She shook her head. “I’m good.”
“You’re better than good, baby girl. But you tell me if that changes. We’re in no hurry.”
This was a damn sight better than what she’d thought she’d be doing. She’d imagined herself on some bus, alone. Instead, she was getting a week away with West.
That was a definite plus. Maybe she should start thinking about this as more of a vacation and less about her hiding from her psycho brother. A vacation with her man in the middle of nowhere, with no interruptions. No one to threaten them. Just her, West, and a whole lot of time on their hands. She smiled at the thought.
Yeah, this vacation could end up being a lot of fun.
The vacation was a freaking nightmare.
It had started the minute they’d arrived, when she’d gotten a look at the cabin. Mia hadn’t been exaggerating about how rough it was. It wasn’t some cutesy little log cabin nestled in the words. It was a shack. It was rundown, there were weeds growing all around it, and the front porch was so dilapidated you had to be careful where you stepped in order not to fall through a rotten board.
West had made her stand next to the horses until he’d tested the porch, and checked the inside of the building. She looked around, betting that, at night, the place resembled a horror movie set. A rundown shack in the woods was the perfect place for a chainsaw psycho to hide out.
There were two other buildings close by. A much smaller version of the cabin that sat about fifteen feet out the back. And a much newer looking shed. Did this thing even have power? Running water? Holy crap, what had she gotten herself into?
Amazingly, things got worse. West strode back out towards her and picked her up in his arms, carrying her into the one-room building. “Don’t want you walking over that porch until I’ve had a chance to fix it,” he told her. “Same with the back porch. With your luck, you’ll fall through and break a leg.”
She took offence at that. She was the first to admit she was a little bit on the clumsy side. But it wasn’t going to take much for anyone to fall through that rickety old porch. Inside, the cabin wasn’t any better. It only had a couple of windows, which were dirty and didn’t let much light in. It smelled damp and there was another stench. Something rotten.
“What is that smell?” she asked as she pinched her nose against the onslaught. West moved to the back door and opened it as well.
“Something died in here,” he told a matter-of-factly. “Could be in one of the cabinets, could be under the floorboards. I’ll search it out once I’ve bought all our stuff in.”
She just stood there and turned in a slow circle. One corner of the cabin held an old bed. The mattress looked stained and lumpy. In the opposite corner there were some cupboards for storage. At the very front of the cabin was an old couch nestled in front of an open fireplace and an old dining table with two worn, wooden chairs, she moved closer to the fireplace and peered down. Was that? Oh, God, it was. She placed a hand over her mouth and went running towards the doorway. She slammed into West and would have fallen on her ass had he not caught her around the waist with his free arm.
“What is it?”
“There are dead birds in the fireplace.”
“Oh, is that all?”
She gaped up at him as he set her aside. He put their bags down next to the sofa and calmly moved over to the fireplace, gathering up the two dead birds. Then he walked out with them. She was still gagging slightly.
Okay, Flick. Time to get yourself under control.
She was stuck here for the next week. She had to make the best of it. She didn’t have a lot of choice.
West walked back in. “I’ll unpack our stuff, sunshine, and get the bed made up so you can have a nap.”
“I don’t need a nap.”
“You do, you’re swaying on your feet. You’re pale. I’ll make the bed. You can take some painkillers, have a nap, and I’ll get everything set up. Cook us some dinner.”
“Um, how? Is there electricity?”
He barked out a laugh. “Electricity? No, baby. Got a gas stove out in the shed.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry, baby girl. I’m going to look after you. Got a well for water. Fire to keep you warm at night and plenty of food.”
As he’d talked, he’d expertly made up the bed. He studied her when it was ready. “Can’t sleep like that.” He pulled out a large T-shirt for her. “Come on, let’s get you undressed.”
He stalked
towards her and she stumbled back a step.