Chapter Four

His bright blue eyes widened slightly in recognition, and I felt my body tense, ready to bolt for the door. He looked different in the light, a little less menacing perhaps, dressed in a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing muscular forearms dusted with sawdust. But there was no mistaking that face, the strong jaw now set in a hard line as he stared at me.

“Um,” I stammered, my voice coming out stronger than I expected. “Hi, I’m Everly Montana, and I just moved to town. I heard you’re hiring?”

The silence between us crackled with tension, and I wondered if I’d made a terrible mistake coming here. I should have just backed out of the office without uttering a single word instead of pretending I had no idea who he was. It was painfully obvious he wasn’t fooled.

“Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat. “We filled that position two weeks ago.”

I cocked my head, looking at the empty space behind the desk. “I see. Looks like that’s going well.”

At least he was playing along instead of getting in my face and confronting me about snooping on his private conversation. He felt it was better to just lie to get me to leave.

“The teenager I hired hasn’t shown up for the last three shifts,” he said, running his hand through his brown hair. “It would be an understatement to say it’s not going as well as I’d hoped.”

I waved my hand. “Sorry, I bothered you. It’s just that I’m new to town and am looking for work.”

“Really?” he said, stuffing a rag into his back pocket. He stuck out his hand. “I’m Ryder Black, the owner of this company, and I’d be glad to take down your information. What are your qualifications?”

“With all due respect, are you seriously concerned I won’t be as qualified as the teenager you hired?” I asked, raising a brow.

“Sorry,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “It’s a habit to ask.”

I waved a hand in the air as if brushing away his words. “It’s fine. I was a Senior Marketing Director at one of Chicago’s top luxury real estate firms.”

“Uh,” Ryder said, his eyes narrowing. “So just barely qualified then.”

I laughed as I looked around the small office. “Yeah, I used to sell perfect lives to the fabulously wealthy. Looks like that’s what you do here, too.”

“I certainly can’t match that kind of sal?—”

“Oh, no,” I said, shaking my head. “I wasn’t thinking I’d earn… I mean, it’s just… I’m looking for something… else.”

Ryder blinked twice before moving back behind the desk. He pulled open a drawer and extracted a single sheet of paper.

“I don’t know if I’m going to hire someone new or not, but you’re welcome to fill this out,” Ryder said, handing me the form. “It’s not like we get a lot of applicants.”

I took the paper, giving it a quick once-over. The application was simple, clearly designed for someone not too serious about their career.

“Thanks,” I said, folding it carefully and slipping it into my purse. “I appreciate it.”

He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. The sawdust on his forearms caught the light streaming in from the window, making him look almost ethereal for a moment. The image didn’t match the hard man I’d seen the other night.

“You don’t happen to know of anywhere else that might be hiring, do you?” I asked, folding the paper.

“Not really,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll let you know if I hear of anything.”

“That’s kind of you,” I said, offering him a professional smile. “Nice meeting you.”

“Have a good day, Ms. Montana,” he said, his voice neutral but his eyes watchful.

“You too, Mr. Black.”

I turned and walked out of the office with what I hoped was casual confidence. As I crossed the gravel parking lot toward my car, the hair on the back of my neck prickled. I didn’t need to turn around to know he was watching me from the window. I could feel his gaze tracking my every move as I got into my car and pulled away from Black’s Construction.

Only when I turned onto the main road did I start breathing normally again. Whatever game Ryder Black was playing, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be part of it. What the hell was the owner of a construction company doing out in the middle of the woods arguing with a twitchy man, anyway?

Never mind!

I didn’t want to know.

Not my business, and I sure as hell didn’t want to involve myself.

I drove directly from the construction office to the small grocery store just off the main road. One good thing about the small town was that it wasn’t hard to find anything.

It was a huge mistake stopping at Black Construction, but if I had known he’d be there, I would have never stepped foot inside. Now, it just seemed to him that I was stalking him.

Ew. No.

I pulled into a parking space at the grocery store, my mind still stuck on Ryder. As much as I wanted to dismiss him as just another small-town jerk with a chip on his shoulder, I couldn’t deny there was something kind of magnetic about him.

His beautiful blue eyes had an intelligence behind them, set perfectly on a face that could have been sculpted — all sharp angles and strong lines. There was no denying he was strong with his broad shoulders and those muscular biceps. Construction work clearly had its benefits.

But good looks only went so far, and whatever appeal his physical appearance held was seriously undermined by what I’d witnessed in the woods. A man who was that angry, that intimidating, clearly had issues I didn’t need in my life.

Though, oddly enough, in the office, he’d been almost civil — gruff and suspicious, but not the menacing figure I’d seen that night. It was like meeting two different people wearing the same face, which only made him more unsettling.

Attractive? Unfortunately, yes. Worth the trouble that seemed to follow him like a shadow? Absolutely not.

Not that I was even thinking about anything like that. Ryder was another man I would never have any interest in. He was just like the city guys, only he was dressed differently and ruggedly handsome instead of that manicured, groomed look.

Ugh.

My goal now was simple. I’d stock up on enough supplies to minimize future trips into town. I had enough savings that I didn’t need to find a job immediately. Maybe I’d be able to find something I could do from home, and I’d never have to run into him again.

The market was quaint — just ten long aisles with worn linoleum floors and a perpetual smell of cinnamon that seemed to originate from nowhere in particular. I pushed my cart methodically down each aisle, grabbing essentials: coffee, pasta, canned goods, fresh produce, toilet paper, and enough chocolate to get me through at least two weeks of unpacking, arranging, and decorating.

“You must be the new girl,” the elderly cashier said as she slowly rang up my items.

“That would be me,” I said, forcing a weak smile. “Unless you get a lot of people moving here.”

“Oh, no,” she said with a laugh. “More people leave this town than they settle here.”

I glanced at the young bagger, whose eyes widened. “That’s hard to believe.”

“Yes, yes,” the woman said, her head bobbing along with the beeping scanner. “Not sure why anyone would want to leave. It’s just so peaceful here.”

“It’s because there’s nothing to do here, grandma,” the young man said, rolling his eyes.

She pressed her lips together. “One-Seventy-Nine and twenty-three cents. But that’s what makes this place so wonderful.” I paid with my card, and she patted my hand. “You’ll love it here. You’ll see. Everyone is kind, and nothing to worry about here.”

“Good to hear,” I said, putting the last bag in my cart.

“Have a good day, sweetie,” she said, handing me a receipt.

“You too.”

Back at home, I unloaded the groceries, organizing everything in the small kitchen. Once finished, I pulled the folded job application from my purse, staring at it for a moment before crumpling it up and tossing it into the trash can with perhaps more force than necessary.

Working for Ryder Black was absolutely the last thing I needed right now, especially after witnessing whatever shady business he was involved in. It wasn’t like I needed to find a job immediately, since I had enough savings to last at least a year, especially if I was frugal. Maybe I’d be able to find a work-from-home position, so I’d never have to bump into that guy again.

With a deep breath, I turned my attention back to the half-dozen boxes still waiting to be unpacked in the living room. As I opened the boxes, I pushed away thoughts of those dark eyes fixed on me. I came to this remote little town to escape complications, not to find new ones. Whatever Ryder was mixed up in, it had nothing to do with me, and that’s exactly how it was going to stay.

I was putting away a stack of dishes when a sharp knock at the door made me jolt… the plates clicking together loudly. I froze, listening. The sound had felt jarring in the quiet house.

I walked across the floor and peered out through the curtained window beside the door. The porch appeared empty — just the wooden railing and steps leading down to the gravel driveway, no car in sight.

Twilight was settling in, painting the trees with long shadows. Strange. I let the curtain fall back into place, wondering if I’d imagined it.

Then it came again, three distinct raps, unmistakable this time. My pulse quickened as I glanced around for something I could use as a weapon, settling on an umbrella propped by the coat rack. So much for the cashier’s promise about this town being perfectly safe.

Nothing was ever really safe.