By the time he got back to his own cabin, he was fuming. He looked around at his place. It was threadbare but clean. The roof over his head didn’t leak, the bed had blankets on it, and he had his own bathroom. It was private, and best of all, it was his.
It had been a long time since he’d had a place of his own. He didn’t want to lose it because some rich bitch thought he was scary.
He calmed down a bit after a long, hot shower. Then he toweled off with his one threadbare towel—as soon as he got his next paycheck, he’d have to get himself some linens—and headed back into his room. He dressed and then lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Rome didn’t have a TV in his small cabin. The main lodge had one, and it served as a rec room for the employees most nights. He’d spent several evenings having a beer with the guys and playing Xbox, but tonight he didn’t feel social. He was still pissed. Plus, Dane—who got along with everyone—was out in the woods, so his fiancée, Miranda, would be by herself. Seeing as how one female was scared of him, he didn’t need to alarm another. And since Colt and Beth Ann were in Alaska, that meant it’d be Pop, Grant, and Brenna.
No thanks.
Maybe he’d ride into town, have a beer at the bar. He picked up his phone to check the weather. It had started looking nasty earlier, and riding a Harley through a rainstorm wasn’t his favorite thing to do. Before he could check his weather app, though, a new text message flashed on the screen.
It’s J. You should know Dad’s out of prison and wants to catch up with us. I’m on the road but should be heading to Texas soon. Just a heads-up if you want to meet.
His brother, Jericho. Damn it. Rome deleted the message. The last thing he needed was his family hanging around and ruining what he had here.
• • •
That evening, Elise decided to stay in. It wasn’t that she couldn’t drive out to the main lodge and hang out. She’d be welcome.
It was that she was feeling a little weird about catching Rome shirtless and then running away like an idiot. Better to stay away for a few days until everyone forgot. Grant and Brenna wouldn’t miss her—they’d be too wrapped up in each other—and the sight of them flirting just made her feel even more like a third wheel.
Everyone she knew in Bluebonnet was paired off and living their own lives. It was Elise who was floating around, aimless. She couldn’t expect everyone to entertain her forever.
So tonight she’d be staying in at the Peppermint House.
The bed-and-breakfast was the only thing close to a hotel near tiny Bluebonnet, Texas. It was in the process of being renovated, but what was done so far was charming and adorably Victorian. Elise’s room was full of pinks and mauves, and the four-poster bed made her feel like a princess. The owner of the bed-and-breakfast, Emily Allard-Smith, was also as friendly and relaxed as they came, and Elise liked her a lot.
She headed downstairs and nearly ran into Emily, who was heading out the door, a food container and her keys in hand. She looked surprised to see Elise. “Oh. Are you staying in tonight?”
Elise gave her a sheepish smile and let her hair swing in front of her face. “I was considering it.”
“Oh! I thought you’d be going out.” Emily immediately turned around and headed toward the kitchen. “Let me whip you up some dinner.”
“It’s okay,” Elise said, trailing behind her. “Really. I can order a pizza or something.”
“Nonsense,” Emily fussed, putting her keys down on the counter and opening the fridge. “This is a bed-and-breakfast, and I feed my guests. Is a sandwich okay?”
“A sandwich is fine.” Elise sat on one of the barstools in the kitchen and admired the container of cookies Emily had placed on the fridge. “You heading to the police station?” It was no secret that Emily loved to cook, and when she didn’t have many guests, she ended up baking for the police station and the fire department. Elise was constantly being stuffed with delicious pastries every morning, thanks to Emily’s obsessive baking.
“No, heading over to visit Luanne.” She pulled a ton of ingredients onto the counter and began to construct an enormous sandwich for Elise, layering vegetables and condiments with all kinds of meat. “Hank’s working the late shift, so Luanne’s working on my webpage. She wants me to go over some of it with her, and I thought I’d bring some cookies as a thank-you to Hank.”
“That’s your sister who’s dating the police officer, right?” Elise hadn’t met her, but Emily mentioned her once or twice.
“That’s right. Hank has a real weakness for cookies. Actually, so does Luanne.” She topped the sandwich with a thick slice of freshly made bread and shoved two colorful toothpicks through it, then sawed it in half. “Voilà. How’s that for dinner?”
“Impressive,” Elise said with a shy smile. “Thank you so much.”
Emily waved a hand. “It’s nothing. You sure you want to stay in? I’m guessing you could hang out with me. Luanne wouldn’t mind. My sister’s a bit of a string bean and obnoxious at times, but she has a good heart.”
“No, I’m fine. Thank you.”
“You sure? You need to get out more often! You’re young and single.”
Elise tensed. She rather hoped that Emily wasn’t going to start trying to set her up with someone. “You’re young and single, too.”
“Actually I’m older than you, and I’m divorced.” She shrugged. “Old before my time, I guess. And I’m the one going out. You sure you don’t want to go?”
“I’m sure.” Elise took a big bite of her sandwich so she wouldn’t have to talk.
“Okay. If it storms, I might stay at Luanne’s a bit later. The weather looks kind of foul at the moment.” She gestured at one of the cabinets in the kitchen. “There’s candles in there if the power goes out.” Emily looked uncomfortable and hesitated. “You’re not scared of ghosts, are you?”
Elise nearly choked on the mouthful of sandwich. Coughing, she shook her head.
“Just making sure.” She bit her lip. “You sure you don’t want to come with me? I hate the thought of you sitting here in the dark if the power goes out. With, you know . . . my visitor.”
Elise swallowed, her throat burning as she gulped the food down. She placed a hand in front of her mouth as she spoke. “I . . . don’t really think this place is haunted, Emily.” She’d been warned by Em that there were rumors of a haunting, but no one ever seemed to hear anything but Emily herself. Elise had been here a few weeks now and hadn’t heard a peep. She wasn’t scared.