Page 9 of Their Reluctant Catch

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Colton

The coffee in my mug has gone cold, but I don’t bother warming it. I’m not the least bit interested in drinking it.

I merely sit there, elbows resting on the kitchen table’s worn surface, staring at the swirling grain of the wood like it’s got answers to questions I don’t want to ask.

Todd has gone upstairs.

A woman. There’s a woman in our house.

That thought alone is enough to set my teeth on edge. It’s been years since we’ve had anyone under this roof who isn’t a friend or neighbor dropping something off.

The last one who stayed? High heels, high drama, and higher expectations. Annalise had wanted to turn our cottage into something out of a coastal magazine. She’d smiled sweetly and called it rustic—until the first storm rolled in and she discovered the plumbing wasn’t Instagram-worthy.

And now? Now there’s a stranger up there—someone soft, someone who doesn’t belong in a place like this, who looks so... soout of place.

And my brother?

He’s halfway to falling for her already. I can hear it in his tone, that sparkle he gets when he’s hooked on someone. Doesn’t take much with him. If she’s wearing a skirt, is unattached and under forty, Todd’s interested.

Maybe that’s unfair. Am I turning into a bitter old man—thirty-four going on eighty?

And she wasn’t wearing a skirt. She wore snug, dark-blue jeans that hugged her long, muscled legs like they’d been painted on. Legs that looked like they could stand their ground when the going gets tough. Legs I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about.

And that ass. Goddamn.

I press my palms flat against the table, willing away the thoughts, but they stick like burrs.

Of course, Todd noticed her assets, too. And of course, he’s already making plans in his head. But he doesn’t know her, and hell, neither do I. She could be married with children. What I do know is that she’s a complication we don’t need.

Above me, voices filter through the ceiling. Todd’s rich, easygoing baritone rises above hers and Mel’s, and I grit my teeth against the sound. He’s clearly charmed by her, and he’s desperate for a woman in his life. Why is he pushing for changes? We have a good life. We work hard, make a living by working with nature. Not many women are cut out to live this life.

Hell, our entire town is proof this is a man’s world.

Maybe she’s charming. Maybe she’s funny. But that doesn’t mean she’s sticking around. If she’s smart, she’ll be out of here the second her car’s fixed, back to wherever she came from—back where she belongs.

I glance at the old ceiling that creaks like it’s falling apart, debating whether to go upstairs as well to see what’s got Todd so damn entertained. The idea lingers, like an itch I can’t quite reach, but my feet stay rooted to the floor. I don’t trust myself to see her again, not after noticing what I already have. Not after thinking about how that lean, sinuous body would look underneath those clothes.

Hell, no.

The floor above creaks faintly, and I focus on my hands, clenching and unclenching them like that’ll do anything to ease the tightness in my chest. It’s not just her. It’s Todd, too.

He’s going to get his hopes up. He always does. Sees the best in everyone, even when there’s no reason to. And when it doesn’t work out—when she leaves, because of course she’s going to leave—I’m the one who’ll have to pick up the pieces. Again.

The thought twists in my gut, sharp and bitter. The last thing either of us needs is more disappointment, but Todd never learns. He’s always reaching for something, while I’m the one pulling him back when it slips through his fingers.

The stairs creak. I glance up, tension coiling tight, but it’s not her. It’s Mel. She pops her head around the kitchen archway. She’s a good woman.

“I’m going.” She grabs her coat from the coatrack. “Call me if anything happens or changes.”

I nod. “Will do. Say hi to Gordon for me.”

She gives a small smile. “Will do.” And just like that, she’s gone, and the door clicks shut behind her.

The house falls silent for a moment, and briefly, I let myself hope that’s the end of it, that maybe the woman upstairs is simply catching her breath and won’t be around long enough to stir any trouble.

But then Todd’s laugh cuts through the quiet, rich and full and so damnexhilaratedit makes my jaw clench.

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