by Natalie Ann
“If you’ve got time, why don’t you walk through with me?”
She nodded and put her phone in the back pocket of her shorts, then moved toward the cabin with him following behind. He shouldn’t be looking at her nice tight ass...unfortunately, his eyes seemed to have a mind of their own.
When she hesitated at the front door, he almost bumped into her. “Can we go in?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said, his lips twitching. “You don’t seem like you’re all that upset, so why the hesitation now with two armed police here?”
She dipped her head down, a shy move, an adorable one. He had a weakness for adorable too. Fast and loose had never been his type of woman. Probably because he’d seen his mother go through men like water gushing over a fall. His father went through just as many women. If anyone knew a slut at first glance, it was Blake.
Gemma Anderson was anything but fast, loose, or a slut. He knew right away without knowing anything else about her and he’d always been a good judge of character.
“I’m not sure. I guess it’s starting to feel a bit more real now that I’ve got to go in and look around. I’m not going to really know if anything is missing. I haven’t been here in years.”
“But you’re going to be staying here now?” he asked as they moved forward. He looked around at the open living and dining area. The kitchen was off to the side and partially closed in. The place was modern enough and neat. Cozy was a better word for it.
“Like I said, it’s my aunt’s place. She comes here a few times a year to relax. I’m starting a new job here and she told me to stay while I try to find a place.”
“Makes sense,” he said. “What do you think just looking around?”
“It doesn’t seem to me like much was touched other than someone slept on the couch and used the kitchen. They didn’t even make much of a mess other than leaving their trash behind.”
He opened the fridge and saw it was empty, so nothing in there to have been taken, he didn’t think. “Did she leave it stocked full of food for you?”
“No. She wouldn’t have. She just had someone come clean it.” Gemma started to open and close cabinets. “My aunt is meticulous about organization and it looks like nothing has been touched that I can see.”
He had to admit everything was lined up like soldiers going to war. He’d know; he’d been in the Army. He did his two tours and left the minute he could.
“Let’s check out the bathroom. My guess is they made use of that too.”
He followed her out of the kitchen and down a little hall into an average-sized bathroom. Nothing fancy by any means, but updated. This place looked like a vacation home even though it wasn’t on the water. Not that it was unheard of for someone to have a vacation home on a residential street, but there wasn’t much here on this road just outside of town.
“There’s a dirty towel that I’ll be throwing out,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“We’ll take it in for evidence,” he said. “Don’t touch it. But aside from that, it doesn’t look like they did anything else other than clean up.”
“I’ll check the rooms now. I hope to heck they didn’t sleep in the beds.”
He saw her shiver, but had a feeling the bedrooms would be fine. It was probably some hiker on the paths not that far from the backyard of the cabin that wandered down. By the mud on the tiles in the foyer that looked to have been partially wiped up, he’d bet that hiker got caught in the downpours they had last week and was looking for cover.
Gemma opened the first door, which looked to be a guest room. There wasn’t much in it but a dresser and a bed. He walked forward and glanced around, opened the closet, saw it was bare, then realized the bed was neat and tightly made.
“Looks like this room wasn’t disturbed.”
“This is the master. Well, the bigger of the two rooms,” she said, opening another door.
He looked around and saw more of the same. Nothing seemed out of place. “If I was to hazard a guess, a hiker probably made his way out of the woods during the last storm we had a few days ago. Maybe he’s good at picking locks and stayed for the night. He, or she, even tried to wipe up the mud on the floor. They probably ate and then left and forgot to fold the blanket, but otherwise they didn’t do much more.”
“Yeah, I kind of got that impression myself. Now I’m worried these locks are easy to break into though.”
He walked back out and looked at the lock. He could see where it was scratched and easy enough for someone to pick it. “I’d get these locks changed out fast if you can. Get some nice deadbolts and you should be fine.”
“Do you know of a locksmith I can call? I wonder if I could get someone out here today though,” she said, biting on her lower lip.
Oh man, he was toast with that move and was pretty sure she had no idea what she was doing to him. “You know what? I’m off duty in a few hours. I can swing by and grab a few locks and come change them for you if you want. I doubt you’d get someone out here today and I suspect you won’t sleep tonight if it’s not changed. There’s no way you’ll get a hotel room this short notice this time of year either.”
“I could sleep in my car,” she said.
“Which is crazy. What, are you going to sleep in the driveway here? How is that any different than inside with the doors locked?”
“It probably isn’t. I need to go into town to get some food anyway, I could get the locks if you told me what I needed. I might be able to switch them out. How hard could it be?”
She seemed like the type of person who could do just about anything. “Do you have tools?”
“I don’t. I’m not sure my aunt does either. Guess I could buy them too.”
“Or you can let me do this for you,” he said again. He hoped he wasn’t coming off as pushy.
“Do you do this for all the new people in town?”
“Only those that have had Goldilocks staying in their cabin.”
She laughed and those green eyes of hers started to almost glow. “Cute. If you insist, I’d appreciate it. Like I said, I have to go to get some food in town. I could cook you dinner as payment.” She stopped and looked down at his left hand suddenly. “I mean that is if you don’t have dinner waiting for you at home.”
“Nothing is waiting for me at home but some leftover pizza from last night,” he said.
“Then, yes. If you don’t mind doing it, I’d really appreciate it. When can I start bringing my stuff in to unpack? It’s really just clothes at the moment.”
“Why don’t you give us another twenty minutes or so. I’m sure by now the trooper that was here first has taken fingerprints and has been talking to neighbors for any signs of other activity.”
“Okay. I’ll just go outside and call my aunt back, then make a list of things I need to buy when I go into town.”
He nodded his head and tried to avert his eyes from her lovely backside as she walked out the front door, but damn it was hard.
2
Peace of Mind
Gemma sat in her car to call her aunt back. No way would she risk being overheard for this conversation.
“Well, did you call the police?” her aunt asked the minute she answered the phone.
“I did. A trooper and an investigator came out. They said they thought it was a hiker that was trying to get out of the rain from last week. Nothing had really been touched when we looked around. I’m going to change the locks though.”
“I should have done that years ago. I just never thought much of it. I’ll reimburse you the money, sweetie. Just let me know the cost of it all for the person to come out and do it.”
“You will do no such thing. You are letting me live here for nothing, it’s the least I can do. And the investigator is going to come back and do it tonight. He said I’d never get someone out here today and there would be no way for me to get a hotel room either.”
“The investigator? What’s his name?” her aunt asked, her voice teasing.
&nb
sp; “Investigator Wilson.”
“You didn’t get his first name?”
“I didn’t ask. He wasn’t in uniform either.” But she did check him out as best as she could. All six plus feet of deliciousness.
Dark hair, dark eyes that had no problem assessing his surroundings. Too bad he didn’t direct them at her more. Then again, she knew she wasn’t much to look at anyway. Just because she’d shed eighty pounds in the last six months didn’t mean she was attractive.
She’d always had eyes too big for her face, unruly thick hair that never wanted to do what she wanted it to and ears that stuck out. The reason she never pulled her hair back. If she didn’t have corrective eye surgery four years ago, she could add coke bottle glasses to the mix. At least her dietary overhaul in the past six months helped stop the acne that she was still sporting through her twenties.
“Is he single?” her aunt asked.
“I don’t know. I think so. I mean I offered to cook him dinner as a thank you. Then I stumbled over trying to find out if he had dinner waiting at home.”
“And what did he say?” her aunt asked. She heard the smile and the approval in her aunt’s voice.
“All he said was he had leftover pizza at home waiting for him. I don’t know, maybe it was a mistake. I should just tell him thank you, but that I’ll call someone to do it. If I have to wait a few days, that is fine.”
“No,” her aunt said. “He offered. You accepted. You offered, he accepted. Let the night play out. You are making all these changes in your life and let this be one of them.”
“I’m not looking to date him,” she argued. But wouldn’t it be sweet if she was? No man that looked like him would give her the time of day. Hot and rugged. She’d bet there were women knocking down his door multiple times a week.
“I think you’re lying. But if you aren’t, just enjoy the night with someone new. You need to meet people anyway. Consider it nothing more than that.”
“If you say so,” she said, even if she still wanted to cancel on the hunky investigator.
“I do. And don’t you dare cancel on me. I’ll worry all night long if you are staying in my cabin and I left it unsafe for you. I feel like it’s my fault already.”
“Talk about piling on the guilt.”
“Is it working?”
She laughed. “Yeah.”
“Promise me, Gemma, that you won’t cancel.”
“I promise.”
She hung up the phone and started to type into a note app what she wanted to pick up at the store. She was so lost in her list that she didn’t realize someone was outside her window until he knocked.
Then she had to scream and throw her phone in the air and try to catch it. That no doubt made a lovely impression. Good thing she knew he wouldn’t be interested in her.
She opened the car door and got out to talk to Investigator Wilson, who happened to be laughing at her. “Sorry,” he said.
“Not a problem. I was making a list of things to get at the store.” And so she didn’t lose her nerve or back out, she asked, “Any food allergies I should know about?”
“No. I can eat just about anything. We’re all done here. You can go in and start unpacking if you want. Do you need help carrying anything in?” he asked.
“I’m good. You’ve done enough. I appreciate it though.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, looking at the boxes in the back of her SUV.
“I’m sure. I packed and put it in there all myself. I’m pretty tough.”
“You definitely are,” he said, winking at her. “I’ll be back around six, if that is okay.”
What did he mean by that wink? Or those words. “That’s good,” she said, not sure what else to say. He nodded and started to walk away, then she said, “Wait.”
He turned to look at her. “Yes?”
“What’s your first name?”
He smiled again. He should arrest himself because it’s illegal to be that handsome. “Blake.”
“I’ll see you around six, Blake,” she said, testing his name out on her lips. Oh yeah, a sexy name too. Figures.
Blake was pulling out of the driveway and heading back to the barracks to write up his report when thoughts of Gemma popped into his head.
There was definite shyness there. Like she wanted to take back the invitation to dinner, but was pushing through the courage to move ahead.
He found that sexy in a woman. One that was tough yet shy.
It was a simple enough thing to change her locks, and though he’d never done it before for someone he’d just met, he had a feeling she’d sleep in her car like he guessed or on the couch with a baseball bat in her arms. There was no reason for that when he could easily give her some peace of mind.
Speaking of peace of mind. When was the last time a woman cooked a meal for him? So long ago, he couldn’t even remember.
When he dated now, it was always out to eat and always on his dime. Not that he cared, because he was old fashioned that way, but he was sick of the fact it was almost expected.
He got the feeling that Gemma didn’t expect much from people though. That she was used to being alone and might even prefer it that way.
But tonight he was going to talk to her and find out more. Because his interest was piqued and it’d been way too long since that had happened.
3
Sexy and Sweet
Gemma was a nervous wreck. She’d run all her errands and did what she needed to all the while trying to talk herself off the ledge.
That ledge being insanity. The one where she lost her mind and accepted an offer from a hot guy and then said she’d cook him dinner.
Why couldn’t she just say, “Thanks, I appreciate it, but I’ll figure it out?”
Nope, he probably thought she was a damsel in distress that didn’t know how to buy a lock for her house.
Instead, here she was pulling ingredients out for dinner while Blake was at her front door removing the old locks.
He’d knocked on her door about ten minutes ago and before she rushed forward, she’d stopped in the mirror to see if her hair was flying all over the place or not. It looked somewhat normal and as much as she wanted to pull it back out of her face, she was afraid he’d notice her ears that she felt stuck out way too much.
She’d never look in the mirror and see anything other than the fat kid that everyone made fun of her whole life. Even if the person staring back at her didn’t resemble it anymore, internally, she couldn’t get past feeling that way.
So after she’d checked herself out and figured there wasn’t much more she could do about her appearance, she ran to the door and opened it. There he was standing there in the same clothes as earlier. Tan pants—not old man khakis either—with a black short-sleeved polo shirt. His badge on his belt and gun were missing, but he still carried the air of authority around him.
“How much do I owe you?” she’d said right away.
He’d laughed at her and dug the receipt out of the bag he was carrying and handed it over. She went and got the cash out of her purse—thankful she remembered to do that while in town—then paid him.
He went about working while she said she’d start on dinner.
She was keeping it simple and as healthy as she could. But he was a man and she figured he’d want something hardier than she normally ate.
She’d grabbed two strip steaks, two big white potatoes, telling herself she’d work twice as hard for the carb splurge tonight, and then a head of cauliflower. She’d learned to roast and season her vegetables so that she enjoyed them as much as she did cake and ice cream as a kid.
Of course vegetables didn’t taste as good as the sweets she’d lived on, which was why she still treated herself once in a while, but not as often and she worked out to compensate now.
Lifestyle changes, and they took time. But she was determined to be happy, and sitting in her small apartment filling her face with junk food and watching TV every night didn’t make her any happie
r as an adult than it did as a kid.
She popped her head out of the kitchen and noticed that Blake was done with the first door, so she went to the deck and lit the grill. The potatoes were already partially cooked in the microwave so they wouldn’t take long on the grill in some foil.
When she turned to come back in, she saw Blake smiling at her as he changed out the lock on the glass doors. “I’m not in your way, am I?” he asked.
He even had a sexy voice. Why hadn’t she noticed that earlier?
“Not at all. I’m just going to grill some steaks. It’s an easy and quick meal. Do you like steak?”
“What guy doesn’t like steak?” he said back.
“That’s what I figured. I’m so sorry. I should have offered you something to drink. I’ve got water, tea, and beer. I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I picked up a six pack of Ubu. Since it’s brewed in Lake Placid, I figured it might be a safe bet?” she asked, hoping.
“I’d love a beer now that I’m off duty.”
“Good. I’ll go get one.” She quickly made her way to the kitchen and then looked around for some beer glasses. She hoped her aunt had some in the house. Aunt Julie was more of a wine drinker. But there was one glass with Ubu etched on it, so Gemma figured that was appropriate.
She’d found a bottle opener in a drawer, poured his beer and brought it out to him, then made her way back in the kitchen to slice the cauliflower into thick steaks and season them. While he had the door open and was installing the new lock, she snuck by fast and put the potatoes on the grill.
By the time he was all done with the lock, she was carrying a tray out to the deck filled with steaks and her cauliflower.
“Anything I can do to help?” he asked, putting his tools away.
“I’ve got it covered. If you want to just sit out here and relax while I cook, that’d be fine. I figured we could eat out here if you want. It’s a nice night.”
“That works. Don’t go out of your way. I can grab some plates and silverware and bring it out while you cook.”
