Page 10 of Heart of Stone
As it turned out—and perhaps against my better judgment—I’d moved into one of the cabins at the retreat. Granted, there was nothing I wanted more than to have no affiliation with this place, but staying with my parents was not an option.
Not because they didn’t have the space. They did.
But even though I adored my mother, I couldn’t live with her and my father for six months. My dad and I had barely been ableto manage a handful of hours with each other. Living together for an extended period would have been even more detrimental to whatever scrap of a relationship we had at this point.
And given that my stay here in Ohio was only temporary, it didn’t make sense to put money into finding a place to rent. As part of the deal that I’d made with my father, he’d offered up, free of charge, one of the cabins that came equipped with all the amenities I’d need to have a reasonably comfortable stay until my time here was up.
So, no matter how much I despised this place as a whole, it was the best option I had available to me. I could have my own space, not need to worry about sinking any additional money into this project, and make the effort to go to my parents’ place to visit with my mom regularly throughout her recovery.
Concerned about the possibility of some wildlife having walked up onto the porch, I abandoned my task of figuring out dinner and moved toward the front door. On the way there, I tried to recall where I’d seen the bear spray earlier in the week when I first moved in.
But all thoughts of bears vanished when I glanced out the window and took in precisely what caused the ruckus outside. My jaw clenched as I sighed through my nose.
Natalia Barton.
What was the deal with this woman? Why was she here?
Despite doing everything in my power to get her to keep her distance, she refused. I’d suspected that following our initial meeting on Monday and the impromptu visit she’d made to my temporary office on Tuesday, Natalia would get the hint.
I wasn’t interested in making friends. I didn’t care to form any connections.
All I wanted to do was get through these next six months, acquire these several hundred acres, and finally turn this piece of land into something worthwhile.
But no matter how hard I tried to push her away or make things awkward or uncomfortable, Natalia wouldn’t be deterred.
I’d been a dick to her, and somehow, the woman still found a way to put a smile on her face and do her job well.
Or, I assumed she was doing it well.
The reality was that I couldn’t begin to keep up with Natalia. Every time I saw her, she was constantly on the go. Always getting something done and always chatting people up. Even after I’d all but kicked her out of the office on Tuesday, when I called her back to let her know the paperwork she’d brought over had been signed, Natalia didn’t fire any curse words back at me like she could have. Like she probablyshouldhave.
If this were any other situation, if anyone I worked with back in Pittsburgh was being treated by any member of the staff the way I was treating Natalia, they wouldn’t have had a job for very long.
Technically, she hadn’t done anything wrong but work here. That and talk too much about how great this place was or how wonderful my father was. I cringed every time she opened her mouth and spoke about any of it.
I wondered if this was part of some masterful plan my father had come up with. It wasn’t unreasonable to think that he would try any means to get his way. And how better to do it than to get someone like Natalia in on it.
She was beautiful—there was no use in denying that. She had long, light brown hair with golden highlights, deep brown eyes that sparkled every time she spoke—which wasall the time—and a body that commanded attention. God, I could still recall the way she lowered herself into that chair on the opposite side of the desk and crossed one bare leg over the other.
And that was the other thing. The way she dressed. Although this was a wellness retreat situated in the middle of the wilderness, Natalia didn’t stop herself from dressingprofessionally. I expected casual attire from most of the staff. Plenty kept it that way. But she was the opposite. I didn’t need to keep having that vision of her lowering herself into that chair and crossing her legs in front of me. I didn’t need to recall the sight of her walking away from that chair and toward the door to leave the office.
No.
No, I needed her to keep her distance as much as humanly possible. Because if I’d met her at home, I might have been inclined to ask her out on a date.
Now, she was here, sitting on the edge of the porch with her back to me. All I wanted was a quiet night to relax, and it seemed I couldn’t even get that.
Feeling the frustration bubble up inside me, I swiftly unlocked the door and flung it open. “What are you doing here?”
Natalia spun around with a gasp. Her eyes landed on me and widened in shock. “Reid.”
It took three or four seconds for me to gather that something was wrong. Natalia’s eyes were filled with unshed tears, and she was clutching her arm against her chest. “What happened to you?”
She rubbed her forearm. “I didn’t know you were staying here.”
My focus shifted from her arm to her face and back again. “Are you hurt?”
Natalia swallowed roughly. “It’s… It’s nothing.” She pulled back the sleeve of her sweater. “I was walking up the steps when I tripped, fell, and landed on my arm.”
