Page 4 of Organized Chaos

“Refurbisher.” Her voice was muffled like she’d stuck her head in a cabinet.

“Right.” He walked slowly into the kitchen. “If that’s all true then you can come back once I’ve talked to my dad. But I can’t leave you here alone.”

“Oh, yes, you can.” She popped up from behind the refrigerator, where she must’ve been trying to hide. Cobwebs decorated her hair like last year’s Halloween decorations. She wrapped her arms over her middle and her gaze darted around the room. “You need to leave and let me finish my work.”

She was trying to sound forceful, but the squeak in her voice gave her away.

Why was she so afraid of him? Phillip held up one hand when she started to run off again. “Wait. Can we just have a normal conversation without you trying to kill yourself by falling down stairways?”

“Stop chasing me like some kind of madman!” She flung her arms up into the air. Dirt billowed around her in waves.

Phillip bit back a snort, but it slipped past his control. Him? A madman? He dragged his phone from his pocket and checked the reception. A sigh forced its way out. He’d known it wouldn’t be that easy, but man did he wish he could call his dad and clear this whole thing up.

Of course, if she was lying, and he thought she must be, then he still had the problem of getting her to leave. He took a cautious step forward. “Look, there are some perfectly nice places in town where you can spend the night. My friend Caleb runs the homeless shelter. He’d be happy to give you a bed for the night.”

Sarah looked down at herself, then back at him. A dangerous glint lit her eyes, and she planted her hands on her hips. “I’m not homeless. For your information, I have a very nice home about fifty miles from here.”

Right. Sure she did. It was becoming evident with every passing minute that this woman needed help. Help that hecouldn’t provide when she was delusional about her situation. He decided to play into her fantasy. “I’m sure it’s a wonderful home. One that you should get back to.” He gentled his tone and held out a hand. “Come on. I’ll walk you to the front door.”

He expected her to fall into his plan, but her lips flattened into a thin line and her eyebrows drew together in a slash. Even furious, she was beautiful.

Phillip forced his mind away from that thought. She needed help and he had no right to think about how her physical appearance affected him. He might not spend a lot of time with people, but he knew better than to be drawn in by physical beauty that could hide all manner of ugly deceit.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” She rocked onto her heels and didn’t budge.

He puffed his cheeks full of air, giving himself a few seconds before he answered. Maybe he should leave and call the cops. They were better able to deal with things like this. He was just a guy who did podcasts about ranching, cattle, horses, and everything in between. He didn’t have the skillset to talk this woman into doing the right thing.

But he knew he couldn’t leave her here. What if she went down to his parents’ house and scared them? Or hurt them? He’d never be able to live with himself.

He heard a squeak and the scrabbling of tiny claws coming from the wall behind him. Phillip didn’t dare take his eyes off Sarah. Getting a lamp thrown at his head once was enough, thank you very much.

A spider scurried down Sarah’s arm, going from shoulder to elbow, where it stopped. Black legs stretched long and thin. He couldn’t tell the species from here but knew there was always a chance it might be a black widow. They loved these damp old walls. Phillip schooled his expression and motioned at his own arm. “You…. uh… you have something. There.”

Sarah scoffed. “I’m not falling for that one either. Next thing you know, you’ll be putting me in handcuffs and dragging me to the basement ‘for my own good’.” She emphasized the last part with fingers curled into quotes and rolled her eyes. The spider reacted to her sudden movement by scurrying closer to her hand. Sarah must’ve spotted the movement, because she did that dancing in a circle while screaming and flailing her arms thing again.

Ah. So that was what prompted the first episode. He’d heard the screaming when he first walked it. It was what put him on edge and had him leading a strong defense.

“Get it off me. Get it off.” She ran at him, eyes wide and frightful.

Phillip tried to find the offender, but her erratic movement made it impossible. “Hold still.” He gripped her shoulder. Her elbow caught him in the chin, knocking his teeth together and sending his head snapping back with a clack of vertebrae. That was going to hurt later.

By the love of all things holy, this woman was a terror in tennis shoes. He avoided her wild swings and spotted the spider crawling across her back. He smacked it to the floor and stomped it for good measure.

Sarah gasped and clutched both hands to her chest. “Oh my life, forgive me but I hate spiders.” She shuddered so hard that he heard her bones pop. “Why does it always have to be spiders? If a rat had ran out, I’d be okay.” She peered around. “Not that I want mice running over my feet.”

“I think they’ll stay hidden until dark.” Maybe this was how he’d get her out of the house. “I’ve been intending to set traps for them but haven’t had time.”

Sarah backed away from him at the mention of traps.

Great. They were back to that. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, I’m notsome psycho who’s trying to hurt you. This place isn’t safe. Even if you do have permission to be here, you shouldn’t be alone.” Moving slowly, he pulled his phone from his pocket and swiped to unlock it. “Look, this is me with my dad. Perfectly normal family.”

“That’s what they all say.” Her mouth twisted to the side but she took the phone and scrolled through the pictures. “That’s the man I met when I arrived.” She snapped her fingers and pushed the phone back at him. “I signed a liability paper that excuses him of all fault if I get hurt. He can show you. I don’t need anyone here with me. I’m used to working alone.”

“As long as there are no spiders.” He smirked.

Her eyes shot wide, and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Don’t do that. They’ll all show up if they know I’m afraid.”

At least she seemed to have forgotten her fear of him.

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