Page 3 of Protected By the Surly Carpenter

It’s so sweet that he’s playing the part of my boyfriend to keep me safe from that creep. No one’s ever protected me before. Ever. It feels… I don’t know. My head is spinning.

Clark. Of course he’d have a classic, good guy name. Clark Kent! Ha.

He eats slowly, then leans back easily as if he has all the time in the world to wait for me. Luckily, people don’t linger as much as they did last week, and I’m able to clock out just after midnight. When I come out of the restaurant, Clark is just finishing stacking the chairs under the awning. “Chance of rain tonight. Don’t want the lunch shift to have to wipe down the chairs.”

“Well, since the lunch shift is me, thank you very much.”

His scowl is sexy as hell. “You work until midnight then come back for lunch?”

“At eleven, yeah. I asked for every possible shift they could give me.”

He clearly doesn’t like that but doesn’t comment further. I walk with him to his truck, and he opens the passenger door. “Where do you live?”

“I’m staying at the Inn. There aren’t any apartments in my budget available right now, but I hear there might be one in a few weeks.”

There’s something about the way he takes my hand to help me step up. As if he doesn’t want to let go. It’s not just hot, physical desire. It feels like he might really like me.

Once we’re driving slowly he asks, “You don’t usually walk, do you?”

“Yes. Or sometimes I get a ride with one of the cooks. I mean, it’s only three blocks.”

“You should drive,” he states flatly. “That way if anyone is following you, you can just keep going.”

“To where, exactly?” I can’t suppress my giggle. “The whole point of me coming here is that I don’t know anybody, and nobody knows me.”

We pull into the Inn’s small parking lot, and he cuts the engine before turning to me. “So, you’re on the run?”

Suddenly I feel even tinier next to him. “Oh. Um. Is it that obvious?”

Clark’s expression softens. “I just want to help, Elena.”

“I know.”

“Why don’t we go inside and you can tell me all about it.”

My key sticks in the door, but I’ve already learned the trick of it. Pulling the handle toward me and jiggling it to the left, it finally clicks. I go inside, as Clark stops to check the door, frowning. “No deadbolt? No chain lock?”

I shrug. “Guess not.”

This time his scowl is darker. “Anybody could kick—” His head jerks back to take in my wide eyes. “Sorry, Elena. Didn’t want to scare you. I’ll take care of it.” He goes through the small room methodically, checking each window, then the door again. “Be right back.”

My room is already neat as a pin, but I check for anything girlie and embarrassing that I’ve left out while he rummages in the back of his truck. There’s a sharp snap. Then another. Was that…pruning shears?

He comes back in and gets down to work. He sets a long, slim piece of wood into each sill so that the window can’t be slid open. Then he starts screwing a sturdy chain lock into the door. “I had this left over from a cottage repair last month.”

“Should you be doing that?” I ask.

He throws me a glance over his shoulder. “If they kick up a fuss, just tell them I did it. They’ll know I had a good reason.”

When he finishes, he tidies up and washes his hands. Then he looks around. I’m sitting on the bed, and the logical place to sit would be beside me. But instead, he pulls out the rickety chair in the corner and eases his huge frame into it.

“Elena…” He stares down at his hands for a moment. “I feel like I’m already overstepping boundaries left and right. I swear, I’m not normally so…aggressively protective.” His chin lifts as he meets my eyes, looking hopeful.

“No, I really appreciate it.” My hand darts out to squeeze his for just a second. “I’ve been bouncing around, trying to find somewhere that’s sort of off the radar.”

“And then that piece of shit Lawney shows up.” His voice takes on a darker tone. “That jackass always has his ear to the ground, which means someone has been looking for you.” He hesitates. “What was he was saying about your rings?”

His gaze darts to my left hand, as I burst into laughter. “Oh! Not wedding rings!” I love the way his wide shoulders drop an inch. “I’m sorry, I’m not ready to explain it all. It’s just…too much right now.”

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