Page 10 of Twist of Fate

“Hi, girl.” Beth rose up, placing the bookmark Leni had given her between the pages so she wouldn’t lose her place, and tossed the book onto the sofa. She went over to the screen and pushed it open. “What brings you here?”

“She wanted to let you know it’s time to get dinner on, if you still want to help.”

Beth let out a gasp, startled. She hadn’t even realized Wyatt was standing at the edge of the path which led to the guest cabin. “Yes, of course. I’d love to help. Just let me get the keys to lock up.”

“You can always lock the door if it makes you feel safe, Beth, but we don’t generally lock our places around here. Nobody will break in, promise. Freya will let me know if anyone’s lurking.”

Beth patted the shepherd’s head affectionately. “Yes, I guess she would.”

“She’s an excellent guard dog,” he explained as they walked toward him. “She always alerts me to strangers.”

Beth wondered if he was saying that more for her benefit than making small talk. In any case, she was glad for it. Having the large, well-trained dog around did make her feel safer.

As did the attractive man waiting for her at the end of the path.

“Do you drink wine? I got a bottle of Cabernet that will pair with the steaks nicely.”

Beth fell into step beside Wyatt, Freya flanking him on the other side. “I don’t mind a glass every now and then.”

“Great. I thought I’d take care of the steaks if you don’t mind prepping the veggies.”

“That works for me.”

Once they reached the back door of his cabin, she followed him inside, Freya waiting until they were both safely in the house before joining them. Whatever expectations Beth had of what Wyatt’s cabin looked like on the inside, they were blown out of the water by reality.

It was simply beautiful. Looked like something out of a magazine which showcased mansions and castles.

A large fireplace dominated the living room, exposed brick leading all the way to the ceiling. A comfortable-looking cream sofa faced it, with two single chairs on one side and another sofa on the other. Plump, fluffy, pale blue pillows were neatly arranged on them. A pastel blue and cream throw blanket was tossed neatly over the back of the sofa. Tall lamps with stained glass shades, similar to the ones in her cabin, adorned the side tables.

The walls were all wood paneling, with exposed logs holding up the roof. The kitchen was to the right of where she stood, through an open space, and it was just as lovely as the living room was. A huge island, obviously handcrafted, stood in the middle, with four stools neatly tucked underneath one side.

There was plenty of counter space and they were topped with glass cabinets, allowing anyone to see the contents. All the cabinetry was white, which she felt broke up the wood theme nicely. He had two large, built-in ovens, along with a dishwasher neatly tucked away. A large fridge/freezer sat in place on one end. Somehow, Beth knew without asking Wyatt had made everything himself. The island, the cabinets.

When she glanced at the front door, she saw the staircase that led up to the second floor. Presumably, that contained the bedrooms and bathroom.

“There’s a bathroom downstairs,” Wyatt told her. He walked over and opened a door on the left she hadn’t noticed. “Upstairs are three bedrooms and the main bathroom. Come on, I’ll give you a tour.”

She followed him up the stairs and marveled at the three good-sized rooms and the gorgeous bathroom. It had an ocean theme with navy blue and white accents, and a shower definitely big enough to fit two. The cubicle was enclosed by glass and the floor and walls were made of large stones. An enormous square showerhead in what looked like copper jutted out from near the top.

Beth gasped as an image of the two of them naked and taking a shower together suddenly popped into her head, unbidden. She could imagine running her hands over his bare skin, her fingertips caressing the muscles and planes of his body. An unwanted surge of lust heated her blood, and she had to take several deep breaths to get it under control.

“Are you okay, Beth?”

She nodded, blinking rapidly and focusing on the man standing next to her. “Yes, sorry. Just taking it all in. Your cabin is absolutely gorgeous.”

He gave her a wide smile. “Thank you. It took me well over a year to finish it off, but it was worth all the hard work. And I didn’t do it alone. A lot of the townsfolk helped in one way or another.” She stuck her head into what appeared to be a guest bedroom and a home office, before following him back downstairs into the kitchen. “I do have a grill outside, but figured we’d just use the one in here tonight. The bugs can be annoying sometimes.”

“Sounds good to me. What would you like me to do?”

He poured them both a glass of white wine and showed her where everything was in the kitchen, so she could move about freely and grab what she needed. They agreed on baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, and cheese, along with some vegetable skewers Wyatt would grill alongside the steaks.

After cutting up the different colored peppers, zucchini, and red onion for the skewers, Beth carefully arranged them on the wooden sticks and coated them in olive oil and herbs before placing the plate next to the grill. She then prepared the potatoes and wrapped them in foil.

She and Wyatt talked as they cooked dinner together. The conversation was surprisingly easy, although they stuck to general topics and avoided personal questions. Beth learned he’d lived in Silverbell Shore for three years. He owned the town’s boating business and she asked him about it; he explained he took charters out onto the large lake, and business boomed in spring and summer. He also volunteered he was a former Navy SEAL, something that didn’t surprise her in the slightest, but didn’t go into any more detail.

She’d noticed how alert he was. How much he took in without saying a word. He was thoughtful and observant, something she’d seen in the little time she’d known him.

Thankfully, he didn’t ask too many questions about her and where she was from. He did wonder what her eventual destination was, and she blurted out the first thing that popped into her head: Maine. As far away as she could get from Miles as possible. When he asked her what awaited her in Maine, she made up a story about a cousin who lived there.

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