As I shopped, I added a few items. I had noticed that while he ate well and took care of himself, Maxx had a bit of a sweet tooth, and his favorite was pie. He had finished the entire pie I had made, and I noticed he casually checked the cupboard I had kept it in every day, looking for more. He never said a word, though. I planned on making a few pies to put in the freezer this weekend. I was so intent on my task I never noticed the people around me until a voice spoke close to my ear.
“Well, who have we here?”
I looked up with a frown, meeting the frosty gaze of a familiar-looking man. He was average height, dirty-blond hair, and a permanent scowl on his face. Not the attractive, broody expression Maxx wore, but a discontented, malicious type of glare. I didn’t like the way he stared at me, and my fists tightened on the cart handle.
“I’m sorry, have we met?” I asked.
He sneered at me. “You gonna pretend you don’t remember meeting me in the bar last week?” He glanced around. “No bodyguard today?”
It clicked this was the guy who had gotten in my face and Maxx had escorted from the bar. Donner, I think he called him. Wes Donner. I lifted my chin. “I don’t need a bodyguard. Nor do I need your attitude. I wasn’t interested last week, and I’m still not interested. Go away.”
I moved past him, but his hand shot out, grabbing my cart. “You need to learn some manners.”
“Unless you want a repeat of what happened in the bar to happen here, I suggest you move to the side, asshole,” I stated clearly. “I assume you don’t want all these people to be witness to a girl taking you down…again.”
His glare became frostier. “Uppity little bitch,” he muttered but stepped away.
“Have a lovely day.” I moved away fast, refusing to let him see the fact that he made me nervous. I looked over my shoulder, seeing another man join him. They looked similar, so I assumed it was his brother. Maxx had mentioned they were troublemakers in town who liked to throw their weight around.
I turned the corner and pushed them from my mind. I refused to let them intimidate me. I didn’t see them again as I left the store. I drove back to Littleburn, enjoying the scenery, planning out meals in my head. It didn’t seem to matter what I cooked, Maxx ate it up. He liked simple, good food. He ate a lot of salads, vegetables, and fruit, and I had seen him go into the barn daily to work out, so I knew he took good care of himself.
After talking to Mary last night, I had bought a lot of strawberries and blueberries at the store and planned on spending my time off at her place. We were going to bake pies, using the rhubarb she had in her garden. I would put them in the freezer, so Maxx could have a piece anytime he wanted.
Maybe my pies would be the deciding factor for me staying. I would do anything to make sure that happened.
Back at the house, I unloaded the groceries, then headed to the garage. Maxx was finishing off a job, and I handled the final payment, trying not to be too pleased when I saw he had collected money from everyone who had been there this morning.
He was rolling the overhead door shut as I came from the office. I watched his muscles flex, thinking of his strength. It was evident in the way he handled equipment with ease, how he moved and shifted. He was extremely sexy, and what made it even sexier was he didn’t seem to notice—he was just Maxx.
He wiped his hands and indicated the end bay. “I put the new tires on the bike. I got a new seat as well. The other one was in rough shape.”
“Thank you.” I hurried over, looking at the bike. He followed, and I felt his close proximity without turning.
“You sure you want to take this, ah, wherever you’re going?” he asked. “You can take the car.”
“No, I want to ride the bike. It’s only to Mary’s.”
“You’re going to Mary’s?” he queried, surprised.
“Yes, we’re going to bake pies, and I’m going to help her weed her garden.”
“Huh,” he muttered.
“What?”
“I thought you might go into Lomand and have, like, a girls’ night or something.”
I rolled my eyes. “With what girls, Maxx?” I shook my head. “Not much into the bar scene.” I met his gaze. “Last week was unusual for me.”
He stroked his chin, not saying anything.
“Besides, I’ve seen enough of the locals this morning. I don’t want to risk running into them again.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Wes Donner saw me in the store.”