He ventured off the steps, the deeper snow nearly reaching the rim of his boots. Damon followed the sound of hammering, and he knew damn well it wasn’t animals. They owned the land far beyond what the eye could see, so people were on their land. Having Opal in their home made him more territorial than normal. He wouldn’t tolerate drifters who could potentially be a danger to his woman. The type of men they’d caught before had been unsavory, the kind lacking any morals, hygiene, or human decency. The city wasn’t the only place with a dark side. If they wanted to live their dream, they had to defend their land and their values.
He eventually saw color between the trees in the distance. Damon had his rifle cocked and ready as he closed in. He counted two, so he wasn’t too outnumbered. It was stupid to come out this far without backup from his brother.
“Can I help you?” he said. Damon always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, but he didn’t give his trust easily.
The older man stood up straight and just stared.
Damon’s peripheral vision caught the younger blond reach for something under a tarp. He turned and pointed his rifle. “Keep your hands where I can see them,” he warned.
“I ain’t doing anything wrong,” said the blond, holding up his arms at the elbows. He had a missing front tooth and greasy hair. Damon had a bad vibe from both of them.
“That’s real good,” said Damon. “Why you both way out here in this weather?”
“Are you the law?” The old bastard was pushing his luck. “I thought this was a free country.”
“You haven’t heard of the stand your ground law? I find that real hard to believe,” he said. “Considering this is my fucking land, and my gun is loaded, that’s not looking good in your favor.”
“We didn’t know anyone owned this,” said the blond.
He pointed to the quickest direction off his land. “As long as you move along, we won’t have a problem.”
Damon had evaluated everything in those few minutes. They were setting up a rudimentary campsite, and he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t like it. Blue tarps, propane heaters, a snowmobile with sled and supplies. He’d ask what they were up to, but they’d only give him lies.
He waited as they packed up their gear, leaning against one of the trees. They didn’t mind the odd extreme camper or hiker traveling through. Even the backpacking groups like Opal had joined were tolerable. These lowlifes were up to no good, and he wanted them gone. If Caleb had been there, he wouldn’t have been so gracious.
Almost an hour later, he was hiking back to the cabin. This time, he took the opportunity to enjoy the beauty—the birds singing, and sunrays trying to peek through the clouds. He hoped Opal could learn to love this land the same as him. It would take a while before his insecurities would die down. He was terrified she’d tire of their lifestyle, eager to get back to the thrill ride of living in the city. After having a sample of life with a woman, he couldn’t go back to just living with his brother. It would destroy him.
Before his hand touched the doorknob, Caleb wrenched open the door. “I heard an engine. Where the fuck have you been?”
He knew Caleb wasn’t pissed, just worried. They’d had run-ins with drifters, squatters, and loggers over the years. Sometimes things got ugly. Damon’s greatest fear had always been losing his brother, and the fear went both ways.
“Some piece-of-shit squatters,” he said. “I scared them off.”
Caleb frowned, taking the rifle from him and clearing the chamber. He set it on the rack by the door. “You shouldn’t have gone out alone.”
“I know. There were just two of them, though.”
“Doesn’t matter. You know better,” said Caleb.
Opal padded into the living room in just one of their oversized John Deere t-shirts. Her hair was lightly disheveled, but she looked like an angel.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing, baby. You sleep okay?” Caleb diverted to a new topic. They were on the exact same page—they didn’t want to scare her off. This was the honeymoon period, and she
could either fall in love with living off the grid, or learn to resent it. It was important to make her experience a positive one.
Caleb already had the fire roaring, and Damon smelled oatmeal and the sweetness of brown sugar. He hung up his coat and set his boots on the tray.
“You’re all wet,” Opal said, reaching up to brush the moisture out of his hair. “You should get dry before you catch a cold.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet, giving her a little whirl around. She giggled, and the sound filled the room. “Yes, ma’am.” It felt good to be cared for by a woman. Addicting, even.
Soon they’d claim her together, marking every inch of her as theirs. Now he just wanted to enjoy her, love her, protect her.
Chapter Seven
Opal had never been addicted to sex. Why would she? For so long she’d always been overlooked. No one wanted her. The fat girl. Pushing those thoughts aside, she watched as Damon and Caleb went about their business around the cabin. They were fixing things, preparing everything for the next lot of bad weather, and she sat down with a warm cocoa, watching quietly.