Page 37 of Her Rugged Guardian

Chuckling, I reached for the cream. “I’m not a hermit.”

“That’s not what I hear. I also heard you’re working on Tangerine Sunset.” She gave me a sly look.

“He is.” Millie had eyes in the back of her bead, and better hearing than a dog. As she came bustling out from the back, the look of joy on her face was just as I’d remembered when she’d gripped onto something juicy. I had a bad feeling she’d already made assumptions. The sad thing was that she’d be right.

Yeah, I’d fucked the new girl already. Way to go, buddy.

“Is that so?” Jolene asked. “That place needs a lot of work.”

“Yeah, it does, but Ms. Dayne is determined to do whatever it takes to bring the place back to its original shine.” I took a sip of coffee, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

“The girl is in way over her head,” Millie added. “I met her yesterday. Nice enough girl but she’s a city slicker, the kind that won’t be able to handle staying in a small town. She’ll end up selling.”

“Well, if Malcolm Robinson has his way she will,” Becca huffed before replacing the coffeepot.

“What are you talking about?” As far as I was concerned, Malcolm was pure evil. He’d grown up here, close to my age. His parents had been the richest people in town, which had allowed the kid to get away with anything. While he’d been smart enough to get a scholarship to go to Harvard, I’d heard he’d nearly beaten a guy to death, almost landing in jail. Daddy had gotten him off.

Great. Now I was the one gossiping if only in the back of my mind. What I knew for certain was that Robinson Real Estate and Developers had bought up far too many properties, getting some of them through methods like extortion. Like father, like son.

“Margaret didn’t tell you?” Millie asked coyly.

“I thought you two were buddies,” Jolene quipped before I had a chance to answer.

“I was her contractor and we were friendly. That doesn’t mean she confided her business acumen to me.” I wouldn’t put it past Malcolm to try to force Margaret to sell.

“He made an offer Margaret couldn’t refuse,” Millie said as she studied my eyes. “That’s why I was surprised when I heard the daughter was coming in taking it over. I think you know the entire town is relieved. Can you imagine what Robinson would do to the place? We’d have five hundred condos on that small piece of property.”

She was right about that. Malcolm was ceremoniously buying up every decent piece of property he could get his hands on, something his father had started.

“I don’t know what to tell you. We’ve barely said a few words to each other,” I said casually enough Millie exchanged a knowing glance with Becca. Great. Another rumor started, exactly what I’d wanted to avoid.

“So you know, I heard she’s single,” Millie continued in a singsong voice. “And you have to admit she’s very pretty.”

“I wouldn’t know.” I wasn’t the best liar and I could tell the second look shared between the women meant they were determined I’d told them a fib.

“Uh-huh. When have I ever known you to ignore a pretty girl?”

I resisted glaring at Millie. I wasn’t irritated with her, not really. She meant no harm, once acting like a second mother to me when my own mother had all but turned her back, preferring antidepressants to talking with her own son.

“I don’t have time for women, Millie. That’s just the way it is.”

“Such a shame,” Jolene teased. “A fine stud muffin like yourself. Oh, speaking of stud muffins. I heard your brother is headed to the Vancouver Jackals. You must be proud.”

Becca exhaled as she studied me. She knew how much I’d wanted to be a part of the team. “I don’t think he wants to rekindle the world of hockey. Do you, Jake?”

“Nope. I sure don’t. Riley is in charge of his own life. Becca, can I get a club sandwich and some chips, please?” I made a mental note to have a discussion with my brother. I’d give reasoning with him one last try. After that, I’d wash my hands of him. The least he could have done was find the decency to tell me so I wasn’t forced to hear it from the town gossips. I gritted my teeth before I said anything that would come back to bite me. I’d been doing a lot of that lately.

“Sure you can. Let the man have some peace, folks,” Becca said loud enough for the entire diner to hear then glared at her own mother before heading to the computer to place the order.

I sucked in my breath, feeling angry that Margaret would have trusted a pig like Malcolm. At least he hadn’t gotten his slimy hands on the place. However, at some point I’d warn Cassandra to stay away from him.

If she ever talked to me again. I couldn’t be certain at this point. I felt the heat of additional stares but within a few seconds, the crowd went back to jabbering about others in town. I tried to listen in on the conversations but after a few minutes, my mind could only concentrate on Cassandra.

What I hadn’t wanted to happen had been easy to allow. I’d broken the rules I’d set in motion. Even worse, I stood a chance of dragging Cinnamon Girl down with me. The best thing to do was stay away from her before things got of hand. The only way to do that was to hire another contractor myself. I knew of one I could trust. Maybe I’d give him a call.

Was it the chicken shit way out?

You bet it was. However, someone as beautiful and vulnerable as Cassandra didn’t need my brand of crazy. Or the baggage that would always be with me. I pulled out my phone, checking to see if I had Garrett’s number. As luck would have it, I did. I couldn’t help myself, sliding my finger across the screen to Cassandra’s number. The attorney who’d handled the probate had given it to me and I’d almost forgotten I had it. A part of me wanted to call or text her, but at this point I wasn’t certain what I could say.

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