Page 21 of Mountain Man Officer

“I’m so glad,” I gushed.

Macy collected her bags and smiled. “Text me.”

I watched her slip out the door and wondered if I might have a chance. Out of all the nonexistent options I had, talking some sense into Jason was my overwhelming favorite. He had been nice to offer me a place to stay, I decided, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. The idea of sharing the cabin was almost as bad as the idea of sharing a studio with Ava. I frowned into my soda. No, sharing a studio would be worse. For the first time today, I smiled, imagining climbing over my best friend to try to get to the kitchen. When I finally paid for the meal and drove home, I was feeling a little bit better.

9

JASON

When I clocked out for the day, my thoughts were spinning. I saw visions of grieving family members, mystery drug dealers, and Lindsey. I didn’t know how to help her. If she remained stubborn and wouldn’t accept my offer of a place to stay, what was going to happen to her? I knew that I shouldn’t worry. She had been coping just fine before she met me, but since our handful of interactions, I had begun to feel protective of her.

My mind wandered back to a picture of her in her pajamas, arms wrapped around her stomach, standing up to me. No woman with that much spunk should lose her home. There had to be something I could do, some way I could make this work.

Maybe I could dig into the landlord’s background a bit, bring him up on some charges. I was sure Lindsey wasn’t his first victim, and in who knew how many shady deals, he must have done something illegal. I tabled that idea for the moment. I wasn’t sure how an investigation was going to help Lindsey now. And for all my philanthropic thoughts, I wasn’t willing to give up my claim on the cabin. I needed a place to live too.

When I got back to the hotel, my phone rang, and Dillon’s name flashed across the screen. “Hello?” I answered.

“Hey,” Dillon said.

“Did you want to grab a bite?”

“No, Macy brought home takeout,” he said. “Listen, she’s getting pretty close with that hairdresser who rented the cabin you’re buying.”

“Oh.” I sat down. Was this going to be one of those “my wife wanted me to call you” conversations? I’d had my share of those back when I had been married. I was still married, I corrected myself, just not actively.

“Yeah,” Dillon continued, clearly under duress. “Macy was wondering if you might reconsider the purchase.”

I laughed. I could picture Dillon sitting in his own cabin, his wife watching him make the call. My heart went out to him, as a dude, but I wasn’t going to capitulate.

“I offered her the opportunity to stay,” I said. “She turned me down.”

“Well, maybe you can try again?” Dillon suggested. “The girl’s all broken up.”

“Alright,” I agreed. “I’ll try again.”

“Thanks, man!” Dillon brightened considerably. I could see him already checking that off the long list of requirements for marital sex.

“Glad to help,” I said and hung up.

The next day, I found Lindsey at work. She was busy with a client and didn’t see me come in. I was treated to a full view of her figure, tucked away inside modest, professional clothes. Ava, the other hairdresser, was clad in blue jeans and a shimmery top, but Lindsey, she had put thought into her wardrobe. She was wearing slacks and a blouse, the apron that hugged her hips the only nod to her profession. Without that, she might look like a teacher or a businesswoman.

Lindsey looked up to see who had walked through the door. She flinched, and I wondered if I would be treated to another lecture. How dare I attempt to purchase property in a beautiful, remote location? I must be some kind of monster. Then her jaw muscles relaxed, and she flashed a shy smile.

She leaned forward over her client’s shoulder and said, “Will you excuse me for a moment?” Walking over, she placed the scissors in her pocket and looked up at me.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hi.”

“How are you?”

She shrugged.

“Um…” This seemed to be going better than I had thought it would. I took a chance. “Would you like to have lunch?”

She smiled. “Sure.”

I was shocked. Not only had she agreed to spend time with me, but she had actually smiled. What had happened to my irate little fireball who’d tossed beer in my face?

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