Chapter 3

Leah

“Wow, Hayley, this place is gorgeous.” I let out a low whistle as I spin on the spot, taking in the stunning scenery. It looks even more gorgeous with the sun beaming down. It’s breath-taking. The surface of the lake sparkles as sunlight dances across it. A slight ripple carries across the shimmering water as a gentle breeze provides some soft respite to the heat.

The bright green leaves in the surrounding trees sway in the wind, and there’s a lush forest right behind Hayley’s old house. The restored cabin juts up against a hill. The view continues around the lakeshore, broken only by the occasional house or jetty built at the side of the lake. It’s so peaceful here. It feels so remote, so calm and restorative, but is only walking distance to the quaint little town of Grey Ridge.

“You would have seen it last time, except…” Hayley trails off, turning from her spot at the bottom of the stairs and grimacing.

“Except… some lunatic set our guesthouse on fire?” I offer, and she frowns at me, not appreciating my bluntness. “What? That is what happened, isn’t it?”

Hayley is my older sister, and she recently moved to Grey Ridge to escape an abusive relationship, falling madly in love and getting engaged within a few months of arriving here. I thought she had lost her mind, but I can see how much she loves it here. Cooper, her husband, adores her. She’s sickeningly happy, and she deserves every second after what she has been through. Hayley’s hen party ended in disaster when the local guest house burned to the ground. She’s still sore about it, and bitterly disappointed that our first visit to her new home hadn’t quite been the magical trip she had been hoping for.

I step up beside her and wrap my arm around her slim shoulders.

“I still had a great time at your hen, Hayley,” I whisper, and she snorts, rolling her eyes at me. “I did! Shots, handsome barman, quality time with my sisters, getting woken up in the middle of the night by the hot barman…” I wink at her, and Hayley barks out a laugh before she can stop herself.

“He was waking you up to get you out of a burning building, Leah, not waking you up in a good way.” She grins at me and bumps me with her hip, coming out of her little funk already.

“I’ll take what I can get. Any good-looking man in my bedroom counts as a win, no matter the circumstances.”

“I thought you’d be living life to the fullest in college. Nobody there got your attention?” Hayley quirks a brow at me, knowing full well that my previously very active social life at school forced me to become a hermit for the last two months, cramming like crazy. I give a dramatic sigh and toss my hair over my shoulder, and Hayley rolls her eyes at my antics.

“They’re boys Hayley, I need a man.” I wriggle my eyebrows at her, and she giggles, shaking her head at me. “You know what I mean. Beneath all that charm, Cooper strikes me as the bossy type. Is he as commanding in the bedroom as he is out of it?”

Hayley blushes a deep shade of pink, and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head. The night of the fire, Cooper arrived and took charge, ordering everyone around and keeping everyone safe. There’s something appealing about a man who’s calm and in control.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” I open my mouth to keep tormenting her when I take in her wide-eyed expression and the sharp warning shake of her head.

Shit.

The gravel crunches under heavy footsteps that weren’t there a second ago. This person is making their presence obvious on purpose. I bite my lip a little and wince, and Hayley smirks.

“I’d prefer not to hear about my little brother’s bedroom activities if that’s ok?”

His voice is deep and lazy, slipping like silk down my back, and I have to suppress a little shudder. I’ve looked at that picture more times than I care to admit, but I’m still not prepared for how gorgeous he is in person and the effect that just hearing him speak has on me. I plaster on a cheeky smile to stop my mouth from falling open when I turn to face him.

“Good point. It’ll only make me jealous anyway,” I quip, before stepping up to meet him on his steady march toward us. I extend a hand to greet him.

“Leah Walker,” I say. “Nice to meet you, partner!” His easy gait falters, just for a split second, before he meets my eye and grasps my hand firmly in his.

“Rex Jones.” I notice he doesn’t say that it’s nice to meet me too. Oh, he’s going to be a tough nut to crack, but I love a challenge. He’ll warm up to me, eventually.

“Hayley tells me you’ve been busy getting this place all sorted. Want to show me around?” I ask.

He blinks from me to Hayley and back again with those dark hazel eyes before letting out a slow exhale. It’s like just being in my presence for more than a few seconds already has him exhausted. I hide my smile as I glance over at Hayley’s tense face. She warned me he wasn’t chatty…… which means I’m probably his worst nightmare.

“I promise I won’t talk… much.”

He looks down at me in shock as I voice what is obviously his concern. I make the Girl Scout’s sign, but I’m pretty sure I have it wrong. I never went to scouts. He glances at my fingers, raised in an odd salute, and rolls his eyes.

 Without saying a word, he turns and takes the steps two at a time, leading the way, before pushing the front door open with one large, splayed hand.

His fingers are long and tanned, and I see the muscles of his forearm flex as he pushes the door wider, leaving enough room for me to walk past. I can tell he wanted to charge inside and put some distance between us, but his good manners got the better of him.

Hot, reluctant, and grumpy, but raised well. This man is my kryptonite. It will not be a hardship to spend the summer with him.

“Em… so… this is obviously the living space.” Hayley begins the tour. “And the kitchen. There’s a separate dining room next door.” She gestures towards an open door, and I poke my head into the room. It’s set up with three long tables, all with views out over the water from the new large windows. I remember Hayley mentioning them getting installed.

“It’s perfect.” There’s no other way to describe it. I smile at her, and she nods, glancing around with obvious satisfaction at what an amazing job she did on the renovation.

“Are you sure about this, Hayley, letting us use it?” I pull her to a stop in the hallway and look around, soaking in the love and attention to detail she poured into the decor. She nods and pats my hand, gazing around with a wistful expression at what she had hoped would be her fresh start.

“I am. I love it so much that I don’t want to sell it, but it would kill me to leave it sitting here empty. Since that night, I just cannot bring myself to be here on my own, though.”

That night is the one where her abusive ex tracked her down and attacked her here, in her new home… forever tainting it with terrible memories. I squeeze her hand, letting her know I understand, and she blinks back the tears threatening to fall before straightening her back and turning toward the stairs.

Rex’s gaze is intent as he watches her and reaches out to touch her arm as she passes. It’s a small but meaningful gesture of comfort.

 I know right then that every word she said about him being a good guy is true. He truly cares for her.

“Rex,” I whisper, and he pauses with one foot on the bottom step, turning to me with one eyebrow raised. “Thank you for being there that night. Hayley told me you helped Cooper find her.”

He nods and shrugs, uncomfortable with the praise.

“I’m glad I was here, but it was Cooper who found her,” he says, deflecting any credit away from his own involvement.

“Well, it means a lot that you were all looking out for her. So, thanks.”

Before he moves away again, I can’t help pulling him into a big hug. It’s impulsive, but I want to show just how much I appreciate what he did. I stretch up to press a quick kiss to his cheek, but he’s as stiff as a plank. Guess he’s not one for physical displays of affection. Awkward.

I force myself to step back and release him quickly, hoping I haven’t overstepped the mark. He looks down at me warily, suspicion in his eyes. Maybe it’s too much to hope for, but after a moment, he seems amused rather than offended by my invasion of his personal space. Rex is still watching me as I turn and bound up the stairs after Hayley.

Once Hayley’s shown me where all the supplies were to prepare the rooms, we move the tour outside to the studio. It was a shed before being remodelled. There’s another beautiful view of the lake, and mirrors on two out of the three solid walls. They make the room look bigger.

“Wow,” I breathe, “I love it.”

“Rex did it all,” Hayley says, looking at Rex, who doesn’t acknowledge the comment, just tips his head slightly and bends to examine a join in the new wooden floor. Or pretend to examine it. He just doesn’t want the attention.

“Well, it’s better than I’d ever imagined, so thank you both.” I know I’m gushing, but I mean every word.

The wall of the glass has folding doors, which, when pushed all the way back, let the fresh air in. They open up onto a small deck built outside, making the space even larger. I can just picture doing classes here pretty much outside, surrounded by nature. It’s the type of space I could only dream of having. It’s gorgeous. I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath, savouring the moment.

I can already tell this is going to work out. My sister is always right, much as it kills me to admit it.

“Come on, Rexy boy, I need you to show me your balls.”

Hayley shakes her head, glaring at me to warn me to behave.

“Yoga balls‌, obviously. Get your mind out of the gutter, sis.” I smirk at Hayley, who’s attempting to smother a smile.

I think Rex is more than capable of handling little old me. Especially judging by the way his eyes sparkle at my terrible joke.

I don’t think he’s as straight-laced as he likes to let on at all… and it’s going to be fun finding out.