Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
After a solid fifteen minutes, he finishes reading. “Well, it looks legitimate. Do you know what company this is?”
“I’d never heard of it,” I answer.
He shows it to Whiskey. A muscle works in his jaw, and I swear I hear him grinding his back molars. “Look, that’s my company. It’s the shell I used to buy the cabin and the land and the mountain, which I also own.” He pauses to glare at me. “But I didn’t sign any of this.”
“Well, what about these emails?” The deputy asks.
Whiskey yanks the paperwork from the other man’s hands and quickly begins skimming it. His expression growing angrier by the second. “This is my address. But I haven’t logged into this account in months.”
I give the other man my sugary sweet smile, the one that can usually get me what I want. “Deputy, do you have a program that does wellness checks on senile people in your town? If not, might I suggest that you start with—”
Whiskey rakes a hand down his face. “OK, you know what? Great joke. I’m laughing on the inside. Now, let’s call it a night, and you two can go down the mountain, so I can eat my dinner in peace.”
It’s my turn to fold my arms. “I paid a deposit. I’m not leaving.”
He stomps from the living room into the kitchen.
“Not the most personable host,” I tell the deputy.
He grins at me, sharing the joke. “That’s a kind way of putting it.”
Whiskey returns a second later with a canister of oats. “How much did you pay?”
“You’re going to pay me in breakfast food.” I don’t bother hiding the sarcasm in my voice. Maybe he really is the unhinged one here.
He opens the canister and pulls out a wad of cash. “This should more than cover the cost of your deposit. Now, take your black cat and your bag and here, I’ll throw in the wooden spoon that you seemed so fond of.”
I put my hands on my hips and don’t reach for the cash. He’s easily offering me double the money. But it’s not about the money. It’s not even about what’s right. It’s about finding the first place where I’ve felt peace in a long time. OK, so I felt peace until the big mountain man clomped in here with his adorable scowl. “I’m not leaving. I’m here legally.”
He shoves the money back into the canister. “I didn’t want to have to do this. Deputy, arrest this woman for trespassing.”
My mouth drops open. “I can’t be arrested because I’m not trespassing.”
“She’s correct,” the deputy answers, siding with me.
“You can’t be serious. The contract isn’t legal if I didn’t sign it, and I didn’t sign it!” He repeats, his voice growing louder with every word.
The deputy grimaces. “That would make this is a civil matter, Whiskey. You can take it up with Judge Helen. I think she has some openings on the docket in November. Or was it December? Doesn’t matter. Should be soon.”
“See? I’m here fair and square.” Maybe I smirk a little at the mountain man when the deputy isn’t looking at me. “Now, Deputy, you can see from the papers that I’m supposed to be here without a roommate. It explicitly states the place will be empty. Could you remove this trespasser from my rental?”
“I can’t trespass on my own damn cabin!”
The deputy barely hides a grin and rubs the back of his neck. “Again, we’re looking at a civil matter. I’d recommend that both of you come down to the courthouse first thing in the morning and make this a matter of public record.”
Whiskey blows out a breath. “Tell you what. I’m going to give you all the money in this canister and pay for your lodging elsewhere. Anywhere in the world you want to go, you say the word, and I’ll find a way to make it happen.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He sends one last frantic look to the deputy who shrugs. “Sorry, Whiskey. It looks like she’s here for good.”
Tobias meows as if agreeing with the law. It looks like the two of us are stuck together for the next month with the grumpy mountain man.
Chapter 3
Whiskey
Look, I’ve never been that guy that goes for the bad girl. Never thought those spooky horror movies about a beautiful bombshell are all that funny or scary. But this curvy little witch right here? She knocked me on my ass when I walked into my cabin to find her.
My first thought when I saw her was that she was exactly what my life has been missing. She’s a little magic and a whole lot of mischief wrapped up in one delicious thick-thighed package. Those hips are straight out of my fantasies, and I want to grip them as I dance with her around this old cabin, the radio playing country love songs. I want to learn all of her secrets while cuddled up underneath a scratchy blanket as the sun puts on his final encore of the night. Then I want to wrap her up and hold her all night long.