Page 15 of His to Unwrap

“If you want me there. I don’t want you and Cooper getting stuck on the mountain.”

His eyes soften and he reaches over to trace my cheek. “I want you there, Madison. I’ve wanted you there since I bumped into you at the coffee shop.”

I don’t understand him. He’s done nothing but discourage spending time together.

Ezra easily turns his truck around on the narrow mountain road, then drives back to his cabin. I didn’t get a good look at it the first time. All I could see was Ezra without a shirt. Every corded muscle and ridge, the dusting of auburn hair that arrowed down into his jeans, and those broad shoulders. Watching him swing the ax as I pulled up to the cabin was like living a fantasy.

It’s on my tongue to ask him if he needs to chop more, so I can watch, when he turns off the truck and gets out, coming around to open my door.

Cooper jumps down and I get my first good look at the cabin. It’s two story and built with timber, no doubt from this very forest. There’s a porch that runs the length of the front and two small steps down to the drive. From the way Harmony described it, I thought the roof would be half caved in. This cabin looks well maintained. Surrounded by woods and nature, it seems so peaceful. Very different from the noisy, smog filled city that never sleeps. I love it.

Ezra settles his hand on the small of my back and guides me up the steps and inside. Cooper bounds in behind us and flops down in front of the fireplace.

The inside of the cabin is a mix of decades. The floor looks like it’s from the 1800s, the furniture from the 1980s, and the kitchen… the beautiful kitchen is brand new. I gravitate toward it, touching the clean quartz countertop and admiring the farmhouse sink and new appliances. “It’s charming.”

“Thanks. It’s all a work in progress, but the bones are sound.”

“This used to belong to Harmony’s family?”

“Yeah, did she tell you? Her brother, Gideon, and I served. We lost touch for a couple years, but he tracked me down. Gave me this place under the condition that I fix it up.”

“How long ago was that?”

“A couple of months ago. I haven’t been here long, but now that I am, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

“I understand.”

“You feel that way about New York?” he asks.

“No. I hate it there. In fact, one of the things I planned to do on this vacation was figure out where I was going next.”

Ezra removes my coat and hangs it by the door with his, then steers me to the couch and kneels down to stoke the fire back up.

“What did you decide?” he asks.

“Nothing yet.”

“What about your job? I heard you have a TV show?” He glances away. “Although I haven’t seen it.”

I chuckle softly. “That’s okay. I actually quit the show and my job.” At his inquisitive look, I add, “The stress of the show was getting to me. Giving me anxiety. I like Chef Alastair, but his behavior toward others made for a difficult work environment.”

Ezra nods. “Let me get you some hot tea.”

My heart warms when I realize he’s still taking care of me. I settle in deeper on the couch, watching the fire and the big dog stretched in front of it. “Cooper seems like an unusual name for a dog. What breed is he?” He’s got husky markings, but he’s tall and thin, with patches of curly hair.

“Frankenstein, I think. He looks like he’s made up of leftover parts.”

“Aww, I think he’s cute.”

Coop’s tail thumps against the floor a few times in response, which makes me laugh.

“Cooper was my grandfather’s name,” Ezra says a few minutes later.

I can feel the weight to his words. His grandfather meant a lot to him. He’s pouring the boiling water over the tea bags when I join him in the kitchen.

“I went to live with my grandparents when I was six. We lost my grandpa two years later. Then it was just me and my grandmother.”

“What happened to your parents?”

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