by Miley Maine
“My mother. She’s a teacher.”
“Okay good. Now I won’t look like an idiot when I meet her. I like your sister. I took her some cookies.”
Then Ava pushed a container full of cookies into my hands. They smelled really good.
I tasted one. Her cookies were amazing.
Sadie trotted over then and lay beside me, but she wasn’t frantic like usual. It was obvious Ava had been giving her plenty of attention all day long.
As I sat at the kitchen table and petted my dog, Ava talked, telling me about her day and about my sister inviting her to the book club.
I half-listened. Mostly I watched Ava. I even liked watching her dainty hands as she pulled bowls from the cabinets. I should be a gentleman and offer to help her finish dinner, but I was rooted to my chair, transfixed.
Last night had been one of the best of my life. I’d slept with plenty of women, but none had engaged with me in the same way Ava had. She’d come alive when I got her clothes off, not expecting me to do all the work, but at the same time, letting me take charge of her pleasure.
As soon as we’d both come. It had dawned on me that I’d just brought her into my bed.
There was no fucking way I could let her stay. Or if she stayed, I couldn’t sleep there.
The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings. And selfishly, I didn’t want to lose my brand new maid just few days after I’d found her.
But I couldn’t fall asleep with her. It would be too easy for me to hurt her. And there was no way I could explain my nightmares to her. If I didn’t have to work the next day, I could stay up all night. But I had the morning shift, and I wasn’t going to slack on my job as sheriff.
Thankfully, she’d taken the hint, and didn’t seem to have any resentment toward me getting up out of bed and getting dressed.
She even seemed a little relieved. Maybe she had her own reasons for not wanting to sleep in the same bed with me.
Now she placed a plate in front of me, filled with mouth-watering lasagna. The scent of Italian food filled the air.
With Ava around, my evenings were a far cry from what they’d been. For the first few months that I was here, I’d kept to myself. That had been what I wanted. But after I was elected sheriff, that was impossible. I was with people all day, interacting with them, talking to them, encouraging them.
So when I’d gotten home, I just sat in silence.
Now with Ava around, that wasn’t possible. But I did enjoy her company at night.
The next day, while I was at the office, I got an irritated visit from my sister.
Abigail plopped herself in the seat across from my desk. “Why are you keeping Ava locked away like Cinderella?”
“I’m not keeping her locked away. She has a car. She has time off. She can go anywhere she wants.”
“You idiot. She feels grateful to you, so she’s staying at your house and cooking for you at night.”
“I didn’t ask her to do that. In fact, I told her not too,” I said.
“Are you stupid?”
No matter what Abigail said to me, in my mind, she was always my baby sister. The one my parents had wanted so badly. When she was born, we’d all cherished her. She’d looked up to me, and followed me around. She had been so sweet too. I’d never be able to shake the image of her in pigtails running after me. I never could get very angry with her. “I’m sure you’ll explain to me why you showed up to the office to insult me.”
“Because I think there’s more to her story. She feels beholden to you for some odd reason.”
“Because I gave her a job?” I asked. I didn't want Ava to feel beholden to me. I really hoped she did not. Mainly because I wanted to take her to bed again soon, and I wanted us to be on equal footing when that happened.
Abigail crossed her arms. “Because she’s here for a reason. Gorgeous young women don’t just show up in Pine Hills and stay.”
I tried to keep my face blank when my sister mentioned that Ava was gorgeous. It was futile for me to argue that she wasn't. Objectively, anyone would think so. And my sister had a point about young women not staying in Pine Hills if they didn't have a good reason to be here.
My sister pointed at me. “Yes, she’s gorgeous. Don’t pretend like you haven’t noticed.”
Oh, I had noticed all right. But I was not going to discuss my sex life with my little sister. “Yes. She’s pretty.”
Abigail scowled. “She’s more than pretty, and you know it. But anyway, I think she ran away from something.”
“Like what?” My sister was intuitive. She was always observing the people that came into the library and drawing conclusions about them. Often, she was right. I was curious about her theories on where Ava came from.
“Maybe an abusive ex.”
“What makes you think that?”
“She’s always looking around. She jumps when she’s startled.”
Come to think of it, my sister was right. I’d noticed Ava go to the front windows and peer out at the driveway more than once. I’d also watched her double check the locks on the doors several times.
On the first night she’d worked for me, she’d asked if I had an alarm system, or security cameras.
“Yes,” I’d said. “I have both. And Sadie’s a pretty decent security system by herself.” My dog didn't attack strangers or even necessarily bark, but she did come and get me if anyone's car turned in the driveway, including the mailman's.
“I guess someone would have to be crazy to come mess with the sheriff,” Ava had said.
I didn’t add that messing with a former Navy SEAL was the real threat. “They’d definitely have a death wish,” I’d said.
I hadn’t shown her the weapons and the ammunition I kept within reach of my bed. I didn’t want to scare her. Maybe I should show her now, and try to get a feel for what she was so scared of.
Her eyes had widened when I said the phrase ‘death wish.’ Maybe I needed to choose my words more carefully. So many years in the service, around only other members of the military sometimes made me forget the way civilians thought and spoke.
If she was running from an abusive ex, maybe she’d feel better if I reassured her that nothing was going to get through me to harm her.
The thought of someone hurting her made me want to fucking break his neck. And maybe she’d tell me the name and location of this abuser. I could pay him a little visit and make sure he never came near her again.
Fuck. When had I started feeling possessive toward her?
I looked up to see my sister waving her hands in my face. “Hello? Are you listening to me?”
“What was the last thing you said?”
Abigail rubbed her temples. She was clearly annoyed with me. A memory of her at seven years old, stamping her foot because I wouldn't take her to get a snow cone at nine o’ clock at night ran through my mind.
“I said you need to take Ava out. Let her get to know people.”
“I showed her the town right after I hired her.”
My sister stood up and leaned forward, placing her hands on my desk. “Yeah right. I bet that was a perfunctory tour to her. You didn't even mention that I was your sister. And I was the one who sent her your way.”
She was probably right. Although I wasn't going to admit that. Eventually she got tired of harassing me and went back to the library.
Now it was evening, and on my sister’s orders, I was going to take Ava out and show her the town. There wasn’t much to show, especially if she came from a larger city. Dammit. I didn’t even know where she was from. I’d have to ask her that tonight.
I came home early to catch her before she cooked us both a big meal.
She wasn’t cooking yet, but was vacuuming the living area. She had on fitted white pants and a sleeveless black blouse. Her arms were toned and tan, and the white pants hugged her backside just right. She looked like she should be in a business office somewhere, not cleaning my living room. But I wasn't going to complain
. She looked amazing.
I stood in the doorway and waved my arms so I didn’t scare her.
She hit the power button and the vacuum went silent. “Hi. Do you need something?”
“Why don’t you take a break tonight?” I asked.
“Do you need me out of the house?” she asked.
“Now what makes you ask that?”
She put her hand on one hip. “I thought you might be having people over. I can make myself scarce.”
My eyes followed the line of her arm propped on her hip. Blood rushed to my cock. I wanted to unbutton that blouse and peel it off of her. “I’m not sure what gives you the impression that I have people over. I don’t.”
My mother and my sister had been inside my house, but that was only because they'd shown and walked in. I had not formally invited them over, not even once. “I just thought you might like to get out of the house,“ I said.
“What brought this on?” She crossed her arms and stared at me.
“Come on, don’t ask me that. Just pretend that it was my idea.”
“Was it your sister?”
“Yes.” I might as well admit the truth. Abigail would end up confessing anyway. “My sister told me I was keeping you in from ever going out. I didn’t mean to do that.”
Ava laughed. “I really like your sister. But you’re not keeping me here. I like being here. It’s calming.”
I had the impression maybe her life before she arrived in Pine Hills was the opposite of calming. “I don’t think you ever said -- where did you live before you came here?”
“Chicago,” she said
“That’s a big change.“ I’d been to Chicago before to stay with a buddy on one of our breaks from deployment. Chicago wasn’t quite as busy as New York City, but it was close. There were always people on the streets, even late at night. The horns from cars never stopped honking. The lights never went out. I definitely couldn’t see the stars there. “I’ve lived here my entire life.”
“I’ve never lived in a small town before. But I can see the appeal,” she said. “Where are we going to go first?”
“Well unlike Chicago, I can’t offer you the theater or an opera. Or even a rooftop restaurant. But we can go eat at the local steakhouse.”
“That sounds perfect to me,'' she said.
“And I’ll take you by the station and introduce the deputies to you.” I changed out of my uniform and into a fitted pair of jeans that Abigail said looked nice on me. I put on one of my newer polo shirts to go with it. My truck wasn’t quite as nice as her BMW but it would have to do.
I walked over to open the truck door for her, and she smiled at me as she stepped into the cab of the truck.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
This felt like a date. But it absolutely wasn’t. Did she think it was a date? Did I want it to be a date?
None of that mattered because I was in no position to be dating yet. And if she was on the run, having just escaped a crazy ex then neither was she. I was going to find a way to bring up the ex-boyfriend she had escaped from. I just had to do it delicately. Which was not my strong suit, according to everyone who knew me.
We went to the station first. We didn’t get too many calls at night so our secretary went home at 5:00 p.m. However, Barrett, who was my best friend and my deputy, was already there.
As soon as he saw us, Barrett’s jaw dropped. Possibly because I never brought anyone to the station. He rose from his desk as we made our way into his office.
“Barrett, this is Ava. Ava this is Barrett. My deputy.”
“Your deputy? I think I’m Pine Hills’ deputy,” Barrett said, pointing at me, while he smiled at Ava. “I think he forgot to mention that I’m his best friend too.”
Ava shook Barrett’s hand and I noticed Barrett’s eyes were glued to her face. I was going to have to cut that off. There was no way I wanted Barrett to get his hands on her. I loved the guy but he was not a reliable boyfriend. There was no way I was going to let Ava get tangled up in all that mess if she had just been through a difficult relationship. I’d give him a harsh warning later on, as soon as we were alone.
He raised his eyebrows and we silently communicated. “She is off limits,” I mouthed. He seemed to get the point, and he dropped her hand and stepped away. I was confident that he would be harassing me about this later. I’d be ready for it though. He could give me a hard time as long as he left her the hell alone.
Keeping Ava away might be a harder task, because while I was still glaring at him, she spoke up. “We’re about to go eat. Would you like to join us?”
So she definitely didn’t think we were on a date, not if she was inviting my buddy along to eat with us. Barrett looked back at me and then coughed. He was obviously trying to suppress a laugh.
“I appreciate the offer, but I am on duty here so I’m gonna have to take a rain check,” he said. He gave her a bright smile. “But it was so nice to meet you, Ava.”
I was going to kick his damn fool ass.
As we left Ava tilted her pretty face up to look at me. “He’s your best friend? Is he from Pine Hills too?”
Fuck. Was she interested in him?
My voice was gruff when I answered. “Yes.” That was all she needed to know. There was no reason to tell her that Barrett and I had met at preschool, and that we’d done everything together, even join the SEALs together. He was one of the few people who truly understood me, and I was grateful to have him in my life.
However, that didn’t mean I wanted him trying to hit on Ava.
We made it to the steakhouse without incident, but the waitress lingered a little too long while taking our order, which made Ava giggle.
“Do you get hit on a lot?” she asked. “Tell the truth.”
I tipped my beer up, glad to have a second to compose an answer. “I feel like this is a trick question.”
The waitress placed our cheese fries in front of us. Ava immediately grabbed one. “Mmm, now that is good.” She grinned. “It's not a trick question. Because I'm fine with the answer no matter what it is.”
“Is it a trick, because I feel like you've already heard from my sister.”
She tilted her head to the side and took another bite of a fry. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Even watching her eat french fries turned me on.
I was glad she could appreciate regular food.
“I did, in fact, hear from your sister.”
I groaned and took another sip of my beer. “Do I want to know what she said?”
“It was all good. I promise.”
I didn't doubt that it was good. My sister loved me. She was just far more free with information then I was. She also had a lot of opinions that she frequently voiced. “She thinks everyone wants to date me.”
Ava threw her head back and laughed. She grabbed her napkin and covered her mouth with it as she kept on giggling. “I think she’s right. Our waitress definitely wants to date you.”
I shook my head. What was it with women thinking everyone wanted me?
At last, Ava stopped snickering. She folded her napkin and put it back in her lap. “Tyler. Come on.”
“What?”
She took a sip of wine and licked her lips. She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Don’t be silly.”
I knew I could be obtuse, but it dawned on me that she was flirting with me, even as we talked about other women. I smiled. “No one has ever called me silly.”
“Well I’m not going to call you crazy. But you have to be aware that you’re a very eligible bachelor.”
So I’d been told by my mother and my sister, when they’d both been trying to set me up on dates when I moved back. Of course, none of them knew I was plagued by nightmares, and I planned for it to stay that way.
But Ava already lived in my house. And we’d already slept together, and I hoped we’d do it again. She wasn’t pressing for more than I could give her, so I might as well flirt back. “What
makes me an eligible bachelor?”
She lowered her eyes and looked up at me under her eyelashes “Oh, you want a list?”
“Yes. I’d definitely like a list.”
“First of all, you’re the sheriff. That’s a stable job, and people know you want to help the community. You were a Navy SEAL, and women will respect that you served your country. And you’re handsome. You’re tall, and you keep yourself in good shape. And you have an awesome house and a very good dog.”
I felt my chest warm a little as I heard her compliment me. I didn’t know what to say. I hadn't expected such a thoughtful response. “It’s true that I have a very good dog.” I took a fry and bit into it, savoring the salty flavor. “I notice that you didn’t say I was outgoing.”
She grinned again. “You’re not.”
Her grin was infectious, and I felt myself reacting to it. “You think I’m handsome?”
“I do. You’re very handsome.”
Under the table, her leg brushed over mine. My cock went from hard to granite. I needed to fuck her again. The waitress brought our food and she frowned at both of us, which set Ava off again laughing.
She pointed her fork at me. “See, I told you so.”
We ate our salad and our steaks, and before I knew it, two hours had passed. Now it felt like a date. On our way out of the restaurant, I had the impulse to wrap my arm around her, but I resisted. There was no point in blurring the lines.
As I opened the front door of the farmhouse for her, I realized what a good time I’d had on our non-date. Far better than any real date I’d ever been on.
Ava threw her arms around my neck. “Thank you so much for tonight. I had a great time.” Then she disappeared up the stairs and closed the door to her room.
So we obviously weren’t having sex tonight. That was okay. Maybe she wanted to go back to just being my maid. Or maybe she wanted to cool off a little after we’d spent so much time together.
I took Sadie and went to sit in my office to think.
My sister was right. There was something off. Not with Ava exactly, but with her situation. I could press her for more information, but I didn’t.
I could admit it to myself. I was enthralled by her. The sheaf of papers she’d filled out still sat on my desk. Now they were buried under the electricity bill. I should do a background check; I knew that. But it would have to wait. I was going to take my sister’s advice and try and get Ava out of the house more often.
