several packages of that in his cart.
Because he hadn’t dated that much it didn’t take him long to run out of knowing what else a woman might eat. He picked up staples like milk, bread and eggs and then he just started to pick up random items that he liked and he hoped Maddy liked, as well.
It was a little over an hour later when he headed back to the cabin. As he drove, his thoughts filled with Maddy. He tried to think of all the things he might have heard about her, but there was really nothing to explain her hiding out in the Holiday Ranch barn.
If what she’d told him was the truth, that she had just decided to leave town, then why hadn’t she just walked to Cassie’s house when her car had broken down? She could have requested a call to the garage and then asked for a ride back to her trailer. Why hide out in a hot, uncomfortable barn?
He didn’t get it. But then he didn’t get women in general. He found them mysterious alien beings. They were complex and filled with emotions he didn’t always understand. He felt awkward in their presence and a couple of years ago he had just given up on dating.
Besides, he’d always envisioned his future alone, especially now. Eventually, when he moved into the cabin and settled in, he might get a dog to keep him company. He was a simple man and all he had to do was figure out what his next job would be.
Cassie paid a fair wage and before her, her aunt Cass had always seen that the men were not only paid well, but also understood the importance of savings and investment.
He’d used up most of his savings on the land and the cabin. He couldn’t exactly move to the cabin and retire. Although he’d have no mortgage payment, there would still be utilities and groceries to take care of.
He frowned and gripped the steering wheel more tightly. If not a cowboy, then what would he be? He shoved the troubling question aside as he pulled up in front of the cabin.
Grabbing several of the grocery bags, he then headed for the front door. Finding it locked, he pulled his keys out and unlocked it.
As he walked in he got a quick vision of Maddy asleep on the sofa. Her eyelids fluttered and suddenly she sprang up, her eyes wild with terror as she faced him with a butcher knife in her hand.
She stared at him but he got the impression she wasn’t really seeing him. She appeared to still be half-asleep. Her entire body trembled as she raised the knife higher and stepped back from him.
His heart banged against his ribs. “Maddy,” he said softly. He didn’t move a muscle. She looked like a wild animal and he knew the best way to handle her was to be gentle with her. “It’s okay, Maddy. You’re safe here.” He kept his voice low and smooth. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you. Nobody is going to hurt you here.”
Her eyes slowly cleared and she lowered the knife. She appeared to crumble as she fell back to the sofa and began to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she said between tears. “I had a bad dream and then I heard the door open and I... I thought you were a monster.”
“There are no monsters here,” he replied. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
She released a small laugh. “You just walked into your own cabin. I was the crazy lady with the knife. I was way scarier than you were.”
He was grateful that her tears had stopped. She got up off the sofa and sat at the table. He set the grocery bags on the counter and then turned to her. “There’s a couple more bags in the truck. I’ll be right back.”
Whew. He stepped outside and drew several deep breaths. His heart had definitely accelerated when she’d faced him with that knife. What in the hell had happened to her to warrant her taking a nap with a weapon? And then raise it to him as if she was terrified for her personal safety.
He’d known if necessary he would have been able to take the knife away from her. He was just grateful it hadn’t gotten to that point. He grabbed the last two grocery bags out of the back of his truck and then returned to the cabin.
“I apologize again,” she said. “Nothing like greeting a man in his own home with a knife.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s already forgotten.” He opened a bag of the groceries and began to pull out the contents. “I wasn’t sure what you liked so I tried to get a little bit of everything.”
“How much do I owe you?”
“We’ll worry about all that later.” He opened the fridge door and began to put the vegetables inside.
It was obvious she had showered and changed her dress. She now wore a loose-fitting pink sundress that complemented her dark hair and blue eyes.
She not only smelled of minty-fresh soap, but also of a field of sweet wildflowers. A whisper of desire blew through him. It was as unexpected as it was inappropriate. He’d always found Maddy very pretty but that was the last thing he needed to be thinking about her right now.
“I can at least help you put the groceries away.” She got up from the table and opened another bag.
It took them only a few minutes to put the groceries away and then once again she sat at the table and he stood with his back against the fridge.
“There’s a couple of things I wanted to tell you,” he said. “First of all, help yourself to anything you want and let me know if there’s something else you need that isn’t here.”
“I can’t imagine needing anything more than what you’ve already provided.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’d also like to ask you if it’s okay that while you’re here I can continue work here. I want to get a porch up and there’s more trim work to finish. Normally, I’m out here around five-thirty and I work until about eight in the evenings and then I go back to the ranch. Is that going to be a problem for you?”
“Of course not,” she replied after only a moment’s hesitation. “I wouldn’t want to be responsible for you not getting your work done here.”
“Did somebody hurt you, Maddy?”
He could tell the question took her by surprise. She held his gaze for a long moment and then looked away. “Flint, I really appreciate what you’re doing for me, but please don’t ask me any questions.”
She definitely had secrets...seemingly dark secrets, but she was here for only a short period of time and it was really none of his business.
“All right, then,” he replied and straightened. “I need to get back to the ranch. I’ll see you again this evening.”
“I’ll see you then.” She followed him to the door and the last thing he heard was her locking it after him.
He was almost grateful she hadn’t told him what was going on. He didn’t want to know too much about her, especially given that unexpected touch of desire that had momentarily swept through him.
Still, he couldn’t help but be curious. It was damned strange for a woman to take a knife to bed with her when she was sleeping. And he couldn’t erase from his mind that look of sheer terror that had been in her eyes when she’d jumped up from the sofa.
When he got back to the ranch he pulled into
