry he was," another man said as he came around the corner of the house, Bear following on his heels. The man suddenly stopped, his expression darkening when his gaze settled on Anna. "You look like hell, enfant!"

  Ethan finally did roll his eyes. This man could have been Damon's twin but for being eight or nine years older.

  "Jean-Paul!" Anna cried, rushing off the porch to throw herself at him. "I've missed you so much!"

  Just like his brother, Jean-Paul hugged Anna tightly, though his attention had zeroed in on Ethan. "Your inheritance is a rotting pile of lumber, bébé," he said against her hair as he continued to pierce Ethan with sharp, intelligent blue eyes. "Sell it and come home."

  Inheritance? Ethan had assumed she'd purchased Fox Run from Samuel's daughter. So what in hell was the man talking about? Unless he was angry that Anna had spent her inheritance from her grandparents on the rotting pile of lumber?

  Anna leaned back in Jean-Paul's embrace, squished his cheeks together so he'd quit talking, and smiled. "Once I get things up and running, Fox Run is going to put Loon Cove Lumber out of business," she told him. "And Papa's going to lose the specialty lumber market to me, because he's too stubborn to expand the Debec mill as I suggested."

  This was interesting news, Ethan reflected. Did she plan to continue sleeping with the owner of Loon Cove Lumber while she plotted his demise?

  "Who is your friend?" Jean-Paul asked, setting her down and throwing an arm around her shoulders as they climbed the stairs.

  "This is the man bébé's going to put out of business," Damon said. "Ethan Knight of NorthWoods Timber. His family recently purchased Loon Cove Lumber."

  Jean-Paul seemed to relax, apparently assuming Anna wasn't foolish enough to sleep with her competition. But then, he hadn't seen Ethan coming out of her room just now, both of them looking like they'd spent the night having mind-blowing sex.

  "Ethan," Jean-Paul said, holding out his hand. "We know of your family's operation. I believe some of our land borders yours?"

  "I believe it does," he agreed, returning the handshake.

  Anna suddenly took Ethan's hand and also shook it. "Well, I'm sure you've got better things to do today. Thanks for fixing my plumbing," she said brightly— though her

cheeks turned pink when she realized what she'd just said.

  "You're welcome," he drawled. "Anytime I can be of service, just ask."

  "Yes, well, thanks again," she stammered, sliding her arm through his and dragging him off the porch. "Don't forget to plug in the ignition wires on your sled," she tightly whispered.

  "Is that your snowmobile parked on the lake?" Jean-Paul asked as he followed them down the steps. "Because it's sitting in about two feet of water."

  Ethan looked toward the lake. "All the rain last night must have buckled the ice near shore."

  "We can help you drag it to high ground," Jean-Paul offered, then gave Ethan a sharp look when he realized the sled must have been parked there all night.

  "Hey, where's my truck?" Anna asked. "And yours, Jean-Paul?"

  "Up on the main highway," Damon told her, since Jean-Paul was too busy glowering at Ethan to answer. "The rain turned your gravel road to a sheet of ice. We walked in."

  Anna realized she still had her arm looped through Ethan's, and immediately stepped away and marched back up on the porch. "I'm starving. Have you two eaten?"

  Two? Since when did two brothers and one lover equal two? Dammit, he was hungry; he'd burned just as many calories as she had last night— probably more!

  "We've eaten," Damon said, turning to follow her into the house. "And as your cupboards only contain birdseed, peanuts, and dog food, we should have hadClaire fill your truck with groceries instead of more of your belongings."

  "Are you coming inside to call for a ride?" Jean-Paul asked Ethan, his foot on the bottom step.

  "I'll call from my cabin."

  "Your cabin?"

  Ethan motioned across camp. "I'm renting a cabin from your sister, to save the drive around the lake every night."

  That bit of news didn't settle very well with the older Canadian. Good, he hoped Jean-Paul gave Anna hell. She should have offered him lunch, dammit!

  Ethan headed to his cabin with a negligent wave, wondering if there was enough water left in his tank for a shower. He didn't care that it would be lukewarm; he was going to shower, then fall into his rickety old bed and sleep until Monday morning.

  He smiled at the realization Anna would have to stay awake to entertain her brothers, likely for the entire weekend. Served her right for not feeding him.

  But before Ethan reached his cabin, he walked to the lake and stood staring at his snowmobile sitting up to the engine in water. He pulled out his cell phone, walked several paces until he got a strong signal, and dialed Alex's cell.

  "Hello," Alex said after the fourth ring.

  "I'm at Fox Run, and it looks like I'm spending the weekend here," Ethan said without preamble. "Unless you need me for anything."

  "No, we're set," Alex assured him. "Paul's gone, too. He left last evening after he got a phone call, and then called me this morning to say he's out of town for the weekend."

  "With Cynthia Pringle?" Ethan asked in surprise. "That boy moves way too fast when it comes to women," he said, though he'd only known Anna a week. "One of these days it's going to catch up with him."

  "And exactly what are you doing at Fox Run all weekend?" Alex asked. "You're not moving too fast yourself, are you?"

  "Two of Anna's brothers are down visiting her. I thought I'd spend some time at Loon Cove and get better acquainted with the books. Did you know there are four Segee brothers? No wonder André Segee was able to build his empire; he sired his own management team."

  "I met one of them at a logging expo seven or eight years ago," Alex said. "The oldest, I think. Jean… something."

  "Jean-Paul," Ethan supplied. "Yeah, I just met him. And for the record, I'm glad it was in broad daylight and not some dark alley. Both brothers look like they wouldn't break a sweat felling a tree with a dull ax. Give Tuck and Delaney a hug for me and tell them I'll take them to supper one night this week. I've been missing them."

  Ethan heard a chuckle on the other end of the phone. "I'll tell them. And I'll probably stop in the mill Wednesday or Thursday to see how things are going. So, did you finally see Anna's ghost last night?"

  "It was two guys looking for something they think Samuel Fox had hidden around here someplace."

  "Who are they? And what are they looking for?"

  "I didn't get to ask. They ran like rats abandoning ship when Anna started shooting at them."

  "She shot at them?"

  "Over their heads. She's got a bit of a temper, not to mention a reckless streak."

  Alex chuckled again. "Maybe you should watch your own back," he suggested. "You did knock her flat on her ass a month ago. I don't know if it was thoughtful of you to leave her a shotgun or just plain dumb."

  "This from the man who gave his lead-footed wife a truck when she can't even control a sewing machine."

  "I put a block of wood under the gas peddle to limit her speed."

  "And I gave Anna number four birdshot."

  "Okay," Alex said with a laugh. "Ah… Ethan," he added, suddenly turning serious. "Keep a clear head around her, will you?"

  "Why? What's up?"

  "Dad."

  "What? You think he's scheming again? With Anna and me?" Ethan asked incredulously. "He knows better."

  "I'd bet our tree harvester that he knew all along Bishop had a female foreman at Loon Cove, and conveniently forgot to mention it to us."

  Ethan looked toward the main house. Naw, Grady wouldn't…"He knows better," he repeated.

  "It's just a feeling," Alex said. "I thought I should pass it on to you."

  "Okay, thanks for the heads-up. I'll see you later this week."

  "Later," Alex said.

  Ethan closed his cell phone and continued looking toward Anna's house.

  Naw, this wasn't a setup. His dad just forgot to tell him Bishop's foreman was female, and he just happened to find Ethan a rental on Anna's property… so his bachelor son would be working with the beautiful woman every day and sleeping less than two hundred yards away from her every night.

  He sighed and started walking to his cabin. Dammit, he didn't need anyone interfering in his love life— especially his father!

  * * *

  Ethan opened one eye and saw it was half past two in the afternoon. He'd been asleep less than three hours, and the idiot pounding on his door was about to die— just as soon as he got the strength to get up.

  "Knight!" came Damon's voice through the solid wood door. "Your snowmobile is sinking. Come, we'll help you get it out."

  At the moment, he didn't care if the damn sled sank to the bottom, but Ethan shoved himself out of bed. "It's kind of you to offer to help me," he said as he opened the door to the two Segee brothers, "but I'll just toss a rope around it and use Anna's truck to drag it ashore."

  "Oh, but we insist," Damon said, crowding inside ahead of Jean-Paul. "You'll need to wade out to it, so we'll just make sure you don't accidently slip under the ice and not come back up."

  Yeah, like he trusted either of them to watch his back. Ethan sat down with a resigned sigh and put on his boots, aware of the two brothers inspecting his living quarters.

  "Anna's plan to restore Fox Run to a working mill is a pipe dream," Jean-Paul said as he turned from looking in the bathroom. "This place is past the point of no return. She'll have to raze all the buildings and start from scratch, and that's not cost-effective."

  Ethan stood up and reached for his jacket. "Oh, I don't know," he said. "Anna seems to have a head for this sort of thing. I think that if she's determined to restore Fox Run, she will." He leveled his gaze on the older Segee. "With or without her family's support."

  "She needs to sell it and come home," Jean-Paul growled.

  "I believe Anna feels she is home," Ethan said, stepping onto the porch and picking up the coil of rope the men had brought with them. He turned to them. "Besides, at twenty-nine, don't you think that's her decision to make?"

  Neither man answered; they strode off the porch and walked to the lake, Ethan trailing behind them. Now he understood why Anna was so hardheaded sometimes. She had to be just to stay afloat in her family. She definitely was drowning in familial love.

  Damon took the coil of rope from Ethan when they reached the shoreline. "I'll feed you the rope as you wade out to your sled, then you can keep it upright while we pull you in."

  Ethan looked at the snowmobile sitting on the sunken ice in two and a half feet of water, about a hundred and fifty feet from shore. Damn, the water looked cold. He looked toward the main house. "Where's Anna?" he asked.

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