Page 2

2

CHASE

A soft rumble of thunder plants seeds of doubt in the gorgeous gray eyes of Maddie Monroe. Stubbornness and possible apprehension make it feel like she has a point to prove, but I hope she doesn't think she needs to prove anything to me. I'd much rather her be safe. Yet, she shrugs off my warning.

Maddie's words are full of false fearlessness as she says, "I've got plenty of time. Thank you for fixing my car so quickly."

"That ain't nothing but putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. Get that car into a shop as soon as you can."

Maddie simply gives me a nod of acknowledgment as I hand over her receipt and continues on her way. There's a brief thought that flashes across my mind as she gets in her car to drive away.

What if she stayed?

It's absurd. She's a prissy, entitled realtor who also happens to be stunning in a way that has me discreetly checking her fingers for a wedding ring.

Who am I kidding?

There's no way someone like her puts up with someone like me. As if to agree with that sentiment, the sky opens up for rain to drown our cozy little town. It doesn't matter that the sun was shining a few hours ago.

I find my eyes searching the road just to be sure she's heading back into Mercy when I catch a glimpse of her taillights. I groan as I see her heading toward the Garrett farm.

"She's as stubborn as a damn mule," I mutter to myself as I get back to closing down my shop for the storm. Something inside is tugging at me to make sure she's all right, and I make up my mind that once I'm done, I'll drive by the abandoned farm to make sure Maddie is safe.

Endless gray darkens the sky as rain pours from the clouds once I dart off to my pickup. The closer I get to the farm, the faster my heart beats. I can barely see beyond my windshield. I have to crane my neck as I slowly inch by the driveway.

There's no sign of her or her car. I have to guess she's fine and relent to the fact that she doesn't belong to me. I'm not in charge of keeping Maddie safe. It doesn't matter what my body wants. She doesn't want some random mechanic looking out for her, and I accept it.

However, the farther away from the farm I get, the worse the roads. Inches of rain and mud are giving my large pickup a run for its money. I'm not sure I'll make it back into town, but I know I'm close to my mother's house.

No. That's not true. I'm close to the house my mother put in my name and then abandoned once the taxes got too high. As I pull into the driveway, the lawn is overgrown, and I promise myself to drag my mower out here to get it under control.

The notice from Mercy Municipal Property Enforcement, along with the current tax lien, is still stuck at the door. The rain can’t wash the paper off, so I shake my head as I unlock the door to let myself inside.

I do a once-over around the place to make sure all the windows are closed and turn the heat on. The fridge is empty but I know there's some canned food in the pantry and some meat in the deep freezer. I scrounge up enough food to throw something together, and while my meat defrosts, I hop in the shower.

The thunderstorm is soothing, but the incessant pounding on the back door as I step out of the shower is less than relaxing. Grumbling and angry at having to stop my after-shower routine, I throw a towel around my waist and rush downstairs to see who's banging on the door.

The minute I swing the door open, I'm ready to reach for my shotgun at the sight in front of me. Long hair is plastered to a very muddy face, and even worse, they're caked in dirt from head to toe.

"You've got to be kidding me," the mound of dirt moans with a familiar voice.

"Maddie?" I ask with a face I'm certain is contorting in disbelief.

"Yes, Chase."

"What the hell happened?" I step aside to let her into the kitchen. "How and why are you at my back door?"

Every step squishes with moisture as she drags herself into the kitchen. "Spare me the ‘I told you so’ bit."

That statement jars me, forcing me to ask, "What did I tell you?"

"To not drive to the Garrett farm. My car got stuck in a ditch on the way back into town. I didn't even make it back to your body shop before I spun out. So I trekked my way through?—"

A sneeze interrupts her, and I don't want to talk right now.

"Tell me about it after you get out of this wet gear. The water is still hot, and you're welcome to a shower. I'm going to put some clothes on and get some food on the stove. You need to warm up," I tell her as I guide her up the stairs and into the bathroom. "Just leave the muddy stuff out here, and I'll get the washer going. There's a linen closet in there, and if you don't mind, some of my Ma's old stuff—it's clean but probably a tad bigger than what you wear."

"I'm exhausted and just thankful it was you here and not some weird zombie looking to eat my brains."

I laugh a little, but I can't stop my mind from wandering about what she tastes like.

"I was gonna throw some steaks in the cast iron, and I got some veg if you're hungry," I tell her while pulling linens out for her to bathe. I don't wait for her to respond before walking into my mother's old bedroom and grabbing some clean clothes from her dresser.

My voice is low as I watch Maddie peel out her soaked socks and shoes. I can't stand by and immediately move to turn on the water for the tub.

"I haven't taken a bath since I was seven. There's something disturbing about turning this beautiful clawfoot tub into a bowl of Maddie soup," she says with a smirk.

"Well, consider this your reintroduction. You should relax and warm up. Besides, a bath will do ya good. It will help heat your bones. If it makes you feel better, shower first, then bathe. It will be less human soup and more of a warm blanket."

Maddie doesn't fight me on this the same way she fought my warning to go back into town. Instead, the weariness of whatever she went through to get here settles around us in a calm silence. Exhaustion pours out of her at the same pace as water, and mud slides onto the bathroom floor.

Somehow, I see beyond her beauty, beyond my instant attraction, to simply help her get warm again. Every movement from Maddie's frame looks riddled with soreness and hesitation. I help pull her shirt over her head and her pants down to her ankles.

There are cuts and bruises from where she probably trudged through the brush to get to my back door. Suddenly, guilt impales me because if I trimmed the yard the last time I was here, she wouldn't have had to fight the landscape in search of help.

After setting everything out and leaving her in the bathroom, I make my way into my old bedroom to put on some clothes. The realization of helping each other while separated by the slimmest pieces of fabric isn't lost on me. But the fact remains, as much of a flake as my mother may be, she didn't raise me to be a pervert.

I'm more than capable of respecting Maddie's boundaries, and I'd do myself a favor by implementing my own. The best way to keep my sex drive in check is to keep my mind focused on our safety. She's a perfect stranger—emphasis on perfect. While she's caked in mud, there's nothing that I want to do to make her uncomfortable.

I busy myself with dinner as she bathes in my bathroom. My eyes drift up toward the ceiling, knowing that just above the half-foot of space, there's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen dripping water down her body to wash away the filth of the storm outside.

My groin tightens at the mere fantasy of taking a sopping wet sponge, dredged in soapy suds, and wiping every smudge of dirt off her curvaceous body. A husky breath pushes from behind my lips as I sear steaks, make mushroom gravy, and roast some assorted vegetables I found in the freezer.

The more I concentrate on making this the best dinner I've ever had, the less I focus on Maddie being naked in a room a few feet above me.

"She didn't march through the fields of who knows how many properties to get molested by you, Chase," I mumble to myself.

"What if I did?"