Chapter 38

She awoke, the sweet smell of the pine forest wafting into the bedroom.

And something else. Coffee.

Out of long habit, she felt around the bed for the warm lump that was her constant bed companion. Her palm cruised the comforter.

Then she blushed, remembering.

Nathan. If she’d reached out and touched Nathan…

Though, it had been an amazing night. Incredibly restorative. If someone had ever told her there could be intimacy like this without sex, she wasn’t sure she would have believed them. But she’d woken a few times to Nathan wound around her.

The man held her for most of the night that had been remaining. Whenever she’d come out of sleep, she’d moved, and there he was, holding her. A big, solid presence in her bed.

And even though the bed was a king-size, somehow they’d ended up, scrunched together, on one side of it. As if it was a twin, and a narrow one at that.

“Prince?” She dropped her hand off the side of the bed, patted the mattress. “Here, boy.”

No Prince.

She jumped up, splashed water on her face, ran a toothbrush over her teeth. Fast. Grabbed a fresh housecoat off a peg, went downstairs.

Nathan was at her kitchen island, sitting on one of the high-backed, swiveling stools, scrolling on her iPad. And at his feet, with his head on his front paws, was Prince. She couldn’t help smiling. He sat there, rumpled, hair messy, with a well-grown five o-clock shadow, and he looked sexy as hell.

“Hey, you traitor. Nice to see you’ve gone over to the dark side.”

Nathan looked up, gave her a warm smile. “He followed me downstairs, so I gave him a few of those dog treats I saw you give him last night. Hope that’s okay?”

“It’s great. He’s really taken to you.”

“Yeah. Dogs seem to like me, at any rate.”

“What were you doing?”

His face turned worried, the look she associated with him more often than not. “I need to find work. It was important, but now with the vet bill, the timeframe’s sped up. I need it fast.”

She poured herself a cup of coffee, settled with it. Time to broach the subject she’d been thinking about. “Listen, Nathan. I’ve got a few dollars set aside. I can loan you some to take care of the first payment or two.”

He looked askance at her. “Excuse me for asking, but why would you offer me help when you’ve just been rejected for a loan? I saw the papers on the table last night.”

Damn. Observant man.

“You’re right.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s just say I’ve been in your position. Maybe not as severe, but to me, as a kid of twenty-two, it felt just as bad. I needed help, and I got it.” She took another sip. “It set me on my feet, gave me the chance I needed. And since then, my goals are pretty much on track.”

“But more important…” She swallowed, and her voice got gentler. “It showed me that someone who mattered to me had confidence in me. That single act of kindness—or let’s call it grace—gave me a foundation, no matter what happens in my life. I’ve had reversals too, but I’ve never lost myself over them. And I think I might have, without that.” She scrutinized him, then shrugged. “I had a hunch you’d do just fine with a similar…bit of…whatever you want to call it.”

“A miracle.” His voice was hushed.

“I’m no saint, so no. It would just be help.”

“Well, Miss Amy St. James, I’m incredibly touched.” His gaze gentled, and for all the times he’d seemed guarded, he wasn’t now. “But no. I’m not going to take money from you.” He reached over across the island, closed his fingers over her hand. Squeezed. “I’ll figure this out on my own. But… thank you.”

She flipped her hand, let his palm rest on hers.

They did seem to be holding hands a fair bit the last couple of days. And her face broke out in a smile.

“Now that’s settled, back to the job ads. I need to pay the taxes that are due, very shortly. As well as the back taxes—and there’s a whole pile of them.” He answered the question in her eyes. “It’s a family place, but someone’s needed to keep it up. Bills to pay, etc. Place seems to belong to my uncle now, and he’s been paying them. But since I’m living there now, it’s up to me. Then there’s the car, the vet. Food. So.” He glanced at a job ad online, winced. Raised his gaze to her. “Did you want fries with that?”

“Ugh. But…it’s money.”

“And it’s not a problem. The problem is it’s an hour and a half away in good weather, and at minimum wage, the math won’t work.”

“Wait a minute. If you weren’t living at the cabin, would your uncle expect you to pay the taxes and the rent?”

He shrugged. “Probably the taxes. But if I’m not there, he can rent it to someone else, right? And about the taxes, I can ask him to pay them now—he’s been doing it for a while—and I’ll pay him back as I can. Make a formal arrangement.”

“So if you had somewhere else to live, you’d be ahead.”

“Yeah. I mean, I love it in the woods, but…”

“Nathan, the loan documents you saw are for a place in town. A couple of my earlier investments tanked. But they did say if I had a bit more money coming in monthly, they’d consider it. That, and if I could take care of the repairs.” She pulled in a steadying breath. “If you were working on the repairs, I’d get more of the loan than they’re giving me now. I’d have money to pay you for the work. And you could give me some of that back in rent. Does that sound workable?”

Nathan’s eyes widened.

“It’s a bit of a dump. There’s really nowhere to sleep. An upper room we could get ready, or if we taped up the paper attached to the windows in front, you could sleep downstairs. It’s a bit damp, and last I heard mice were getting in.” She winced as she realized the list of features were more like screech-ers. “Possibly rats. I was in there after a rainstorm and there was a funny smell coming from the basement. And…”

He grinned at her. “And the allure of this place for you would be…?”

“Nathan, it’s historical. They say Jacque LaPierre, the founder of Jack’s Bay, lived there more than a century ago. But up until now, it’s been neglected. It’s in a row with other spaces, and they’ve been fixed up. But this place…”

He covered her hand with his, stopped the flow of words. “It’s a rescue.”

She shook her head. “It’s earned its keep, Nathan. And fixed up properly, and with the services I want to provide for the area, it could bring in good money. And if I play my cards right, I can capitalize on the Jacques LaPierre story. I’ve been doing research. Everyone knows he was supposed to be a pirate, but I’ve come across some old journals that show that maybe he wasn’t always so bad. So…”

He gave her such an affectionate look as he spoke, it surprised her. “Okay, okay. You don’t have to convince me. The most important question for me is—does my new landlord allow dogs on the premises?”

“Oh, hell’s breath and baby’s breath.” The image of tiny Ryker swam into her mind. “Absolutely.”

“Then it’s a deal. Why don’t we put the basic details down in writing, just a general letter of intention between us, and then drive me into town, will you? I want to buy my new landlord breakfast.”

A feeling of warmth and adventure spilled through her. “Sure.”

Her cell phone sounded, the tinkle of bells. She grabbed it, eyes wide. “Doc.”