Kai entered the cabin with an armload of wood. The first thing he noticed was the fresh woodsy scent. The main floor gleamed. A layer of dust no longer covered every surface. The big armchair by the fireplace, stripped of its dusty shroud, looked plump and welcoming. Emma had been busy. Kai dumped the wood into the wood box and stoked the fire he’d started earlier. “Emma, I’m back.”
Her head poked over the edge of the loft and she looked down at him. “Just a second, I was looking for something clean to wear. I’ll be right down.” Kai hoped the relaxed, friendly tone meant she planned on honoring their truce and giving him a second chance.
Kai grabbed his bag and went into the washroom to wash up and change his shirt. Emma had put a lot of effort into cleaning the place up and the least he could do was clean himself up, too.
She was setting the table when Kai re-entered the room. Two steaming bowls sat across from one another on the small wooden table with everyday, serviceable cutlery arranged neatly on either side. Emma poured water into tall glasses and placed them on the table. She smiled at him. More than he deserved at the moment. Charmed, Kai held out a chair for her and gestured for her to sit before taking the seat across from her. This must be what it felt like to come home to someone special. The thought came out of the blue. Kai was used to staff paid to accommodate and cater to him. He hadn’t felt the warmth of welcome in eons. It felt nice.
“Soup was the only thing I found in the cupboards. There were some crackers too, but I didn’t trust the look of them.” Apologetic, she smiled at him.
Her smile was radiant, stunning. Her beauty was effortless. Kai suspected inside as much as out. “Soup is fine,” his voice gruff. He bent his head and scooped a spoonful of the savory soup.
She never ceased to amaze him. One minute she was angry and spitting nails, the next she’d cleaned his cabin and cooked for him.
Even though it was plain old canned soup, it was good. It was a thoughtful gesture to prepare lunch while he worked outside. “This is nice. Thank you. Were there enough canned goods on hand to last us a few days? If we get sick of canned, I can go to the nearest town and get fresh supplies.” Kai was never very good at small talk. Food seemed a safe topic.
“Yeah. There were a few cans of soups and vegetables. Our fresh supplies are limited. I found some fruit. You must have bought it on the trip here. There wasn’t much else. I don’t usually have anyone to cook for but myself. Not that the soup required much in the way of ‘cooking.’” She rambled. Her gaze dropped to her busy fingers twisting the napkin in her lap. “I wondered…if maybe when you go to town you could pick up some extra ingredients for baking. I usually enjoy cooking and I’d like to try my skills on you if you don’t mind. I have to warn you though; I’ve never baked with a wood stove before. I’ll figure it out though.”
“That’s a very generous offer. I’d be happy to be your guinea pig. It beats the hell out of my cooking. Unless you like scrambled eggs, I’m pretty good at those. Why don’t you make me a list of everything you’ll need?”
“Wouldn’t it be easier if I just came shopping with you?”
“It would. I just thought if you stayed here, you’d get extra rest.” Kai didn’t tell her he wasn’t about to chance taking her out in public yet. She might still run. He was on thin ice as it was today.
“I’d like to pick up a few things for myself. I only packed bare essentials because I thought I’d be going home.”
“I’m sorry. I know that’s my fault. We can go to town in a day or two. Do you have enough stuff to last for a few days?”
“Yes. I can manage with the clothes I have for now. The food is another issue. There’s only so much canned soup I can stand.”
“How’s the eyesight?”
“It’s better. Still some blurriness but I’ve been having headaches and dizziness. It’s probably from that.”
“There should be some aspirin somewhere or we can pick up something when we go to town. Will you let me know if anything changes?”
“Sure. But you’ll understand if I wait until we go into town before I take any pills.” She shoots…she scores!
They were hours away from the city. It shouldn’t be a problem to go to the nearest town. He was sure no one had followed them. He was still uneasy about taking her out. It occurred to him Emma might be buttering him up so she could escape back to the city. She didn’t understand the dangers of the situation she’d gotten embroiled in. He could tell her but didn’t think she was ready to believe him. Not yet.
After they finished lunch, Emma put together a shopping list while Kai cleaned up the remains of their meal and began cleaning the dishes. Emma joined him and picked up a towel to dry the dishes and put them away. It was an odd feeling for him to stand side by side with Emma, performing domestic chores.
When they were finished cleaning the tiny kitchen, Kai checked the fire. How were they going to fill the rest of the day? It was only early evening. The cabin had nothing for entertainment other than a few books and magazines. Kai had chopped and stacked enough firewood to last two or three days. What else was there? He was damn sure he couldn’t stay in closed quarters with her. She appealed to him too much. Standing at the sink with her nearly drove him crazy.
He’d glanced at her several times while she helped him clean the kitchen. She’d nibbled on the pouty curve of her lower lip, the fleshy bottom corner caught between her teeth while she concentrated on the task. She was adorable and utterly unaware of what her nearness did to him. And she smelled so good. The fruity scent from her bath mingled with her natural scent. Not one who usually appreciated perfumes, her scent somehow appealed to him like a potent aphrodisiac. Nope, he definitely shouldn’t stay alone in the cabin with her. They definitely needed more to entertain them other than each other. The temptation might kill him.
“I'm gonna go check the roof. It’s been a long time since I've been out here. Gotta make sure there’re no leaks. I bet there’s plenty of maintenance around her needing my attention.” They’d gone from super comfortable to super awkward with each other in minutes.
“That's fine. There's enough cleaning in here to keep me occupied for days. If I run out of things to clean, I found a couple of magazines earlier that I could read.”
The next few days continued in a similar fashion. Emma cleaned the cabin, prepared the meals, and when Kai wasn't eating or sleeping, he kept himself busy outside. He tended the long overdue upkeep of the property. Kai could only chop and stack so much wood before he thinned the forest near the road to the point it no longer provided privacy. It took two days for him to repair every last loose board, shingle and every crooked nail. There was nothing left to do. He’d even cleaned bats out of the eaves.
Emma had also been busy. She’d cleaned and scrubbed every square inch inside the cabin and read every scrap of paper she’d found. She hadn't complained, but he could see she was bored.
The nights were the worst for Kai. He came in after dark except for meals. Every night he stretched out on the floor near the fire and listened to the rustling and thrashing coming from the loft as she tossed around in her sleep. He stopped himself numerous times from climbing the stairs and offering comfort from her nightmares. He imagined the scenario would take a much different turn than he intended. Instead, he stayed on his hard, lonely pallet by the fire with a pillow covering his head, blocking the sound. He promised himself if she cried out, he’d go to her, but she never did. She tossed, she turned, she whimpered but never once did she cry out. Resisting was getting harder by the night. It was time to do something different. It was time to take that trip into town.
The next day, as Emma cleared away the remains of their lunch, Kai suggested, “Why don’t we run into town today? It’s early enough. We could do our shopping and still be back by dark.”
“Oh hell yeah! I thought you’d never ask. I’ll grab my list. Do not change your mind while I’m gone!” She tossed the dishes into the sink and scrambled up the stairs to the loft.