by Leah Atwood
For the last two hours, he’d done nothing but make circles. At least he was fairly certain that’s what he’d been doing. Several of the landmarks he’d seen didn’t seem likely to be repeated. A cow-shaped mailbox, which had given him hope of human contact, until he saw the driveway was so overgrown, no one could have possible been to the house in months, possibly even years.
Then there was a tree with a substantial portion of the top missing, carved away to accommodate power lines, giving the tree the shape of an alligator’s mouth. How many of those could there be?
Frustration mounted. This vacation—leave of absence, sabbatical, whatever it really was—was supposed to help him get his life back on track. Last year had knocked him out cold, and forced him to examine his life more closely.
He hadn’t liked what he saw.
Work-obsessed, materialistic, heartbroken.
One glaring problem stared him in the face—his life had no purpose.
He’d been successful in his career as a business consultant, working with companies to develop business strategies which would earn the highest profits. But at the expense of what? He’d never stopped to consider who he would hurt, only how much money his clients stood to gain, which in return, padded his pockets nicely.
And his personal life? Ha. What a joke. He’d fancied himself in love with Laurena, only to realize she was a self-absorbed mirror image of himself. Too late, he realized the woman he truly loved belonged to another and lost his best friend in the process. Maybe one day Madison and he could regain a friendship of sorts, but it didn’t seem likely. No matter what, he was happy for her. As much as it pained him to admit it, Archer, Madison’s husband, was a good guy and treated her well.
Back on the road, he soon approached an intersection. The graffiti on the stop sign reminded him he’d been here once already today. Or twice. Fine, three times. He’d made a right the other times, at the GPS’s instructions.
“Not again.” He ripped the unit off the window, breaking the seal of suction and tossed it into the passenger seat of his six-month-old SUV.
Another change in his life. The flashy sports car he’d driven only reminded him of the life filled with voids he’d felt for too long. He’d loved the car, would have loved to keep it, but for him it wasn’t possible. It had become an idol, a symbol of the wealth he craved, so he sold it to a friend who appreciated the car for its beauty and speed, not the status it gave him.
He glanced down one side, then the other. No cars. What a surprise. Maryville, his hometown, wasn’t exactly a metropolis, but it seemed like New York City compared to the roads he’d traveled this morning. He didn’t know it was possible anymore to drive for hours without passing another vehicle. If it was seclusion he sought, he’d found it.
Too bad he couldn’t find the cabin. He kept his eyes peeled for any sign of humanity. Surely there had to be someone who lived in the area and could point him in the right direction.
On a straight stretch of road, he saw the sky meet the horizon. Few clouds floated in the sea of blue above him and the sun effortlessly shot soft beams of yellow toward the earth. Despite the cold air, he drove with the windows down, and turned up the heat to compensate.
After he’d driven for five minutes without seeing anything already noted, he considered himself vindicated against his GPS. Small victories. Sure, he hadn’t found his grandfather’s cabin yet, but neither was he driving in circles anymore.
He came to an intersection with a four-way stop. A trail of mud left by tires led down the path straight ahead. Taking that as a sign of life, he crossed through the intersection and followed the caked-up mud. Disappointment nudged him when he saw combines and tractors in a field, right after the line of mud ended. So he wasn’t a super sleuth. Still, it had to mean he was closer—to what, he didn’t know, just something.
A mile down the road, the fields faded into a wooded area, not uncommon for the region.
Hallelujah! On the right side of the road, a four by six-foot white sign announced Crosswinds Bed and Breakfast, Two Miles Ahead.
“Please let there be someone there.” With his misfortune lately, he wouldn’t be surprised to find it abandoned or caved in, but he’d check it out, anyway.
But the sign appeared new and freshly painted, so it couldn’t be abandoned. Who would put the effort into a new sign for a non-existent establishment?
They had to be the slowest two miles of his life. Desperate to not miss the entrance, he drove slowly, no more than thirty miles an hour. Yet, those four minutes lasted forever—in his mind.
The entrance came into view, and he could have cried for joy. Could have, but didn’t. He hadn’t cried since he’d found Beagly, his beloved dog, dead on the side of the road when he was a child.
No one had seen his tears, even then. When he’d broken up with Laurena, he’d been relieved, but when he discovered Madison and Archer were married, his heart had shattered into tiny pieces never to be whole again. If he hadn’t cried over that, he certainly wasn’t going to shed any tears of joy, no matter what.
He turned the steering wheel to the right, navigating his vehicle down a tree-lined gravel driveway. Pebbles jumped like popcorn as he drove down the long path. A large stone farmhouse with a wide, columned porch came into view. He saw several vehicles parked to the left side of the house. That had to be a good sign.
Driving closer, he saw two people standing on the front porch. They appeared entwined in a romantic moment, and, had he not been so desperate for help, he never would have interrupted their privacy, but the fact remained he needed directions, or at least a hint of where he was.
Several empty parking spots were marked off with metal signs saving them for guests. He didn’t see any other obvious place to park, and he wouldn’t be here long, just enough to get his bearings and be on his way again.
Dry leaves and twigs, left over from winter, crunched under his feet. Despite his loud arrival, the man and woman on the porch paid him no mind. He was about to cough and announce his presence when he realized the scene wasn’t as it initially appeared.
The man had a salacious spark to his eyes, and the woman’s eyes were wide with fear and shock. His hands roamed her arms, and she tried to pull back and separate herself from him.
“Get off of me. Now,” the woman screeched.
Instinct kicked in, and Sean did the first action that came to mind. He jumped to the porch and ripped the man from the woman. “Get your hands off of my fiancée.”
They both stared at him in shock, clearly surprised by his presence, and especially his claim. He remembered a similar situation last year, only he honestly hadn’t known Madison and Archer were married. He never would have kissed a married woman.
“Who are you?” The man looked down his pointed nose with scorn and jealousy.
The woman grabbed his elbow and yanked him close to her. “This is my fiancé, Mark.”
Her eyes pleaded with him to continue the charade.
Playing the role of protective fiancé, with a new name, he glared at the other man. “Which begs the question, who are you and why were you trying to kiss my fiancée?”
Fury turned the man’s face crimson red, and he called the woman an unrepeatable name. “Your precious fiancée is not the picture of innocence she portrays. Did you know Sunny’s been playing the field, making claims to multiple men?” He shot daggers toward the woman. “Now I understand why you pushed me to leave immediately, not even giving me a chance—you already promised yourself to someone.”
Sunny. He had a name to put with one face. “If you don’t leave by the time I count to three, I’ll call the police and have you arrested for attempted assault.”
“Do it.” The man shrugged flippantly. “I’ll sue her for breach of contract and loss of money for coming here under false pretenses.”
Sunny jumped forward. “As if you have room to talk, Kristopher. Don’t you dare make threats after you deceived me—lied to me—then tried to force your a
ffections on me.”
A burst of pride for this stranger of a woman shot through him. Go, Sunny. He wanted to yell and cheer her on. But despite her bold words, her hand shook as it still clung to him.
This Kristopher guy had to leave, and he’d force the issue if he had to. No one treated a lady like he had. Sean put on his best voice that he often used with executives. He’d perfected the tone after being told numerous times that he was too young to do what he did. He’s showed each and every last person who’d questioned him that he meant business, and he wouldn’t stop with this joker. “One.”
“Give me a break.” Kristopher rolled his eyes.
“Two.” Sean removed his phone from his rear pocket, started dialing a number.
Kristopher put his hands up in surrender. “All right, but you haven’t heard the last of me.” He grabbed his suitcase and ran off the porch, only looking back once.
Sean didn’t remove his eyes from Kristopher until he was in his car and driving away. Even then, he trained his gaze on his vehicle until it was out of sight.
He looked at Sunny, whose hand still gripped his arm. “Are you all right?”
Her pale face made her blue eyes pop. “I don’t know.” She pulled away and sank into a chair. “I need to sit.”
“Can I get you anything?” He wanted to be on his way, but even if he had already gotten the directions needed, he couldn’t leave Sunny alone yet. Not when she was obviously shaken.
Her head hung down, buried in her hands. “No, thank you.”
“Do I need to call the police or anything?”
She looked up and shook her head. “I don’t think so. Nothing happened, not really.”
“Who was that guy?” He should have kept his mouth shut, not gotten further involved, but he wasn’t raised to ignore a woman in need.
Sighing, she rubbed a hand on her neck. “A stupid mistake I made.”
He stood with his hands in his pockets, unsure what to say or do next. “We’ve all had our share of them.”
“Not of this proportion,” she muttered. Standing up, she extended a hand. “Thanks for what you did for me. I’m Sunshine Evans, but most people call me Sunny.”
“Nice to meet you, Sunny.” He shook her hand. “Sean Pearson.”
Her lips curved into a quirky smile. “I didn’t think you looked like a Mark, but it was the first name that came to mind.”
“You were close. My middle name is Mark.”
“Really?”
He burst into laughter. “Nah, it’s Michael, but it sounded good.”
“Funny.” Her smile widened until she broke into laughter.
“At least I made you laugh.”
“True.” The smile disappeared and her chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh. “I won’t have much to laugh about in the near future.”
“If you need an ear, I’m here. I don’t have anywhere pressing to be.”
Her eyes scrunched, lines of curiosity formed on her forehead. “Why are you here? I’m afraid if you’re looking for a room, you’ll be disappointed. I’m not prepared for guests at this time.”
“Actually, I’m lost and have been driving in circles all morning.” His male pride took a hit with the admission, and he flinched. “I’m trying to find my grandfather’s cabin, but the GPS has me on a wild goose chase.”
“Yeah, GPS’s don’t work too well out here. Neither do cell phones.”
He snorted. “I found that out the hard way.”
“If you need to make any calls, you can use the phone inside, or you can check your phone. This property is one of the few places around where I can get reception.” She flashed another smile, which Sean decided he rather liked.
“Thanks, but there’s no one expecting me.”
Confusion and suspicion clouded her eyes. “But you said you’re looking for your grandfather’s cabin?”
“It’s currently vacant. I’m taking some extended time away to reevaluate my life. It’s been a rough year and figured it would be a good place to do some heavy thinking.”
Her expression softened. “I can understand that. I guess you could say I’m at a crossroads as well.” She shifted her eyes away from him, a longing stare on her face. When she turned back to him and spoke, resignation filled her voice. “What road is your grandfather’s cabin on?”
“Hideaway Lane.”
Sunny pinched her lips, amusement in her eyes. “How’d you get all the way down here looking for that? It’s a good twenty minutes north of us.”
Good grief. I’m buying a new GPS with the latest maps next time I’m in civilization. Trying to make the best of his embarrassment, he shrugged. “A wrong turn here, a detour there.”
“At least you have a sense of humor about it.”
“You didn’t hear me while I was still on the road.” He glanced down the driveway. “I don’t know where I went wrong initially, but I guess it worked out good. It’s not every day a man is able to play the role of knight in shining armor.”
“God always has a plan.” Sunny’s forlorn look returned. “If only I knew what He had in mind regarding the bed and breakfast.”
Her mention of God caught his attention. He’d been a Christian since he was a young boy, but had lost his way through college, and only recently found his way back to a relationship with the Lord. “What do you mean?”
“It’s nothing.”
His business-minded brain begged him to press for more information, but for all her hints dropped, Sunny didn’t seem inclined to discuss matters. Which was fine. He was a stranger—why would she want to share personal information with him? “I should be on my way. Could you be so kind as to point me in the right direction of Hideaway Lane?”
“Sure. At the end of the driveway, make a right.” She used her pointer finger to indicate directions. “Follow it for about ten miles, until you see a sign for Juniper Farms. Make the second right after that, continue on another mile or two and Hideaway Lane will be on your left.”
“So right, second right, left.”
“Yes. If you get lost again, look for the Fosters’ house. They own Juniper Farms, and you’ll be able to see the house from the road.”
“Thank you.” He returned to his SUV, still reluctant to leave her on the off-chance Kristopher returned, but he didn’t have a reason to stay longer.
He buckled his seatbelt, put the vehicle in reverse and started to back out. Glanced in the rearview mirror, nearly had a heart attack when his eyes looked forward again.
Sunny ran toward him, stopped abruptly at his window and knocked. Motioned for him to lower the window.
He quickly recovered from the unexpected sight of someone running straight for him—yet his heart skipped another beat that had nothing to do with being startled.
Chapter Three
She’d already made one grave mistake today, why not go for broke? She had to be insane. Wasn’t that the very definition? Doing the same thing over again and expecting different results?
But she wasn’t doing the same thing. Not technically. Sean wasn’t Kristopher. In their fifteen minutes of acquaintance, she knew more about him than she did after months of corresponding with Kristopher.
In Sean, she sensed the same search for purpose she faced, the need for fulfillment. His light brown eyes, the shade of caramel, expressed a myriad of emotions as he’d stood on her porch. What was his story?
She held her breath, waiting to see if he’d roll down his window, or drive fast away from the crazy chick chasing him down.
The window lowered, and he licked his lips before speaking. Lips she shouldn’t have noticed, but her eyes couldn’t stop looking at the bow in his top lip and the fullness of his bottom one. It was a perfect mouth if she’d ever seen one.
“Yes?”
Jarred from her inappropriate thoughts, she met his gaze. “If you’re in no hurry, would you care to stay for lunch? It’s the least I can do, since you saved me earlier.”
His eyes never left her, ev
en as he waited several moments to answer. “I’d like that.”
She stepped back, allowing him to pull back into his parking spot.
Once he got out of the car, they fell into step next to each other.
“I confess, I hadn’t thought much about food today. Before I left Maryville, I bought a few groceries, but mainly staples and canned food, nothing to make a good meal out of.”
“There’s a small grocery not far from Hideaway Lane. Remind me to give you directions before you leave.” She stole a glance from the corner of her eyes.
Now that they stood side by side, he was taller than she’d thought. Earlier, she’d been too distraught to notice, but she guessed him to be right at six feet tall. Not a giant, but he stood a solid head and shoulders above her five foot three frame.
“Is it the all-log grocery, with the lion statues out front?”
She laughed. “That would be the one. Lyon’s Grocery and Gifts.”
“I remember it, but wouldn’t know how to get there.”
“It won’t be hard to find. It’s only two roads away from Hideaway.” She didn’t go there often because there was a grocery store closer to her, but the owners were friendly people. She enjoyed chatting with them when she did go there, and she’d bought a few gifts from them.
An impish grin curled his lips. “I don’t suppose they sell any premade dinners, do they?”
“Let me guess, you can’t cook?”
“Never home long enough to learn. Takeout and I have a close, intimate relationship.”
His charming, easy-going nature allured her. “What did you do that kept you away so much?”
“Business consultant. I have my own business, but, as I said before, am taking a break from it. Not sure in which direction I want to go from here.”
“Sounds fancy.” For some reason, knowing what he did pinched her heart with disappointment. Why would he possibly agree to what she wanted to ask him?
