Page 45 of The Wrecked One

The second he finished, he busied himself with cleaning the dishes, then jerked a thumb outside as his way of letting me know he was exfil’ing. Not a far trip. He’d gone lumberjack mode and began chopping wood.

Wanting to do more than stare at the four walls of the tiny kitchen, I followed him and parked myself onto a wooden bench a few feet away. Scrappy joined me, and as I ran my hand over his soft fur, I watched Oliver work up a sweat while trying to hide his curses under his breath.

It was only when Oliver had finished destroying his shoulder and probably working through his demons that his father graced us with his presence, returning from the woods with the dirt bike at his side.

“You broke the damn thing,” Sam grumbled. “I had to walk it all the way.”

“Good exercise for you.” Was that a joke from Oliver? At least that was still possible.

“So, no car? How do you get into town?” I angled my chin toward the snowmobile parked by the cabin. “Can’t take that without snow, so . . .”

Oliver pulled his shirt over his head, and I was disappointed to lose sight of those glorious muscles.

“We have a truck parked about a mile away, but we use the dirt bike to get to it.” Sam leaned the bike against the shed, shaking his head.

“The walk to the truck will also be good exercise for you. Good for your heart,” Oliver said before Sam disappeared into the shed, quickly returning with a toolbox. “What’s with the questions about town? Need something?”

I smirked, happy he was at least speaking to me. “I only brought one change of clothes. I kind of expected we’d be leaving together tomorrow.”

With the sunlight hitting Oliver’s face, he shielded his eyes with his hand. “That confident, huh?”

“I’m sure you remember no isn’t an answer I usually accept.” Stroking Scrappy’s head now on my lap, I peeked at Sam working on the bike, pretending to ignore us. I had a feeling he had every intention of listening in.

“That I do, but you’ll have to learn to get used to it.” He lowered his hand to his side. “The only place I’ll go with you is into town to buy you clothes. When Falcon is back, you’ll be leaving here without me.”

At least he was willing to ride with me into town. Spend time with me. Baby steps. Of course, I only had five or so days, give or take Falcon’s mission, to convince Oliver to leave with me, so I supposed my steps couldn’t be too small.

“So, does that mean we’re walking a mile to your truck today?” I shifted Scrappy’s head to the side so I could stand, and he howled in protest. His personality reminded me a bit of Carter’s dog, Dallas.

“Today?” He frowned.

“Why? You have plans?” I sucked in a breath of the fresh mountain air, partially understanding why a place like this might be good for him. Therapeutic, even. No technology or hustle-and-bustle. Just nature and unpolluted air. “Something better to do, huh?”

He rolled his eyes, shooting his attention to his father for a beat.

At some point, I hoped he’d share that story with me. How exactly had he come to live with a man who’d left him as a teenager?

“Does this small town have a barber? I’m guessing not since you’re scruffier than Scrappy here,” I teased, trying to take Gwen’s advice and be myself, whoever that was anymore.

Sam’s husky chuckle was deep and genuine-sounding. “I like her.”

“Good, she can stay with you, then. I’ll go shopping by myself.” Oliver stalked into the house, returning a handful of seconds later with keys jangling from his hand.

Shit, I blew it. I considered pushing and demanding to go with him, but I also didn’t want to press my luck. “Remember my size?” I tossed out as he shoved the keys in his pants pocket.

Oliver’s eyes cut down my body, and he frowned. He’d probably realized my appetite had also suffered in his absence. A broken heart could do that.

“I’m good.” He shook his head, then told his father, “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

On his knee by the bike, Sam looked over at him. “That include when she’s in the bathroom?”

“Smart-ass,” Oliver said under his breath.

“Ah, I see where you get it from.” I couldn’t help myself, the comment just tumbled from my mouth. I also didn’t miss the eye roll from both of them. “Okay, well, I’m going to find something to do, I guess.”

“Just don’t sleep. You know what naps do to you. You’ll toss and turn all night.” Oliver closed his eyes, scowling, clearly upset he’d dipped into the past and shared such an intimate detail about me. Particularly a memory involving him sleeping next to me.

“Yes, sir.”

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