Page 40 of Jack Raider

I’d just dropped off a box of school supplies at the old cabin, when I spotted the unfamiliar Jeep parked on the ridge. Tourists didn’t usually come this far up the mountain. Not unless they were lost.

I pulled up beside her and stepped out, expecting someone panicked, irritated, or at least annoyed.

What I got was a woman who looked like she’d just walked out of a sunshine commercial—windblown hair, flushed cheeks, a smile that struck me straight in the chest. She looked like she belonged here. Even if she didn’t know where “here” was.

“You alright?” I asked, voice calm.

“I think so,” she said, tucking a map behind her back like she didn’t want me to see how useless it had been. “I was looking for the old bed and breakfast. I’m staying there—well, temporarily. Until my cabin is ready. It comes with my new job.”

I blinked. “You’re Tessa?” So much for the old teacher I pictured in my mind.

“Max?” she asked, eyes widening.

I nodded once.

Her mouth parted slightly. Her eyes softened. And something shifted in the air between us.

Recognition. Attraction. Something that felt dangerously close to fate.

“Hi,” she said, a little breathless.

“Hi,” I echoed, slower. “You're late.”

She winced. “I got lost. I’m a chronic misplacer. Directions. Coffee cups. My sanity—usually in that order.”

I smiled before I could stop myself.

She was trouble. Not in the reckless way. In theI might like having her around nakedkind of way. And that was dangerous.

Because I’d already loved and lost once, and it was too painful to go through again.

Because I’d already left behind my whole life to protect someone else's peace.

And yet, standing here in the middle of nowhere, with this slightly frazzled woman smiling at me like I was someone worth finding, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time.

Tessa

The inside of the large bed and breakfast was cozier than I expected—warm wooden floors, mismatched furniture that somehow worked, and the faint smell of coffee, leather, and… Max’s spicy scent.

I tried not to notice. Ifailed.

He carried my suitcases in like they weighed nothing and set it by the stairs. “You’ll be in the room to the right it has the best view. I’ll carry these up for you. You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want.

“Thanks,” I said, glancing around the common room. There was a fireplace, a big old bookshelf with actual books that looked like they had all been read a few times, and a couch that looked like it had been through a few battles and lived to tell the tale.

“Mrs. Smith, said I had a cabin, but it needed some work done to it. So as long as I can stay here, that’s great. Of course I’ll pay rent.”

“No you won’t pay rent. This comes with the job. I’ll give you a tour in the morning,” Max said. “Kitchen’s there. Back door stays locked after dark. Coffee’s non-negotiable at six a.m.” I made a mental note to pick up that stuff I dropped off at the cabin in the morning.

“Copy that,” I said, giving him a mock salute.

He looked like he wanted to smile again. But didn’t.

Instead, he gave me a short nod and disappeared into what I assumed was his office.

By the time I unpacked and made tea, it was nearly ten. I was too wired to sleep, so I wandered into the kitchen to explore.

I found the fridge, put my tea in there to chill, and accidentally left behind my keys, my phone charger, and a single sock I somehow removed during the process. Don’t ask.

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