Page 4 of Boundary

"My first night here, I went for a walk. A large dog chased and attacked me. I tripped on the cable around the boundary."

"A large black dog?"

"Yes. How did you know? Is it from the manor house?"

"Yes. How did it attack you?"

My lip tremored as I recounted what happened. I didn't tell Bob about the dog's intelligence, or that when it saw my existing injuries, it backed away.

Rubbing the back of his head, Bob spotted a notepad and pen and brought it over to me. "Write me that list."

Taking the pad, I wrote out some generic food items I needed.

Taking the list when I finished, Bob huffed at it. "This is a pretty basic list, the only specific thing is the coffee."

"Good coffee is my only vice."

Ripping the list from the pad, Bob dropped the pen and pad back to the table. "I'll take care of this for you. Rest that ankle up." Making his way back out, I heard him set the lock before shutting the door, locking himself out. Turning my head to gaze out the window at the backyard, I sighed. My eyes felt heavy, so I closed them and slept.

A few hours later, I woke up and removed the now melted ice pack from my ankle. Limping over to the table and my computer, I had a few more clients waiting for their website packages. It would seem I needed the extra money sooner than later.

It wasn't until the next morning that I heard from anyone. There was a quiet knock at the front door mid-morning. Expecting Bob, I opened the door. Another man in his mid-thirties, with dirty blond hair, and a nice suit was unloading bags from a black Mercedes.

Glancing at the bags on the porch, I frowned. "This is more than on the list."

"I know." Shutting the boot, the man brought the last bag forward. "I added a few extra staples to your shopping." Meeting my eyes with his dark brown ones, he lifted a brow. "I'm Jeremy." When I nodded, he frowned. "This is usually the part where you introduce yourself."

"Vera."

Picking up the bags, Jeremy moved forward, making me shift back as he stepped into my home. Pressing myself against the wall, I held my breath as he passed. Jeremy's eyes turned fierce, his jaw tightened, but he said nothing else. Once he passed, I went to my room and collected my purse. Limping out to the kitchen, I saw Jeremy unpacking all the shopping.

"I can do that. How much do I owe you?"

"Was it your husband?"

My mouth fell open. "I, I don't know what you mean?"

"The man who beat you; who made you so afraid. Was it your husband?"

Gaping like a fish at his brazenness, I blinked. "I've never married."

"Ex-boyfriend?"

"Never had one of those either. How much do I owe you?"

"So it was your father?" Ignoring me, Jeremy kept unpacking.

"No! Please stop asking questions and tell me how much I owe you!" Closing the fridge, Jeremy studied me for a long moment. With a huff, he picked up the shopping bags and strode to the front door. "Wait, how much...?"

"Stop asking questions and get off that leg, Vera Cana." The door should have slammed with his tone of voice, but it closed with a quiet click.

Unsure what just happened, I stared at the door for several minutes. Clearing my throat, I put my purse on the counter then moved to the fridge. Noting the new items, I added up the cost.

Thirty minutes later, I heard a whipper sniper and looked up from my computer to see Bob working on the garden. Damn it! We still hadn't agreed on a price. Using the table to help me stand, I limped out onto the patio. "Bob!"

Glancing up, Bob turned off the tool and strode towards me. "Morning, how's the ankle?"

"Still sore. Can we talk about your costing?"

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