Page 10 of My Mail Order Valentine

I get changed and brush my teeth, then slink away to the bedroom again. When I open the door, I scream because there's a fire inside.

"Hunter, there's a fire!"

Before I know it, Hunter has pushed me aside and is putting out the fire with a fire extinguisher. When the fire is extinguished, he looks at me, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" He practically screams.

"Ye-yes."

He puts the fire extinguisher down and starts looking at the objects on the nightstand.

"Are these yours?" He points to the candle and the now-destroyed journal.

"Yes, they are part of my nighttime routine."

"You left a candle unattended in my home?" There's the threatening tone again.

"I was gone less than five minutes, Hunter."

He is not hearing anything I have to say right now.

"Unbelievable!" He walks out of the bedroom and slams the door shut. Immediately, a baby's cry sounds from the next room, and I hear him swearing.

I guess we're not off to a good start. At all.

Chapter 4

Hunter

My back hurts from sleeping on the damn couch. I'm halfway through getting Evie ready, and that curvy siren who invaded my cabin yesterday and nearly burned it down still hasn't shown her face. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I hate myself for feeling that way.

I'm not looking for a wife. I swear I'm not. The problem is that when I see her shapely body and sassy attitude, it makes me want to keep her despite my better judgment. My daughter is feeling much better today, which helps my plans for the day.

Once I've got everything packed and ready – daughter included – I go knock on my bedroom door.

"Elena, it's late."

I hear some rustling behind the door, which opens slightly. I can only see one red eye and a runny nose.

"Have you been crying?"

"I need some time to get ready, Hunter."

"I'll give you forty-five minutes. I'm going to leave Evie with a babysitter, and when I return, I want us to go to town and see if we can find somewhere for you to stay or make a plan for you to go back home."

"There's nothing back there for me, Hunter."

Her voice is raspy, and I feel a pang of guilt. I shouldn't have allowed her to sleep in the room with the remnants of the fire.

"I'll show you around town, then—for now, at least. How's that?"

Her chin came up. "I'll be ready when you come back from your errand."

"There's some breakfast for you on the stove."

She hesitates, then nods. The door shuts in front of me, and I'm left standing there like an idiot. This is my house, for God's sake. I pick up my daughter and her bag, but I can't stop thinking about how unfair this is for Elena.

Mrs. Brown offered her babysitting services, so I went to her house first. She's had Evie stay over often, so I don't mind leaving her there. She and her companion love to teach Evie new games and different activities, which makes my daughter happy.

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